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[MSDOS to WIN95] [WIN95 to MSDOS] [Download]

As Windows 95 and MS-DOS both are from the house of Microsoft, they knew MSDOS was the better OS. Therefore, they included a way to install both MSDOS and Windows 95 on the same system. So you can easily create a DOSnWIN multiboot on a primary FAT 16 partition.

WIN95 is still very DOS based. It uses files with corresponding names and function as DOS. These files are CONFIG.SYS, IO.SYS AUTOEXEC.BAT, COMMAND.COM, MSDOS.SYS. Put both the WIN95 and DOS versions of these files on your computer, and you can choose between these two operating systems. You may have to make changes to MSDOS.SYS of WIN95, read on to learn all about it.

  MSDOS to WIN95

This is the easiest and probably the only 'correct' way to do it. DOS to WIN95 means: You've got a computer with MS-DOS on it, up & running. You've got your devices (cdrom, netcard, soundcard,... ) up and running. You want to install WIN95 but don't want to loose the ability to run your good old DOS.

STEP 1: Backup config files

Copy your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS to some directory where you want keep backups of them, or put them on a disk. Rename them to AUTOEXEC.DOS and CONFIG.DOS. Example "REN AUTOEXEC.BAT AUTOEXEC.DOS". If procedure goes good, you won't need them, if it goes wrong, you can get your computer back up working as it used to. It's always a good idea to backup them once in a while.

STEP 2: Install Windows 95

You can install Windows 95 from the CD if you've got a CDROM drive. If you haven't got a CDROM drive, you can install it from harddisk. You've to copy the WIN95 directory from the CD to your harddisk. You can do this using another computer WITH CDROM drive, and hook it up to the one WITHOUT, using parallel/serial null modem.

STEP 3: Check 'DOUBLE FILES'

Goto a DOS command prompt (start, programs, MSDOS prompt) under WIN95, hit ALT-ENTER to get a text screen instead of a Windowed DOS box, type "MODE 80,50" to double the number of lines, goto root "CD \", and type "DIR *.* /A /OGN". You'll see you've got some files 'twice', for example, IO.SYS and IO.DOS. IO.SYS is WIN95's IO.SYS, IO.DOS is DOS's IO.SYS.

If you've got this double set of files, you ought to be able to boot either DOS or WIN95 already. During startup, when the string "starting windows 95" appears, hit F8 key. WIN95 bootmenu should appear, in which you can choose for "Previous version of MS-DOS". Select this one, and DOS should startup as it used to do. If you've got the double fileset, but not the option 'Previous version of MS-DOS" you need to edit MSDOS.SYS.

STEP 4: Modify MSDOS.SYS

Probably you think it's too difficult to hit F8 just in time, and would like the WIN95 menu to pop up automatically. This can be done by modifying WIN95's MSDOS.SYS. First you have to remove attributes "ATTRIB -R -S -H MSDOS.SYS". Then load it in DOS editor "EDIT MSDOS.SYS".

In the MSDOS.SYS you can see a [Paths] section, an [Options] section and lots of "xxxx". Here is my [Options] section with some explanation.

   [Options]
   BootMulti=1         ; enable DOS win95 multiboot
   BootMenu=1          ; show bootmenu
   BootGUI=1
   Logo=0              ; hide the win95 clouds
   BootMenu Default=8  ; default-menu item
   BootMenu Delay=15   ; Delay time in seconds

The BootMulti=1 has to be in MSDOS.SYS to make the multiboot work.

BootMenu=1 makes the bootmenu pop up, if you make BootMenu=0, you'll have to press F8 just in time for the bootmenu.

Logo=0 hides the Windows 95 clouds when booting Windows 95.

BootMenu Default=n, where n is the number corresponding with the number of the desired item in the bootmenu.

BootMenu Delay=m, where m is a number of seconds before the default item is chosen. You can leave BootMenu Delay if you don't want a default item to be chosen after some delay time.

After editing, put back the attributes "ATTRIB +R +S +H MSDOS.SYS". You probably want to edit a few times before you've got what you want.

  WIN95 to MSDOS

This is not the 'official' way to do it, but who cares, as long as things work. WIN95 to MSDOS means: You and your computer are very happy running DOS. But to stay compatible with the stupid mass, you are forced to use some Win95.

Whatever you do, DON'T GO AHEAD AND INSTALL DOS FROM DISKS, because MSDOS 'claims' the filesystem, and makes it a 'traditional' FAT 16 so WIN95 won't work because it's 'advanced' FAT 16 is gone.

STEP 1: Copy 'DOS directory'

You'll need another computer that is running some flavour of MSDOS. Create a DOS directory on the target computer, and copy all the files in the DOS directory of the source computer to the directory of the target computer. Best way is probably to use a parallel/serial null modem, but you can also archive to disks and unarchive the disks on the target computer.

STEP 2: Copy 'DOS kernel'

The previous step you copied all the 'external' programs like FORMAT and DELTREE, but the 'DOS core', the kernel files are still missing.

   file:              attributes:
   ------------------------------
   IO.SYS             SHR
   MSDOS.SYS          SHR
   COMMAND.COM        R

Goto source computer, and remove the attributes of these files. Example "ATTRIB -R -S -H IO.SYS". Copy them to a disk and rename their extensions to DOS, for example "XCOPY C:\IO.SYS A:\IO.DOS". Restore the attributes on the source computer, "ATTRIB +R +S +H IO.SYS".

Copy the files from the disk to the target computer, goto C:\ "CD \", and then "COPY A:\*.DOS". Give these files also the above attributes, "ATTRIB +R +S +H IO.DOS".

You'll also need to make an AUTOEXEC.DOS and CONFIG.DOS in order to load memory managers, mousedrivers, CDROM drivers and whatever else you need to make your hardware work under DOS.

STEP 3: Modify MSDOS.SYS

Same as STEP 4 of the 'MSDOS to WIN95' procedure. You'll need to edit WIN95's MSDOS.SYS to make it aware of the presence of a DOS on your system.

Maybe you think all this is a lot to remember, and you want to have a printout. Perhaps your browser can print it for you, or you can export it to an ASCII file. But you can also download zipped textversion of this page (2.8 k).

Feel free to ask me if you've got difficulties in setting up a MSDOS/WIN95 multiboot system, or to thank me for making you aware of the multiboot possibility.

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