ANSI.SYS Defines functions that change display graphics, control cursor movement, and reassign keys. The ANSI.SYS device driver supports ANSI terminal emulation of escape sequences to control your system's screen and keyboard. An ANSI escape sequence is a sequence of ASCII characters, the first two of which are the escape character (1Bh) and the left-bracket character (5Bh). The character or characters following the escape and left-bracket characters specify an alphanumeric code that controls a keyboard or display function. ANSI escape sequences distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters; for example,"A" and "a" have completely different meanings. This device driver must be loaded by a or command in your CONFIG.SYS file. Note: In this topic bold letters in syntax and ANSI escape sequences indicate text you must type exactly as it appears. Syntax DEVICE=[drive:][path]ANSI.SYS [/X] [/K] [/R] Parameter [drive:][path] Specifies the location of the ANSI.SYS file. Switches /X Remaps extended keys independently on 101-key keyboards. /K Causes ANSI.SYS to treat a 101-key keyboard like an 84-key keyboard. This is equivalent to the command SWITCHES=/K. If you usually use the SWITCHES=/K command, you will need to use the /K switch with ANSI.SYS. /R Adjusts line scrolling to improve readability when ANSI.SYS is used with screen-reading programs (which make computers more accessible to people with disabilities). Parameters used in ANSI escape sequences Pn Numeric parameter. Specifies a decimal number. Ps Selective parameter. Specifies a decimal number that you use to select a function. You can specify more than one function by separating the parameters with semicolons. PL Line parameter. Specifies a decimal number that represents one of the lines on your display or on another device. Pc Column parameter. Specifies a decimal number that represents one of the columns on your screen or on another device. ANSI escape sequences for cursor movement, graphics, and keyboard settings In the following list of ANSI escape sequences, the abbreviation ESC represents the ASCII escape character 27 (1Bh), which appears at the beginning of each escape sequence. ESC[PL;PcH Cursor Position: Moves the cursor to the specified position (coordinates). If you do not specify a position, the cursor moves to the home positionÄÄthe upper-left corner of the screen (line 0, column 0). This escape sequence works the same way as the following Cursor Position escape sequence. ESC[PL;Pcf Cursor Position: Works the same way as the preceding Cursor Position escape sequence. ESC[PnA Cursor Up: Moves the cursor up by the specified number of lines without changing columns. If the cursor is already on the top line, ANSI.SYS ignores this sequence. ESC[PnB Cursor Down: Moves the cursor down by the specified number of lines without changing columns. If the cursor is already on the bottom line, ANSI.SYS ignores this sequence. ESC[PnC Cursor Forward: Moves the cursor forward by the specified number of columns without changing lines. If the cursor is already in the rightmost column, ANSI.SYS ignores this sequence. ESC[PnD Cursor Backward: Moves the cursor back by the specified number of columns without changing lines. If the cursor is already in the leftmost column, ANSI.SYS ignores this sequence. ESC[s Save Cursor Position: Saves the current cursor position. You can move the cursor to the saved cursor position by using the Restore Cursor Position sequence. ESC[u Restore Cursor Position: Returns the cursor to the position stored by the Save Cursor Position sequence. ESC[2J Erase Display: Clears the screen and moves the cursor to the home position (line 0, column 0). ESC[K Erase Line: Clears all characters from the cursor position to the end of the line (including the character at the cursor position). ESC[Ps;...;Psm Set Graphics Mode: Calls the graphics functions specified by the following values. These specified functions remain active until the next occurrence of this escape sequence. Graphics mode changes the colors and attributes of text (such as bold and underline) displayed on the screen. Text attributes 0 All attributes off 1 Bold on 4 Underscore (on monochrome display adapter only) 5 Blink on 7 Reverse video on 8 Concealed on Foreground colors 30 Black 31 Red 32 Green 33 Yellow 34 Blue 35 Magenta 36 Cyan 37 White Background colors 40 Black 41 Red 42 Green 43 Yellow 44 Blue 45 Magenta 46 Cyan 47 White Parameters 30 through 47 meet the ISO 6429 standard. ESC[=psh Set Mode: Changes the screen width or type to the mode specified by one of the following values: 0 40 x 148 x 25 monochrome (text) 1 40 x 148 x 25 color (text) 2 80 x 148 x 25 monochrome (text) 3 80 x 148 x 25 color (text) 4 320 x 148 x 200 4-color (graphics) 5 320 x 148 x 200 monochrome (graphics) 6 640 x 148 x 200 monochrome (graphics) 7 Enables line wrapping 13 320 x 148 x 200 color (graphics) 14 640 x 148 x 200 color (16-color graphics) 15 640 x 148 x 350 monochrome (2-color graphics) 16 640 x 148 x 350 color (16-color graphics) 17 640 x 148 x 480 monochrome (2-color graphics) 18 640 x 148 x 480 color (16-color graphics) 19 320 x 148 x 200 color (256-color graphics) ESC[=Psl Reset Mode: Resets the mode by using the same values that Set Mode uses, except for 7, which disables line wrapping. The last character in this escape sequence is a lowercase L. ESC[code;string;...p Set Keyboard Strings: Redefines a keyboard key to a specified string. The parameters for this escape sequence are defined as follows:  Code is one or more of the values listed in the following table. These values represent keyboard keys and key combinations. When using these values in a command, you must type the semicolons shown in this table in addition to the semicolons required by the escape sequence. The codes in parentheses are not available on some keyboards. ANSI.SYS will not interpret the codes in parentheses for those keyboards unless you specify the /X switch in the DEVICE command for ANSI.SYS.  String is either the ASCII code for a single character or a string contained in quotation marks. For example, both 65 and "A" can be used to represent an uppercase A. IMPORTANT: Some of the values in the following table are not valid for all computers. Check your computer's documentation for values that are different. Key Code SHIFT+code CTRL+code ALT+code ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ F1 0;59 0;84 0;94 0;104 F2 0;60 0;85 0;95 0;105 F3 0;61 0;86 0;96 0;106 F4 0;62 0;87 0;97 0;107 F5 0;63 0;88 0;98 0;108 F6 0;64 0;89 0;99 0;109 F7 0;65 0;90 0;100 0;110 F8 0;66 0;91 0;101 0;111 F9 0;67 0;92 0;102 0;112 F10 0;68 0;93 0;103 0;113 F11 0;133 0;135 0;137 0;139 F12 0;134 0;136 0;138 0;140 HOME (num keypad) 0;71 55 0;119 ÄÄ UP ARROW (num keypad) 0;72 56 (0;141) ÄÄ PAGE UP (num keypad) 0;73 57 0;132 ÄÄ LEFT ARROW (num keypad) 0;75 52 0;115 ÄÄ RIGHT ARROW (num 0;77 54 0;116 ÄÄ keypad) END (num keypad) 0;79 49 0;117 ÄÄ DOWN ARROW (num keypad) 0;80 50 (0;145) ÄÄ PAGE DOWN (num keypad) 0;81 51 0;118 ÄÄ INSERT (num keypad) 0;82 48 (0;146) ÄÄ DELETE (num keypad) 0;83 46 (0;147) ÄÄ HOME (224;71) (224;71) (224;119) (224;151) UP ARROW (224;72) (224;72) (224;141) (224;152) PAGE UP (224;73) (224;73) (224;132) (224;153) LEFT ARROW (224;75) (224;75) (224;115) (224;155) RIGHT ARROW (224;77) (224;77) (224;116) (224;157) END (224;79) (224;79) (224;117) (224;159) DOWN ARROW (224;80) (224;80) (224;145) (224;154) PAGE DOWN (224;81) (224;81) (224;118) (224;161) INSERT (224;82) (224;82) (224;146) (224;162) DELETE (224;83) (224;83) (224;147) (224;163) PRINT SCREEN ÄÄ ÄÄ 0;114 ÄÄ PAUSE/BREAK ÄÄ ÄÄ 0;0 ÄÄ BACKSPACE 8 8 127 (0) ENTER 13 ÄÄ 10 (0 TAB 9 0;15 (0;148) (0;165) NULL 0;3 ÄÄ ÄÄ ÄÄ A 97 65 1 0;30 B 98 66 2 0;48 C 99 66 3 0;46 D 100 68 4 0;32 E 101 69 5 0;18 F 102 70 6 0;33 G 103 71 7 0;34 H 104 72 8 0;35 I 105 73 9 0;23 J 106 74 10 0;36 K 107 75 11 0;37 L 108 76 12 0;38 M 109 77 13 0;50 N 110 78 14 0;49 O 111 79 15 0;24 P 112 80 16 0;25 Q 113 81 17 0;16 R 114 82 18 0;19 S 115 83 19 0;31 T 116 84 20 0;20 U 117 85 21 0;22 V 118 86 22 0;47 W 119 87 23 0;17 X 120 88 24 0;45 Y 121 89 25 0;21 Z 122 90 26 0;44 1 49 33 ÄÄ 0;120 2 50 64 0 0;121 3 51 35 ÄÄ 0;122 4 52 36 ÄÄ 0;123 5 53 37 ÄÄ 0;124 6 54 94 30 0;125 7 55 38 ÄÄ 0;126 8 56 42 ÄÄ 0;126 9 57 40 ÄÄ 0;127 0 48 41 ÄÄ 0;129 - 45 95 31 0;130 = 61 43 ÄÄ- 0;131 [ 91 123 27 0;26 ] 93 125 29 0;27 92 124 28 0;43 ; 59 58 ÄÄ 0;39 ' 39 34 ÄÄ 0;40 , 44 60 ÄÄ 0;51 . 