MS DOS Command: SWITCHES

Reference from Microsoft MS-DOS cmd help

Description

Specifies special options in MS-DOS. Use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file.

Syntax

SWITCHES= /F /K /N /W

Switches

/F	Skips the 2-second delay after displaying the "Starting MS-DOS ..." message during startup.
/K	Forces an enhanced keyboard to behave like a conventional keyboard.
/N	Prevents you from using the F5 or F8 key to bypass startup commands. (SWITCHES /N does not prevent you from pressing CTRL+F5 or CTRL+F8 to bypass DRVSPACE.BIN; to prevent this, use the DRVSPACE /SWITCHES command to add the SWITCHES /N setting to your DRVSPACE.INI file.)
/W	Specifies that the WINA20.386 file has been moved to a directory other than the root directory. You need to use this switch only if you are using Microsoft Windows 3.0 in enhanced mode and have moved the WINA20.386 file from the root directory to another directory.

Remarks

When to use the SWITCHES command with an enhanced keyboard

If you have a program that does not correctly interpret input from an enhanced keyboard, add this command to your CONFIG.SYS file so your enhanced keyboard will use conventional keyboard functions.

Using the /K switch with ANSI.SYS

If you use the SWITCHES=/K command and you install the ANSI.SYS device driver, use the /K switch on the DEVICE command line for ANSI.SYS.

The SWITCHES command and the DRVSPACE /SWITCHES command

The SWITCHES /N and SWITCHES /F commands affect the behavior of the F5 and F8 keys when your computer starts. To control the behavior of the CTRL+F5 and CTRL+F8 startup keys, which bypass DriveSpace in addition to other startup commands, use the DRVSPACE /SWITCHES command.

Using the SWITCHES command with Microsoft Windows 3.0

In order for Microsoft Windows 3.0 to run in enhanced mode, the WINA20.386 file must be located in your root directory. If this file is not present, you will see this message:

You must have the file WINA20.386 in the root of your boot drive to run Windows in Enhanced Mode

If you move the WINA20.386 file, you must add the SWITCHES command with the /W switch to your CONFIG.SYS file. You must also add a DEVICE command under the [386Enh] heading in your SYSTEM.INI file, specifying the new location of the WINA20.386 file.

If you do not use Microsoft Windows version 3.0, do not use the SWITCHES command with the /W switch.

Examples

If you want MS-DOS to use conventional keyboard functions even though you are using an enhanced keyboard, add the following command to your CONFIG.SYS file:

switches=/k

If you use Microsoft Windows 3.0 in enhanced mode and you have moved the WINA20.386 file to a directory other than the root directory, add the following command to your CONFIG.SYS file:

switches=/w

If you want to prevent users from using the F5 or F8 key to bypass startup commands, add the following command to your CONFIG.SYS file:

switches=/n

If you want to skip the 2-second delay after displaying the "Starting MS-DOS ..." message during startup, add the following command to your CONFIG.SYS file:

switches=/f

You can also combine switches in one command. For example, if you want to skip the 2-second delay after displaying the "Starting MS-DOS ..." message during startup, and you use Microsoft Windows 3.0 and have moved the WINA20.386 file to a directory other than the root directory, add the following command to your CONFIG.SYS file:

switches=/f /w