1. W95-11D.ZIP Driver
2. DOSTIPS.TXT File Contents

DOSTIPS.TXT Driver File Contents (W95-11D.ZIP)

			 AXCEL216's MAX Speeed
	Key Remapping + DOSSHELL ©Tips for the DOS fanatics! ;-)




These topics refer STRICTLY to ALL Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS
7.00/7.10/8.00] + MS-DOS 5.00/6.xx final (Gold) English releases, unless
specified otherwise!

Please send me your comments, corrections, tips at:
axcel216@aol.com


DOSTIPS.TXT Contents:


F1-F12 Remapping = MS-DOS Mode + ANSI Driver
MS DOSSHELL = MS-DOS "File Manager"


DOS tips + info on the Internet:
- Why You Should Use DOS:
http://www.textfiles.com/uploads/whydos.txt
- PC Forrest MS-DOS 7/8 Tips:
http://www.forrestandassociates.co.uk/pcforrest/ms-dos.html
- Rob's Scripting Pages:
http://www.robvanderwoude.com/
- DOS... The Ghost in The Machine:
http://www.undercoverdesign.com/dosghost/dos/dosw31.asp
- The DOS HeadQuarters:
http://dos.rsvs.net/
- The Useful Site - DOS tips:
http://www.salokin.demon.co.uk/dos.htm
- Useful DOS Links:
http://home.t-online.de/home/K_meinhard/dlinks.htm
- History of MS-DOS Operating Systems:
http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa033099.htm
- Batfiles: DOS Batch File Programming + Tutorial:
http://home7.inet.tele.dk/batfiles/
- Eric's DOS Batch Programming:
http://www.ericphelps.com/batch/
- DOS Batch Files:
http://gatsby.tafe.tas.edu.au/batch/
- DOS Batch Scripts:
http://www.batch.hpg.ig.com.br/
- MS-DOS BATch File Programming:
http://www.comp-air.com/vfrazee/batch/
- Gord's World of Batch Files:
http://users.accesscomm.ca/gbraun/batch/
- DOS: Batch File Programming:
http://home.att.net/~gobruen/progs/dos_batch/dos_batch.html
- DOS Batch Language: A personal view:
http://gearbox.maem.umr.edu/~batch/batchtoc.htm
- MS-DOS FAQ:
http://www.butterwick0.freeserve.co.uk/faq.html
- See SECRETS.TXT (included) for more DOS links.
______________________________________________________________________________



		F1-F12 Remapping = MS-DOS Mode + ANSI Driver



These key remapping tips are valid for ALL MS-DOS releases starting with 5.00
up to 8.00 [MS-DOS 7.00 is bundled with Windows 95 (retail) and 95a OSR1
(upgraded with SP1), MS-DOS 7.10 is included with Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x and
Windows 98/98 SE(U), and MS-DOS 8.00 comes with Windows ME), and they work
ONLY on 101-107 (or more) extended serial, PS/2 and USB keyboards [with or
without extra Win95/Win98 (Windows Logo) keys], ONLY with an ANSI DOS CONsole
device driver/accelerator loaded in memory!
This may also be achieved using older MS-DOS and/or 3rd party (DR-DOS, PC-DOS,
FreeDOS, Novell DOS, IBM DOS etc) releases, but I haven't tried any.

A MUST:
Microsoft REMOVED COMPLETELY the access to native/real MS-DOS mode from
Windows Millennium Edition (ME), a.k.a. MS-DOS 8.00. :(
But you CAN get it back [:)] by applying the Unofficial WinME Real DOS-Mode
Patch [9 KB, freeware]:
http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/
which modifies COMMAND.COM + IO.SYS (from C:\Windows\Command\EBD) +
REGENV32.EXE (from C:\Windows\System) to allow Windows ME to boot to native
MS-DOS and use custom DOS mode startup files (AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS), the
Windows 95/98 style.

The included KEY.TXT + X.TXT files are plain ANSI batch (ASCII text) files
designed to reassign the "extra" function keys: from F1 up to F12 on extended
keyboards, using ANSI driver capabilities.

FYI: If you don't know what these abbreviations mean: ASCII, ANSI, RAM, TSR,
UMB, USB, VGA etc, please look them up in GLOSSARY.TXT (included).