46 62 ÄÄ 0;52 / 47 63 ÄÄ 0;53 ` 96 126 ÄÄ (0;41) ENTER (keypad) 13 ÄÄ 10 (0;166) / (keypad) 47 47 (0;142) (0;74) * (keypad) 42 (0;144) (0;78) ÄÄ - (keypad) 45 45 (0;149) (0;164) + (keypad) 43 43 (0;150) (0;55) 5 (keypad) (0;76) 53 (0;143) ÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ APPEND Enables programs to open data files in specified directories as if the files were in the current directory. Do not use this command when you are running Windows. The specified directories are called appended directories because, for the sake of opening data files, they can be found as if they were appended to the current directory. Syntax APPEND [[drive:]path[;...]] [/X[:ON|:OFF]][/PATH:ON|/PATH:OFF] [/E] To display the list of appended directories, use the following syntax: APPEND To cancel the existing list of appended directories, use the following syntax: APPEND ; Parameters [drive:]path Specifies the drive (if other than the current drive) and directory that you want to append to the current directory. You can specify multiple entries of [drive:]path, separating the entries with semicolons. ; When used by itself (APPEND ;), cancels the existing list of appended directories. Switches /X[:ON|:OFF] Specifies whether MS-DOS is to search (/X:ON) or not search (/X:OFF) appended directories when executing programs. You can abbreviate /X:ON to /X. If you want to specify X:ON, you must do it the first time you use APPEND after starting your system. After that, you can switch between X:ON and X:OFF. The default value is /X:OFF. /PATH:ON|/PATH:OFF Specifies whether a program is to search appended directories for a data file when a path is already included with the name of the file the program is looking for. The default setting is /PATH:ON. /E Assigns the list of appended directories to an environment variable named APPEND. This switch can be used only the first time you use APPEND after starting your system. If you use /E, you can use the SET command to display the list of appended directories. For information about environment variables, see the command. Caution Do not use Append with Microsoft Windows or the Windows Setup program. Related Command To set a search path for executable files, see the command. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ATTRIB Displays or changes file attributes. This command displays, sets, or removes the Read-Only, Archive, System, and Hidden attributes assigned to files or directories. Syntax ATTRIB [+R|-R] [+A|-A] [+S|-S] [+H|-H][[drive:][path]filename] [/S] To display all attributes of all files in the current directory, use the following syntax: ATTRIB Parameter [drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the file(s) you want to process. Switches +R Sets the Read-Only file attribute. -R Clears the Read-Only file attribute. +A Sets the Archive file attribute. -A Clears the Archive file attribute. +S Sets the file as a System file. -S Clears the System file attribute. +H Sets the file as a Hidden file. -H Clears the Hidden file attribute. /S Processes files in the current directory and all of its subdirectories. Related Command For more information about copying files and directories with different attributes, see the command. Batch Commands A batch file or batch program is an unformatted text file that contains one or more MS-DOS commands and is assigned a .BAT extension. When you type the name of the batch program at the command prompt, the commands are carried out as a group. Any MS-DOS command you use at the command prompt can also be put in a batch program. In addition, the following MS-DOS commands are specially designed for batch programs:  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CALL Calls one batch program from another without causing the first batch program to stop. Syntax CALL [drive:][path]filename [batch-parameters] Parameters [drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the batch program you want to call. Filename must have a .BAT extension. batch-parameters Specifies any command-line information required by the batch program.  Note Examples ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHOICE Prompts the user to make a choice in a batch program. Displays a specified prompt and pauses for the user to choose from among a specified set of keys. You can use this command only in batch programs. For more information on the ERRORLEVEL parameter, see and the command. Syntax CHOICE [/C[:]keys] [/N] [/S] [/T[:]c,nn] [text] Parameters text Specifies text you want to be displayed before the prompt. Quotation marks are necessary only if you include a switch character (/) as part of the text before the prompt. If you don't specify text, CHOICE displays only a prompt. Switches /C[:]keys Specifies allowable keys in the prompt. When displayed, the keys will be separated by commas, will appear in brackets ([]), and will be followed by a question mark. If you don't specify the /C switch, CHOICE uses YN as the default. The colon (:) is optional. /N Causes CHOICE not to display the prompt. The text before the prompt is still displayed, however. If you specify the /N switch, the specified keys are still valid. /S Causes CHOICE to be case sensitive. If the /S switch is not specified, CHOICE will accept either upper or lower case for any of the keys that the user specifies. /T[:]c,nn Causes CHOICE to pause for a specified number of seconds before defaulting to a specified key. The values for the /T switch are as follows: c Specifies the character to default to after nn seconds. The character must be in the set of choices specified in the /C switch. nn Specifies the number of seconds to pause. Acceptable values are from 0 to 99. If 0 is specified, there will be no pause before defaulting.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ECHO Displays or hides the text in batch programs when the program is running. Also indicates whether the command-echoing feature is on or off. When you run a batch program, MS-DOS typically displays (echoes) the batch program's commands on the screen. You can turn this feature on or off by using the ECHO command. Syntax ECHO [ON|OFF] To use the echo command to display a message, use the following syntax: echo [message] Parameters ON|OFF Specifies whether to turn the command-echoing feature on or off. To display the current ECHO setting, use the ECHO command without a parameter. message Specifies text you want MS-DOS to display on the screen. Related Command For information about suspending the execution of a batch program, see the command. