Stacks

Supports the dynamic use of data stacks to handle hardware interrupts. To use this environment variable, place it in your Config.nt file.

Syntax

stacks= n,s 

Parameters

n   : Specifies the number of stacks. Valid values for n are 0 and numbers in the range 8 through 64.

s   : Specifies the size, in bytes, of each stack. Valid values for s are 0 and numbers in the range 32 through 512.

Remarks

  • Default settings

    The following table shows the default settings for the stack command.

    Computer

    Stacks

    IBM PC, IBM PC/XT, IBM PC-Portable

    0,0

    Other

    9,128

  • Special cases for stack allocation

    Upon receiving a hardware interrupt, Windows XP allocates one stack from the specified number of stacks. When you specify 0 for the n and s values, Windows XP allocates no stacks. If the values are 0, each running program must have enough stack space to accommodate the computer's hardware interrupt drivers. Many computers operate correctly, saving some memory for programs, with n and s values of 0. If, however, your computer becomes unstable when you set these values to 0, return to the default values.

Examples

To allocate eight stacks of 512 bytes each for hardware-interrupt handling, add the following command to your Config.nt file:

stacks=8,512

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Command-line reference A-Z