Windows 98: DOS & Swapfile Questions

[HardDriv'n]

Hi.

1.) Would anyone know how would I go about renaming the Windows 98 swap file (WIN386.SWP)?

I can't seem to find a entry for it in the registry.

2.) Is there any way I can setup custom DOS start files, so that the DOS drivers aren't loaded for Windows 98 at boot as well?

For instance, if I restart in DOS, and have DOS only 'autoexec.bat' entries.

3.) After restarting in DOS, I can't navigate to my other partitions. How would I set it up, so that DOS recognizes them?

Sorry, I'm new to the Win98/DOS combo usage.

[dencorso]

1) It's not in the registry. It's on section [386Enh] of SYSTEM.INI! Mine reads:

PagingFile=J:\PAGEFILE.SYS 
PagingDrive=J:
MaxPagingFileSize=1835008
MinPagingFileSize=1572864

2) There are *many* ways to do it.

3) Why not? If they're FAT (12, 16 or 32) DOS ought to recognize them all right.

BTW, do read this.

[HardDriv'n]

1) It's not in the registry. It's on section [386Enh] of SYSTEM.INI! Mine reads:

PagingFile=J:\PAGEFILE.SYS 
PagingDrive=J:
MaxPagingFileSize=1835008
MinPagingFileSize=1572864

Cool coffee beans, thanks.

2) There are *many* ways to do it.

BTW, do read this.

I seem to be getting a lot of that link.

Okay. Assuming I'd like to keep DOS modification separate from Windows, how might I set them up, so they don't mess with each others settings?

[dencorso]

Does this and this help?

[MDGx]

And if I may intrude and add to the confusion...

1. Swap file management (synchronized + optimized) for all Win32 OSes [from Win95 up until Win2003]:

http://www.mdgx.com/newtip15.htm#MXSF

[i have not tested this with Vista, 2008 or 7.]

2. Config.sys + autoexec.bat multiconfig guides:

- Config Menu:

http://dos.rsvs.net/DOSPAGE/CONFMENU.HTM

- DOS multiple boot HOWTO:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070908035726rn_1/www.knowplace.org/pages/morgue/dos_multi-config_booting_howto.php

- The multiconfig setting that applies to MSDOS.SYS (important if using multiconfig config.sys +/- autoexec.bat):

http://www.mdgx.com/msdos.htm#TAB

respectively "BootConfig=MYCONFIG".

My W95-11D.EXE (or W95-11D.ZIP if you prefer) archive of tips [freeware]:

http://www.mdgx.com/95.htm

contains a collection of text files with DOS guides. After installing the EXE or extracting files from the ZIP above, please open MEMORY.TXT in Notepad (or similar text editor/viewer):

http://www.mdgx.com/toy.htm#TXT

and scroll down to the "My CONFIG.SYS Lines Explained" section.

3. To "see"/manage all your FAT [FAT12/FAT16/FAT32] partitions/disks from native DOS [but not NTFS/NTFS5, FAT64 (exFAT), ext2/ext3/ext4/HPFS], you could use:

* DOSSHELL.EXE VGA/EGA front-end (GUI) similar to Windows File Manager [free from MS]:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/win31/Update/1/DOS/EN-US/sup622.exe

MS-DOS 6.22 Supplemental Disk [sup622.exe] = you have to extract the DosShell files from inside it using either:

- EXPAND.EXE [bundled with MS-DOS 6.xx];

- or ZIPFolders right-click shell context menu in Windows Explorer [if using Win98/98SE/ME];

- or your favorite unZIPping tool [free(ware)]:

http://www.mdgx.com/toy.htm#ZIP

Also, if you installed W95-11D.EXE / W95-11D.ZIP (see above), please open DOSTIPS.TXT in Notepad and scroll down to the "MS DOSSHELL = MS-DOS File Manager" section;

* or any of these DOS GUI managers [free(ware)]:

http://www.mdgx.com/dos.htm#GUI

FYI...

Some of my links may be invalid [i haven't updated some of those text files in ages :-(], but if that's the case, please don't hesitate to PM or e-mail me so I can correct them.

And if you encounter any "404" links, there's always the Internet Archive to the rescue:

http://www.archive.org/

Thanks.

HTH

[HardDriv'n]

Does this and this help?

I think it does...

And if I may intrude and add to the confusion...

Not a problem at all.

Okay after reading quite a bit of this, I'm getting confused.

How would I have an option to boot into Windows normally (without any changes), and have a single option to boot into DOS.

In other words, I do not need to multi-boot DOS itself. I'd like to configure just one way to load DOS, and have the ability to boot Windows normally (without any autoexec.bat/config.sys entries added).

