p align="left"> I believe all computer enthusiasts are quite familiar with Msdoy.sys. But unlike traditional DOS, the Msdos.sys of the Windows 9x era has already taken off its mysterious outer shell. The current Msdos.sys is nothing more than a text file with the hidden, system, and read-only attributes, and we can use ordinary plain-text editors to edit and modify it, so as to achieve the purpose of speeding up Windows 9x. Now let us take a look at what exactly is inside Windows 9x's Msdos.sys.
To view and edit the Msdos.sys file, we first need to use the Attrib command (attrib ？s ？h ？r msdos.sys) or Windows 9x's file manager to remove the system, read-only, and hidden attributes of Msdos.sys. Then we can use a plain-text editor (such as Edit or Notepad) to open the Msdos.sys file. We can find that Msdos.sys consists of three sections: one of them is made up of some meaningless characters, while the other two are [Paths] and [Options], which define some information required for Windows 9x startup. Now let us first introduce the relevant parameters in these two sections, and finally get to know the section made up of information that appears useless on the surface. (Note: whether the following parameters appear or not depends on each person's installation situation.)
The [Paths] section contains the following settings:
1.HostWinBootDrv=$#@60;Root of Boot Drive$#@62;
Default：C
Meaning: specifies the location of the boot drive root directory.
2.UninstallDir=$#@60;Root of Boot Drive$#@62;
Default：C
Meaning: specifies the location of the W95undo.dat and W95undo.ini files. These files are required for uninstalling Windows 9x.
Note: this parameter appears only when the user chooses to back up system files when installing Windows 9x.
3.WinBootDir=$#@60;Windows Directory$#@62;
Default：the Windows 9x installation directory (for example: C:\WINDOWS)
Meaning: shows the location of the files required to boot Windows 9x.
4.WinDir=$#@60;Windows Directory$#@62;
Default：the Windows 9x installation directory (for example: C:\WINDOWS)
Meaning: shows the Windows 9x installation directory.
The [Options] section contains the following settings:
1.AutoScan=$#@60;Number$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: defines whether to run Scandisk after an improper shutdown. Among them:
0— 辉诵校?——prompt before running; 2——do not prompt before running, but prompt the user when errors are found and need to be corrected.
This parameter is valid only in Windows 95 OSR2 and Windows 98.
2.BootDelay=$#@60;Seconds$#@62;
Default：2
Meaning: the delay time for which the “Starting Windows” message remains displayed before Windows 9x continues booting.
Note: this parameter is not supported by Windows 98.
3.BootSafe=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：0
Meaning: if set to 1, forces the computer to enter Safe Mode.
4.BootGUI=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 1, forcibly loads the graphical interface; if 0, does not load the graphical interface.
5.BootKeys=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if 1, allows function-key startup (including F4, F5, F6, F8, and CTRL); if 0, forbids the use of these function keys during startup.
Note: the BootKey=0 setting takes precedence over the BootDelay=n setting.
6.BootMenu=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：0
Meaning: if 1, allows use of the startup menu. If 0, the user must press F8 when “Starting Windows 9x” appears, or hold down CTRL when the machine starts, in order to call up the startup menu.
7.BootMenuDefault=$#@60;Number$#@62;
Default：menu item 1 if the system is running normally; menu item 3 if the system hung the last time it ran.
Meaning: use this setting to set the default boot menu item.
8.BootMenuDelay=$#@60;Number$#@62;
Default：30
Meaning: this setting is used to set the delay time for displaying the startup menu. Once the delay time has passed, startup proceeds according to the default menu item.
Note: this option takes effect only after BootMenu=1 has been set.
9.BootMulti=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 0, disables multi-boot; if set to 1, allows use of the F4 and F8 keys to start the user's original operating system.
10.BootWarn=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 0, disables the warning message for Safe Mode startup and the startup menu item.
11.BootWin=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 1, forcibly starts Windows 9x; if set to 0, prevents Windows 9x from becoming the default operating system (usually useful only when the user's machine also has Ms-dos version 5.0 or above).
Note: if BootMulti=1, pressing F4 will change the default operating system (for example: when BootMulti=1, pressing F4 will force Windows 9x to run).
12.DoubleBuffer=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：0
Meaning: if set to 1, the system sets double buffering only for controllers that need it (for example SCSI controllers); if set to 2, it unconditionally sets double buffering whether the controller needs it or not.
13.DBLSpace=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 1, automatically loads the DBLSPACE.BIN file; if 0, disables automatic loading of the DBLSPACE.BIN file.
Note: as long as either Dblspace.bin or Drvspace.bin exists in the root directory of the boot drive, Windows 9x will load it automatically. To avoid automatically loading Dblspace.bin or Drvspace.bin at startup, it is recommended to add the following settings to the Msdos.sys file:
DBLSpace=0
DRVSpace=0
14.DRVSpace=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 1, automatically loads the DRVSPACE.BIN file; if 0, disables automatic loading of the DRVSPACE.BIN file.
15.LoadTop=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if 0, disables Windows 9x from loading COMMAND.COM or DRVSPACE.BIN/DBLSPACE.BIN into upper memory. If some other software has compatibility problems, you may as well try setting it to 0.
16.Logo=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if 1, displays the Windows 9x logo; if 0, does not display the Windows 9x logo, and at the same time can avoid incompatibility problems with some third-party memory management software.
17.Network=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：0
Meaning: if 1, it means network components are installed, and the “Safe mode with network support” item is added to the startup menu.
