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</style><table class="infobox ib-book vcard"><caption class="infobox-title">DOS Power Tools: Techniques, Tricks and Utilities </caption><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><div class="infobox-caption">Cover of first edition</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Author</th><td class="infobox-data">Paul Somerson</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Language</th><td class="infobox-data">English</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Subject</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="MS-DOS" title="MS-DOS">MS-DOS</a> tips and tricks</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Genre</th><td class="infobox-data">Non-fiction</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Publisher</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Bantam_Books" title="Bantam Books">Bantam Books</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Publication date</div></th><td class="infobox-data">1988</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Publication place</th><td class="infobox-data">United States</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Pages</th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">

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</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li>1272 pages <span style="font-size: 85%;">(1st ed.)</span></li><li>1054 pages <span style="font-size: 85%;">(5.0 ed.)</span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">

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<p><i><b>DOS Power Tools: Techniques, Tricks and Utilities</b></i> is a book by Paul Somerson, first published in 1988 by <a href="Bantam_Books" title="Bantam Books">Bantam Books</a> and sponsored by <i><a href="PC_Magazine" class="mw-redirect" title="PC Magazine">PC Magazine</a></i>. The book offers a guide to approaching <a href="MS-DOS" title="MS-DOS">MS-DOS</a> (and its cousin <a href="PC_DOS" class="mw-redirect" title="PC DOS">PC DOS</a>) as well as various tricks and utility programs—the latter provided as <a href="X86" title="X86">x86</a> <a href="Assembly_language" title="Assembly language">assembly</a> source code listings and as compiled <a href="COM_file" title="COM file">.COM</a> and <a href=".exe" title=".exe">.EXE</a> executables on an accompanying <a href="Floppy_disk" title="Floppy disk">floppy disk</a> (later expanded to three disks).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMcDowell1988D8HoffmanAngellHeslop199226_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMcDowell1988D8HoffmanAngellHeslop199226-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The book was a best-seller and received positive critical reception.

</p><p>The first edition of the book was written to accompany versions of DOS from <a href="MS-DOS_2.0" class="mw-redirect" title="MS-DOS 2.0">2.0</a> through <a href="MS-DOS_3.3" class="mw-redirect" title="MS-DOS 3.3">3.3</a>. The book was revised in 1992 to support <a href="MS-DOS_5.0" class="mw-redirect" title="MS-DOS 5.0">version 5.0</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHoffmanAngellHeslop199226_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHoffmanAngellHeslop199226-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Contents">Contents</h2></div>

