Use of Break in DOS

Break

DOS has a feature called extended CTRL+C checking. The break command turns this feature on or off. When break is off (the default), DOS checks for CTRL+C only while it reads from the keyboard or writes to the screen or a printer. When break is on, CTRL+C checking is extended to other functions, such as disk read and write operations, which enables us to press CTRL+C to stop a program or an activity (such as file sorting).

As you might guess, break should always be set to on so you can break out of a program if desired. This is a vital function when working with batch files.

Break can be set to on in config.sys with BREAK=ON or Break can be set to on in any batch file or at the prompt with BREAK ON.
BREAK alone (in a batch file or at the prompt) will tell you if break is on or off.

Tips

Use BREAK=ON in config.sys so extended CTRL+C checking is enabled as early as possible each time you boot.