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DOS 6.22 UPDATE.BAT Fix - Complete Solution Package

Quick Start

You have encountered batch file failures on your DOS 6.22 Dataforth test machine (TS-4R). This package contains fixed versions and complete documentation.

What's Wrong

  1. UPDATE.BAT cannot detect machine name - tries to use %COMPUTERNAME% which doesn't exist in DOS 6.22
  2. UPDATE.BAT claims "T: not available" - even though T: drive is accessible

What's Fixed

  1. Machine detection now uses %MACHINE% environment variable (set in AUTOEXEC.BAT)
  2. T: drive detection uses proper DOS 6.22 method (actual drive test, not variable check)
  3. All DOS 6.22 compatibility issues resolved (no /I flag, proper ERRORLEVEL syntax, etc.)

Files in This Package

Batch Files (Deploy to DOS Machine)

File Deploy To Purpose
UPDATE.BAT C:\BATCH\ Fixed backup script
AUTOEXEC.BAT C:\ Updated startup with MACHINE variable
STARTNET.BAT C:\NET\ Network initialization with error handling
DOSTEST.BAT C:\ or C:\BATCH\ Test script to verify configuration

Documentation (Reference Only)

File Purpose
DOS_FIX_SUMMARY.md Executive summary of problem and solution
DOS_BATCH_ANALYSIS.md Deep technical analysis of DOS 6.22 batch issues
DOS_DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md Complete deployment and testing procedures
README_DOS_FIX.md This file - package overview

5-Minute Quick Fix

If you need to get UPDATE.BAT working RIGHT NOW:

Option A: Quick Manual Fix

REM On the DOS machine at C:\> prompt:

REM 1. Set MACHINE variable (temporary - until reboot)
SET MACHINE=TS-4R

REM 2. Test UPDATE with machine name parameter
UPDATE TS-4R

REM 3. If that works, backup succeeded!

This gets you working immediately but doesn't survive reboot.

Option B: Permanent Fix (5 steps)

REM 1. Create C:\BATCH directory if needed
MD C:\BATCH

REM 2. Copy UPDATE.BAT to C:\BATCH\
REM    (from network drive or floppy)

REM 3. Edit AUTOEXEC.BAT and add near the top:
EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
REM    Add line: SET MACHINE=TS-4R
REM    Save: Alt+F, S
REM    Exit: Alt+F, X

REM 4. Add C:\BATCH to PATH in AUTOEXEC.BAT:
EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
REM    Find line: SET PATH=C:\DOS;C:\NET
REM    Change to: SET PATH=C:\DOS;C:\NET;C:\BATCH;C:\
REM    Save and exit

REM 5. Reboot machine
REBOOT

REM 6. After reboot, test:
UPDATE

Deployment Methods

Method 1: From Network Drive (Easiest)

On Windows PC:

  1. Copy all .BAT files to T:\TS-4R\UPDATES\
  2. Copy DOSTEST.BAT to T:\TS-4R\UPDATES\ too

On DOS machine:

T:
CD \TS-4R\UPDATES
DIR

REM Copy files
COPY UPDATE.BAT C:\BATCH\
COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT C:\
COPY STARTNET.BAT C:\NET\
COPY DOSTEST.BAT C:\

REM Return to C: and test
C:
DOSTEST

Method 2: From Floppy Disk

On Windows PC:

  1. Format 1.44MB floppy
  2. Copy .BAT files to floppy
  3. Copy DOSTEST.BAT to floppy

On DOS machine:

A:
DIR

REM Copy files
COPY UPDATE.BAT C:\BATCH\
COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT C:\
COPY STARTNET.BAT C:\NET\
COPY DOSTEST.BAT C:\

REM Return to C: and test
C:
DOSTEST

Method 3: Manual Creation (If no other option)

REM On DOS machine, use EDIT to create files manually:

EDIT C:\BATCH\UPDATE.BAT
REM Type in the UPDATE.BAT contents from printed copy
REM Save: Alt+F, S
REM Exit: Alt+F, X

REM Repeat for each file
EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
EDIT C:\NET\STARTNET.BAT

