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#1
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Win-ME Dual Boot DOS
I have been at this problem for a solid two weeks, tried everything, and
got nowhere. It seems that you can set up a Dual or even Multi boot with every Windows O/S product "except" Millennium Edition. You don't even have the option to "Shutdown to Command Prompt" in any menu. I need to use the drive for a straight DOS system - critical real time motor control - but would like to use the system for normal Windows tasks at other times. The literature offers Win-ME dual boot with "higher level products" like NT and Win2000, but fails all attempts to keep DOS alive on the boot partition. After ME is installed, the hard drive goes directly to Win-ME, or if interrupted by (CTRL or F8), you get 3 options, all ending up in Win-ME running - no more "Command Prompt Option" - as there used to be in Win-95 & 98, and as there is once again now, in Win-XP, (which is overkill for this application, so I am staying with ME, if possible). In fact, after installing ME following the DOS 6.22 install (as required), the MSDOS.SYS has entries for MultiBoot=1, and has renamed IO.sys and MSDOS.sys to .DOS files - just as it did in the old Win-98. It looks like it is quite "prepared" to run the DOS and Win-ME options, but never does. I tried to change the BootGui=1 to BootGui=0, so ME would not even launch, but even that was ignored, and ME starts up anyway. After about a dozen re-installs of DOS then ME, trying various tricks, I even tried modifying the Config and Autoexec to create DOS and WINDOWS "MenuItems" - but these DOS based prompt screens never showed up, almost as though Win-ME "completely ignores" Config.Sys and Autoexec.Bat, as soon as it has read what it needs for itself to run, from the new MSDOS.SYS file for Windows ME version. I also tried Partition Magic 8 (Boot Magic), which identifies the DOS and Windows partitions, as one item "pair" - I suppose it expects them figure things on their own, and to "Dual Boot" using Microsoft code, after PM8 simply launches code in the main partition. This again, ends up running Win-ME, just as without PM8. Please help: Has anyone out there managed to create a Dual Boot with Win-ME and DOS? What is the secret? I have already searched the web, and Microsoft Knowledge Base, without results. Am I correct in thinking that Microsoft screwed this up in ME and failed to fix it since XP was in the works? Seems to be very little reference at all, to Win-ME anywhere on this website, compared to all the other O/S's. Maybe they wanted us to get a life, and ditch DOS - but they had to relent in releasing Win-XP. Any help would be most appreciated. -- Thanks |
#3
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Thanks for confirming my suspicions about ME. However, if you grant that
Microsoft did NOT screw up, and simply, finally, removed Real Mode from Win ME, then how do you explain that they put it right back in, with Win-XP? This newer O/S that followed ME, does have a start up option to go to Command Prompt, which ME no longer did. Perhaps it isn't DOS-6, but DOS-8, and maybe it is even no longer Real Mode - don't know. But I wouldn't even mind booting into ME's own version of DOS-7 at start up. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn off ME and occasionally get into a full DOS mode. I assume one of the three "variations" you mention, is using Partition Magic's Boot Manager - which as I said, does not solve the problem, since it simply starts up ME and leaves it upto that O/S to multiboot, which it can't. Further, it may be that other so-called boot managers you mention, do the same thing as PM - don't know. I did the Google thing several times, and it wasn't "my firiend" as you suggest, since I spent hours on searching for the "hack" you mention, with no more luck than the Knowledge Base here. Perhaps you can point me to a specific site, or at least what search string you used to find the hacks you mentioned, to get ME to boot DOS. Thanks again. -- Thanks "Mike M" wrote: Microsoft didn't "screw up" to use your words but instead removed real mode from Win Me. Long overdue and something that should have been done when Win 98 was launched. If you want to multiboot Win 9x systems (not just Win Me) you will need to use a third party boot manager although there are methods by which Win Me can be hacked so as to give the option to boot to DOS at bootup. Let Google be your friend. There are at least three variations on this theme in circulation. -- Mike Maltby |
#4
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XP does NOT have real mode. Period. Command Prompt is not Real Mode.
