Using SETUP to Configure the System

Configuring the System by Editing the Configuration Files

CONFIG.SYS

AUTOEXEC.BAT

Bypassing the Configuration Files

Confirming Each Configuration Command

CONFIG.SYS Command Reference

The operating system configuration is defined by the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, both of which are executed every time you boot the system. This chapter describes these files.

Note: If you have installed DR-DOS on a computer already running Windows 95, the files DCONFIG.SYS and AUTODOS7.BAT replace CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT as your operating system configuration files. In this manual, wherever you see the files AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS mentioned, if you have a machine with both DR-DOS and Windows 95, replace these with AUTODOS7.BAT and DCONFIG.SYS.

The SETUP Program

For some advanced configuration changes, you may need to edit the configuration files directly using EDIT or another text editor. This chapter includes complete descriptions of all the special commands you can use in CONFIG.SYS.

NOTE: There are three CONFIG.SYS commands (DOS, HIDEVICE/DEVICEHIGH, and HIINSTALL/INSTALLHIGH) that are used for optimizing the way in which the system uses memory. These commands are also described in Chapter 10, "Managing Memory."

Using SETUP to Configure the System

Warning: Certain utilities must not be run on a Windows 95 computer, even under DR-DOS. These include STACKER, DISKMAP and DELWATCH. Only use Windows 95 management tools because these support long filenames.

Starting SETUP

SETUP <Enter>

The first menu you see lists the features of the operating system for which you can choose to set options: DOS System and Memory Management, Disk Compression, Disk Performance, Data Protection and Security, Task Management, and Networking. Select the area you want to configure and you will see a series of menus relating to that area of the operating system. When you finish changing values and exit SETUP, the appropriate commands are automatically placed in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. The next time you boot the system, it is configured with the new settings.

Getting Help in SETUP

Leaving SETUP

SETUP Advise Mode

SETUP /A

By default, this information is also displayed whenever you start the operating system.

Configuring the System by Editing the Configuration Files

You can use any system command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Refer to the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for information about the syntax and function of each system command.

NOTE: The HILOAD/LOADHIGH and MEMMAX commands, which are used to manage memory, are also described in Chapter 10, "Managing Memory."

In the CONFIG.SYS file, you can use any of the CONFIG.SYS commands. For information about the syntax and function of each CONFIG.SYS command, refer to "CONFIG.SYS Command Reference" starting on page 9-9.

NOTE: Three CONFIG.SYS commands are used to optimize the way in which the system uses memory. These commands (DOS, HIDEVICE/DEVICEHIGH, and HIINSTALL/INSTALLHIGH) are also described in Chapter 10, "Managing Memory."

CONFIG.SYS

The information specified in the CONFIG.SYS file depends on the values you choose during the INSTALL program. Whenever you want to change these values, run SETUP and choose options appropriately.

To view your current CONFIG.SYS file, type the following at the system prompt:

TYPE CONFIG.SYS <Enter>

You will see something similar to the following:

SHELL = C:\COMMAND.COM /P /E:1024

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\EMM386.EXE

BREAK = ON

BUFFERS = 20

FILES = 20

FCBS = 4, 4

FASTOPEN = 512

LASTDRIVE = E

HISTORY = ON, 256, OFF, OFF, OFF

COUNTRY = 001,,C:\DRDOS\COUNTRY.SYS

All of the commands included in this example are explained in "CONFIG.SYS Command Reference" starting on page 9-9.

You can also view the CONFIG.SYS file in SETUP by choosing the option to view CONFIG.SYS at the end of the SETUP program, if you have made changes.

AUTOEXEC.BAT

To view your current AUTOEXEC.BAT file, type the following at the system prompt:

TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT <Enter>

When you make changes to the system configuration using SETUP, the commands included in AUTOEXEC.BAT may change accordingly. You can view AUTOEXEC.BAT during SETUP by choosing the option to view AUTOEXEC.BAT at the end of the SETUP program, if you have made changes.

Any command that you want to run automatically whenever the system boots can be used in AUTOEXEC.BAT. Refer to the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook, where all of the system commands that you may want to add to AUTOEXEC.BAT (or that you will find already included in the file after installation or SETUP) are described in detail.

The following commands are particularly useful in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

Table 9-1
AUTOEXEC.BAT Commands

Command	Description
KEYB	KEYB tells the operating system what kind of keyboard you are using. If you have a national keyboard (that is, one different from the standard keyboard used in the USA), you must run the KEYB command each time you start the operating system, to ensure that the characters you type are the same as those displayed on the screen.
PATH and APPEND	PATH tells the operating system where to look for command, program, and batch files. APPEND tells the operating system where to look for any other type of file, such as a data file. Placing PATH and APPEND commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT automatically tailors the system search path to your own directory hierarchy, every time you start the operating system.
SET	SET inserts strings of information into the command processor's master environment. These strings are then available to all programs and applications that you run.
TIME and DATE	TIME and DATE set the system time and date. You need to use TIME and DATE if your computer does not have a battery-powered clock. TIME and DATE prompt you to type in the correct time and date, and then set the system clock for you. Placing TIME and DATE commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT means that you are prompted to set the system clock every time you start the operating system. If you do have a battery-powered clock, the operating system reads it automatically at startup, unless you use TIME or DATE in AUTOEXEC.BAT.
PROMPT	PROMPT changes the default system prompt. For example, you could change it to show the current directory. You can change the prompt at any time, but placing the PROMPT command in AUTOEXEC.BAT (via SETUP) saves you having to define the prompt every time you start the operating system.