First, you need to load Microsoft ANSI.SYS device driver in your CONFIG.SYS
with the /X switch, to enable DOS mode key remapping, AFTER the lines that
load the Microsoft HIMEM.SYS + EMM386.EXE "combo" or other 3rd party memory
manager capable of providing Upper Memory Blocks (UMBs) for loading
devices/drivers/TSRs "high": Uwe Sieber's UMBPCI.SYS, Symantec (Quarterdeck)
QEMM386.SYS, Network Associates (Helix) NetRoom RM386.EXE, Lineo (Caldera)
DR-DOS EMM386.EXE, Qualitas (IBM) 386MAX.SYS etc.
MS ANSI.SYS occupies 4.2 KB of upper DOS RAM ONLY IF loaded with DEVICEHIGH
from CONFIG.SYS.

TIP: See MEMORY.TXT (included) for memory management guidelines to learn how
to MAXimize your memory resources in DOS + Windows.

ANSI.SYS CONFIG.SYS line (default install directories used here):

- MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22 users:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\MSDOS\ANSI.SYS /X

- MS Windows 95/98/ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00] users:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ANSI.SYS /X

The "/X" switch allows extended keys to be remapped independently on 101 (or
more) enhanced keyboards.

If using MS DISPLAY.SYS to display DOS mode international (in a language other
than English) character sets, make sure to position the ANSI.SYS line AHEAD of
the DISPLAY.SYS command in your CONFIG.SYS (example using MS-DOS 6.xx with
Romanian language support, also available in Windows 9x/ME, a.k.a. MS-DOS
7.xx/8.0):

DEVICEHIGH=C:\MSDOS\ANSI.SYS /X
COUNTRY=040,852,C:\MSDOS\COUNTRY.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\MSDOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(EGA,852,2)

Alternatively you can use any other compatible ANSI device driver with the
built-in ability to remap the F1 - F12 extended keys and/or any other "normal"
keys (if you like) to replace Microsoft's default ANSI.SYS.

1. An excellent example (the BEST in my opinion) is Daniel Kegel's NANSI.SYS
v3.4 DOS CONsole Driver Accelerator, fastest and most versatile replacement
for MS ANSI.SYS, with built-in support for key remapping [60 KB, free GPL]:
http://www.kegel.com/nansi34.zip
NANSI.SYS takes only 3.3 KB of upper DOS RAM ONLY IF loaded with DEVICEHIGH in
CONFIG.SYS (example using NANSI.SYS specific command line switches to enable
key remapping):

DEVICEHIGH=drive:\path\NANSI.SYS /K /X

2. Another good alternative is ANSI.COM v1.3L [42 KB, free]:
ftp://ftp.mpoli.fi/pub/software/DOS/UTILS/SCREEN/ANSI13L.ZIP
ANSI.COM has the advantage of being able to load/unload at will, ONLY IF it is
the LAST TSR that loaded in memory. Therefore you can load ANSI.COM from
AUTOEXEC.BAT or run it from the plain DOS prompt.
BUG: If using ANSI.COM to assign EXIT (and probably other internal DOS
commands built into COMMAND.COM) to any of your remapped keys, tapping the
arrow keys will display invalid commands! :(
ANSI.COM takes only 2.7 KB of upper DOS RAM ONLY IF loaded with LOADHIGH in
AUTOEXEC.BAT (example):

LOADHIGH=drive:\path\ANSI.COM

An upper/extended/expanded memory manager (see examples above) MUST be present
in CONFIG.SYS for these ANSI devices to load in Upper Memory Area (UMA).

You can use ANSI.SYS, NANSI.SYS or ANSI.COM ASCII sequences to create colorful
DOS prompts, start ANY DOS program [including Windows 9x/ME/3.1x GUI :)] at
the touch of a single key, by remapping the keys on enhanced 101-107 (or more)
keyboards, and much more.

IMPORTANT:
Sustitute ALL "drive" and "path" instances from ALL command lines in this
document with your ACTUAL drive/partition letters and directory/folder names,
respectively... and don't type the quotes! ;)

You can add this command as the last line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT:

TYPE drive:\path\KEY.TXT

After AUTOEXEC.BAT processing is finished (at the end of the boot sequence),
press one of your function keys (F1 through F12) at the native/real MS-DOS
prompt, to start whatever DOS program you like (including internal MS-DOS
commands, like: COPY, DEL, DIR, REN etc), and ANY MS Windows version that runs
on top of MS-DOS (3.xx or 95/98/ME).
FYI: Windows NT4, 2000, XP and 2003 have their own version of MS ANSI.SYS,
which can be loaded from a customized CONFIG.NT using the DEVICE(HIGH)
command, but I couldn't enable key remapping under these MS OSes, possibly
because the internal TYPE command is unavailable. :(

CAUTION:
If using these function keys shortcuts from a Windows DOS box/session, be
CAREFUL which programs you run, so they won't interfere with Windows proper
operation. Programs that are Long File Names (LFNs) and/or FAT32/NTFS unaware
may DAMAGE your data under MS Windows 32-bit (Win32) OS, some may not run, or
even LOCKUP Windows!

