1. Sys File Editor
2. Windows 7 Config File

version 3.04

NOTE! This page can be downloadedin text format. Also available in French.

During time I have assisted quite a lot of PC owners with the setupof their two system files CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. Often whenI stand in line in a computer store (I have seldom seen that there isn'ta waiting line), I have experienced that a great many of the problems,the customers complains about, are due to improper setup of these two files. Therefore I hereby pass on some advice about that subject.

You can troubleshoot stability and performance problems in Windows XP through Window 10. To launch the tool go to the “run” command (varies by OS), type “msconfig” and enter. Note there are 5 tabs that allow you to change various things to diagnose system problems or change the look & feel of the system. HxD Hex Editor is a well designed, rapid hex editor that handles files of any size. In addition you can work with raw disk editing and RAM modification. HxD Hex Editor has a simple, easy-to-use interface that has lots of features, including checksums/digests, searching and replacing, exporting. Editor hex windows 10. How to Use the System Configuration Editor (SYSEDIT) utility - The sysedit utility is a program that allows you to modify the four windows configuration files, the Autoexec.bat, config.sys, win.ini and system.ini.

Contents:

• Before you begin !
• MS-DOS 7.00 / 7.10 (Windows 95 & 98).
• Windows 95 OSR2 and HIMEM.SYS.
• DOSSTART.BAT (Windows 95 & 98).
• WINSTART.BAT (Windows 95 & 98 and Windows 3.11).
• MS-DOS 6.22 (Windows 3.11).
• PC DOS 7.00 (IBM).
• Windows 3.11.
• More Upper Memory with EMM386.
• Alternative Memory Managers (QEMM386).
• Stacker disk compression.
• Harddisk partitioning.
• Windows 95 OSR2 and FAT32.

Before you begin !

Some of the following is very basic, while some of it is addressedto the experienced PC user.

Before you begin to change the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files,you should do the following:

This will always give you the possibility of starting the computerby inserting the floppy diskette in drive A:, then rebooting the computer.

If there are problems starting the computer, then as from DOS version6.00 you can press the F5 key, when the screen displays: Starting 'Windows9x...' ('Starting MS-DOS...'). This skips the executingof the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. Thereafter you can edit the line inone of these two files where the problem occurred. If instead the F8 key (plus4 in Windows 9x) is pressed, then the lines in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT will beexecuted one line at a time. This helps determining where the problems occurs.

MS-DOS 7.00 / 7.10 (Windows 95 & 98)

• Windows 95 has DOS-version 7.00
• Windows 95 OSR2 and Windows 98 has DOS-version 7.10

Under Windows 9x the following setup of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BATwill be suitable. This setup also ensures access to CD-ROM driveand soundcard in MS-DOS mode.

Before you begin to make alterations of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT,it will be suitable to change the setup, so that Windows 9x will not startautomatically, but there instead is started directly in DOS mode.

This is done by making the following changes under [Options] in thefile C:MSDOS.SYS:

After this change the computer will start in MS-DOS 7.x, and theWindows 9x Logo (the one with the running colours beneath the picture)will not be shown during startup, making it possible to see how CONFIG.SYSand AUTOEXEC.BAT are executed.

Windows 9x can subsequently be started manually with the command: WIN

If for instance a DOS game will not run under a standard installationof Windows 9x, this can often be solved by disabling the automatic startof Windows 9x in this way, and then starting the program before loading Windows9x.

Once CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT are optimized, the changes in MSDOS.SYScan be reversed, to reestablish the automatic start of Windows 9x and theLogo, if so wanted. Alternatively the command: WIN couldjust be inserted as the last line in AUTOEXEC.BAT.

The following example applies to a PC with:

The example are generally applicable, but line 13and line 24 must be edited, as the drivers for CD-ROMdrive and Mouse depends on the manufacturer.

The Lines with * can be omitted.

