GRiD55AA 001 1ANSI.SYS 2500 805 1APPEND 3305 1237 1ASSIGN 4542 1069 1ATTRIB 5611 970 1AUTOEXEC.BAT 6581 769 1BACKUP 7350 2175 1BATCHFILES 9525 1714 1BREAK 11239 569 1CHCP 11808 671 1CHDIR 12479 694 1CHKDSK 13173 673 1CLS 13846 36 1COMMAND 13882 696 1COMP 14578 719 1CONFIG.SYS 15297 579 1COPY 15876 1189 1CTTY 17065 504 1DATE 17569 414 1DEL 17983 638 1DIR 18621 619 1DISKCOMP 19240 941 1DISKCOPY 20181 901 1DOSSHELL.BAT 21082 763 1EDLIN 21845 859 1EXIT 22704 229 1FASTOPEN 22933 1278 1FC 24211 1370 1FDISK 25581 448 1FIND 26029 622 1FORMAT 26651 2599 1GRAFTABL 29250 501 1GRAPHICS 29751 1549 1HELP 31300 444 1JOIN 31744 759 1KEYB 32503 505 1LABEL 33008 417 1MEM 33425 402 1MKDIR 33827 392 1MODE 34219 201 2OPTION1 34420 420 2OPTION2 34840 1323 2OPTION3 36163 1270 2OPTION4 37433 1190 2OPTION5 38623 317 2OPTION6 38940 1020 1MORE 39960 460 1NLSFUNC 40420 228 1PATH 40648 717 1PRINT 41365 1615 1PROMPT 42980 1315 1RAMDRIVE.SYS 44295 1034 1RECOVER 45329 950 1REN 46279 530 1REPLACE 46809 844 1RESTORE 47653 1379 1RMDIR 49032 263 1SET 49295 918 1SHARE 50213 606 1SMARTDRV.SYS 50819 736 1SORT 51555 601 1SUBST 52156 479 1SYS 52635 571 1TIME 53206 555 1TREE 53761 364 1TYPE 54125 278 1VER 54403 281 1VERIFY 54684 556 1VOL 55240 248 1XCOPY 55488 2270 1TopicMenu 57758 1553 1HelpDisplay 59311 1489 1Subtopics 60800 660 0This device driver loads the ANSI character set to provide extended screen and keyboard features to programmers. Refer to the MS-DOS User's Reference for specific details about the ANSI escape sequences that enable you to define functions for MS-DOS. To install the ANSI.SYS driver, include the following DEVICE command in your CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=[d:][path]ANSI.SYS [/X][/L][/K] Where: d:path Describes the location of the ANSI.SYS file on your system. /X Enables you to remap expanded keys independently. /L Causes programs that normally default to 25 screen rows to retain the number of screen rows specified in the program. /K Prevents the ANSI.SYS driver from using extended keyboard functions when an enhanced keyboard is installed. The APPEND command sets a search path for data files. APPEND has the following formats: To set APPEND for first use only: APPEND [/X] [/E] To change the method APPEND uses to search for files: APPEND [path] [/X[:on]] [path[:on]] or APPEND [path] [/X[:off]] [path[:off]] To specify directories to be searched: APPEND [d:][path][;[d:][path]...] To display the APPEND path: APPEND To delete appended paths: APPEND; Where: d:path Sets the search path for data files. /X:on Extends the functionality of APPEND so that more programs can use its search path. /X:off Disables the extended functionality. /E Stores appended paths in the MS-DOS environment where they can be accessed by other programs. path:on Searches the APPEND path list even when a file is specified with a path. path:off Searches the APPEND path list only when a file is not specified with a path. If you are using the ASSIGN command, you must use the APPEND command before ASSIGN. EXAMPLES: To access data files in the SALES directory on Drive C and in the LEADS directory on Drive A, use the following commands: APPEND /E APPEND C:\SALES;A:\LEADS The ASSIGN command changes the device letter MS-DOS automatically assigns to a particular device. Use ASSIGN if an application program requires that you put data files on diskettes, and you prefer to use some other storage medium--for example, a hard disk. ASSIGN has the following format: ASSIGN [d1[=] d2[...]] Where: d1 Specifies the letter of the device to be reassigned. d2 Specifies the letter of the device to be used in place of d1. If you do not specify a drive letter with ASSIGN, MS-DOS cancels any previously made assignments. See the MS-DOS User's Reference for further restrictions on the ASSIGN command. EXAMPLES: You can make multiple assignments in the same command, separating each with a comma or blank as shown: ASSIGN A=C B=C The following command assigns all requests for Drive A to Drive C. Subsequently, all commands using the device letter A refer to Drive C. ASSIGN A=C To reset all drives to their original assignments, use the ASSIGN command without parameters: ASSIGN The ATTRIB command sets or displays the read-only and archive attributes of a file. ATTRIB has the following format: ATTRIB [+x -x] [d:]pathname [/S] Where: +x and -x represent the following switches: +R Sets the file to read-only. -R Sets the file to read-write. +A Sets the archive attribute of a file. -A Cancels the archive attribute of a file. pathname Specifies the file for which you want to change or display attributes. /S Processes files in all subdirectories in addition to those in the path specified. EXAMPLES: If you have a read-write file that you want to share among network users, you can protect the file be setting it to read-only. The following command sets the file b:\mydir\myfile.txt to read-only: ATTRIB +r b:\mydir\myfile.txt The following command displays the attributes for all files in the current directory and in its subdirectories: ATTRIB *.* /S AUTOEXEC.BAT is a batch file containing commands that enhance the operation of your MS-DOS system. Include in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file any MS-DOS command you want executed automatically at system startup. The commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT will be processed immediately after the commands in CONFIG.SYS. AUTOEXEC.BAT must be in the root directory of the startup drive. Refer to the MS-DOS User's Reference for a detailed explanation of creating the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. EXAMPLES: If your computer has two diskette drives, a typical AUTOEXEC.BAT file might contain the following commands: DATE TIME DIR If your computer has a hard disk drive, a typical AUTOEXEC.BAT file might contain the following commands: PATH=c:\dos PROMPT $p$g DIR The BACKUP command backs up files from one disk to another. When used to backup a hard disk, BACKUP sequentially stores files on one or more diskettes. Files backed up with BACKUP are not immediately accessible; you must use the RESTORE command to return the files to their original locations to make them usable. BACKUP has the following format: BACKUP [d1:][path][filename] [d2:] [/S][/M][/A][/F:size] [/D:mm-dd-yy][/T:hh:mm] [/L:[[d:] [path]filename]] Where: d1: Specifies the disk drive to back up. If you do not specify path, files in the current directory are backed up; otherwise, the specified directory is backed up. d2: Specifies the target disk drive that will store the backed up files. /S Backs up files in subdirectories, as well as the specified directory. /M Backs up only files that have been modified since the last backup. /A Adds backup files to the backup diskette. If