Important Notice

The pages on this site contain documentation for very old MS-DOS software, purely for historical purposes. If you're looking for up-to-date documentation, particularly for programming, you should not rely on the information found here, as it will be woefully out of date.

◄Example►
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
                                MENUDEFAULT
 
Specifies the default menu item on the startup menu and sets a timeout value
if desired. You can use this command only within a menu block in your
CONFIG.SYS file. If you do not use this command, MS-DOS sets the default to
item 1.
 
The startup menu is a list of choices that appears when you start your
computer. You define a startup menu by using special CONFIG.SYS commands.
Each item on the menu corresponds to a set of CONFIG.SYS commands called a
"configuration block." A startup menu makes it possible to start your
computer with a variety of configurations. For more information about
defining multiple configurations, see the chapter "Configuring Your System"
in the MS-DOS User's Guide.
 
Syntax
 
    MENUDEFAULT=blockname[,timeout]
 
Parameters
 
blockname
    Specifies the default menu item by its associated configuration block.
    The block must be defined elsewhere in the CONFIG.SYS file. When MS-DOS
    displays the startup menu, the default menu item is highlighted and its
    number appears after the "Enter a choice" prompt.
 
timeout
    Determines how many seconds MS-DOS waits before starting the computer
    with the default configuration. If you don't specify a timeout value,
    MS-DOS does not continue until the ENTER key is pressed. You can specify
    a timeout value from 0 to 90 seconds. A timeout of 0 forces automatic
    selection of the default, effectively bypassing the menu display.
 
Related Commands
 
The MENUDEFAULT command is one of six special CONFIG.SYS commands for
defining startup menus and multiple configurations. The other commands are
as follows:
 
♦  The <MENUITEM> command, which defines an item on the menu.
 
♦  The <MENUCOLOR> command, which defines the color of the menu's text and
   screen background.
 
♦  The <SUBMENU> command, which defines a submenu.
 
♦  The <NUMLOCK> command, which specifies the state of the NUM LOCK key when
   the startup menu appears. (Although NUMLOCK can be used anywhere in the
   CONFIG.SYS file, it is especially useful when defining a startup menu.)
 
♦  The <INCLUDE> command, which includes the contents of one configuration
   block in another. This command cannot be included in a menu block.
 
For an overview of the procedure for defining multiple configurations, see
the topic <Commands for Defining Multiple Configurations>
                                      ♦