What is a CONFIG.SYS FILE? What are the configuration commands used? The config.sys file is found in the root directory of the C: drive
(or other boot drive) of every PC. The config.sys tells MS-DOS which peripherals and devices are installed on your computer.
Only in MS-DOS 4.0 or higher, may programs may be started in config.sys. The following commands may be used as entries in a CONFIG.SYS file for DOS version 5.0. For DOS 6.0 and higher,
to see help on all DOS commands and on CONFIG.SYS commands, at the DOS
prompt type: help<enter> Note: when changing the contents of your CONFIG.SYS file, be sure to use a text editor or a word processor
in text mode. break
Specifies the status of checking for CTRL/C and CTRL/BREAK. buffers Sets the amount of memory MS-DOS uses for storing information transferred to and from a disk. country Specifies which country language convention to use. device Loads a device driver into memory. devicehigh Loads a device driver into upper memory. dos Specifies the area of memory where MS-DOS will reside, and whether to use upper memory. drivparm Sets the characteristics of a disk drive. fcbs Sets the number of file control blocks that MS-DOS may open concurrently. files Specifies the number of files MS-DOS that may be open at the same time. install Runs a resident TSR (terminate and stay resident) program while DOS reads CONFIG.SYS. lastdrive Sets the letter of valid drives. rem Marks a entry as descriptive text or comment and not to be executed. shell Changes the operation of the COMMAND.COM interpreter. stacks Sets the amount of memory MS-DOS reserves for processing hardware interrupts. switches Specifies the use of conventional keyboard format despite presence of an enhanced keyboard. Copyright
©1998 DEW Associates Corporation.
All rights reserved.