Path in Autoexec.bat

I think that Buffalo was being a little TIC over it.
I know I was, besides being accurate to the best of my memory G.
Looks like we opened the door and found 1994 again.
I started to ask him if he had run memmaker first.

On the other hand, maybe he does need his CD-ROM on the DOS platform (though
I can not remember accessing it under DOS), but also, just like I wrote a
simple batch file for TRANSPARENT.EXE, sometimes old habits die hard.


FACE

On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 22:05:50 -0500, "glee" in
microsoft.public.win98.performance wrote:

Why are you loading DOS drivers for the CD-ROM drive, for use in Windows? Unless
your CD-ROM drive is ancient, you should let Windows load its protected mode driver.
Loading real mode drivers is likely putting the CD drive in DOS compatibility mode,
reducing its performance in Windows.

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 03:36:11 -0000, "SFB - KB3MM" in
microsoft.public.win98.performance wrote:


"FACE" wrote in message
.. .



This is an interesting one. It certainly threw me a first. Remember that
the SET command creates system literals.

Wouldn't call them that. They are not like the transparent DEC Symbols used
by VMS.

I can accept that you would not call them that.

I would call them that.

You described them well in your last sentence --- "a text string".
It literally has no value other than itself unless acted upon by a program
where it may be a command, function or operand. But as it sits it is a
literal.

Perhaps i missed some "nuance" in that? :-)

(VMS? OK, we all love Virtual Machines. DEC Symbols? I'll have to look
into that but it sounds like i should be able to see right through them)

FACE


I don't know if I can verbalize
it, but instead of handling an argument from the command line to a
program,
the system is directly handling a literal value. I don't know if that is
even in the ballpark but I would appreciate commentary on the
accuracy/inaccuracy of my comment.

The SET command simply stores the text string in the environment and
associates the label with it. The program MUST explicitly ask the system
to get the value.



FACE

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 03:36:11 -0000, "SFB - KB3MM" in
microsoft.public.win98.performance wrote:


"FACE" wrote in message
.. .



This is an interesting one. It certainly threw me a first. Remember that
the SET command creates system literals.

Wouldn't call them that. They are not like the transparent DEC Symbols used
by VMS.

I can accept that you would not call them that.

I would call them that.

You described them well in your last sentence --- "a text string".
It literally has no value other than itself unless acted upon by a program
where it may be a command, function or operand. But as it sits it is a
literal.

Perhaps i missed some "nuance" in that? :-)

(VMS? OK, we all love Virtual Machines. DEC Symbols? I'll have to look
into that but it sounds like i should be able to see right through them)

FACE


I don't know if I can verbalize
it, but instead of handling an argument from the command line to a
program,
the system is directly handling a literal value. I don't know if that is
even in the ballpark but I would appreciate commentary on the
accuracy/inaccuracy of my comment.

The SET command simply stores the text string in the environment and
associates the label with it. The program MUST explicitly ask the system
to get the value.



FACE

None of that is required to use the CD drive in a DOS box from within Windows. If
the CD drive is required in a restart to MS-DOS mode, then the line in config.sys
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\CDTECH.SYS must be used, but the line Buffalo mentions in the
autoexec.bat file (LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE) should instead be placed in the
Dosstart.bat file.

For more control over the restart in MS-DOS mode, the Exit to DOS.pif properties
should be changed to 'Specify a new configuration', so that the shortcut itself can
be customised for DOS mode, leaving the config.sys and autoexec.bat clean when
booted to Windows.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"FACE" wrote in message
...
I think that Buffalo was being a little TIC over it.
I know I was, besides being accurate to the best of my memory G.
Looks like we opened the door and found 1994 again.
I started to ask him if he had run memmaker first.

On the other hand, maybe he does need his CD-ROM on the DOS platform (though
I can not remember accessing it under DOS), but also, just like I wrote a
simple batch file for TRANSPARENT.EXE, sometimes old habits die hard.


