Where to Find Information on Writing TSRs

MS-DOS                      | WINDOWS

The information in the article applies to:

• Microsoft C for MS-DOS version 5.1, 6.0, 6.0a, and 6.0ax
• Microsoft C/C++ for MS-DOS, version 7.0
• Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows, versions 1.0 and 1.5

Because the MS-DOS environment is so loosely structured, there are no hard and fast rules that guarantee that a TSR (terminate-and-stay-resident) program will work correctly with any application. The best source for this information is the "MS-DOS Encyclopedia" (published by Microsoft Press). This excellent reference contains a 37-page chapter on TSRs, and other related information on exception handlers and hardware-interrupt service routines. If you take care to write your TSR in the manner described in this reference, you will minimize interactions and other problems.

NOTE: The "MS-DOS Encyclopedia" is no longer being published. However, there are other third-party reference works available that cover the topic of TSR programming.