FILE NAME: W V 9 5 - 0 0 . R E F Original DATE: January 31, 1996 REVISE DATE: August 2, 1999 FROM: Artic Technologies Help Center Artic Technologies 1000 John R. Road Suite 108 Troy, MI 48083. (248) 588-7370 Extension 11 Sales (248) 588-2650 Fax (248) 588-1425 Help Center www.artictech.com InterNet WEB Site sales@artictech.com InterNet E-Mail Sales help@artictech.com InterNet E-Mail Help TO: All Artic Users SUBJECT: Direct Boot to MS-DOS Under Windows 95. For those Artic users who need to have their computers boot directly to MS-DOS under Windows 95, below, we describe Three different ways of setting up your computer to accomplish this. There are also notes at the end of this file that you may wish to take advantage of which may help to optimize your computer for speech. Be aware that such hardware devices as: your CD-ROM, Document Scanner, Hand Scanner, Mouse, Touch Tabblit, Sound Blaster card, PCMCIA card services software, Plug and Play devices, Jazz drive, and Zip drive devices as well as Double Space, Drive Space and Stacker, may not function with out Windows 95 running. If this is the case, you will need to Locate the floppy diskette or CD-ROM which contains the MS-DOS software version for using these applications and/or devices and install the appropriate software. For instructions on how to install each software under MS-DOS, See the manual which came with the application or device. If you have installed Windows 95 in to a directory other than "C:\WINDOWS" you may have to modify some of the examples noted below so that they will work with your computer system. End Of Introduction. ------------------------------------------------------------------- WINDOWS 95 WIN.BAT file for direct booting to MS-DOS: The simplest way of setting up your computer to boot directly to MS-DOS with out starting Windows 95 is to create a "WIN.BAT" file. This "WIN.BAT" file is placed in the root directory of your "C:\" hard drive. Below are step by step instructions on how to do this: Be aware that for this to work, you can not have a command in your "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file which switches the directory to the Windows 95 directory. If this is so, remark out the line in the Windows 95 "AUTOEXEC.BAT" as shown below: REM CD\WINDOWS Or place the following MS-DOS command at the end of the "AUTOEXEC.BAT file: CD\ 1. From Windows 95, exit to MS-DOS via the following steps: A. From within Windows 95, hold down the (Control) key and press the (Escape) key. This will bring up the "START menu". B. Type the letter "U". This will bring up the Windows 95 "Shut Down Menu". C. At this point, press the letter "M" and then press (Enter). NOTE: The computer will re-boot to an MS-DOS prompt. ALSO: If you plan to run an MS-DOS screen access program like Artic Technologies' Business Vision, and/or a MS-DOS Screen Enlargement program like Magnum GT/Deluxe, do it at this time. 2. At the MS-DOS prompt type the following: ECHO @ECHO OFF > C:\WIN.BAT (enter) What this does is to print the "@ECHO OFF" command and store it in to the "WIN.BAT" file at the "C:\" directory. 3. Exit your MS-DOS session by typing the following command: EXIT (enter) NOTE: The computer will exit MS-DOS and re-start Windows 95. 4. Shut down Windows 95 and turn off your computer. This is accomplish through the following steps: A. From within Windows 95, hold down the (Control) key and press the (Escape) key. This will bring up the START menu. B. Type the letter "U". This will bring up the Windows 95 "Shut Down" Menu. Press (Enter) to Shut Down Windows 95. C. Once there is no more hard drive activity, turn off your computer. If you have speech running, you may hear "c:\>". There will be a message on the screen stating that it is safe to turn off your computer. However, this message will not be spoken. The next time the computer is turned on, it will boot directly to an MS-DOS prompt. If you wish to run Windows 95, then type the following at the MS-DOS prompt: CD\WINDOWS (enter) WIN (enter) Windows 95 should start in a similar manner to Windows 3.1. For your information, Artic Technologies has developed WinVision 95. It is a screen access system with speech synthesizer and braille display support for Windows 95. Also, Artic Technologies has developed and released Magnum Deluxe 95. It is a screen Enlargement system for individuals with impaired vision who needs screen enhancement under Windows 95. Telephone Artic Technologies at: (248) 588-7370 for Product information, pricing and/or to order. End Of Section. ------------------------------------------------------------------- WINDOWS 95 "BOOTGUI=0" changes to the MSDOS.SYS file for direct booting to MS-DOS: A second way of setting up your computer to boot