DOS Stacks

DOS Stacks

A CONFIG.SYS command that reserves memory for hardware interrupts. The Stacks command has become more of an issue with Windows, as mouse interrupts must be stored until Windows finishes its current operation and can service them. The stacks=9,256 line is placed in the CONFIG.SYS file by Windows 3.1's install program. This allocates nine stacks of 256 bytes taking up 2,304 bytes of conventional memory.

Some computers save memory for this function and can operate without additional stacks (stacks=0,0); however, Microsoft recommends that if your PC hangs up when you move your mouse, try the following entries in CONFIG.SYS, one at a time:

           stacks=12,128
           stacks=9,256
           stacks=12,256
           stacks=0,0

The first number in the command allocates the number of stacks from 8 to 64. The second number is the size of the stack in bytes from 32 to 512. The stacks=0,0 command allocates no stacks.