A startup disk is a bootable floppy disk contains utilities that you can use to troubleshoot a malfunctioning system. The startup disk loads the operating system and presents an MS-DOS command line. It is strongly recommended that you create a startup disk for every computer you install Windows 95 on. You can create a Windows 95 startup disk during the file copy phase of Windows 95 Setup, or you can create or update a disk after Windows 95 has been installed by using the Add/Remove Programs option in Control Panel.
In case of a hard disk failure, a boot disk is the only way you will be able to access your computer.
In general, the startup disk does not provide the following:
To create a startup disk, Windows 95 formats the floppy disk in drive A, and then copies files to the disk in drive A. The files that are copied are described in the following table.
Filename Description ======== ========== attrib.exe File attribute utility command.com Core operating system file drvspace.bin Disk compression utility ebd.sys Utility for the startup disk edit.com Text editor fdisk.exe Disk partition utility format.com Disk format utility io.sys Core operating system file msdos.sys Core operating system file regedit.exe Real-mode Registry Editor scandisk.exe Disk status and repair utility scandisk.ini Disk status utility configuration file sys.com System transfer utility
For recovery purposes, you might want to copy the following files into a subdirectory on the startup disk: SYSTEM.DAT, CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, WIN.INI, and SYSTEM.INI, plus any CD-ROM or other device drivers. (If you do not place these files into a subdirectory, you'll have to rename them to prevent problems with the startup disk.)
Startup Disk
To create: Ctrl Panel- Add/Remove- Startup disk.
If you have trouble starting Windows, use the Startup disk to start your computer, run diagnostic programs & fix any problems.
I was exploring my computer, and I happen to find a file called LOGO.SYS in my root directory. I opened this file with Paint, and discovered it was the Windows 95 (or Microsoft Plus) logo which is displayed every time the computer is turned on. I edited the file by adding "Greg Tkaczyk's Version Of" to the top of the picture, and I resaved the file. Now, every time I turn on my computer, it proudly displays "Greg Tkaczyk's Version Of Windows 95". I also attempted to convert a JPG image into a BMP and name it LOGO.SYS, but this didn't work. Windows simply skipped displaying the image. By deleting it out of your root directory the computer also boots faster, because it does not need to load the image.
Change your Windows Startup Logo:
Create a bitmap of 320 X 400 X 8bit (really!), using MS-Paint and rename it to Logo.sys after putting it into the root-dir of the boot-drive. We recommend to take logow.sys as a "template" and paste the image into it, to avoid palette problems.
Changing the Start-up and Shut-down Screens
This is an easy way to change your Startup and Shutdown logo.
First, make a backup of your files (LOGO.SYS, LOGOW.SYS and LOGOS.SYS) which are the current bitmap logos and are placed in the root directory and in the \WINDOWS directory. Second, choose three images you'd like to use, they must be 320x400 256 colors windows bitmaps (.BMP). If you have 640x480 images, here's how to make them 320x400 and keep their normal appeareance when they are displayed at startup or shutdown:
Third (and last), rename your images as LOGO.SYS, for the startup logo, LOGOW.SYS, for the shutdown logo, and LOGOS.SYS for the turn-off logo.
Note: if you have images in another format, such as .GIF or .JPG, you can convert them to BMP 256 colors with any graphics converter, such as ThumbsPlus(TM) or Graphics WorkShop(TM).
Turn off the Windows 95 Logo When Booting
To remove the Windows 95 logo on startup, you can do the following:
Make Your Own Start-Up Screen
You can display any 640 by 480, 256-color .bmp file - say, a company logo or a family photo - during the boot-up process. Unfortunately, Windows wants a 320 by 400 image, which it will stretch out to 640 by 480. So you have to do a bit of squeezing.
Load the original image into Paint, then select Image/Stretch/Skew. In the resulting dialog box, select Horizontal in the Stretch section and enter 50%. Press [Enter] to compress the image.
You'll also want to shrink the image vertically 83.33 percent, something Paint won't let you do (integers only, please). As a work-around, use the Image/Stretch/Skew dialog box to first stretch it vertically by 104%, then shrink it vertically by 80%, closing and reentering the dialog box each time. The final image should be 320 by 400 with 256 colors. Save the file in the .bmp format.
Copy your new file to the boot drive's root directory and rename it logo.sys. Now, when you restart Windows, you'll see your image - in its original shape.
