Comprehensive List of All MS-DOS 6 Documentation Errors

PSS ID Number: Q99280
Article last modified on 06-17-1993
PSS database name: O_MSDOS

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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft MS-DOS operating system version 6.0
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Summary:

This article contains information on the documentation errors in the
"User's Guide," MS-DOS Help, VSAFE Help and DEFRAG help.

The following topics are covered:

- Error in MS-DOS Help Example for the MENUCOLOR Command
- NUMLOCK Is Independent of Other Multiple Configuration Commands
- DMA Default Value Is 32
- "User's Guide" Page 163: ""
- Error in VSAFE Help: Incorrect VSAFE Memory Requirement
- FULL OPTIMIZE with MS-DOS Defragmenter (Defrag)
- BUSETUP Runs from Drive A Only
- Drive Letter Memory Use Is Listed Incorrectly in Help
- Setup /I Disables Video Detection Only, Not Hardware Detection
- Microsoft Backup for Windows Help Error: Command-Line Syntax
- Page 160 "To Free Enough Conventional Memory to Run MemMaker"
- English (International) Keyboard Code Listed as "+"
- Online Help Incorrectly Defines MSAV Check All Files
- Online Help Gives Incorrect LASTDRIVE Default Value
- MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference: "A CVF Is Just a Hidden, Read-Only File..."
- MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference - Page 32
- MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference - Page 177
- Undelete Help Incomplete

More Information:

Error in MS-DOS Help Example for the MENUCOLOR Command
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If you are using an MS-DOS 6.0 multiple-configuration menu and you set
the MENUCOLOR command in the CONFIG.SYS file to match the example
shown in MS-DOS Help, the menu color does not display.

The example in MS-DOS Help shows a space after the comma, which causes
MS-DOS to stop reading the MENUCOLOR command when the CONFIG.SYS file
is processed. As a result, the menu color is not displayed.

To work around this problem, remove the space after the comma.


NUMLOCK Is Independent of Other Multiple-Configuration Commands
---------------------------------------------------------------
Both the "User's Guide" and MS-DOS Help document the NUMLOCK command
as a special CONFIG.SYS command for defining startup menus and
multiple configurations. Although NUMLOCK is valid in multiple
configurations, it can be used independent of multi-config commands.

The "User's Guide," Appendix A, page 249 states the following:

NUMLOCK

Specifies whether the NUMLOCK setting on your numeric keypad is set
to ON or OFF. You can use this command only within a menu block in
your CONFIG.SYS file.

The first sentence above is correct; the second sentence is not.
NUMLOCK is a valid command anywhere in your CONFIG.SYS file.

MS-DOS Help (accessed by typing "help numlock" [without the quotation
marks] at the MS-DOS command prompt) states the following:

Related Commands

The NUMLOCK command is one of six special CONFIG.SYS commands for
defining startup menus and multiple configurations.

This is also inaccurate. The NUMLOCK command has is unrelated to the
use of startup menus and multiple configurations. It is a valid
CONFIG.SYS command whether or not you are defining menus or multiple
configurations.


DMA Default Value Is 32
-----------------------
MS-DOS Help and page 209 of the "MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference" state
the following in the EMM386.EXE section:

D=nnn
Specifies how many kilobytes of memory should be reserved for
buffered direct memory access (DMA). Discounting floppy-disk
DMA, this value should reflect the largest DMA transfer that
will occur while EMM386 is active. Valid values for nnn are in
the range 16 through 256. The default value is 16.
This is incorrect, the default value is 32.


User's Guide Page 163: ""
-------------------------------------------
On page 163 of the "User's Guide," the fifth bullet in the section
"Streamlining Your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT Files" uses the term
"."

It should say "."


Error in VSAFE Help: Incorrect VSAFE Memory Requirement
-------------------------------------------------------
The online help for the VSAFE utility in MS-DOS 6.0 incorrectly states
that VSAFE requires approximately 22 kilobytes (K) of memory for
operation. The correct memory requirement, 44K, is stated on page 72
of the "User's Guide."


FULL OPTIMIZE with MS-DOS Defragmenter (Defrag)
-----------------------------------------------
MS-DOS Defragmenter (Defrag) Help incorrectly states that the FULL
OPTIMIZE option will move directories to the front of the disk.


BUSETUP Runs from Drive A Only
------------------------------
Page 5 of the "User's Guide" indicates that you can use the BUSETUP /E
command to install the optional utilities from either drive A or drive B.

This information is incorrect, you can run BUSETUP from drive A only.


Drive Letter Memory Use Is Listed Incorrectly in Help
-----------------------------------------------------
Under "Last drive reserved for Dblspace's use," MS-DOS DoubleSpace
Help incorrectly states the following:

Each drive letter uses 24K of memory: to conserve memory, decrease
this amount.

Actually, each drive letter uses 24 bytes of memory.