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ FOR Runs a specified command for each file in a set of files. You can use this command in batch programs or at the command prompt. Syntax To use FOR in a batch program, use the following syntax: FOR %%variable IN (set) DO command [command-parameters] To use FOR from the command prompt, use the following syntax: FOR %variable IN (set) DO command [command-parameters] Parameters %%variable or %variable Represents a replaceable variable. The FOR command replaces %%variable (or %variable) with each text string in the specified set until the command (specified in the command parameter) processes all the files. Use %%variable to carry out the FOR command within a batch program. Use %variable to carry out FOR from the command prompt. (set) Specifies one or more files or text strings that you want to process with the specified command. The parentheses are required. command Specifies the command that you want to carry out on each file included in the specified set. command-parameters Specifies any parameters or switches that you want to use with the specified command (if the specified command uses any parameters or switches).  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ GOTO Directs MS-DOS to a line in a batch program that is marked by a label you specify. You can use this command only in batch programs. The GOTO command directs MS-DOS within a batch program to a line identified by a label. When MS-DOS finds the label, it processes the commands beginning on the next line. Syntax GOTO label Parameters label Specifies the line in a batch program to which MS-DOS should go.  Examples ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ IF Performs conditional processing in batch programs. If the condition specified by an IF command is true, MS-DOS carries out the command that follows the condition. If the condition is false, MS-DOS ignores the command. You can use this command only in batch programs. Syntax IF [NOT] ERRORLEVEL number command IF [NOT] string1==string2 command IF [NOT] EXIST filename command Parameters NOT Specifies that MS-DOS should carry out the command only if the condition is false. ERRORLEVEL number Specifies a true condition only if the previous program run by COMMAND.COM returned an exit code equal to or greater than number. command Specifies the command that MS-DOS should carry out if the preceding condition is met. string1==string2 Specifies a true condition only if string1 and string2 are the same. These values can be literal strings or batch variables (%1, for example). Literal strings do not need quotation marks. EXIST filename Specifies a true condition if filename exists.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ PAUSE Suspends processing of a batch program and displays a message that prompts the user to press any key to continue. You can use this command only within batch programs. Syntax PAUSE  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ REM Enables you to include comments in a batch file or in your CONFIG.SYS file. The REM command is also useful for disabling commands. (You can use a semicolon (;) instead of the REM command in your CONFIG.SYS file, but not in batch files.) Syntax REM [string] Parameters string Specifies any string of characters ÄÄ the command you want to disable or the comment you want to include. Related Command For information about displaying messages, see the command.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SHIFT Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch program. Syntax SHIFT  Note Examples ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ BREAK Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking. You can use this command at the command prompt or in your CONFIG.SYS file. You can press CTRL+C to stop a program or an activity (file sorting, for example). Typically, MS-DOS checks for CTRL+C only while it reads from the keyboard or writes to the screen or a printer. If you set BREAK to ON, you extend CTRL+C checking to other functions, such as disk read and write operations. Syntax BREAK [ON|OFF] To display the current BREAK setting, use the following syntax: BREAK In your CONFIG.SYS file, use the following syntax: BREAK=ON|OFF Parameter ON|OFF Turns extended CTRL+C checking on or off.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ BUFFERS Allocates memory for a specified number of disk buffers when your system starts. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax BUFFERS=n[,m] Parameters n Specifies the number of disk buffers. The value of n must be in the range 1 through 99. m Specifies the number of buffers in the secondary buffer cache. The value of m must be in the range 0 through 8. Default settings The default setting for the number of disk buffers depends on the configuration of your system, as shown in the following table: Configuration Buffers Bytes (n) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ <128K of RAM, 360K disk 2 ÄÄ <128K of RAM, > 360K 3 ÄÄ disk 128K to 255K of RAM 5 2672 256K to 511K of RAM 10 5328 512K to 640K of RAM 15 7984 The default setting for the number of buffers in the secondary cache (m) is 0 (no secondary cache buffers). If you specify an invalid value for n or m, BUFFERS uses the default setting of no secondary cache buffers.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CALL Calls one batch program from another without causing the first batch program to stop. Syntax CALL [drive:][path]filename [batch-parameters] Parameters [drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the batch program you want to call. Filename must have a .BAT extension. batch-parameters Specifies any command-line information required by the batch program.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHDIR (CD) Displays the name of the current directory or changes the current directory. Syntax CHDIR [drive:][path] CHDIR[..] CD [drive:][path] CD[..] To display the current drive letter and directory name, use either of the following syntax lines: CHDIR CD Parameters [drive:][path] Specifies the drive (if other than the current drive) and directory to which you want to change. .. Specifies that you want to change to the parent directory.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHCP Displays the number of the active character set (code page). You can also use the CHCP command to change the active character set for all devices that support character set switching. You must install the program before you can use the CHCP command. For an introduction to using character sets and the CHCP command, see the chapter "Customizing For International Use" in the MS-DOS 6 User's Guide. Tables of the character sets included with MS-DOS are shown in the appendix "Keyboard Layouts and Character Sets" in the MS-DOS 6 User's Guide. Syntax CHCP [nnn] To display the number of the active character set, use the following syntax: CHCP Parameter nnn Specifies the prepared system character set defined by the COUNTRY command in the CONFIG.SYS file. MS-DOS provides character sets for the following countries and languages: 437 United States 850 Multilingual (Latin I) 852 Slavic (Latin II) 860 Portuguese 863 Canadian-French 865 Nordic Related Commands For more information about character sets, see the , , and commands.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHDIR (CD) Displays the name of the current directory or changes the current directory. Syntax CHDIR [drive:][path] CHDIR[..] CD [drive:][path] CD[..] To display the current drive letter and directory name, use either of the following syntax lines: CHDIR CD Parameters [drive:][path] Specifies the drive (if other than the current drive) and directory to which you want to change. .. Specifies that you want to change to the parent directory.