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Avatar of JBeal
JBeal

asked on

dostart

What is dostart.bat for? I would like to have different
files loaded when starting on command line. This would
seem to be it but it doesn't seem to work. I want to do
this because loading from autoexec seems to use 16bit
drivers where Win95 32 bit may be better.
Avatar of fozy
fozy

Dostart is the first file the computer runs when u shut down-restart the computer in MS-DOS mode.

Here's a little list to help you understand it better. You can load any sizr bit app from it.
----General Tips for Using MS-DOS Mode
Windows 95 normally uses MS-DOS mode when it detects that a program requires it. If the program
you want to run is not recognized by Windows 95, you receive an error message stating that the
program cannot be run within Windows. You can then manually configure the program to use
MS-DOS mode.
Once you configure a program to use MS-DOS mode, double-clicking the program's icon causes Windows 95 to switch to MS-DOS mode automatically.
Before switching to this mode, Windows 95 ends all running tasks, loads a real-mode copy of MS-DOS, and loads customized Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files if appropriate. When you exit
MS-DOS mode, Windows 95 restarts.

Configuring MS-DOS Mode

To configure an MS-DOS-based program to run in MS-DOS mode, you should have a shortcut icon
for the program. If there is no shortcut icon for the program, use the right mouse button to click the
program's icon, and then click Create Shortcut on the menu that appears. Once there is a shortcut
icon for the program, follow these steps to configure the program to use MS-DOS mode:

1.Use the right mouse button to click the shortcut icon, and then click Properties on the menu
that appears.

2.On the Program tab, click Advanced.

3.Click the "Prevent MS-DOS-based programs from detecting Windows" check box to select it.

4.Click OK.

5.Try to run the program by double-clicking its shortcut icon. If the program runs, stop here. If
the program still does not run, continue with these steps.

6.Use the right mouse button to click the shortcut icon, and then click Properties on the menu
that appears.

7.On the Program tab, click Advanced.

8.Click the MS-DOS Mode check box to select it.

9.Click OK.

10.Try to run the program by double-clicking its shortcut icon. If the program runs, stop here. If
the program still does not run, continue with these steps.

11.Use the right mouse button to click the shortcut icon, and then click Properties on the menu
that appears.

12.On the Program tab, click Advanced.

13.Click the Specify A New MS-DOS Configuration option button. This option lets you specify a
custom Config.sys and Autoexec.bat file for the program. The custom configuration is in effect
for this program only.

Specifying a New MS-DOS configuration

To change the configuration to suit the program, follow these steps:

1.Review the lines in the Config.sys For MS-DOS Mode and Autoexec.bat For MS-DOS Mode
boxes. Make any necessary changes directly in the boxes.

NOTE: If you must add a driver or program for every MS-DOS based program you run, create
a new file called Dosstart.bat in the Windows directory. Add the driver or program to this file.

2.If a program does not run or performs poorly because of insufficient memory or the lack of a
driver, click the Configuration button to choose the options you want for the program. To learn
the purpose of each option, click the option's text and then read the description. Click the
options you want, and then click OK.

NOTE: Using these options removes any entries you may have already made in the
Config.sys For MS-DOS Mode and Autoexec.bat For MS-DOS Mode boxes.

WARNING: Although some MS-DOS-based programs require direct disk access, most do
not. Use this option with caution. Using this option can allow an MS-DOS-based program to
destroy long filename support in Windows 95.

For more information about configuring an MS-DOS-based program, consult the program's
documentation.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q77083
TITLE: Optimizing Your Use Of Upper Memory Blocks


Default Changes to Configuration Files

When you start MS-DOS mode, new Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files are created. The following
lines are added automatically by Windows 95:

The first line of the Config.sys file:

DOS=SINGLE


The last lines of the Autoexec.bat file:

REM
REM The following lines have been created by Windows.
REM Do not modify them.
CD \<directory of the application>
CALL <name of application>
<Windows>\WIN.COM /WX


The line "DOS=SINGLE" causes your computer to start in MS-DOS mode. The "Call" line starts the
MS-DOS-based program. The "WIN.COM /WX" command restarts Windows 95 with the normal
configuration.

Troubleshooting

Windows 95 does not restart after you quit the MS-DOS-based program.

Type "win /w" (without quotation marks) at the command prompt to restart Windows 95.
The program does not run in MS-DOS mode because of an incorrect configuration.

Add the appropriate lines in the Advanced Program Settings dialog box.

REFERENCES

For additional information about the process that occurs when you restart your computer in MS-DOS
mode, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q138996
TITLE     : Description of Restarting Computer in MS-DOS Mode


For additional information about games that require or perform better in MS- DOS mode, please see
the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q132994
TITLE     : Games (A-H) Requiring or Performing Better in MS-DOS Mode

ARTICLE-ID: Q132995
TITLE     : Games (I-Q) Requiring or Performing Better in MS-DOS Mode
ARTICLE-ID: Q132996
TITLE     : Games (R-Z) Requiring or Performing Better in MS-DOS Mode
Microsoft Windows 95 "Resource Kit," Chapter 22, Application Support
--------
When you restart your computer in MS-DOS mode or boot to a Windows 95 command prompt from
the hard disk or a bootable floppy disk, you may be unable to access the CD-ROM drive. This
behavior may occur even though you are able to access the CD-ROM drive from the Windows 95
graphical user interface.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the real-mode CD-ROM driver and real-mode Microsoft CD-ROM
Extensions driver, Mscdex.exe, (or a third-party equivalent) are not being loaded in the Config.sys
and Autoexec.bat files that are used when you restart the computer in MS-DOS mode or boot to a
Windows 95 command prompt.