To assign your own DOS commands to F1 - F12 in KEY.TXT, open it with EDIT.COM,
and type in the commands you want inside the quote-unquote areas ("PROGRAM" =
replace with your actual command/program/game name), to substitute the ones
already there.

LIMITATION:
You need to use EDIT.COM (MS-DOS default ASCII/text editor/viewer) or a
Notepad replacement that supports ANSI/DOS/OEM fixed pitch fonts, because MS
Notepad (Windows default ASCII/text editor/viewer) does NOT display extended
ASCII characters properly, like the ones I used in my KEY.TXT, X.TXT,
AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS files (all included).

Leave NO spaces! Example:

$e[0;134;"WIN";13p

Make sure the DOS executables (.COM, .EXE) or batch files (.BAT) listed in
KEY.TXT reside in a directory included in your PATH statement (set in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS), otherwise you need to add their actual paths
(drive/partition letter + directory/folder name) to the KEY.TXT command lines:

"drive:\path\PROGRAM"

No need to mention the file extension if it is a standard DOS executable:
.BAT, .COM or .EXE.
It is advised to keep the command lines between quotation marks as short as
possible. Too long command lines in KEY.TXT may result in "Out of environment
space" error messages!
If you DO get such messages anyway, you'll need to increase the size of your
DOS COMMAND.COM environment, by adding/modifying the "SHELL=" line in your
CONFIG.SYS.
Edit CONFIG.SYS with EDIT.COM in DOS or Notepad in Windows. Example of
CONFIG.SYS "SHELL=" lines:

- MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22 users:

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

- MS Windows 95/98/ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00] users:

SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:1024 /L:128 /U:128 /P

Make sure you have a copy of the COMMAND.COM file present in the root
directory of your boot drive/partition (default is C:\) for this to work!

Save your CONFIG.SYS file when done (BUT BACK IT UP FIRST!), and then reboot,
so the new command environment can take "charge".

You can also redefine ANY key functions from the DOS prompt.
Just run something like this:

PROMPT $e[0;59;"MSD";13p

to start MSD.EXE (MicroSoft Diagnostics utility) by pressing F1 from any DOS
prompt.
To revert F1 to its original assignment, run:

PROMPT $e[0;59;;p

When done, you need to reenable your original DOS PROMPT (default is C:\>), by
running:

PROMPT $P$G

To avoid such cumbersome changes to your DOS prompt, I recommend loading key
remapping settings from your AUTOEXEC.BAT by using KEY.TXT (example):

TYPE drive:\path\KEY.TXT

FYI: "$e" is equivalent to using the "Esc" ASCII 27 character. To save memory,
press and hold (in this specific order): Ctrl, P and the left square bracket
([) keys together in EDIT.COM to reproduce "$e" as a single character, which
looks like a left pointing arrow.

You can assign DOS commands to ANY key on your keyboard as long as it doesn't
interfere with any other functions that particular key might have (e.g. some
of the function keys are remapped by Microsoft DOSKEY.COM TSR driver).
To remap a key you need to learn its ASCII code. To observe the ANSI escape
sequences, run:

- MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22 + Windows 98/98 SE [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.10] users:

HELP ANSI.SYS

- MS Windows 95/98/ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00] users:

MSDOSDRV.TXT

to open it in Notepad and read the "ANSI.SYS" topic, or go to:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=234868

Look at the ASCII codes by scrolling down towards the end of the ANSI.SYS
topic. NANSI.SYS and ANSI.COM abide also by these same standard rules.

LIMITATION:
Alt, Ctrl, Shift, Win95/Win98 (Windows Logo) and other custom/proprietary/3rd
party keys on 104 (or more) keyboards are the ONLY ones that canNOT be
remapped this way!

Then open KEY.TXT with EDIT.COM in DOS or Notepad in Windows, and change a
key's ASCII code to the one you want, to have that particular key start your
favorite DOS program, or even start Windows from native MS-DOS. Example:
change "WIN" to "MSD".
To run certain DOS programs that rely on their own key mapping routines, you
may need to temporarily disable key remapping and revert back to their
original DOS key assignment. For this purpose I have created X.TXT (included).
Run the following MS-DOS command to "deactivate" (restore) all remapped keys:

TYPE drive:\path\X.TXT

FYI: Keys remapped/restored this way from a DOS box within Windows GUI apply
ONLY to that particular DOS session. To make ALL remapped keys "globally"
available to the system, run these commands from native/real/true/pure MS-DOS
(outside Windows), or add them as last lines to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