1. Switches off Num Lock on thekeyboard.
2. Extends Control-C / Control Breakalso to work under I/O operations as for instance reading and writing ofthe disks.
3. HIGH loads DOS buffers in HMA(requires a XMS manager, line 10).
   UMB allows the use of Upper Memory Blocks for resident drivers and programs(requires an EMS manager, line 11). This frees upmore conventional memory for your applications.
   NOAUTO makes it possible to load drivers and TSR programs in conventionalmemory, if wanted - otherwise DOS 7.x always tries to load in Upper Memory,even though DEVICEHIGH, FILESHIGH etc. has not been used. Some driverscan only work if loaded low with a DEVICE command.
4. Sets the number of files thatcan be opened at one time to 40 (suitable for most instances, but someprograms insists on a larger number).
5. Sets the minimal number of filecontrol blocks. Is only used by very old programs.
6. Sets buffers to 30. Ifthe number is smaller there is a risk that it is NOT possible to 'Restartthe computer in MS-DOS mode' from Windows 95 (OSR2).
7. Sets the last logical drive-letterto J:
8. Sets stacks as Microsoft recommendsit for Windows 9x.
9. Sets country to 45 (Denmark),with codepage 865 as the system character set i. e. the characterset that is used for sorting and conversion to and from capital letters. If no number is stated for the codepage, then the system codepage is setto 850 by default (for country 45), even though for instance codepage 865is chosen in line 22. Therefore the same codepageshould always be stated in line 9 and in line22 to avoid problems with access to files with names, in which charactersfrom the extended ASCII character set are used (character no. 128 to 255)i.e. ø and Ø.
10. Loads the DOS XMS manager. Necessary for the next line and for Windows 9x and Smartdrive(line 19).
11. Loads the DOS EMS manager. RAM indicates that both Expanded Memory (EMS) and Upper Memory (UMB) shouldbe made available. /MIN=0 states that no minimal amount of EMS memoryshall be secured. I=B000-B7FFindicates that the memory reserved for monochrome screens can be used asUpper Memory. If EMS memory is not wanted, the parameter RAM canbe changed to NOEMS, but from DOS 6.00 an above EMM386.EXEprovides both EMS and XMS memory for the programs, so there is no reasonnot to use the RAM parameter, unless there is a need for more UMB memoryand you don't have any programs that demands EMS memory. Many gamesrequires EMS.
12. Loads the DOS EGA/VGA driverfor use of 1 codepage (character set) on the screen. In DOS 7.xmore memory is used for 2 codepages than for 1 codepage.
13. Loads the driver for the CD-ROMdrive. Specific for the installed drive. Your driver mighthave another name. What is written after /D: must also be writtenafter /D: in line 18. Some other parameters mightalso be necessary i.e. a statement of the controller's address (/SBP:220or the like), if the drive is connected via the soundcard or a separatecontrollercard. If you haven't got a DOS CD-ROM driver, then youmight use the SAMPLE.SYS driver located at the Windows 95 installationdiskette. On the Windows 98 installation diskette is placed a largernumber of CD-ROM drivers, covering most CD-ROM drives.
14. Reports an earlier versionof DOS (e.g. version 6.22) to older DOS-programs, if they demand to beexecuted under a definite DOS version.
15. Loads the driver for Windows 9x's 32-bitfile access.
16. States the name and location of the commandinterpreter. /E: states the size of the DOS environment. 1024 is suitable, as DOS 7.x automatically adds 1040 to the size which cannot beless than 256. /P indicates that the command interpreter shall stay residentand that AUTOEXEC.BAT shall be executed. /P may NOT be omitted.
    