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHKDSK Checks the status of a disk and displays a status report. Can also fix disk errors. The status report shows logical errors found in the MS-DOS filing system, which consists of the file allocation table and directories. (CHKDSK does not verify that the information in your files can be accurately read.) If errors exist on the disk, CHKDSK alerts you with a message. You should use CHKDSK occasionally on each disk to check for errors. Syntax CHKDSK [drive:][[path]filename] [/F] [/V] To display the status of the disk in the current drive, use the following syntax: CHKDSK Parameters drive: Specifies the drive that contains the disk that you want CHKDSK to check. [path]filename Specifies the location and name of a file or set of files that you want CHKDSK to check for fragmentation. You can use wildcards (* and ?) to specify multiple files. Switches /F Fixes errors on the disk. Do not use this option when running CHKDSK from other programs such as Microsoft Windows or the MS-DOS Task Swapper. For more information, see "Using CHKDSK With Open Files" in . /V Displays the name of each file in every directory as the disk is checked. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHKSTATE.SYS Used by the MemMaker memory-optimization program to track the optimization process. During optimization, MemMaker adds the CHKSTATE.SYS command line to the beginning of your CONFIG.SYS file. When the optimization process is complete, MemMaker removes the CHKSTATE.SYS command line. CHKSTATE.SYS is used exclusively by MemMaker.  zNote Examples ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHOICE Prompts the user to make a choice in a batch program. Displays a specified prompt and pauses for the user to choose from among a specified set of keys. You can use this command only in batch programs. For more information on the ERRORLEVEL parameter, see and the command. Syntax CHOICE [/C[:]keys] [/N] [/S] [/T[:]c,nn] [text] Parameters text Specifies text you want to be displayed before the prompt. Quotation marks are necessary only if you include a switch character (/) as part of the text before the prompt. If you don't specify text, CHOICE displays only a prompt. Switches /C[:]keys Specifies allowable keys in the prompt. When displayed, the keys will be separated by commas, will appear in brackets ([]), and will be followed by a question mark. If you don't specify the /C switch, CHOICE uses YN as the default. The colon (:) is optional. /N Causes CHOICE not to display the prompt. The text before the prompt is still displayed, however. If you specify the /N switch, the specified keys are still valid. /S Causes CHOICE to be case sensitive. If the /S switch is not specified, CHOICE will accept either upper or lower case for any of the keys that the user specifies. /T[:]c,nn Causes CHOICE to pause for a specified number of seconds before defaulting to a specified key. The values for the /T switch are as follows: c Specifies the character to default to after nn seconds. The character must be in the set of choices specified in the /C switch. nn Specifies the number of seconds to pause. Acceptable values are from 0 to 99. If 0 is specified, there will be no pause before defaulting.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CLS Clears the screen. The cleared screen shows only the command prompt and cursor. Syntax CLS  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ COMMAND Starts a new instance of the MS-DOS command interpreter. A command interpreter is a program that displays the command prompt at which you type commands. Use the EXIT command to stop the new command interpreter and return control to the old one. Syntax COMMAND [[drive:]path] [device] [/C string] [/E:nnnnn] [/K filename] [/P [/MSG]] In your CONFIG.SYS file, use the following syntax: SHELL=[[dos-drive:]dos-path]COMMAND.COM [[drive:]path][device] [/E:nnnn] [/P [/MSG]] Parameters [drive:]path Specifies where the command interpreter is to look for the COMMAND.COM file when the transient part of the program needs to be reloaded. This parameter must be included when loading COMMAND.COM for the first time if the COMMAND.COM file is not located in the root directory. This parameter is used to set the COMSPEC environment variable. device Specifies a different device for command input and output. For more information about this parameter, see the command. [dos-drive:]dos-path Specifies the location of the COMMAND.COM file. Switches /C string Specifies that the command interpreter is to perform the command specified by string and then exit. /E:nnnnn Specifies the environment size, where nnnnn is the size in bytes. The value of nnnnn must be in the range 160 through 32768. MS-DOS rounds this number up to a multiple of 16 bytes. The default value is 256. /K filename Runs the specified program or batch file and then displays the MS-DOS command prompt. This switch is particularly useful for specifying a startup file other than C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT for the MS-DOS Prompt in Windows. (To do this, open the DOSPRMPT.PIF file using the PIF Editor, and type the /K switch in the Optional Parameters box.) It is not recommended to use the /K switch on the SHELL command line in your CONFIG.SYS file; doing so can cause problems with applications and installation programs that make changes to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. /P Should be used only when COMMAND is used with the SHELL command in the CONFIG.SYS file. The /P switch makes the new copy of the command interpreter permanent. In this case, the EXIT command cannot be used to stop the command interpreter. If you specify /P, MS-DOS runs your AUTOEXEC.BAT file before displaying the command prompt. If there is no AUTOEXEC.BAT file in the root directory of the startup drive, MS-DOS carries out the DATE and TIME commands instead. If you do not have a SHELL command in your CONFIG.SYS file, COMMAND.COM is automatically loaded from the root directory with the /P switch. /MSG Specifies that all error messages should be stored in memory. Usually, some messages are stored only on disk. This switch is useful only if you are running MS-DOS from floppy disks. You must specify the /P switch when you use the /MSG switch. For more information about using the /MSG switch, see . Related Command The command is the preferred method of using COMMAND to permanently increase space for the environment table.  CONFIG.SYS Commands The CONFIG.SYS file is a text file that contains special commands. These commands configure your computer's hardware components so that MS-DOS and applications can use them. When MS-DOS starts, it carries out the commands in the CONFIG.SYS file. Typically, the CONFIG.SYS file is located in the root directory of drive C. The following CONFIG.SYS commands can be used only in the CONFIG.SYS file: The following commands are commonly used in the CONFIG.SYS file and can also be typed at the command prompt: The following special CONFIG.SYS commands are used only to define multiple configurations within the CONFIG.SYS file: For more information about defining multiple configurations, see . The CONFIG.SYS file can also contain the following special characters: ; Specifies that the current line is a descriptive comment and should not be carried out. Insert this character at the beginning of the line. (You can also insert a comment by using the REM command.) ? Specifies that MS-DOS is to ask for confirmation before carrying out the current command. Insert this character just before the equal sign (=). For example, to have MS-DOS ask for confirmation before carrying out the DOS=HIGH command, you would change the command to read DOS?=HIGH. Bypassing CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT Commands If you are having system problems that you suspect are caused by one or more commands in your CONFIG.SYS file, you might want to bypass some or all the commands in your CONFIG.SYS file. To bypass all the commands in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, press the F5 key immediately after starting your computer, when you see the text "Now starting MS-DOS...". To bypass individual CONFIG.SYS commands, press the F8 key instead. MS-DOS will then prompt you to carry out or bypass each CONFIG.SYS command. To carry out all remaining startup commands, press F5. To bypass all remaining startup commands, press ESC. To disable this feature, add the SWITCHES /N command to your CONFIG.SYS file. For more information about your CONFIG.SYS file, see the chapter "Configuring Your System" in the MS-DOS User's Guide. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ BUFFERS Allocates memory for a specified number of disk buffers when your system starts. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax BUFFERS=n[,m] Parameters n Specifies the number of disk buffers. The value of n must be in the range 1 through 99. m Specifies the number of buffers in the secondary buffer cache. The value of m must be in the range 0 through 8. Default settings The default setting for the number of disk buffers depends on the configuration of your system, as shown in the following table: Configuration Buffers Bytes (n) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ <128K of RAM, 360K disk 2 ÄÄ <128K of RAM, > 360K 3 ÄÄ disk 128K to 255K of RAM 5 2672 256K to 511K of RAM 10 5328 512K to 640K of RAM 15 7984 The default setting for the number of buffers in the secondary cache (m) is 0 (no secondary cache buffers). If you specify an invalid value for n or m, BUFFERS uses the default setting of no secondary cache buffers. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ COUNTRY Enables MS-DOS to use country-specific conventions for displaying times, dates, and currency; for determining the order by which characters are sorted; and for determing which characters can be used in filenames. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. The COUNTRY command configures MS-DOS to recognize the character set and punctuation conventions observed when using one of the supported languages. Syntax COUNTRY=xxx[,[yyy][,[drive:][path]filename]] Parameters xxx Specifies the country code. yyy Specifies the character set for the country. [drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the file containing country information. Related Commands For information about changing characters and their arrangement on your keyboard, see the command, or see the chapter "Customizing for International Use" in the MS-DOS 6 User's Guide. For information about preparing and selecting character sets, see the command. For information about loading country-specific information, see the command.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ DEVICE Loads the device driver you specify into memory. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax DEVICE=[drive:][path]filename [dd-parameters] Parameters [drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the device driver you want to load. [dd-parameters] Specifies any command-line information required by the device driver. Related Command For information about loading device drivers into the upper memory area, see the command.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ DEVICEHIGH Loads device driver you specify into the upper memory area. Loading a device driver into the upper memory area frees more bytes of conventional memory for other programs. If upper memory is not available, the DEVICEHIGH command functions just like the DEVICE command. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax DEVICEHIGH [drive:][path]filename [dd-parameters] To specify the region(s) of memory into which to load the device driver, use the following syntax: DEVICEHIGH [[/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2] [/S]]= [drive:][path]filename [dd-parameters] Parameters [drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the device driver you want to load into the upper memory area. dd-parameters Specifies any command-line information required by the device driver. Switches /L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]... Specifies one or more regions of memory into which to load the device driver. By default, MS-DOS loads the driver into the largest free upper-memory block (UMB) and makes all other UMBs available for the driver's use. You can use the /L switch to load the device driver into a specific region of memory or to specify which region(s) the driver can use. To load the driver into the largest block in a specific region of upper memory, specify the region number after the /L switch. For example, to load the driver into the largest free block in region 4, you would type /L:4. (To list the free areas of memory, type MEM /F at the command prompt.) When loaded with the /L switch, a device driver can use only the specified memory region. Some device drivers use more than one area of memory; for those drivers, you can specify more than one region. (To find out how a particular device driver uses memory, issue the MEM /M command and specify the device-driver name as an argument.) To specify two or more regions, separate the block numbers with a semicolon (;). For example, to use blocks 2 and 3, you would type /L:2;3. Normally, MS-DOS loads a driver into a UMB in the specified region only if that region contains a UMB larger than the driver's load size (usually equal to the size of the executable program file). If the driver requires more memory while running than it does when loaded, you can use the minsize parameter to ensure that the driver will not be loaded into a UMB that is too small for it. If you specify a value for minsize, MS-DOS loads the driver into that region only if it contains a UMB that is larger than both the driver's load size and the minsize value. /S Shrinks the UMB to its minimum size while the driver is loading. Using this switch makes the most efficient use of memory. This switch is normally used only by the MemMaker program, which can analyze a device driver's memory use to determine whether the /S switch can safely be used when loading that driver. This switch can be used only in conjunction with the /L switch and affects only UMBs for which a minimum size was specified. Related Commands For information about loading programs into the upper memory area, see the command. For information about loading device drivers into conventional memory, see the command. For information about using the MemMaker program to move programs to the upper memory area, see the command. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ DOS Specifies that MS-DOS should maintain a link to the upper memory area, load part of itself into the high memory area (HMA), or both. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax DOS=HIGH|LOW[,UMB|,NOUMB] DOS=[HIGH,|LOW,]UMB|NOUMB Parameters UMB|NOUMB Specifies whether MS-DOS should manage upper memory blocks (UMBs) created by a UMB provider such as EMM386.EXE. The UMB parameter specifies that MS-DOS should manage UMBs, if they exist. The NOUMB parameter specifies that MS-DOS should not manage UMBs. The default setting is NOUMB. HIGH|LOW Specifies whether MS-DOS should attempt to load a part of itself into the HMA (HIGH) or keep all of MS-DOS in conventional memory (LOW). The default setting is LOW. Related Commands For information about loading a device driver into the upper memory area, see the command. For information about loading a program into the upper memory area, see the command. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ DRIVPARM Defines parameters for devices such as disk and tape drives when you start MS-DOS. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. The DRIVPARM command modifies the parameters of an existing physical drive. It does not create a new logical drive. The settings specified in the DRIVPARM command override the driver definitions for any previous block device. Syntax DRIVPARM=/D:number [/C] [/F:factor] [/H:heads] [/I] [/N] [/S:sectors] [/T:tracks] Switches /D:number Specifies the physical drive number. Values for number must be in the range 0 through 255 (for example, drive number 0 = drive A, 1 = drive B, 2 = drive C, and so on). /C Specifies that the drive can detect whether the drive door is closed. /F:factor Specifies the drive type. The following list shows the valid values for factor and a brief description of each. The default value is 2. 