Starting Applications in AUTOEXEC.BAT

For example, assume you have a word processor called WundaWord that is started by typing WW from a directory called \WUNDAWRD. Normally, you would need to type both the following commands:

CHDIR \WUNDAWRD <Enter>

WW <Enter>

Edit AUTOEXEC.BAT to add both commands, to load WundaWord automatically every time you start your computer.

Bypassing the Configuration Files

SWITCHES /N

CONFIG.SYS Command Reference

Each command is described in the same way as the internal and external commands are described in the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook. Refer to the section called "Command Syntax" for an explanation.

NOTE: Three CONFIG.SYS commands (DOS, HIDEVICE/DEVICEHIGH, and HIINSTALL/INSTALLHIGH) are also described in Chapter 10, "Managing Memory," because they are used to optimize the way in which the system uses memory.

?

Explanation

Use ? with DEVICE statements, for example, so that you can choose whether or not to install specific device drivers when you start the operating system. Similarly, use ? in CHAIN statements to choose whether or not to transfer control to a different configuration file.

You can also specify text for the prompt by including a message string between ? and the statement, enclosed by double quotation marks.

A response to the prompt specified by ? is required before you can proceed, unless you set a limit on the amount of time allowed for a response. The statement is then ignored if no response is received. Use the TIMEOUT command to set a time limit for a response; see TIMEOUT.

Note that the maximum length allowed for a command statement, including ? and a message string, is 128 characters. Any statement longer than this will be ignored.

Examples

?DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\ANSI.SYS

So whenever you start the operating system and CONFIG.SYS is executed, you see the following:

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\ANSI.SYS (Y/N) ?

If you type Y, ANSI.SYS loads. If you type N, the statement is ignored.

The next statement specifies a message to display when prompting.

?"Do you want ANSI.SYS?"DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\ANSI.SYS

This statement causes the following to display whenever you boot the operating system:

Do you want ANSI.SYS?

Answer Y to load ANSI.SYS or N to ignore the statement.

:label

Explanation

Only the first eight characters after the colon are recognized as the label by GOSUB, GOTO, and SWITCH.

Example

? "Do you want a memory disk? (Y/N)" GOTO MEMDISK

.

.

:MEMDISK

DEVICE=VDISK.SYS

BREAK

Explanation

Set BREAK to ON when you want to be able to do this; the operating system also looks for <Ctrl><Break> or <Ctrl> C when the program is reading to or writing from a disk.

Set BREAK to OFF to disable it; <Ctrl><Break> or <Ctrl> C will only stop the program the next time it reads from the keyboard, writes to the screen, or writes to a printer.

BREAK allows you to stop programs quickly: programs, for example, that do not use standard input and output operations very often, such as programs that perform lengthy calculations before printing the final output.

A BREAK command is overruled if you enter a BREAK command at the command line; refer to the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for a description of BREAK.

NOTE: Many applications disable this feature; you must use the method documented with the application to stop it.

BUFFERS

Explanation

You can specify between 3 and 99 buffers. The default number of buffers is 15.

The number of buffers available generally affects the speed at which a program accesses files; the more buffers there are, the faster the program accesses files.

Keep in mind, however, that each buffer you specify uses memory that could otherwise be used for the program itself and for data; if you specify too many buffers, your program may actually run slower than if you specified fewer buffers.

The documentation for your programs should indicate how many buffers to specify. A number between 10 and 30 is generally sensible but you may need more if your program uses a large number of files. A desktop publishing program, for example, may need more than 30 buffers.

CHAIN

Explanation

NOTE: If you use the CHAIN command to transfer control to a configuration file on another drive, you must specify the full path including the drive in all DEVICE and HIDEVICE/DEVICEHIGH statements in that configuration file.

CHAIN is most useful when you are using a system with read-only or ROM disks; CHAIN allows you to change the configuration specified in the ROM-based copy of CONFIG.SYS.

CHAIN is also useful with the ? command; you can group together similar CONFIG.SYS commands into additional CONFIG.SYS files and then execute them with a single conditional statement; refer to the description of ? in this chapter.

Example

BUFFERS = 10

COUNTRY = 44,,C:\DRDOS\COUNTRY.SYS

CHAIN = D:\CONFIG.SYS

CLS

Explanation

COUNTRY

Explanation

• Date and time format appropriate for your country
• Currency symbol of your country
• Code page to use In European countries, the preferred date format is day/month/year, in North America the preferred format is month/day/year, and in Japan it is year/month/day.