17. Hides the text in batch programswhen the batch file is executed.
18. Loads the DOS CD-ROM extensionfor access to the CD-ROM drive. Requires that a CD-ROM driver (line13) with the same text after /D: is loaded. /M:15 states a suitableamount of buffers, and /E states that these buffer shall be loaded intoExpanded Memory (requires that an EMS manager is loaded, line11). /S indicates that the CD-ROM drive can be shared over anetwork, but is also necessary for some programs in order to make it possibleto read the volume label on the CD-ROM disks. /L:D indicates thatdrive-letter D shall be assigned to the CD-ROM drive. If /L: is omitted,the first free drive-letter is assigned to the CD-ROM drive.
19. Loads the DOS Smartdrive disk cachefor faster reading and writing on the (hard)disks. When Smartdriveis loaded AFTERMSCDEX (line 18),the cache will also work for the CD-ROM drive. Requires that a XMS manageris loaded (line 10). 2048 states the amount of memoryin Kb that should be used under DOS, and 16 states the amount when runningWindows. The latter is set to the minimum value, because Windows 9x hasits own 32-bit disk cache.
20. Increases the typematic rateand delay for the keyboard.
21. Prepares Danish/Norwegian(865) codepage (character set) for the screen. Requires thatDISPLAY.SYS is loaded (line 12). C:DOSEGA.CPI can be replaced with the name of another codepage informationfile, for instance C:DOS865.CPI under IBM's PC DOS.
22. Selects Danish/Norwegiancodepage (character set) for the screen. Requires that line21 is executed.
23. Loads the keyboard driver,configurated for a Danish keyboard with support for codepage 865.
24. Loads the Mouse driver. Your driver might have another name. The drivers from Microsoft andIBM uses a lot of memory - try to get another driver if you have one providedby Microsoft or IBM.
25. Loads DOSKey, which enablesfast recalling and editing of the command line at the DOS prompt. Can be omitted.
26. Set the DOS prompt to show thecurrent directory followed by the character >.
27. PATH indicates in which directories andin which order programs shall be searched for, when no path is stated before theprogram name. Many programs inserts their own path in this line during programsetup, but in the most instances this is not necessary. Try removingthe program path and check if the program can work without it. Along PATH can slow down the start of the programs onthe computer. The PATH line can not contain more then 127 characters. Furthermore the length of the PATH is limited by the size of the DOSenvironment (line 16).
28. Sets the DOS DIR commandfor pausing, when the screen becomes full, and to display all files includinghidden and system files.
29. States in which directory temporaryfiles can be placed by the applications. This makes it much easierto find files that are not removed due to program errors. Quite a lotof megabytes can be saved by deleting the files in this directory from time totime. Do NOT delete these files, while Windows is running - some of themmight be in use.
30. States in which directory temporaryfiles can be placed by the applications (older programs).
31. States where the files for theSound Blaster soundcard are installed.
32. States that the soundcard isinstalled at Address 220 with IRQ 5, Low DMA on DMA-channel 1, HighDMA on DMA-channel 5, MIDI address 330 and that the soundcard is Type 6(Sound Blaster 16 compatible).
33. Indicates how MIDI-fileshas to be played. MAP:G makes sure that both basic MIDI and extendedMIDI can be played in DOS.
34. Sets the soundcard to the valuesin line 32.
35. Sets the volumelevel forthe different channels of the soundcard according to the values saved inthe file C:CTSNDCTMIX.CFG by means of the program C:CTSNDSB16SET.EXE. Can be omitted.

/L: indicates in which UMB block the driver/programshall be loaded.

/V indicates that the driver/program shalldisplay extended information on the screen when loading.

If the Upper Memory in the address interval C800 to EFFF is unbroken,it should now, depending on the memory requirements for the CD-ROM and Mousedrivers, be possible to load all drivers and resident programs in UpperMemory, giving approximately 625 Kb free memory (can be checked with thecommand: MEM /C).

An unbroken Upper Memory area is among other depending on the computersBIOS, the installed videocard and other plug-in cards installed in the computer.

If there is not 625 Kb of free memory, the MEMMAKER program can betried, but this program cannot always improve the memory utilization, andsome times it becomes worse.

Also look at the chapter: More Upper Memorywith EMM386.

More commands for use in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT can be seen inthe chapter: MS-DOS 6.22 (Windows 3.11).

Windows 95 OSR2 and HIMEM.SYS

If you are using one of the FIRST German or Danish (and probablysome other non-US versions) of the OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) version ofWindows 95, there is an ERROR in the IO.SYS system file, which preventsHIMEM.SYS from loading in the HMA area, leading HIMEM.SYS to use 45 Kb ofconventional memory instead of 1 Kb.