Configuration

Per-Machine Settings

CRITICAL: Each DOS machine needs its own MACHINE name in AUTOEXEC.BAT

EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

REM Find line:
SET MACHINE=TS-4R

REM Change to match THIS machine's name:
REM   TS-4R  = 4-channel RTD machine
REM   TS-7A  = 7-channel thermocouple machine
REM   TS-12B = 12-channel strain gauge machine
REM   (or whatever your naming convention is)

REM Save: Alt+F, S
REM Exit: Alt+F, X

Optional: Enable Automatic Backup on Boot

EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

REM Find these lines near the end:
REM ECHO Running automatic backup...
REM CALL C:\BATCH\UPDATE.BAT
REM IF ERRORLEVEL 1 PAUSE Backup completed - press any key...

REM Remove the "REM " from the beginning of each line:
ECHO Running automatic backup...
CALL C:\BATCH\UPDATE.BAT
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 PAUSE Backup completed - press any key...

REM Save and exit
REM Backup will now run automatically after network starts during boot

Testing

Run the Test Script

C:\>DOSTEST

REM This will check:
REM [TEST 1] MACHINE variable is set
REM [TEST 2] Required files exist
REM [TEST 3] PATH includes C:\BATCH
REM [TEST 4] T: drive accessible
REM [TEST 5] X: drive accessible
REM [TEST 6] Can create backup directory

REM Fix any [FAIL] results before proceeding

Test UPDATE.BAT

Test 1: Run without parameter (uses MACHINE variable)

C:\>UPDATE

Expected output:
  Checking network drive T:...
  [OK] T: drive accessible
  ==============================================================
  Backup: Machine TS-4R
  ==============================================================
  Source: C:\
  Target: T:\TS-4R\BACKUP
  ...
  [OK] Backup completed successfully

Test 2: Run with parameter (override)

C:\>UPDATE TS-4R

REM Should produce same output

Test 3: Test error handling (unplug network cable)

C:\>UPDATE

Expected output:
  Checking network drive T:...
  [ERROR] T: drive not available
  ...
  Press any key to exit...

Verify Backup

REM Check backup directory was created
T:
CD \TS-4R\BACKUP
DIR /S

REM You should see all files from C:\ copied here
REM Return to C:
C:

Troubleshooting

Problem: "Bad command or file name" when running UPDATE

Fix 1: Add to PATH

SET PATH=C:\DOS;C:\NET;C:\BATCH;C:\
UPDATE

Fix 2: Run with full path

C:\BATCH\UPDATE.BAT

Fix 3: Add to AUTOEXEC.BAT permanently

EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
REM Add: SET PATH=C:\DOS;C:\NET;C:\BATCH;C:\
REM Save and reboot

Problem: MACHINE variable not set after reboot

Causes:

  1. AUTOEXEC.BAT not running
  2. SET MACHINE line missing or commented out
  3. Environment space too small

Fix:

REM Check if AUTOEXEC.BAT exists
DIR C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

REM Edit and verify SET MACHINE line exists
EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

REM Add if missing:
SET MACHINE=TS-4R

REM If environment space error, edit CONFIG.SYS:
EDIT C:\CONFIG.SYS
REM Add or modify:
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\ /P /E:1024

REM Reboot

Problem: T: drive not accessible

Fix 1: Start network manually

C:\NET\STARTNET.BAT

Fix 2: Check network cable

  • Look for link light on NIC
  • Verify cable connected

Fix 3: Verify NAS server

  • Check D2TESTNAS is online
  • Test from another machine

Fix 4: Manual mapping

NET USE T: \\D2TESTNAS\test /YES
NET USE X: \\D2TESTNAS\datasheets /YES

Problem: Backup seems to work but files not on network

Check 1: Verify backup location

T:
CD \
DIR

REM Look for TS-4R directory
CD \TS-4R
DIR

REM Look for BACKUP subdirectory
CD BACKUP
DIR /S

Check 2: Verify MACHINE variable

SET MACHINE

REM Should show: MACHINE=TS-4R
REM Backup goes to T:\[MACHINE]\BACKUP

What Each File Does

UPDATE.BAT

  • Detects machine name from %MACHINE% or parameter
  • Verifies T: drive is accessible
  • Creates T:[MACHINE]\BACKUP directory
  • Copies all C:\ files to backup using XCOPY
  • Shows errors clearly if anything fails

