Windows 7 / Getting Started

Defining Application Compatibility with the SetVer Utility

Some older applications expect a specific version of DOS (the command interpreter) when they execute and won't execute with any other version. Usually, these applications won't even start; they simply display an error message telling you to get the right version of DOS. You can overcome this particular problem by adding an entry for the application to the Set Version (SetVer) utility table. When you try to execute the application, the command interpreter tells it that it's executing with the specific version of DOS that the application needs. This utility uses the following syntax:

Display the SetVer Information
	SETVER [drive:path]
Add a New Application
	SETVER [drive:path] filename n.nn
Delete an Application
	SETVER [drive:path] filename /DELETE [/QUIET]

The following list describes each of the command line arguments.

[drive:path] Specifies the location of the SetVer.EXE file.

filename Specifies the name of the program to add to or delete from the SetVer table.

n.nn Specifies the DOS version to report to the application.

/DELETE or /D Deletes the application listing from the SetVer table.

/QUIET Performs the specified task without displaying any prompts. Use this option when working with batch files to prevent the utility from interrupting the user.

NOTE: You must load SetVer.EXE as a device driver in Config.NT to obtain the version-setting feature that it provides. You can check the SetVer status at the command prompt by typing SetVer and pressing Enter. The command displays a list of applications that appear in the SetVer table, and then displays the SetVer status. You'll see an error message when the device isn't loaded into memory.
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