You can also add the lines below to a batch file to start your favorite DOS
program/game, to temporarily disable key remapping (by loading X.TXT), run
your application, and then add another TYPE command for KEY.TXT after your
program's command line, to reassign your keys once again. Example:

@ECHO OFF
TYPE drive:\path\X.TXT
drive:\path\PROGRAM
TYPE drive:\path\KEY.TXT

You can rename X.TXT and/or KEY.TXT to whatever you want, just keep the .TXT
extension for convenience. ;)

It's cool to assign your most used DOS commands to the function keys (F1 -
F12), for running them with just a single keypress, thus saving precious time,
and working more productively, instead of typing cryptic DOS commands that
most of us don't need to remember anyway. [DOS fanatics make exception! :-)]

HINT: Consider sticking a paper template/map or self-adhesive stickers
somewhere close to or on top of your F1 - F12 keys, to avoid memorizing your
most used reassigned function key commands.

With ANSI.SYS (or similar driver) installed you can also benefit from being
able to display custom colored DOS prompts, using the ANSI graphic escape
sequences. For a few examples, take a peek at my CONFIG.SYS + AUTOEXEC.BAT
files (both included) "SET PROMPT=" and "SET WINPMT=" lines, especially if
you are a DOS afficionado, and you'd like to have fun(k)y looking/colored DOS
prompts, like I do. ;)

Another example of cool DOS prompt, in which you can change different ANSI
parameters to obtain "exotic" color effects and/or force the prompt bar to
"dock" at the bottom of the screen instead of at the top: [;-)]

SET PROMPT=$P$G My Computer  Operating System $_$P$G

Replace "My Computer" and "Operating System" strings above (without quotes)
with your own personalized text.
And make sure your COMMAND.COM environment size is large enough to accomodate
this long string, by adding/modifying the CONFIG.SYS "SHELL=" line (see
examples further above).

ANSI resources on the Internet:
- Remap the keyboard using ANSI.SYS:
http://home7.inet.tele.dk/batfiles/b4ustart/ansisys.htm#mapkeys
- The ANSI.SYS Device Driver:
http://gatsby.tafe.tas.edu.au/batch/html/ansi.html
- PC Forrest ANSI.SYS Tips:
http://www.forrestandassociates.co.uk/pcforrest/ansi_sys.html
- Dos7 Ansi.sys:
http://home7.inet.tele.dk/batfiles/msdos7/ansisys.htm



		   MS DOSSHELL = MS-DOS "File Manager"



Microsoft DosShell (DOSSHELL.EXE) is a DOS based (16-bit) graphical
CGA/EGA/VGA "File Manager", task switcher/swapper, program launcher Menu +
Shell Graphical User Interface (GUI) with full mouse support, almost as good
as its more "sophisticated" MS Windows 95/98/NT/ME/3.xx counterpart at
performing extensive disk/file routine operations. In fact both DOSSHELL and
File Manager (FM = %windir%\Winfile.exe), its Windows GUI based "cousin", use
similar "hot" keys/key "combos"/shortcuts (examples): Ctrl+click to select
multiple separate files, Ctrl+Forward slash or Ctrl+Question mark to select
all files in current directory, Shift+click to select multiple contiguous
files, Alt+F4 (or F3 = specific only to DosShell) to close/exit the interface,
F1 for help menu etc.
Microsoft first introduced DosShell beginning with MS-DOS 4.00 (1991). LAST
(and CURRENT/NEWEST release) was bundled with MS-DOS 6.00 (1993). MS did (and
will) NOT issue ANY further updates or releases, because they consider it an
obsolete DOS (legacy) 16-bit tool. :(
A DOS mouse driver [see CTMOUSE.EXE under "FREE WinDOwS MOUSE DRIVERS + TOOLS"
in SOFTWARE.TXT (included)] needs to be loaded in memory prior to starting
DosShell in native MS-DOS mode, to take advantage of its built-in
point-and-click and click-and-drag mouse functions.

Its main purpose is file and directory listing and manipulation (copy, create,
delete, move, rename), program launcher (shell menu) and task swapper (program
switcher).
Two different directory trees (even located on different drives/partitions)
can be displayed simultaneously, together with the launcher menu, all on the
same screen.
Task Swapping is an added bonus, making possible to load multiple
programs/games in memory at the same time, and switching between them with the
Alt+Tab key "combo". But because MS-DOS is a single task operating system and
doesn't provide background execution nor multi-threading, only the currently
selected application can load into memory and run. DosShell's Task Swapper has
the ability to dump the running program together with its operating state to a
temporary disk file (DOSSWAP.SWP) and then load and run another program in the
same memory space. When switching between tasks, the current task state is
dumped to this file, and the other program operating state is loaded from the
file, making possible to continue with the other task.
CAUTION: DosShell is NOT capable of terminating hung/locked up applications.
Therefore if using task swapping make sure to save your work BEFORE switching
tasks!