0 160K/180K or 320K/360K 1 1.2 megabyte (MB) 2 720K (3.5-inch disk) 5 Hard disk 6 Tape 7 1.44 MB (3.5-inch disk) 8 Read/write optical disk 9 2.88 MB (3.5-inch disk) /H:heads Specifies the maximum number of heads. Values for heads must be in the range 1 through 99. The default value depends upon the value you specify for /F:factor. /I Specifies an electronically compatible 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. (Electronically compatible drives are installed on your computer and use your existing floppy-disk-drive controller.) Use the /I switch if your computer's ROM BIOS does not support 3.5-inch floppy disk drives. /N Specifies a non-removable block device. /S:sectors Specifies the number of sectors per track that the block device supports. Values for sectors must be in the range 1 through 99. The default value depends upon the value you specify for /F:factor. /T:tracks Specifies the number of tracks per side that the block device supports. The default value depends upon the value you specify for /F:factor.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ FCBS Specifies the number of file control blocks (FCBs) that MS-DOS can have open at the same time. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. A file control block is a data structure that stores information about a file. Syntax FCBS=x Parameter x Specifies the number of file control blocks that MS-DOS can have open at one time. Valid values for x are in the range 1 through 255. The default value is 4. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ FILES Specifies the number of files that MS-DOS can access at one time. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax FILES=x Parameter x Specifies the number of files that MS-DOS can access at one time. Valid values for x are in the range 8 through 255. The default value is 8. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ INSTALL Loads a memory-resident program into memory when you start MS-DOS. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Memory-resident programs stay in memory as long as your computer is on. They can be used even when other programs are active. You can use the INSTALL command to load MS-DOS memory-resident programsÄÄfor example, Fastopen, Keyb, Nlsfunc, and Share. Syntax INSTALL=[drive:][path]filename [command-parameters] Parameters [drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the memory-resident program you want to run. command-parameters Specifies parameters for the program you specify for filename. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ LASTDRIVE Specifies the maximum number of drives you can access. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. The value you specify represents the last valid drive MS-DOS is to recognize. Syntax LASTDRIVE=x Parameter x Specifies a drive letter in the range A through Z. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ NUMLOCK Specifies whether the NUM LOCK key is set to ON or OFF when your computer starts. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax NUMLOCK=[ON|OFF] Parameters ON|OFF If set to ON, turns on the NUM LOCK key when MS-DOS displays the startup menu. If set to OFF, turns NUM LOCK off. Related Commands The NUMLOCK command is one of six special CONFIG.SYS commands for defining startup menus and multiple configurations. The other commands are:  The command, which defines the color of the menu's text and screen background.  The command, which defines an item on the menu.  The command, which specifies the default menu item.  The command, which defines a submenu.  The command, which includes the contents of one configuration block in another. This command cannot be included in a menu block. For an overview of the procedure for defining multiple configurations, see the topic  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SHELL Specifies the name and location of the command interpreter you want MS-DOS to use. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. If you want to use your own command interpreter (instead of COMMAND.COM), you can specify its name by adding a SHELL command to your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax SHELL=[[drive:]path]filename [parameters] Parameters [[drive:]path]filename Specifies the location and name of the command interpreter you want MS-DOS to use. parameters Specifies any command-line parameters or switches that can be used with the specified command interpreter. Related Command For information about COMMAND.COM switches, see the command.  ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ STACKS Supports the dynamic use of data stacks to handle hardware interrupts. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax STACKS=n,s Parameters n Specifies the number of stacks. Valid values for n are 0 and numbers in the range 8 through 64. s Specifies the size (in bytes) of each stack. Valid values for s are 0 and numbers in the range 32 through 512. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SWITCHES Specifies special options in MS-DOS. Use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. Syntax SWITCHES=/W /K /N /F Switches /W Specifies that the WINA20.386 file has been moved to a directory other than the root directory. You need to use this switch only if you are using Microsoft Windows 3.0 in enhanced mode and have moved the WINA20.386 file from the root directory to another directory. /K Forces an enhanced keyboard to behave like a conventional keyboard. /N Prevents you from using the F5 or F8 key to bypass startup commands. /F Skips the 2-second delay after displaying the "Starting MS-DOS ..." message during startup. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ BREAK Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking. You can use this command at the command prompt or in your CONFIG.SYS file. You can press CTRL+C to stop a program or an activity (file sorting, for example). Typically, MS-DOS checks for CTRL+C only while it reads from the keyboard or writes to the screen or a printer. If you set BREAK to ON, you extend CTRL+C checking to other functions, such as disk read and write operations. Syntax BREAK [ON|OFF] To display the current BREAK setting, use the following syntax: BREAK In your CONFIG.SYS file, use the following syntax: BREAK=ON|OFF Parameter ON|OFF Turns extended CTRL+C checking on or off. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ REM Enables you to include comments in a batch file or in your CONFIG.SYS file. The REM command is also useful for disabling commands. (You can use a semicolon (;) instead of the REM command in your CONFIG.SYS file, but not in batch files.) Syntax REM [string] Parameters string Specifies any string of characters ÄÄ the command you want to disable or the comment you want to include. Related Command For information about displaying messages, see the command. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SET Displays, sets, or removes MS-DOS environment variables. You use environment variables to control the behavior of some batch files and programs and to control the way MS-DOS appears and works. The SET command is often used in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files to set environment variables each time you start MS-DOS. Syntax SET [variable=[string]] To display the current environment settings, use the following syntax: SET Parameters variable Specifies the variable you want to set or modify. string Specifies the string you want to associate with the specified variable. Related Commands For information about setting environment variables that MS-DOS uses to control its own operations, see the , , , and commands. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ INCLUDE Includes the contents of one configuration block within another. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. The INCLUDE command is one of five special CONFIG.SYS commands used for defining multiple configurations within a single CONFIG.SYS file. With multiple configurations, you define a menu that appears when your computer starts. Each menu item corresponds to a block of commands, or "configuration block," in your CONFIG.SYS file. For more information about multiple configurations and configuration blocks, see the chapter "Configuring Your System" in the MS-DOS 6 User's Guide. Syntax INCLUDE=blockname Parameter blockname Specifies the name of the configuration block to include. Related Commands The INCLUDE command is one of five special CONFIG.SYS commands for defining multiple configurations. The other commands are for defining the startup menu, and are as follows:  The command, which defines an item on the menu.  The command, which specifies the default menu item.  The command, which defines the color of the menu's text and screen background.  The command, which defines a submenu. In addition, the command is especially useful when defining startup menus. For an overview of the procedure for defining multiple configurations, see the topic ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ MENUCOLOR Sets the text and background colors for the startup menu. You can use this command only within a menu block in your CONFIG.SYS file. The startup menu is a list of choices that appears when you start your computer. You define a startup menu by using special CONFIG.SYS commands. Each item on the menu corresponds to a set of CONFIG.SYS commands called a "configuration block." A startup menu makes it possible to start your computer with a variety of configurations. For more information about defining multiple configurations, see the chapter "Configuring Your System" in the MS-DOS 6 User's Guide. Syntax MENUCOLOR=x[,y] Parameters x Specifies the color of the menu text. You can specify a value from 0 to 15; For a list of values and colors, see "Color Values" later in this topic. y Specifies the color of the screen background. You can specify a value from 0 to 15; For a list of values and colors, see "Color Values" later in this topic. The y value is optional; if you do not specify a value, MS-DOS displays the specified text color on a black background. Be sure to specify different values for x and y, or the text will not be readable. Color Values Valid color values are from 0 to 15, as follows: 0 Black 8 Gray 1 Blue 9 Bright blue 2 Green 10 Bright green 3 Cyan 11 Bright cyan 4 Red 12 Bright red 5 Magenta 13 Bright magenta 6 Brown 14 Yellow 7 White 15 Bright white Note: On some displays, colors 8 through 15 blink. Related Commands The MENUCOLOR command is one of six special CONFIG.SYS commands for defining startup menus and multiple configurations. The other commands are as follows:  The command, which includes the contents of one configuration block in another. This command cannot be included in a menu block.  The command, which defines an item on the menu.  The command, which specifies the default menu item.  The command, which specifies the state of the NUM LOCK key when the startup menu appears. (Although NUMLOCK can be used anywhere in the CONFIG.SYS file, it is especially useful when defining a startup menu.)  The command, which defines a submenu. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ MENUDEFAULT Specifies the default menu item on the startup menu and sets a timeout value if desired. You can use this command only within a menu block in your CONFIG.SYS file. If you do not use this command, MS-DOS sets the default to item 1. The startup menu is a list of choices that appears when you start your computer. You define a startup menu by using special CONFIG.SYS commands. Each item on the menu corresponds to a set of CONFIG.SYS commands called a "configuration block." A startup menu makes it possible to start your computer with a variety of configurations. For more information about defining multiple configurations, see the chapter "Configuring Your System" in the MS-DOS 6 User's Guide. Syntax MENUDEFAULT=blockname[,timeout] Parameters blockname Specifies the default menu item by its associated configuration block. The block must be defined elsewhere in the CONFIG.SYS file. When MS-DOS displays the startup menu, the default menu item is highlighted and its number appears after the "Enter a choice" prompt. timeout Determines how many seconds MS-DOS waits before starting the computer with the default configuration. If you don't specify a timeout value, MS-DOS does not continue until the ENTER key is pressed. You can specify a timeout value from 0 to 90 seconds. A timeout of 0 forces automatic selection of the default, effectively bypassing the menu display. Related Commands The MENUDEFAULT command is one of six special CONFIG.SYS commands for defining startup menus and multiple configurations. The other commands are as follows:  The command, which defines an item on the menu.  The command, which defines the color of the menu's text and screen background.  The command, which defines a submenu.  The command, which specifies the state of the NUM LOCK key when the startup menu appears. (Although NUMLOCK can be used anywhere in the CONFIG.SYS file, it is especially useful when defining a startup menu.)  The command, which includes the contents of one configuration block in another. This command cannot be included in a menu block. For an overview of the procedure for defining multiple configurations, see the topic For an overview of the procedure for defining multiple configurations, see the topic ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ MENUITEM Defines an item on the startup menu. You can use this command only within a menu block in your CONFIG.SYS file. You can have up to nine menu items per menu. The startup menu is a list of choices that appears when you start your computer. You define a startup menu by using special CONFIG.SYS commands. Each item on the menu corresponds to a set of CONFIG.SYS commands called a "configuration block." A startup menu makes it possible to start your computer with a variety of configurations. For more information about defining multiple configurations, see the chapter "Configuring Your System" in the MS-DOS 6 User's Guide. Syntax MENUITEM=blockname[,menu_text] Parameters blockname Specifies the name of the associated configuration block. The block must be defined elsewhere in the CONFIG.SYS file. If the menu item is selected from the startup menu, MS-DOS carries out the commands in the associated configuration block, as well as any commands at the beginning of the CONFIG.SYS file and any commands in configuration blocks with the [common] header. If MS-DOS cannot find a block with the specified name, the item does not appear on the startup menu. The block name can be up to 70 characters long and can contain most printable characters. It cannot include spaces, backslashes (\), forward slashes (/), commas, semicolons (;), equal signs (=), or square brackets ([ and ]). menu_text Specifies the text you want MS-DOS to display for this menu item. If you don't specify any menu text, MS-DOS displays the block name as the menu item. The menu text can be up to 70 characters long and can contain any characters you want. Related Commands The MENUITEM command is one of six special CONFIG.SYS commands for defining startup menus and multiple configurations. The other menu-definition commands are:  The command, which specifies the default menu item.  