DOS API: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:01, 3 July 2008

Revision as of 02:26, 20 July 2008

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The '''MS-DOS API''' is an [[API]] used originally in [[MS-DOS]]/[[PC-DOS]], and later by other [[DOS]] systems. The DOS API is based on [[software interrupt]] 21h (int 21h). By calling int 21h with the subfunction in AH and the other parameters in other registers, one invokes various DOS services. DOS services include keyboard input, video output, disk file access, executing programs, memory allocation, and various other things. There are various implementations of the DOS API, including MS-DOS, PC-DOS, DR-DOS, FreeDOS, PTS-DOS, and others. The DOS API is based on the [[BIOS]], and DOS routines often internally access [[BIOS interrupt call]]s.

The [[DOS Protected Mode Interface]] extends the DOS API to 32-bits. The MS-DOS API is partially dependent on x86 code hence DOS cannot be ported to other architectures.

==The MS-DOS API and Windows==