Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!ukma!ukecc!agollum
From: agollum@engr.uky.edu (David Herron aka Admiral Gollum)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: What is /E on command.com (plus a correction)
Message-ID: <2166@ukecc.engr.uky.edu>
Date: 29 Mar 88 01:48:06 GMT
References: <8803241628.AA04994@decwrl.dec.com> <1986@optilink.UUCP> <2161@ukecc.engr.uky.edu> <1515@puff.cs.wisc.edu>
Reply-To: agollum@engr.uky.edu (David Herron aka Admiral Gollum)
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Organization: Univ. of KY Engineering Computing Center
Lines: 22

In episode <1515@puff.cs.wisc.edu>, we
heard schimke@puff.WISC.EDU (Timothy Schimke) say:
>>is documented, for instance.  I think the price is less than $90.
>parameter to command.com.  In addition, are there any other undocumented
>options out there?   Thanx in advance.  (post or mail)

(I knew that would get somebody :-)
The /E parameter to COMMAND.COM allows you to set the size of the
environment space.  In 3.2 /E:xxx sets the environment space to xxx bytes,
up to 32k.  In 3.1 xxx is in paragraphs and can be up to 94 (I think).
The actual MS-DOS manuals document this switch, but some OEMs who
lisense the OS and produce their own documents leave it out.

The correction:  I have been informed by a Microsoft rep that, while
Microsoft does package a generic version of MS-DOS (ie, disks and manuals
all in one box), they do not sell this package through retail channels.
Microsoft sells this package only to OEMs who don't wish to create their
own customized version of the package but who *do* want to sell MS-DOS
with their computers.  Some of these generic packages do end up available
for direct sale (which is not what Microsoft wants).

Kenneth Herron