(This or something like it will probably end up in the NLSC's tutorial section, but for now, here will do.)
OK,
Creation of an MS-DOS batch (.bat) file is simple. Open Notepad, and Save As "filename.bat". Make sure you include the quotations so that the file is saved with a .bat extension, rather than .txt.
Now that you have your batch file, you'll want to enter MS-DOS commands.
Begin your .bat file with
@ECHO OFF
CLS
This will clear the MS-DOS window that opens when the .bat file is opened, and also allows you to display text.
To display text, type
ECHO and then the text you wish to display. Here's an example from the Live 2001 Current Roster Update installation:
ECHO.
ECHO Copyright (c) 1995-2002 by TASsoft, All Rights Reserved
ECHO Written by Andrew Begley
ECHO Previous versions by Lutz van Hasselt
ECHO Send ALL Feedback about this Patch to:
andrew@NBA-Live.comECHO.
Now you will want to type the commands necessary to install the patch. These may include:
COPY in the format COPY FILE DESTINATION
COPY career.dbf saves\000
MOVE in the format MOVE FILE DESTINATION
MOVE players.dbf saves\000
If you want to delete a file,
DEL is the command to use, in the form DEL FILE.
If you need to create a folder (directory), then use the command
M, eg. MD saves\050\
If you do not wish a command to be displayed when it is executed, after the command type
NUL (leaving a space between the command and NUL).
There are more commands to check if a folder exists and to display error messages, but those are the basics.