CONFIGURATION FILES

AUTOEXEC.BAT MS-DOS Startup Configuration File BOOT.INI

Windows Bootup Configuration File

CONFIG.SYS

MS-DOS Startup Configuration File

MSDOS.SYS

Windows and DOS Configuration File

SYSTEM.INI

Windows Configuration File

Read Environment Variables in Autoexec.bat File (Windows NT/2000/XP) Popular When this value is enabled the variables declared in the Autoexec.bat file will be parsed and included in the current user environment. Remove Command Echoing (Windows 95/98/Me) Popular Normally when commands are read and executed from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, there are echoed back to the screen. This setting turns the echo off, which means only message text will be shown, and not the originating command. Load Drivers and Programs into High Memory (Windows 3.1/DOS) Popular Programs and device drivers loaded from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file are normally loaded straight into low memory. This change allows them to be loaded high. Setting the Windows Temporary Directory (All Windows) Popular Depending on which version of Windows you run, temporary files are usually stored in C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. This tweak shows how to move the location of the temporary file directory.

Read Environment Variables in Autoexec.bat File (Windows NT/2000/XP) Popular When this value is enabled the variables declared in the Autoexec.bat file will be parsed and included in the current user environment. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Open your registry and find or create the key below. Create a new String value, or modify the existing value, called "ParseAutoexec" and set it according to the value data below. Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

(Default) ParseAutoexec

REG_SZ REG_SZ

(value not set) "0"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersi...

Registry Settings User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon] Value Name: ParseAutoexec Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value) Value Data: (0 = disabled, 1 = enabled) Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk. Remove Command Echoing (Windows 95/98/Me) Popular Normally when commands are read and executed from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, there are echoed back to the screen. This setting turns the echo off, which means only message text will be shown, and not the originating command. Open the AUTOEXEC.BAT file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). At the top of the file add a new line equal to "@echo off", this will remove the command echo. These changes will take place on the next reboot.

Registry Settings Value Name: @echo off Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk. Load Drivers and Programs into High Memory (Windows 3.1/DOS) Popular Programs and device drivers loaded from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file are normally loaded straight into low memory. This change allows them to be loaded high. Open the AUTOEXEC.BAT file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). In front of any lines loaded applications or drivers, for example MSCDEX.EXE, appended "LH" (for Load High), for example:
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001

These changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Name: lh Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk. Setting the Windows Temporary Directory (All Windows) Popular Depending on which version of Windows you run, temporary files are usually stored in C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. This tweak shows how to move the location of the temporary file directory. Open up AUTOEXEC.BAT with a text editor, it is normally found at C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT. If you're run Windows 9x it maybe possible to right-click the file in explorer and choose 'Edit'. Add two new lines, or modify the existing lines if they are already there, as follows:
SET TEMP=[directory] SET TMP=[directory]

e.g. SET TEMP=C:\GARBAGE Save AUTOEXEC.BAT, create the directory entered above and reboot. 3

Registry Settings Value Name: SET TEMP and SET TMP Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

Using BOOT.INI Startup Switches (Windows NT/2000/XP) Popular Windows NT, 2000 and XP use a configuration file called BOOT.INI to control how the operating system is booted and any startup options. By modifying the startup switches you can manage the boot process including booting Windows in Safe mode, creating a log file, or disabling the splash screen. Modify the Duration that the Startup List is Displayed (Windows NT/2000/XP) Popular This setting allows you to change the default 30 second timeout for the Startup List which normally allows you time to choose and boot an alternative operating system. Change the Default Operating System (Windows NT/2000/XP) Popular This setting in the BOOT.INI file controls which operating system the NT Boot Loader launches by default if none is selected. Enable the 4GT RAM Tuning Feature of NT Enterprise Edition (Windows NT) With standard Windows NT Server, the per-process address limit is 2 gigabytes (GB) of random access memory (RAM). The 4GT feature of Windows NT Server/E increases this limit to 3 GB without introducing new APIs. 4GT does this by reducing the potential RAM allocated to the Windows NT kernel from 2 GB to 1 GB. Disable Detection of Devices on Serial Ports (Windows NT) Windows NT attempts to probe the serial ports on boot-up to detect any serial mice. This can cause problems with other serial devices such as UPS's. Boot Windows NT in Safe Mode (Windows NT) Popular Windows NT can be very temperamental sometimes are you add new software or install a new driver. The option allows you the create a Windows NT alternative to the Windows 9x Safe Mode. In this mode extra checks are performed and not all third party drivers are loaded. Boot Windows NT with the Default VGA Video Driver (Windows NT) This explains how to create an a safe VGA video mode start-up option, especially useful when your video adapter or driver is causing problems.