DosShell requires a minimum of 384 KB of DOS memory for proper operation, and
can use up to 500 KB, depending on the size of detected directory trees and
number of files, because it always scans the current drive/partition structure
upon startup, and then displays the entire directory tree, beginning from the
root directory. The Task Swapper function takes an additional 40 KB of RAM
when enabled.

DosShell stores its settings in DOSSHELL.INI, a plain text/ASCII file found in
the same directory as the DOSSHELL executable (DOSSHELL.EXE). If DOSSHELL.INI
becomes corrupted or is missing, a new one will be created automatically next
time DOSSHELL starts, but custom configurations will be lost in this case. :(
DosShell can be used [among many other useful things :)] to rename/move
(sub)directories or as a DOS mode "task switcher", cool features, otherwise
not supported by the plain DOS prompt, without dedicated 3rd party tools.
Older MS-DOS releases do not have the capability of renaming/moving
directories/folders. Beginning with MS-DOS 6.00, the only way to rename/move
directories in DOS is to use MOVE.EXE, an external MS-DOS command (actual
executable). Examples:

- Renames a directory on the same drive/partition:

MOVE C:\OLDDIR C:\NEWDIR

- Moves a directory to a different drive/partition:

MOVE C:\MYDIR D:\

- Renames AND moves (at the same time) a directory to a different
drive/partition:

MOVE C:\OLDDIR D:\NEWDIR

But MOVE (unlike DOSSHELL) canNOT rename the currently displayed directory or
the directory inside which it resides. :(
DOSSHELL does NOT use ANY MS-DOS built-in (internal) commands like: COPY, DEL,
REN, MD, RD etc, but its own (native) routines for performing such tasks
instead.

LIMITATION:
DOSSHELL is NOT Long File Names (LFNs) aware! Therefore ANY LFN files/folders
copied/moved by DOSSHELL will LOSE ALL LFNs information IF using MS Windows
95/98/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003 or ANY other LFNs capable OS/Environment!

For all MS DOSSHELL users I have included here my customized DOSSHELL.INI file
containing a list of 7 "fun(k)y" customized color schemes. Enjoy. :)
To use it, first BACKUP YOUR DOSSHELL.INI (e.g. rename it to DOSSHELL.INX),
and then copy this one to your DosShell directory.
Just make sure DOSSHELL is NOT running. :)
Now to preview/change to one of my DOSSHELL color schemes: run DOSSHELL ->
click Options -> select Colors -> scroll down to the desired color scheme ->
click Preview -> click OK/hit Enter to keep it if you like it, or click
Cancel/hit Esc to restore your original one.

To take a peek at my "Zen" custom DOSSHELL color scheme, open DOSSHELL.BMP
with Paint Brush (PBRUSH.EXE) in Windows/WfWG 3.1x and NT 3.xx, MS Paint
(MSPAINT.EXE) in Windows 95/98/NT4/ME/2000/XP/2003, or your favorite graphic
viewer/editor utility [see SOFTWARE.TXT (included) for examples].
DOSSHELL.BMP is part of my Windows BitMaPs archive [1.36 MB, FREEware]:
http://members.aol.com/xqxsetup/MYBMPS.ZIP
and can be also used as Windows background wallpaper: 640x480 pixels, VGA, RGB
encoded, 16 colors, 4-bit BitMaP.
You can further edit my DOSSHELL.INI file using EDIT.COM in DOS or Notepad in
Windows, and modify any colors in any of these color schemes to your liking.
Allowed COLOR values are (case insensitive):

COLOR
darkCOLOR
brightCOLOR

Substitute the COLOR string above with an actual color name. Supported
DOSSHELL color names (standard VGA color attributes):

black
blue
green
cyan
red
magenta
brown
yellow
white
gray

You may find useful to add this line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT:

SET DOSSHELL=C:\SHELL

IF your DOSSHELL files reside in a directory (C:\SHELL in this example) other
than your default DOS directory, and IF this directory is NOT included in the
DOS PATH.
This environment variable dictates the location of DOSSHELL.INI.
IF your DOSSHELL files are located in your DOS directory or in any another
folder listed on your "PATH=" line (specified in AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS),
you do NOT need to specify a "SET DOSSHELL=" line.
DOSSHELL creates its temporary files in the directory mentioned on the "SET
TEMP=" and "SET TMP=" lines, which can be modified/added to your startup files
(AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS).
CONFIG.SYS supports SET commands ONLY in MS-DOS 6.00 and newer. Default
TEMP(orary) directory is C:\MSDOS (or C:\DOS) for MS-DOS 4/5/6 or
C:\WINDOWS\TEMP for Windows 95/98/ME if these 2 lines are absent.