You can downloadthe IO2PATCH.EXE program here. This program fixes the problem. Justput the IO2PATCH.EXE file in the root of your bootup drive (usually C:), where theIO.SYS system file is placed, execute the IO2PATCH program, and then the problem shouldbe fixed.

DOSSTART.BAT (Windows 95 & 98)

Whenever it is chosen to 'Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode' when closing Windows9x, the file C:WINDOWSDOSSTART.BAT is searched for, and the lines herein are executed,if this file exists.

During installation of Windows 9x some lines are often moved from AUTOEXEC.BATto DOSSTART.BAT, so it is essential to check that none of the drivers and TSR programsloaded from AUTOEXEC.BAT are loaded by DOSSTART.BAT as well.

The CD-ROM extension MSCDEX is one of theprograms that Windows 9x often moves to DOSSTART.BAT. This is done in order forWindows 9x to use its 32-bit driver for the CD-ROM drive, but if access to the CD-ROMdrive is wanted before starting Windows 9x (e.g. if automatic startof Windows 9x is disabled, as earlier described), then MSCDEX HAS to be loadedfrom AUTOEXEC.BAT and therefore should be deleted from the DOSSTART.BAT file. Windows 9x's 32-bit CD-ROM driver should be a little faster than a 16-bit DOS driver,but some programs cannot run with the 32-bit driver.

However, if it is chosen to load MSCDEX from DOSSTART.BAT, thenSMARTDRV should be moved hereto as well,in order to obtain caching of the CD-ROM drive. Otherwise SMARTDRVwould be loaded before MSCDEX, causing the CD-ROM drive not to becached. The DOSSTART.BAT file should then look like this:

and line 18 and line 19should be deleted from AUTOEXEC.BAT.

WINSTART.BAT (Windows 95 & 98 and Windows 3.11)

Windows looks for the file C:WINDOWSWINSTART.BAT before starting. So, if you for any reason want to run any programs or commands before startingWindows, you can put them into this file. Unlike DOSSTART.BAT, WINSTART.BATis also executed by Windows 3.11.

MS-DOS 6.22 (Windows 3.11)

The following example applies to a PC with:

but will also work with MS-DOS 6.00 / 6.20 or PC DOS 6.30 / 7.00.

The example are generally applicable, but line 15and line 26 must be edited, as the drivers for CD-ROMdrive and Mouse depends on the manufacturer.

The Lines with * can be omitted.