you omit this switch, BACKUP erases the backup diskette before backing up files. /F: Formats the target disk, if necessary. Specify one of the following values for the disk size: Size Values ___________________________________________________ 160KB single-sided 5.25-inch disk 160 180KB single-sided 5.25-inch disk 180 320KB double-sided 5.25-inch disk 320 360KB double-sided 5.25-inch disk 360 720KB double-sided 3.5-inch disk 720 1.2MB double-sided 5.25-inch disk 1.2 1.44MB double-sided 3.5-inch disk 1.44 /D: Backs up only files modified on or after the specified date. Specify the date after the colon. /T: Backs up only files modified at or after the specified time. Specify the time after the colon. /L: Creates a backup log file in which filenames are logged as they are backed up. Specify a filename after the colon. EXAMPLES: The following command backs up all files on the hard disk, Drive C to Drive A: BACKUP C:\ A: /S A batch file contains DOS commands and has the extension .BAT. You can create a batch file with any text editor. When you type in the name of the file and press ENTER, MS-DOS executes the commands in the batch file. When the computer is first started, MS-DOS searches for a batch file named AUTOEXEC.BAT. If AUTOEXEC.BAT is found, MS-DOS automatically executes the commands in it and suppresses the date and time prompts that normally appear. Special batch file commands include: CALL, ECHO, FOR, GOTO, IF, PAUSE, REM, and SHIFT. You can create a batch file with replaceable parameters which you specify when you execute the command. Refer to the MS-DOS User's Reference for details. EXAMPLES: The following is an example of a batch file which does a directory of Drive A, displays the contents of a file on the screen, and renames a file. DIR A: TYPE YOURFILE.TXT REN YOURFILE.TXT MYFILE.TXT SYNTAX: The following lists the function and syntax of each batch command: CALL calls one batch file from another without ending the first file. CALL wp.bat ECHO enables or disables the display (echo) of commands in the file. ECHO [ON | OFF | message] FOR processes a command for the files you specify in set. FOR %%c IN (set) DO command or FOR %c IN (set) DO command GOTO processes commands beginning with the line after label. GOTO [:]label IF enables the processing of a command only when a condition is true. IF condition command PAUSE halts the processing of a batch file. PAUSE [comment] REM displays a comment in a batch file. REM [comment] SHIFT adds more replaceable parameters in a batch process. SHIFT The BREAK command enables you to specify when MS-DOS checks for a CTRL+C keystroke. CTRL+C may be used to interrupt processing for some application programs. Enter BREAK without a setting to display the current status. BREAK has the following format: BREAK [ON | OFF] Where: BREAK OFF MS-DOS checks for the CTRL+C key sequence only when reading from the keyboard, writing to the screen, or writing to a printer. BREAK ON MS-DOS checks for CTRL+C as explained for BREAK OFF and when writing to or reading from disk and during other functions. CHCP displays or changes the current code page for the command processor, COMMAND.COM. CHCP has the following format: CHCP [nnn] Where: nnn Is the code page to start. CHCP accepts one of the two prepared system code pages. An error message is displayed if you select a code page that is not prepared. If you type the CHCP command without a code page, it displays the current code page prepared for the system. The following are the valid code pages defined by the COUNTRY command: 437 United States 850 Multillingual 860 Portuguese 863 French-Canadian 865 Nordic The CHDIR (or CD for change directory) changes the working directory of a drive to the directory named in path. CHDIR displays the current directory when you omit the path. CHDIR has either of the following formats: CHDIR [path] CD [path] Where: path Specifies one or more directories and/or a drive you want to change to. EXAMPLES: The following command changes the current directory to EXPENSES. CD \SALES\EAST\EXPENSES The following command changes the current directory in the above example to EAST: CD.. To find out what directory you are currently using, enter: CD To return directly to the root directory, enter: CD\ The CHKDSK command checks for errors on a disk and/or in a file. CHKDSK can repair the errors it finds and display a report. The report shows the current usage of main memory and the storage media specified in the command. CHKDSK has the following format: CHKDSK [d:][pathname] [/F] [/V] Where: d: Specifies the device to be checked. If you do not specify a device, the default device is checked. /F Causes CHKDSK to repair and report the errors it finds. /V Causes CHKDSK to display filenames as it executes. If you specify a file, CHKDSK reports on whether or not the specified file occupies contiguous space on the disk. The CLS command clears the screen. COMMAND starts a new command processor (the MS-DOS program COMMAND.COM) that contains all internal commands. COMMAND has the following format: COMMAND [d:][path] [cttydev] [/E:size] [/P] [/C string] Where: d:path Specifies the location of the COMMAND.COM file. cttydev Specifies a different device for input and output. The default device is CON. /P Tells COMMAND.COM not to exit to a higher level. /E Specifies the environment size, in bytes. The default is 160 bytes. The range is between 160 and 32,768 bytes. /C Specifies a command string that is to be executed, after which COMMAND.COM exits to the next higher level. The COMP command compares the contents of two files or sets of files. The COMP command has the following format: COMP [d:][pathname1] [d:][pathname2] If you do not enter the paths, COMP prompts you for them. You can use the wildcard characters (* and ?) to specify filenames. For each pair of files compared, a message is displayed for each location in the two files that contains conflicting information. COMP stops comparing files after 10 conflicts. The message 'EOF mark not found' is displayed when the end-of-file marker is not found. An EOF marker is not required for program files (files with .EXE or .COM extensions) and is not required for most application software data files. CONFIG.SYS allows you to add devices to your computer and to control special MS-DOS features such as internal buffer space. CONFIG.SYS is a text file that you can edit with any text editor. When MS-DOS is started, it checks the contents of the CONFIG.SYS file on the current drive for configuration commands. These commands remain in effect until the next time MS-DOS is started. See the MS-DOS User's Reference for a complete discussion of CONFIG.SYS. A typical CONFIG.SYS file might contain the following lines: FILES = 20 BUFFERS = 20 DEVICE=ANSI.SYS The COPY command duplicates one or more source files to one or more destination files. COPY also appends files. The COPY command has the following formats: COPY [d:][pathname1] [d:][pathname2] [/V] [/A] [/B] or COPY [d:][pathname1] [/V] [/A] [/B] [d:][pathname2] or COPY pathname1 + pathname2 [...] Where: pathname1 Specifies one or more source files pathname2 Specifies one or more destination files. You can specify either an existing file or a new file for pathname2. /V Causes MS-DOS to verify that data on the destination device is readable. /A Copies ASCII files. /B Copies binary files. + Joins two or more source files into one destination file. EXAMPLES: The following command copies the files A and B into one large file named BIGFILE: COPY A+B BIGFILE The following command copies the file MYFILE.TXT into a new file called YOURFILE.TXT. COPY MYFILE.TXT YOURFILE.TXT The command below copies all the files from Drive B to the disk in Drive A. COPY B:*.