MS DosShell complete files list (as included with MS-DOS 6.00):

File Name	File Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DOSSHELL.COM	COMmand redirector (starts DOSSHELL.EXE) for compatibility
		with older MS-DOS releases: you can safely delete it if using
		MS-DOS 6.20 or newer. More info @ MSKB:
		http://support.microsoft.com/?id=72113
DOSSHELL.EXE	DOSSHELL EXEcutable + interface (GUI).
DOSSWAP.EXE	Internal task SWAPper + switcher helper: you can safely delete
		it if not using Task Swapper from within DosShell.
DOSSHELL.GRB	Video mode GRaBber + detector.
DOSSHELL.HLP	HeLP menu.
DOSSHELL.INI	INItialization + configuration file.
DOSSHELL.VID	CGA/EGA/VGA text + graphics VIDeo driver.

If DosShell's Task Swapper feature is enabled, DOSSWAP.EXE creates a temporary
file (DOSSWAP.SWP) in the DosShell directory every time you switch between
programs/games, writing (saving) the current program state to disk for future
recovery. Normally the .SWP file is automatically erased upon exiting
DosShell. But sometimes it persists even after DosShell exits, taking up
unnecessary disk space. In such cases you can safely delete it, but ONLY AFTER
closing DosShell.

To start DOSSHELL in different text or graphics video modes, you can run the
DOSSHELL executable from the DOS prompt (or from a dedicated batch file) with
command line parameters. To see all its available switches, run:

DOSSHELL /?

ONLY from within your DosShell directory.

This is the DOSSHELL help screen:

"Microsoft (R) DOS Version 6 MS-DOS Shell
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corp 1993. All rights reserved.

Starts MS-DOS Shell.

DOSSHELL [/T[:res[n]]] [/B]
DOSSHELL [/G[:res[n]]] [/B]

/T	Starts MS-DOS Shell in text mode.
:res[n]	A letter (L, M, H) and number (n) indicating screen resolution.
/B	Starts MS-DOS Shell using black-and-white color scheme.
/G	Starts MS-DOS Shell in graphics mode."

These are all available DOSSHELL video modes that can be specified as command
line parameters (case insensitive):

/G:L	Low Graphics		[25 lines]
/G:M1	Medium Graphics 1	[30 lines]
/G:M2	Medium Graphics 2	[34 lines]
/G:H1	High Graphics 1		[43 lines]
/G:H2	High Graphics 2		[60 lines]
/T:L	Low Text		[25 lines]
/T:H1	High Text 1		[43 lines]
/T:H2	High Text 2		[50 lines]

Note that not all DOSSHELL graphical resolutions may be available on your
computer, depending on the video modes supported by your video controller.
You can also change the DOSSHELL screen resolution from within its interface:
click Options -> click Display -> highlight desired resolution -> click
Preview -> click OK/press Enter to select or Cancel/press Esc to revert to
previous setting.
If you are trying to preview a resolution not supported by your video card,
you may get a black or garbled screen. In this case the only way to return to
the previous display is to hit Esc, ONLY IF your PC didn't freeze in the
process. :(
It is strongly recommended to (re)install the DOSSHELL video files properly by
running SETUP.BAT (see the "UPDATE" below) EVERY TIME you change/upgrade your
primary (2D) video adapter, to avoid such errors/lockups.

Microsoft suggests not to use DOSSHELL as a DOS menu (shell) to start other
GUI based applications/games (i.e. MS Windows) if using MS-DOS 5.00 or
earlier.
I for one prefer QuickMenu III DOS graphical menu for this purpose [511 KB,
nag shareware :(]:
http://www.neosoftware.com/qm.html
and have erased the entire DOSSHELL.INI MENU section, which also makes
DosShell load faster by reducing the size of DOSSHELL.INI.

