Creating an AUTOEXEC.BAT File

You can create an AUTOEXEC.BAT file with any program that lets you store a text-only file (also called an ASCII text file). If your word processing program can save a file as a text-only file, you can use that program to create an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Just be sure to name the file AUTOEXEC.BAT and store it in the root directory of the hard disk.

You can also use the MS-DOS COPY command to create an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Follow these instructions to use the COPY command:

1.At the C> prompt, type the following and press Enter:

COPY CON: C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

2.Type the commands you want to include in the file exactly as you want MS-DOS to execute them. Press Enter at the end of each line. After you type the last command, press Enter to move the cursor to the next blank line.

3.Now press F6 and then Enter. COPY creates a file named AUTOEXEC.BAT containing all the commands you just typed. MS-DOS stores the file in the root directory of your hard disk. From now on, every time you start or reset your computer, MS-DOS executes all commands in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

3-30 Using MS-DOS With Your Computer