1. Switches off Num Lock on thekeyboard.
2. Extends Control-C / Control Breakalso to work under I/O operations as for instance reading and writing ofthe disks.
3. HIGH loads DOS buffers in HMA(requires a XMS manager, line 10). UMB allowsthe use of Upper Memory Blocks for resident drivers and programs (requiresan EMS manager, line 11). This frees up more conventionalmemory for your applications.
4. Sets the number of files thatcan be opened at one time to 40 (suitable for most instances, but someprograms insists on a larger number).
5. Sets the minimal number of file controlblocks. Is only used by very old programs.
6. Sets buffers to 10, which isappropriate, when Smartdrive (line 20) is used.
7. Sets the last logical drive-letterto J:
8. Sets stacks as Microsoft recommendsit for Windows 3.11.
9. Sets country to 45 (Denmark),with codepage 865 as the system character set i. e. the characterset that is used for sorting and conversion to and from capital letters. If no number is stated for the codepage, then the system codepage is setto 850 by default (for country 45), even though for instance codepage 865is chosen in line 23. Therefore the same codepageshould always be stated in line 9 and in line23 to avoid problems with access to files with names, in which charactersfrom the extended ASCII character set are used (character no. 128 to 255)i.e. ø and Ø.
10. Loads the DOS XMS manager. Necessary for the next line and for Windows 3.11 and Smartdrive(line 20).
11. Loads the DOS EMS manager. RAM indicates that both Expanded Memory (EMS) and Upper Memory (UMB) shouldbe made available. /MIN=0 states that no minimal amount of EMS memoryshall be secured. I=B000-B7FFindicates that the memory reserved for monochrome screens can be used asUpper Memory. With Windows 3.11 the use of I=B000-B7FF requires thefollowing line in C:WINDOWSSYSTEM.INI:
    [386Enh]
    device=c:dosmonoumb.386
    NOTE! If you don't have the file MONOUMB.386, then I=B000-B7FF canNOT be used, if Windows is to be run. In that case all instancesof /L:2 must be changed to /L:1. You can downloadMONOUMB.386 here.
    If EMS memory is not wanted, the parameter RAM can be changed to NOEMS,but from DOS 6.00 an above EMM386.EXE provides bothEMS and XMS memory for the programs, so there is no reason not to use theRAM parameter, unless there is a need for more UMB memory and you don'thave any programs that demands EMS memory. Many games requires EMS.
12. Loads the DOS ANSI driver,which among other makes manipulating of the colours in the DOS prompt (line30) possible. Can be substituted with an ANSI driver specificto the installed videocard. DOS's ANSI.SYS uses a lot of memory. Can be omitted. Some older programs requires an ANSI driver.
13. Loads the DOS EGA/VGA driverfor use of up to 2 codepages (character sets) on the screen. In DOS6.22 no more memory is used for 2 codepages than for 1 codepage.
14. Loads the driver for Windows 3.11's 32-bitfile access.
15. Loads the driver for the CD-ROMdrive. Specific for the installed drive. Your driver mighthave another name. What is written after /D: must also be writtenafter /D: in line 18. Some other parameters mightalso be necessary i.e. a statement of the controller's address (/SBP:220or the like), if the drive is connected via the soundcard or a separatecontrollercard.
16. States the name and location of the commandinterpreter. /E: states the size of the DOS environment. 512 or 1024 is suitable. If the number is smaller then some programsand batch-files might not run. /P indicates that the command interpretershall stay resident and that AUTOEXEC.BAT shall be executed. /P mayNOT be omitted.
    
17. Hides the text in batch programswhen the batch file is executed.
18. Loads the DOS CD-ROM extensionfor access to the CD-ROM drive. Requires that a CD-ROM driver (line15) with the same text after /D: is loaded. /M:15 states a suitableamount of buffers, and /E states that these buffer shall be loaded intoExpanded Memory (requires that an EMS manager is loaded, line11). /S indicates that the CD-ROM drive can be shared over anetwork, but is also necessary for some programs in order to make it possibleto read the volume label on the CD-ROM disks. /L:D indicates thatdrive-letter D shall be assigned to the CD-ROM drive. If /L: is omitted,the first free drive-letter is assigned to the CD-ROM drive.
19. Inserts a blank line (rememberthe period after ECHO).
20. Loads the DOS Smartdrive disk cachefor faster reading and writing on the (hard)disks. When Smartdriveis loaded AFTERMSCDEX (line 18),the cache will also work for the CD-ROM drive. Requires that a XMS manageris loaded (line 10). 2048 states the amount of memoryin Kb that should be used under DOS, and 128 states the amount when runningWindows. 128 Kb is recommended when 32-bit file accessis used, otherwise 2048 will be proper (having 8 Mb RAM or more).
21. Increases the typematic rate anddelay for the keyboard.
22. Prepares Danish/Norwegian (865)and international (850) codepage (character set) for the screen. Requires that DISPLAY.SYS is loaded (line13). C:DOSEGA.CPI can be replaced with the name of anothercodepage information file, for instance C:DOS865.CPI under IBM's PC DOS.
23. Selects Danish/Norwegian codepage(character set) for the screen. Requires that line22 is executed.
24. Loads the keyboard driver,configurated for a Danish keyboard with support for codepage 865.
25. Inserts a blank line.
26. Loads the Mouse driver. Your driver might have another name. The drivers from Microsoft andIBM uses a lot of memory - try to get another driver if you have one providedby Microsoft or IBM.
27. Loads DOSKey, which enablesfast recalling and editing of the command line at the DOS prompt. Can be omitted.
28. Inserts a blank line.
29. Loads national language support,which makes it possible to change the codepage with the command: CHCP. If C:DOSCOUNTRY.SYS is not stated, the country information file statedat COUNTRY= in CONFIG.SYS (line9) is used. Can be omitted.
30. Makes a little fun with the DOSprompt. Requires that an ANSI driver (line12) is loaded. The cross is made by holding down the ALT keyand typing 196 and 197 on the numeric keypad at the right side of the keyboard(not all text editors supports this). Alternatively the prompt canjust be set to: $p$g
31. PATH indicates in which directories andin which order programs shall be searched for, when no path is stated before theprogram name. Many programs inserts their own path in this line during programsetup, but in the most instances this is not necessary. Try removingthe program path and check if the program can work without it. Along PATH can slow down the start of the programs onthe computer. The PATH line can not contain more then 127 characters. Furthermore the length of the PATH is limited by the size of the DOS environment(line 16).
32. Sets the DOS DIR command forpausing, when the screen becomes full, and to display all files includinghidden and system files.
33. States in which directory temporaryfiles can be placed by the applications. This makes it much easierto find files that are not removed due to program errors. Quite a lotof megabytes can be saved by deleting the files in this directory from time totime. Do NOT delete these files, while Windows is running - some of themmight be in use.
34. States in which directory temporaryfiles can be placed by the applications (older programs).
35. Sets the timezone to GMT-1(Central European Time), with correction for Daylight Saving Time. Used by E-mail programs and News readers.
36. States where the files for theSound Blaster soundcard are installed.
37. States that the soundcard is installedat Address 220 with IRQ 5, Low DMA on DMA-channel 1, High DMA on DMA-channel5, MIDI address 330 and that the soundcard is Type 6 (Sound Blaster 16 compatible).
38. Indicates how MIDI-files hasto be played. MAP:G makes sure that both basic MIDI and extendedMIDI can be played in DOS.
39. Sets the soundcard to the valuesin line 37.
40. Sets the volumelevel for thedifferent channels of the soundcard according to the values saved in thefile C:SB16CTMIX.CFG by means of the program C:SB16SB16SET.EXE. Can be omitted.

