Day 19

Working with Windows 9x

Lesson 8 from supporting Windows

In this lesson we will understand how to change autoexec.bat and config.sys files to form a multi-boot system, set boot options, and how to better work with PnP technologies.

Installing Win9x

We can install this OS as an upgrade or as a clean install on a formatted drive. The items needed for a clean install are:

A HDD that has been partitioned and formatted, by using the FDISK and FORMAT commands found in the Windows boot-up disk.

NOTE:

If you are installing Windows on a HDD that had a non-DOS OS such as Linux or BE-OS, as its primary partition, you must delete that partition by using FDISK.

A least 230 megs of free space on the primary partition.

A 486 DX266 or higher CPU for Win98.

8 or more Megs of RAM

CD-ROM drivers.

NOTE:

Some OEM venders of yesteryear did not include their CD-ROM drivers in their own set-up diskette.

--On today’s systems, it is possible to boot up from the CD-ROM.

So let’s get Started

Insert the bootable win98 CD in the driver and boot up from the CD.

The Windows wizard will come up and test your HDD by scanning it.

If your HDD passes mustered than the process will start.

Wizard will ask you if you desire the windows directory to be called “windows.”

You can name it anything, but “windows” is easier to remember.

You can then add or remove window’s components from the “custom” install.

System files will be copied to run the rest of the show.

PnP devices will be looked for and their drivers will be automatically added to the system files, if windows has them. If not, it will ask you for them. They will be on the vender’s driver CD.

A start-up diskette is made. These can help you in the future.

Click “next” when asked to and key in the product number when asked. That number may be found on the jewel case of Windows.

Creating multi-boot configurations

A multi-boot configuration allows the user to boot up in more than one OS. We will work with building a multi-boot with DOS and Windows.

When correctly changed, config.sys will display:

Microsoft Windows 95 Startup menu

=========================

DOS
Windows
DOS Games

Enter a Choice: __

F5= Safe mode, Shift+F5= Command Prompt, Shift+F8 = Step by step configuration.

[N]

Okay- Let’s edit those config.sys and autoexec.bat files

Edit config.sys by using the “edit” tool from DOS or by using notepad.

Add these lines:

[menu]

menuitem=dos, DOS

menuitem=win, Windows

menuitem=game, DOS Games

menudefault= win, 3

[dos]

rem --insert dos drivers here.

[win]

rem –windows does not add normally drivers in this fashion.

[game]

rem –unique game items may be added here.

Okay- Let’s edit that autoexec.bat file

Edit autoexec.bat by using the “edit” tool from DOS or by using notepad.

Add these lines:

@echo off

prompt $p$g

goto %config%

:dos

rem—insert special DOS paths here

rem—insert special DOS drivers here

goto end

:win

rem—insert special WIN paths here

rem—insert special WIN drivers here

goto end

:game

rem—insert special game paths here

rem—insert special game drivers here

goto end

:end

Okay- now what?

We need to edit our MSDOS.SYS to allow multi-boots.

We do that by altering MSDOS.SYS by doing these steps:

In windows, click start, then click Run.
Key in “notepad,” hit enter.
open msdos.sys by viewing all files and by viewing hidden files.
Or type MSDOS.SYS in the “open text box.”
Do be sure to change the properties of this files to allow you to edit it.
Once inside MSDOS.SYS change the line that says BootGUI=1 to BootGUI=0.
Save and close.

What should I do if I cannot boot up into Windows?

Try booting in safe mode.

Do this by pressing F8 while booting.

Press that key when you see “Starting windows” displayed on the screen.

Once in safe mode, you may go into the system icon and make the changes there.

Normally removing the drivers that are stopping our system.

PnP

What is PnP, and how does it effect my machine? PnP stands for Plug n’ Play. Devices such as modems, sound cards, and video cards can be PnP. This means that the user can install the device and then boot-up the PC without having to set jumpers. BIOS will automatically set the addresses for you.

Here is how my IRQs look like:

PnP works because BIOS creates a special PnP table which holds the systems resources. As the system boots, BIOS assigns these resources to the PnP devices, which it finds.

This process is speeded up by the use of the ESCD (extended System Configuration Data), which saves the PnP data for the next boot up.

In order for PnP to work you must have the following:

A PnP BIOS ( BIOSes after 95 should be PnP)

PnP OS, such as Win9x, NT, 2000, ME.

And PnP devices, of course!

A word on the Asus A7A266 M/B BIOS

The main setup menu from the Award BIOS

Very easy to setup DDR settings

Here is the beginning of the CPU speed setup.

CPU/PCI Frequency selector. Note the ability to go to 166MHz on the system bus

CPU Vcore setting are found here too!

For unlocked CPU, the CPU Frequency Multiplier is able to use many values.

SECOND HOUR

Set up as many PCs as you can from the hardware, which we still have.

Optimize Windows' startup by editing the MSDOS.SYS file.

Add or modified the following lines in the [Options] section of MSDOS.SYS :

BootDelay=0
BootMulti=0
DblSpace=0
DrvSpace=0
Logo=0
DisableLog=1
DoubleBuffer=0

Do this by using windows explorer to goto he root directory of the C drive and change the properties of the MSDOS.SYS to not to be hidden or read-only. Do this by right clicking on the file. If you cannot see hidden files, then within windows explorer, click view, folder options, then the tab that says view. Be sure that the window sin the middle has "View all files" checked. Now create a backup of the file by right-clicking on it and selecting Copy, and then right-clicking in an empty area of the Explorer window and selecting Paste. Use this copy of MSDOS.SYS if you need mess up the edited version.