Period. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn off ME and occasionally get into a full DOS mode. At the risk of repeating myself there are at least three hacks that allow you to *******ise the operating system in the way you want. Use Google. I assume one of the three "variations" you mention, is using Partition Magic's Boot Manager - No. You appear to have problems using Google. If that's too difficult then use Google Groups, Advanced Search and look in the Win Me newsgroups. -- Mike Maltby ASTROJAZ wrote: Thanks for confirming my suspicions about ME. However, if you grant that Microsoft did NOT screw up, and simply, finally, removed Real Mode from Win ME, then how do you explain that they put it right back in, with Win-XP? This newer O/S that followed ME, does have a start up option to go to Command Prompt, which ME no longer did. Perhaps it isn't DOS-6, but DOS-8, and maybe it is even no longer Real Mode - don't know. But I wouldn't even mind booting into ME's I assume one of the three "variations" you mention, is using Partition Magic's Boot Manager - which as I said, does not solve the problem, since it simply starts up ME and leaves it upto that O/S to multiboot, which it can't. Further, it may be that other so-called boot managers you mention, do the same thing as PM - don't know. I did the Google thing several times, and it wasn't "my firiend" as you suggest, since I spent hours on searching for the "hack" you mention, with no more luck than the Knowledge Base here. Perhaps you can point me to a specific site, or at least what search string you used to find the hacks you mentioned, to get ME to boot DOS. |
#5
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If you have Partition Magic then you should also have Boot Magic in which
case use Boot Magic as your boot manager and install Win Me to one partition and your preferred flavour of DOS to another and use BM to select which to boot. Alternatively install Win Me in one partition and Win 98 or 98SE in another and boot 98/98SE if you want real mode. -- Mike Maltby ASTROJAZ wrote: Thanks for confirming my suspicions about ME. However, if you grant that Microsoft did NOT screw up, and simply, finally, removed Real Mode from Win ME, then how do you explain that they put it right back in, with Win-XP? This newer O/S that followed ME, does have a start up option to go to Command Prompt, which ME no longer did. Perhaps it isn't DOS-6, but DOS-8, and maybe it is even no longer Real Mode - don't know. But I wouldn't even mind booting into ME's own version of DOS-7 at start up. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn off ME and occasionally get into a full DOS mode. I assume one of the three "variations" you mention, is using Partition Magic's Boot Manager - which as I said, does not solve the problem, since it simply starts up ME and leaves it upto that O/S to multiboot, which it can't. Further, it may be that other so-called boot managers you mention, do the same thing as PM - don't know. I did the Google thing several times, and it wasn't "my firiend" as you suggest, since I spent hours on searching for the "hack" you mention, with no more luck than the Knowledge Base here. Perhaps you can point me to a specific site, or at least what search string you used to find the hacks you mentioned, to get ME to boot DOS. |
#6
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Tried that - many times, and many ways. Installed DOS-6 on C: drive,
followed by install of ME on D: drive (i.e. an Extended Partition), and also had an extra copy of DOS-6 on another E: drive extended partition. This was all on the same physical hard drive, of course. Boot Magic doesn't work with ME, because it declares C: as a "DOS or Win98" boot - it can't distinguish between them - and ignores the E: drive altogether. When I select the former, Boot Magic doesn't know about the DOS/ME being different in this respect from old Win98, and merrily launches DOS - which immediately goes to Win-ME because Dual Boot with DOS isn't normally allowed. Boot Magic really isn't that sophisticated - it just launches whatever was installed on C: drive - and that is the problem. You still need to solve the Microsoft Dual Boot issue on your own. Luckily with your prompting, I googled through over 300 websites on the DOS-WIN-ME dual boot problem, and found one very simple, and quite commonly known, PATCH utility that effectively converts WIN-ME into what "would have been" Win-98 service pack #3. It works great. The patch brings back the F4 key to boot to "previous operating system" (DOS), and goes back to the swapping of .W40 and .DOS files depending on which one you were in - just like WIN-98SE. Initally you do lose the SAFE MODE option, but that can be gotten by choosing Shift F5 for Step by step, and decline to install Windows Drvers - which opens Win Safe Mode. Or, much simpler, you can add a line to the Autoexec.bat "WIN d:/m" which also launches Safe Mode. In my very brief testing, I found I could F4 to start up in DOS-6.22, type in the command "WIN" - which launched Win 3.11 that I happened to have also installed on C:drive during my testing. Or I could choose to "Start with Command Prompt" - which got me into DOS-8 (Win-ME version). Or finally, I could simply launch into Win-ME. There you have it - a choice of 4 O/S's with this patch. But at least it mainly givs me a chance to very occasionally use DOS-6 for a specific application program, and yet not waste the laptop, but use Win-ME, most of the time, for reall daily work. Just what I needed. Several of those sites confirmed that DOS was indeed "removed" in Win-ME because that was intended as the first real "Office Product", and it would be far too dangerous, after 20 years of open use, to let the common folk have access to the powerful commands in DOS. In fact, Microsoft told a "little white lie" - as they often do - they did NOT really remove DOS, but merely "hid it away" - which the patch uncovers, and makes WIN-ME dual boot with DOS - without