Real-Mode Drivers through the EXIT TO DOS.PIF

The idea behind loading your CD-ROM drivers here is that they will only load when you choose the option to Restart in MS-DOS Mode. The only real drawback here is that when choosing (6)Command Prompt Only from the Windows95 boot menu, the drivers will not be loaded. You must first start Windows95 and then choose this option from the Shutdown menu.

The EXIT TO DOS.PIF file can be found in your Windows95 directory(i.e. C:\WINDOWS). Basically, this file is executed when you Start, Shutdown and choose the option to "Restart in MS-DOS Mode."

For this variation on loading real-mode drivers, I am going to assume that you have basic knowledge of how to use the Windows Explorer program(Start, Programs, Windows Explorer by default).

Of course the first thing to do here is to locate the EXIT TO DOS.PIF file. As I previously stated, this can be found in your Windows directory. You must use Windows Explorer to locate the PIF file. Once found, you must then right-click, yes right-click, the file. This will then pop up a context menu. From this menu, choose the last option, Properties. If you are not getting this option and have choices like Copy and Move Here, simply try right-clicking the PIF file again until you get the proper context menu. Once Properties is chosen, it will then take you into....drum roll please...the Properties screen! Big surprise eh?

The Properties screen consists of many different tabs. For all intents and purposes, we are only going to discuss the Program tab here (you'll notice that the other tabs don't even give you options saying that they are not available in this mode). In looking at this tab, you can see the Cmd Line which of course is executing the DOS COMMAND.COM which controls DOS sessions.

Little side note here: Ever notice that when you Restart in MS-DOS Mode, it always takes you to the C:\WINDOWS> prompt? Pretty annoying right? Makes you have to do that one extra CD\ to get to the root right? The COMMAND.COM that you see here executes from C:\WINDOWS thus it drops you at C:\WINDOWS>. You may have noted that there is also a COMMAND.COM in the root directory already. Simply changing the Cmd Line to C:\COMMAND.COM here will avoid that unnecessary and often annoying extra step. ...now back to the show!

At the bottom of the Program tab, you will notice that it says that it is set to run in MS-DOS Mode and to click on the Advanced Button. We're going to do precisely that, click on the Advanced Button. Under here, you will notice that it is set to run in MS-DOS Mode as the Program Tab previously mentioned. However, there are 2 additional options available when set to run in this mode:

1.) Use Current MS-DOS Configuration - if this option is selected, the "Restart in MS-DOS Mode"option on the Shutdown menu will use the settings that have already been established in the AUTOEXEC.BAT/CONFIG.SYS boot files. This would be fine if you were loading the the real-mode drivers in these files, but then again, if you wanted to do that, you wouldn't be reading this right? : )

2.) Specify a New MS-DOS Configuration - if this option is selected, then you will notice that the text boxes below become active. The upper box is for the CONFIG.SYS and the bottom being for the AUTOEXEC.BAT. Here you can specify any SET commands and additional drivers you may wish to load in the new configuration. For instance, you can include any other drivers already loading in your AUTOEXEC.BAT/CONFIG.SYS and exclude any SET's that won't be needed. In any case, these boxes allow you to create boot files which will only load when choosing to Restart in MS-DOS Mode.

Here, we will want to include the following lines:

CONFIG.SYS

This is where the actual CD-ROM driver will be loaded. By now you should already have this in your possession.

DEVICE=C:\(Path)\(Driver.sys) /D:(DrvSig)

-or if you have enabled the Upper Memory Area-

DEVICEHIGH=C:\(Path)\(Driver.sys) /D:(DrvSig)

Where:

(Path) = the path to where the CD-ROM driver is stored on your hard drive(i.e. C:\CDROM)

(Driver.sys) = the CD-ROM driver itself(i.e. ATAPICD.SYS)

(DrvSig) = the CD-ROM Drive Signature. This is perhaps the hardest part of the install as it just doesn't jump out and bite you. You have to know it or be so lucky as to have it included in the TXT file packaged with your real-mode drivers. Common examples of these are MSCD000, MSCD001, IDECE000, IDECD_00, SMSCD000, etc. This is usually specific to the make and model of your CD-ROM.

AUTOEXEC.BAT

We'll start by adding the the file MSCDEX.EXE to your autoexec.bat file. MSCDEX.EXE is a common part of DOS which is included with the MS-DOS portion of Windows95. The following line needs to be included in the autoexec.bat. Where you say? Most people prefer to keep in near the bottom.

C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:(DrvSig) /L:(DrvLetter)

-or if you have enabled the Upper Memory Area-

LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:(DrvSig) /L:(DrvLetter)

Where:

(DrvSig) = the CD-ROM Drive Signature. This is perhaps the hardest part of the install as it just doesn't jump out and bite you. You have to know it or be so lucky as to have it included in the TXT file packaged with your real-mode drivers. Common examples of these are MSCD000, MSCD001, IDECD000, IDECD_00, SMSCD000, etc. This is usually specific to the make and model of your CD-ROM.

(DrvLetter) = the drive letter you wish to assign to your CD-ROM. This switch will override any setting that Windows95 has established.

Click HERE for an example of how this should look. Once these lines have been added in addition to any others you may have, you can click on OK. This will then take you back to the Program tab. Here you can simply click OK once more. Now your CD-ROM is set to run in MS-DOS Mode. Give it a whirl!

NOTE: You can also use a variation on this method for each and every DOS application/game that you needs to be run in DOS-Mode. For example, let's say that you have this one game that needs to be run in DOS-Mode. Instead of going through the hassle of setting up the Exit To DOS.Pif only to have to change to a different directory and then type in the executable's name to play the game, you can simply set up a shortcut(in this case it is actually called a PIF) under Windows95 which will run in DOS-Mode for that game which will load any drivers an variables specific to that game.

Simply create the shortcut(PIF) on the Desktop or in the Start Menu as you would any other shortcut. Then right-click on the newly created shortcut(PIF) and choose Properties from the context menu that appears. This will bring you into a screen much like the Exit To DOS.Pif Properties screen. Choose the Program tab and then the Advanced button. Now check the box for MS-DOS-Mode if it is not already. Then choose to "Specify a new MD-DOS configuration" and then add any variables/drivers that may be needed in the boxes for the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. Here, you can add real-mode CD-ROM drivers into the boot files that will load only when you click on the icon/shortcut for this application/game. When you exit the app/game, it will take you right back to Windows instead of leaving you sitting at the C:\> prompt. Once you have created the boot files for the app/game, click OK to get back to the shortcut(PIF) Properties screen and then OK once more to close out of it. Now you should be all set to run the app/game from your Windows-based shortcut.

 

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Author: Yimmy -- ©1997
Last Updated On: May 5, 1997