To access a CD-ROM drive when you boot to a Windows 95 command prompt or restart the
computer in MS-DOS mode, you must load the real-mode CD-ROM driver in the Config.sys file and
the MSCDEX driver in the Autoexec.bat or Dosstart.bat file. If your CD-ROM drive is supported in
protected mode in Windows 95, the real-mode CD-ROM and MSCDEX drivers are most likely not
being loaded in the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat or Dosstart.bat files on the hard disk. In addition, if
you boot from a floppy disk, the CD-ROM and MSCDEX drivers will not load unless you manually
configure the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files on the floppy disk to load them.

RESOLUTION

Make sure that the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat or Dosstart.bat files you use when you restart the
computer in MS-DOS mode or when you boot to a Windows 95 command prompt load the
necessary real-mode drivers for the CD-ROM drive. Be sure to use the Mscdex.exe file in the
Windows\Command folder.

MORE INFORMATION

Windows 95 does not include real-mode CD-ROM drivers. If you need access to the CD-ROM drive
when you boot to a Windows 95 command prompt or when you restart the computer in MS-DOS
mode, you must use the real-mode CD-ROM driver included with the CD-ROM drive. For information
about how to obtain, install, or configure the real-mode CD-ROM driver, consult the documentation
included with the drive, or contact the drive's manufacturer.

Windows 95 does include an MSCDEX driver that is located in the Windows\Command folder. If you
must use a real-mode MSCDEX driver, you should use the driver in the Windows\Command folder
instead of the driver included with the CD-ROM drive.

The real-mode CD-ROM and MSCDEX drivers can be loaded from several different locations,
depending on the reason they are being loaded. If you are loading the real-mode drivers because you
need access to the CD-ROM drive when you boot to a Windows 95 command prompt, the drivers
must be loaded from the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files in the root folder of the boot drive. If you
are booting to a Windows 95 command prompt from a floppy disk instead of a hard disk, the drivers
must be loaded from the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files on the floppy disk.

If you are loading the real-mode drivers because you are restarting the computer in MS-DOS mode,
the drivers can be loaded from either of the following locations:

The Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files in the root folder of the boot drive.
The custom Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files that you specify in the properties for the
program you are running in MS-DOS mode, the properties for a shortcut that starts the
program you are running in MS-DOS mode, or the properties for the "Exit to Dos.pif" file that
is used to start Windows 95 in MS-DOS mode.

If you are restarting the computer in MS-DOS mode, you can also load MSCDEX from the
Dosstart.bat file in the Windows folder. This file is used when you restart the computer in MS-DOS
mode, but it is not used when you boot to a Windows 95 command prompt or start Windows 95
normally. If this file does not already exist in the Windows folder, you must create the file manually.

NOTE: When you install Windows 95, Setup disables (remarks out) the existing Mscdex.exe line in
the Autoexec.bat file if it detects a CD-ROM drive for which Windows 95 includes a protected-mode
driver. Therefore, when you boot to a command prompt or restart the computer in MS-DOS mode,
MSCDEX is not available. To make MSCDEX available, enable the existing Mscdex.exe line in the
Autoexec.bat file. You may also need to modify the line so that it loads the MSCDEX driver from the
Windows\Command folder instead of the driver included with the CD-ROM drive.
------
SET Statements in Dosstart.bat File Ignored
When you restart Windows 95 in MS-DOS mode, or when MS-DOS mode is set to use the Use Current Configuration option, SET statements in the Dosstart.bat file are ignored.

MORE INFORMATION

When MS-DOS mode is set to use the Use Current Configuration option, Windows 95 uses a file
called Dosstart.bat to load real-mode device drivers. This file is also used when you restart Windows
95 in MS-DOS mode.

You can edit the Dosstart.bat file to add device drivers or programs. However, you cannot run SET
statements in the Dosstart.bat file because of the way in which the Command.com file is run.

You can run SET statements in the Autoexec.bat file. These SET statements apply in all MS-DOS
mode sessions that use the Use Current Configuration option, or if you restart Windows 95 in
MS-DOS mode.
Avatar of JBeal

ASKER

Not true. I can get access to mouse and CD drive by running
dosstart, but I don't get it when I shutdown to MSDOS.
Dosstart runs programs that are used when you select Ms-Dos prompt icon or such, creating a DOS Shell, not full DOS.

To run CD devices and mice when going to full DOS, right click on "Exit to Dos" icon in win95 directory, select properties, program tab, advanced, Specify new config and enter your configuration. This will now be activated when you restart in DOS.

If you find this answer correct, please award the points to smeebud as i am only paraphasing his answer.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of tasgeo
tasgeo

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