the need for Boot Magic. Here are the links for the PATCH - they contain nearly identical information. There is also a lot of vehement discussion on the web, about these patches, by O/S and GUI purists. No matter - it works, and addresses a need for some of us. But DEFINITELY - this is the last kick at the DOS can, since all O/S's after Win-ME do not provide any DOS access, short of putting a copyof DOS on a seperate physical drive, and using Boot Magic. (1) "Real DOS-Mode Patch for Windows Millennium By Reines [MFD]" http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/ (2) "Has Real-mode DOS been removed from Microsoft's Windows ® Millennium Edition?" http://www.dewassoc.com/support/winme/real_dos.htm Thanks "Mike M" wrote: If you have Partition Magic then you should also have Boot Magic in which case use Boot Magic as your boot manager and install Win Me to one partition and your preferred flavour of DOS to another and use BM to select which to boot. Alternatively install Win Me in one partition and Win 98 or 98SE in another and boot 98/98SE if you want real mode. -- Mike Maltby ASTROJAZ wrote: Thanks for confirming my suspicions about ME. However, if you grant that Microsoft did NOT screw up, and simply, finally, removed Real Mode from Win ME, then how do you explain that they put it right back in, with Win-XP? This newer O/S that followed ME, does have a start up option to go to Command Prompt, which ME no longer did. Perhaps it isn't DOS-6, but DOS-8, and maybe it is even no longer Real Mode - don't know. But I wouldn't even mind booting into ME's own version of DOS-7 at start up. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn off ME and occasionally get into a full DOS mode. I assume one of the three "variations" you mention, is using Partition Magic's Boot Manager - which as I said, does not solve the problem, since it simply starts up ME and leaves it upto that O/S to multiboot, which it can't. Further, it may be that other so-called boot managers you mention, do the same thing as PM - don't know. I did the Google thing several times, and it wasn't "my firiend" as you suggest, since I spent hours on searching for the "hack" you mention, with no more luck than the Knowledge Base here. Perhaps you can point me to a specific site, or at least what search string you used to find the hacks you mentioned, to get ME to boot DOS. |
#7
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Boot Magic works perfectly well with Win Me as do any other boot manager.
To say otherwise is total rubbish. It seems your problems are having are self-generated. -- Mike Maltby ASTROJAZ wrote: Tried that - many times, and many ways. Installed DOS-6 on C: drive, followed by install of ME on D: drive (i.e. an Extended Partition), and also had an extra copy of DOS-6 on another E: drive extended partition. This was all on the same physical hard drive, of course. Boot Magic doesn't work with ME, because it declares C: as a "DOS or Win98" boot - it can't distinguish between them - and ignores the E: drive altogether. When I select the former, Boot Magic doesn't know about the DOS/ME being different in this respect from old Win98, and merrily launches DOS - which immediately goes to Win-ME because Dual Boot with DOS isn't normally allowed. Boot Magic really isn't that sophisticated - it just launches whatever was installed on C: drive - and that is the problem. You still need to solve the Microsoft Dual Boot issue on your own. Luckily with your prompting, I googled through over 300 websites on the DOS-WIN-ME dual boot problem, and found one very simple, and quite commonly known, PATCH utility that effectively converts WIN-ME into what "would have been" Win-98 service pack #3. It works great. The patch brings back the F4 key to boot to "previous operating system" (DOS), and goes back to the swapping of .W40 and .DOS files depending on which one you were in - just like WIN-98SE. Initally you do lose the SAFE MODE option, but that can be gotten by choosing Shift F5 for Step by step, and decline to install Windows Drvers - which opens Win Safe Mode. Or, much simpler, you can add a line to the Autoexec.bat "WIN d:/m" which also launches Safe Mode. In my very brief testing, I found I could F4 to start up in DOS-6.22, type in the command "WIN" - which launched Win 3.11 that I happened to have also installed on C:drive during my testing. Or I could choose to "Start with Command Prompt" - which got me into DOS-8 (Win-ME version). Or finally, I could simply launch into Win-ME. There you have it - a choice of 4 O/S's with this patch. But at least it mainly givs me a chance to very occasionally use DOS-6 for a specific application program, and yet not waste the laptop, but use Win-ME, most of the time, for reall daily work. Just what I needed. Several of those sites confirmed that DOS was indeed "removed" in Win-ME because that was intended as the first real "Office Product", and it would be far too dangerous, after 20 years of open use, to let the common folk have access to the powerful commands in DOS. In fact, Microsoft told a "little white lie" - as they often do - they did NOT really remove DOS, but merely "hid it away" - which the patch uncovers, and makes WIN-ME dual boot with DOS - without the need for Boot Magic. Here are the links for the PATCH - they contain nearly identical information. There is also a lot of vehement discussion on the web, about these patches, by O/S and GUI purists. No matter - it works, and addresses a need for some of us. But DEFINITELY - this is the last kick at the DOS can, since all O/S's after Win-ME do not provide any DOS access, short of putting a copyof DOS on a seperate physical drive, and using Boot Magic. (1) "Real DOS-Mode Patch for Windows Millennium By Reines [MFD]" http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/ (2) "Has Real-mode DOS been removed from Microsoft's Windows ® Millennium Edition?" http://www.dewassoc.com/support/winme/real_dos.htm |
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