  The COUNTRY.SYS file also affects the DATE, TIME, and TOUCH commands; refer to the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for explanations of these commands.

  When specifying the COUNTRY command, you must include the following in addition to the complete filespec of COUNTRY.SYS:

• Country code (nnn) Specify one of the codes listed in Table 9-2. Note that a country code does not include information about the type of keyboard you are using; refer to the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for a description of the KEYB command.

• Code page for which country information is required (cp) If you do not specify a code page, the default code page for your country (nnn) is assumed. In Table 9-2, the first code page listed in the Code Pages column is the default code page.

  Note that the default values may already be set correctly for your country so they may not need to be changed.

  Table 9-2
  Country Codes and Code Pages

  Country	Code	Code Pages
  Australia	061	437 850
  Belgium	032	437 850
  Canada (French)	002	863 850
  Denmark	045	865 850
  Finland	358	437 850
  France	033	437 850
  Germany	049	437 850
  Hungary	036	852 850
  Italy	039	437 850
  Latin America	003	437 850
  Netherlands	031	437 850
  Norway	047	865 850
  Portugal	351	860 850
  Russia	007	866 850
  Spain	034	437 850
  Sweden	046	437 850
  Switzerland (French)	041	437 850
  Switzerland (German)	041	437 850
  Turkey	090	857 850
  United Kingdom	044	437 850
  United States	001	437 850

COUNTRY = 039, 437, C:\DRDOS\COUNTRY.SYS

CPOS

Explanation

Specify the row (the first nn) to set the vertical position of the cursor. The row number can be from 1 to 25.

Specify the column (the second nn) to set the horizontal position of the cursor. The column number can be from 1 to 80.

Example

CPOS 10, 10

DEVICE

Explanation

You need device drivers to operate devices (such as printers and keyboards) that are not recognized as default parts of your system. Most device drivers are hardware-specific although a few (such as VDISK.SYS, supplied with the system) are designed for software functions. Device drivers usually have the filename extension .SYS.

You configure device drivers by specifying the appropriate options in the DEVICE statement (options) after the name of the driver (filespec).

You can use ? in DEVICE statements to be prompted before drivers are loaded; you therefore have the option of loading or not loading a particular driver every time you start the operating system.

Supplied Drivers

Device drivers for the keyboard, the screen, disk drives, the printer, and auxiliary devices are automatically loaded as part of the system startup procedure. The operating system also provides a number of optional device drivers that you can load with DEVICE commands. ANSI.SYS, DISPLAY.SYS, DRIVER.SYS, PRINTER.SYS, and VDISK.SYS are described in detail in this chapter.

NOTE: EMM386.EXE, HIMEM.SYS, EMMXMA.SYS, and DPMS.EXE are memory managers. They are described in Chapter 10, "Managing Memory."

New Hardware Drivers

Whenever you add a new piece of computer hardware, such as a mouse or a printer, you must copy the device driver supplied with the new hardware onto the drive from which you start the operating system. Then you must use a DEVICE statement in CONFIG.SYS to make sure that the operating system finds the driver and loads it every time you boot the system.

Example DEVICE statements for each optional device driver supplied with the operating system are included in the driver descriptions.

Device Drivers Supplied with the Operating System

The DEVICE statements that load the supplied drivers are automatically added to your CONFIG.SYS file when you load drivers using SETUP or INSTALL.

ANSI.SYS

ANSI.SYS must be loaded for certain commercial applications; refer to the documentation for your applications to determine whether or not you need ANSI.SYS.

Loading ANSI.SYS

Load ANSI.SYS if it is required by responding to the appropriate prompt during SETUP (or INSTALL). You can also load ANSI.SYS by editing the CONFIG.SYS file directly and adding the following DEVICE statement:

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\ANSI.SYS

ANSI.SYS will now be loaded every time you start the operating system.

Using ANSI Escape Sequences

The general form of the ANSI escape sequence is as follows:

• A one-byte ESC character (hexadecimal 1BH)
• A one-byte [ character (hexadecimal 5BH)
• One or more decimal numbers separated by semicolons
• A single command character Create ANSI escape sequences using a word processor or editor, such as EDIT, that allows you to input the ESC and [ control codes. In EDIT, for example, you create the ESC code by pressing <Ctrl> P followed by the <Esc> key.

  The following information describes different types of ANSI escape sequences: to position the cursor, to erase, and to change the display mode. Note the following about each of these escape sequences:

• y and x represent row and column numbers. Row numbers (y) are between 1 and 50, with 1 at the top of the screen, and column numbers (x) are between 1 and 79, with 1 at the far left of the screen. You specify these numbers in ASCII digits. If you do not specify a number (or specify 0), the default value is used.
• Spaces are shown only to make the sequences easier to read; they are not required. Positioning the Cursor

  Cursor position (CUP): ESC [ y;x H

  Horizontal and vertical position (HVP): ESC [ y;x f

  CUP and HVP position the cursor according to the coordinates specified. The default (and null) value is the top left corner of the screen. CUP and HVP are equivalent.