Using BOOT.INI Startup Switches (Windows NT/2000/XP) Popular

Windows NT, 2000 and XP use a configuration file called BOOT.INI to control how the operating system is booted and any startup options. By modifying the startup switches you can manage the boot process including booting Windows in Safe mode, creating a log file, or disabling the splash screen. Open you the root partition of your hard drive (normally C:\) and find the file called "BOOT.INI". You may need to enable hidden files under Folder > Options. Right-click on the file, select Properties and uncheck "Read-only" then click OK. You may like to make a backup of the file at this point to allow you to restore if you experience problems. Open the file in Notepad and under the [operating systems] section you will find a list of all the installed operating systems. For example:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect

To enable or disable startup options simply change or add any of the switches listed below to the default command-line. For example you could add "/SOS" to the commandline above to display the splash screen and view the drivers being loaded. /3GB - New to Service Pack 3. This causes the split between user and system portions of the Windows NT map to become 3GB for user applications, 1GB for System. To take advantage of this the system must be part of the NT Enterprise suite and the application must be flagged as a 3GB aware application. /BASEVIDEO - The computer starts up using the standard VGA video driver. Use this if you have installed a graphics driver that is not working. /BAUDRATE - Specifies the baud rate to be used for debugging. If you do not set the baud rate, the default baud rate is 9600 if a modem is attached, and 19200 for a nullmodem cable. /BOOTLOG - Makes 2000 write a log of the boot to the file %SystemRoot %\NTBTLOG.TXT Windows 2000/XP Only. /BURNMEMORY=x - Makes NT forget about the given amount of memory in MB. If /burnmemory=64 was given then 64MB of memory would be unavailable. /CRASHDEBUG - The debugger is loaded when you start Windows NT, but remains inactive unless a Kernel error occurs. This mode is useful if you are experiencing random, unpredictable Kernel errors. /DEBUG - The debugger is loaded when you start Windows NT, and can be activated at any time by a host debugger connected to the computer. This is the mode to use when you are debugging problems that are regularly reproducible. /DEBUGPORT=comx - Specifies the com port to use for debugging, where x is the communications port that you want to use. /FASTDETECT - Specifying FASTDETECT causes NTDETECT to skip parallel and serial device enumeration for a boot into Win2K, whereas omitting the switch has NTDETECT perform enumeration for a boot into NT 4.0. Win2K setup automatically