If you decide to use my DOSSHELL.INI file, you should be WARNED that I have
eliminated ALL nagging screens for Mouse Operations, Copy, Move, Delete and
Replace commands. Example: when you highlight a single file/empty directory
and press the Del key or click Delete, it WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT
ANY CONFIRMATION PROMPT messages!
You can change these lines under the DOSSHELL.INI [savestate] section:

[savestate]
replaceconfirm=disabled
deleteconfirm=disabled
mouseconfirm=disabled

back to their original states, to read:

[savestate]
replaceconfirm=enabled
deleteconfirm=enabled
mouseconfirm=enabled

to get back the confirmation/nagging screens (default) for safer (but more
time consuming) copy/move/delete/mouse operations. [But that's no fun! :)]
You can also enable/disable DOSSHELL confirmation dialog boxes from within its
GUI: click Options -> click Confirmation -> (un)check the desired [X] box(es)
-> click OK/press Enter to save new option or Cancel/press Esc to revert to
previous setting:
- Confirm on Delete
- Confirm on Replace
- Confirm on Mouse Operation.

Also, if you try to run a batch (.BAT) file by double-clicking on it (or by
pressing Enter after highlighting it) within DOSSHELL, that file will open in
EDIT.COM for editing, instead of running the respective program! If you want
to have your batch files run normally from DOSSHELL, edit my DOSSHELL.INI with
EDIT.COM in DOS or Notepad in Windows, and delete the entire .BAT section:

association=
{
program=EDIT
extension=BAT
}

File types associated with EDIT.COM in my DOSSHELL.INI:

- .BAT
- .DOC
- .INF
- .INI
- .SYS
- .TXT

Note that DosShell canNOT run ANY MS Windows native programs and does NOT
support file associations with Windows executables, even if running from a
Windows DOS box/session!
I have associated the MS-DOS .HLP files (found in the DOS directory) with
HELP.COM (also located in the DOS directory, which should be on your PATH
line, mentioned in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS, for all MS-DOS 5.00 - 6.22
users).
I associated the .BAS files with QBASIC.EXE (the MS-DOS Quick Basic Editor),
residing by default in the DOS directory on MS-DOS 5.00 - 6.22 machines, and
in the %winbootdir%\COMMAND folder on MS Windows 95/98/ME systems.
The .ZIP files are associated with PKUNZIP in my DOSSHELL.INI, which must
reside in a directory on your PATH, otherwise you need to type its full path
name when associating it.
PKZIP.EXE + PKUNZIP.EXE are part of PKWare PK(UN)ZIP v2.50 16 + 32 bit, THE
standard DOS ZIPping/unZIPping tools, LFNs compliant ONLY in a Windows
95/98/ME DOS box [202 KB, no nag shareware]:
ftp://ftp.pkware.com/PK250DOS.EXE
This way I unzip (decompress) a .ZIP file simply by double-clicking on it
while in DOSSHELL, restoring the original files contained in the ZIP archive
into the directory where the respective .ZIP file resides.
To "force" the files contained into a ZIP archive to decompress into the
directory of your choice, you can associate ZIP files with a BATch file I
called UNZIP.BAT (example):

@ECHO OFF
C:\ZIP\PKUNZIP.EXE %1 %TEMP%
EXIT

In this case all files in a ZIP will be unZIPped into the TEMP directory,
specified by the "SET TEMP=" and "SET TMP=" variables (example):

SET TEMP=C:\TEMP
SET TMP=C:\TEMP

in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS (the latter is supported ONLY by MS-DOS
6.00 and newer).

To change/delete any of the above file associations, open my DOSSHELL.INI with
EDIT.COM in DOS or Notepad in Windows (EXIT DOSSHELL FIRST!), and edit the
file associations found at the end of the file.
Each file association can be edited/deleted, or new ones can be created also
from the DOSSHELL interface, by clicking "Associate..." from the File menu,
after highlighting a file type, and manually typing the COMPLETE DOS based
program/game path (unless an executable resides in a directory on your PATH),
filename AND extension (.BAT, .COM or .EXE) of your choice.
Note that DOSSHELL is not as intuitive as Windows Explorer
(%windir%\EXPLORER.EXE = Win95/98/2000/ME/XP/2003 users) or File Manager (FM:
%windir%\WINFILE.EXE = Win9x/NT/ME/3.1x users), and won't let you just
point/browse to the default registered associated executable/application for a
particular file extension. :(

HINT: DOSSHELL is NOT included with MS-DOS 6.21, 6.22 or with MS Windows
95/98/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003 anymore, therefore you need to download its Setup
files from Microsoft's FTP site [762 KB, free]:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/SUP622.EXE
as part of Microsoft MS-DOS 6.22 Supplemental Disk:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=117600
if you own one of these "DOSSHELL crippled" Operating Systems. :(
MS-DOS 6.22 required to use most Supplemental files.
MS-DOS 5.00/6.xx or any MS Windows OS required to use DOSShell.

