MS DOS Command: SETVER.EXE

Reference from Microsoft MS-DOS cmd help

Description

Displays the version table. Reports a version number (earlier than 6.0) to programs or device drivers that were designed for earlier versions of MS-DOS.

You can also use this command to display and modify the version table, which lists names of programs and the number of the MS-DOS version with which they are designed to run. If you are using a program that has not been updated for this version of MS-DOS, you can add its name to the version table by using the SETVER command.

Syntax

SETVER [drive:path][filename n.nn] SETVER [drive:path][filename [/DELETE [/QUIET]]

To display the current version table, use the following syntax:

SETVER [drive:path]

MS-DOS displays two columns: the left column lists the names of the program files; the right column lists the corresponding MS-DOS version with which each file is set to run.

Parameters

[drive:path]	Specifies the location of the SETVER.EXE file.
filename	Specifies the name of the program file (usually an .EXE or .COM file) that you want to add to the version table. You cannot use a wildcard character (* or ?).
n.nn	Specifies the MS-DOS version (for example, 3.3 or 4.01) that MS-DOS 6 reports to the specified program file.

Switches

/DELETE	Deletes the version-table entry for the specified program file. You can abbreviate this switch as /D.
/QUIET	Hides the message typically displayed during deletion of an entry from the version table.

Related Command

For information about loading the version table into MS-DOS, see the SETVER.EXE command.

Remarks

SETVER confirmation

If you make changes to the version table and no errors are detected, MS-DOS displays the following message:

WARNING - Contact your software vendor for information about whether a specific program works with MS-DOS 6.22. It is possible that Microsoft has not verified whether the program will successfully run if you use the SETVER command to change the program version number and version table. If you run the program after changing the version table, you may lose or corrupt data or introduce system instabilities. Microsoft is not responsible for any loss or damage, or for lost or corrupted data.

Version table successfully updated

The version change will take effect the next time you restart your system.

Loading the version table into memory

Before you can use the SETVER command, the version table must be loaded into memory by a DEVICE command in your CONFIG.SYS file. By default, the MS-DOS Setup program modifies your CONFIG.SYS file to ensure that the version table is loaded into memory each time you start your system.

Setting the version number of a command interpreter

You can use SETVER to set the version number of a command interpreter; however, if you set the version number of the MS-DOS 6.22 command interpreter (COMMAND.COM), you may not be able to start your system.

Using the version table

Many programs designed to run with a previous version of MS-DOS will run correctly with MS-DOS 6.22. In some cases, however, a program might not run correctly unless its name is included in the version table. The table indicates to the program that it is running with the MS-DOS version for which it was designed, even though it is running with MS-DOS 6.22. By interpreting MS-DOS 6.22 as the earlier version, the program will probably run correctly; however, using SETVER will not solve the problem if the program is not compatible with MS-DOS 6.22.

Restarting after updating the version table

When you update the version table by adding or deleting entries, you must restart your system before the changes will take effect.

Updating existing entries

If you specify a filename that is already in the version table, the new entry replaces the existing entry.

SETVER exit codes

The following list shows each exit code and a brief description of its meaning:

0	SETVER successfully completed its task.
1	The user specified an invalid command switch.
2	The user specified an invalid filename.
3	There is insufficient system memory to carry out the command.
4	The user specified an invalid version-number format.
5	SETVER could not find the specified entry in the version table.
6	SETVER could not find the SETVER.EXE file.
7	The user specified an invalid drive.
8	The user specified too many command-line parameters.
9	SETVER detected missing command-line parameters.
10	SETVER detected an error while reading the SETVER.EXE file.
11	The SETVER.EXE file is corrupt.
12	The specified SETVER.EXE file does not support a version table.
13	There is insufficient space in the version table for a new entry.
14	SETVER detected an error while writing to the SETVER.EXE file.

You can use the ERRORLEVEL parameter on the IF command line in a batch program to process exit codes returned by SETVER. For an example of a batch program that processes exit codes, see the IF command or the CHOICE command.

Examples

Suppose you have a program file named MYPROG.EXE that runs with MS-DOS version 3.30. To run MYPROG.EXE, you must first use the SETVER command to create an entry in the version table that will cause MYPROG.EXE to interpret MS-DOS 6.22 as version 3.30:

setver myprog.exe 3.30

To delete the MYPROG.EXE entry from the version table (without otherwise affecting the MYPROG.EXE file), type the following command:

setver myprog.exe /delete

To list the contents of the version table on drive C, type the following command:

setver c: