Microsoft Windows 98

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       Microsoft Windows 98 README for
         MS-DOS Config.sys Commands
                April 1998           
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(c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1998

This document provides complementary or late-breaking
information to supplement the Microsoft Windows 98
documentation.

------------------------
How to Use This Document
------------------------

To view Config.txt on-screen in Notepad, maximize
the Notepad window.

To print Config.txt, open the file in Notepad or
another word processor, then on the File menu, click Print.

In syntax lines, lowercase text signifies replaceable
parameters and uppercase text must be typed as it appears.

NOTE: The Msdosdrv.txt file contains more Help for
MS-DOS commands. Also you can type the name of the
command at the command prompt, followed by a slash
and question mark (/?). For example: CHKDSK /?

If you have the Windows 98 CD, you can get additional
help on MS-DOS commands, including syntax and examples.
You can load the MS-DOS 6 help file by browsing the
oolsoldmsdos menu, and then clicking Help.com.

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CONTENTS
--------

ACCDATE

BREAK

BUFFERS/BUFFERSHIGH

DEVICE

DEVICEHIGH

DOS

DRIVPARM

FCBS/FCBSHIGH

FILES/FILESHIGH

INSTALL/INSTALLHIGH

LASTDRIVE/LASTDRIVEHIGH

NUMLOCK

REM

SET

SHELL

STACKS/STACKSHIGH

SWITCHES
-------------------------------

ACCDATE
=======

For each hard disk, this command specifies
whether to record the date that files are
last accessed. Last access dates are turned
off for all drives when your computer is
started in safe mode, and are not maintained
on floppy disks by default.

Syntax

    ACCDATE=drive1+|- [drive2+|-]...

Parameters

drive1, drive 2...
    Specifies the drive letter.

+|-
    Specify a plus sign (+) to indicate that
    the last access date should be maintained
    for files on the drive. Specify a minus
    sign (-) to indicate that the last access
    date should not be maintained for files.

BREAK
=====

This command sets or clears extended CTRL+C
checking. You can use this command at the
command prompt or in your CONFIG.SYS file.

You can press CTRL+C to stop a program or an
activity, such as file sorting. Typically, MS-DOS
checks for CTRL+C only while it reads from the
keyboard or writes to the screen or a printer. If
you set BREAK to ON, you extend CTRL+C checking to
other functions, such as disk read and write
operations.

Syntax

    BREAK [ON|OFF]

To display the current BREAK setting at the command
prompt, use the following syntax:

    BREAK

In your CONFIG.SYS file, use the following syntax:

    BREAK=ON|OFF

Parameter

ON|OFF
    Turns extended CTRL+C checking on or off.

BUFFERS/BUFFERSHIGH
===================

This command allocates memory for a specified number
of disk buffers when your system starts. Use the
BUFFERSHIGH command to load the buffers in the upper
memory area. You can use these commands only in your
Config.sys file.

Syntax

    BUFFERS=n[,m]
    BUFFERSHIGH=n[,m]

Parameters

n
    Specifies the number of disk buffers. The value of
    n must be in the range 1 through 99. The default
    is 30.

m
    Specifies the number of buffers in the secondary
    buffer cache. The value of m must be in the range
    0 through 8. The default is 0 (no secondary cache
    buffers).

If you specify an invalid value for n or m, BUFFERs uses
the default settings.

DEVICE
======

This command loads into memory the device driver you
specify. You can use this command only in your Config.sys
file.

Syntax

    DEVICE=[drive:][path]filename [dd-parameters]

Parameters

[drive:][path]filename
    Specifies the location and name of the device driver
    you want to load.

[dd-parameters]
    Specifies any command-line information required by
    the device driver.

DEVICEHIGH
==========

This command loads the device driver you specify into
the upper memory area. Loading a device driver into the
upper memory area frees more bytes of conventional memory
for other programs. If upper memory is not available,
the DEVICEHIGH command functions just like the DEVICE
command.

You can use this command only in your Config.sys file.

