my desktop PC loaded with DS v6.22, in file c:\autoexec.bat,
the line "prompt $e[0;30;47m$p$g" works to change the foreground to
black, and the background to light-grey -- more readable,
to me anyway. :-)
The line of code fails on my notebook PC loaded with Win98se v4.10.2222.
Why? What line of code do I add to c:\autoexec.bat on my notebook PC to
make the foreground black and the background light-grey?

Speirs, Robert J.N. wrote:
my desktop PC loaded with DS v6.22, in file c:\autoexec.bat,
the line "prompt $e[0;30;47m$p$g" works to change the foreground to
black, and the background to light-grey -- more readable,
to me anyway. :-)

The line of code fails on my notebook PC loaded with Win98se v4.10.2222.
Why? What line of code do I add to c:\autoexec.bat on my notebook PC to
make the foreground black and the background light-grey?

For that to work ansi.sys should be loaded in
config.nt, which is started when you start
command.com(not cmd.con)
Also you have autoexec.nt,which will be
executed.
You find them in C:\WINDWS\SYSTEM32