<p>The first edition of <i>DOS Power Tools</i> is divided into five parts. The first part, "Getting Up to Speed", comprises six chapters discussing the background and development of DOS; the basic principles of DOS and its interactions with <a href="Hard_drive" class="mw-redirect" title="Hard drive">hard drives</a>; an introduction to binary and <a href="Hexadecimal" title="Hexadecimal">hexadecimal</a> encoding and x86 <a href="Instruction_set_architecture" title="Instruction set architecture">instructions</a>; PC keyboard <a href="Scancode" title="Scancode">scan codes</a>; and the basics of <a href="Central_processing_unit" title="Central processing unit">CPUs</a>, <a href="Read-only_memory" title="Read-only memory">ROM</a> and <a href="Random-access_memory" title="Random-access memory">RAM</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESomerson1988vii–viii_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTESomerson1988vii–viii-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The second part, "The DOS Tools", describes two programs included with DOS—<a href="Edlin" title="Edlin">EDLIN.COM</a>, the line editor, and <a href="Debug_(command)" title="Debug (command)">DEBUG.COM</a>, the assembler/debugger—as well as various <a href=".sys" title=".sys">.SYS</a> files.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESomerson1988ix–x_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTESomerson1988ix–x-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The third part, "Power User Secrets", defines <a href="Batch_file" title="Batch file">batch files</a> and their various syntax; <a href="DOS_environment_variable" class="mw-redirect" title="DOS environment variable">DOS environment variables</a>; <a href="ANSI_color" class="mw-redirect" title="ANSI color">ANSI color</a> codes; <a href="Enhanced_Graphics_Adapter" title="Enhanced Graphics Adapter">EGA</a> video modes; the rest of the programs included with DOS versions 2.0 through 3.3, such as <a href="GRAPHICS.COM" class="mw-redirect" title="GRAPHICS.COM">GRAPHICS.COM</a>, <a href="XCOPY.EXE" class="mw-redirect" title="XCOPY.EXE">XCOPY</a> and <a href="FDISK.COM" class="mw-redirect" title="FDISK.COM">FDISK</a>; and concludes with a troubleshooting guide in case the PC <a href="Crash_(computing)" title="Crash (computing)">crashes</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESomerson1988x–xii_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTESomerson1988x–xii-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The fourth part, "The Utilities DOS Forgot", is a compendium of source code listings for various bespoke programs and utilities, written in <a href="X86" title="X86">x86</a> <a href="Assembly_language" title="Assembly language">assembly</a> and in <a href="GW-BASIC" title="GW-BASIC">GW-BASIC</a>. The fifth and final part, "Quick Reference", provides a glossary of the primary DOS commands and their <a href="Command-line_flag" class="mw-redirect" title="Command-line flag">flags</a>; <a href="CONFIG.SYS" title="CONFIG.SYS">CONFIG.SYS</a> directives; batch file syntax; and comprehensive glossaries for EDLIN, DEBUG, and <a href="ANSI.SYS" title="ANSI.SYS">ANSI.SYS</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESomerson1988xii_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTESomerson1988xii-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Sales_and_reception">Sales and reception</h2></div>

<p><i>DOS Power Tools</i> was a hot-seller for <a href="Bantam_Books" title="Bantam Books">Bantam Books</a>' Computer Books imprint, with between 385,000 and 400,000 copies having been sold by summer 1990.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHoffman1990207Shannon1990C11_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHoffman1990207Shannon1990C11-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The book came amid a resurgence of computer-related <a href="Reference_work" title="Reference work">reference works</a> in the late 1980s, following a bottoming-out of the market in the mid-1980s.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMcDowell1988D8_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMcDowell1988D8-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The book eventually sold roughly one million copies.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMiller2018_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMiller2018-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

</p><p><i>Computers in Libraries</i> writer and <a href="OCLC" title="OCLC">OCLC</a> employee Randy Dykhuis called the first edition a "mammoth book ... $40, including a disk, and it's worth it". He continued: "I can't recommend this book highly enough. I think it belongs on or near the desk of anyone who wants to get everything possible from their PC."<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDykhuis199037_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDykhuis199037-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <i><a href="Publishers_Weekly" title="Publishers Weekly">Publishers Weekly</a></i> called the DOS 5.0 edition an "excellent guide" for "intermediate and advanced users", with Somerson writing in a "friendly, lively style, providing enlightening, albeit sometimes redundant, coverage of a wide range of meaty DOS topics with numerous hands-on examples". The magazine held reservation with its coverage of the DOS 5.0–specific commands compared to older ones and found the index "unusable" but concluded that "the book remains one of the best of its kind".<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHoffmanAngellHeslop199226_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHoffmanAngellHeslop199226-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Citations">Citations</h2></div>