Syntax

    DEVICEHIGH [drive:][path]filename [dd-parameters]

To specify the region(s) of memory into which to
load the device driver, use the following syntax:

    DEVICEHIGH [[/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2] [/S]]=
    [drive:][path]filename [dd-parameters]

Parameters

[drive:][path]filename
    Specifies the location and name of the device
    driver you want to load into the upper memory area.

dd-parameters
    Specifies any command-line information required by
    the device driver.

Switches

/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]...
    Specifies one or more regions of memory into which
    the device driver is loaded. By default, MS-DOS loads
    the driver into the largest free upper memory block
    (UMB) and makes all other UMBs available for the driver's
    use. You can use the /L switch to load the device driver
    into a specific region of memory or to specify which
    region(s) the driver can use.

    To load the driver into the largest block in a
    specific region of upper memory, specify the region
    number after the /L switch. For example, to load the
    driver into the largest free block in region 4, you
    would type /L:4. To list the free areas of memory,
    type MEM /F at the command prompt.

    When loaded with the /L switch, a device driver
    can use only the specified memory region. Some
    device drivers use more than one area of memory;
    for those drivers, you can specify more than one
    region. To find out how a particular device driver
    uses memory, issue the MEM /M command and specify
    the device-driver name as an argument. To specify
    two or more regions, separate the block numbers
    with a semicolon (;). For example, to use blocks
    2 and 3, you would type /L:2;3.

    Typically, MS-DOS loads a driver into a UMB in
    the specified region only if that region contains
    a UMB larger than the driver's load size (usually
    equal to the size of the executable program file).
    If the driver requires more memory while running
    than it does when loaded, you can use the minsize
    parameter to ensure that the driver will not be
    loaded into a UMB that is too small for it. If you
    specify a value for minsize, MS-DOS loads the driver
    into that region only if it contains a UMB that is
    larger than both the driver's load size and the
    minsize value.

/S
    Shrinks the UMB to its minimum size while the
    driver is loading. Using this switch makes the
    most efficient use of memory. This switch is
    generally used only by the MemMaker program,
    which can analyze a device driver's memory use
    to determine whether the /S switch can safely be
    used when loading that driver. This switch can
    be used only in conjunction with the /L switch
    and affects only UMBs for which a minimum size
    was specified.

DOS
====

This command specifies that MS-DOS should maintain a link
to the upper memory area, load part of itself into the high
memory area (HMA), or both. You can use this command only in
your Config.sys file.

Syntax

    DOS=HIGH|LOW[,UMB|,NOUMB][,AUTO|,NOAUTO]

    DOS=[HIGH,|LOW,]UMB|NOUMB[,AUTO|,NOAUTO]
 
    DOS=[HIGH,|LOW,][UMB,|NOUMB,]AUTO|NOAUTO

Parameters

UMB|NOUMB
    Specifies whether MS-DOS should manage upper
    memory blocks (UMBs) created by a UMB provider
    such as Emm386.exe. The UMB parameter specifies
    that MS-DOS should manage UMBs, if they exist.
    The NOUMB parameter specifies that MS-DOS should
    not manage UMBs. The default setting is NOUMB.

HIGH|LOW
    Specifies whether MS-DOS should attempt to load
    a part of itself into the HMA (HIGH) or keep all
    of MS-DOS in conventional memory (LOW). The default
    setting is LOW.

AUTO|NOAUTO
    Specifies whether MS-DOS should automatically load
    Himem.sys, Ifshlp.sys, Dblbuff.sys, and Setver.exe
    device drivers if they are not explicitly loaded in
    your Config.sys file. The default setting, AUTO,
    automatically loads these device drivers. The AUTO
    setting also automatically uses the BUFFERSHIGH,
    FILESHIGH, FCBSHIGH, LASTDRIVEHIGH, and STACKSHIGH
    commands, whether the -HIGH form of the command is
    used or not. If you specify the NOAUTO parameter, you
    must load these device drivers and use the -HIGH form of
    the above commands in order to take advantage of them.