/L: indicates in which UMB block the driver/programshall be loaded.

/V indicates that the driver/program shalldisplay extended information on the screen when loading.

If the Upper Memory in the address interval C800 to EFFF is unbroken,it should now, depending on the memory requirements for the CD-ROM and Mousedrivers, be possible to load all drivers and resident programs in UpperMemory, giving approximately 611 Kb free memory (can be checked with thecommand: MEM /C).

An unbroken Upper Memory area is among other depending on the computersBIOS, the installed videocard and other plug-in cards installed in the computer.

If there is not 611 Kb of free memory, the MEMMAKER program can betried, but this program cannot always improve the memory utilization, andsome times it becomes worse. Especially KEYB.COMcan cause problems.

Also look at the chapter: More Upper Memorywith EMM386.

PC DOS 7.00 (IBM)

The setup above will work with IBM's DOS as well. The residentprograms in version 7.00 typically uses a little lesser memory than theones of MS-DOS 6.22, and IBM's DOS versions are translated to Danish. The translation is awful in places and even more difficult to understandthan the original English, but that goes for the Danish Microsoft MS-DOSversion 7.x (Windows 9x) too.

Under PC DOS, the program RAMBOOST can be used for memory optimization,but this program isn't flawless either, and it is furthermore a residentprogram consuming memory itself.

Note that PC DOS's Smartdrive 5.00 not as standarduses write cache as MS-DOS's Smartdrive does. To obtain write caching,the drives to be cached has to be stated succeeded by a + (SMARTDRV C+D+ E+ etc.).

PC DOS's Smartdrive 5.00 indicates that CD-ROM drives are cached. Tests with CD-Bench 1.07 states that this is not the fact when using PCDOS's MSCDEX.EXE 2.25, whereas CD-ROM drives are cachedunder PC DOS if MS-DOS's MSCDEX.EXE is used.

Windows 3.11

If a DOS version above DOS 5.00 is used, then the versions ofHIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE andSMARTDRV.EXE installed by Windows in C: shouldNOT be used. Use the corresponding files in the DOSdirectory instead.

It can be suitable or necessary to add the following lines tothe SYSTEM.INI file in the Windows directory:

1. If the EMM386 Memory Manager is used with the parameterI=B000-BFFF, then the MONOUMB.386 device driver HAS to beused. MONOUMB.386 can be downloadedhere.
2. If Quarterdeck's QEMM386 MemoryManager is used, then SystemROMBreakPointHAS to be set to FALSE.
3. Increases the maximum breakpoints that can beused by the Virtual Memory Manager (VMM) from 200 to 768. This can improve Windows'performance.

More Upper Memory with EMM386

If there is not enough Upper Memory for all drivers and TSR programs,then line 11 can be extended to:

DEVICE=C:DOSEMM386.EXE RAM I=B000-B7FF HIGHSCAN FRAME=C800/MIN=0 /V

HIGHSCAN tells the Memory Manger to search the system area (F000-FFFF)for unused memory, and FRAME=C800 places the page frame in the start of UpperUpper Memory Block number 2 (UMB 2), and thereby increases the probability foran unbroken UMB 2 from D000 and up.

Depending on the BIOS this might cause the computer to hang during bootup! First try removing the FRAME=C800 statement. This might lead to a third UMB blockplaced after the page frame. If this is the case, some of the drivers and/or TSRprograms must be loaded into UMB 3 using a DEVICEHIGH /L:3 = or a LH /L:3 statement. If removing the FRAME=C800 statement still causes the computer to hang,then the HIGHSCAN statement must be removed as well. Then it is not likely thatany more Upper Memory can be gained using EMM386

It is possible that the computer works alright in DOS, but that Windows 9x cannotstart when HIGHSCAN is used.

If HIGHSCAN cannot be used, then perhaps an alternative Memory Manager can be usedinstead to obtain more Upper Memory.

Alternative Memory Managers (QEMM386)

If there is a demand for more Upper Memory, an investment can bemade in an alternative Memory Manager, as for instance QuarterdecksQEMM386. This manager can typically give 32 Kb or more extra UpperMemory, an DOS will typically run 20% faster than with the Memory Managerprovided by MS-DOS or PC DOS!!!

I use QEMM386 v. 8.03 with MS-DOS 6.22 myself, and my CONFIG.SYS,AUTOEXEC.BAT and DOS-UP.DAT files looks like the following. Here might be something to obtain for other QEMM386 users. The setup alsoshows how to make a startup menu with two configurations - one for running withQEMM386, which starts by default after 2 seconds, and one for running with EMM386:

This results in 632 Kb free memory with QEMM386 and 607 Kb free memorywith EMM386.

Furthermore there is now room in Upper Memory for the two driversC:SB16DRVCTSB16.SYS andC:SB16DRVCTMMSYS.SYS, whichmakes it possible to playback WAV, MID, CMF and VOC soundfiles underDOS, using the program C:SB16PLAY.EXE. These drivers are providedwith the Sound Blaster 16 soundcard.

If there is not enough Upper Memory for all drivers and residentprograms, the line: DEVICE=C:QEMMQEMM386.SYSR:1 RAM can be expanded with the parameter: ST:F (safest) orST:M (this should be tested with the Quarterdeck OPTIMIZE program).

Sys File Editor

If DoubleSpace, DriveSpace or Stacker disk compressionis used, then the parameter: DBF=2 HAS to be added tothe line mentioned above.

If there is not 632 Kb of free memory with QEMM386, the OPTIMIZE programcan be tried, but this program cannot always improve the memory utilization,and some times it becomes worse. Especially KEYB.COMcan cause problems.

If the computer hangs under startup after an apparently successfulOPTIMIZE, it might be because OPTIMIZE has added squeezing to the LOADHIprocedure for some of the programs. Boot again and press F5. Then run the following command: C:QEMMOPTIMIZE /NOSQT /NOSQF. This starts OPTIMIZE with Temporary- and Frame squeezing turned off.