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<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMcDowell1988D8HoffmanAngellHeslop199226-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMcDowell1988D8HoffmanAngellHeslop199226_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMcDowell1988">McDowell 1988</a>, p. D8; <a href="#CITEREFHoffmanAngellHeslop1992">Hoffman, Angell & Heslop 1992</a>, p. 26.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHoffmanAngellHeslop199226-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHoffmanAngellHeslop199226_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHoffmanAngellHeslop199226_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFHoffmanAngellHeslop1992">Hoffman, Angell & Heslop 1992</a>, p. 26.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESomerson1988vii–viii-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESomerson1988vii–viii_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFSomerson1988">Somerson 1988</a>, pp. vii–viii.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESomerson1988ix–x-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESomerson1988ix–x_4-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFSomerson1988">Somerson 1988</a>, pp. ix–x.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESomerson1988x–xii-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESomerson1988x–xii_5-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFSomerson1988">Somerson 1988</a>, pp. x–xii.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESomerson1988xii-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESomerson1988xii_6-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFSomerson1988">Somerson 1988</a>, p. xii.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHoffman1990207Shannon1990C11-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHoffman1990207Shannon1990C11_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFHoffman1990">Hoffman 1990</a>, p. 207; <a href="#CITEREFShannon1990">Shannon 1990</a>, p. C11.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMcDowell1988D8-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMcDowell1988D8_8-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMcDowell1988">McDowell 1988</a>, p. D8.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMiller2018-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMiller2018_9-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMiller2018">Miller 2018</a>.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDykhuis199037-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDykhuis199037_10-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFDykhuis1990">Dykhuis 1990</a>, p. 37.</span>

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>

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<ul><li><cite id="CITEREFDykhuis1990" class="citation journal cs1">Dykhuis, Randy (January 1990). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A8307427/GPS?sid=wikipedia">"<i>DOS Power Tools: Techniques, Tricks, and Utilities</i>"</a>. <i>Computers in Libraries</i>. <b>10</b> (1). Information Today: 37 – via Gale OneFile.</cite></li>

<li><cite id="CITEREFHoffman1990" class="citation journal cs1">Hoffman, Paul (July 27, 1990). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A9237621/GPS?sid=wikipedia">"Computer Books at ABA: The Market Moves On"</a>. <i>Publishers Weekly</i>. <b>237</b> (30). PWxyz: 207 – via Gale OneFile.</cite></li>

<li><cite id="CITEREFHoffmanAngellHeslop1992" class="citation journal cs1">Hoffman, Paul; David Angell; Brent Heslop (January 27, 1992). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A11837082/GPS?sid=wikipedia">"Computer Books at ABA: The Market Moves On"</a>. <i>Publishers Weekly</i>. <b>239</b> (6). PWxyz: 26 – via Gale OneFile.</cite></li>

<li><cite id="CITEREFMcDowell1988" class="citation journal cs1">McDowell, Edwin (June 20, 1988). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/20/business/the-media-business-computer-books-make-a-comeback.html">"Computer Books Make a Comeback"</a>. <i>The New York Times</i>: D8.</cite></li>

<li><cite id="CITEREFMiller2018" class="citation web cs1">Miller, Michael J. (May 29, 2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210119215259/https://www.pcmag.com/news/remembering-paul-somerson">"Remembering Paul Somerson"</a>. <i>PCMag</i>. Ziff-Davis. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/remembering-paul-somerson">the original</a> on January 19, 2021.</cite></li>

<li><cite id="CITEREFShannon1990" class="citation journal cs1">Shannon, L. R. (September 25, 1990). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/25/science/peripherals-a-literary-program-no-stranger-to-fiction.html">"A Literary Program, No Stranger to Fiction"</a>. <i>The New York Times</i>: C11.</cite></li>

<li><cite id="CITEREFSomerson1988" class="citation book cs1">Somerson, Paul (1988). <i>DOS Power Tools: Techniques, Tricks, and Utilities</i>. Bantam Books. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>9780553347012</bdi>.</cite></li></ul>

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2></div>

<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/PCMagazineDOSPowerTools1988_1">Floppy disk included with <i>DOS Power Tools</i></a> at the <a href="Internet_Archive" title="Internet Archive">Internet Archive</a></li></ul></div><div><div class="zim-footer">

This article is issued from <a class="external text" title="Last edited on 2025-01-27" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?title=DOS_Power_Tools&oldid=1272124991">Wikipedia</a>. The text is available under <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0</a> unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

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