  Cursor up (CUU): ESC [ y A

  Moves the cursor up y rows without changing the column position. This sequence is ignored if the cursor is already at the top of the screen.

  Cursor down (CUD): ESC [ y B

  Moves the cursor down y rows without changing the column position. This sequence is ignored if the cursor is already at the bottom of the screen.

  Cursor forward (CUF): ESC [ x C

  Moves the cursor to the right without changing the row position. This sequence is ignored if the cursor is already in the far right column.

  Cursor backward (CUB): ESC [ x D

  Moves the cursor to the left without changing the row position. This sequence is ignored if the cursor is already in the far left column.

  Device status report (DSR): ESC [ 6 n

  Cursor position report (CPR): ESC [ y;x R

  The DSR sequence instructs the console driver to return the CPR sequence. The CPR sequence reports the cursor position in terms of row and column. CPR is returned via the keyboard input.

  Save cursor position (SCP): ESC [ s

  Restore cursor position (RCP): ESC [ u

  SCP stores the current cursor position; RCP restores the cursor to that position. The default for RCP, if no SCP was issued, is 0,0. These escape sequences cannot be nested.

  Erasing

  Erase display (ED): ESC [ 2 J

  Erases the display and moves the cursor to the top left of the screen.

  Erase line (EL): ESC [ K

  Erases from the cursor position to the end of the row.

  Changing the Display Mode

  Set graphics rendition (SGR): ESC [ n ; ... ; n m

  Sets various screen modes that remain in effect until a different SGR sequence is issued. The screen mode specified by n can be any one of the following:

  Table 9-3
  Screen Modes

  n	Mode
  0	Return to the default (which is white characters on a black background)
  1	High intensity (bold)
  4	Underscore (monochrome displays only)
  5	Flashing
  7	Inverse video (black characters on a white background)
  8	Invisible (black on black)
  30	Black foreground
  31	Red foreground
  32	Green foreground
  33	Yellow foreground
  34	Blue foreground
  35	Magenta foreground
  36	Cyan foreground
  37	White foreground
  40	Black background
  41	Red background
  42	Green background
  43	Yellow background
  44	Blue background
  45	Magenta background
  46	Cyan background
  47	White background

  Set screen mode (SM): ESC [ = n h 1 or ESC [ = h 1 or
  ESC [ ? n h

  Reset screen mode (RM): ESC [ = n 1 or ESC [ = 1 or
  ESC [ ? n 1

  These sequences set and reset the screen operating mode. Specify any one of the following values for n:

  Table 9-4
  Screen Operating Modes

  n	Operating Mode
  0	40 x 25 monochrome
  1	40 x 25 color
  2	80 x 25 monochrome
  3	80 x 25 color
  4	320 x 200 monochrome
  5	320 x 200 color
  6	640 x 200 monochrome
  7	Enables (SM) or disables (RM) wrapping at the end of rows. When enabled, this option "wraps" extra characters on to the next line. When wrapping is disabled, these characters are lost.

  Assign a key (KR): ESC [ n ; n ; ... n p

  Changes the function of a key. You define the key to change and then define the change.

  You can use extended character codes (ECCs) by typing the first variable in the sequence as 0 (NUL) followed by the second key. 0;68;, for example, is the <F10> key. The last variables in the sequence are the character codes for the values you are assigning to the key.

  An alternative to specifying a sequence of numbers is to use a string defined as characters and enclosed by double quotation marks. 65;66;67;, for example, can be shown as "ABC";.

  The following table lists the codes for function keys <F1> through <F10>, when used alone and with <Shift>, <Ctrl>, and <Alt>.

  Table 9-5
  Decimal Key Codes

  Key	Code	+Shift	+Ctrl	+Alt
  <F1>	59	84	94	104
  <F2>	60	85	95	105
  <F3>	61	86	96	106
  <F4>	62	87	97	107
  <F5>	63	88	98	108
  <F6>	64	89	99	109
  <F7>	65	90	100	110
  <F8>	66	91	101	111
  <F9>	67	92	102	112
  <F10>	68	93	103	113
  <F11>	133	135	137	139
  <F12>	134	136	138	140

  Examples

  You can try the following example by using EDIT to create a file containing the escape sequences described and then entering the name of the file as the parameter of the TYPE command.

  Remember that you must enter the control code for ESC, not the character itself; in EDIT, you produce the ESC code by pressing <Ctrl> P followed by the <Esc> key.

