What is the ppurpose of Autoexec.bat?

Hi,

Can any one let me know what is the purpose of autoexec.bat.....

Plz dont ask these simple questions here.. Just do a search on google to get a detailed list of sites...Anyway I'm sure you are not a beginner as you know how to register in this forum and post it ..so u must know how to google it.. =:)

Autoexec.bat is the first file which will be executed whenever OS loads. so all the necessary files which are to be started are kept in it

I strongly agree with madhava_sify.

If you open this file in notepad and see its contains, you will find a list of paths like c:\windows\... and/or d:\winnt\...

These are the locations that the OS will search whenever an unrecognized command is entered at command prompt or in Run window.

The order in which, the OS searches for the file in the above case is:D

-current folder
-root directory
-OS directory
-all the paths in autoexe.bat file in the order given

Autoexec.bat does not have much importance in case of Windows compared to older DOS systems. In windows, the programs to be started automatically are added to Startup group instead of Autoexec.bat. Not all programs can be loaded from Autoexec.bat, driver files & some other special programs r loaded from Config.sys and u can set the path & other variables from system properties. So autoexec.bat is not a must in case of windows and is provided for mainly backward compatibility.

Well said [B]Haitalk[/B]. I also agree with you on asking "Very basic questions". But then, if someone does ask a simple question, we just can't be rude to them.

Most of the times .config file will be empty! It is more useful for DOS than windows.

-Kalayama

Hi!
The autoexec.bat and the config.sys were files created for MS-DOS and Windows 3.x as an easy solution of loading the files required for various devices as well as the operating system to properly run. These files are required for later revisions of MS-DOS and Windows 3.x to load. Because Microsoft is trying to steer away from MS-DOS, these files are not required for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or later operating systems.

To edit these files, type edit c:\autoexec.bat to edit the autoexec.bat file

Below is an example of what an autoexec may look like:

@echo off
SET SOUND=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\CTSND
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:123
LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.EXE
DOSKEY
CLS
[SIZE="3"]
[COLOR="black"][COLOR="Blue"]In other words Auotoexec.bat file contains the user drive information of the system[/COLOR][/COLOR]
Thanks & Regards,
kumar.