recognizes dual-boot configurations and sets this switch for BOOT.INI lines that specify a Win2K boot. Windows 2000/XP Only. /HAL=<hal> - Allows you to override the HAL used, for example using a checked version. /INTAFFINITY - Sets the multiprocessor HAL (HALMPS.DLL) to set interrupt affinities such that only the highest numbered processor in an SMP will receive interrupts. Without the switch the HAL defaults to its normal behavior of letting all processors receive interrupts. Windows 2000/XP Only. /KERNEL=<kernel> - Same as above but for the kernel. /MAXMEM:n - Specifies the maximum amount of RAM that Windows NT can use. This switch is useful if you suspect a memory chip is bad. /NODEBUG - No debugging information is being used. /NOGUIBOOT - When this option is specified the VGA video driver responsible for presenting bit mapped graphics during Win2K's boot process is not initialized. The driver is used to display boot progress information, as well as to print the Blue Screen crash screen, so disabling it will disable Win2K's ability to do those things as well. Windows 2000/XP only. /NOSERIALMICE=[COMx | COMx,y,z...] - Disables serial mouse detection of the specified COM port(s). Use this switch if you have a component other than a mouse attached to a serial port during the startup sequence. If you use /NOSERIALMICE without specifying a COM port, serial mouse detection is disabled on all COM ports. /NUMPROC=n - Only enables the first n processors on a multiple processor system. /ONECPU - Only use the first CPU in a multiple processor system. /PCILOCK - Stops Windows NT from dynamically assigning IO/IRQ resources to PCI devices and leaves the devices configured by the BIOS. /SAFEBOOT - This is an automatic switch which NTLDR should complete for you when you use the F8 menu to perform a safe boot. Following the colon in the option you must specify one of three additional switches: MINIMAL, NETWORK, or DSREPAIR. The MINIMAL and NETWORK flags correspond to safe boot with no network and safe boot with network support. The safe boot is a boot where Windows 2000/XP only loads drivers and services that are specified by name or group in the Minimal or Network Registry keys under HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot. The DSREPAIR (Directory Services Repair) switch causes NT to boot into a mode where it restores the Active Directory from a backup medium you present. An additional option that you can append is "(ALTERNATESHELL)". This tells NT to use the program specified by HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\SafeBoot\AlternateShell as the graphical shell, rather than to use the default which is Explorer. Windows 2000/XP only. /SOS - Displays the driver names while they are being loaded. Use this switch if Windows NT wont start up and you think a driver is missing. This option is configured by default on the [VGA] option on the boot menu. /WIN95 - This switch is only pertinent on a triple-boot system that has DOS, Win9x and Windows NT installed. Specifying the /WIN95 switch directs NTLDR to boot the Win9x boot sector stored in BOOTSECT.W40. See Microsoft KB Article Q157992 for more information. /WIN95DOS - This switch is only pertinent on a triple-boot system that has DOS, Win9x and Windows NT installed. Specifying the /WIN95DOS switch directs NTLDR to

boot the DOS boot sector stored in BOOTSECT.DOS. See Microsoft KB Article Q157992 for more information. /YEAR= - Specifying this value causes NT/Windows 2000 core time function to ignore the year that the computer's real-time clock reports and instead use the one indicated. Thus, the year used in the switch affects every piece of software on the system, including the NT kernel. Example: /YEAR=2005. Note: this option is only available on NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 and Windows 2000/XP. Save the file and restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Modify the Duration that the Startup List is Displayed (Windows NT/2000/XP) Popular This setting allows you to change the default 30 second timeout for the Startup List which normally allows you time to choose and boot an alternative operating system. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Using Windows explorer find the file called BOOT.INI on your system drive. Change the attributes of the file from read-only, by right clicking on it and choosing Properties, and then under Attributes, uncheck 'Read-only'. Then double-click on BOOT.INI and it should open in Notepad. Under the [boot loader] section is a value called "timeout=". The number after the "=" sign is the time in seconds Windows will wait for a selection. Change the value according to the options below.

Set the value to the number of seconds between 1 and 999. To make Windows boot instantly change this value to "0" (i.e. timeout=0). To make Windows wait indefinitely change this value to "-1" (i.e. timeout=-1).

Save the file, and restart Windows for the change to take effect. Note: The default operating system is defined with the "default=" parameter in BOOT.INI.

Change the Default Operating System (Windows NT/2000/XP) Popular This setting in the BOOT.INI file controls which operating system the NT Boot Loader launches by default if none is selected. Change the attributes for BOOT.INI so it is not 'Read Only', BOOT.INI is found in the root directory of the first partition. Then open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Under the [boot loader] section change the 'default=' option to one of the operating systems listed under the [operating systems] section that you wish to use as the default. For example, to load Windows NT from the first partition on the first IDE hard drive in the /WINNT directory the option would look like:
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT

Registry Settings Value Name: default Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Enable the 4GT RAM Tuning Feature of NT Enterprise Edition (Windows NT) With standard Windows NT Server, the per-process address limit is 2 gigabytes (GB) of random access memory (RAM). The 4GT feature of Windows NT Server/E increases this limit to 3 GB without introducing new APIs. 4GT does this by reducing the potential RAM allocated to the Windows NT kernel from 2 GB to 1 GB. Change the attributes for BOOT.INI so it is not 'Read Only', BOOT.INI is found in the root directory of the first partition. And open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Listed under the [operating systems] section are all the OS's the NT boot loader can launch. At the end of the each entry add '/3GB' (without the quotation marks). The new entry should look similar to: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Server Version 4.00" /3GB Restart Windows for the change to take effect. Note: This change is only effective if you are using Windows NT Server/E. On standard Windows NT, this flag will relocate the kernel, but applications will be unable to access more than 2 GB.

