I am trying to load a very strange dos based program for some robots I have.
I tried to edit my autoexec.bat file as per the instructions, and it did not work.
Now when I am at the "c" prompt in msdos I can not even edit the autoexec.bat file anymore? I get "bad file or command"

is this the right way to edit the autoexec.bat........

(at c:\ type)

edit autoexec.bat
and then enter key?????

I am sure that's how I did it before, but it won't let me in now? :mad:
I need to set a path,com port settings,an ansi.sys file and a config.sys file for this software to operate correctly in msdos.

please any help is appreciated

the way you are typing it in should work. If not, try typing sysedit instead. This will bring up all of your windows such as the autoexec.bat, config.sys etc. If the edit autoexec.bat command does not work, is it possible that you renamed the file something else accidently? Seen that happen before.

wanna hear something funny, I just deleted the autoexec.bat in msdos....is there a way to restore it? or type in a new one??

thanks for your help

sysedit did not work either "bad command or file name"

autoexec.bat is definetly gone...

First locate the Edit.com program and either go to that directory or enter path = c:\dos ( or wherever the edit pgm is) and create a new autoexec.bat program
here is a dos file find program to find where you edit pgm is.
Al

Thanks al

I found a similar named file with different extension (.syd), so I wiped out the old Ansi.sys files and config.sys files, and then I was able to use the "edit" command again. opened the ".SYD" file and renamed it .BAT returned my config files (which where backed up under a diff. name) and was able to return to the autoexec.bat and edit it correctly.
Wow, Once again I caught myself changing files before saving the originals first!! what a sin! you'd think I'd learn by now........;)

uhhh..ansi.sys is your low level device driver that tells your monitor how do deal with things like clear screen, backspace, etc..

if edit didn't work, you were probably not in the same subdirectory that edit.com was located in...for windows 98 it's in \windows\command\
other OS's are similar..

It's just as easy to find it in windows using search, and the copy it to the root , in most cases C:\ where it will be easy to access under dos

another option is to add the line
path = c:\windows\command
to either your autoexec.bat or just type it in when you enter dos..

hmmm.haven't done much dos since, oh maybe 1990...still remeber a bit anyways..:)

when your in dos,
if your not in the C:\ directory type
cd\ <enter>(acutally hit enter, not type <enter>)
then you shoudl be there, now type
edit autoexec.bat <enter>
No in there, at the top, there should be a few things, like
@echo off
which tells it to perform the commands as I understand it
you can type
echo wooo I'm insane!
and it will display "wooo I'm insane!" when its exicuted, but anyway,

so does the computer boot alright without autoexec.bat? if not you might want to create one, just simply type
edit autoexec.bat <enter> and it will take you into the editor and save it, I dont remember but I dont think you really need anythign in it, but if you want to exicute your program when the computer boots, put this in exactly(Im not sure if you need the @echo off, but it wont hirt anything):

@echo off
C:\(program directory and exicutable)

and thats all you should need.

Jon

thank you for your replys.
I am by no means a computer genious, but here is what I think happened.

I think i installed the software for the robots before installing the "ansi.sys" driver in the proper root directory. There were files in the C Dir. that were not supposed to be there, i cycled the power, and then that's when i was not allowed back into the autoexec.bat, another file in the c: directory appeared called autoexec.syd, so I undid everything I loaded, still was not able to enter the autoexec.bat, so i wiped it out and opened the autoexec.syd, re-named it autoexec.bat, modified it for my needs, saved,and then placed the ansi file in the right directory, then loaded the robot software, and away it went. I can't explain why, but that's what happened.
These robots are from the 1980's and the software it-self is dos in nature, according to the manual the ansi driver is used as the device driver? The computer I installed this on is actually a dinosaur, the compact conturea with mono chromatic screen,believe me this stuff is old (pre windows 98), but it was free because they people I got it from could not get it communicating/running. It's funny to think that this type of programming has been forgotten by most, but not left behind by industry, I guess we have adapted to well to windows and pull down screens???? I knew my commadore 64 days would eventually come in handy ;)
so now I am off to build a com. cable, a 220vac plug from my dryer and we will see what these things can do!
My money is on a large bang followed by sparks....:)

SYD extension files are 'normally' created by
[newer systems] Sysedit, backup files, safe to delete or whatever
[Older Dos systems] QEMM , Qemm386 memory manager, sometimes needed when running an older system in straight DOS mode, look at your old config.sys, if qemm386 is there you 'probably' need this file, if there is only a reference to emm386 [or no reference at all], then you don't
[SyBase Apps], older database systems, not usually in the root though..

yeh, the old 'obsolete' dinosaurs still have a place, and work just fine for DOS based CNC systems, a lot faster than an equivalent windoze based box..

I 'think? it was linus Torvalds that said something like..
If we live in a world without walls or borders, why do we need Windows?