second edition

In English

Publisher: Digital Research Inc., August, 1991

DRI P/N 1182-2004-001

The product describe in this manual is DR DOS, a disk operating system (DOS) which is designed to run on Intel® 8088, 802086, 386, i486 and compatible microprocessors.

This manual is intended for people who are using DR DOS for the first time, and for those people who are already familiar with DOS but want information on this version.

Table of Contents

Preface	i
1 Getting started with DR DOS	1
1.1 Essential concepts	2
Memory	2
Disks	3
The do's and don'ts of handling diskettes	5
Drives	8
Files and directories	8
DR DOS: the operating system	8
1.2 Different disk configurations	9
1.3 Preparing the disks for use	10
Preparing a hard disk	10
Preparing diskettes	10
1.4 How to install DR DOS	11
Introduction	11
Starting the INSTALL program	12
1.5 Getting started at the command line	16
The system prompt	16
Changing between drives	16
Entering instructions	17
Some simple commands	18
Getting help on commands	20
1.6 Copying your master diskettes	20
Twin disk drive systems	21
1.7 Using other applications	21
2 Basic command concepts	23
2.1 Command types	24
Internal commands	24
External commands	24
Batch processing subcommands	26
Config.sys commands	26
2.2 Entering commands	27
Command syntax	27
Specifying drives	28
2.3 Displaying data a screenful at a time	28
2.4 Stopping commands	28
3 Managing your information	29
3.1 Storing data in files	30
Naming files	30
Filenames you should not use	31
Handling groups of files (using wildcards)	32
Handling groups of files (using filelists)	34
3.2 Using directories to organize your files	35
The current directory	37
Special directory symbols	37
3.3 Specifying paths	38
The PATH command	39
PATH and the autoexec.bat file	40
3.4 Working with directories	41
Listing directories (the TREE command)	41
Making a directory (the MKDIR command)	42
Displaying and changing directories (the CHDIR command)	43
Renaming directories (the RENDIR command)	44
Removing a directory (the RMDIR command)	44
3.5 General actions on files	45
Copying files (the COPY command)	45
Moving files (the MOVE command)	45
Deleting files	46
Displaying file contents (the TYPE command)	46
Renaming files (the RENAME command)	46
Printing files (the PRINT command)	47
3.6 Keeping track of where you are	48
4 Protecting your information	49
4.1 Making backup copies of disks	50
Backing up your hard disk	50
Restoring BACKUP files	53
Copying diskettes	54
4.2 Protecting files with the password command	55
What is a password?	55
Setting passwords	56
Issuing passwords	56
Password-protecting directories	57
Global system passwords	57
Removing passwords	58
A note on password-protection	58
4.3 File attributes and the ATTRIB command	59
4.4 Securing the system	60
5 Recovering your information	63
5.1 File Recovery Aide	64
DISKMAP	64
DELWATCH	64
5.2 Recovering deleted files (the UNDELETE command)	64
6 Switching tasks	67
6.1 Loading TaskMAX	68
Loading TaskMAX automatically	68
Loading TaskMAX from the command line	69
6.2 Displaying TaskMAX menu	69
6.3 Adding tasks	71
Checking there is space for tasks	72
6.4 Switching between tasks	73
6.5 Copying data	74
6.6 Deleting tasks	78
6.7 Removing TaskMAX	79
6.8 Configuring TaskMAX	79
Configuring TaskMAX via SETUP	79
Configuring TaskMAX from the command line	81
6.9 TaskMAX and the DR DOS environment	85
6.10 Important notes on using TaskMAX	86
7 The EDITOR	91
7.1 Starting EDITOR	92
7.2 Quitting EDITOR	92
7.3 Entering text	93
Using the Tab key	94
Moving text down a line	94
Entering control characters	94
Entering character codes	94
Getting online help	95
7.4 Moving the cursor	95
To move the cursor one character	95
To move the cursor one word	95
To move the cursor one page	95
To move the cursor to the start or end of a line	96
