OS Fundamentals part 1
The
values in Io.sys cannot be edited, to override values in Windows
9x Io.sys, place the entry in Config.sys with the value you
want. For example Io.sys does not load Emm386.exe. If any of
your applications requires expanded memory or loads data into
the high memory area, EMM386 must be loaded in Config.sys.
BOOT.INI Used in Win NT and
2000 (see
below)
WIN.COM performs checks and loads the core components of
Windows. (Kernel, User and GUI) If windows is not shut down
properly, WIN.COM will run Scandisk. You can type WIN at the
command prompt to start Windows.
MSDOS.SYS is a hidden system
file,found in root directory. It contains settings that are
processed during startup. Windows renames the DOS version to
msdos.dos and replaces it with its own version (see
above). It is divided into two sections.
Example MSDOS.SYS file
Paths
|
|
WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
|
Defines the location of the Windows 9x Windows directory
as specified during Setup.
|
WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS
|
Defines the location of the necessary startup files. The
default is the directory specified during Setup.
|
HostWinBootDrv=C
|
Defines the location of the boot drive root directory.
|
Options
|
|
BootMulti=1
|
Enables dual-boot capabilities. The default is 0.
Setting this value to 1 enables the ability to start
MS-DOS by pressing F4 or by pressing F8 to use the
Windows Startup menu.
|
BootGUI=1
|
Enables automatic graphical startup into Windows 9x. The
default is 1.
|
AutoScan=1
|
Enables ScanDisk to run automatically when your computer
restarts. The default is 1. When this value is set to 1,
ScanDisk will run automatically, setting this value to 0
disables this feature.
|
Logo=1
|
Enables display of the animated logo.
|
AUTOEXEC.BAT
Stands for automatically executed batch
file, the file that DOS automatically executes when a computer
boots up. You can put commands in this file that you want to
execute when your computer executes.
Win 9x does not need this file but
includes it for compatibility with some older programs that use
it.
CONFIG.SYS DOS configuration file which loads the device
drivers, not necessary to run Windows but retained for backward
compatibility.