The final part of the Msdos.sys file is made up of some information that looks useless. This information is necessary for programs that need to determine the length of the Msdos.sys file. For example, if some antivirus program detects that the file length of Msdos.sys is less than 1024 bytes, it may think that the Msdos.sys file has already been infected by a virus. If the Msdos.sys file is accidentally deleted, the computer will be unable to boot.
To view and edit the Msdos.sys file, we first need to use the Attrib command (attrib ？s ？h ？r msdos.sys) or Windows 9x's file manager to remove the system, read-only, and hidden attributes of Msdos.sys. Then we can use a plain-text editor (such as Edit or Notepad) to open the Msdos.sys file. We can find that Msdos.sys consists of three sections: one of them is made up of some meaningless characters, while the other two are [Paths] and [Options], which define some information required for Windows 9x startup. Now let us first introduce the relevant parameters in these two sections, and finally get to know the section made up of information that appears useless on the surface. (Note: whether the following parameters appear or not depends on each person's installation situation.)
The [Paths] section contains the following settings:
1.HostWinBootDrv=$#@60;Root of Boot Drive$#@62;
Default：C
Meaning: specifies the location of the boot drive root directory.
2.UninstallDir=$#@60;Root of Boot Drive$#@62;
Default：C
Meaning: specifies the location of the W95undo.dat and W95undo.ini files. These files are required for uninstalling Windows 9x.
Note: this parameter appears only when the user chooses to back up system files when installing Windows 9x.
3.WinBootDir=$#@60;Windows Directory$#@62;
Default：the Windows 9x installation directory (for example: C:\WINDOWS)
Meaning: shows the location of the files required to boot Windows 9x.
4.WinDir=$#@60;Windows Directory$#@62;
Default：the Windows 9x installation directory (for example: C:\WINDOWS)
Meaning: shows the Windows 9x installation directory.
The [Options] section contains the following settings:
1.AutoScan=$#@60;Number$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: defines whether to run Scandisk after an improper shutdown. Among them:
0— 辉诵校?——prompt before running; 2——do not prompt before running, but prompt the user when errors are found and need to be corrected.
This parameter is valid only in Windows 95 OSR2 and Windows 98.
2.BootDelay=$#@60;Seconds$#@62;
Default：2
Meaning: the delay time for which the “Starting Windows” message remains displayed before Windows 9x continues booting.
Note: this parameter is not supported by Windows 98.
3.BootSafe=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：0
Meaning: if set to 1, forces the computer to enter Safe Mode.
4.BootGUI=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 1, forcibly loads the graphical interface; if 0, does not load the graphical interface.
5.BootKeys=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if 1, allows function-key startup (including F4, F5, F6, F8, and CTRL); if 0, forbids the use of these function keys during startup.
Note: the BootKey=0 setting takes precedence over the BootDelay=n setting.
6.BootMenu=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：0
Meaning: if 1, allows use of the startup menu. If 0, the user must press F8 when “Starting Windows 9x” appears, or hold down CTRL when the machine starts, in order to call up the startup menu.
7.BootMenuDefault=$#@60;Number$#@62;
Default：menu item 1 if the system is running normally; menu item 3 if the system hung the last time it ran.
Meaning: use this setting to set the default boot menu item.
8.BootMenuDelay=$#@60;Number$#@62;
Default：30
Meaning: this setting is used to set the delay time for displaying the startup menu. Once the delay time has passed, startup proceeds according to the default menu item.
Note: this option takes effect only after BootMenu=1 has been set.
9.BootMulti=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 0, disables multi-boot; if set to 1, allows use of the F4 and F8 keys to start the user's original operating system.
10.BootWarn=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 0, disables the warning message for Safe Mode startup and the startup menu item.
11.BootWin=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 1, forcibly starts Windows 9x; if set to 0, prevents Windows 9x from becoming the default operating system (usually useful only when the user's machine also has Ms-dos version 5.0 or above).
Note: if BootMulti=1, pressing F4 will change the default operating system (for example: when BootMulti=1, pressing F4 will force Windows 9x to run).
12.DoubleBuffer=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：0
Meaning: if set to 1, the system sets double buffering only for controllers that need it (for example SCSI controllers); if set to 2, it unconditionally sets double buffering whether the controller needs it or not.
13.DBLSpace=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 1, automatically loads the DBLSPACE.BIN file; if 0, disables automatic loading of the DBLSPACE.BIN file.
Note: as long as either Dblspace.bin or Drvspace.bin exists in the root directory of the boot drive, Windows 9x will load it automatically. To avoid automatically loading Dblspace.bin or Drvspace.bin at startup, it is recommended to add the following settings to the Msdos.sys file:
DBLSpace=0
DRVSpace=0
14.DRVSpace=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if set to 1, automatically loads the DRVSPACE.BIN file; if 0, disables automatic loading of the DRVSPACE.BIN file.
15.LoadTop=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if 0, disables Windows 9x from loading COMMAND.COM or DRVSPACE.BIN/DBLSPACE.BIN into upper memory. If some other software has compatibility problems, you may as well try setting it to 0.
16.Logo=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：1
Meaning: if 1, displays the Windows 9x logo; if 0, does not display the Windows 9x logo, and at the same time can avoid incompatibility problems with some third-party memory management software.
17.Network=$#@60;Boolean$#@62;
Default：0
Meaning: if 1, it means network components are installed, and the “Safe mode with network support” item is added to the startup menu.
The final part of the Msdos.sys file is made up of some information that looks useless. This information is necessary for programs that need to determine the length of the Msdos.sys file. For example, if some antivirus program detects that the file length of Msdos.sys is less than 1024 bytes, it may think that the Msdos.sys file has already been infected by a virus. If the Msdos.sys file is accidentally deleted, the computer will be unable to boot.