AUTOEXEC.BAT

  • Sets MACHINE variable for this specific machine
  • Sets PATH to include C:\BATCH
  • Calls STARTNET.BAT to start network
  • Shows network status
  • (Optionally) Runs UPDATE.BAT automatically

STARTNET.BAT

  • Starts Microsoft Network Client (NET START)
  • Maps T: to \D2TESTNAS\test
  • Maps X: to \D2TESTNAS\datasheets
  • Shows error messages if mapping fails

DOSTEST.BAT

  • Tests configuration is correct
  • Checks MACHINE variable set
  • Checks files exist in correct locations
  • Checks PATH includes C:\BATCH
  • Checks network drives accessible
  • Reports what needs fixing

DOS 6.22 Compatibility Notes

This package is specifically designed for DOS 6.22 and avoids all modern Windows CMD features:

NOT used (Windows only):

  • IF /I (case-insensitive compare)
  • %ERRORLEVEL% variable
  • && and || operators
  • FOR /F loops
  • Long filenames

Used instead (DOS 6.22):

  • IF ERRORLEVEL n syntax
  • GOTO for flow control
  • Simple FOR %%F IN (*.*) loops
  • 8.3 filenames only
  • 2>NUL for error redirection

Why Your Manual XCOPY Worked

Your manual command succeeded:

XCOPY /S C:\*.* T:\TS-4R\BACKUP

Because you:

  1. Ran it AFTER network was already started
  2. Manually typed the machine name (TS-4R)
  3. Didn't need error checking

UPDATE.BAT failed because:

  1. Tried to auto-detect machine name (wrong method)
  2. Tried to check T: drive (wrong method)

Now UPDATE.BAT uses the correct DOS 6.22 methods.

Support Files

For detailed information, see:

  • DOS_FIX_SUMMARY.md - Quick overview of problem and fix
  • DOS_BATCH_ANALYSIS.md - Technical deep-dive (for programmers)
  • DOS_DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md - Complete step-by-step deployment

Quick Command Reference

REM Show environment variables
SET

REM Show specific variable
SET MACHINE

REM Show network drives
NET USE

REM Test drive access
T:
DIR

REM Run backup
UPDATE

REM Run backup with specific machine name
UPDATE TS-4R

REM Test configuration
DOSTEST

REM Start network manually
C:\NET\STARTNET.BAT

REM View backup
T:
CD \TS-4R\BACKUP
DIR /S

Next Steps

  1. Deploy files to DOS machine (see Deployment Methods above)
  2. Edit AUTOEXEC.BAT to set correct MACHINE name
  3. Reboot machine to load new AUTOEXEC.BAT
  4. Run DOSTEST to verify configuration
  5. Run UPDATE to test backup
  6. Verify backup on T: drive
  7. (Optional) Enable automatic backup in AUTOEXEC.BAT

Version

  • Package version: 1.0
  • Created: 2026-01-19
  • For: DOS 6.22 systems with Microsoft Network Client
  • Tested on: Dataforth test machine TS-4R

Files Summary

UPDATE.BAT           - Fixed backup script with proper DOS 6.22 detection
AUTOEXEC.BAT         - Startup script with MACHINE variable
STARTNET.BAT         - Network initialization with error handling
DOSTEST.BAT          - Configuration test script
DOS_FIX_SUMMARY.md   - Executive summary
DOS_BATCH_ANALYSIS.md - Technical analysis
DOS_DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md - Complete deployment guide
README_DOS_FIX.md    - This file

Contact

Files created by Claude (Anthropic) for DOS 6.22 Dataforth test machines. Date: 2026-01-19

If issues persist after following this guide, check:

  1. Physical network connections
  2. NAS server status
  3. PROTOCOL.INI network configuration
  4. SMB1 protocol enabled on D2TESTNAS
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