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Using an AUTOEXEC.BAT File
You may find that there are some commands you want to run every
time you turn on your computer. To run a command or a series of
commands automatically upon startup, you can type the commands
into a special file called AUTOEXEC.BAT When you load
MS-DOS, it automatically looks for this file. If MS-DOS finds an
AUTOEXEC.BAT file in the root directory, it executes the
commands in that file.
Here are some tasks you can perform using an AUTOEXEC.BAT
file:
l
Modify the PATH command to include the directories containing
other software programs you commonly use. This reduces the
number of times you need to change directories or specify
pathnames.
l
Add the command to start your most commonly used application
program (such as a word processor or spreadsheet program) so
that it loads automatically when you turn on or reset the
computer.
l
Change the MS-DOS command prompt so that it displays the
current directory-or your name, or anything you want.
See your MS-DOS Reference Manual for instructions on using the
PATH command, the PROMPT command, and any other commands
you want to include in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Also see the
chapter on batch processing commands in your MS-DOS Reference
Manual for detailed information about AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
Creating an AUTOEXEC.BAT File
You can create an AUTOEXEC.BAT file using any command or
program that lets you create a text-only file. If you have a word
processing program that can save a file as a text-only file (sometimes
called an ASCII text file), you can use that program to create your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
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