Comprehensive List of MS-DOS 5 Documentation Errors (101042)

SUMMARY

This article contains a comprehensive list of documentation errors reported for the MS-DOS 5 product documentation. The following topics are covered:

"User's Guide and Reference"

•

"Getting Started"

•

MS-DOS 5 Upgrade README.TXT File

•

MS-DOS 5 Upgrade APPNOTES.TXT File

•

MS-DOS 5 Upgrade Package (Box)

•

"USER'S GUIDE AND Reference"

SETVER Can Be Used Without Being Installing as a Device Driver

The following incorrect statement appears on page 562 of the version 5.0 "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference":

Before you can use the SETVER command, the version table must be loaded into memory by a device command in your CONFIG.SYS file.

This is not true; the SETVER command can be issued regardless of whether or not SETVER.EXE has been loaded as a device driver.

The version table can be modified via the SETVER command as long as SETVER.EXE resides in either the current directory or a directory specified in the PATH environment variable. For example, the command

   SETVER FORMAT.COM 4.01

would add FORMAT.COM to the version table, regardless of whether or not SETVER was specified as a device driver in the CONFIG.SYS file. However, the values in the table are not used by MS-DOS unless SETVER has been loaded. In the previous example, the entry would have been added to the version table. For the version table to take effect, SETVER must be loaded as a device driver in the CONFIG.SYS file with a statement such as the following:

   DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE

This line assumes that MS-DOS version 5.0 was installed in the C:\DOS directory, and the line is inserted into the CONFIG.SYS file by the MS-DOS 5 installation procedure. When this statement is present in the CONFIG.SYS file, the version numbers listed in the version table are used by MS-DOS when the specified program is executed. In the previous example, MS-DOS would report itself as version 4.01 to the program FORMAT.COM.

Using the F4 and F5 Keys in DOSKEY

On page 451 of the version 5.0 "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" the F4 and F5 keys for DOSKEY are described. The information in the manual is misleading.

The following is the actual behavior of the F4 and F5 keys:

F4 Deletes from the current character position up to the character you specify (if your cursor happens to be on the first character, the documentation is correct, but if it is at the default position, the end of the line, then it does nothing).

F5 If you type and execute a few commands and then type another command, but instead of executing it, you press F5, the current line is copied into the buffer (used by F1, F2, F3, and so on). Pressing F3 causes the line to be put in the command line. However, if the command executed prior to the one just typed and copied to the buffer was longer than the current one copied to the buffer, the end of the buffer is not cleared, and you get a combination of the commands.

For example, type the following commands at the MS-DOS command prompt:

DIR CLS DIR DIR A: VER <F5> F3

The result: "VER A:" is displayed on the command line.

According to the documentation, the result should be "VER" only. The DOSKEY history will now look like the list above without the VER command, since VER was not executed.

RAMDRIVE.SYS Maximum Size

Page 614 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" for version 5.0 incorrectly states

Valid values for DISK SIZE are in the range 16 through 4096.

where the numbers are given in kilobytes for the size of the RAMDrive utility. The maximum value is not correct.

The maximum value for RAMDRIVE.SYS is 32 MB minus 1K, which comes out to 32,767 kilobytes.

However, when HIMEM.SYS is being used as an XMS provider, RAMDRIVE.SYS can be no larger than 16 MB. This is due to a limitation in the version of HIMEM.SYS that shipped with MS-DOS 5.0.

NOTE: The documentation error was corrected in the Help file that ships with MS-DOS 6.0. The HIMEM.SYS limitation was corrected in the version of HIMEM.SYS that ships with Microsoft Windows version 3.1 and MS-DOS version 6.0.

Clarification of the 2.77 HIMEM.SYS Default Handle

At the end of the second paragraph on page 611, the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" states:

The default value for the /machine:xxxx switch is at or 1.

This is unclear. By default HIMEM.SYS chooses the most appropriate handle for the machine it detects. If it does not detect a specific machine type, it then defaults to /M:1.

If HIMEM.SYS is not loading correctly, the chosen default handle may be incorrect. Type the following to override the HIMEM.SYS default

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /M:#

where "#" is the handle desired.