UPDATE:
"Run the SUP622.EXE executable to extract the DOSSHELL installation files.
Beware that SUP622.EXE does NOT contain ANY text references on how to install
the DosShell video files, therefore you need to run SETUP.BAT, a DOS batch
file that installs DOSSHELL.VID and DOSSHELL.GRB on your system.
Only after that you'll be able to run DosShell in graphic modes. SETUP.BAT
basically copies the DOSSHELL files to your DOS directory and renames the
appropriate *.VID and *.GRB files to DOSSHELL.VID and DOSSHELL.GRB
respectively, depending on your computer's video capabilities."
[Thank you Chris (crw@aber.ac.uk)!]

TIP: You may need to create a new MSDOS (or DOS) directory (if not present) on
your root drive/partition (C:\) beforehand for SETUP.BAT to work properly.

WORKAROUND:
DosShell is configured by default (on most newer ISA/VLB/PCI/AGP color video
adapters that support it) for the better quality VGA display. If your older
and/or monochrome (CGA, EGA, MGA, PGA, 8514 etc) graphics card does NOT
support VGA modes, you MUST install the appropriate DosShell video (.GRB and
.VID) and initialization (.INI) files from SUP622.EXE (self extractive ZIP
archive), depending on your video controller capabilities.
Select ONLY the files that MATCH your particular video type:

Video Type	DOSSHELL.GRB	DOSSHELL.VID	DOSSHELL.INI
------------------------------------------------------------
Low Res Mono	MONO.GR_	N/A		MONO.IN_
Hercules	HERC.GR_	HERC.VI_	MONO.IN_
CGA		CGA.GR_		CGA.VI_		CGA.IN_
High Res Mono	VGAMONO.GR_	VGA.VI_		MONO.IN_
EGA/VGA		VGA.GR_		VGA.VI_		EGA.IN_

These installation files are compressed with Microsoft's proprietary (LZX
based) packing technology. Therefore you need to use the included EXPAND.EXE
tool (also bundled with MS-DOS 5/6) to unpack (decompress) them. Run these DOS
commands from any DOS prompt (example using a VGA card):

EXPAND VGA.GR_ DOSSHELL.GRB
EXPAND VGA.VI_ DOSSHELL.VID
EXPAND EGA.IN_ DOSSHELL.INI

Then move all these 3 DOSSHELL.* files to your DosShell directory, which
should be listed in your PATH for convenience, to run DosShell anytime, from
any drive/directory, and avoid using a "SET DOSSHELL=" statement.
Finally, type DOSSHELL [or include all necessary command lines in a dedicated
DOS mode batch (.BAT) file] from any DOS command prompt and hit Enter to start
the DosShell GUI.
This is the batch file I use to start DosShell, located in my DosShell
directory (C:\SHELL = listed on my CONFIG.SYS "PATH" statement), and which I
named DSHEL.BAT (example):

-----Begin cut & paste here-----
@ECHO OFF
C:
CD\SHELL
SET DOSSHELL=C:\SHELL
SET COPYCMD=/Y
MEM.EXE/D | FIND.EXE/I "WIN">NUL
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO DOS
IF ERRORLEVEL 0 GOTO WIN
:DOS
C:\SHELL\DOSSHELL.EXE /T:H2
GOTO END
:WIN
C:\SHELL\DOSSHELL.EXE /G:H2
:END
SET DOSSHELL=
MEM.EXE/D | FIND.EXE/I "SMARTDRV">NUL
IF ERRORLEVEL 0 SMARTDRV.EXE/C>NUL
EXIT
------End cut & paste here------

DSHEL.BAT checks for MS Windows 9x/ME/3.1x GUI presence, starts DosShell with
the appropriate video resolution (using an NVidia GeForce4 Ti 4600 2D+3D AGP
video controller), and finally exits automatically after I close the DosShell
interface manually by pressing F3, returning control to the running OS.
You can further modify DSHEL.BAT to suit your particular needs (using Notepad
in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS), especially if using more than one different MS
OSes in dual (multiple) boot setup. Just make sure to change all
drive/partition letters and/or directory names to MATCH YOUR specific
configuration. ;)

Have fun.

DOSSHELL resources on the Internet:
- MSKB: Using Keystrokes in MS-DOS 5.0 or Later Shell:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=74638
- MSKB: Troubleshooting Problems with MS-DOS Shell:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=74177
- MSKB: Type DOSSHELL in the Search box to get all related articles:
http://support.microsoft.com/
- 386 World: Dosshell:
http://www.halspastill.com/386/dosshell.shtml
- Wally: Installing DOSShell:
http://wally.hplx.net/dosshell.html
- Joe: DOSSHELL:
http://www.ggentilejoe.eurobell.co.uk/Text/dosshell.htm