Memory Management for the Stand-Alone and Networked PC

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The purpose of most DOS commands is readily apparent. The COPY command makes a copy of a file just as the DELETE command deletes a file. In short, most of the time the name of the DOS command offers some insight into the purpose of the command. The commands used in the CONFIG.SYS file, however, are more arcane than self-explanatory. Not only do the commands look strange, but their purpose is often incomprehensible to even experienced PC users.

The CONFIG.SYS commands are mystifying for several reasons. First, the commands are rarely used. Once the PC has been configured, the CONFIG.SYS file can be happily ignored until we replace a mouse or add a new CD-ROM player. The second …