NOTE: Since HIMEM.SYS may incorrectly default to a different handle than 1, make sure to try /M:1. HIMEM.SYS states what handle it uses at startup. Look for the following statement

   Installed a20 handle #x

where "x" is the handle used

For more information on MS-DOS 5.0 HIMEM.SYS and machine handles, query on the following words:

himem and /m and dos and 5.0

Incorrect Syntax for RESTORE to View Backup Files

On page 144 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" for version 5.0, the command syntax is incorrectly stated as "RESTORE C: A: /D."

The correct syntax is:

   RESTORE A: C:\*.* /D.

- or -

   RESTORE A: C:\*.* /D /S

Misleading Information on Monochrome-4 Colors Scheme in Shell

The dimmed commands in the DOSSHELL menus are not visible when using the Monochrome-4 Colors scheme. The version 5.0 "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" incorrectly states that the only color schemes in which the dimmed commands are not visible are Monochrome-2 Colors, and Reverse color.

The information on page 33 of the version 5.0 "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" is misleading. It should state that the dimmed commands are not visible in Monochrome-4 Colors, Monochrome-2 Colors, and Reverse color schemes.

HIMEM.SYS Is Not an Upper Memory Block Provider

HIMEM.SYS is not an upper memory block (UMB) provider with any known chip set.

Page 436 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" states:

On some computers, you might even be able to use HIMEM.SYS itself as the UMB provider.

This statement is incorrect. HIMEM.SYS does NOT have the capability to be used as a UMB provider under any circumstances.

EMM386.EXE Provides Minimum 64K EMS

The minimum amount of expanded memory (EMS) that can be provided by EMM386.EXE is 64K. Page 606 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" version 5.0 manual incorrectly states that the minimum value is 16K.

If the memory size is stated as 16K in the DEVICE= line that loads EMM386.EXE in the CONFIG.SYS file, the size will be adjusted to 64K and the following message will be displayed:

size of expanded memory pool adjusted

For more information about how EMM386.EXE adjusts the expanded memory pool, query on the following words:

emm386 and ram and xms and 1024

MS-DOS 5 Upgrade Setup Does Not Repartition Hard Drive

Page 149 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" version 5.0 manual states the following:

If MS-DOS 5.0 is the first operating system to be set up on your computer, you can choose to partition your disk when you run the Setup program. By default, the Setup program creates one primary DOS partition that occupies the entire disk.

The MS-DOS 5 Upgrade Setup program does not contain an option to create or repartition a hard drive. This information applies only to the full original equipment manufacturer (OEM) versions of MS-DOS 5.0, not to MS-DOS 5 Upgrade.

The Microsoft MS-DOS 5 Upgrade is intended for users currently using MS-DOS version 2.11 or later who want to upgrade their current MS-DOS system to version 5.0. Because the MS-DOS 5 Upgrade is designed for systems that have MS-DOS currently installed, the MS-DOS 5 Upgrade Setup program will only upgrade the current MS-DOS system to version 5.0. It will not repartition or reformat the hard drive.

Once the MS-DOS 5 Upgrade installation has been completed, you can then repartition and format the hard drive.

For more information on repartitioning hard drives with MS-DOS 5.0, query on the following words:

repartitioning and partition and backing and 5.00

SHIFT+code ASCII Code for C is 67, Not 66 as Shown

Page 598 of the version 5.0 "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" manual incorrectly states that the SHIFT+code ASCII key code for the for the letter C is 66. This information is incorrect. The correct SHIFT+code ASCII code for C is 67.

The ASCII code for C (uppercase C) is correctly included in the table on page 632.

DRIVER.SYS Does Not Accept /I Option

Page 75 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS Getting Started" manual incorrectly shows the /i option being used with the device driver DRIVER.SYS.

If you use /i with DRIVER.SYS, the following message will be displayed when booting your machine

INVALID SWITCH
ERROR IN CONFIG.SYS LINE X

where "X" is the line that DRIVER.SYS is on in the CONFIG.SYS.

The following lines appear on page 75 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS Getting Started" manual under Procedure 2, step 3:

   device=driver.sys /d:0 /f:7 /i
   device=driver.sys /d:1 /f:7 /i

The /i option is only valid with the DRIVPARM statement that is loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file. /i specifies an electronically compatible 3.5-inch floppy disk drive.

PRINT Command /S: <ticks3> Switch

The explanation for the MS-DOS PRINT command switch /S:<ticks3> on page 543 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" incorrectly states the following:

Increasing this value can speed up printing while slowing down other programs.

