Specifies special options in the operating system. Use this command only in your CONFIG.SYS file.
none.
For information about COMMAND.COM switches, see the COMMAND command.
If you have a program that does not correctly interpret input from an enhanced keyboard, add this command to your CONFIG.SYS file so your enhanced keyboard will use conventional keyboard functions.
If you use the SWITCHES=/K command and you install the ANSI.SYS device driver, use the /K switch on the DEVICE command line for ANSI.SYS.
The SWITCHES /F and SWITCHES /N commands affect the behavior of the F5 and F8 keys when your computer starts. To control the behavior of the CTRL+F5 and CTRL+F8 startup keys, which bypass DriveSpace in addition to other startup commands, use the DRVSPACE /SWITCHES command.
In order for Microsoft Windows 3.0 to run in enhanced mode, the WINA20.386 file must be located in your root directory. If this file is not present, you will see this message:
You must have the file WINA20.386 in the root of your boot drive
to run Windows in Enhanced Mode
If you move the WINA20.386 file, you must add the SWITCHES command with the /W switch to your CONFIG.SYS file. You must also add a DEVICE command under the [386Enh] heading in your SYSTEM.INI file, specifying the new location of the WINA20.386 file.
If you do not use Microsoft Windows version 3.0, do not use the SWITCHES command with the /W switch.
If you want the operating system to use conventional keyboard functions even though you are using an enhanced keyboard, add to your CONFIG.SYS file:
switches=/K
If you use Microsoft Windows 3.0 in enhanced mode and you have moved the WINA20.386 file to a directory other than the root directory, add to your CONFIG.SYS file:
switches=/W
If you want to prevent users from using the F5 or F8 key to bypass startup commands, add to your CONFIG.SYS file:
switches=/N
If you want to skip the 2-second delay after displaying the "Starting MS-DOS..." message during startup, add to your CONFIG.SYS file:
switches=/F
none.