Or... are the config.sys, and autoexec.bat, used soley for DOS backwards compatibility in Windows 98? IE - Any DOS entry/drivers referenced will not be loaded by, or effect, Windows 98...

Edited September 30, 2010 by HardDriv'n

[dencorso]

I imagine you don't currently use neither config.sys nor autoexc.bat, is that right?

I don't wanna know that you didn't personally create any. I want to know whether those two files do exist in the root folder of your boot partition. If they do, please zip and attach them or post them if they're just a couple of lines each. From there we may solve it to your satisfaction, in a very simple way (well, sort of...), using menus, if all goes well.

[MDGx]

And if I may intrude and add to the confusion...

Okay after reading quite a bit of this, I'm getting confused.

How would I have an option to boot into Windows normally (without any changes), and have a single option to boot into DOS.

In other words, I do not need to multi-boot DOS itself. I'd like to configure just one way to load DOS, and have the ability to boot Windows normally (without any autoexec.bat/config.sys entries added).

Or... are the config.sys, and autoexec.bat, used soley for DOS backwards compatibility in Windows 98? IE - Any DOS entry/drivers referenced will not be loaded by, or effect, Windows 98...

1. See Complete MSDOS.SYS guide:

http://www.mdgx.com/msdos.htm

all options are clearly explained in detail:

http://www.mdgx.com/msdos.htm#TAB

For this to work you also need custom autoexec.bat and config.sys files in C:\ root [in my experience, when I was doing this years ago] = see this guide:

http://www.mdgx.com/last3.htm#DOS2DOS

2. Windows 9x custom boot to native DOS [or any other custom choice besides the default] is not possible "without changes", you have to learn how to tweak your startup files [autoexec.bat, config.sys, msdos.sys] and/or create custom PIF files, which in turn allow to create custom autoexec.bat + config.sys files [like "Exit to DOS" for example]...

http://www.mdgx.com/newtip10.htm#EXIT2DOS

Autoexec.bat + config.sys are in Windows 95/98/ME [ME has to be "fixed" in order to be able to use those files] for doing stuff in native/real/true DOS mode, like playing DOS games that do not run properly or at all using DOSBox or custom PIF files (DOS boxes):

http://www.mdgx.com/newtip23.htm#WDBT

from within Windows [my favorite ], (re)partition +/- (re)format drives/partitions, repair boot sector(s), tweak multi-boot managers to be able to boot multiple OSes, backup/restore/clone entire hard disks without rebooting in between steps, copy/move/rename/delete files/directories you can't otherwise "touch" from within Windows [because are "locked"], etc, etc.

But if you decide you don't need to use native DOS, you can safely delete autoexec.bat + config.sys [make backups 1st], and see how it works for you: customization + experimentation are key, to determine what works better for your needs.

Without autoexec/config files and without modifying msdos.sys, Windows 9x boots with the default choice: straight to the GUI (interface), and nothing else.

Looks like you're new to the world of Win9x + DOS, so I advise to start reading the guides/manuals/documentation/tips/etc [if you can't find something you're looking for, there's always Google to the rescue] in order to learn how to do this.

It's not an easy process, takes some time and dedication to learn the intricacies of an operating system [no matter which one(s) that is (are)], but in the end it is worth it, you will be a much more knowledgeable person, and you will be able to "mess" with your computer any way you wish, and make it do whatever you want.

[rant]

IMHO...

For me computer tweaking was very rewarding, because after learning + testing everything on my own, I was able to customize my computer any way I wanted, and also learned that I could also teach others to do this easier than I had to [you may know the old saying... look at the door step, so you won't bump into it like I did the first time around].

I've almost never asked questions, always did my own research, and pls keep in mind that years ago when I was doing this there were no help forums, websites, blogs, guides, etc, such information was hard to find, so I've also started to write my own guides [that's why I have a web site].

But that's me, you need to choose your own way.

[/rant]

HTH

[HardDriv'n]

Looks like you're new to the world of Win9x + DOS, so I advise to start reading the guides/manuals/documentation/tips/etc [if you can't find something you're looking for, there's always Google to the rescue] in order to learn how to do this.

I started out as a casual user of the family PC, using Windows ME. I went on to being 'familiar' with XP, and finally ended up using Vista x86/x64 as my main OSes (for now... I may eventually get 7). Only fairly recently have I begun to have an interest in tweaking, and learning 'more' about operating systems. I've kind of been working my way 'back' in OS time.

These pages of yours may take some time to read, comprehend, and apply. It may be a few days, or more, before I get back on this if at all.