The <ticks3> value actually represents the CPU time (expressed in time-slice ticks) that passes before PRINT.EXE can use a tick to send characters to the printer. If you increase this value, printing slows because more of the CPU time is allotted to tasks other than printing. For example, if you set this value to 25, PRINT.EXE must wait 25 ticks before it can use one tick's worth of time to send characters to the printer. A smaller value for the /S switch gives PRINT.EXE more of the CPU cycle and therefore speeds up printing.

MS-DOS 5.0 Disk Densities Incorrectly Documented

Page 126 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" should read as follows:

   5.25-inch, double sided/HIGH density         1228K or 1.2 MB
   3.5-inch,  double sided/HIGH density         1474K or 1.44 MB
   3.5-inch,  double sided/EXTRA HIGH density   2949K or 2.88 MB

The information in the manual about the density has been incorrectly reversed. The only EXTRA HIGH density entry should be the 3.5-inch 2.88-MB disk. All other entries in the table are correct.

MS-DOS 5.0 COUNTRY=061, COUNTRY=044, and Time Format

The CONFIG.SYS command, COUNTRY.SYS, does not change the time format to 24-hour format when COUNTRY is set equal to 061 (International English) or 044 (United Kingdom). This conflicts with the COUNTRY command documentation.

This error occurs on page 395 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference."

COUNTRY.SYS can be used to change the time and date format that MS-DOS uses to display time and date information. The file COUNTRY.SYS is loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file. Following is an example of the COUNTRY.SYS as it should appear in the CONFIG.SYS:

   country=061,,[drive:][path]country.sys

The above statement provides support for the International English character set.

Page 395 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" documentation incorrectly states that setting COUNTRY= to 061 (International English) or 044 United Kingdom) in the CONFIG.SYS file will cause MS-DOS 5.0 to display the time in 24-hour format. Loading either of the above country codes will cause the time to be displayed in 12-hour format. Examples of both formats are as follows:

   24-Hour Format      12-Hour Format
   ----------------------------------
   17:35:00.00         5:35:00

"GETTING STARTED"

Expanding New MS-DOS Shell Video Drivers

Page 46 of the version 5.0 "Microsoft MS-DOS Getting Started" manual (which discusses how to create a DOSSHELL.INI file) incorrectly states that you should expand a file called VGA.IN_; this file does not exist. Instead, a file named EGA.IN_ should be expanded if you use a VGA video card.

The file named VGA.IN_ does not exist on the Microsoft MS-DOS 5 Upgrade disks. Instead, you should type one of the following commands:

   expand ega.in_ c:\dos\dosshell.ini
   expand ega.in_ c:\dos\ega.ini

DCA 10NET Versions 4.20.2 and Later Work with MS-DOS 5.0

The version 5.0 "Microsoft MS-DOS Getting Started" manual states that DCA 10NET versions 3.0 through 4.2 will work under MS-DOS 5.0. However, according to DCA, only version 4.20.2 or version 4.2 level 20 will work correctly with MS-DOS 5.0.

If you try to run a version of 10NET earlier than 4.20.2 under MS-DOS 5.0, you may get a "Wrong DOS version, sorry" or "Incorrect DOS version" error message, or the network will not work reliably. Using the DOS LOADFIX and SETVER commands will not correct the problem.

To upgrade to the latest version of 10NET, call DCA.

MS-DOS 5 UPGRADE README.TXT FILE

README.TXT and ROM Update Available from Columbia Data Products

There is a documentation error in section 2.14 of the Microsoft MS-DOS 5 Upgrade README.TXT file. README.TXT says that the upgrade for Western Digital WD 7000 FASST or AT/XT SCSI customers can be obtained from the customer's vendor. This information is incorrect. The correct source is Columbia Data Products. There is a charge of approximately $50 for the driver.

The Seagate ST-01 and ST-02 hard-disk controller cards are made for Seagate by Western Digital. Section 2.14 of the MS-DOS 5.0 README.TXT file does apply to the ST-01 and ST-02 hard-disk controller cards.

The following is a copy of the incorrect portion of the README.TXT file, which is found in the section titled "2. NOTES ON SETUP":

   2.14 Western Digital SCSI Hard-Disk Controller
   ----------------------------------------------
   If you are using a Western Digital WD 7000 FASST or AT/XT SCSI
   controller with hard-disk ROM version 3.35 or earlier, contact your
   vendor for an upgrade before installing MS-DOS 5.0. The ROM version
   number is displayed when you start your computer.

