MS DOS Command: STACKS

Reference from Microsoft MS-DOS cmd help

Description

Supports the dynamic use of data stacks to handle hardware interrupts. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file.

Syntax

STACKS=n,s

Parameters

n	Specifies the number of stacks. Valid values for n are 0 and numbers in the range 8 through 64.
s	Specifies the size (in bytes) of each stack. Valid values for s are 0 and numbers in the range 32 through 512.

Remarks

Default settings

The default settings for the STACKS command are as follows:

Computer	Stacks
IBM PC, IBM PC/XT, IBM PC-Portable	0,0
Other	9,128

Special cases for stack allocation

Upon receiving a hardware interrupt, MS-DOS allocates one stack from the specified number of stacks. When you specify 0 for the n and s values, MS-DOS allocates no stacks. If the values are 0, each running program must have enough stack space to accommodate the computer's hardware interrupt drivers. Many computers operate correctly, saving some memory for programs, with n and s values of 0. If, however, your computer becomes unstable when you set these values to 0, return to the default values.

Increasing the value of STACKS

If the STACKS values are not equal to 0,0 and you see a "Stack Overflow" or "Exception error 12" message, increase the number or size of the stacks.

Examples

To allocate 8 stacks of 512 bytes each for hardware-interrupt handling, add the following command to your CONFIG.SYS file:

stacks=8,512