FACE

On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 22:05:50 -0500, "glee" in
microsoft.public.win98.performance wrote:

Why are you loading DOS drivers for the CD-ROM drive, for use in Windows? Unless
your CD-ROM drive is ancient, you should let Windows load its protected mode
driver.
Loading real mode drivers is likely putting the CD drive in DOS compatibility
mode,
reducing its performance in Windows.

None of that is required to use the CD drive in a DOS box from within Windows. If
the CD drive is required in a restart to MS-DOS mode, then the line in config.sys
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\CDTECH.SYS must be used, but the line Buffalo mentions in the
autoexec.bat file (LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE) should instead be placed in the
Dosstart.bat file.

For more control over the restart in MS-DOS mode, the Exit to DOS.pif properties
should be changed to 'Specify a new configuration', so that the shortcut itself can
be customised for DOS mode, leaving the config.sys and autoexec.bat clean when
booted to Windows.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"FACE" wrote in message
...
I think that Buffalo was being a little TIC over it.
I know I was, besides being accurate to the best of my memory G.
Looks like we opened the door and found 1994 again.
I started to ask him if he had run memmaker first.

On the other hand, maybe he does need his CD-ROM on the DOS platform (though
I can not remember accessing it under DOS), but also, just like I wrote a
simple batch file for TRANSPARENT.EXE, sometimes old habits die hard.


FACE

On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 22:05:50 -0500, "glee" in
microsoft.public.win98.performance wrote:

Why are you loading DOS drivers for the CD-ROM drive, for use in Windows? Unless
your CD-ROM drive is ancient, you should let Windows load its protected mode
driver.
Loading real mode drivers is likely putting the CD drive in DOS compatibility
mode,
reducing its performance in Windows.

"glee" wrote in message
...
Why are you loading DOS drivers for the CD-ROM drive, for use in Windows?
Unless
your CD-ROM drive is ancient, you should let Windows load its protected mode
driver.
Loading real mode drivers is likely putting the CD drive in DOS compatibility
mode,
reducing its performance in Windows.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

I guess I am a little confused.
If I restart in DOS ('command prompt only' from the Startup Menu) I cannot
access my cd drive if I don't have that entry in my autoexec.bat.
When in Windows, there is no indication that the cd-rom drive is using DOS
compatibility mode drivers.
I know I am missing something, but perhaps you can explain it further.
Also, any idea why my path statement suddenly stopped giving me the 'too many
parameters' error?

SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;"C:\Program
Files\NortonSystemWorks\Norton Ghost\";C:\PROGRA~1\ATITEC~1\ATICON~1

Perhaps I should just set msconfig not to process the autoexec.bat and the
config.sys.

"glee" wrote in message
...
Why are you loading DOS drivers for the CD-ROM drive, for use in Windows?
Unless
your CD-ROM drive is ancient, you should let Windows load its protected mode
driver.
Loading real mode drivers is likely putting the CD drive in DOS compatibility
mode,
reducing its performance in Windows.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

I guess I am a little confused.
If I restart in DOS ('command prompt only' from the Startup Menu) I cannot
access my cd drive if I don't have that entry in my autoexec.bat.
When in Windows, there is no indication that the cd-rom drive is using DOS
compatibility mode drivers.
I know I am missing something, but perhaps you can explain it further.
Also, any idea why my path statement suddenly stopped giving me the 'too many
parameters' error?

SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;"C:\Program
Files\NortonSystemWorks\Norton Ghost\";C:\PROGRA~1\ATITEC~1\ATICON~1

Perhaps I should just set msconfig not to process the autoexec.bat and the
config.sys.

Why not just put a menu item in Config.sys and autoexec.bat.

"Buffalo" wrote in message
news:%boqd.110131$5K2.55239@attbi_s03...

