Re: WinXP boot disk, WinXP DOS

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Patches Forever wrote:
There is an option to make one of these disks. You right click A drive in Explorer, then choose FORMAT and there is an option to create a DOS boot disk. I didn't analyze the floppy in detail but it doesn't have a binary MSDOS.SYS file like DOS 6.22. It is like a Win98 MSDOS.SYS file. It is a text file. The dates on the various files are 6-8-2000.

So I guess it is basically COMMAND.COM and IO.SYS from Win98.

Thank you for the info. It is helpful information.

Bill S.


"Tim Slattery" <Slattery_T@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:v2etn2ti25mb65lfpr53oar9kl4gq228q0@xxxxxxxxxx
"Patches Forever" <mr.correct@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hello. What are the rules for tinkering with DOS in WinXP ? I see that the
traditional DOS commands are in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32. I can use the
traditional commands if I am in a DOS session in Windows, but I can't run
any of them if I boot with a WinXP diskette. I haven't figured how to do
much of anything with the boot diskette. I'm very handy with old fashioned
DOS but I don't understand how things are hooked up in WinXP.
There's no DOS in XP. There is a 32-bit command console. It runs
32-bit console commands, many of which are very much like their old
DOS counterparts. Many of them have additional options. And console
programs scan do anything that a Windows GUI program can do, even open
windows.

You can get a list of built-in commands by opening a console window
and typing "help" (no quotes, of course). Then find out about each
program by typing its name followed by "/?". For example, to get all
the options for the "dir" command, type

dir /?

And of course you should look at the web page that Larry pointed to.

As for your bootup disk: what is that? How did you make it?

--
Tim Slattery
MS MVP(DTS)
Slattery_T@xxxxxxx



Actually, it's the equivelant to a MS WinMe boot diskette. If you create the diskette in XP, boot to the disk, and type 'ver' -- it says it's Millenium Edition.

So, if you want to expand the capabilities of the boot disk, you need a Me system to copy the dos utilities from (or extract them from the CABs if you're lucky enough.

I actually use the XP/Me boot disks to reimage computers at home -- I have a modular floppy disk that either boots:

1) Clean -- nothing loaded except the virgin *.SYS files to give me a command prompt
2) Standard DOS tools (which are loaded into a ramdisk) -- but no networking
3) MS Networking ( which inherits the standard dos tools ) -- you'll need to know what NIC is in the system before telling the menu to boot to the networking ability. I have ~6 NICs I can run and still have room for a few more!

I would share it, lacking the system files (which all y'all have). I don't check this NG often, but I can make them available eventually. I don't check the email address either, too much spam between the legit mail. Post here if anybody's interested -- I'll get it online and let y'all hack at it. Documentation isn't made (yet, don't know when it will be).

Enjoy, everyone.
.

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