DOS‐tips

Abstract

Even if you're a new user of MS‐DOS microcomputers, you've probably seen a key marked Num Lock somewhere on your keyboard. Num Lock (for Numeric Lock) causes the dual‐purpose numeric keypad on the right side of most MS‐DOS keyboards to generate numbers (when Num Lock is ON) or to control cursor or other screen movement (when Num Lock is OFF). Certain MS‐DOS computers always boot up with Num Lock set to ON. This is probably the way you want it set if you do lots of numeric data input, but many microcomputer programs use the cursor control keys (Left and Right Arrows, Home, End, etc.) for everything from menu selection to viewing documents. To run these programs, you probably want Num Lock to be OFF. Sure, lots of keyboards (including the standard M310 Workstation keyboard) repeat the cursor control keys elsewhere on the keyboard, but some users (including myself) are very familiar with the placement and “feel” of the cursor control keys that are shared with the numeric keypad.

Citation

Bendig, M. (1990), "DOS‐tips", OCLC Micro, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 6-8. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb055941