directly to MS-DOS with out starting Windows 95 is to modify the "BOOTGUI=" line in the "MSDOS.SYS" file. Below are step by step instructions on how to do this: 1. From Windows 95, exit to MS-DOS via the following steps: A. From within Windows 95, hold down the (Control) key and press the (Escape) key. This will bring up the START menu. B. Type the letter "U". This will bring up the Windows 95 Shut Down Menu. C. At this point, press the letter "M" and then press (Enter). NOTE: The computer will re-boot to an MS-DOS prompt. ALSO: If you plan to run an MS-DOS screen access program like Artic Technologies' Business Vision, and/or a MS-DOS Screen Enlargement program like Magnum GT/Deluxe, do it at this time. 2. From your "C:\WINDOWS > " prompt, type: CD\ (enter) This will place you at the MS-DOS "C:\ >" root directory prompt. 3. At the MS-DOS prompt type the following: ATTRIB -R -S -H MSDOS.SYS (enter) NOTE: this will un-hide the MSDOS.SYS file to make it available for editing. 4. Bring up the MSDOS.SYS file in to your favorite text editor. Locate the "[OPTIONS] section" of the file and look for the line: "BOOTGUI=1". 5. Change "BOOTGUI=1" to "BOOTGUI=0". NOTE: "BOOTGUI=1" instructs the system to boot directly into Windows 95, while "BOOTGUI=0" instructs the system to boot to MS-DOS. This is what the beginning of your "MSDOS.SYS" file for Windows 95 may look like after making this change. [Paths] WinDir=C:\WINDOWS WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS HostWinBootDrv=C [Options] BootMulti=1 Logo=0 Network=0 BootGUI=0 6. After making this change, save "MSDOS.SYS" and exit your editor. 7. Type the following MS-DOS command. ATTRIB +R +S +H MSDOS.SYS (enter) NOTE: this will re-hide the MSDOS.SYS file to make it available to the operating system.. 8. Exit your MS-DOS session by typing the following two commands: CD\WINDOWS (enter) EXIT (enter) NOTE: This will switch you to the Windows 95 directory. Your computer will exit MS-DOS and then re-start Windows 95. 9. Shut down Windows 95 and turn off your computer. This is accomplish through the following steps: A. From within Windows 95, hold down the (Control) key and press the (Escape) key. This will bring up the START menu. B. Type the letter "U". This will bring up the Windows 95 Shut Down Menu. Press Enter to Shut Down Windows 95. C. Once there is no more hard drive activity, turn off your computer. The next time the computer is turned on, it will boot directly to an MS-DOS prompt. If you want to run Windows 95, then type the following at the MS-DOS prompt: CD\WINDOWS (enter) WIN (enter) Windows 95 should start in a similar manner to Windows 3.1. For your information, Artic Technologies has developed WinVision 95. It is a screen access system with speech synthesizer and braille display support for Windows 95. Also, Artic Technologies has developed and released Magnum Deluxe 95. It is a screen Enlargement system for individuals with impaired vision who needs screen enhancement under Windows 95. Telephone Artic Technologies at: (248) 588-7370 for Product information, pricing and/or to order. End Of Section. ------------------------------------------------------------------- WINDOWS 95 changes to the MSDOS.SYS file to enable the Start Menu for direct Booting of MS-DOS: A final way of setting up your computer to control how it boots is by enabling the Windows 95 Start menu from the "MSDOS.SYS" file. Depending on whether or not your computer has net work support enabled, it will provide you with seven or eight choices on how you would like your computer Booted. Below are step by step directions on how to enable this menu and have it default to MS-DOS: 1. From Windows 95, exit to MS-DOS via the following steps: A. From within Windows 95, hold down the (Control) key and press the (Escape) key. This will bring up the START menu. B. Type the letter "U". This will bring up the Windows 95 Shut Down Menu. C. At this point, press the letter "M" and then press (Enter). NOTE: The computer will re-boot to an MS-DOS prompt. ALSO: If you plan to run an MS-DOS screen access program like Artic Technologies Business Vision, and/or an MS-DOS Screen Enlargement program like Magnum GT/Deluxe, do it at this time. 2. From your "C:\WINDOWS > " prompt, type: CD\ (enter) This will place you at the MS-DOS "C:\ >" root directory prompt. 3. At the MS-DOS prompt type the following: ATTRIB -R -S -H MSDOS.SYS (enter) NOTE: this will un-hide the MSDOS.SYS file to make it available for editing. 4. Bring up the MSDOS.SYS in to your favorite text editor. Locate the "[OPTIONS] section" of the file and look in it for the line: "BootMulti=". 