Label Lastdrive
Lh Loadfix
Loadhigh
Label
Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label (name) of a disk.
MS-DOS displays the volume label as part of the directory listing. If a volume serial number exists, MS-DOS displays this number as well.
Syntax
Parameters
Specifies the location of the disk you want to name.
Specifies the new volume label. You must include a colon (:) between drive and label.
Related Commands
For information about displaying the current disk label, see the DIR or VOL command.
For information about the volume serial number of a disk, see the VOL command.
Example:
To label a disk in drive A that contains sales information for 1991, you might type the following:
Notes:
LABEL command messages
If you do not specify a label when you use the LABEL command, MS-DOS displays a message in the following format:
You can type the volume label you want or press ENTER to delete the current label. If a disk has a label and you press ENTER for none, MS-DOS prompts you with the following message:
Limitations on volume label names
A volume label can contain as many as 11 characters and can include spaces but no tabs. Consecutive spaces may be interpreted as a single space.
Do not use any of the following characters in a volume label:
Using LABEL with a redirected drive
LABEL does not work on a drive created with the SUBST command.
Specifies the maximum number of drives you can access. You can use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file.
The value you specify represents the last valid drive MS-DOS is to recognise.
Syntax
Parameter
Specifies a drive letter in the range A through Z.
Example:
To set the last drive to M, giving your computer access to 13 drives, you would include the following command in your CONFIG.SYS file:
Notes:
Default setting
If you do not use the LASTDRIVE command, the default value is the letter following the last one in use. For example, if you are using drives A and C, the default value is D.
Effect on memory
MS-DOS allocates a data structure in memory for each drive specified by LASTDRIVE, so you should not specify more drives than are necessary.
Loads a program into the upper memory area. Loading a program into the upper memory area leaves more room in conventional memory for other programs. (For more information about optimizing memory, see the chapter "Making More Memory Available" in the MS-DOS User's Guide.)
Syntax
Switches
Specifies one or more regions of memory into which to load the program.
If /L is not used, MS-DOS loads the program into the largest free upper-memory block (UMB) and makes all other UMBs available for the program's use. You can use the /L switch to load the program into a specific region of memory or to specify which region(s) the program can use.
To load the program into the largest block in a specific region of upper memory, specify the region number after the /L switch.
For example, to load the program into the largest free block in region 4, you would type /L:4. (To list the free areas of memory, type MEM /F at the command prompt.)
When loaded with the /L switch, a program can use only the specified memory region. Some programs use more than one area of memory; for those programs, you can specify more than one region. (To find out how a particular program uses memory, use the MEM /M command and specify the program name as an argument.) To specify two or more regions, separate the block numbers with a semicolon (;). For example, to use blocks 2 and 3, you would type /L:2;3.
Normally, MS-DOS loads the program into a UMB in the specified region only if that region contains a UMB larger than the program's load size (usually equal to the size of the executable program file). If the program requires more memory while running than it does when loaded, you can use the minsize parameter to ensure that the program will not be loaded into a UMB that is too small for it. If you specify a value for minsize, MS-DOS loads the program into that region only if it contains a UMB that is larger than both the program's load size and the minsize value.
Shrinks the UMB to its minimum size while the program is loading. Using this switch makes the most efficient use of memory. This switch is typically used only by the MemMaker program, which can analyze a program's memory use to determine whether the /S switch can safely be used when loading that program. This switch can be used only in conjunction with the /L switch and affects only UMBs for which a minimum size was specified.
Parameters
Specifies the location and name of the program you want to load.
parameters
Specifies any command-line information required by the program.
Related Commands
For information about loading device drivers into upper memory, see the DEVICEHIGH command.
For information about using the MemMaker program to move programs to the upper memory area, see the MEMMAKER command.
Example:
The following command loads the DOSKEY program into the upper memory area and specifies that MS-DOS should load the driver into region 1:
Notes:
DOS=UMB command required
To use the LOADHIGH command, you must include the DOS=UMB command in your CONFIG.SYS file.
For more information about the DOS=UMB command, see the DOS command.
Using MemMaker to optimize the upper memory area automatically
The MemMaker program, included with MS-DOS, automatically optimizes your system's memory. MemMaker surveys the upper memory area, analyzes the memory use of your drivers and programs, and determines which drivers and programs fit best into the available UMBs. MemMaker then adds the LOADHIGH command to selected lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file and adds /L and /S switches as necessary. For more information about using MemMaker to optimize your computer's memory, see the chapter "Making More Memory Available" in the MS-DOS User's Guide.
Upper-memory-area manager must be installed
Before you can load a program into the upper memory area, you must install an upper-memory-area manager. MS-DOS provides EMM386.EXE, which manages the upper memory area for computers with an 80386 or higher processor. To install EMM386, you add a DEVICE command to your CONFIG.SYS file. (The DEVICE command for the HIMEM.SYS extended-memory manager must precede the DEVICE command for EMM386.)
How LOADHIGH works
When you use the LOADHIGH command to load a program, MS-DOS attempts to load it into the upper memory area. If there is insufficient space in the upper memory area, MS-DOS loads the program into conventional memory. To determine which UMB(s) the program is using, use the MEM /M command and specify the program name as an argument.
Using LOADHIGH in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file
The most convenient way to use the LOADHIGH command is to include it in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. (If you use the MemMaker program, it automatically adds any necessary LOADHIGH commands to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.)
Ensures that a program is loaded above the first 64K of conventional memory, and runs the program.
Syntax
Parameters
Specifies the drive and directory of the program.
Specifies the name of the program.
Specifies any of the program's parameters that you want to use.
Example:
To load a program named MYAPP.EXE (in the APPS directory of drive C) and use the /C parameter (for example, to load the program in character mode), type the following at the command prompt or include the command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
Notes:
Some programs will display the "Packed file corrupt" message when all or a portion of the program has been loaded in the first 64K of conventional memory and cannot run successfully. This error is most likely to occur when you load device drivers into the upper memory area, thereby freeing more of the first 64K of conventional memory. If MS-DOS displays this message, use the LOADFIX command to ensure that a program is loaded above the first 64K of conventional memory.
To use the LOADFIX command, include it at the beginning of the command that starts the program.