About MSDOS.SYS settings
Using the Windows Boot Editor

The Windows Boot Editor allows the user to modify the default settings for the MSDOS.SYS. The MSDOS.SYS is the initialization file used by the boot code to determine  the default methods that  Windows 95, OEM Service Release 2 and Windows 98 choose to boot. You have specific selections that allow you to boot to DOS only, disable the startup banner, and to boot to the startup menu by default to name a few. You may use all or none of the settings or you can use the tool as a viewer for your current settings. The application provides an interface to view and print the contents of the file.

The following is an outline of what each item from each page does and its equivalent settings together with each settings default values. Use each of these settings with care as they will  alter the way Windows  normally boots. Care has been taken in the application to ensure that you are sufficiently warned when a course of action could lead to undesirable consequences.

Use the following topic to find out more about the most commonly used MSDOS.SYS settings. While changing these settings, be reminded that using the “Defaults”  button returns you to the Windows predefined defaults for each setting, not the last known setting.

Commmonly used Boot Settings

The Windows Boot Editor provides an advanced page to allow the modification of other settings in the MSDOS.SYS that normally would not need to be changed. It is recommended that you do not change these settings unless you are positive that changing these settings will not harm the performance of your system. If you are uncertain about any of these settings and how they will effect your system, then it is recommended that you do not make any changes to the Windows defaults.

Advanced Settings


MSDOS.SYS Boot Settings

Use these settings to modify the most commonly used MSDOS.SYS settings. These settings are fairly safe and easy to use and are to be used to customize the way Windows boots. For example, you can boot to the Windows Startup menu by default, or you can enable MultiBoot to boot to previous versions of DOS. If you are uncertain about any of thse settings, then it is recommended that you use the Windows defaults. See the below topics for more information on each setting.

Enable Multi Boot

Boot to Command Prompt Only

Disable Windows Startup Banner

Boot to Startup Menu

Boot Menu Delay (Seconds)

Boot Menu Options

Scandisk Options

Reset Boot Defaults


How to Boot previous version of DOS

Enable Multi Boot

Use this setting to enable the Multiple boot options of Window. You can choose the function key F4 when you see starting Windows 95 or Windows 98 to boot to your previous version of DOS. This can be useful for older DOS programs that are incompatible with this version of MS-DOS.  This setting is unsupported and has no effect if your hard disk drive is formatted using the new FAT32 technology and is therefore unavailable and grayed out when using the Boot Editor..

Windows 95 and OEM Service Release 2

MSDOS.SYS setting:

BootMulti = 0 by default. Setting of 1 enables this option.

Windows 98

On a FAT32 boot volume, this setting has no effect


BootGui

Boot to Command Prompt Always

This setting allows the user to force Windows to boot to the DOS command prompt by default. It does not override the settings of either the AUTOEXEC.BAT file or the CONFIG.SYS file. If you enable this feature and you still boot Windows by default, chances are you are running WIN.COM from one of the boot files or from a batch file that is called from the one of the boot files.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

BootGUI = 1 by default, a setting of 0 disables Windows from booting.


Startup Banner

Disable Windows Startup banner

Use this setting to disable the Windows Startup banner, referred to by some enthusiasts as the Clouds Screen.

MSDOS.SYS Setting:

Logo=1 by default, a setting of 0 disables this option


Startup Menu

Boot to Startup Menu

Use this setting to enable the Windows 95 startup menu by default. You can use the startup menu to choose the environment that you need to boot into, for instance safe mode if you are having system trouble or command prompt only to launch your favorite MS-DOS based game.

If you have disabled function keys or enabled booting to previous version of DOS, then this option will be unavailable.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

BootMenu=0 by default, a setting of one allows the user to boot to the startup menu always with no intervention. Pressing the F8 key at the “Starting Windows 95” message will also boot to the startup menu. In Windows 98, there is no startup message use the CTRL key to activate the startup menu when booting.


BootMenuDelay

Boot Menu delay (Seconds)

Use this setting to set the timer on the start menu for the allotted time to elapse before the default menu option is enabled. This value allows you to set the default time-out before any action is taken by the operating system..

MSDOS.SYS setting

BootMenuDelay=30 by default.


BootMenuDefault

Boot Menu Options

The Boot Menu Options Drop Down List allows you to select the default menu item to be hi-lighted when you boot to the Windows Startup Menu. This option will be the default action taken provided no user intervention has occurred before the timer has counted all the way down to zero.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

BootMenuDefault=1 by default. This application only uses a subset of the actions the user can take as detailed below


Scandisk

Scandisk Options

The Scandisk options allow the user to configure how they want Scandisk to run in the event of an abnormal shutdown. This option is available only on systems using Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 and higher. By default, Windows will prompt the user that their system shutdown improperly and that Scandisk is about to run. Users can change this setting to any of the following settings; Always, Prompt User (default) and Never. It is recommended that you do not change the Windows defaults.

MSDOS.SYS setting for OEM Service Release 2:

AutoScan = 1, by default. This will prompt the user before running Scandisk.

0 = Never

1 = Normal (Default)

2 = Always,; Scandisk runs without user intervention

MSDOS.SYS setting for Windows 98:

AutoScan = 1, by default. This will prompt the user before running Scandisk.

0 = Never

1 or 2 = Always,; Scandisk runs without user intervention using the settings in the 	Scandisk.ini


Defaults

Reset Boot Defaults

Use this option to reset the values in the MSDOS.SYS to their default values. By choosing this option, you override any of the previous options that were selected.

