MS-DOS v6.22 Help: MSD

-------------------------- MS-DOS v6.22 Help: MSD --------------------------
<Notes> <Examples>                                               <Index>
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                                    MSD

Provides detailed technical information about your computer.

Syntax

To use MSD to create a report, use the following syntax:

    MSD [/I] [/F[drive:][path]filename] [/P[drive:][path]filename]
    [/S[drive:][path][filename]]

To run the MSD program and examine technical information through its
interface, use the following syntax:

    MSD [/B] [/I]

Parameters

[drive:][path]filename
    Specifies the drive, directory, and filename to which you want to write
    the report.

Switches

/I
    Specifies that MSD not initially detect hardware. Use the /I switch if
    you are having problems starting MSD or if MSD is not running properly.

/F[drive:][path]filename
    Prompts you for name, company, address, country, phone number, and
    comments, then writes a complete MSD report to the file you specify.

/P[drive:][path]filename
    Writes a complete MSD report to the file you specify, without prompting
    you for information.

/S[drive:][path][filename]
    Writes a summary MSD report to the file you specify, without prompting
    you for information. If you do not specify any of the parameters, MSD
    writes the report to the screen.

/B
    Runs MSD in black and white instead of color. Use the /B switch when you
    have a monitor that does not correctly display MSD in color.

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                                 MSD--Notes

Information provided by MSD

Whether you examine the information through MSD's interface or through a
report, the MSD program can provide detailed technical information about
your computer's:

*  Model and processor

*  Memory

*  Video adapter

*  Version of MS-DOS

*  Mouse

*  Other adapters

*  Disk drives

*  LPT ports

*  COM ports

*  IRQ status

*  Terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs

*  Device drivers

MSD Button Options

The following is a brief description of the buttons that appear on MSD's
main screen:

Computer
    Displays computer manufacturer, processor type, and bus type; ROM BIOS
    manufacturer, version and date; keyboard type; DMA controller
    configuration; and math coprocessor status.

Memory
    Displays a map of the upper memory area (UMA) -- the memory region from
    640K to 1024K.

Video
    Shows your video card manufacturer, model, and type; video BIOS version
    and date; and current video mode.

Network
    Displays network-specific configuration information.

Operating System
    Displays the operating system version, location of MS-DOS in memory, the
    drive the computer was started from, the current environment settings,
    and the path from which MSD was run.

Mouse
    Shows the MS-DOS mouse driver version, mouse type, mouse interrupt
    request line (IRQ) number, and other information specific to the
    configuration of the mouse.

Other Adapters
    Displays the game card status for up to two game devices or joysticks.

Disk Drives
    Displays the size and number of bytes free on local and remote drives.

LPT Ports
    Displays the port addresses of all installed parallel ports, and
    dynamically displays the status of each port.

COM Ports
    Displays the port addresses and current communications parameters of all
    installed serial ports, and displays the status of each port.

IRQ Status
    Displays the configuration of the hardware IRQs.

TSR Programs
    Displays the name, location in memory, and size of each program loaded
    in memory at the time MSD was run.

Device Drivers
    Displays the names of all device drivers installed at the time MSD was
    run.

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                               MSD--Examples

Starting the MSD program

If you wanted to examine some of the technical information about your
computer before calling Microsoft Product Support Services, you would start
the MSD program by typing the following at the command prompt:

    msd

The MSD program has an interface that makes it easy for you to access
detailed technical information about your computer.

Creating a report

Before calling Microsoft Product Support Services, you could create a file
called COMPUTER.TXT that contains a detailed technical report about your
computer. To do this, you could type the following at the command prompt:

    msd /p computer.txt

The COMPUTER.TXT file would contain the information about your computer.

If you want MSD to create a detailed report about your computer and you
wanted the report to include such information as your name, company,
address, and phone number, you would type the following at the command
prompt:

    msd /f computer.txt

The MSD program will prompt you for the information.

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