"glee" wrote in message
...
Why are you loading DOS drivers for the CD-ROM drive, for use in
Windows?
Unless
your CD-ROM drive is ancient, you should let Windows load its protected
mode
driver.
Loading real mode drivers is likely putting the CD drive in DOS
compatibility
mode,
reducing its performance in Windows.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

I guess I am a little confused.
If I restart in DOS ('command prompt only' from the Startup Menu) I cannot
access my cd drive if I don't have that entry in my autoexec.bat.
When in Windows, there is no indication that the cd-rom drive is using DOS
compatibility mode drivers.
I know I am missing something, but perhaps you can explain it further.
Also, any idea why my path statement suddenly stopped giving me the 'too
many
parameters' error?

SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;"C:\Program
Files\NortonSystemWorks\Norton Ghost\";C:\PROGRA~1\ATITEC~1\ATICON~1

Perhaps I should just set msconfig not to process the autoexec.bat and the
config.sys.

Why not just put a menu item in Config.sys and autoexec.bat.

"Buffalo" wrote in message
news:%boqd.110131$5K2.55239@attbi_s03...

"glee" wrote in message
...
Why are you loading DOS drivers for the CD-ROM drive, for use in
Windows?
Unless
your CD-ROM drive is ancient, you should let Windows load its protected
mode
driver.
Loading real mode drivers is likely putting the CD drive in DOS
compatibility
mode,
reducing its performance in Windows.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

I guess I am a little confused.
If I restart in DOS ('command prompt only' from the Startup Menu) I cannot
access my cd drive if I don't have that entry in my autoexec.bat.
When in Windows, there is no indication that the cd-rom drive is using DOS
compatibility mode drivers.
I know I am missing something, but perhaps you can explain it further.
Also, any idea why my path statement suddenly stopped giving me the 'too
many
parameters' error?

SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;"C:\Program
Files\NortonSystemWorks\Norton Ghost\";C:\PROGRA~1\ATITEC~1\ATICON~1

Perhaps I should just set msconfig not to process the autoexec.bat and the
config.sys.

"Buffalo" wrote in message
news:%boqd.110131$5K2.55239@attbi_s03...

"glee" wrote in message
...
Why are you loading DOS drivers for the CD-ROM drive, for use in Windows?
Unless
your CD-ROM drive is ancient, you should let Windows load its protected mode
driver.
Loading real mode drivers is likely putting the CD drive in DOS compatibility
mode,
reducing its performance in Windows.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

I guess I am a little confused.
If I restart in DOS ('command prompt only' from the Startup Menu) I cannot
access my cd drive if I don't have that entry in my autoexec.bat.
When in Windows, there is no indication that the cd-rom drive is using DOS
compatibility mode drivers.
I know I am missing something, but perhaps you can explain it further.
Also, any idea why my path statement suddenly stopped giving me the 'too many
parameters' error?

SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;"C:\Program
Files\NortonSystemWorks\Norton Ghost\";C:\PROGRA~1\ATITEC~1\ATICON~1

Perhaps I should just set msconfig not to process the autoexec.bat and the
config.sys.

Why do you need access to the CD drive from Command Prompt Only on the Startup Menu
(boot menu)? If you want to boot to DOS Mode with CD-ROM support, you should use
the Restart in MS-DOS Mode option on the StartShutdown menu in Windows, and either
load the drivers in Config.sys and Dosstart.bat, OR use 'Specify a new
configuration' in the Exit To DOS.PIF and create custom startup files within the
..pif (Alternately you can boot with a boot floppy with CDROM support).

Loading all those DOS drivers just for use in Command Prompt Only from the boot menu
is a waste of memory, among other things, and for no good reason. BTW, Windows will
likely bypass those DOS drivers during startup so that you are not in compatibility
mode. I have not seen documentation of it but I have seen it happen in practice.

SFB's suggestion of creating a menu using your autoexec.bat and config.sys is a good
idea if you insist on having CD access from Command Prompt Only. You should be able
to create a menu that will bypass drivers in a boot to windows, but will give you
the option to load the DOS drivers if you go to Command Prompt Only.

Are you sure the "Too many parameters' error was due to the Path statement, and not
some other line?
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm