[alt.msdos.programmer] DOS 3.3+ environment space

jk0@image.soe.clarkson.edu (Jason Coughlin) (02/17/90)

In DOS 3.2, one could specify DOS's environment space in the config.sys
file with a line something like (I don't remember the exact syntax):

SHELL=c:\command.com /e:512

(That may have been /p:512, I can't remember exactly).  The point is that
they changed it in DOS 3.3+!!!!!!!!!!  And of course, the manual doesn't
even mention the environment space (Working with Ms-Dos is like having
a nickel shoved up ...).

Does anyone know how to increase the environment space for DOS 3.3+?

Pls email responses as I hate PC's and don't read the group.  Thanks
for the information!!

-- 
Jason Coughlin ( jk0@sun.soe.clarkson.edu , jk0@clutx )
"Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders what the
part that isn't thinking isn't thinking of." - They Might Be Giants

rspangle@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Randy Spangler) (02/17/90)

In article <1990Feb16.202111.5163@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> jk0@image.soe.clarkson.edu (Jason Coughlin) writes:
>In DOS 3.2, one could specify DOS's environment space in the config.sys
>file with a line something like (I don't remember the exact syntax):
>
>SHELL=c:\command.com /e:512
>
>
>Does anyone know how to increase the environment space for DOS 3.3+?
>

Actually, it's pretty simple for DOS 3.3.  Debug command.com, then display
:0EB8 - this should be 0Ah.  This is where COMMAND.COM stores the size of the
environment table.  Change it to whatever you want, and write the changes
back to disk again.  

This has the nice advantage of taking no additional space or anything.
However, it will only work for DOS 3.3.

The way I got this address was by debugging command.com with the command line
argument to increase environment space:

debug command.com /e:256

And then tracing along until command.com parsed the command line.  About the
time it finishes reading the argument, it converts it from ASCII to hex and
then writes it to :0EB8, overwriting the 0Ah default.  Then I quit debug, 
restarted it, and changed the value.  Works fine on my computer.  The same
process should work for 4.0 and above.

-- 
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|    Randy Spangler                    |    The less things change, the    |
|    rspangle@jarthur.claremont.edu    |    more they remain the same      |
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