A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e Chapter 15 Windows 9x/Me Commands and Startup Disk

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e2 Objectives Learn what happens when you first turn on your PC and DOS and Windows 9x/Me start Learn about the commands DOS and Windows 9x/Me use to manage memory Learn to use different commands at the command prompt Learn how to use a Windows 9x/Me startup disk to prepare a hard drive for first use and to troubleshoot a failed boot

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e3 Introduction Reasons for learning DOS commands: –To better understand how a hardware device works –To better understand OS - hardware interaction Topics to cover –DOS boot process –Windows 9x/Me boot process Note: Windows 9x/Me has a DOS core –How DOS and Windows 9x/Me manage memory –How to use the command line –How to use the Windows 9x/Me startup disk

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e4 Understanding DOS and Windows 9x/Me Startup Windows 9x/Me is built on a DOS core Two ways to load the MS-DOS core –From the Windows 9x/Me hard drive –From a Windows 9x/Me startup disk

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e5 Figure 15-1 Steps to load the MS-DOS core

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e6 OS Boot Record Program Locates and Executes Io.sys Io.sys: file that contains I/O software for real mode Initial phases of the boot process –System is turned on and runs through POST –Startup BIOS checks CMOS RAM for location of OS –Program in boot record is found (hard drive or disk) –Boot record program locates Io.sys file (boot loader) –Io.sys is loaded into memory –Control passes to Io.sys

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e7 Msdos.sys is Checked Msdos.sys: text file affecting the way OS boots Io.sys requires that the Msdos.sys file be present Io.sys reads Msdos.sys and uses the settings in it

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e8 Config.sys is checked Io.sys also reads the Config.sys file Some important information in Config.sys –How many files it can open at any one time –How many file buffers to create –What 16-bit (real mode) device drivers to load Protected (32-bit) mode drivers load from the registry RAM drive –Primary memory that emulates a hard drive –Can be created by commands in Config.sys

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e9 Command.com is Executed Io.sys looks for another OS file, Command.com Command.com has three parts –More code to manage I/O –Programs for internal OS commands, such as Copy –Program that searches for the Autoexec.bat file

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e10 Autoexec.bat is Executed Batch file: text file containing a series of commands Autoexec.bat (automatically executed batch) file –Commands that execute automatically when OS loads –Example: PATH C:\;C:\Windows (Path command) Two action can occur after Autoexec.bat executes –The command prompt appears –Program executed from Autoexe.bat prompts user Example of a command prompt: C:\> (the C prompt) To load Windows 9x/Me, enter C:\> WIN

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e11 Commands To Manage Memory Appears complicated due to ad hoc development Topics to cover: –How DOS memory address space is divided –Commands and utilities used to manage addresses

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e12 How DOS And Windows 9x/Me Divide Memory Three ranges of memory addresses: –Conventional (base): 0 to 640 KB –Upper memory: 640 KB to 1024 KB –Extended memory: above 1024 KB Memory mapping: assigning addresses to programs Why conventional memory was limited to 640 KB –Utilities, such as Video ROM, use space above 640KB Upper memory is used by BIOS and device drivers Extended memory is managed as a device

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e13 Figure 15-2 Memory address map (not to scale) showing the starting and ending addresses of conventional, upper, and extended memory, including the high memory area

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e14 Windows 9x/Me and DOS Utilities That Manage Memory Himem.sys: device driver for memory above 640KB Emm386.exe: loads drivers into upper memory Using Himem.sys –Himem.sys manages memory as a device –Executed by the Device= command in Config.sys –File can also be created on a floppy disk Preparation for using Emm386.exe –View current memory allocation: Mem /C |More –Objective: maximize total amount of free memory

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e15 Figure 15-4 Config.sys set to use memory above 640K

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e16 Figure 15-5 MEM report with /C option on a PC not using upper memory

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e17 Windows 9x/Me and DOS Utilities That Manage Memory (continued) Create and use upper memory blocks (Figure 15-6) –Line 1 loads the Himem.sys driver Makes upper memory space available –Line 2 loads the Emm386.exe file Emm386.exe assigns addresses in upper memory NOEMS switch: prevents creation of expanded memory –Line 3 loads DOS high, creates upper memory block –Line 4 uses an upper memory block (UMB) –Line 5 loads mouse driver into the UMB (loading high)

