DOS ain't dead

Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? (Users)

posted by CluelessInSeattl, Seattle, USA, 16.02.2013, 17:00

Thanks mvojvodic, for that speedy and thorough reply.

I tried to respond to your post yesterday morning, but messed up somehow and my message didn't go through. So I'll try again this morning, (and I'll save a copy of my message before I try to send it this time )


> In AUTOEXEC.BAT set %TEMP% variable to your RAM drive.

I did already have the %TEMP% variable set in my AUTOEXEC.BAT file to E: which is my RAM drive. And I also had the %TMP% variable set the same way.

I just looked up "TEMP" in the index of my MS-DOS 5.0 manual and I see that it suggests setting %TEMP" to E:\TEMPFILE. So I just changed both %TEMP% and %TMP% to E:\TEMPFILE.

So, should I then also add a line in my AUTOEXEC.BAT to create a TEMPFILE directory like this:

MD E:\TEMPFILE

> Otherwise, DOSSHELL will write the temporary files
> into the directory where DOSSHELL.EXE is located.

I store my DOSSHELL.EXE file in a directory I've named DS on the C: drive.

I then run DOSSHELL from a batch file that first copies DOSHELL.EXE and the rest of its ancillary files into a directory on RAM drive E: named DOSSHELL, and then runs it from that directory on the RAM drive.

> I also used to run DOSSHELL from RAM drive, so I set
> the location of DOSSHELL.INI into %DOSSHELL%.

So far the DOSSHELL.INI file seems to always get saved to E:\DOSSHELL on the RAM drive. So I have a line at the end of the DOSSHELL.BAT file that copies the DOSSHELL.INI file back to the C:\DS directory whenever I exit DOSSHELL (It also makes three incremental back-ups to floppies of the DOSHELL.INI file. So, in theory, I always have copies of the last three versions of DOSSHELL.INI).

But I'm curious to know the syntax for the command that to "set
the location of DOSSHELL.INI into %DOSSHELL%"

I'd like to add that to my AUTOEXEC.BAT file, as insurance.

Something just occurred to me. My DOSSHELL.BAT file doesn't log onto the E: drive before it runs E:\DOSSHELL\DOSSHELL.EXE. It Just executes the E:\DOSSHELL\DOSSHELL.EXE command while still (presumably) logged onto drive C: (where I store all my batch files). Do you think it would be helpful to insert an E: command into the DOSSHELL.BAT file just before the line where it runs DOSSHELL?

Also, those "swap" files I found on my C: drive had .SWP extensions. From what I recall they contained what appeared to be data from and about all the programs I had open in DOSSHELL (including the decrypted text of files with sensitive information like passwords, etc.). So I used Norton Utilities Version 5.0 to wipe those files from the C: drive.

I didn't write down the filenames of those files that I'm calling "swap" files, but the names looked something like this:

G1937563.SWP

My memory's not so good these days, so that's just an approximation of what the filenames looked like. Does that look like something that DOSSHELL would have created?

I guess it wouldn't hurt to make it a habit to search my C: drive for *.SWP each morning just before I put my computer to sleep. I have a handy little utility called "WHEREIS.COM." All I have to do is type "whereis *.swp" and it searches the entire drive and shows me the location of any files it finds.


> I found this reading AUTOEXEC.BAT from a very old
> diskette I made in 1989. Maybe this will help.

I have to tell you that one of my favorite fantasies, now that I'm in my seventieth year, is to daydream about having a time machine, like in Ray Bradbury's short story "The Kilimanjaro Device."

Your being able to dig out that AUTOEXEC.BAT file from 1989 brought a big grin to my face because it seemed to me that perhaps you have found that time machine I've been looking for.

---
Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"
Running MS-DOS 6.21

Complete thread:

• Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? - CluelessInSeattl, 14.02.2013, 15:43 (Users)
  • Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? - mvojvodic, 15.02.2013, 12:04
    • Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? - CluelessInSeattl, 16.02.2013, 17:00
      • Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? - Arjay, 16.02.2013, 18:54
        • Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? - Arjay, 16.02.2013, 19:22
        • Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? - CluelessInSeattl, 20.03.2013, 19:31
        • Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? - CluelessInSeattl, 20.03.2013, 19:54
          • Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? - Rugxulo, 21.03.2013, 17:35
            • Swap Files in MS-DOS/DOSSHELL: How to configure? - CluelessInSeattl, 24.03.2013, 16:25