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Booting to DOS Mode
With Win9x

The following instructions will help you create a
useful and versatile configuration when needing to boot to DOS-Mode

Normally when you do a shutdown, and select Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode and reboot, the file \WINDOWS\DOSSTART.BAT is executed in place of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This has several shortcomings and limitations.

    1. It does not process a separate CONFIG.SYS file. This means if you are booting to DOS mode in order to run a game, your CD ROM and Sound Drivers are not loaded. The only way around that would be to always have these drivers in your CONFIG.SYS file. Since Windows95 typically doesn't need them, there is the problem of loading drivers you don't always need.

    2. This also always uses the same settings and drivers.

There is a easy way around this problem that actually allows you to have completely separate AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files when you boot to DOS-MODE
1. Using the Explorer, make a shortcut on your Desktop of the \WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM or to the DOS program you want to run in DOS Mode
2. Right click on the icon
3. Select Properties
4. Click on the Program tab
5. Click on the Advanced button
6. Check the MS-DOS mode box
7. Check Specify a new MS-DOS configuration
8. You can now enter CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT drivers and files. These will only be used when you click on that icon. I would also recommend checking the Warn before entering MS-DOS mode.
dosmode.gif
9. Now these drivers will only be loaded when you need them. Your normal Windows95 operation will not be impacted.
10. One advantage of doing it this way is that you can create separate icons which will load different drivers for different situations you may have. For example, one game might require that you load the CD ROM drivers and another doesn't need them.

Advanced Configuration
1. If you click on the Configuration button. The following screen will come up
DOSMODE1
3. This will allow you to add EMS support, Smart Drive, Doskey and Direct Disk Access

Adding More Options under Advanced Configuration
1. You can add options in the Configuration Options by editing the Registry
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \Windows \ CurrentVersion \ MS-DOSOptions
3. The following is a sample for the EMS setting
dosmode2.gif
4. To add additional options, basically create a new key and copy an existing one's format. You can change the values in the next step.
5. For example, to be able to add a checkbox for your CD ROM drive with the appropriate drivers:
  1. Go to that section
  2. Add a string called CONFIG.SYS
  3. Give it a value that you would normally put in your config.sys file to load that driver
  4. Add a string called AUTOEXEC.BAT
  5. Give it the value pointing to the location of MSCDEX.EXE along with any switches you would normally need
  6. Change the Flags to 1b if you want that box checked when you open this section. Change it to 20 if you want it unchecked
  7. The Order is the order it will appear in the options box
  8. TipText is the text that will appear in the bottom of the dialog box
  9. The Default is the title that will appear in the dialog box
dosmode3.gif
6. Using the above steps, you can just as easily add other options you would like to appear when you create a DOS Mode Program.

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