PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1561 VERSION : All OS : All DATE : October 25, 1993 PAGE : 1/7 TITLE : How to boot clean (under DOS and Windows) BOOTING CLEAN FOR DOS AND WINDOWS --------------------------------- Introduction This document describes the process of "booting clean" on IBM PC's and compatible computers with DOS and/or windows. This document assumes you have MS-DOS version 5.00 or higher. "Booting Clean" is the process of changing your system configuration to prevent device drivers, add-in and memory resident programs from loading into memory and becoming active. This process is useful when trying to identify bizarre behavior and conflicts between other programs running on your computer. DOS Configuration Files Your system configuration is controlled primarily by two files- AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS. These files usually appear in the root directory of your hard disk (C:\). However, this can be changed by placing a "bootable" floppy disk in your first disk drive (usually A:). See the "Making a Boot Disk" section of this TI to learn how to make a floppy disk bootable. Your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files are text files that can be edited with any ASCII editor such as EDIT.COM (included with DOS 5.0 and up). By editing these files, you can control your computers system configuration. The AUTOEXEC.BAT file is primarily used to load memory-resident programs and drivers as well as setting DOS environment variables. Popular memory-resident programs include disk-caching software, mouse drivers and pop-up utilities like SideKick[tm]. Perhaps the most popular DOS environment variable is the PATH variable. This variable tells DOS what directories to look in when it cannot find the file it is looking for in the current directory. Most software packages need to modify this setting in some way and your Borland product is no exception. The CONFIG.SYS file is used to set low-level DOS settings such as memory configuration, file/buffer settings and stack size. In addition, system device drivers are loaded here as well. Popular PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1561 VERSION : All OS : All DATE : October 25, 1993 PAGE : 2/7 TITLE : How to boot clean (under DOS and Windows) drivers include hard disk drivers, disk compression utilities (Stacker[tm]/Doublespace[tm]) and scanner drivers. Be sure to look at the appropriate "Boot Clean" section below to find out what changes you need to make. Windows Configuration If you are using a program that runs under Microsoft Windows, then you may need to make changes to some Windows configuration files in order to ensure a "clean system configuration" under Windows. The two files you will need to examine are WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI. These files are located in the WINDOWS subdirectory on your hard disk. The changes that you will need to make to these files (if any) are outlined below. Keep in mind that you will only need to modify WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI ONLY if you are having difficulty running a program under Windows. Making a Boot Disk In order to prevent permanent damage to your system configuration, we recommend that you make a bootable floppy disk and place your system configuration files and drivers on this disk. This way, if a mistake is made to your configuration files and your computer hangs or will not boot correctly, simply remove the disk from the floppy drive and reboot your computer. Your computer will then boot from your hard disk, bypassing any changes made on your bootable floppy. In order to make a bootable floppy disk, follow the instructions below: (Do not type the double quotes) NOTE: These instructions assume that your hard disk is C: and your DOS subdirectory appears on this disk. (Most cases) 1) Place a blank disk in drive A: 2) type "C:" 3) type "cd \dos" (go to your DOS subdirectory) 4) type "format a: /s" (format the disk) 5) type "BOOT DISK" for your volume label (format process) 6) Ensure that the format process completed correctly. If not, obtain another disk and repeat steps 3 and 4. PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1561 VERSION : All OS : All DATE : October 25, 1993 PAGE : 3/7 TITLE : How to boot clean (under DOS and Windows) 7) type "copy himem.sys a:" 8) type "copy edit.com a:" 9) type "copy qbasic.exe a:" 10) type "cd \" (go to your root directory of your boot disk) 11) type "copy command.com a:" At this point you now have a bootable floppy disk containing an ASCII editor (EDIT.COM) and a high memory driver (HIMEM.SYS). Using EDIT, ensure your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS look like one of the configuration choices below. You will notice that in each choice a "" note will appear. DO NOT TYPE THIS IN. Instead, place any driver or add-in program that is REQUIRED to be loaded in order for your computer operate. Examples of these include hard disk drivers, disk compression programs, and compatibility patches. Note that without these drivers, you will not be able to access your hard disk, etc. These drivers are required. Note that mouse drivers, network software (disk-less workstations excluded) and disk caching programs are for convenience and/or enhancement, they are NOT required and MUST not appear in your "boot clean" configuration on your floppy disk. For example, lets say that you have Stacker[tm] disk compression software installed on your system and have a software patch called FIXME.EXE that allows your system run DOS 5.0. Your "normal" system configuration may look like this: Example CONFIG.SYS: ----------------------------------------------------------------- DEVICE=C:\STACKER\STACKER.SYS /INSTALL E.INI /QUIET DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS /R:1 C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS DOS=HIGH FILES=30 BUFFERS=30 STACKS=9,256 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Example AUTOEXEC.BAT: ----------------------------------------------------------------- SET TEMP=C:\TEMP PROMPT $P$G C:\FIX\FIXME.EXE