  The following escape sequence will position the cursor at row 10, column 10 and print an x at that point:

  ESC [10;10HX
  

  The next sequence sets the screen mode to 40x25 color:

  ESC [?1H

  The following sequence assigns the command XDIR C: to the <F10> key:

  ESC [0;68;"XDIR C:";13p

  To reset current attributes and then set green as foreground color on a white background:

  ESC [0;32;47M

Loading DISPLAY.SYS

DISPLAY.SYS is loaded automatically if you use the SETUP program to install code page switching. You can also install DISPLAY.SYS by editing the CONFIG.SYS file yourself. The format of the statement that loads DISPLAY.SYS is as follows:

DEVICE=C:\DRDOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(type,hwcp,n|(n,m))

Options
type	The type of active display; specify EGA for EGA and VGA displays. If you do not specify a display type, DISPLAY.SYS checks your hardware to determine the display type you are currently using.
hwcp	The hardware resident code page; DISPLAY.SYS cannot check this, so do not specify it if you are unsure about what to specify.
n	The number of additional code pages you want to prepare, usually 1. The maximum number you can specify is 12. Preparing a code page allocates space in memory for it; the amount of memory available for applications is therefore reduced by each code page preparation you specify. Note that this parameter only prepares for additional code pages. You prepare and select specific code pages using the MODE command, in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file or at the system prompt. Refer to the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for information about the MODE command.
m	The number of subfonts stored in memory; the default is for all font sizes to be resident in memory but using m reduces the number to increase the amount of available memory. You can specify one of the following values for m:
	Dsp Type m Supported Fonts EGA 2 (the default) 8*14 and 8*8 EGA 1 8*14 VGA 3 (the default) 8*16, 8*14, and 8*8 VGA 2 8*16 and 8*8 VGA 1 8*16

Refer to Chapter 17, "Setting Up Code Page Switching" for more information about code pages and code page switching.

Examples

The following command defines EGA (or VGA) as the display type and 437 as the hardware code page, with one additional code page to be specified by the MODE command:

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(EGA,437,1)

The next command is the same as the previous one except that it restricts the number of subfonts stored in memory to 1 (8*14):

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(EGA,437,(1,1))

DRIVER.SYS

Use DRIVER.SYS when you want to add a new logical drive to your system that is a different type: a 3.5-inch diskette drive to a system that uses 5.25-inch drives, for example. Note, however, that DRIVER.SYS would only be necessary if the computer's ROM BIOS does not support 3.5-inch diskette drives. Consult your hardware documentation before using DRIVER.SYS.

If you want to modify the characteristics of a disk drive already recognized by the operating system, use the DRIVPARM command in CONFIG.SYS; refer to the description of DRIVPARM in this chapter.

Loading DRIVER.SYS

The format of the DEVICE statement in CONFIG.SYS that loads and configures DRIVER.SYS is as follows:

DEVICE=C:\DRDOS\DRIVER.SYS /D:n [/C] [/F:f] [/H:h]
[/N] [/S:ss] [/T:tt]

Options
/D:n	The physical drive for which you are defining characteristics; n is 0, 1, 2, and so on.
/C	Specifies that the drive is able to detect when a diskette is changed.
/F:f	The type of drive. The possible values are:
	f Drive Type 0 360 KB 5.25-inch 1 1.2 MB 5.25-inch 2 720 KB 3.5-inch (the default) 7 1.44 MB 3.5-inch 9 2.88 MB 3.5-inch
/H:h	The number of drive heads; specify 1 or 2.
/N	Specifies that the drive is for permanent media.
/S:ss	The number of disk sectors per track that the drive supports; specify a number between 1 and 63.
/T:tt	The number of tracks that the drive supports; specify 40 or 80.

Example

The following statement defines a 720 KB 3.5-inch drive as the second drive:

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\DRIVER.SYS /D:1 /C /F:2 /H:2 /S:9
/T:80

PRINTER.SYS

Loading PRINTER.SYS

You can install the PRINTER.SYS driver automatically by using the SETUP program. You can also install it by editing CONFIG.SYS directly. Either way, the format of the DEVICE statement in CONFIG.SYS that installs PRINTER.SYS is as follows:

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\PRINTER.SYS LPTn=(type,hwcp,n

Options
LPTn	The port to which the printer is connected, where n is 1, 2, or 3. You can use PRN instead of LPT1; they are equivalent. You must define each printer that supports code page switching, if you have more than one on your system. There is a limit of three printer definitions in a single DEVICE statement.
type	The type of printer. Specify one of the following: Type Printer 4201 IBM* 4201 Proprinter*/4202 Proprinter XL 4208 IBM Proprinter 4207 XL24/4208 XL24 5202 IBM Quietwriter* III 1050 Epson FX 850/FX 1050/compatible type
hwcp	The hardware resident code page; this is optional.
n	The number of additional code pages that you want to prepare for the printer, usually 1 or 2. The maximum number you can specify is 12. Preparing a code page allocates space in memory for it; the amount of memory available for your applications is therefore reduced by each code page preparation that you specify.

)

Example

The following DEVICE statement in CONFIG.SYS prepares two printers with one additional code page:

DEVICE=C:\DRDOS\PRINTER.SYS PRN=(4201,437,1) LPT2=(5202,437,1)

VDISK.SYS

A memory disk is fast but only exists while your computer is switched on; when you switch your machine off or reset the computer, everything stored in a memory (or virtual) disk is lost. Consequently, anything stored on a virtual disk that you want to keep must be copied to a hard disk or diskette before you switch off power to the computer.

