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From: smithj@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: 4DOS COMSPEC Question
Message-ID: <8492.26999e46@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 10 Jul 90 13:22:14 GMT
References: <1437@psc90.UUCP>
Lines: 38

In article <1437@psc90.UUCP>, sos@psc90.UUCP (Steffan O'Sullivan) writes:
> 4DOS COMSPEC question: first, I use 4DOS rather than COMMAND.COM as my
> primary shell.  The question:
>  
> If I want to set COMSPEC equal to COMMAND.COM for exiting to DOS from
> programs, will that cause a problem with 4DOS?  I find COMMAND.COM
> loads more quickly and smaller as a secondary shell, and is fine for the
> times I need to go to shell from a program.  But I don't want to cause
> any problems with the normal 4DOS operation, and I'm not sure when
> COMSPEC is called upon.

    Although I may be wrong on this I think that COMSPEC is only used when a
program tries to shell.  To use it in the fashion you want the only solution I
see is to use an alias or batch file to set COMSPEC and then reset it.  Remember
that 4DOS has a setlocal/endlocal pair to simplify this if you use a batch file.

alias runprog set comspec=c:\dos\command^progcall %1 etc.^comspec=c:\4dos

runprog.btm
-----------
setlocal
set comspec=c:\dos\command
progcall %1 etc.
endlocal

If you don't currently use COMSPEC and want to leave it set permanently to
COMMAND.COM I don't think it will cause any problems but I'm not sure.
-- 
I knew how the game was going to end when I took Brenda 
	into the filing room but I took her in anyway.	--Al
They have one big advantage over us: 
		*they* know where they're going.	--Batman
Has your family tried 'em, Powdermilk?			--Garrison Keillor

/* Jeffery G. Smith, BS-RHIT (AKA Doc. Insomnia, WMHD-FM)       *
 *    The Ohio State University, Graduate Physics Program       *
 *        3193 Smith Lab, Columbus, OH 43210  (614) 292-5321    *
 *    smithj@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu                          */