C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.EXE PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1561 VERSION : All OS : All DATE : October 25, 1993 PAGE : 4/7 TITLE : How to boot clean (under DOS and Windows) C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE 1024 512 SET PATH=C:\DOS;C:\MYSTUFF;C:\WINDOWS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Your "clean" system configuration should be exactly like one of the choices below except that where the "" message appears, the lines: DEVICE=C:\STACKER\STACKER.SYS /INSTALL E.INI /QUIET C:\FIX\FIXME.EXE should appear in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files respectively. Clean Configurations: Note that these sample configurations assume you are using standard Borland default directory names for Turbo C++. If you did not use the default names or are using a different product (eg: Borland C++), make sure you substitute the appropriate directory name for TC\BIN in the path statement. For example if you are using Borland C++ and not the assumed Turbo C++, then your PATH statement should read: PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS;C:\BORLANDC\BIN Clean Configuration #1: DOS 5.0 and DOS 6.0 running Windows ------------------------------------------------------------ 1) Insert your "bootable floppy" in drive A: 2) type "A:" 3) At the A> prompt type "edit config.sys" 4) Type in the following: DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS FILES=20 BUFFERS=20 4) Exit the editor (Alt-F, then X, then Y) PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1561 VERSION : All OS : All DATE : October 25, 1993 PAGE : 5/7 TITLE : How to boot clean (under DOS and Windows) 5) Type "edit autoexec.bat" 6) Type in the following: PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS;C:\TC\BIN PROMPT $P$G 7) Exit the editor (Alt-F, then X, then Y) 8) type "C:" 9) type "CD \WINDOWS" 10) type "copy win.ini win.bak" 11) type "copy system.ini system.bak" 10) type "edit win.ini" 11) Make sure that the "load=" and "run=" lines in your WIN.INI file look like the following: ------------ [windows] spooler=yes load= run= Beep=yes ------------ 12) Exit the editor (Alt-F, then X, then Y) 13) type "edit system.ini" 14) Ensure that your "shell=" line in your SYSTEM.INI file looks like the following: ------------ [boot] shell=progman.exe ------------ 15) Exit the editor (Alt-F, then X, then Y) 16) Make sure your "Bootable floppy" is in drive A: and reboot your computer. 17) Attempt to run your Borland software. See the "I have booted clean...now what?" section of this TI for more information. DOS 5.0 only ------------ 1) Insert your "bootable floppy" in drive A: 2) At the A> prompt type "edit config.sys" PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1561 VERSION : All OS : All DATE : October 25, 1993 PAGE : 6/7 TITLE : How to boot clean (under DOS and Windows) 3) Type in the following: FILES=20 BUFFERS=20 4) Exit the editor (Alt-F, then X, then Y) 5) Type "edit autoexec.bat" 6) Type in the following: PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS;C:\TC\BIN PROMPT $P$G 7) Exit the editor (Alt-F, then X, then Y) 8) Make sure your "Bootable floppy" is in drive A: and reboot your computer. 9) Attempt to run your Borland software. See the "I have booted clean...now what?" section of this TI for more information. DOS 6.0 only ------------ Dos 6.0 allows you to bypass your system configuration without editing any files by pressing the F5 key when rebooting your computer. This is very convenient if you don't have any REQUIRED drivers to load. If you do have required drivers, then follow the DOS 5.0 procedure above. If not, then reboot your computer, and as soon as you see the "Starting MS-DOS. . ." message (try to predict it), press and hold the F5 key until you get the message "Bypassing system files. . .". You may get a few extra @ symbols and beeps. If this is the case, simply press ENTER. Now attempt to run your Borland software. I Have Booted Clean.... Now What? At this point, you should have attempted to run your Borland software product and you should not have experienced any difficulty in doing so. If you did, then something else is causing a conflict and you should contact Borland technical PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1561 VERSION : All OS : All DATE : October 25, 1993 PAGE : 7/7 TITLE : How to boot clean (under DOS and Windows) support after completing this TI in its entirety. More than likely, however, you probably did not experience a problem. If this is the case, then you are experiencing a conflict with another add-in program and/or driver. In order to determine what exact program or driver this is, you should copy the contents of your original system configuration files, CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT to your "bootable floppy" one line at a time until you can isolate which program(s) is causing the problem. Make sure you do the same procedure with your Windows configuration files SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI if appropriate. Once you have identified the conflicting program(s), contact the manufacturer of the program to ensure it is the newest release. Most issues can be resolved by using the newest version of the driver or add-in software. This is especially true with mouse drivers. Final Notes At this point you should have a pretty good idea what is causing the difficulty you were experiencing. Until you resolve the issue, you will probably want to revert back to your original system configuration. This is easy since you made a bootable floppy. Simply remove the floppy from the floppy drive and restore your windows configuration (if applicable) by following these instructions: 1) type "C:" 2) type "CD \WINDOWS" 3) type "copy windows.bak windows.ini" 4) type "copy system.bak system.ini" Reboot your computer. You have now restored your original system configuration. DISCLAIMER: You have the right to use this technical information subject to the terms of the No-Nonsense License Statement that you received with the Borland product to which this information pertains.