Use the VDISK.SYS driver when you want to store temporary files used by programs or when you are using programs that need to access a lot of information quickly and frequently, such as databases and spreadsheets.

Loading VDISK.SYS

If you do not have extended or expanded memory on your system, a virtual disk is automatically set up in conventional memory. If you do have extended or expanded memory, however, you can specify various options with VDISK.SYS. The format of the DEVICE statement that loads VDISK.SYS is as follows:

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\VDISK.SYS [disksize] [sectsize] [maxfiles] [/E:[sectors]] [/X]

Options
disksize	The size of the disk in KB; specify a size between 1 and 256 KB (unless you have extended memory on your system). The default size is 64 KB.
sectsize	The smallest amount of space reserved on the disk. The default is 128 bytes but you can also specify 256 or 512 bytes.
maxfiles	The maximum number of files that can be written to the root directory of the virtual disk. Specify a number between 2 and 512; the default is 64. The number you specify determines the amount of disk space reserved for the disk directory. Keep in mind that specifying a large number of files will waste space unless you actually do copy large numbers of files to the disk.
/E:[sectors]	Locates the virtual disk in extended memory, if extended memory is available on your system. Specify the number of sectors at a time to be transferred between conventional memory and extended memory when the virtual disk is being used; sectors can be a number between 1 and 8 (the default is 8).
/X	Locates the virtual disk in expanded memory, if available on your system. A virtual disk in expanded memory can be up to 32 MB in size.

You must load VDISK.SYS in CONFIG.SYS before any other drivers that use extended memory but after your memory manager, such as EMM386 or HIMEM. If you use SETUP or INSTALL to create a memory disk, however, VDISK.SYS is loaded automatically, in the correct sequence.

Also note that if you use the HIDEVICE/DEVICEHIGH command to load VDISK.SYS in extended memory, you must use the /E switch; refer to Chapter 10, "Managing Memory" for information about using HIDEVICE/DEVICEHIGH.

Examples

The following DEVICE statement defines a virtual disk of 200 KB with a sector size of 256 bytes and a maximum of 32 files:

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\VDISK.SYS 200 256 32

The next statement defines a virtual disk of 10,240 KB, located in expanded memory:

DEVICE = C:\DRDOS\VDISK.SYS 10240 /X

DOS

Explanation

If you do not have extended memory, the operating system software is loaded in the lowest part of conventional memory (DOS=LOW).

If your computer has extended memory, however, you can make more conventional memory available to your applications by running the DOS software in the High Memory Area (HMA) and in upper memory (when the HMA is not available). DOS=HIGH,UMB is the default for the operating system when extended memory is available. In order for high or upper memory to be enabled, a memory manager (EMM386 or HIMEM) must be loaded first. Refer to Chapter 10, "Managing Memory" for information about memory managers.

You can also force the operating system software to use the HMA or upper memory exclusively (DOS=HIGH or DOS=UMB).

To change the default location of the operating system, run SETUP, choose DOS System and Memory Management, and then choose Memory Manager. You can specify Conventional Memory, Upper Memory, or High Memory. SETUP automatically updates the DOS command in CONFIG.SYS and the next time you boot your machine, the new DOS setting takes effect.

NOTE: When you choose High Memory, DOS=HIGH,UMB is added in CONFIG.SYS. To specify high memory only edit the CONFIG.SYS file manually.

Example

DOS=UMB

DRIVPARM

Explanation

You can also use DRIVPARM to modify a logical drive already recognized by the operating system but to add and define a new logical drive, you must use the DRIVER.SYS device driver instead. Refer to the description of DRIVER.SYS in this chapter for information.

Options
/D:n	Specify the single digit that corresponds to the logical drive (drive A, drive C, and so forth.) for which you are defining characteristics.
/C	Specifies that the drive is able to detect when a disk is changed.
/F:n	Specifies the drive type. Specify one of the following: n Drive Type 0 160/180 KB or 320/360 KB 1 1.2 MB 2 720 KB (the default) 5 Hard disk 6 Tape 7 1.44 MB 8 Read/write optical disk 9 2.88 MB
/H:nn	Specifies the maximum number of drive heads; specify a number from 1 through 99. The default depends on the value specified for /F:n.
/I	Specifies a 3.5-inch diskette drive that is installed on your computer and uses the existing diskette drive controller. Use this switch when your computer does not support 3.5-inch diskette drives.
/N	Specifies that the drive is for permanent media.
/S:nn	The number of sectors supported by the drive. Specify a number between 1 and 99. The default depends on the value specified for /F:n.
/T:nn	The number of tracks supported by the drive. The default depends on the value specified for /F:n.

ECHO

Explanation

Questions and explanatory messages, for example, are useful as part of your CONFIG.SYS file. Messages you specify with ECHO commands appear in the order in which you enter them in CONFIG.SYS and exactly as you type them in ECHO statements, including any spaces you leave.