I imagine you don't currently use neither config.sys nor autoexec.bat, is that right?

I don't wanna know that you didn't personally create any. I want to know whether those two files do exist in the root folder of your boot partition. If they do, please zip and attach them or post them if they're just a couple of lines each. From there we may solve it to your satisfaction, in a very simple way (well, sort of...), using menus, if all goes well.

If all goes well, I may not need this, but I hope the offer stays open if I do.

Thanks for the tips. B)

[submix8c]

Sidebar interjection (for a little background - yeah, it's Wiki!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paging

IOW, many variations of page file methods (looks like dencorso "shares" the "space" between his multiboots).

[dencorso]

(looks like dencorso "shares" the "space" between his multiboots).

Yeah. I use the same page file and a common data partition containing Favorites and My Documents. And a ramdrive to vaporize on reboot the Cookies, History and Temporary Internet Files. The only difference is that the ramdrive is 1.5 GiB for 98SE and 0.5 GiB for XP SP3 (so as not to remove too much RAM from use).

[MDGx]

If any1 interested, I also share the same space for my swap files:

http://www.mdgx.com/newtip15.htm#MXSF

Aaaah... the good ol' days...

HTH

[Multibooter]

1. Swap file management (synchronized + optimized) for all Win32 OSes [from Win95 up until Win2003]: http://www.mdgx.com/newtip15.htm#MXSF [i have not tested this with Vista, 2008 or 7.]

A very good article about a single multiboot swap file. Food for thought.

Until my experience with the Tenga .exe infector, I have shared many files (stand-alone programs, dos programs, data files) between different operating systems, e.g. a desktop shortcut under WinXP had as target the same .exe file as a similar shortcut under Win98. This sharing of files between operating systems was basically a relict of those days when HDD storage was expensive.

When the Tenga .exe infector virus struck my computer 6 months ago [even Kaspersky Anti-Virus avp.exe and the System Commander boot manager got infected, and 1 TB of downloads on a USB drive was destroyed], this shared .exe arrangement may have resulted in an infection across various operating systems on my computer. WinXP on FAT32, for example, may have become infected because I may have used under WinXP desktop shortcuts pointing to infected Win98 .exe files. But how the infection actually spread across operating systems is still not clear to me.

As a precautionary measure against the undesired interaction of various operating systems on the same computer I have now created duplicate identical folders, e.g. one Ghost v11.0.2 stand-alone for Win98, another one for WinXP. I have reduced the number of files shared between operating systems to the minimum possible.

I am not aware of malware capable of spreading between operating systems thru a shared swap file, but I would need now good reasons for acting against the principle: "Share as little as possible between various operating systems on the same computer"

Edited October 12, 2010 by Multibooter

[Marius '95]

The most "clean" way to boot into real DOS with a custom configuration is to edit Windows\Exit To DOS.pif. Go to properties - program - advanced - check "Specify a new MS-DOS configuration" and write your custom configuration there. When finished, Start - Shut down - Exit to DOS. The computer will reboot and start in DOS mode. Type EXIT to return to windows.

You can edit config.sys and autoexec.bat while in DOS mode. You can press reset or CTRL+ALT+DEL to test them immediately - computer will continue to boot into DOS mode. The files are saved back into Exit To Dos.pif when you type EXIT to return to windows.

Don't change the last few lines in autoexec.bat or windows will add them twice on next DOS session. If you want to change the disk or directory where DOS leaves you after boot, change them in .pif (working directory).

If you want multiple DOS configurations (different drivers loaded), you can still use old DOS config menus. Try to find DOS 6.22 HELP.COM. It contains everything you need to know.

[hottext]

(WIN386.SWP)? it is the Virtual Memory you can not rename it but you can move it!

On My Computer right click it

Properties click it

you in System

Click the tub Performance

you see Virtual Memory

Click on it

You see Let me specify my own Virtual Memory setting

if you have more then one partitions on you hard drive, put it on D:\partition if it have more free

So as the old saying go Out of Sight Out if Mine!

======================

Now on running DOS

Why setup custom DOS start files, when all windows need C:> to start is to go to ;

Start

Programs

Accessories

MS-DOS Prompt

C:\WINDOWS>cd C:\

C:\>DIR/p

WINDOWS <DIR>

CONFIG SYS

on and on it go

Press any key to continue ...

C:\>EXIT

You Need Make a Folder name DOS or MS-DOS

like

C:\DOS\ here my dos games your at!

But do not move file from C:\ to the DOS Folder you made or your windows 98 will not run no more!

Edited October 19, 2010 by hottext