PATCHER95 = WIN 95 --> win 4.0 + dos 7.0 RELEASE 2.0 [See INFO ABOUT RELEASE 2.0] CARDWARE SOFTWARE(ONLY FOR PRIVATE USE) This program is not free, this program is CARDWARE. That is it can be copied, used freely without any modification to its components. As only payment the author asks for a postcard of your town or country. With previous release I received only one postcard even if many people have used my program (I have received many mails...). So, please be honest! To see my address you can type at DOS prompt: PATCH95 /H You will be glad if you will indicate on your card where you have found PATCHER 95 (BBS, Internet, CD Rom, Magazines...). Thank you. A last think: If a society or an association would use PATCHER 95, it must send to the author œ.5000 (lire italiane) or $.2 as payment for any installation of this software. Otherwise your HD could grow musty... USER'S GUIDE By default Windows 95 runs DOS applications from a DOS compatibility box. If you need a plain Dos session, Windows 95 give you MS-DOS mode. If at the Advanced Program Settings dialog box you select DOS mode and "specify a nex MS-DOS configuration", you are able to create your own CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT for your software. But, before starting your application, Windows 95 reboot your PC and run your program. When you exit from it, Windows 95 reboot again your PC to reload the operating system. This can take a lot of time ! Is it possible to find a solution? Yes, because Windows 95 includes a complete MS-DOS operating system (which can be called DOS 7.0) plus a new GUI (windows 4.0). You can boot your computer to plain DOS editing MSDOS.SYS. MSDOS.SYS is a ASCII file. You can edit it and change the line 'BootGUI=0' in the [Options] section simply writing: BootGUI=1. When I am into Windows 95, how can I go back to plain DOS ? You need to change 4 bytes of WIN.COM. In the first version of Windows 95 these bytes are: ----------------------------------------- Address |Value Hex Decimal |Hex Decimal --------------------|-------------------- E6 230 | EB 235 E7 231 | FD 253 BE 190 | 74 116 BF 191 | 0C 12 ----------------------------------------- and they must be changed so: ----------------------------------------- Address |Modified Value Hex Decimal|Hex Decimal --------------------|-------------------- E6 230 | 90 144 E7 231 | 90 144 BE 190 | 90 144 BF 191 | 90 144 ----------------------------------------- In version B of Windows 95 these bytes are: ----------------------------------------- Address |Value Hex Decimal |Hex Decimal --------------------|-------------------- 114 276 | EB 235 115 277 | FD 253 EC 236 | 74 116 ED 237 | 0C 12 ----------------------------------------- and they must be changed so: ----------------------------------------- Address |Modified Value Hex Decimal|Hex Decimal --------------------|-------------------- 114 276 | 90 144 115 277 | 90 144 EC 236 | 90 144 ED 237 | 90 144 ----------------------------------------- After this, if you select "Shut down the computer" from the "Shut down" menu, you will shut down Windows 95 but you will not shut down the computer. You will return to the Dos prompt. Now you can restart Windows 95 entering "Win" at Dos prompt, exactly like Windows 3.1. HOW TO INSTALL PATCH95 ? You need to copy every file of Patch95 into a directory on your hard disk. For example: If you want to install PATCH95 from drive A to directory PAT of drive C, you can enter at Dos prompt: MD C:\PAT so you create the new directory COPY A:\*.* C:\PAT to copy every file from A: to C:\PAT. That's all. To run PATCH95, you can enter: PATCH95 for italian/english version PATCH95 /? to see a little help screen HOW DOES PATCH95 WORK? PATCH95 allow you to alter WIN.COM and MSDOS.SYS as described above. Before running PATCH95, you must know in which directory Windows 95 was installed. Then you must restart the computer in MS-DOS mode, using the "Shut down" menu. When in plain DOS, you have to go into PATCH95 directory and run it entering PATCH95 During execution, WIN.COM and MSDOS.SYS will be copied to WINCOM.PAT and MSDOSSYS.PAT. CONFIG.PAT is also created. These files are useful to reverse what PATCH95 has done (See RESTORE). When PATCH95 ends, you must reboot the computer. The computer will restart in plain DOS mode and, to run Windows 95, you will enter "WIN" at Dos prompt. HOW TO REVERSE PATCH95'S WORK? HOW TO USE RESTORE? Patch95 makes a copy of WIN.COM into WINCOM.PAT and of MSDOS.SYS into MSDOSSYS.PAT. To restore original files you can use RESTORE supplied with PATCHER95. Sintax: RESTORE to run RESTORE (Italian version) RESTORE /E to run RESTORE (English version) RESTORE /? to print a little help screen ATTENTION:for correct working, RESTORE needs WINCOM.PAT, MSDOSYS.PAT and CONFIG.PAT. If you delete one of these, RESTORE will not work, so take care of them. INFO ABOUT RELEASE 2.0 New OEM version of Windows 95 (version B) has a different file WIN.COM so PATCHER 95 1.0 is not able to work on. So I have written this second release. Version 2.0 can modify the new WIN.COM but it was not tested with new 32 bit fat (!).Moreover version 2.0 is able to find the byte which must be changed even if they are not at the usual address. TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR: By Mail writing to: Mammola Domenico via Moizo 12/10 17100 Savona (ITALY) By Internet: df.mammola@iol.it ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DISCLAIMER ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MS-DOS and WINDOWS 95 are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. NO WARRANTIES OR GUARANTEES ARE IMPLIED BY THE AUTHOR. YOU CAN USE THIS APPLICATION AT YOUR OWN RISK.