Columbia Data Products is also the proper source of the device drivers referred to in section 2.8 of the README.TXT file.

README.TXT and 50-Line Mode with an ATI Wondercard

The README.TXT file on the Microsoft MS-DOS 5 Upgrade installation disks refer to the "ATI Wondercard 3.x" not working in 50-line mode. This can be confusing because there are various ATI products that fit this description. ATI believes the problem is in the ATI EGA Wondercard which identifies itself as a VGA even though it doesn't fully support VGA functions.

To work around this problem, reconfigure the VGA card to work as an EGA card. To do this insert the ATI disk in the floppy disk drive and type <floppy drive letter>:\SMS EGABIOS at the MS-DOS command prompt prior to running MS-DOS 5 Upgrade Setup.

If you have already upgraded and are running into a problem running in 50-line mode, remove (uninstall) MS-DOS 5, run the command noted above and reinstall MS-DOS 5 Upgrade.

MS-DOS 5 UPGRADE APPNOTES.TXT FILE

APPNOTES.TXT Reference to LOADFIX Documentation Incorrect

The APPNOTES.TXT file located on the last disk in the MS-DOS 5 Upgrade floppy disk set refers you to Chapter 4 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS Getting Started" manual for more information on the LOADFIX command. However, there is no Chapter 4 in the specified book.

For more information on LOADFIX, refer to page 41 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS Getting Started" manual; there is no reference to LOADFIX in the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference."

APPNOTES.TXT and Software Carousel

Section 1.19 ("Software Carousel") of the APPNOTES.TXT file supplied with MS-DOS 5.0 Upgrade should include the following information:

Version 5.01 of the Software Carousel works fine with MS-DOS 5. If you have version 5.00 of Software Carousel, you can download the file CAROUSEL.501 from SoftLogic Solutions BBS #603-644-5556. This file can be renamed to CAROUSEL.PGM and should replace the file you have by that name. If you have a version previous to 5.00, you can upgrade by calling SoftLogic Solutions's sales department at (800) 272-9900.

APPNOTES.TXT Section 1.4 and CodeView 3.14

Section 1.4 of the APPNOTES.TXT file (located on the last disk) states:

This problem has been fixed in CodeView version 3.14. Call the Microsoft Sales Information Center (MSIC) for information about obtaining this version; see your registration card for the phone number.

This statement is misleading because CodeView is available with various language products such as Microsoft C or Microsoft Basic Professional Development System.

When contacting MSIC, please ask for information about the upgrade to Microsoft C 6.0ax. If you already own Microsoft C 6.0a, the upgrade to 6.0ax is no charge. If you own Microsoft C 6.0, the upgrade to 6.0ax is $12.95.

Microsoft C 6.0ax is C 6.0a plus CodeView version 3.14 and the extended memory version of the compiler.

If Microsoft Basic Professional Development System version 7.0 or 7.1 is owned, the upgrade for CodeView can be obtained from Basic support by calling (425) 637-7096.

APPNOTES.TXT and Borland Turbo Debugger 386

Borland Turbo Debugger 386 version 2.5 does not work properly under MS-DOS version 5.0. Borland has a maintenance release, version 2.51, of Turbo Debugger 386. Turbo Debugger 2.51 works correctly only if the line DOS=HIGH is not included in the CONFIG.SYS file. Turbo Debugger 2.51 works correctly with HIMEM.SYS installed as long as MS-DOS is not loaded into the high memory area (HMA).

Turbo Debugger 386 does not work with any program or device driver that uses either the virtual or protected modes of the 80386 processor. This includes EMM386.EXE.

Section 1.21 of the Microsoft MS-DOS 5 Upgrade APPNOTES.TXT file is incorrect. It incorrectly states that Turbo Debugger 386 is configuration dependent. Turbo Debugger 386 is NOT configuration dependent.

MS-DOS 5 UPGRADE PACKAGE (BOX)

System Requirements Error on Microsoft MS-DOS 5 Upgrade Box

The Microsoft MS-DOS 5 Upgrade package incorrectly states (on the back of the box) under "System Requirements" that "256K of memory" is required. The correct memory requirement, as stated in the "Microsoft MS-DOS Getting Started" version 5.0 manual, is 512K bytes of memory. The minimum amount of "free" memory necessary to run the MS-DOS 5.0 installation procedure is 256K bytes.

The Borland, ATI, and DCA products included here are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.