Custom Start-up Screens In Windows 95
Tired of Microsoft shoving its Windows 95 logo in your face every time you start your computer? Not to worry. You can use your own logo (or pretty much any graphic ) in place of Microsoft's image. For starters, you'll need a bit-map file, which you can get by scanning a photo, downloading an image from an online service, or creating your own picture in Microsoft Paint or another image editing application.
Not just any picture will do. It must be an 8-bit color image, which means it can have no more than 256 colors. One way to tell is to open an image in Microsoft Paint and choose File*Save As. If the 'Save as type' option says '256 Color Bitmap', you've hit pay dirt. If it says '24-bit Bitmap', you need to convert the graphic to 256 colors--something Paint can't do without making a blotchy mess of most images. To reduce the number of colors gracefully, you'll need an image editing program that can dither--that is, mix colored speckles to simulate a greater number of colors. A picture composed of less than 256 colors, such as a 16-color bit map, poses no problem as long as you save it as an 8-bit (256-color) image.
Image size is also an issue. Windows 95 needs a picture of 320 by 400 pixels for its start-up screen, even though it stretches the image to 640 by 480 pixels. Consequently, you're better off working with the latter size if you plan to make any changes to the image. In that case, use an image editor (almost any will do) to reduce the picture to 320 by 400 pixels.
If your application doesn't have the reduction capability, try this work-around in Paint: Open the graphic file and choose Image*Stretch/Skew. Select Horizontal, type 50, and click OK. Choose Image*Stretch/Skew again, select Vertical, type 104, and click OK. Finally, choose Image*Stretch/Skew one more time (see FIGURE 2), select Vertical, type 80, and click OK. (This three-step shuffle to specify the vertical dimension is necessary because Paint requires you to use whole-number percentages when you resize images.) The picture will look funny and squished, but that's what Windows wants. Go figure.
Once your image has the right color level and dimensions, save it in the Windows .bmp format. To do this in Paint, choose File*Save As, select 256 Color Bitmap under 'Save as type', enter a name, and click Save. Next, find the logo.sys file--the current logo image--in the root directory of your start-up disk. Either move logo.sys to another location, or rename it something like logosys.old in case you want it back later. Finally, locate your new bit map, rename it logo.sys, and move it to the root directory in place of the old logo.sys. The next time you start Win 95, your custom picture will appear in all its glory.
A final tip: To customize the two Windows 95 shutdown logos, find the logow.sys file ('Please wait while your computer shuts down') and the logos.sys file ('It's now safe to turn off your computer') in your Windows folder. Rename the files or move them. Then create two new bit maps as described above, rename them logow.sys and logos.sys, and put them in your Windows folder.
Make Your Own Log-Off Screens
Are you sick of the pacific, cloud-strewn screen that tells you to wait when you exit Windows? And what about the simple message that then tells you it's okay to turn off your computer? You can replace either or both of them.
Follow the steps outlined in "31: Make Your Own Start-Up Screen" to squeeze a 640 by 480 image down to size. If you want to replace the Wait screen, go to your Windows directory and rename the Logow.sys file Original Logow.sys. Move your squeezed .bmp file to the Windows directory and rename it Logow.sys. To change the Safe To Power Off screen, follow the same procedure with logos.sys. Just don't use the same image for both.
New design for the LOGOoff screens (Wait while ..) ? : Logow.sys is the "Wait while shutting down..." and Logos.sys the "You may now safely turn..." screen. Both are normal bitmaps. Back them up and modify them with MSPAINT.
You already know you are starting Windows 95?: And don't want to always be remembered of that? Hit ESC during the boot process or, more skillful, add the statement logo=0 under Options-Section of Your Msdos.sys.
If you don't want the Taskbar on your desktop, go to Start, Settings, Taskbar (or R/click Taskbar & select Properties) - and select the Taskbar Options tab and select Auto-Hide. Can also select other settings for Taskbar here.
Expand your Taskbar
Ever have too many programs open, and the taskbar has a bunch of "icons" that you can't read the title in? Make it bigger! This should have been obvious, but I just came across it one day. Just move your mouse cursor to the top of the task bar (if it's on the bottom) and drag it up. Win95 remembers position as well.
How can one get rid of the Taskbar Clock permanently?
Go to Start|Taskbar Options tab and deselect "Show Clock". It should stay inactive.
