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Function 4Bh (75) Load or Execute a Program (EXEC)
Loads a subprogram into memory and (optionally) executes it.
On entry: AH 4Bh
AL 00h to load and run
03h to load but not run
DS:DX Pointer to an ASCIIZ string specifying
pathname of subprogram
ES:BX Pointer to a parameter block
Returns: AX Error code If CF is set
Error codes: 1 Invalid function number
2 File not found
3 Path not found
5 Access denied
8 Insufficient memory
10 Invalid environment
11 Invalid format
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Function 4Bh (EXEC) allows a program to load a subprogram into memory
and, optionally, execute it.
If AL is 00h, the subprogram is loaded, a PSP is created, and the
program is executed. The terminate and Ctrl-Break vectors are set to
the instruction following the EXEC call, so that control returns to
the calling program as soon as the subprogram ends.
If AL is 03h, the subprogram is loaded, no PSP is created, and the
subprogram is not automatically executed, although your program can
jump to it.
Load the DS:DX register pair with a pointer to an ASCIIZ string
containing the drive, path, and filename of the file to be brought
into memory. And load the ES:BX pair with a pointer to a parameter
block to be passed to the incoming subprogram. The parameter block
layout is as follows:
For subfunction 00h (load and run)
Offset Size (bytes) Description
00h 2 Segment address of environment strings
02h 4 Segment and offset of command line
06h 4 Segment and offset of first default FCB
0Ah 4 Segment and offset of second default FCB
For subfunction 03h (load but don't run)
Offset Size (bytes) Description
00h 2 Segment address where file is to be loaded
02h 2 Relocation factor for program (applies only
to EXE-format programs)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Environment: The environment strings, which must be paragraph-
aligned, consists of a sequence of ASCIIZ strings
followed by a byte of 00h after all the strings.
Each ASCIIZ string typically takes the form of
parameter=value. The total environment string must
be less than 32K in length. If the segment for the
environment strings is set to 00h, the subprogram
inherits the environment of the calling program.
Note that the subprogram always recieves a copy of
the environment string, so that any changes made to
the subprogram's environment won't be reflected in
calling program's environment.
Files: When a subprogram is loaded and executed, all open
file handles are available to the subprogram. That
means, among other things, that the calling program
can redirect standard input and output for the
subprogram. The only file handles that are not
available to the subprogram are those that were
opened with the inheritance bit set to 1 (see
Function 3Dh).
Memory: Before using Function 4Bh, you must release enough
memory to load the subprogram (using function 4Ah).
Warning: This function changes all registers, including the
stack registers. Therefore, before calling a
subprogram, save SS and SP in variables inside your
program code.
Note: The EXEC function call uses the loader in
COMMAND.COM to load programs.
See Also:
3Dh
4Ah
4Dh
59h
FCB
PSP
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