Setup /I Disables Video Detection Only, Not Hardware Detection
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The Setup /I switch is documented incorrectly. When you use the /?
parameter, Setup displays the following:

SETUP [/B] [/E] [/F] [/G [/H]] [/I] [/M] [/Q] [/U]

/B Displays Setup screens in monochrome instead of color.
/E Installs Windows and MS-DOS optional programs.
/F Installs a minimal MS-DOS 6 system on a floppy disk.
/G Does not create the Uninstall Disk and does not prompt
you when you need to update your network.
/H Uses default Setup options.
/I Turns off hardware detection.
/M Installs a minimal MS-DOS 6 system.
/Q Copies MS-DOS files to a hard disk.
/U Installs MS-DOS even if Setup detects disk partitions
that might be incompatible with MS-DOS 6.

Setup /I disables video detection only. To disable video detection and
hardware detection (including FastDisk compatibility detection
[borrowed from Windows Setup]), use the /I and /U parameters.


MS Backup for Windows Help Error: Command-Line Syntax
-----------------------------------------------------
The online help for Microsoft Backup for Windows states the following
in the Command-Line Options section:

Syntax
------

WINBACK.EXE [SETUP.SET] [/M]

This help topic should read as follows:

Syntax
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MWBACKUP.EXE [SETUP.SET] [/M]


Page 160 "To Free Enough Conventional Memory to Run MemMaker"
-------------------------------------------------------------
On page 160 of the "User's Guide," the procedure titled "To free
enough conventional memory to run MemMaker" includes an error in step
4. You are instructed to bypass all but the following commands in the
CONFIG.SYS file:

HIMEM.SYS
EMM386.EXE
SHELL

If you bypass the command line loading CHKSTATE.SYS, the error message
is displayed and the procedure fails. To make this procedure work
correctly, make sure you do not bypass CHKSTATE.SYS.


English (International) Keyboard Code Listed as "+"
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Page 237 of the "User's Guide" incorrectly implies that the keyboard
code for English (International) is the PLUS SIGN (+) character.

There is no two-character keyboard code used for English
(International); you simply use the default U.S. keyboard.

The PLUS SIGN is used in the "User's Guide" to indicate that there is
no separate international keyboard for English (International).


Online Help Incorrectly Defines MSAV Check All Files
----------------------------------------------------
In the Notes section of Microsoft Anti-Virus Help, the Check All Files
option is incorrectly described as follows:

When the Check All Files option is selected, Anti-Virus for MS-DOS
checks only files with the following extensions: .386, .APP, .BIN,
.CMD, .DOM, .DLL, .DRV, .EXE, .FON, .ICO, .OV*, .PGM, .PIF, .PRG,
.OV*, .PGM, .PIF, .PRG, .SYS.

It should state that only files with those extensions are checked when
this option is NOT selected. When this option is selected, ALL files
are checked for viruses.


Online Help Gives Incorrect LASTDRIVE Default Value
---------------------------------------------------
The Notes section of LASTDRIVE Help incorrectly describes the default
value for LASTDRIVE as "the letter following the last one in use."

It should state that the default value for LASTDRIVE is E: or the last
drive specification in use.


MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference: "A CVF Is Just a Hidden, Read-Only File..."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
On page 14 of the "MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference," the second paragraph
under the section "How Does DoubleSpace Store Compressed Data on a
Drive?" begins as follows:

A CVF is just a Hidden, Read-Only file until you mount it. Mounting
a CVF establishes...

It should read as follows:

A CVF is just a Hidden, System, Read-Only file until you mount it.
Mounting a CVF establishes...


MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference - Page 32
--------------------------------------
The third bit flag definition on page 32 of the "MS-DOS 6 Technical
Reference appears as follows:

micapDECOMPRESS equ 0000000000000010b ; Standard compress

It should read:

micapDECOMPRESS equ 0000000000000010b ; Standard decompress


MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference - Page 177
---------------------------------------
On page 177 of the "MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference," the "Examples"
section contains improper command syntax.

It incorrectly states:

device=c:\\DOS\\himem.sys
device=c:\\DOS\\emm386.exe ram
DOS=umb

It should read:

device=c:\DOS\himem.sys
device=c:\DOS\emm386.exe ram
DOS=umb


Undelete Help Incomplete
------------------------
The help topic displayed by UNFORMAT (when you use the /? parameter) is
different than the information displayed by MS-DOS Help. UNFORMAT /?
lists several switches such as /J and /PARTN that are omitted from
HELP UNFORMAT.


Question Mark After Blank Space Results in Error Message
--------------------------------------------------------
According to MS-DOS Help, you can insert a question mark character (?)
just before the equal sign (=) to specify that MS-DOS is to ask for
confirmation before carrying out the command.

This works correctly as long as there are no spaces or parameters
between the command and the question mark character.

For example, DEVICE=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS causes the following prompt to be
displayed:

DEVICE=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS [Y,N]?

However, if you have DEVICEHIGH /L:1,12048 ?=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS, you
receive the following error message:

Bad or Missing ?
Error in CONFIG.SYS line

Similarly, the command DOS ?=HIGH results in an error message.

To use the question mark character properly, place the question mark
character immediately after the command, not immediately before the
equal sign. For example:

DEVICEHIGH? /L:1,12048 =C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS
DOS? = HIGH
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All information in the above text, (C) Microsoft Corporation. This
information can be freely disseminated.