5. Starting with "BootMulti=" edit this line and add three additional lines so it looks like the following: BootMulti=1 BootMenu=1 BootMenuDelay=30 BootMenuDefault=1 Keep in mind that several of these lines may already be in the "MSDOS.SYS" file. If they already exist, modify the command value as shown above. The "BootMenuDelay=" specifies how long this menu is displayed until it defaults to the selection specified by the "BootMenuDefault=" parameter. The value following the "BootMenuDelay=" represents the delay time indicated in seconds. The "BootMenuDefault=" is where to specify what option on the Boot Menu the computer will default to when no selection is pressed. By default, "BootMenuDefault=1" will cause your computer to directly start up in Windows 95. When setting up your computer to directly start up in MS-DOS for Windows 95, the "BootMenuDefault=" value will be either 5 or 6. This will be dependent upon what the "Network=" command is set to. When "Network=0", you should have "BootMenuDefault=5". When "Network=1", you should have "BootMenuDefault=6". This is what the beginning of your "MSDOS.SYS" file MAY look like for no NetWork support, after making these changes: [Paths] WinDir=C:\WINDOWS WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS HostWinBootDrv=C [Options] BootMulti=1 BootMenu=1 BootMenuDelay=30 BootMenuDefault=5 Logo=0 Network=0 BootGUI=1 Also, the following is what the beginning of your "MSDOS.SYS" file MAY look like for NetWork support after making these changes: [Paths] WinDir=C:\WINDOWS WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS HostWinBootDrv=C [Options] BootMulti=1 BootMenu=1 BootMenuDelay=30 BootMenuDefault=6 Logo=0 Network=6 BootGUI=1 6. After making these changes, save "MSDOS.SYS" and exit your editor. 7. Type the following MS-DOS command. ATTRIB +R +S +H MSDOS.SYS (enter) NOTE: this will re-hide the MSDOS.SYS file to make it available to the operating system. 8. Exit your MS-DOS session by typing the following two commands: CD\WINDOWS (enter) EXIT (enter) NOTE: This will switch you to the Windows 95 directory. Your computer will exit MS-DOS and then re-start Windows 95. 9. Shut down Windows 95 and turn off your computer. This is accomplished through the following steps: A. From within Windows 95, hold down the (Control) key and press the (Escape) key. This will bring up the START menu. B. Type the letter "U". This will bring up the Windows 95 Shut Down Menu. Press Enter to Shut Down Windows 95. C. Once there is no more hard drive activity, turn off your computer. The next time the computer is turned on, it will boot directly to an MS-DOS prompt. If you want to run Windows 95, then type the following at the MS-DOS prompt: CD\WINDOWS (enter) WIN (enter) Windows 95 should start in a similar manner to Windows 3.1. For your information, Artic Technologies has developed WinVision 95. It is a screen access system with speech synthesizer and braille display support for Windows 95. Also, Artic Technologies has developed and released Magnum Deluxe 95. It is a screen Enlargement system for individuals with impaired vision who needs screen enhancement under Windows 95. Telephone Artic Technologies at: (248) 588-7370 for Product information, pricing and/or to order. End Of Section. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Notes: 1. Again, If you have installed Windows 95 in to a directory other than "C:\WINDOWS" you may have to modify some of these examples so that they will work with your computer system. 2. For your reference, "MSDOS.SYS" must have a file size of 1024 bytes or greater. 3. Make sure that you have a path to the directory where the MS-DOS ATTRIB command is kept. The path command in your "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file should look something like the following: PATH=C:\;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND; 4. You will need to place the following line at the end of your "CONFIG.SYS" file: SWITCHES=/C/F This will turn on MS-DOS BIOS screen writes. Keep in mind that the MS-DOS version which comes with Windows 95 is originally set up for MS-DOS display output via direct screen writes. The "/f" switch is optional. The following gives easy, step by step instructions on how to place this line in the "CONFIG.SYS" file with out a need for an editing program. A. From Windows 95, exit to MS-DOS via the following steps: #1 From within Windows 95, hold down the (Control) key and press the (Escape) key. This will bring up the "START menu". #2 Type the letter "U". This will bring up the Windows 95 "Shut Down Menu. #3 At this point, press the letter "M" and then press (enter). NOTE: The computer will re-boot to an MS-DOS "C:\WINDOWS > " prompt. ALSO: If you plan to run an MS-DOS screen access program like Artic Technologies Business Vision, and/or a MS-DOS Screen Enlargement program