I guess I'm going to be making my own boot disk... so now I need to know all the commands I can use in the autoexec.bat and what they mean. Ex... I've seen "buffers=whatever" but I don't know what "buffers" means. I think I understand what "device" means, but then I'm still not clear on how to put into "HighMem". Thanks for all the help.

look for DOS for Dummies at your local Library that would be the 1st thing I would recommend

That would be fine, but I need to do this tonight (it's 10:45pm). I have to work four 10 hour shifts (mon-thurs) and then two 8 hour shifts (fri and sat) this week. The librarys around here don't carry the book anyway. Isn't there a web site someone out here knows about that I can go to???

James, If you're in that much of a hurry, and you don't mind reading a little, I'd suggest the web site below: www.whatis.com

Iam sorry Dos can be complex to the newbie I grew up on it, config.sys and autoexec.bat commands are tailor made to the system or the programers needs if you just need a boot disk go to dos prompt and type in format a: /sys that would be a start it all depends on what your trying to do

U guys act so smart. Why not answer his question?

JJ, Remember, you asked for this. Here's comes an enourmous amount of bandwidth for your viewing pleasure James: AUTOEXEC.BAT is a file containing DOS (Disk Operating System) commands that are executed when the computer is booted (started). The commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT tell the operating system which application programs are to be automatically started, how memory is to be managed, and initialize other settings. Each command in AUTOEXEC.BAT could be typed in manually after the computer is started, but that would take too long. The AUTOEXEC.BAT file is, in fact, a command script that is written beforehand so that it can be automatically executed when the operating system is started. The BAT suffix stands for batch, indicating that this is a file containing a sequence of commands entered from a file rather than interactively by a user. Common commands in an AUTOEXEC.BAT file include: @ECHO OFF: This command tells DOS not to display on the screen the commands that are being executed in AUTOEXEC.BAT. PATH=: This command tells DOS the path of a command that might be typed at the C prompt. DOS looks in the path for the command and then executes it. If DOS does not find the command in the path referred to in AUTOEXEC.BAT, an error message is displayed, stating, "Bad command or file name." PROMPT $P$G: This command tells DOS how the C prompt is to appear. C:\MOUSE\MOUSE: This loads the mouse software into memory so that the mouse works in DOS. @C:\PROGRA~1\NORTON~1\NAVDX.exe /Startup: This command tells the antivirus program to scan for viruses in the memory and master boot record (MBR) when the computer is started. Antivirus software usually puts a command like this in AUTOEXEC.BAT when installed. This command is different according to each antivirus software package. The commands in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file differ on each computer system and are determined by the software applications and operating system installed. Starting with Windows 95, the commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT were given to the IO.SYS (input/output.system configuration file) file. Today, most AUTOEXEC.BAT files are blank unless an installed application expects a command to be present in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. You can view the commands in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file by opening AUTOEXEC.BAT in any text editor. Remember that any changes made might cause your computer to fail when you boot it. It is recommended not to change or add commands unless you are given explicit instructions on what command to add and how to type it. Even then it is wise to have a backup copy of AUTOEXEC.BAT on a boot disk. All changes are in effect after your computer is rebooted. The AUTOEXEC.BAT file is always stored in the root directory. CONFIG.SYS is a text file containing DOS (disk operating system) commands that tell the operating system how the computer is initially set up. More specifically, CONFIG.SYS commands specify memory device drivers and programs that control hardware devices; enable or disable system features; and set limits on system resources. CONFIG.SYS loads at startup before the AUTOEXEC.BAT (automatic execute.batch program) file. Because CONFIG.SYS is a text file, it is editable in any text-editing program. The following are common commands in a CONFIG.SYS file: FILES=: This command tells the operating system how many files can be open at a time. By default, the setting is eight but most change it to between 20 and 40. BUFFERS=: The buffers are 528-byte areas in the RAM (random access memory) used for reading and writing to the hard drive. By default, the setting is 15. If you increase the buffer value, reading and writing to the hard drive is faster. If it is too low, reading and writing to the hard drive is slower and may cause problems when the computer needs to execute tasks that require a lot of memory. It is common to set the buffers between 20 or 30. DEVICE=: This command loads drivers, commonly for the mouse and CD-ROM drive. Usually a command is automatically added to CONFIG.SYS when a device driver is installed. SHELL=: This command tells DOS where to look for its command interpreter, or COMMAND.COM file, and how much memory to set aside for DOS to use to execute commands. LASTDRIVE=: This command tells DOS the last drive letter that has been assigned. Beginning with Windows 95, the commands in CONFIG.SYS are performed by the IO.SYS (input/output system configuration) file instead. Because older hardware devices need the CONFIG.SYS file, a blank CONFIG.SYS is still installed on computers that use Windows 95/98. Any changes made to the CONFIG.SYS file may cause your operating system to fail when you boot it up. It is recommended not to change or add commands unless you are given explicit instructions about what command to add and how to type it. Even then it is wise to have a backup copy of CONFIG.SYS on a boot disk. All changes are in effect after your computer is rebooted. device 1) In general, a device is a machine designed for a purpose. In a general context, a computer can be considered a device. 2) In the context of computer technology, a device is a unit of hardware, outside or inside the case or housing for the essential computer (processor, memory, and data paths) that is capable of providing input to the essential computer or of receiving output or of both. When the term is used generally (as in computer devices), it can include keyboards, mouses, display monitors, hard disk drives, CD-ROM players, printers, audio speakers and microphones, and other hardware units. Some devices such as a hard disk drive or a CD-ROM drive, while physically inside the computer housing, are considered devices because they are separately installable and replaceable. With notebook and smaller computers, devices tend to be more physically integrated with the "non-device" part of the computer. The units of a computer to which the term device is not applied include the motherboard, the main processor and additional processors such as numeric coprocessors, and random access memory (RAM). The term peripheral (a truncation of peripheral device) is sometimes used as a synonym for device or any input/output unit. buffer A buffer is a data area shared by hardware devices or program processes that operate at different speeds or with different sets of priorities. The buffer allows each device or process to operate without being held up by the other. In order for a buffer to be effective, the size of the buffer and the algorithms for moving data into and out of the buffer need to be considered by the buffer designer. Like a cache, a buffer is a "midpoint holding place" but exists not so much to accelerate the speed of an activity as to support the coordination of separate activities. This term is used both in programming and in hardware. In programming, buffering sometimes implies the need to screen data from its final intended place so that it can be edited or otherwise processed before being moved to a regular file or database. shell Shell is a UNIX term for the interactive user interface with an operating system. The shell is the layer of programming that understands and executes the commands a user enters. In some systems, the shell is called a command interpreter. A shell usually implies an interface with a command syntax (think of the DOS operating system and its "C:\>" prompts and user commands such as "dir" and "edit"). As the outer layer of an operating system, a shell can be contrasted with the kernel, the operating system's inmost layer or core of services. Hope this helps (as I slink off into my corner wondering if Justin will be upset with this waste of space.) Pierre