OSDICONF - CREATING MULTIPLE CONFIG.SYS FILES FOR MULTIPLE NEEDS - OS/2 WARP 01/25/96 ======================================================================= Creating Multiple CONFIG.SYS Files for Multiple Needs-- All OS/2 Warp Versions ======================================================================= Please Read Entire Document for Full Explanation of Procedures -------------------------------------------------------------- DESCRIPTION In some cases, you might need different CONFIG.SYS files to create environments specific to the kinds of work you are doing. For example, when you use a laptop computer with a docking station, you might want two CONFIG.SYS files--one that supports your laptop and one that supports your desktop computer. RESOLUTION You can create different versions of the CONFIG.SYS file and, during restart, specify from the Recovery Choices screen, which version the system should use. You also can customize the Recovery Choices screen to display your customized CONFIG.SYS file choices. The following steps describe how to create and use multiple CONFIG.SYS files. In these steps, ? is any unique single alphabetic character EXCEPT X, x, C, c, V, or v. These steps use C as the root directory. If you installed OS/2 on a drive other than C, replace C in the path name with the drive letter of the root directory. 1. Save a copy of the current CONFIG.SYS file. You can copy the current CONFIG.SYS file to either a diskette or to the C:\OS\BOOT subdirectory. If you copy the file to C:\OS\BOOT, rename it to CONFIG.?. Be sure to make a note of the new name and directory so you can restore it later. 2. Type COPY C:CONFIG.SYS C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.? and press Enter. Customize the new file with the modifications that you need. 3. Copy the customized CONFIG.? file to the current CONFIG.SYS file. There are two ways to copy the CONFIG.? file. You can enter the Copy command at the OS/2 command prompt, or you can create an OS/2 batch file that runs during restart AFTER the system processes C:\CONFIG.SYS. Replacing Your CONFIG.SYS File with CONFIG.? -------------------------------------------- If you have only one customized CONFIG.? file, or if you do not plan to change between CONFIG.SYS and CONFIG.? often, you might choose to copy over CONFIG.SYS with the customized CONFIG.? file. Copying over C:\CONFIG.SYS with your customized file replaces the default CONFIG.SYS file. The command to copy your customized file to the current CONFIG.SYS file is: COPY C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.? C:\CONFIG.SYS Using your customized CONFIG.? file as the default file lets you restart without selecting a CONFIG.? file at the Recovery Choices screen. You can now restart the system. When you restart, the system automatically uses the CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory. Creating a Batch File to Replace CONFIG.SYS with CONFIG.? --------------------------------------------------------- If you have several customized CONFIG.SYS files, using the batch file allows you to specify the CONFIG.? file you want to use without entering multiple copy commands. You can simply change the ? character in the batch file, and enter that character at the Recovery Choices screen. a. Create a batch file in the C:\OS2\BOOT subdirectory, and name it ALTF1?.CMD (? is the character you used in the name of the CONFIG.? file). b. Put the following command in the batch file: COPY C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.? C:\CONFIG.SYS c. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system. When the small white box appears in the upper-left corner, press Alt+F1 to display the Recovery Choices screen. d. At the Recovery Choices screen, press the key for the ? character that is in the name of the CONFIG.? file you want to use. The system continues the restart using the customized CONFIG.? file. Note: If you enter a character at the Recovery Choices screen for which there is no corresponding CONFIG.? file or ALTF1?.CMD batch file, the system returns to the Recovery Choices screen. Example: The following shows how to create a CONFIG.SYS file named CONFIG.A, and a batch file to copy it during restart. The system is installed on drive C. Before starting, save a copy of the current CONFIG.SYS file. a. Type the following and press Enter to copy the system version of CONFIG.SYS into a new file called CONFIG.A: COPY CONFIG.SYS C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.A b. Change to the C:\OS2\BOOT directory. c. Edit CONFIG.A to customize it; then save your changes. d. Type the following and press Enter to create the file, ALTF1A.CMD: E ALTF1A.CMD e. Add the following commands to ALTF1A.CMD and save the changes: COPY C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.A C:\CONFIG.SYS f. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system. When the small white box appears in the upper-left corner, press Alt+F1 to display the Recovery Choices screen. g. At the Recovery Choices screen, type A. Displaying Your CONFIG.SYS Choice on the Recovery Choices Screen ---------------------------------------------------------------- You can customize your Recovery Choices screen to display the list of customized CONFIG.? files that you created. To customize the Recovery Choices screen: 1. Edit the file, C:\OS2\BOOT\ALTF1BOT.SCR. (If you installed OS/2 on a drive other than drive C, specify THAT drive.) 2. Add a line for each CONFIG.? file that you created. Each line should include the alphabetic character that identifies that CONFIG.? file. You can add up to 6 lines of text to the bottom of this file. You might also want to include a brief, one-line description of when to use that version of the CONFIG.? file. For example, to display the option for the CONFIG.A file on the Recovery Choices screen, add the following to the file: C:\OS2\BOOT\ALTF1BOT.SCR ______________________________________________________________________ IBM disclaims all warranties, whether express or implied, including without limitation, warranties of fitness and merchantability with respect to the information in this document. By furnishing this document, IBM grants no licenses to any related patents or copyrights. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 IBM Corporation. Any trademarks and product or brand names referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners. Consult your product manuals for complete trademark information.