lma@polya.Stanford.EDU (Larry M. Augustin) (10/15/88)
I was recently forced to upgrade from PC DOS 2.1 to 3.2. One of my favorite config.sys commands, switchar=-, doesn't seem to work in 3.2. Did Microsoft fix this feature? Is there a way I can change \ to / without buying a UNIX shell? Larry M. Augustin ERL 414 lma@sierra.stanford.edu Computer Systems Lab lma@dayton.stanford.edu Stanford University (415) 723-9285 Stanford, CA 94305
nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) (10/15/88)
In article <4483@polya.Stanford.EDU> lma@polya.Stanford.EDU (Larry M. Augustin) writes:
I was recently forced to upgrade from PC DOS 2.1 to 3.2. One of my
favorite config.sys commands, switchar=-, doesn't seem to work in 3.2.
Did Microsoft fix this feature? Is there a way I can change \ to /
without buying a UNIX shell?
Yes. If you have a copy of Zenith's PUP (Programmer's Utility Package),
you'll see that there is a DOS call to set the switchar. Quoting from the
documentation:
"
55/27H--Character Operations
(Change Incompatible Configuration)
Entry: AL = 0 Return DL = ASCII switch character
AL = 1 Set switch character to DL
AL = 2 Return DL = availability byte
AL = 3 Set availability byte to DL
Exit: DL = Value if AL = 1 or 3
The availability is 0 if devices must be prefixed with the DEV directory name.
"
--
--russ (nelson@clutx [.bitnet | .clarkson.edu])
To surrender is to remain in the hands of barbarians for the rest of my life.
To fight is to leave my bones exposed in the desert waste.karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM ([Karl Denninger]) (10/16/88)
Regarding the "swithat" config.sys line... I do know that it can be set from a program; we had one running around here a while back that would change it to "-" (ala Unix). This did break a few programs though.... -- Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM)
sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu (fred sullivan) (10/18/88)
>In article <4483@polya.Stanford.EDU> lma@polya.Stanford.EDU (Larry M. Augustin) writes: > > I was recently forced to upgrade from PC DOS 2.1 to 3.2. One of my > favorite config.sys commands, switchar=-, doesn't seem to work in 3.2. > Did Microsoft fix this feature? Is there a way I can change \ to / > without buying a UNIX shell? > A month or two ago I posted a program to do this to comp.binaries.ibm.pc Fred Sullivan SUNY at Binghamton Dept. Math. Sciences Binghamton, NY 13903 sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu First you make a roux!
pozar@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Pozar) (10/18/88)
In article <1509@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu (fred sullivan) writes: >>In article <4483@polya.Stanford.EDU> lma@polya.Stanford.EDU (Larry M. Augustin) writes: >> >> I was recently forced to upgrade from PC DOS 2.1 to 3.2. One of my >> favorite config.sys commands, switchar=-, doesn't seem to work in 3.2. >> Did Microsoft fix this feature? Is there a way I can change \ to / >> without buying a UNIX shell? >> >A month or two ago I posted a program to do this to comp.binaries.ibm.pc > This is some code I put at the begging of most of my programmes to reconize the current ms-dos switch char... getswitch() { union REGS inregs, outregs; inregs.h.ah = 0x37; inregs.h.al = 0; intdos(&inregs,&outregs); /* find the switch char */ schar = outregs.h.dl; } To set the switch, you would write a function like: putswitch(c) char c; { union REGS inregs, outregs; inregs.h.ah = 0x37; inregs.h.al = 1; inregs.h.dl = c; intdos(&inregs,&outregs); } Tim -- ...sun!hoptoad!\ Tim Pozar >fidogate!pozar Fido: 1:125/406 ...lll-winken!/ PaBell: (415) 788-3904 USNail: KKSF / 77 Maiden Lane / San Francisco CA 94108
egs@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Eric Schnoebelen) (10/19/88)
In article <5676@hoptoad.uucp> pozar@hoptoad.UUCP (Tim Pozar) writes: > > This is some code I put at the begging of most of my > programmes to reconize the current ms-dos switch char... > [ code deleted ] > > Tim > Turbo C (1.5) has a function in the standard libraries for this. I discovered this after writing my own, then writing a program that used it and having it work without linking in the correct library. The functions are: int getswitchar(); /* returns the currect switch character */ int setswitchar(char); /* set the current switchar */ ( funny how I managed to name my functions the right thing.. ) Eric Eric Schnoebelen John W. Bridges & Associates, Inc. Lewisville, Tx u-word!egs@killer.dallas.tx.us
allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon S. Allbery) (10/23/88)
As quoted from <4483@polya.Stanford.EDU> by lma@polya.Stanford.EDU (Larry M. Augustin): +--------------- | I was recently forced to upgrade from PC DOS 2.1 to 3.2. One of my | favorite config.sys commands, switchar=-, doesn't seem to work in 3.2. | Did Microsoft fix this feature? Is there a way I can change \ to / | without buying a UNIX shell? +--------------- It was removed from CONFIG.SYS, but the (undocumented?) system call still exists. DOS interrupt 21H, function 37H. This simple assembler program, suitable for typing into DEBUG's A command, will change the switchar to '-': (All numbers are in hex) MOV DL,2D MOV AX,3701 INT 21 MOV AX,4C00 INT 21 Note the last two hex digits of the "next address" printed by the A command, issue an RCX command and set CX to the value of those last two digits, then issue the commands: NSWITCHAR.COM and W. Voila! You can run SWITCHAR from AUTOEXEC.BAT to set the switch character. (Hold on while I test this on my trusty Toshiba, just to make sure... yup. Should be 000C bytes.) Note that this will work on *any* version of DOS from 2.0 on, not just for 3.2. ++Brandon (P.S. I also tested the program; it works, doesn't crash, changes switchar.) (P.P.S. Note that this program is only one-way: you cannot change the switchar *back* with it. Change the "2D" to "2F" in the instructions above to get a program that changes the switchar back to "/". Or look for one of the many PD programs (heck, I wrote one myself once) that takes an argument to decide which switchar to use.) -- Brandon S. Allbery, comp.sources.misc moderator and one admin of ncoast PA UN*X uunet!hal.cwru.edu!ncoast!allbery <PREFERRED!> ncoast!allbery@hal.cwru.edu allbery@skybridge.sdi.cwru.edu <ALSO> allbery@uunet.uu.net comp.sources.misc is moving off ncoast -- please do NOT send submissions direct (But the aliases are NOT on UUNET yet, use the aliases at backbone sites!)