* A: The following command copies all the files on Drive A with the .TXT file extension to Drive B: COPY A:*.TXT B: The CTTY command changes the device from which you issue commands. This command is useful if you want to change the device on which you are working. CTTY has the following format: CTTY device device Specifies the device from which you are giving commands to MS-DOS. EXAMPLES: The following command moves all command input/output to an AUX port, such as a serial port: CTTY AUX The command below returns all command input/output back to the console: CTTY CON The DATE command displays or changes the current system date. The date you set is recorded by MS-DOS when you create or modify a file. DATE has the following syntax: DATE [mm-dd-yy] mm Indicates the number of the month. mm=1-12. dd Indicates the date. dd=1-31. yy Indicates the year. yy=1980-2079. You can change the date format by the setting the COUNTRY command in your CONFIG.SYS file. The DEL command deletes one or more files from a directory. DEL has the following formats: DEL [d:]pathname /P ERASE [d:]pathname /P Where: pathname Specifies one or more file(s) to be deleted. /P Displays the prompt: filename, delete (Y/N)? before the DEL or ERASE is performed. EXAMPLES: Specifying the wildcards *.* refers to all files in the current directory. For example, the following command deletes all the files in the current directory: DEL *.* Before this command executes, however, the prompt Are you sure (Y,N)? is displayed. If you type y, all files are deleted. The DIR command lists the files on the device and directory you specify. DIR has the following format: DIR [d:][pathname] [/P] [/W] Where: /P Displays the directory one screen at a time. (page) /W Displays only filenames, across the screen. (wide display) EXAMPLES: The following command displays the names of files in the current directory: DIR The command below displays the names of files in the current Drive B directory. DIR B: the following command displays the names of files that have a .TXT extension in the SALES subdirectory on Drive B. DIR B:\SALES\*.TXT The DISKCOMP command compares the contents of two diskettes. DISKCOMP displays a message when a mismatch occurs, indicating the track number and the side where the mismatch occurred. DISKCOMP has the following format: DISKCOMP [d1:] [d2:] [/1] [/8] Where: d1:,d2: Indicate the drives which contain the diskettes to be compared. /1 DISKCOMP compares only the first side of a two-sided diskette. /8 DISKCOMP compares only 8 sectors per track. If you do not specify device letters, DISKCOMP assumes that Drive A will be used to compare both diskettes. DISKCOMP prompts you to insert each diskette when required. Do not use DISKCOMP to compare a 3.5-inch diskette with a 5.25-inch diskette. The difference in the number of tracks on each diskette may produce an error during the compare process. Use the FC (File Compare) or COMP commands to compare files on media with different formats. The DISKCOPY command copies the contents of a source diskette to a target diskette. DISKCOPY has the following format: DISKCOPY [d1:] [d2:] [/1] Where: d1: Specifies the drive containing the diskette to be copied. d2: Specifies the drive containing the target diskette. /1 Copies only one side of a disk. After copying, DISKCOPY prompts: Copy more diskettes (Y/N)? Type Y if you want to make another copy; type N to end the copying process. The target diskette must be of the same type and size as the source diskette. DISKCOPY will format the target diskette if it is not already formatted. Use the COPY command rather than the DISKCOPY command to copy files from a 3.5-inch diskette to a 5.25-inch diskette and vice versa. EXAMPLES: To copy a diskette on a computer with only one diskette drive, use the following command: DISKCOPY A: A: DOSSHELL.BAT is a batch file of commands that run the MS-DOS Shell. The commands in DOSSHELL.BAT define the operation of the shell. If you installed the MS-DOS Shell when you installed MS-DOS, the DOSSHELL.BAT file is created automatically during installation. If you chose not to install the shell with MS-DOS, you must create the DOSSHELL.BAT file yourself. Refer to the MS-DOS Shell User's Guide for detailed information about the options and commands used to configure the MS-DOS Shell. EXAMPLES: There are several ways to start the MS-DOS Shell. If you created a DOSSHELL.BAT file instead of installing the shell when you installed MS-DOS, type the following command at the MS-DOS prompt to start the MS-DOS Shell: DOSSHELL The EDLIN (line editor) program is a line oriented text editor that can be used to create and edit text files. The text in files created by EDLIN is divided into lines. Line numbers are displayed by EDLIN during the editing process, but are not actually part of the saved file. EDLIN works by editing, deleting, inserting, and displaying lines. See the EDLIN chapter in the MS-DOS User's Reference for information on using EDLIN. EDLIN commands are summarized below: line # displays line to be edited A appends lines C copies lines D deletes lines E ends editing I inserts lines L lists text M moves lines P pages text Q quits editing R replaces lines S searches text T transfers text W writes lines Ctrl+Z denotes the end of a line or string. The EXIT command exits the COMMAND.COM (command processor) program and returns to a previous level, if one exists. This command is useful when you need to execute nested batch files. EXIT has the following format: EXIT FASTOPEN decreases the amount of time needed to open frequently used files and directories. Each time you open a file or directory, FASTOPEN records its name and location. When you reopen the file or directory, your system immediately knows where to find it. The FASTOPEN command has the following formats: FASTOPEN [d:[=n][...]] /X FASTOPEN [d:[=(n,m)][...]] /X FASTOPEN [d:[=([n],m)][...]] /X Where: n Specifies the number of files that you want FASTOPEN to track. n=10-999; default=10. m Specifies the number of file extent entries FASTOPEN allows for files on the specified drive. m=1-999. If you do not specify m, no file extent entries are allowed. /X Specifies that the data tables are to be stored in expanded memory, leaving more base memory available for programs. A LIM 4.0 expanded memory manager must be installed in your CONFIG.SYS file to use this option. You can execute FASTOPEN only once. If you want to change the setting, you must restart MS-DOS. FASTOPEN uses approximately 48 bytes of main memory for each file or directory it tracks. EXAMPLES: The following command causes MS-DOS to track the location of up to 100 files on Drive C: FASTOPEN c:=100 The FC command compares two files, or two sets of files, and displays the differences. FC has the following formats: To compare ASCII files: FC [/A] [/C] [/L] [/LB n] [/N] [/T] [/W] [/nnnn] [d:]pathname1 [d:]pathname2 To compare binary files: FC [/B] [/nnnn] [d:]pathname1 [d:]pathname2 Where: /A Abbreviates the display of the ASCII comparison output. Only the first and last line of each set of differences is displayed. /B Performs a byte-by-byte binary comparison of the files. Mismatches are not resynchronized, but are printed as follows: xxxxxxxx: yy zz The x's denote the relative address, yy is the mismatched bytes from pathname1, and zz is the mismatched bytes from pathname2. /C Indicates that the matching process will ignore the case of letters. /L Compares the files in ASCII mode. This switch is the default if your file does not have a .BIN .COM .EXE .LIB .OBJ. or .SYS extension. /LB n Sets the internal buffer to n lines. Default=100. /N Displays the line numbers for an ASCII comparison. /T Stops the expansion of tabs to spaces. /W Compresses white space (tabs and spaces) during the comparison. /nnnn Specifies the number of lines that should match after FC finds the differences between the files. The FDISK (fixed disk) utility is used to prepare a hard disk for use with MS-DOS. You must perform the following steps to prepare a hard disk: FDISK - Define an area on the hard disk (called a "partition"). - Format the partition using the FORMAT command. FDISK is used primarily to create and manage partitions on your hard disk. Refer to the MS-DOS User's Reference for detailed information about hard disk preparation. The FIND command searches for a specific string of text in one or more files. When you omit the filename, FIND becomes a filter. It displays all lines that contain the specified string. If no files are specified, FIND takes the input on the screen and displays all lines that contain the specified string. FIND has the following format: FIND [/V /C /N] "string" [[d:][pathname]...] Where: /V FIND displays all lines not containing the specified string. /C FIND prints only a count of lines that contained a match. /N FIND precedes each line by its relative line number in the file. The FORMAT command initializes diskettes and hard disks to a format usable by MS-DOS. You must use this command to format storage media before it can be used to hold MS-DOS files. FORMAT has the following format: FORMAT d: [/B][/1][/8][/4][/N:xx][/T:yy][/V[:label]][/S][/F:size] Where: d: Specifies a storage device attached to your computer. /B Formats the disk, leaving ample space to copy an operating system, such as MS-DOS 4.0. You cannot use the /V or the /S switch with the /B switch. /1 Causes FORMAT to prepare only one side of a 5.25-inch diskette. /8 Formats a diskette for 8 sectors per track. /4 Formats a 360KB diskette in a high-density 5.25-inch drive. /N: Specifies the number of sectors per track. Enter the number of sectors after the colon. /T: Specifies the number of tracks. Enter the number of tracks after the colon. /V Causes FORMAT to prompt you for a volume label to identify the disk. Enter up to 11 characters for the label. /S Causes FORMAT to make the new disk bootable by copying the system files to the disk. /F: Specifies the size of the disk you want to format. Size is one of the following values: Size Values ___________________________________________________ 160KB single-sided 5.25-inch disk 160 180KB single-sided 5.25-inch disk 180 320KB double-sided 5.25-inch disk 320 360KB double-sided 5.25-inch disk 360 720KB double-sided 3.5-inch disk 720 1.2MB double-sided 5.25-inch disk 1.2 1.44MB double-sided 3.5-inch disk 1.44 The following table shows the switches you can use with the various disk types: Disk Type Valid Switches ______________________________________________ 160/180 kilobytes /1 /4 /8 /b /n /t /v /s /f 320/360 kilobytes /1 /4 /8 /b /n /t /v /s /f 720 kilobytes /b /n /t /v /s /f 1.2 megabytes /b /n /t /v /s /f 1.44 megabytes /b /n /t /v /s /f hard disk /b /v /s EXAMPLES: To format a 720 kilobyte (KB) 3.5-inch diskette (regular density) in a 1.44 megabyte (MB) diskette drive (high-density), specify FORMAT as follows: FORMAT d: /N:9 /T:80 or FORMAT d: /F:720 Do not use the /N and /T switches when formatting a diskette in a normal density diskette drive. The GRAFTABL command loads additional character data into a table in memory for use with a color or graphics adapter. GRAFTABL has the following format: GRAFTABL [xxx] [/sta[tus] [?] Where: xxx Specifies the code page identification number. /sta[tus] Displays the current character set. Also displays the active code page. ? Displays information about using GRAFTABL. Refer to the MS-DOS reference guide for a list of exit codes returned by GRAFTABL. The GRAPHICS command prints a graphics display screen when you are using a color or graphics adapter. GRAPHICS has the following format: GRAPHICS printer [profile] [/R] [/B] [/LCD] [/pb:p] Where: printer Identifies the type of printer used. See the table below. profile A file containing information about the printers supported. If this file is not found, GRAPHICS.PRO is used. /R Prints black and white exactly as seen on the screen. The default is to print black as white and white as black. /B Prints the background in color. This option is valid only for COLOR4 and COLOR8 printers. /LCD Uses the LCD aspect ratio instead of the CGA aspect ratio to print an image. /pb:p Specifies the printbox size. :p=std or lcd. The printer option may be one of the following: COLOR1 IBM Personal Computer Color Printer with black ribbon. COLOR4 IBM Personal Computer Color Printer with RGB (red, green, blue, and black) ribbon. COLOR8 IBM Personal Computer Color Printer with CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) ribbon. GRAPHICS IBM Personal Computer Graphics Printer, IBM Proprinter, or IBM Quietwriter Printer. GRAPHICSWIDE