|Aͻͻ
|A |6Feature Program|A  ^1DOS S.O.S. |Aͺ |6Feature Program|A 
|Aͼͼ
^Cby
^CMartin Richardson


^C----- Introduction -----

      DOS S.O.S. is a quick reference for the most frequently used DOS
 commands.  This program contains summaries of selected commands.  DOS S.O.S.
 is not a replacement for the DOS Command Reference Manual.  For more
 information on the commands, consult your Command Reference Manual included
 with your version of DOS.

^C----- DOS S.O.S. in a Nutshell -----

      DOS S.O.S. has a menu of the DOS commands.  Scroll through the menu with
 the <ARROW KEYS>.  When a command is highlighted, a brief description of
 the command and its parameters are shown in the Text Window.  Some
 command descriptions do not fit in one window.  These larger files are denoted
 by a small arrow in the lower lefthand corner of the screen.  To view the
 entire file, press the <INSERT> and <DELETE KEYS>.
      At the bottom of the screen is the Command Window which contains
 specific commands.  Enter the parameters beside the command any time it is
 highlighted.  Then press <ENTER> to execute the command along with any
 parameters you have entered.
      In order for the program to work, the current working directory must
 contain all of the DOS commands.  The directory containing the DOS commands
 must be included in your PATH (more about the PATH in the next section) or you
 must specify the  /S  switch on the Command Line.  The DOS commands must be on
 the current disk.
      Also, the command processor, COMMAND.COM, must be located in the root
 directory of the current drive for the internal commands to work.  These
 conditions must be met in order for DOS S.O.S. to execute any DOS command.
 The program can still be used as a reference even if these conditions aren't
 met; however, you will not be able to execute the commands.

^C----- The PATH Statement -----

      There are some programs you may wish to run from any directory on your
 disk, not just from the directory that contains the programs.  For example,
 it would be nice to use CHKDSK from any sub-directory, not just from your DOS
 directory.  If DOS is in the PATH, you can execute CHKDSK while working in any
 sub-directory.

      A typical PATH statement, usually contained in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file (the
 file that runs every time you turn on your computer), might look like this:

^CPATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\NORTON;C:\UTILS;

      DOS S.O.S. looks for each of the DOS commands along the PATH when they
 are executed.  If you wish to use DOS S.O.S., but do not understand the PATH
 statement, invoke the program with the  /S  switch on the Command Line:

^CC>DOSSOS /S

      This procedure will force DOS S.O.S. to search the entire disk for the
 needed files and run them.

^C----- The Most Frequently Used Parameters -----

      Some parameters are used more than others.  If there are "standard
 parameters" for a particular command, pressing <F3> displays a pop-up
 window with a list of these parameters.  At the bottom of the window, a brief
 description of the parameter's function is displayed when highlighted.
       Highlight the parameter you want and press the <ENTER>.  The parameter
 will appear alongside the command at the bottom of the main screen.  Place any
 extra parameters next to the cursor.  Press <ENTER> to execute the command.

^C----- Using DOS S.O.S. with a Mouse -----

      DOS S.O.S. detects the presence of a mouse.

      A.  Normal Operation:

           1.  Move the mouse up and down to move the highlight over the
      Command List.

           2.  Press the <LEFT BUTTON> to move between the Command Window and
      the Text Window.  The active window is always highlighted with a double
      line box.  If the Text Window is active, you can view the text by moving
      the mouse.  When the Command Window is active, you can view the
      highlighted commands by moving the mouse.

           3.  Press the <RIGHT BUTTON> for help screens.  Press any button to
      Exit the program.

           4.  Press both buttons at the same time to execute the current
      command; press the <MIDDLE BUTTON> with a three-button mouse.

      B.  The Most Frequently Used Parameter Window:

           1.  To select a line of parameters, move the mouse up and down and
      the highlighted bar will move up and down.  A description of the
      highlighted line of parameters appears at the bottom of the screen.

           2.  The <LEFT BUTTON> performs the same function as the <ESC> key.
      The window will close, and the previous parameters are restored to the
      Command Line.

           3.  The <RIGHT BUTTON> does nothing.

           4.  Press both buttons at the same time (the <MIDDLE BUTTON> with a
      three button mouse) to add the highlighted parameters to the command at
      the bottom of the screen.

^C----- COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS -----

      When you start DOS S.O.S., you can place several optional parameters
 after the command.  The optional parameters are:

      /A  -  DOS S.O.S. searches all directories on the current drive for the
      commands if it can't find them on the PATH.

      /S  -  DOS S.O.S. starts with sound on.  This command turns the sound off.

      /N  -  If you do not want to use a mouse, this command deactivates the
      mouse mode.

      /V  -  This command takes DOS S.O.S. out of Version Specific Mode.  Older
      versions of DOS do not have the same commands as newer versions;
      therefore, the list of commands may differ depending on the version of
      DOS in use.  When  /V  is specified, commands for all versions of DOS are
      displayed.

      /H  -  This command or  /?  will display the list of Command Line
      parameters mentioned above and bring you back to the DOS prompt. For
      example:  DOS SOS /S /V  will start DOS S.O.S. with the sound off and
      only the commands for the current DOS version will be displayed.

^C----- DOS S.O.S. COMMANDS -----

      A.  Keyboard Commands:

           Up Arrow Key: Moves the highlight up
         Down Arrow Key: Moves the highlight down
               PgUp Key: Moves the highlight up one screen
               PgDn Key: Moves the highlight down one screen
               Home Key: Moves the highlight to the top of the screen
                End Key: Moves the highlight to the bottom of the screen
          Ctrl-Home Key: Moves the highlight to the beginning of the list
           Ctrl-End Key: Moves the highlight to the end of the list
             Delete Key: Moves the text up one line
             Insert Key: Moves the text down one line

                  ENTER: Executes the highlighted file.
                    ESC: Exits DOS S.O.S.

                     F1: Help screens
                     F2: Toggles sound On/Off
                     F3: Menu: most frequently used parameters

      B.  Mouse commands:

           No Button: Move the mouse up and down to move the highlight
           up and down one record at a time.

           Left Button: Move from the Command Window to the Text Window and
           scroll text with the mouse that is bigger than the window.

           Right Button: Brings up help screens.

           Both Buttons: Executes the current command.

           If alpha-numeric keys are pressed, they will appear beside the
      current command in the Command Window as parameters.  If the highlight
      is moved, all parameters that have been entered will be erased.

^C----- End of Instructions -----


^CTo run this program outside ^1Big Blue Disk^0, type: ^1DOSSOS^0

 Disk files this program uses:
^FDOSSOS.EXE
