MS DOS Command: DOSSHELL.COM/.EXE

Reference from Microsoft MS-DOS cmd help

Description

Starts MS-DOS Shell, a graphical interface to MS-DOS.

MS-DOS Shell is included with MS-DOS 6.0 and earlier; it is not included with MS-DOS 6.22. MS-DOS Shell is available in the MS-DOS Resource Kit. To order the Resource Kit, use the coupon in the back of your MS-DOS User's Guide.

Syntax

To start MS-DOS Shell in text mode, use the following syntax:

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

To start MS-DOS Shell in graphics mode, use the following syntax:

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

Parameters

res	Specifies a screen-resolution category. Valid values are L, M, and H to specify low, medium, and high resolution, respectively. The default value of res depends on your hardware.
n	Specifies a screen resolution when there is more than one choice within a category. For information about the valid values for this parameter, see the "Notes" screen. The default value of n depends on your hardware.

Switches

/T	Starts MS-DOS Shell in text mode.
/B	Starts MS-DOS Shell using a black-and-white color scheme.
/G	Starts MS-DOS Shell in graphics mode.

Remarks

Running MS-DOS Shell with Microsoft Windows

Do not start Microsoft Windows from within MS-DOS Shell. If you want to use both Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS Shell, start Windows, and then start MS-DOS Shell from within Windows.

Memory requirement

To run MS-DOS Shell, you should ensure that your computer has at least 384K of available conventional memory.

Adjusting screen resolution

Once you have started MS-DOS Shell, you can adjust the screen resolution by using the Display command on the Options menu. A dialog box displays the mode (text or graphics), the number of lines, the resolution category, and the specific number within each category for all possible screen-resolution modes available for your hardware.

The DOSSHELL.INI file

Your current MS-DOS Shell settings for program items and groups, options, screen resolution, colors, and so on, are stored in a file called DOSSHELL.INI. The DOSSHELL.INI file will be updated whenever you make a change or start a program item, so it must be located on a drive that is not write-protected. You can specify the location of the DOSSHELL.INI file by setting a DOSSHELL environment variable in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

For example, if the DOSSHELL.INI file is located in the DOS directory on drive C, type the following command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

dosshell=c:\dos

If you customize MS-DOS Shell to suit your own needs, you should back up this file regularly. If the DOSSHELL.INI file is deleted or corrupted, a new file will be created the next time you start MS-DOS Shell.

Setting the location to store temporary files

When you run a program from MS-DOS Shell, temporary files are created in the directory where the DOSSHELL.EXE file is located. You can specify that temporary files should be placed elsewhere by setting the TEMP environment variable in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.