The three-letter file name extension given to batch program files that contain batch commands stored as text. A batch file contains DOS commands that you can type at the DOS prompt, together with other control commands. It's a convenient way of grouping a series of commands you need to run frequently. To run all the commands stored in the batch file, just type in the name of the file without its .BAT extension and each line will be run consecutively. When you first switch on your PC a batch file called AUTOEXEC.BAT is run. This contains all the setup and configuration commands that define the environment and set up any special devices like a CD-ROM drive. To see if you have any batch files on your hard disk, use the DIR *.BAT command from the DOS prompt or the File Manager in Windows and look for the .BAT file extension. To see what's inside a batch file, use the Type command in DOS.