Example

ECHO INSTALL CODE PAGE SWITCHING?

EXIT

Explanation

FASTOPEN

Explanation

FASTOPEN causes the system to set up a special table of filenames in memory, the size of which you set by specifying the number of entries (nnnnn). Specify a number between 128 and 32768; the default is 512 entries.

Remember that FASTOPEN improves disk performance but results in less available space in memory; each table entry uses 2 bytes of memory. Consequently, you should not define a table larger than you need.

Example

FASTOPEN = 512

FCBS

Explanation

NOTE: Some older applications may require an FCBS statement in CONFIG.SYS rather than a FILES statement; FILES is also used to control the number of files that can be opened simultaneously. Always use the FILES command to control the number of open files allowed unless your application specifically requires an FCBS entry.

For FCBS to have much effect, the SHARE program or networking support must be loaded. Refer to the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for a description of the SHARE command.

Options
m	The number of files that FCBs can open at one time; specify a number from 1 to 255.
n	The number of files opened by FCBs that are protected from automatic closure by the system; specify a number from 1 to 255. If an application attempts to open more than m file(s) by FCBs, all but the first n file(s) may be closed by the operating system.

Example

FCBS = 8, 4

FILES

Explanation

Specify a number (nnn) between 20 and 255; the default is 20.

You should only specify more than the default number of files (20) if the documentation for an application you are using instructs you to do so or if the application returns error messages indicating that the number of open files allowed is insufficient.

Example

FILES = 20

GOSUB

Explanation

Example

GOSUB memdisk

exit

.

.

.

:memdisk

DEVICE=vdisk.sys

.

.

.

return

GOTO

Explanation

GOTO directs the operating system to jump to another part of the file, identified by a label. The label parameter must identify a label that is present in the same CONFIG.SYS file.

You can use ? with GOTO commands so that if a certain condition is satisfied, or response received, execution jumps to the appropriate statements.

If you want execution to jump to a certain point in the file and then jump back again, use GOSUB and RETURN commands instead; refer to the descriptions of GOSUB and RETURN in this chapter.

Example

? "Do you want a memory disk? (Y/N)" GOTO MEMDISK

.

.

:MEMDISK

DEVICE=VDISK.SYS

HIDEVICE/DEVICEHIGH

Explanation

You must specify the name of the device driver (filespec) that you want to load high.

If you want to load a device driver that is unable to determine the amount of memory that it will ultimately need, you can also specify the amount of upper memory required for the driver (SIZE=nnnn). To determine this amount, load the driver into conventional memory and then run the MEM command to see how much memory the driver uses. Refer to the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for information about MEM and its options.

Example

HIDEVICE=C:\DRDOS\ANSI.SYS

HIINSTALL/INSTALLHIGH

Explanation

You must specify the full filespec of the program you want to load into upper memory. You can also specify any parameters (options) that you want to pass to the program.

The specified program will load and execute in upper memory every time you start the operating system, as long as upper memory is enabled by a memory manager (EMM386 or HIMEM) and is available. Before attempting to load a program into upper memory, you can check to make sure that there is enough upper memory available by running the MEM command; refer to the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for information about MEM and its options.

Example

HIINSTALL=C:\DRDOS\CURSOR.EXE

HISTORY

Explanation

Set HISTORY to ON if you want to be able to recall and modify command lines using the extended editing keys. See the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for a full description of extended command line editing.

Set HISTORY to OFF if you want to disable extended command line editing completely.

You can also enable or disable the command line search mode features specifically; refer to the descriptions of the third and forth ON|OFF parameters in the options table below.

Options
nnnn	Defines the size of the memory buffer in which commands are stored. The size of the buffer determines how many command lines you can recall. Specify a buffer size between 128 and 4096 bytes. The default is 512 bytes, which allows you to recall approximately 10 commands. Note that the operating system actually uses two memory buffers of the size you specify; the first buffer stores commands entered in the command line and the second buffer stores commands entered from applications.
[,ON|OFF]	Turns "insert mode" on and off; off is the default. When insert mode is on, characters you enter in the command line are inserted in front of the cursor. When insert mode is off, characters at the cursor position are overwritten.
[,[ON|OFF]]	This third ON|OFF option enables or disables the command line search feature specifically. Command line search allows you to display the most-recently-entered command that matches the current one by pressing <Ctrl> R.
[,ON|OFF]	The fourth ON|OFF option enables and disables the more sophisticated search feature; this allows you to recall the most-recently-entered command that matches each character you type, by pressing <Ctrl> _.

Example

HISTORY = ON,512,ON

INSTALL

Explanation

You can specify options to pass to the specified program (filespec).

The following programs can be loaded using the INSTALL command:

CURSOR.EXE	NLSFUNC.EXE
GRAFTABL.COM	PRINT.COM
GRAPHICS.COM	SHARE.EXE
KEYB.COM

NOTE: To load installable device drivers during startup, use the DEVICE command; refer to the description of DEVICE in this chapter.