GRAPHICS printer with an 11-inch wide carriage. THERMAL IBM PC-Convertible Thermal Printer. After you enter the command, press the SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN key to print the contents of the screen. GRAPHICS remains in effect until you restart your system. The HELP command provides information about MS-DOS commands and your computer. - Type "HELP" at the command prompt to start HELP, or type "HELP topic" to go straight to help on a specific topic. - Press ESC at any time to exit HELP. - Press F1 at any time to get context-sensitive help on HELP. - Press Alt+P to print the displayed help topic. Examples of valid HELP commands include: C>HELP C>HELP APPEND C>HELP MODE This command joins a disk drive to a specific path. If the path does not exist, MS-DOS tries to make a directory with that path. The path must be empty. After you issue the JOIN command, the first drive name becomes invalid, and if you try to use it, MS-DOS displays the error message, " Invalid Drive". JOIN has the following formats: JOIN d: [d:path] To unjoin, use the /D switch, as follows: JOIN d: /D Where: path Specifies a directory path to which the drive is to be joined. /D Indicates that the joining between a drive and path should be deleted. The following commands do not work on drives affected by a JOIN command: BACKUP, CHKDSK, DISKCOMP, DISKCOPY, FDISK, FORMAT, LABEL, RECOVER, RESTORE, SYS. The KEYB command loads a keyboard program. KEYB has the following format: KEYB [xx[,[yyy],[[d:][path][filename]]] [/ID:nnn] Where: xx Specifies the two-letter country code. yyy Specifies the code page which defines the character set. filename Specifies the keyboard definition file. Default=KEYBOARD.SYS. ID:nnn Identifies the keyboard that is currently being used. Refer to the MS-DOS reference guide for the lists of keyboard codes, code pages, and KEYB exit codes. LABEL creates, changes or deletes the volume identification on a disk. LABEL has the following format: LABEL [d:][label] The volume label can be up to 11 characters long. You should not use the following characters in a volume label: * ? / \ | . , ; : + = < > [ ] ( ) & ^ The volume label may include spaces, but may not include tabs. If you do not enter a volume label, LABEL prompts you for one. The MEM command displays the amount of free and used memory, lists the loaded programs, and shows the allocated and free memory areas. MEM has the following format: MEM [/program] or MEM [/debug] Where: /program Lists the programs loaded in memory. /debug Lists programs, drivers, and other programming information. Use only one of the preceding switches with the MEM command. The MKDIR (or MD, for make directory) command creates a new directory. The MKDIR command has either of the following formats: MKDIR [d:]path MD [d:]path Where: path Specifies one or more existing directory names separated by backslashes. EXAMPLES: The following command creates a directory called WEST subordinate to the current directory: MD WEST The MODE command provides 6 options for configuring your computer. The options are summarized below. Move the highlight bar to your choice and press ENTER to display help on a specific option. MODE displays the status of devices. Use the following format of the command to check the status of a device: MODE [device][/sta[tus]] Where: device Specifies the device you want to check the status of. /sta[tus] Indicates that the device you need to check the status of is a redirected parallel printer. EXAMPLES: The following command displays the status of the console: MODE con MODE LPTn sets printer characteristics. LPTn identifies an IBM-compatible printer connected to a parallel printer port. One form of this MODE command redirects output from a parallel port to a serial communications port. Use one of the following formats: To set printer characteristics: MODE LPTn[:][c][,[l][r]] or MODE LPTn[cols=c][lines=l][retry=r] To redirect output from a parallel port to a serial communications port: MODE LPTn[:]=COMn[:] Where: n Specifies the printer to be used. n=1,2, or 3. c Specifies the number of characters per line. c= 80 or 132. l Specifies the number of vertical lines per inch. l=6 or 8. r Indicates that you want the computer to retry printing after a time-out error occurs. Do not use this parameter if you are using a network. Use one of the following values of r: E -- Checks the status of the busy port and returns the error. E is the default. B -- Checks the status of a busy port and returns busy. R -- Checks the status of a busy port and returns ready. NONE--Takes no retry action. For serial printers, use OPTION 3 to set the serial port parameters. Then, redirect output from the parallel port to the serial port. See your printer owner's manual for serial communication parameters. MODE COMm configures a serial communications adapter. Use one of the following formats for this MODE command: MODE COMm[:]b,[p,[,d[,s[,R]]]] or MODE COMm BAUD=b[data=d] [stop=s][parity=p][retry=r] Where: m Specifies an asynchronous communications (COM) port number. m=1, 2, 3, or 4. b Specifies the first two digits of the transmission rate. The transmission rate is 110, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, or 19,200. p Specifies the parity used. Use one of the following values: N No parity O Odd parity E Even parity (default) M Mark S Space d Specifies the number of data bits to be used. d=5, 6, 7, or 8. s Specifies the number of stop bits to be used. s=1, 1.5, or 2. The default value is 2 if the baud rate is 110; otherwise, the default value is 1. r Specifies the retry action you want MODE to take. Use one of the following values: E checks the status of the busy port and returns the error. E is the default. B checks the status of a busy port and returns busy. R checks the status of a busy port and until it returns ready. Do not use this option if you are using a network. NONE takes no retry action. MODE display sets the display mode. This MODE command reconfigures the current display mode or chooses the active video adapter and display mode. Use one of the following formats: MODE display,n or MODE[display],shift[,t] or MODE con [:] [cols=m][lines=n] Where: display Sets the line width in characters and the color of the display. Display is one of the following: BW40 or BW80 Color graphics monitor with color disabled (BW). Select 40 or 80 characters per line. CO40 or CO80 Color graphics monitor with color enabled. Select 40 or 80 characters per line. MONO Monochrome adapter with a constant display width of 80 characters per line. shift Indicates the direction to shift the Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) display: L for left, R for right. n Specifies the number of lines displayed. n=25, 43, or 50. m Specifies