USE CTRL-ALT-DEL TO END A HUNG TASK
If your system hangs, press Ctrl-Alt-Del. The Close Program dialog box appears, allowing you to close the hung application without rebooting the system. If your PC still doesn't respond, press Ctrl-Esc. This may bring up the Start menu, from which you can shut down the system.
If a program hangs & can't even close, press Ctrl-Alt-Del and a list of current tasks will come up from where you can close the troubled program.
Escaping from a hang
If you get hung up in win95 and the usual ctrl-alt-delete does not respond, press ctrl-escape. This may bring up the START menu from which you can shut down the system.
Fix "Specified Pathname is Invalid." errors?
I have a number of programs which I moved around onto all this great new free space I've got, but when I try to execute them I get "Specified path is invalid".
You need to re-install the programs. When you had to re-install Windows 95 or moved some of the programs the Registry entries for these programs were lost. The error message is somewhat confusing.
Windows95 Keeps Deleting My Applications
A few users have reported that Windows95 has deleted entire applications (directories and all!) without warning. I have personally had Wordperfect 6.1 for Windows deleted four times by Windows95. As of yet, Microsoft has no explanation for this phenomenon, although Microsoft products seem to be immune to this spontaneous deletion.
Try turning off support for long filenames (which Microsoft calls "enabling the Windows 3.1 file system").
At the command prompt, run scandskw /o to remove long filenames and all
extended file attributes from the disk.
Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE).
Open Hkey_Local_Machine\ System\ CurrentControlSet\ Control\ FileSystem.
Set the value of Win31FileSystem to 1 (one).
You'll have to restart your computer for this change to take effect.
Stop Windows95 from Randomly Searching the Floppy Drive
A strange bug has popped up in Windows-95, where the floppy drive (or drives) is searched every time an application is launched. This problem is not confined to the use of Explorer, or necessarily on systems with Norton Navigator installed. This problem is not caused by an intial access to the floppy, as rebooting does not solve the problem.
The following are possible solutions to this problem:
Clear the documents menu.
Clear Unwanted Entries from the Start Menu's Run Command.
Check for any viruses on your system (some users have reported the NEUVILLE
virus)
Search your hard disk for all .PIF that point to programs on a floppy drive
Take out LocalLoadHigh=1 from your MSDOS.SYS file.
Check HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID in the Registry for any references to OCX's
or DLL's referenced on the floppy.
If you're using Norton Navigator '95:
Clear Norton Navigator's Run history (or disable the Run history all
together).
If you're noticing this behavior with only a particular applications, you
must clear the History List for that application.
Download the bug fix from ftp.symantec.com.
Other programs known to cause this problem:
McAfee Antivirus '95 - try removing this program entirely, or just
disabling the Access & Shutdown options in the Scan Disks On area in the
Detection tab of the VShield Configuration Manager.
FirstAid '95 - try removing this program or disabling certain features.
Long Filenames for Windows95 - View Software has a patch that supposedly
fixes this problem.
HiJack for Windows95 - turning off "Enable HiJaak shell extensions" in the
HiJack Control Panel.
Konica Picture Show - try removing this program entirely.
Stop Windows95 from Detecting Devices
Although there is no way to prevent Windows95 from detecting and installing drivers for some devices, you can disable certain devices that may be causing conflicts. The lack of a feature to remove an item from the list of detected devices (when you use Add/Remove Hardware) is quite irritating and confusing, but problems can usually be averted by following these steps:
Right-click on My Computer, and select Properties.
Click the Device Manager tab, and select the device you wish to disable.
Click the Properties button, un-check Original Configration, and click OK.
Wordpad Can't Save Write Files
The Windows95 replacement for Write is Wordpad the scaled-down version of the over-rated Microsoft Word. Wordpad can, in fact, read .WRI files (Write's native format), although through a brilliant stroke of design genius, Wordpad cannot save .WRI files. The only way to save .WRI files is to use Word 7.0. What's even stranger, is that the previous version of Word wasn't able to read or or save .WRI files! I suppose this is Microsoft's polite way of phasing out the Write format. The only apparent solution is: Don't use .WRI files anymore.
Note: If you own Windows 3.x, you can still use the old version of WRITE.EXE (which Windows95 overwrites), which can open and save Write files.
