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From: brown@astroatc.UUCP (Vidiot)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: DOS query
Message-ID: <1894@astroatc.UUCP>
Date: 9 May 89 19:40:37 GMT
References: <21864@santra.UUCP>
Reply-To: brown@astroatc.UUCP (Vidiot)
Organization: Vidiot's Hangout
Lines: 57

In article <21864@santra.UUCP> s32935k@taltta.hut.fi (Carl Torsten Stenholm) writes:
<   1. How do I enter a parameter containing a space (' ') into a program or
<      batchfile.

I don't think that it can be done.  In UNIX you put quotes around it, but
I think that DOS doesn't look for that and parses all spaces.

<   2. Is it possible to start another batchfile from one and jump back into
<      the first, like a subprogram. (I have done this by starting a new
<      shell, there must be an easier way)

Not in DOS 2.11.  In either MS-DOS (PC-DOS) 3.2 or (for sure) 3.3, the batch
command CALL was added, which allows going to other batch programs and then
returning.

<   3. How do I  specify to the MS-D*S where it should put it's temporary file
<      when I'm using redirection or pipes, The MS-D*S 2.11 I'm using utterly
<      fails if the CURRENT drive is full when piping. I have a One-floppy
<      PC with an extra RAM_DISK usually empty.

I think you loose here as well.  I do not know of an environment parameter
to tell DOS where to go.

<   4. Am I  doing something wrong ?   Whenever I try to sort something big 
<      enough (>64K), MS-D*S enters the Twilight Zone, never to be seen again.

Maybe there is s bug in 2.11 that I haven't heard of.  Anyone else?

<   5. Is it possible to read "Current key pressed down" somewhere in memory,
<      It seems the me the only solution is to hook the keyboard interrupt -- I 
<      don't want to do that. As far as I can tell from all the reference
<      manuals I've read (~3) the keyboard scan codes are only stored in
<      the keyboard's buffer until the prosessor hooks it and puts it in the
<      keyboard buffer.

What you read is correct.  One has to dig into the BIOS to get the keyboard
values.

<   6. Is there any D*S with smaller clusters than 2K.

With floppy disks, it is 512 byte sectors, two sectors per cluster (1024).
If you are talking about hard disks, I don't remember seeing any less than
2K clusters.

<   7. Using BIOS windows I sometimes get a boldface "I" on the screen instead
<      of a <tab> expansion -- this might be and pobably is my mistake ?

What is BIOS windows?  Windowing is not supported by any BIOS that I know of.
That is done strictly by user software.

This information is subject to further correction/enhancement by other users
of this news group.
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