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Disable Detection of Devices on Serial Ports (Windows NT) Windows NT attempts to probe the serial ports on boot-up to detect any serial mice. This can cause problems with other serial devices such as UPS's. Change the attributes for BOOT.INI so it is not 'Read Only', BOOT.INI is found in the root directory of the first partition. And open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Listed under the [operating systems] section are all the OS's the NT boot loader can launch. At the end of the each entry add '/NoSerialMice' (without the quotation marks). The new entry should look similar to: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00" /NoSerialMice Changes will take place on the next reboot.

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Boot Windows NT in Safe Mode (Windows NT) Popular Windows NT can be very temperamental sometimes are you add new software or install a new driver. The option allows you the create a Windows NT alternative to the Windows 9x Safe Mode. In this mode extra checks are performed and not all third party drivers are loaded. Change the attributes for BOOT.INI so it is not 'Read Only', BOOT.INI is found in the root directory of the first partition. And open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Listed under the [operating systems] section are all the OS's the NT boot loader can launch. To create a new safe mode entry copy one of the existing NT entries and paste it on a new line. At the end of the new entry add '/sos' (without the quotation marks), change the description of the entry to reflect that it is safe mode. Additional adding '/basevideo' will launch NT with the default VGA driver. The new entry should look similar to: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00 [Safe Mode]" /sos /basevideo Changes will take place on the next reboot.

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Boot Windows NT with the Default VGA Video Driver (Windows NT) This explains how to create an a safe VGA video mode start-up option, especially useful when your video adapter or driver is causing problems. Change the attributes for BOOT.INI so it is not 'Read Only', BOOT.INI is found in the root directory of the first partition. And open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Listed under the [operating systems] section are all the OS's the NT boot loader can launch. To create a new safe VGA entry copy one of the existing NT entries and paste it on a new line. At the end of the new entry add '/basevideo' (without the quotation marks), change the description of the entry to reflect that it is VGA mode. The new entry should look similar to: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00 [VGA mode]" /basevideo Changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Name: [operating systems] Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Configuration Files : CONFIG.SYS Enable the Ability to Load Devices into Upper Memory (Windows 3.1/DOS) Originally EMM386 was required to provide EMS memory, an alternate form of extended memory. Now with the sparse use of EMS, it's primary purpose is to provide support for loading real-mode device drivers in the upper memory area. Use Extended Memory (Windows 3.1/DOS) Himem, an extended-memory manager, is a program that coordinates the use of your computer's extended memory, including the high memory area (HMA). It must be loaded before any application or device drivers can use extended memory. Control the Number of Data Stacks (Windows 3.1/DOS) Support the dynamic use of data stacks to handle hardware interrupts. Specify the Maximum Number of Drive Letters (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting control the maximum number of drivers accessible by a drive letter. Controls the Number of Simultaneous Files (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting specifies the number of files that the operating system can access at one time. Control the Number of File Control Blocks (FCBs) (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting specifies the number of file control blocks (FCBs) that the operating system can have open at the same time. Load Device Drivers into Memory (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting is used to load specified device drivers into memory (or high memory). Increase the Number Disk Buffers (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting can be used to increase the number of disk buffers available to DOS. Load DOS Command Processor into High Memory (Windows 95/98/Me) Popular DOS is limited to 640kb low memory, as more device drivers are loaded that space is used up leaving less available memory for applications. This setting loads the DOS command processor into high memory, freeing some low memory for other applications.

