DOS ain't dead - CD environment variable

bencollver

10.03.2026, 02:29

CD environment variable (Users)

Windows has a CD environment variable for the current working directory.

https://ss64.com/nt/syntax-variables.html

I came up with a couple of ways to set this variable on DOS.

Below is one that uses DEBUG.COM to edit SETCD.BAT

C:\>type mksetcd.bat echo SET CD=>setcd.bat cd>>setcd.bat echo F 100 L 200 20 >debug.scr echo N setcd.bat >>debug.scr echo L 100 >>debug.scr echo M 109 L 200 107 >>debug.scr echo W >>debug.scr echo Q >>debug.scr debug <debug.scr

I could use it like so:

C:\TEMP>\mksetcd.bat C:\TEMP>setcd.bat C:\TEMP>echo %CD% C:\TEMP

Do you know of a better way?

roytam 10.03.2026, 08:03 @ bencollver	CD environment variable Post reply
	> Windows has a CD environment variable for the current working directory. > > https://ss64.com/nt/syntax-variables.html > > I came up with a couple of ways to set this variable on DOS. > > Do you know of a better way? what about NSET?

bencollver 10.03.2026, 14:53 (edited by bencollver, 10.03.2026, 15:09) @ roytam	CD environment variable Post reply
	> what about NSET? Thanks, i didn't know about NSET. I see the author's site has other goodies: https://www.horstmuc.de/main.htm p.s. NSET 2.1 https://www.horstmuc.de/horst.htm NSET 1.2 http://annex.retroarchive.org/cdrom/psl-jan95/DOS/UT_DSKFI/HORST_1/

Rugxulo Usono, 10.03.2026, 08:21 @ bencollver	CD environment variable Post reply
	> Windows has a CD environment variable for the current working directory. > > Do you know of a better way? FreeDOS' FreeCOM (and also 4DOS, I think) have "%_CWD%" for this purpose. `if "%CD%"=="" if not "%_CWD%"=="" set CD=%_CWD% if "%CD%"=="" goto error`

bencollver 10.03.2026, 14:51 @ Rugxulo	CD environment variable Post reply
	> FreeDOS' FreeCOM (and also 4DOS, I think) have "%_CWD%" for this purpose. > > `> if "%CD%"=="" if not "%_CWD%"=="" set CD=%_CWD% > if "%CD%"=="" goto error >` Thanks for sharing this knowledge, rugxulo!