DRIVPARM
========

This command defines parameters for devices such as disk and
tape drives when you start MS-DOS. You can use this command
only in your Config.sys file.

The DRIVPARM command modifies the parameters of
an existing physical drive. It does not create a new
logical drive. The settings specified in the
DRIVPARM command override the driver definitions
for any previous block device.

Syntax

    DRIVPARM=/D:number [/C] [/F:factor] [/H:heads] [/I] [/N]
    [/S:sectors] [/T:tracks]

Switches

/D:number
    Specifies the physical drive number. Values for number
    must be in the range 0 through 255. For example, drive
    number 0 = drive A, 1 = drive B, 2 = drive C, and so on.

/C
    Specifies that the drive can detect whether the drive
    door is closed.

/F:factor
    Specifies the drive type. The following table shows the
    valid values for factor and a brief description of each.
    The default value is 2.

    0        160K/180K or 320K/360K

    1        1.2 megabyte (MB)

    2        720K (3.5-inch disk)

    5        Hard disk

    6        Tape

    7        1.44 MB (3.5-inch disk)

    8        Read/write optical disk

    9        2.88 MB (3.5-inch disk)

/H:heads
    Specifies the maximum number of heads. Values for
    heads must be in the range 1 through 99. The default
    value depends on the value you specify for /F:factor.

/I
    Specifies an electronically compatible 3.5-inch
    floppy disk drive. Use the /I switch if your
    computer's ROM BIOS does not support 3.5-inch
    floppy disk drives.

/N
    Specifies a nonremovable block device.

/S:sectors
    Specifies the number of sectors per track that
    the block device supports. Values for sectors
    must be in the range 1 through 99. The default
    value depends on the value you specify for /F:factor.

/T:tracks
    Specifies the number of tracks per side that the
    block device supports. The default value depends on
    the value you specify for /F:factor.

FCBS/FCBSHIGH
=============

This command specifies the number of file control blocks (FCBs)
that MS-DOS can have open at the same time. Use the FCBSHIGH
command to load the FCBs in the upper memory area. You can use
these commands only in your Config.sys file.

Syntax

    FCBS=x
    FCBSHIGH=x

Parameter

x
    Specifies the number of file control blocks that
    MS-DOS can have open at one time. Valid values for
    x are in the range 1 through 255. The default
    value is 4.

FILES/FILESHIGH
===============

This command specifies the number of files that MS-DOS can
access at one time. Use the FILESHIGH command to load the
command in the upper memory area. You can use these commands
only in your Config.sys file.

Syntax

    FILES=x
    FILESHIGH=x

Parameter

x
    Specifies the number of files that MS-DOS can
    access at one time. Valid values for x are in
    the range 8 through 255. The default value is 8.

INSTALL/INSTALLHIGH
===================

This command loads a memory-resident program into memory
when you start MS-DOS. Use the INSTALLHIGH command
to load the memory-resident program into the upper
memory area. You can use these commands only in
your Config.sys file.

Memory-resident programs stay in memory as long
as your computer is on. They can be used even when
other programs are active. You can use the INSTALL
or INSTALLHIGH command to load MS-DOS memory-resident
programs.

Syntax

    INSTALL=[drive:][path]filename [command-parameters]
    INSTALLHIGH=[drive:][path]filename [command-parameters]

Parameters

[drive:][path]filename
    Specifies the location and name of the
    memory-resident program you want to run.

command-parameters
    Specifies parameters for the program you
    specify for filename.

LASTDRIVE/LASTDRIVEHIGH
=======================

This command specifies the maximum number of drives you can
access. Use the LASTDRIVEHIGH command to load the LASTDRIVE
data structures in the upper memory area. You can use these
commands only in your Config.sys file.

The value you specify represents the last
valid drive that MS-DOS is to recognize.

Syntax

    LASTDRIVE=x
    LASTDRIVEHIGH=x

Parameter

x
    Specifies a drive letter in the range A through Z.

NUMLOCK
========

This command specifies whether the NUM LOCK key is set to ON or
OFF when your computer starts. You can use this command only in
your Config.sys file.