To move the cursor to the start or end of a file	96
The cursor-control diamond	96
7.5 Inserting and overwriting text	97
Inserting a file at the cursor	97
7.6 Deleting text	97
Deleting a character	98
Deleting a word	99
Deleting a line	99
7.7 Working with blocks of text	100
Marking a block of text	100
Moving a block of marked text	100
Deleting a block of marked text	101
Copying a block of marked text	101
Storing a block of marked text in a file	101
7.8 Saving your work	101
7.9 Automatic backup files	102
7.10 Technical details	103
Writing to the screen	103
7.11 Command summary	104
8 Redirecting input and output	107
8.1 Using redirection	108
Redirecting output	108
Redirecting output to or from a device	108
Appending output	110
Redirecting input	110
8.2 Using pipes and filters	110
Pipes	110
Filter commands	111
Combining pipes and redirection	112
9 Grouping commands in batch files	113
9.1 Using batch files	114
9.2 Creating batch files	115
9.3 Running batch files	115
Stopping a batch file	116
9.4 Making general purpose batch files	116
Environment variables	118
9.5 Batch file subcommands	118
Command conventions	120
9.6 The autoexec.bat file	136
10 DR DOS commands	137
10.1 Command syntax explained	138
10.2 Editing commands at the command line	141
Extended command line editing	143
DR DOS control key combinations	144
10.3 Command symmary	145
10.4 The DR DOS command set	150
11 Customizing your system	353
11.1 Using SETUP	354
11.2 SETUP and the DR DOS configuration files	354
11.3 Config.sys commands	356
Command conventions	356
11.4 Installable DR DOS device drivers	397
11.5 The autoexec.bat file	430
12 Using MemoryMAX	433
12.1 What is MemoryMAX?	434
12.2 MemoryMAX and your computer platform	436
12.3 Experimenting with MemoryMAX	441
12.4 Potential memory conflicts	444
12.5 Third-party memory managers	445
13 Optimizing your disk	447
13.1 DISKOPT	448
Before using DISKOPT	448
Using the DISKOPT menu	448
13.2 Super PC-Kwik Disk Accelerator	451
Introduction	451
Loading Super PC-Kwik	452
Super PC-Kwik options	453
Troubleshooting	469
13.3 SuperStor (SSTOR.EXE)	471
Preparing for SuperStor	472
Installing SuperStor	472
About disk compression	473
Running SuperStor	473
Using your SuperStor disk	477
Notes about compatibility	478
14 Setting up code page switching	481
14.1 What does code page switching mean?	482
Code Page 850	484
Limitations of Code Page 850	484
In summary	485
Hardware supported	485
14.2 Setting up code page switching	485
14.3 Example config.sys and autoexec.bat files	486
Example config.sys file	487
Example autoexec.bat file	488
14.4 Working with code pages	489
Changing between code pages	489
Using MODE SELECT	489
Listing your current code pages	490
Refreshing lost code pages	490
A Error messages and troubleshooting	491
A.1 Error messages	492
A.2 Troubleshooting	557
Troubleshooting checklist	557
Diskette handling	558
Corrupted files	559
When absolutely nothing happens	559
Unresolvable errors	559
B Character sets for code pages supported by DR DOS	561
C Memory	575
C.1 What is memory?	576
C.2 Types of memory	576
Lower and conventional memory	577
Upper memory	579
Extended memory	580
High memory	581
XMS (Extended Memory Specification)	581
Expanded memory	581
C.3 Checking on your computer's memory usage	582
D The SID debugging tool	583
D.1 About SID	583
Starting SID	584
Quitting SID	584
SID command conventions	584
Specifying a 20-bit address	585
Hexadecimal number	585
Decimal numbers	585
Character values	585
Operators in expressions	586
D.2 SID commands	587
D.3 Default segment values	617
D.4 Assembly language syntax (A and L commands)	620
E Microsoft Windows	623
E.1 Microsoft Windows and DR DOS	624
F Using Novell NetWare workstation shells	627
F.1 USing Novell Netware with DR DOS and TaskMAX	628
Installing RPLFIX.COM	629
Glossary	631
Index	647