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If you have config.sys and autoexec.bat files in your root directory, they are read by Win95 during bootup. If you then do a Shutdown/Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode?, whatever was loaded in those files remains loaded, plus the dosstart.bat file in the \Windows directory gets executed.

The main purpose of the dosstart.bat file is to load your DOS mouse.exe and mscdex.exe. Those programs are not otherwise needed in Win95 (such as in a DOS box under Win95, where the Win95 drivers are used just fine), but are needed in MS-DOS mode if you want to use your mouse or CD drive. In addition, for the mscdex.exe to work, you need to have your DOS CD driver loaded, which is commonly done from your config.sys file (for example, DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\NEC_IDE.SYS /D:NECCD0). Depending on your system's requirements, you may wish to include entries for your sound card, joy stick, etc.

If instead you want to use custom config.sys and autoexec.bat files for the Exit To DOS mode, you can set that up in the Exit To DOS .pif file in the \Windows directory, similar to the way you can set those up for individual DOS programs in their own .pif files. Open the properties of the Exit To DOS shortcut in the \Windows directory with a right click and select Properites, then click Program, Advanced, and check Specify a new MS-DOS configuration. You can type in whatever you want for your config.sys and autoexec.bat settings, which will be executed each time you Restart in MS-DOS mode, instead of your normal config.sys, autoexec.bat, and dosstart.bat files (some files will be temporarily renamed when you Exit to DOS, and then renamed back on return to Win95).

If you have config.dos and autoexec.dos files in your root directory, they are copies of the original config.sys and autoexec.bat files from your previous operating system, before you upgraded to Win95. If you take the option to reboot into your previous operating system, those files will be reused, and they and several other files will be temporarily renamed. They will all get renamed again when you next boot back to Win95. If you never boot back to your previous OS, you don't need to keep any of the .dos files, although they don't cause any harm.

Example config.sys file:

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DOS=UMB
DOS=HIGH
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /P /E:1024
DEVICEHIGH=D:\CDROM\NEC_IDE.SYS /D:NECCD0
DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ANSI.SYS
rem - next 3 lines added for PGP
SET TZ=EST5EDT
SET PGPPATH=C:\PGP26
SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\PGP26
rem - next line runs virus check at bootup
INSTALL=C:\PROGRA~1\NORTON~3\NAVBOOT.EXE /STARTUP

LH D:\MOUSE\MOUSE.EXE /Q
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:NECCD0

Note also that if you created a Win95 startup diskette and expect to be able to use it to reload Win95 from CD, for example after a disk crash or system corruption, you will also need to include your realmode drivers for CD on that diskette. Since they are not included in the standard startup diskette created by Win95, you should copy them to your startup diskette yourself, or create a second startup diskette that includes them, and also create special config.sys and autoexec.bat files on the diskette that will load those realmode drivers. If you purchased a new PC with factory installed Win95, it may or may not have included a special startup diskette for reloading the system from the CD.

Info on how to create a boot diskette with DOS CD drivers is available here.

Info on how to configure conventional memory for Win95 is available here.

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Send comments to: dwomble@cmb.biosci.wayne.edu

Copyright © 1997, David D. Womble.