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Enable the Ability to Load Devices into Upper Memory (Windows 3.1/DOS) Originally EMM386 was required to provide EMS memory, an alternate form of extended memory. Now with the sparse use of EMS, it's primary purpose is to provide support for loading real-mode device drivers in the upper memory area. Open the CONFIG.SYS file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). At the top of the file, after the HIMEM device, add a line with the text "device=c:\windows\emm386.exe NOEMS" where 'c:\windows' is the path to the himem.sys file. These changes will take place on the next reboot.

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Use Extended Memory (Windows 3.1/DOS) Himem, an extended-memory manager, is a program that coordinates the use of your computer's extended memory, including the high memory area (HMA). It must be loaded before any application or device drivers can use extended memory. Open the CONFIG.SYS file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). At the top of the file add a line with the text "device=c:\windows\himem.sys" where 'c:\windows' is the path to the himem.sys file. These changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Data: device=himem.sys Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Control the Number of Data Stacks (Windows 3.1/DOS) Support the dynamic use of data stacks to handle hardware interrupts. Open the CONFIG.SYS file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Add a new line with the text "stacks=xx" where 'xx' is the number of data stacks (for example stacks=9,256). Alternatively use "stackshigh=" command to cause the reserved memory to be taken out of the upper memory area instead. These changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Name: stacks or stackshigh Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Specify the Maximum Number of Drive Letters (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting control the maximum number of drivers accessible by a drive letter. Open the CONFIG.SYS file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Add a new line with the text "lastdrive=?" where '?' is the last accessible driver letter (for example lastdrive=Z). Alternatively use "lastdrivehigh=?" command to cause the reserved memory to be taken out of the upper memory area instead. These changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Name: lastdrive or lastdrivehigh Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Controls the Number of Simultaneous Files (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting specifies the number of files that the operating system can access at one time. Open the CONFIG.SYS file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Add a new line with the text "files=xx" where 'xx' is the maximum number of files to have open simultaneously (for example files=60). Alternatively use "fileshigh=xx" command to cause the reserved memory to be taken out of the upper memory area instead. These changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Name: files or fileshigh Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Control the Number of File Control Blocks (FCBs) (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting specifies the number of file control blocks (FCBs) that the operating system can have open at the same time. Open the CONFIG.SYS file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Add a new line with the text "fcbs=xx" where 'xx' is the number of fcbs to have open simultaneously. Alternatively use "fcbshigh=xx" command to cause the reserved memory to be taken out of the upper memory area instead. These changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Name: fcbs or fcbshigh Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Load Device Drivers into Memory (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting is used to load specified device drivers into memory (or high memory). Open the CONFIG.SYS file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Add a new line with the text "device=xxxxxxx.sys" where 'xxxxxxx.sys' is the device to be loaded. Alternatively use "devicehigh=xxxxxxx.sys" command to cause the device to be loaded into the upper memory area instead. These changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Name: device or devicehigh Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Increase the Number Disk Buffers (Windows 3.1/DOS) This setting can be used to increase the number of disk buffers available to DOS. Open the CONFIG.SYS file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Add a new line with the text "buffers=40", or modify the exiting line beginning with "buffers=" and change it to "buffers=40" where '40' is the number of disk buffers. Alternatively use "buffershigh=40" to cause the reserved memory to be taken out of the upper memory area instead. These changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Name: buffers or buffershigh Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Load DOS Command Processor into High Memory (Windows 95/98/Me) Popular DOS is limited to 640kb low memory, as more device drivers are loaded that space is used up leaving less available memory for applications. This setting loads the DOS command processor into high memory, freeing some low memory for other applications. Open the CONFIG.SYS file found in the root directory of your C: drive using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Add a new line with the text "DOS=HIGH,UMB", or modify the exiting line beginning with "DOS=" and change it to "DOS=HIGH,UMB" to load the DOS processor into high memory. Make sure the following lines also exist at the top of the file, without them DOS can not be loaded into upper memory.
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS

These changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Data: DOS=HIGH,UMB Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Configuration Files : MSDOS.SYS Force Computer to Boot in Safe Mode (Windows 95/98/Me) This setting when enabled forces your computer to always boot in Safe Mode. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Add a new value of 'BootSafe=' to MSDOS.SYS. Set the value to '1' to always boot in Safe mode or '0' to run normally. Registry Settings Value Name: BootSafe Value Data: (1=enabled) Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Control Whether the Windows Desktop is Loaded (Windows 95/98) By default Windows automatically loads the Windows Desktop (or GUI) at startup. With this key you can control whether the GUI is loaded or if you just want the MS-DOS prompt. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Change the attributes for MSDOS.SYS so it is not 'Read Only', MSDOS.SYS is found in the root directory of your C:\ drive. Open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Change the value of 'BootGUI=' to 'BootGUI=1' for GUI enabled or 'BootGUI=0' GUI disabled. Changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Data: BootGUI=1 (default) Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Suppress Safe Mode Warning Message (Windows 95/98/Me) Enabling this setting suppresses the safe mode warning message when booting up, and bypasses the Startup menu. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Add a new value of 'BootWarn=' to MSDOS.SYS. Set the value to '1' to ignore the Safe mode warning or '0' to run normally. Registry Settings Value Name: BootWarn Value Data: (1 = enabled) Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Allow Booting to the Previous Operating System (Windows 95/98/Me) If you installed an upgrade version of Windows, you can normally press F4 to boot your previous version of Windows. This option can be disabled. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Change the attributes for MSDOS.SYS so it is not 'Read Only', MSDOS.SYS is found in the root directory of your C:\ drive. Open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Change the value of 'BootMulti=' to 'BootMulti=1' for F4 enabled or 'BootMulti=0' for disabled. Changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Data: BootMulti=1 (default) Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Change the Function Key Timeout (Windows 95/98/Me) Windows normally enables the function keys during the boot sequence for 2 seconds, these keys allow you to control the boot process. The duration can be changed using this tweak. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Change the attributes for MSDOS.SYS so it is not 'Read Only', MSDOS.SYS is found in the root directory of your C:\ drive. Open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Change the value of 'BootDelay=' to a value representing the number of seconds to make the keys available. e.g. To enable the keys for 5 seconds change the value to 'BootDelay=5' Changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Data: BootDelay=2 (default) Related Tweaks

Disable Function Keys During the Boot Sequence (Windows 95/98/Me)

Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Disable Function Keys During the Boot Sequence (Windows 95/98/Me) By default Windows 9x enables the function keys on boot, these allow you to control the boot process. For example pressing F5 while the "Starting Windows 95..." message is displayed will boot Windows in Safe Mode. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Change the attributes for MSDOS.SYS so it is not 'Read Only', MSDOS.SYS is found in the root directory of your C:\ drive. Open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Change the value of 'BootKeys=' to 'BootKeys=1' for enabled or 'BootKeys=0' for disabled. Changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Data: BootKeys=1 (default) or BootKeys=0 (disabled) Related Tweaks

Change the Function Key Timeout (Windows 95/98/Me)

Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Control Whether Scandisk is Run Automatically (Windows 95/98/Me) Popular When Windows is incorrectly shutdown, or the turn is power turned off, the system will attempt to run Scandisk on the next boot. This setting control whether automatic checking is disabled, prompts before running, or runs automatically. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Change the attributes for MSDOS.SYS so it is not 'Read Only', MSDOS.SYS is found in the root directory of your C:\ drive. Open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Change the value of 'AutoScan=' to:

AutoScan=0 : Scandisk is Disabled AutoScan=1 : Scandisk Prompts First AutoScan=2 : Scandisk Runs Automatically

