Using MS-DOS In Windows 95

ScanDisk and Defrag

MS-DOS versions 6.x include the ScanDisk and Defrag utilities for maintaining the hard drive. Because of changes in the way Windows 95 records file information to the hard drive, neither of these utilities (or comparable third party utilities) should be used under Windows 95. When Windows 95 sets up, it deletes these two files from the DOS directory and replaces them with the SCANDISK.BAT and DEFRAG.BAT files that inform to run the corresponding utility included with Windows 95. To find these utilities, click Start, click Programs, click Accessories, then click System Tools. ScanDisk checks the hard drive for errors, notifies of any found errors, and offers to repair the particular error. Disk Defragmenter rearranges the files on the hard drive to eliminate fragmentation of data and to make storage of data more efficient.

AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS

The AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS are still used in Windows 95. Depending on the configuration, real mode drivers may no longer need to be included for certain hardware devices connected to the system. Some drivers, such as HIMEM.SYS and SETVER.EXE, load automatically upon startup regardless of whether they are listed in the CONFIG.SYS. AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS can be edited in the same manner as in previous versions of Windows, using the Sysedit utility or the MS-DOS Edit command.

Running DOS applications in Windows 95

Windows 95 supports DOS applications, and this support is greatly improved over the DOS support in Windows 3.x. Windows 95 automatically creates a PIF (Program Information File) in the same directory when the DOS application is first launched. This PIF file (which can be user created, as well) can be configured so that the DOS application runs optimally. While many DOS programs currently run correctly with Windows, Windows 95 also offers a special MS-DOS mode that is akin to exiting to a DOS prompt in Windows 3.x. MS-DOS mode provides complete backward compatibility with certain DOS applications which require more resources and greater control over the hardware than Windows 95 can normally allow. In MS-DOS mode, real mode drivers may need to be include in the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT for such devices as CD-ROM drives and sound cards. When finished with the application, the system can then return to Windows.

F5 & F8 Interactive boots

Enter the safe mode of Windows 95 by pressing the F5 key when "Starting Windows 95" appears on the screen during the initial startup process. If F8 is pressed instead of F5 the following menu displays:

1. Normal
2. Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT)
3. Safe mode
4. Safe mode with network support
5. Step-by-step confirmation
6. Command prompt
7. Safe mode command prompt only
8. Previous version of MS-DOS

Most of these options are self-explanatory. "Logged" causes Windows 95 to monitor the startup and record this information in BOOTLOG.TXT on the root directory of C. "Safe mode" causes Windows 95 to load using a very simple configuration which allows the user to troubleshoot Windows 95 when it is unable to start normally. "Step-by-step confirmation" gives the option of stepping through the startup process in order to determine where an error might be occurring. Either of the "Command prompt" options cause startup to end at a command prompt (that is, before the graphical interface and protected mode drivers have been loaded). The final option, "Previous version of MS-DOS", causes the computer to startup using the system files from the version of DOS (if any) that was present on the system before Windows 95 was installed.

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