the number of characters displayed per line. m=40 or 80. t Aligns the display and prompts you to indicate the correct alignment. MODE con sets the keyboard typematic rate. Use the following format: MODE con [:] RATE=r DELAY=d Where: con Specifies the keyboard device. r Sets the typematic time interval. r=1-32. d Sets the auto-repeat start delay time. d=1-4. Effective values are .25, .50, .75, and 1 second. MODE device sets or displays code pages. This MODE command sets or displays code pages for a parallel printer or the console (con). Use the following formats: MODE device codepage PREPARE=((yyy)[d:][path][filename) and MODE device codepage SELECT=yyy MODE device codepage REFRESH MODE device codepage [/status] Where: device Specifies the device that will support the page switching. device=CON, LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3. yyy Specifies a code page. yyy=437, 850, 860, 863, and 865. filename Identifies the Code Page Information (.cpi) file you want MS-DOS to use to prepare the code page for the device. PREPARE Instructs MS-DOS to prepare a code page for use with a device. SELECT Specifies which prepared code pages you want to use with a device. REFRESH Reinstates the prepared code page lost because of a hardware error or other error. /status Displays the code pages that you have prepared and/or selected for a device. The MORE command sends output to the display one screen at a time. MORE has the following format: MORE < source source|MORE Where: < and | Redirect a file (source) through MORE, displaying it one screen at at time. source A file or command that you want to use with MORE. EXAMPLES: TYPE MYFILES.TXT | MORE MS-DOS displays the file MYFILES.TXT one screen at a time. You scroll through each screen by pressing any key. The NLSFUNC command loads country-specific information. NLSFUNC has the following format: NLSFUNC [[d:][path][filename]] Where: filename Specifies the file containing the country-specific information. The PATH command sets a command search path. This command allows you to tell MS-DOS which directories should be searched for external commands after MS-DOS searches the current directory. The default is no path. PATH has the following format: PATH [d:][path][;[d:][path]...] EXAMPLES: To tell MS-DOS to look in the DOS directory for external commands, enter the following command: PATH \DOS You can tell MS-DOS to search more than one path by specifying several paths separated by semicolons. The command PATH with no options displays the current path. If you enter PATH ; MS-DOS sets the NUL path, meaning that only the current directory is searched for external commands. The PRINT command prints a file in the background, freeing your system for other work. PRINT has the following format: PRINT [d:][path][/D:device][/B:size][/U:ticks][/M:ticks][/S:timeslices] [/Q:value][/T][d:][pathname][/C][/P]]... Where: path is the file to be printed, and /D Specifies the print device. If not specified, the default device is PRN. PRINT prompts for a print device. /B Sets the size (in bytes) of the internal buffer. Increasing the value of /B speeds up the PRINT command. /U Sets the number of clock ticks that PRINT will wait for a printer. The job is not run if the printer is not available in the specified time. The default is 1. /M Sets the number of clock ticks that PRINT can take to print a character on the printer. The default is 2. /S Sets the number of time slices used by MS-DOS for the PRINT command. The default is 8. The range of values can be from 1 to 255. /Q Specifies the number of files allowed in the print queue if you want more than 10. The minimum value for the /Q switch is 4; the maximum is 32. /T Deletes all files in the print queue. /C Turns on cancel mode. The preceding files and all following files are suspended in the print queue until you specify PRINT with a /P switch. /P Turns on print mode. The preceding file and all following files are added to the print queue until a /C switch is specified. PRINT with no options displays the contents of the print queue. The PROMPT command allows you to change the MS-DOS command prompt. PROMPT has the following format: PROMPT [[text][$char]...] If no text is typed, the prompt is set to the default prompt, which is the default drive designation. You can change the prompt by specifying for prompt text a dollar sign followed by a special character as shown below. Character Resulting Prompt Character Resulting Prompt ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | $$ $ character | $t current time | | $d current date | $p default drive's directory | | $v version number | $n default drive | | $g > character | $l < character | | $b | character | $h backspace | | $q = character | $_ CR LF sequence | | $e ASCII code for escape | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- EXAMPLES: The command sets a two line prompt: PROMPT Time = $t$_Date = $d The preceding command displays: Time = (current time) Date = (current date) To change back to the original prompt simply type PROMPT. The RAMDRIVE.SYS file is a device driver which enables you to use one or more RAM (virtual) drives. To install the RAMDRIVE.SYS driver, include a DEVICE command in the following format in your CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=RAMDRIVE.SYS [disksize] [sectorsize] [entries] [/E] [/A] Where: disksize Specifies the size of the disk in kilobytes. Default=64KB sectorsize Specifies the sector size in bytes. Sectorsize=128, 256, 512, or 1024 bytes. Default=512. entries Specifies the number of entries in the root directory. Entries=4-1024. Default=64. /E Enables you to use extended memory as a RAM drive. Do not use this switch with /A. /A Enable you to use an installed memory expansion adapter that meets the Lotus/Intel/Microsoft Expanded Memory Specification for a RAM drive. Do not use this switch with /E. CAUTION: When you turn off the power or reset your computer, the data stored on a RAM drive is lost. The RECOVER command recovers data from a damaged file. RECOVER has the following format: RECOVER [d:][path]filename If a sector on a disk is bad, you can recover either the file containing that sector or the entire disk (if the bad sector was in the directory, you must recover the entire disk). To recover a particular file, type: RECOVER [d:][path]filename where filename is the name of the file to be recovered. To recover a disk, type: RECOVER d: Where: d: Specifies the letter of the drive containing the disk to be recovered. CAUTION: Be sure to back up the files on the disk before you use the RECOVER command. RECOVER renames all of the files using the format FILE0001.REC, FILE0002.REC, etc. WARNING: Since the root directory can hold a limited number of entries, some of the recovered