Changes will take place on the next reboot. Note: It is advisable to run Scandisk after an incorrect shutdown to avoid file corruption. Note: This feature is only available on Windows 95 OSR 2 and greater. Registry Settings Value Data: AutoScan=1 (default) Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Show the Windows Boot Menu (Windows 95/98/Me) Popular Windows does not display the boot menu normally unless a key is pressed during bootup (F8 for Windows 95 or CTRL for 98/Me). The boot menu allows you to selectively boot Windows in different modes, including Safe Mode and Command Prompt Mode. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Change the attributes for MSDOS.SYS so it is not 'Read Only', MSDOS.SYS is found in the root directory of your C:\ drive. Open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Change the value of 'BootMenu=' to 'BootMenu=1' for enabled or 'BootMenu=0' for disabled. If the boot menu is enabled you can control how long it waits before continuing to boot with the 'BootMenuDelay=' option. Set 'BootMenuDelay=' to the amount of time to wait in seconds. i.e. 'BootMenuDelay=5' would wait 5 seconds before continuing to load Windows. BootKeys must also be enabled for this option to function i.e. 'BootKeys=1' Changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Data: BootMenu=0 (default) Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Display the Windows Splash Screen While Loading (Windows 95/98/Me) Popular When Windows is loading normally you see the Windows clouds splash screen, this can be disabled to show the background DOS boot process. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Change the attributes for MSDOS.SYS so it is not 'Read Only', MSDOS.SYS is found in the root directory of your C:\ drive. Open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Change the value of 'Logo=' to 'Logo=1' for splash screen enabled or 'Logo=0' for disabled. Changes will take place on the next reboot. Hint: Pressing [Esc] while the splash screen is showing will have the same effect for that session. Registry Settings Value Data: Logo=1 (default) Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Load Compression Driver into Low Memory (Windows 95/98/Me) This setting controls whether double space (or drive space) is loaded into high memory. If you are having compatibility problems with software that makes assumptions about the available memory try changing this setting. A setting of 0 does not let Windows 95 load COMMAND.COM or DRVSPACE.BIN/DBLSPACE.BIN at the top of 640K. Change the attributes for MSDOS.SYS so it is not 'Read Only', MSDOS.SYS is found in the root directory of your C:\ drive. Open the file using Notepad or another text editor (not Microsoft Word or any word processor). Add a new line with the following text 'LoadTop=0' to load the compression driver into low memory. Changes will take place on the next reboot. Registry Settings Value Name: LoadTop Value Data: (0 = load in low memory) Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Modifying the [Paths] Section of MSDOS.SYS (Windows 95/98/Me) The [Paths] section lists the locations for other Windows 95 files (such as the registry) and can be modified if files are moved. The [Paths] section can contain the following settings: HostWinBootDrv=[Root of Boot Drive] Specifies the location for the root of the boot drive. Default: C UninstallDir=[Root of Boot Drive] Specifies the location of the W95undo.dat and W95undo.ini files. These files are necessary to uninstall Windows 95 and this setting is present only if you back up your system files when you are prompted during Windows 95 Setup. Default: C WinBootDir=[Windows Directory] Lists the location of the necessary files for booting. Default: Directory specified during Setup (for example, C:\WINDOWS) WinDir=[Windows Directory] Lists the location of the Windows 95 directory specified during Setup. Default: Directory specified during Setup (for example, C:\WINDOWS)

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Configuration Files : SYSTEM.INI Use Crtl + Alt + Delete to Restart the Computer (Windows 3.1/95/98) Normally when you press Ctrl + Alt + Delete the Windows task list is displayed. Using this tweak the key combination will instead reboot the computer. Increase Application Keyboard Response Time (Windows 95/98/Me) When running more than one application at a time, you may find that your system's keyboard response is slower. To alleviate this, you can adjust the amount of time allocated to processing keystrokes. Change the Number of Spare Stack Pages (Windows 95/98/Me) Popular Windows sets aside a number of extra memory pages (spare stack pages) to be used temporarily to prevent a system "crash" due to a stack overflow condition. Sometimes all the spare pages can be used, and an error message is shown, this tweak allows you to increase the number available. Modify the Number of File Handles for DOS Programs (Windows Me) This setting controls the number of file handles available to MS-DOS programs run in each virtual machine. In Windows Me, each MS-DOS VM is given the default value of 30 file handles. Use High Memory for DOS Drivers (Windows 95/98/Me) This setting causes Windows to load the local DOS devices into high memory and freeing up more low memory for DOS applications. End Tasks Without Restarting Windows (Windows 3.1/95/98) This setting specifies whether you can press CTRL+ALT+DEL to quit applications that cause an unrecoverable errors in 386 enhanced mode, without restarting Windows.