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e18 Figure 15-6 Config.sys set to use upper memory

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e19 Windows 9x/Me and DOS Utilities That Manage Memory (continued) Loading device drivers high –Use Devicehigh= command in Config.sys –Order commands so largest drivers are loaded first –MEM /M filename: displays memory needed by driver –A UMB may also be loaded from Autoexec.bat Relation of Windows 9x/Me to DOS memory –System is mostly 32-bit OS using extended memory –Uses base and upper memory for 16-bit components

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e20 Using the Command Prompt Topics to cover –How to access a command prompt –File and directory naming conventions –How to use wildcard characters in command lines –How to launch programs from the command prompt –Commands to manage files and directories –Utilities for managing an OS, applications, and data –How to create and use batch files

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e21 Accessing a Command Prompt Click Start, Programs, and MS-DOS Prompt Enter Command.com in the Run dialog box Boot from any bootable floppy disk Restart in MS-DOS mode from Shutdown –Not available in Windows Me Hold down the Ctrl key or the F8 key while booting –Select Command prompt only from menu that appears

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e22 Figure 15-7 A Command Prompt window can be used to practice the commands given in this section

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e23 File and Directory Naming Conventions Three components in the DOS 8.3 filename format –Filename: contains up to eight characters –Separating period –File extension of up to three characters Example of a DOS filename: myFile.exe Legitimate characters –Letters a through z –The numbers 0 through 9 –Special characters: _ ^ $ ~ ! # % & – { } ( ' ` Do not use space, period, *, ?, \ in the filename

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e24 File and Directory Naming Conventions (continued) Conventions used in Windows –Directory names/filenames can be up to 255 characters –Directory names and filenames can contain spaces –Maximum directory depth depends on length of name DOS can only read names in 8.3 format DOS truncates long filenames –Example: Mydocument.doc becomes Mydocum~.doc

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e25 Using Wildcard Characters in Command Lines Wildcard character: used to represent file group Question mark (?): wildcard for one character Asterisk (*): wildcard for more than one character Example: dir a*.??? –Command used to search for files –All files starting with ‘a’ and ending with any extension

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e26 Launching a Program Using the Command Prompt How DOS treats group of letters entered at prompt –Attempts to locate a file signified by group of letters –Assumes file is located in current directory –If file is found, it is copied into RAM –Program is then executed If path to file is not correct, file cannot be located Example: entering A:\>mem generates error How to resolve bad command or file name error –Change the drive; e.g., A:\> C: –Change the directory; e.g., C:\>CD\windows\command

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e27 Figure 15-8 Using the Mem command and finding a program file

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e28 Commands to Manage Files and Directories Dir: lists files and directories –Example: DIR Myfile.txt Rename or Ren: renames a file or folder –Example: Ren Myfile.txt Mybackup.txt Type: displays contents of a text file on your screen –Example: Type Myfile.txt |More Del or Erase: erases files or groups of files –Example: A:\Docs> Del *.* Copy: copies a single file or group of files –Example: C:\>Copy C:\Docs\*.* A:

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e29 Table 15-2 Examples of the Dir command

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e30 Commands to Manage Files and Directories (continued) Xcopy /C /S /Y /D: Copy functions plus options –Example: C:\>Xcopy C:\Docs\*.* A: /D:03/14/06 Deltree [Drive:]Path: deletes directory tree –Example: C:\>Deltree C:\Docs Mkdir [Drive:]Path or Md [Drive:]Path –Creates a subdirectory under a directory –Example: Mkdir C:\Game\Chess Chdir [Drive:]Path or Cd [Drive:]Path or Cd.. –Changes current default directory –Example: Cd C:\Game\Chess

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e31 Figure 15-9 Results of the Dir command on the \GAME directory

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e32 Commands to Manage Files and Directories (continued) Rmdir [Drive:]Path or Rd [Drive:]Path –Removes a subdirectory –Example: C:\>Rmdir C:\Game\Chess Three conditions for the use of Rmdir –The directory must contain no files –The directory must contain no subdirectories –The directory must not be the current directory Attrib: displays or changes file attributes –Example: Attrib +H MyFile.txt