files may be lost. If all files on a disk need to be recovered, recover the files one at a time. The REN command (rename) lets you change the names of one or more files. The REN command has the following format: REN [d:][path]filename1 filename2 Where: filename1 identifies the file you want to rename. filename2 is the new file name. EXAMPLES: The following command changes the name of MYFILE.TXT to YOURFILE.TXT.: REN MYFILE.TXT YOURFILE.TXT The following command changes the names of all files on Drive B with the .LST extension to similar names with the .PRN extension: RENAME B:*.LST *.PRN The REPLACE command updates previous versions of files. REPLACE has the following format: REPLACE [d:]pathname1 [d:][pathname2] [/A] [/P] [/R] [/S] [/W] [/U] Where: pathname1 Specifies the source file or directory. pathname2 Specifies the destination file. /A Adds new files in the target directory. /A cannot be used with /S or /U. /P Prompts you before replacing a target file or adding a source file. /R Replaces read-only files as well as unprotected files. /S Causes REPLACE to search all subdirectories of the target directory while it replaces matching files. /S cannot be used with /A. /U Replaces only the files in the target path that are older than those in the source path. /W Waits for you to press any key before replacing each files. The RESTORE command restores files that were backed up by the BACKUP command. Files backed up with BACKUP are not immediately accessible; you must use the RESTORE command to return the files to their original locations to make them usable. RESTORE has the following format: RESTORE d1: [d2:][pathname] [/S][/P][/A:mm-dd-yy][/B:mm-dd-yy][/E:hh:mm] [/L:hh:mm][/M][/N] Where: d1: Specifies the disk drive to which the files were backed up. d2: Specifies the disk drive to which the files will be restored. If you do not specify a path, the files are restored to the current directory. /S Restores files at all levels of subdirectories, as well as in the specified directory. /P Makes RESTORE prompt you before restoring hidden or read-only files. /A Restores only files modified on or after the specified date. /B Restores only files modified on or before the specified date. /E Restores only files modified at or earlier than the specified time. /L Restores only files modified at or later than the specified time. /M Restores only files modified since the last backup. /N Restores only files that no longer exist on the target disk. EXAMPLES: The following command restores all files on Drive A to Drive C.: RESTORE A: C: /S The RMDIR command (remove directory) erases a directory name. The RMDIR command has either of the following formats: RMDIR [d:][path] RD [d:][path] All the files in the directory must be deleted before the RMDIR command will erase the directory. The SET command sets one string equivalent to another string in the MS-DOS environment for use in other programs and batch files. SET has the following format: SET [string=[string]] If you enter SET with no arguments, MS-DOS displays the current environment settings. EXAMPLES: To display the current environment, type: SET To tell a disk manager program where to locate your configuration file, you may be instructed to set an environment variable, for example PROGCONFIG. The disk manager can look at your environment to find the value. SET PROGCONFIG=c:\program To remove the PROGCONFIG variable from your environment: SET PROGCONFIG= To use an environment variable in other batch files, put the percent sign before and after the variable name. For example, you can set DOSDIR to C:\DOS and use it in your PATH command. SET DOSDIR=C:\DOS PATH=%DOSDIR%;C:\prog1 The Share command is only used for file sharing and locking on a network. You can modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to install file sharing. SHARE has the following format: SHARE [/F:space][/L:locks] Where: /F Sets the file space to allocate (in bytes) for the area MS-DOS uses to record filesharing information. Each file that is open needs the length of the full filename plus 11 bytes (the average path is 20 bytes). The default value for /F is 2048 bytes. /L Sets the number of locks you want to allow. The default value for the /L switch is 20. The SMARTDRV.SYS disk-caching program reduces the time your computer spends reading data from the hard disk. SMARTDRV.SYS can be used with systems that have a hard disk and extended or expanded memory installed. SMARTDRV.SYS is installed when you include a DEVICE command with the following format in your CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=[d:][path]SMARTDRV.SYS [size] [/A] Where: size Specifies the amount of memory in kilobytes you want SMARTDRV.SYS to use. The default is 256KB if you are using extended memory. If you are using expanded memory, the default is the total amount of expanded memory. /A Enables expanded memory or the use of an expanded memory adapter. The SORT command reads input, sorts data, and outputs the sorted data. SORT has the following format: [source] | SORT [/R][/+n] or SORT [/R][/+n] < source Where: source Specifies a filename or command. /R Specifies that the sort is to be done in reverse sort order. /+n Indicates that sorting is to be done beginning with the nth column. EXAMPLES: SORT is especially useful when you have redirected input and output. For example, the following command causes the directory to be sorted starting with column 14 and displayed on the screen: DIR | SORT /+14 The SUBST command associates a path with a drive letter, creating or deleting a virtual drive. The SUBST command has the following format: To display current substitutions: SUBST [d: d:path] To delete a virtual drive: SUBST d:/D LASTDRIVE must be set to include the drive you specify. EXAMPLES: The command creates a virtual Drive P for the path c:\ws\status\may: SUBST p: c:\ws\status\may You can now refer to this directory by simply typing p:. The SYS command transfers the MS-DOS system files to any other storage media, such as a diskette or hard disk, to make that media bootable. SYS has the following format: SYS d: Where d: is the letter of the device containing the media to receive the MS-DOS system files. NOTE: In order for an MS-DOS system disk to be bootable, the disk must contain the COMMAND.COM file. SYS will not automatically copy this file to the target diskette; you must manually transfer COMMAND.COM, using the COPY command, to the target diskette. The TIME command displays or changes the current system time. This time is used when the system records the time a file was accessed. TIME has the following format: TIME [hh[:mm][:ss][.cc]] Where: hh represents the hour and can be any number from 00 to 23. mm represents the minute and can be any number from 00 to 59. The format of the time can be altered by the setting of the COUNTRY command in your CONFIG.SYS file. NOTE: When setting the time, you don't have to enter ss (seconds) or cc (hundredths of seconds). TREE displays the path (and optionally lists the contents) of each directory and subdirectory on the given drive. TREE has the following format: TREE [pathname] [/F] [/A] Where: /F Displays the names of the files in each directory. /A Indicates that TREE can use the graphic characters available on all code pages for faster printing. The TYPE command displays the contents of a file on the screen. TYPE has the following format: TYPE [d:]filename TYPE displays the data in the specified text file on the screen. To temporarily halt the scrolling, press CTRL+S; to resume scrolling, press any key. The VER (version) command displays the release number of the version of MS-DOS running on your computer. The version number is important when experiencing operating problems because you need to ensure that you are using the version of MS-DOS required by your applications. The VERIFY command controls verification of disk write operations. VERIFY has the following format: VERIFY [ON | OFF] This command has the same effect as the /V switch in the COPY command. If you want to verify that all files written to a disk are readable, you can use the VERIFY command to tell MS-DOS to verify this. VERIFY ON remains in effect until you issue a VERIFY OFF command to MS-DOS or you run a program that turns verification off. If you want to know what the current setting of VERIFY is, type VERIFY with no options. The VOL command displays the disk volume label, if it exists. VOL has the following format: VOL [d:] Where d: is the drive to be checked for a volume label. If no drive is specified, MS-DOS prints the volume label of the default disk. Copies files and directories, including lower level directories if they exist. XCOPY has the following format: XCOPY [d:]path1 [d:][path2] [/A][/D:mm-dd-yy][/E][/M][/P][/S][/V][/W] Where: /A Copies source files that have their archive attribute set. It does not modify the archive attribute of the source file. Refer to the ATTRIB command for information on how to set the archive attribute. /D:mm-dd-yy Copies source files that were modified on or after the date specified by mm-dd-yy. Note that the date format may vary depending on the country code you are using. /E Copies any subdirectories, even if they are empty. You can use this switch only if you also specify the /S switch. /M Copies all source files that have their archive attribute set, and turns off the archive attribute in the source file. See the ATTRIB command for information on how to set the archive attribute of a file. /P Prompts you with "(Y/N)?", allowing you to confirm whether you want to create each target file. /S Copies directories and lower level subdirectories unless they are empty. If you omit this switch, XCOPY works within a single directory. /V Causes XCOPY to verify each file as it is written to the target to make sure that the target files are readable. /W Causes XCOPY to wait before it starts copying files. XCOPY displays the message: "Press any key when ready to start copying files" You must press a key to continue, or press CTRL+C to abort the XCOPY command. Because the DISKCOPY command copies disks track-by-track, it requires your source and target disks to have the same format. So if you want to make a copy of a disk that contains files in subdirectories to a target disk that has a different format, you must use the XCOPY command. EXAMPLES: The command copies all of the files and subdirectories (including any empty subdirectories) on the disk in Drive A to hard disk Drive C. XCOPY A: C: /S /E The Topic menu lists the topics on which help is available. The menu bar (the highlighted bar on the last line of the screen) displays the commands available in the Topic menu. These commands and their actions are as follows: Key Command Action --- ------- ------ F1 Help Displays this help text ESC Quit Exits HELP and returns to MS-DOS ENTER Display Displays help text for the highlighted topic You select a topic via the following steps: 1. Move the highlighted bar to the topic using the arrow keys or alphanumeric keys 2. Press ENTER The help text for this topic then appears. Press ALT-T to return to the Topic menu from this help text. The arrow keys functions as follows: Key Function --- -------- Up arrow Moves the highlight bar up one topic Down arrow Moves the highlight bar down one topic PgUp Moves the highlight bar up several topics PgDn Moves the highlight bar down several topics Home Moves the highlight bar to the first topic End Moves the highlight bar to the last topic A-Z, 1-9 Moves the highlight bar to the next topic beginning with that letter or number When you run HELP, you can skip the Topic menu and go directly to the Help Display by typing the topic name on the command line; for instance, the command C>HELP APPEND will display the help text for the APPEND command. HELP is now displaying help text for a topic you have selected. The menu bar (the highlighted bar on the last line of the screen) displays the commands available in the Help Display. These commands and their actions are as follows: Key Command Action --- ------- ------ F1 Help Displays this help text ESC Quit Exits HELP and returns to MS-DOS ALT-T Topic Returns to the Topic menu Alt-P Print Prints this topic's help text to LPT1: Up arrow Scroll Scrolls the help text if there is more than one screenful Down arrow Scroll Scrolls the help text if there is more than one screenful PgUp Scroll Scrolls the help text if there is more than one screenful PgDn Scroll Scrolls the help text if there is more than one screenful If there is more than one screenful of help text for this topic, an arrow appears in the lower-left corner of the window. This can be an up arrow, a down arrow, or an up/down arrow. The up arrow indicates more help text is available by scrolling up (Up arrow or PgUp). The down arrow indicates that more help text is available by scrolling down (Down arrow or PgDn). The up/down arrow indicates that more help text is available by scrolling up or down. HELP is now displaying a list of subtopics for the topic you have selected. Each subtopic name is followed by a brief description of the subtopic. You can get extensive help on a specific subtopic by moving the highlight bar to that topic and pressing ENTER. Then press ALT-T to return to the list of subtopics. The arrow keys functions as follows: Key Function --- -------- Up arrow Moves the highlight bar up one subtopic Down arrow Moves the highlight bar down one subtopic PgUp Moves the highlight bar up several subtopics PgDn Moves the highlight bar down several subtopics