Example

INSTALL = C:\DRDOS\KEYB UK

LASTDRIVE

Explanation

The operating system assigns a drive letter to each actual drive that it finds during startup (including any virtual disk drives) and sets the last drive letter it assigns as the "last drive letter"; all remaining drive letters become invalid. Use LASTDRIVE so that the operating system will recognize drive letters not already assigned.

If you are using the operating system's network component, set LASTDRIVE to the letter Z.

Example

LASTDRIVE = G

REM

Explanation

Comments are useful to clarify the purpose of a command. You can also use the comment markers (REM or ;) without a comment itself to add spaces in the file so that it is easier to read.

Example

REM * Load the ANSI driver for Wordmaster

DEVICE = ANSI.SYS

RETURN

Explanation

SET

Explanation

The name of an environment variable is determined by the commands and device drivers loaded in your system configuration. Applications and batch files such as AUTOEXEC.BAT can then "test" the value (parameter) of a variable and execute commands accordingly.

Examples

?"Create a 1Mb RAM Disk" gosub ramdisk

exit

.

.

.

:ramdisk

set VDISK=1024

device=c:\drdos\vdisk.sys 1024 /X

return

The next group of statements (in AUTOEXEC.BAT) tests the value of the VDISK variable (set above) and changes the value of the TEMP variable accordingly.

SET TEMP=C:\TEMP

if NOT "%VDISK%" == " " SET TEMP=D:\TEMP

MD %TEMP% >NUL

SHELL

Explanation

The /P switch is required with the SHELL command to fix the specified command processor in memory.

NOTE: You can load another copy of the command processor by using COMMAND at the system prompt. Refer to the description of COMMAND in the "Command Reference" chapter of DOSBook for more information.

Options
/P[:filename]	Makes the command processor permanent in memory. The EXIT command (to terminate a secondary command processor) is disabled. The operating system runs AUTOEXEC.BAT by default after COMMAND.COM is loaded; use filename to specify a different batch file, if required.
/E:n	Defines the size of the command processing environment in bytes, where n is a number from 129 to 32,751. The default size is 256; the default is also used if you specify a number outside the valid range.
/Mx	Forces the command processor to load in a specific memory area, where x is L (for low), H (for high), or U (for upper). The default is low memory. You must have a memory manager that supports high and upper memory loaded before you can use /MH or /MU. If there is insufficient high or upper memory available, the command processor loads in conventional memory.

Examples

SHELL = C:\DRDOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DRDOS /P
/E:512

The COMSPEC environment variable, which defines the path to the command processor, is now set as follows:

COMSPEC = C:\DRDOS\COMMAND.COM

If you reset COMSPEC using the SET command (at the system prompt or in a batch file), however, this will override the value set in the SHELL statement.

STACKS

Explanation

Specify the number of stacks (n) as 0 or 8 through 64 and the size of each stack (s) as 0 or 32 through 512.

The default STACKS setting is 0,0 for IBM PCs and PC/XTs and 9,128 for other machines.

Example

STACKS=8,512

SWITCH

Explanation

Each subroutine must start with a label and end with a RETURN statement.

You can use up to 9 labels.

Example

echo = CONFIGURATION 1

echo = CONFIGURATION 2

echo = CONFIGURATION 3

echo = Please select CONFIGURATION 1 2 or 3 ?

switch config1, config2, config3

echo CONFIGURATION COMPLETE

exit

:config1

echo CONFIGURATION 1 selected

return

:config2

echo CONFIGURATION 2 selected

return

:config3

echo CONFIGURATION 3 selected

return

These statements would cause the following to display when executed:

CONFIGURATION 1

CONFIGURATION 2

CONFIGURATION 3

Please select CONFIGURATION 1 2 or 3 ?

The valid responses to the prompt would be

• A number (1 through 3) to select a CONFIGURATION.
• Just the <Enter> key to automatically select CONFIGURATION 1.
• No response (but with a TIMEOUT condition specified) to automatically select CONFIGURATION 1 after the TIMEOUT limit is reached; refer to the description of TIMEOUT in this chapter.

CONFIGURATION 2 selected

Then

CONFIGURATION COMPLETE

TIMEOUT

Explanation

Specify n seconds, where n is a number, or accept the default of 0, which forces the system to wait indefinitely until a key is pressed.

Note that a TIMEOUT setting applies to all ? and SWITCH statements that follow it.

Example

TIMEOUT 10

YEAR2000

YEAR2000

Format

Explanation

Year 2000 rollover support (that is, correct date and time as the century changes at midnight December 31st) can be turned off because not all software will run with this support enabled. For example, to avoid problems with the Stealth features of Quarterdeck's memory manager QUEMM, turn off Year 2000 rollover support by entering the following command in CONFIG.SYS.

YEAR2000 = OFF

Note: Although DR-DOS corrects the system date, this does not prevent problems with all software applications. You must check all the software used on your PC for Year 2000 compliance and load any required updates to ensure that no problems occur.