1. Chapter 6 Windows 9x/Me Commands and Startup Disk
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Chapter 6
Windows 9x/Me Commands and Startup Disk

2. 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
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3. Figure 6-1 Steps to load the MS-DOS core
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4. Figure 6-2 Memory address map (not to scale) showing the starting and ending addresses of conventional, upper, and extended memory, including the high memory area
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5. 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
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6. Figure 6-5 MEM report with /C option on a PC not using upper memory
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7. Figure 6-6 Config.sys set to use upper memory
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8. 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
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9. 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
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10. 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
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11. 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
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12. 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
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13. 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:
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14. 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
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15. 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
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16. 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
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17. 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
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18. 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
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19. 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
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20. Figure 6-11 MSD opening screen
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21. 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
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22. 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
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23. 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
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24. 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
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25. Figure 6-14 Fdisk menu to create partitions and logical drives
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26. Table 6-6 Error messages that appear after the PC has passed POST and before an OS has successfully loaded
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