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Use Crtl + Alt + Delete to Restart the Computer (Windows 3.1/95/98) Normally when you press Ctrl + Alt + Delete the Windows task list is displayed. Using this tweak the key combination will instead reboot the computer. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Open the SYSTEM.INI file found in the Windows directory using Notepad. Under the [386Enh] section create or modify the value named "KybdReboot". Set the value to equal "On" to cause the system to reboot on the key combination or "Off" to show the task list. Additionally the "LocalReboot" value should be set to "Off". For example:
[386Enh] KybdReboot=On LocalReboot=Off

Restart Windows for the change to take effect. Note: By default this is true on Windows 3.1. On Windows 95 and higher the default is false. Related Tweaks

End Tasks Without Restarting Windows (Windows 3.1/95/98)

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Increase Application Keyboard Response Time (Windows 95/98/Me) When running more than one application at a time, you may find that your system's keyboard response is slower. To alleviate this, you can adjust the amount of time allocated to processing keystrokes. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! To increase the priority of the foreground application's scanning of the keyboard, add the KeyBoostTime= setting to the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file. You can do this with a text editor such as Notepad. The KeyBoostTime default setting is:
KeyBoostTime=.001

The recommended value is:

KeyBoostTime=.005

Increase the setting in small increments until you achieve the desired response. Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

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Change the Number of Spare Stack Pages (Windows 95/98/Me) Popular Windows sets aside a number of extra memory pages (spare stack pages) to be used temporarily to prevent a system "crash" due to a stack overflow condition. Sometimes all the spare pages can be used, and an error message is shown, this tweak allows you to increase the number available. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! If you receive the following error message, it means Windows has detected that it has run out of spare stack pages. Windows should continue to operate normally unless a device driver encounters a stack overflow condition when there are no free spare stack pages. Error: There are no spare stack pages. It may be necessary to increase the setting named 'MinSPs' in System.ini to prevent possible stack faults. There are currently [xxx] SPs allocated. To increase the number of available spare pages follow these instructions: Open the file SYSTEM.INI located in your Windows directory (usually C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI) using a text editor (e.g. Notepad). Add the following line to the [386Enh] section of the file and then restart your computer:
MinSPs=4

If the problem persists, increase the number of spare stack pages in increments of 4 (for example: 8, 12, 16). Each spare stack page requires 4 kilobytes of memory. Registry Settings Value Name: MinSPs Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Modify the Number of File Handles for DOS Programs (Windows Me) This setting controls the number of file handles available to MS-DOS programs run in each virtual machine. In Windows Me, each MS-DOS VM is given the default value of 30 file handles. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Using notepad open the SYSTEM.INI file in your Windows directory. Add the following line to the [386Enh] section:
PerVMFiles= number

Restart Windows for the change to take effect. Registry Settings Value Data: Set "PerVMFiles" to the Number of Files Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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Use High Memory for DOS Drivers (Windows 95/98/Me) This setting causes Windows to load the local DOS devices into high memory and freeing up more low memory for DOS applications. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Open your SYSTEM.INI and add the line:
LocalLoadHigh=1

Under the [386Enh] section. Registry Settings Value Name: LocalLoadHigh Value Data: 1 Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

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End Tasks Without Restarting Windows (Windows 3.1/95/98) This setting specifies whether you can press CTRL+ALT+DEL to quit applications that cause an unrecoverable errors in 386 enhanced mode, without restarting Windows. This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager. Download a free trial now! Open the SYSTEM.INI file found in the Windows directory using Notepad. Under the [386Enh] section create or modify the value named "LocalReboot". Set the value to equal "On" to cause the system to end the task on the key combination or "Off" to restart the computer. For example:
[386Enh] LocalReboot=On

Restart Windows for the change to take effect. Note: By default this is "On" in Windows 3.1. In Windows 95 and higher the default is "Off". Related Tweaks

Use Crtl + Alt + Delete to Restart the Computer (Windows 3.1/95/98)

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