The command, which defines the color of the menu's text and screen background.  The command, which defines a submenu.  The command, which specifies the state of the NUM LOCK key when the startup menu appears. (Although NUMLOCK can be used anywhere in the CONFIG.SYS file, it is especially useful when defining a startup menu.)  The command, which includes the contents of one configuration block in another. This command cannot be included in a menu block. For an overview of the procedure for defining multiple configurations, see the topic ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SUBMENU Defines an item on a startup menu that, when selected, displays another set of choices. You can use this command only within a menu block in your CONFIG.SYS file. The startup menu is a list of choices that appears when you start your computer. You define a startup menu by using special CONFIG.SYS commands. Each item on the menu corresponds to a set of CONFIG.SYS commands called a "configuration block." A startup menu makes it possible to start your computer with a variety of configurations. For more information about defining multiple configurations, see the chapter "Configuring Your System" in the MS-DOS 6 User's Guide. Syntax SUBMENU=blockname[,menu_text] Parameters blockname Specifies the name of the associated menu block. The menu block must be defined elsewhere in the CONFIG.SYS file and can contain menu-definition commands. Unlike the "main" menu block, which must have the block name [MENU], a menu block for a submenu can have any name you want. If MS-DOS cannot find a block with the specified name, the item does not appear on the startup menu. The block name can be up to 70 characters long and can contain most printable characters. It cannot include spaces, backslashes (\) and forward slashes (/), commas, semicolons (;), equal signs (=), and square brackets ([ and ]). menu_text Specifies the text you want MS-DOS to display for this menu item. If you don't specify any menu text, MS-DOS displays the block name as the menu item. The menu text can be up to 70 characters long and can contain any characters you want. Related Commands The SUBMENU command is one of six special CONFIG.SYS commands for defining startup menus: The other commands are:  The command, which defines an item on the menu.  The command, which specifies the default menu item.  The command, which defines the color of the menu's text and screen background.  The command, which specifies the state of the NUM LOCK key when the startup menu appears. (Although NUMLOCK can be used anywhere in the CONFIG.SYS file, it is especially useful when defining a startup menu.)  The command, which includes the contents of one configuration block in another. This command cannot be included in a menu block. For an overview of the steps required to define multiple configurations, see . ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ COPY Copies one or more files to the location you specify. This command can also be used to combine files. When more than one file is copied, MS-DOS displays each filename as the file is copied. Syntax COPY [/A|/B] source [/A|/B] [+ source [/A|/B] [+ ...]][destination [/A|/B]] [/V] Parameters source Specifies the location and name of a file or set of files from which you want to copy. Source can consist of a drive letter and colon, a directory name, a filename, or a combination. destination Specifies the location and name of a file or set of files to which you want to copy. Destination can consist of a drive letter and colon, a directory name, a filename, or a combination. Switches /A Indicates an ASCII text file. When the /A switch precedes the list of filenames on the command line, it applies to all files whose names follow the /A switch, until COPY encounters a /B switch, in which case the /B switch applies to the file whose name precedes the /B switch. When the /A switch follows a filename, it applies to the file whose name precedes the /A switch and to all files whose names follow the /A switch, until COPY encounters a /B switch, in which case the /B switch applies to the file whose name precedes the /B switch. An ASCII text file can use an end-of-file character (CTRL+Z) to indicate the end of the file. When combining files, COPY treats files as ASCII text files by default. /B Indicates a binary file. When the /B switch precedes the list of filenames on the command line, it applies to all files whose names follow the /B switch, until COPY encounters an /A switch, in which case the /A switch applies to the file whose name precedes the /A switch. When the /B switch follows a filename, it applies to the file whose name precedes the /B switch and to all files whose names follow the /B switch, until COPY encounters an /A switch, in which case the /A switch applies to the file whose name precedes the /A switch. The /B switch specifies that the command interpreter is to read the number of bytes specified by the file size in the directory. The /B switch is the default value for COPY unless COPY is combining files. /V Verifies that new files are written correctly. Related Command For information about copying directories and subdirectories, see the command. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ COUNTRY Enables MS-DOS to use country-specific conventions for displaying times, dates, and currency; for determining the order by which characters are sorted; and for determing which characters can be used in filenames. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file. The COUNTRY command configures MS-DOS to recognize the character set and punctuation conventions observed when using one of the supported languages. Syntax COUNTRY=xxx[,[yyy][,[drive:][path]filename]] Parameters xxx Specifies the country code. yyy Specifies the character set for the country. [drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the file containing country information. Related Commands For information about changing characters and their arrangement on your keyboard, see the command, or see the chapter "Customizing for International Use" in the MS-DOS 6 User's Guide. For information about preparing and selecting character sets, see the command. For information about loading country-specific information, see the command. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CTTY Changes the terminal device used to control your computer. Use the CTTY command if you want to use another device to enter commands. Syntax CTTY device Parameter device Specifies the alternative device you want to use to type MS-DOS commands. Valid values for the device parameter are PRN, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, CON, AUX, COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4. Related Command For more information about changing the input device when specifying a command interpreter, see the command. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ DATE Displays the date and prompts you to change the date if necessary. MS-DOS records the current date for each file you create or change; this date is listed next to the filename in the directory. Syntax DATE [mm-dd-yy] Parameter mm-dd-yy Sets the date you specify. Values for day, month, and year must be separated by periods (.), hyphens (-), or slash marks (/). The date format depends on the COUNTRY setting you are using in your CONFIG.SYS file. The following list shows the valid values for the month, day, and year portions of the mm-dd-yy parameter. mm 1 through 12 dd 1 through 31 yy 80 through 99 or 1980 through 2099 Related Command For information about changing the current time, see the