Computers: Get Familiar With MSDOS.SYS

Get Familiar With MSDOS.SYS

Written by Stephen Bucaro

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resource box below is included. ---------------------------------------------------------- Get Familiar With MSDOS.SYS

By Stephen Bucaro

Msdos.sys was one of repparttar 107840 three files (along with io.sys and command.com) that DOS 6 and earlier versions was composed of. It was a binary file that created a disk buffer and file control block for service routines, and performed hardware initialization. Beginning with Windows 95, msdos.sys was combined into io.sys and repparttar 107841 new msdos.sys became a text editable configuration file.

Msdos.sys is a hidden system file located in repparttar 107842 root of your boot drive. To view hidden files, in Explorer's "View" menu select "Folder Options". In repparttar 107843 "Folder Options" dialog box click on repparttar 107844 "View" tab and under "Hidden Files" check "Show all files". You may want to make a backup copy of msdos.sys named msdos.sys.bak before you make any changes to repparttar 107845 file.

There are three sections to msdos.sys. The [Paths] section tells Windows where to find repparttar 107846 necessary startup files. The WinDir= entry contains repparttar 107847 path to repparttar 107848 folder containing repparttar 107849 operating system. The WinBootDir= entry contains repparttar 107850 path to repparttar 107851 boot folder. The WinBootDrv= entry contains repparttar 107852 letter of repparttar 107853 boot drive. You shouldn't make any changes to this section.

The [Options] section is used to configure startup settings. The last section of repparttar 107854 file is filler to make sure repparttar 107855 file is at least 1,024 characters long. Before you can edit repparttar 107856 msdos.sys file you need to right-click on repparttar 107857 file name and in repparttar 107858 "Properties" dialog box that appears, uncheck repparttar 107859 Read-only attributes check box.

The [Options] section can contain up to 16 entries. The default msdos.sys usually contains only five entries. You can edit these settings in Notepad for purposes of debugging or just to make it start faster. Below is a list of some useful entries.

AutoScan - Controls whether Windows runs ScanDisk after an improper shutdown. If you have a large hard disk, ScanDisk can take a long time. You may want to prevent it from running automatically. Setting AutoScan=0 prevents ScanDisk from running automatically.

BootGUI - Controls whether your system starts in Windows mode or DOS 7 mode. Setting BootGUI=0 causes it to start in DOS mode. (Note: Windows Me does not support booting in DOS mode, so this will have no effect.)

BootKeys - Controls whether Windows will recognize keys pressed during startup. You might want to press F8 or Ctrl during startup to display repparttar 107860 Startup Menu. However, if you want to keep unauthorized people from bypassing your logon, you should set BootKeys=0 to ignore keys presses during startup.

Importance of Backups

Written by Grant McNamara

A backup is repparttar

term used to describe copying files from your computer's hard drive to another medium such as a tape or compact disk. The resulting backup can then be stored somewhere away from repparttar 107837

computer. We should do this periodically in case our original files are lost in some way. The most common causes of files being lost include theft of computers, accidental errors we make, and hardware faults.

I was reminded of repparttar 107838 need for backups earlier this week through a conversation with a friend. He runs a small computer shop and repair business. Whilst I was there a customer came in and left a nicely wrapped bottle of wine and said a hearty 'thanks', then left. My curiosity piqued I asked why their customer was so greatful. It turned out that repparttar 107839 previous week something had gone wrong with his computer's hard disk and he had brought it in for repair. However repparttar 107840 owner had no backup, and was terribly worried that he had lost all his data. The shop staff managed to correct repparttar 107841 fault and 'save' his data; hence his relief and appreciation. My friend then told me that it was a daily occurence, and showed me some of repparttar 107842 numerous gifts people had given in thanks.

But for many people their experience wasn't as fortunate. Sadly for many people who have hard disk faults, unless they have a backup all of their files are lost.

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