The default values for the MSDOS.SYS are as follows:

OPTION	         VALUE

BOOTMULTI	= 0

BOOTGUI  	= 1

LOGO	= 1

BOOTMENU	= 0

BOOTMENUDEFAULT	= 1

BOOTMENUDELAY	= 30

AUTOSCAN	= 2  ; (OSR 2 and above only, option not available in Windows 95)

BOOTKEYS	= 1

BOOTWIN	= 1

BOOTWARN	= 1

DBLSPACE	= 1

DRVSPACE	= 1

LOADTOP	= 1


Advanced MSDOS.SYS Settings

The settings on this page are designed for system administrators and advanced users of Windows 95, OEM Service Release 2 and Windows 98. Care has been taken in the application to ensure that you are sufficiently warned when attempting to change an option that could have undesirable consequences.

 Consult your documentation before making any changes to these defaults, do not make any changes if you are unsure what the setting is for.

Disable Function Keys (F5, F8, etc.)

Disable Safe Mode Warning

Boot Previous version of DOS by default

Disable DBLSpace drivers by default

Disable DRVSpace Drivers by default

Load COMMAND.COM low always

Double Buffering Options


Function Keys

Disable Function Keys (F5, F8, etc.)

Use this setting if you wish to disable interactive boots. The default behavior is to allow the user to press the F5 or F8 keys to enable safe mode and the Startup Menu Respectively. Changing this setting will disable both the Boot Keys and the Boot Menu options. Use this setting with caution as it may lead to undesirable results. This setting is designed for advanced users and system administrators to strengthen the Windows 95 security environment.  Attempting to change this setting will result in a warning message being displayed on the screen.

Windows 98 only:

This functionality has beeen changed. In order to invoke the startup menu, users can press the control key while booting.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

BootKeys = 1 by default, a setting of 0 disables interactive boots, use this setting with caution.


SafeMode

Disable Safe Mode Warning

If Windows 95 fails to boot into to the user interface during the device driver initialization phase of Windows or for any other reason, the default behavior for Windows is to boot to the startup menu with the “Safe Mode” option hi-lighted. Use this option to disable this behavior. This setting is designed for advanced users and system administrators and should not be modified from the defaults.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

BootWarn = 1 by default, a setting of 0 disables this behavior.


Previous Version of DOS

Boot Previous version of MS-DOS by default

Use this setting to force Windows to boot to the previously installed version of DOS. Use this setting with caution as it may prevent the return to the Windows environment. If you have disabled interactive boots with the  “Disable Function Keys option”  or you have enabled “Booting to the Startup Menu”, this option will be disabled and grayed out. This setting is equivalent to pressing F4 when you see “Starting Windows”. This setting is designed for advanced users and system administrators and should not be modified from the defaults. If you are using Windows 98 and your hard disk drive is formatted using the new FAT32 technology, this option is unavailable and grayed out.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

BootWin=1 by default, a setting of 0 boots your previous version of DOS by default. This option is superseded by the Boot GUI option.


DoubleSpace

Disable DBLSpace Drivers by default

Use this option to disable the loading of DBLSPACE.BIN. By default, Windows 95 will load both of either DBLSPACE.BIN or DRVSPACE.BIN if either is located in the root directory of the boot drive. This option is unavailable and grayed out if this application detects that any of your drives are compressed, however, this application does not detect when you have an unmounted compressed drive. Use this setting with caution as changing its default value may lead to undesirable consequences. This setting is designed for advanced users and system administrators and should not be modified from the defaults.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

DBLSpace = 1 by default, a setting of 0 prevents DBLSPACE.BIN from loading.


DriveSpace

Disable DRVSpace Drivers by default

Use this option to disable the loading of DRVSPACE.BIN. By default, Windows 95 will load both of either DBLSPACE.BIN or DRVSPACE.BIN if either is located in the root directory of the boot drive. This option is unavailable and grayed out if this application detects that any of your drives are compressed, however, this application does not detect when you have an unmounted compressed drive. Use this setting with caution as changing its default value may lead to undesirable consequences. This setting is designed for advanced users and system administrators and should not be modified from the defaults.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

DBLSpace = 1 by default, a setting of 0 prevents DBLSPACE.BIN from loading.


COMMAND.COM

Load COMMAND.COM low always

Use this option to prevent COMMAND.COM from loading into the High Memory Area. Use this option if you are having problems with older MS-DOS based applications. Changing the default setting depletes the total amount of conventional memory available to MS-DOS programs. This setting is designed for advanced users and system administrators and should not be modified from the defaults.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

LoadTop = 1 by default, a setting of 0 forces COMMAND.COM from loading into the HMA.


DoubleBuffering

Double Buffering Options

The topic of Double Buffering is beyond the scope of this help file. Double Buffering defaults should never need to be modified from their default settings under Windows. The default Windows behavior is to detect the need for Double Buffering and to load DBLBUFF.SYS, depending on the need of the individual system. This setting is usually forced with some SCSI controllers when the system has greater than 16 MB of RAM although this is not the sole criteria for such a setting.

It is strongly recommended that you do not modify the default values for this setting as doing so could lead to undesirable consequences. This setting is designed for advanced users and system administrators and should not be modified from the defaults.

MSDOS.SYS setting:

DoubleBuffer = 1, by default

0 = Never load DBLBUFF.SYS

1 = Detect the need for DBLBUFF.SYS

2 = Always load DBLBUFF.SYS, even if the system does not need it.