Windows 7 Config File

If version 7.x of Quarterdeck is used, it can not be recommendedto use DEVICE=C:QEMMDOSDATA.SYS,because there will be SO MUCH free memory, that some programs (Windows,among others) refuses to start. In most instances you can circumventthis by starting the programs with the MS-DOS LOADFIX program. Version8.x of Quartedeck seems to take hand of the problem by itself.

Stacker disk compression

If Stacker version 3.x or 4.x is used, the following can be enteredinto CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT and STACKER.INI. Stacker is presumed installed in C:STACKER, and there is two physicalharddisks (C: and D:).

The Quarterdeck parameter: DBF=2HAS to be used with Stacker.

It is best to use Stacker with minimum compression, and then at regularintervals run a full optimization with maximal compression by means ofthe command: C:STACKERSDEFRAG /R /SU. This may last up to1 hour for a Stacker file of 512 Mb.

With Stacker 4.x the DEVICE=C:STACKERDPMS.EXE statement can beused in CONFIG.SYS to create DPMS memory, in which Stacker can be loaded,but this might cause problems with other programs as for instance PKZIPor QEMM386 with Stealth (ST:F / ST:M). DPMS can also NOT be used if 32-bit file access to the compresseddrives is wanted under Windows. So if EMS memory is available, it isbetter to use this, than to use DPMS memory.

Harddisk partitioning

If you do not want to compress your harddisk, you can often obtainmore space by partitioning the disk by means of the program FDISK.EXE. This reduces the amount of space wasted by each of the files on the disk.

The amount of wasted space is among other things dependent on thesize of the disk, as the waste is bigger on large disks, because DOS hasto use larger clusters (allocation units) on large disks than on smalldisks.

One file always takes up a whole number of clusters, and thereforea file of just 1 byte will use 16.384 bytes = 1 cluster on a harddisk of1023 Mb and 32.768 bytes on a harddisk bigger than 1023 Mb! The averagewaste of space on a harddisk bigger than 1023 Mb will be 40% !!, whilethe waste on a harddisk between 512 and 1023 Mb will be 20%, and on a harddiskof 511 Mb it will only be about 10%. Smaller files typically resultsin more waste of space, as do large numbers of directories and subdirectories,because these also occupy 1 cluster each.

If you have 2 harddisks, both partitioned to 2 drives, then the firstharddisk (harddisk 0) will contain the logical drives C: and E:, whilethe other harddisk (harddisk 1) will contain the logical drives D: andF: after the partitioning. During the partitioning it is importantto remember to set the primary partition on disk 0 to be the active partition,otherwise drive C: will not be bootable

Commercial- and shareware-programs that can make disk partitioningwithout loss of data are available, for example PowerQuest'sPartitionMagic.

Windows 95 OSR2 and FAT32

The OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) version of Windows 95 uses FAT32 insteadof the previously used FAT16 file system. FAT32 uses smaller clusters(typically 4.096 bytes) and supports harddisk partitions of a size up to 2 Terrabytes(2048 Gb), whereas FAT16 only could handle harddisk partitions with sizes up to 2 Gb.

Because of the smaller clustersize used by FAT32, there is no longer thesame need for harddisk partitioning in order of reducing the amount of wasteddisk space. However, if you have a large harddisk (4 Gb or more), harddiskpartitioning can still give you a better overview of your folders and files.

OEM stands for: 'Original Equipment Manufacturer', which means thatthe OSR2 version of Windows 95 can only be purchased in conjunction with buying anew computer (or sometimes when buying a new harddisk).

With Windows 98 it is possible to convert a FAT16 partition to FAT32.

Have fun

NOTE! This page can be downloadedin text format. Also available in French.

Short for 'automatically executed batch file', autoexec.bat is a startup file used with MS-DOS and early versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems (Windows 3.x and Windows 95). It contains commands that are to be executed by the operating system when the computer first boots. For example, if autoexec.bat contained the line 'c:windowswin', Windows 3.x would be executed when the computer first boots.

Autoexec.bat today

Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 do not have or use the autoexec.bat file. Instead, all versions of Windows now use the registry.

Related pages

• Help with editing this file is found on our Autoexec.bat and Config.sys page.

Auto, Batch file, Config.sys, Exec, Operating system terms