like Magnum GT/Deluxe, do it at this time. B. From your "C:\WINDOWS > " prompt, type: CD\ (enter) This will place you at the MS-DOS "C:\ >" root directory prompt. C. Make a copy of your "CONFIG.SYS" file by typing the following at the "C:\ >" MS-DOS prompt: COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS C:\CONFIG.BAK /Y (enter) This backup copy of your "CONFIG.SYS" file was created as a precaution before doing the next step. D. At the MS-DOS prompt type the following: ECHO SWITCHES=/C/F >> C:\CONFIG.SYS (enter) What this does is to print the "SWITCHES=/C/F" command and append it to the end of the "CONFIG.SYS" file in the "C:\" directory. E. Exit your MS-DOS session by typing the following two commands: CD\WINDOWS (enter) EXIT (enter) NOTE: This will switch you to the Windows 95 directory. Your computer will exit MS-DOS and then re-start Windows 95. F. Shut down Windows 95 and turn off your computer. This is accomplished through the following steps: #1 From within Windows 95, hold down the (Control) key and press the (Escape) key. This will bring up the "START menu". #2 Type the letter "U". This will bring up the Windows 95 "Shut Down Menu". Press (enter) to Shut Down Windows 95. #3 Once there is no more hard drive activity, turn off your computer. The next time the computer is turned on, the MS-DOS BIOS output will be enabled. 5. When running a screen access program for Windows 95 which supports a serial speech synthesizer, the following lines should be added to the "[386ENH]" section of your Windows 95 "SYSTEM.INI" file: For a Serial speech Synthesizer on COM1: Com1AutoAssign=0 Com1Buffer=255 NOTE: Add "Com1Fifo=0" if you are using a 16550-UART. For a Serial speech Synthesizer on COM2: Com2AutoAssign=0 Com2Buffer=255 NOTE: Add "Com2Fifo=0" if you are using a 16550-UART. For a Serial speech Synthesizer on COM3: Com3AutoAssign=0 Com3Buffer=255 NOTE: Add "Com3Fifo=0" if you are using a 16550-UART. For a Serial speech Synthesizer on COM4: Com4AutoAssign=0 Com4Buffer=255 NOTE: Add "Com4Fifo=0" if you are using a 16550-UART. 6. If you plan to run WinVision 95 together with a MS-DOS screen reader (like Business Vision) using a serial speech synthesizer, there are some changes that can be made in Windows 95 to enhance compatibility. Below are step by step directions on what to do: A. Activate the Windows 95 "Start" menu by holding down the (Control) key and pressing the (Escape) key. B. Press the "S" key for the "Settings" folder. C. Press the "C" key to access the "Control Panel". D. Press the "S" key several times until you reach the "System" option and then press (enter).. E. Press your (tab) key three times until you reach the "generaL" tab. F. Now press your (right arrow) key once for "Computer Device Manager". G. Press your (tab) key twice to go to "Computer Tree View". H. Then (Arrow down) to "Ports (Com & Lpt)". I. When you are at "Ports (Com & Lpt)", (arrow) to your right to open this folder and (arrow) down To the specific serial communication port. This should be the serial communication port to which the speech synthesizer is connected. J. Press your (tab) key once to go to "Properties" and press (enter). K. Press (shift tab) once to go to the properties "original Configuration", "General" Tab. L. Press your (right Arrow) key once for "Port Settings". M. Now press your (tab) key six times to go to "Advance Settings" and press (enter). N. Tap your Space Bar> to un-check "use Fifo Buffers". O. Press your (tab) key once to go to "OK" and press (enter) Q. Press the (Tab) key four times to return back to ""Port Settings". R. At this point, (arrow right) twice to "Input Output Range,. S. Now (tab) twice to "Use Automatic Settings" and press your (space Bar) to un-Check it. T. At this point, press your (tab) key twice to go to "OK" and press (enter). This will exit you from "Properties". U. Now, press your (TAB) key four times to go to "OK" and press (enter). This will exit the "System" menu and place you back at the "System" option in the "Control Panel". V. Tap or double tap your (alt) key to poll down the "File" menu. Pressing (F10) key will also poll down the "File" menu. Now (arrow down) to "Close" and press (enter). This will exit the "Control Panel" and place you back at the Windows 95 "Desk Top". End Of Section. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Remember, all Trade Marks and/or Product Names are the legal property of their respective companies. Artic Technologies welcomes you to use the above information, but cautions that you do so at your own risk. Even though these steps have been thoroughly tested, we cannot guarantee that they will work in your specific computer environment. 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