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e33 Commands to Manage Files and Directories (continued) Extract Filename.Cab File1.Ext /D –Extracts files from a cabinet file –Example: Extract Ebd.cab /D Edit [Path][Filename]: opens DOS Edit program –Example: Edit A:\Autoexec.bat

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e34 Figure Using the Edit editor to make changes to Autoexec.bat

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e35 Commands to Manage Hard Drives Chkdsk [Drive:] /F /R: fixes file system errors –Example: Chkdsk C: /F Scandisk Drive: A/P –Scans a hard drive for errors –Repairs errors if possible –Example: Scandisk C: Defrag Drive: /S –Examines a hard drive or disk for fragmented files –Rewrites these files to the drive in contiguous clusters –Example: Defrag C: /S:N

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e36 Commands to Manage Hard Drives (continued) Fdisk /Status /MBR: prepare a hard drive for first use –Example: Fdisk /MBR Format Drive: /S /V: VolumeName /Q /U /Autotest –Used to format a disk or a hard drive Unformat: reverses effect of an accidental format –Example: Unformat C: Debug –Text editor with multiple capabilities –Accessed by entering Debug command

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e37 Table 15-5 Parameters for the Format command

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e38 Commands to Manage the Operating System Sys Drive: copies system files for booting to disk –Example: Sys: C Scanreg/Restore/Fix/Backup: restores the registry –Example: Scanreg/Backup Ver: displays the version of the OS in use MSD: Microsoft Diagnostic Utility

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e39 Figure MSD opening screen

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e40 Using Batch Files Execute a list of commands multiple times Save time and reduce errors How to create a batch file –Open a file in a text editor –Place commands in the file –Save the file with a.bat extension Executing batch file –Enter name at command prompt –Extension may be omitted

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e41 Using the Windows 9x/Me Startup Disk Bootable (system) disk –Floppy disk with basic software for booting an OS Rescue disk( emergency startup disk (ESD), or startup disk) –Bootable disk with utility programs for troubleshooting PC technician should always have a rescue disk

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e42 Creating a Windows 9x/Me Startup Disk Open the Control Panel Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon Click Startup Disk tab and then click Create Disk Insert the Windows CD if it is requested –Windows then creates the startup disk Write protect and label the disk

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e43 Figure Windows might use the Windows CD to create a startup disk

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e44 Using a Startup Disk to Partition and Format a New Drive Use Fdisk to partition a drive –Boot from the startup disk and enter Fdisk at prompt –Select option 1 to create a partition –Use option 1 (next menu) to create primary partition –Use option 1 or 2 to create other partitions –Use option 3 to create logical drives –Select if large disk support will be used (FAT32) –Exit Fdisk and reboot PC to format logical drives Objects created by formatting process –Partition table, partitions, and logical drives

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e45 Figure Fdisk menu to create partitions and logical drives

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e46 Using a Startup Disk to Partition and Format a New Drive (continued) Format each logical drive: –Format C:/S (switch makes drive bootable) –Format D: –Format E: Use Scandisk to check the drive for bad sectors

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e47 Using a Startup Disk to Troubleshoot a Failed Boot Error message during boot process: –BIOS cannot access hard drive or find an OS to load Table 15-6 lists variations of the boot error message Troubleshooting problem (if isolated to the hard drive) –Boot the PC from Windows 9x/Me startup disk –Verify boot sequence in CMOS setup (drive A then C) –Select Start Computer With CD-ROM Support option Display directory to check partition table and file system Try restoring OS boot record and OS hidden files –If partition table is corrupted, type Fdisk/MBR

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e48 Table 15-6 Error messages that appear after the PC has passed POST and before an OS has successfully loaded

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e49 Summary Windows 9x/Me is built on a DOS core Critical boot files: Io.sys, Msdos.sys, Config.sys. Command.com, Autoexec.bat Original DOS memory was limited to 640 KB Layers of DOS memory: conventional, upper, extended Himem.sys and Emm386.exe: used by DOS and Windows 9x/Me to manage memory above 640KB

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e50 Summary (continued) 8.3 format: template for filenames in DOS Some DOS commands: Dir, Copy, Md, Cd, Attrib, Edit Batch file: holds a list of OS commands Rescue disk: bootable disk with troubleshooting utilities Prepare a hard drive using the Fdisk and Format commands