Stop Windows95 from Altering Floppy Disks
You probably don't know it, but Windows95 will change the contents of any floppy inserted into a Windows95 System. This is to update the file system on the floppy to accept long filenames, but can have disasterous effects on your valuable data. Diskettes affected include some older versions of MS-DOS startup diskettes, many copy-protected programs, and software that inspects the validity of the diskette before installing. In particular, the place being changed is the OEM-ID of a disk, offset 3 in the boot-sector. To prevent Windows95 from altering your floppies, the solution is quite simple:
Write protect any floppies before putting them into a Windows95 machine.
Restoring Windows95 After a Crash
If you back up your hard disk using Windows95 backup software (either the included Backup utility or a third party solution), and your hard disk crashes, you'll have to re-install Windows95 as well as your backup software from scratch before you can restore everything else. Furthermore, you won't be able to restore most of the files in your Windows95 directory, because they're system files and will be in use. It is a good idea to be aware of all these issues before your computer crashes, however. There are ways of getting around this:
A complete restore, requiring a re-installation of Windows95:
Back up your entire hard disk with Windows95 software, including the
Windows95 directory.
After the crash, re-install a bare-bones version of Windows95, and your
backup software.
Restore all the files, except for the ones in the Windows95 directory.
Now, install your Windows95 files into a different directory or drive
temporarily.
Then, exit Windows95 completely, and copy the restored files into the
appropriate directories.
A complete restore, without re-installing Windows95:
Obtain a DOS version of your backup software (some Windows software
packages come with an Emergency DOS restore just for this purpose).
You might have to back up your long filenames separately (see below).
If it's fully compatible with your Windows95 software, you'll only need the
DOS counterpart for the emergency restore.
Once you've restored all your files, you can restore your long filenames as
well.
Connect SCSI Devices Without Restarting Windows
One of the great things about SCSI technology, besides plug & play that actually works, is the ability to plug in or turn on a SCSI device and use it without having to restart your computer. However, since Windows95 doesn't automatically refresh your SCSI card, you have to do it manually when connecting devices. Here's how (after you've connected and turned on the device):
Right-click on My Computer, and select Properties.
Click the Device Manager tab, and select Computer at the top of the list.
Important: Click on View devices by connection.
Press Refresh. This will take several seconds, but the new device(s) should
appear in the list.
If you don't see the new device, choose View devices by connection, find
your SCSI card in the list, and expand it out to see all the devices
attached to it.
Note: There are some SCSI devices for which this will not work; you may still have to restart Windows to recognize newly attached devices.
Make one of those Keen DOS Startup Menus
Since MS-DOS 5.0, users have been able to create menus to switch between different configurations when first starting the computer. Although the Windows95 documentation doesn't tell you how to do it (or even that it's possible), the old DOS tricks still work (it's a good idea to get your old DOS manual ready). This functionality can be useful for users who use DOS more than just occasionally and don't want to be forced to enter Windows first just to play a DOS game. Note that this procedure can be tricky, and requires some basic knowledge of the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. Here's how you do it:
Step #1:
Configure your computer to Boot Directly into MS-DOS.
Step #2:
Use a text editor (such as Notepad) and open CONFIG.SYS located in the root directory of your boot drive (usually C:\) - if it's not there, create a new file. Type the following lines (might need some adjustments for your system) at the top of the file:
[Menu]
MenuItem = MS-DOS
MenuItem = Windows95
... put any other menu items you want here
MenuDefault MS-DOS,4
MenuColor 15,1
[MS-DOS]
... put all your MSDOS drivers here
[Windows95]
... put all your Windows95 drivers here (should be empty)
[etc.]
... make a section for each additional menu item, with each name
matching a "menuitem" command above
[Common]
... put all the stuff you want loaded all the time
Step #3:
Now, save CONFIG.SYS, and open AUTOEXEC.BAT from the same directory, using the same text editor, and type the following at the top of the file (this may need some adjustments if you have added more menu items):
@echo off Rem * If user selects "Windows95" it must be run manually here * IF "%CONFIG%"=="Windows95" win IF "%CONFIG%"=="Windows95" goto skip ... put all your DOS autoexec stuff here :skip
Save AUTOEXEC.BAT when finished, and restart your computer to test the new menu.
Note: The particular drivers required by your system depend on the devices you have installed. There are no "standard" CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files to copy.
Note: You might also want to try the 95 Multi Booter (8 kb), which is easier to use, but only allows you to use the predefined Windows95 startup menus.