GeezerVison is showing www.mdgx.com — MDGx MS-DOS Undocumented + Hidden Secrets
MS-DOS 5.00 - 8.00
Undocumented + Hidden Secrets Some of
these Hidden, UNcommon, UNdocumented, UNknown MS-DOS commands + tricks might 1 day save your "computing life", as they have saved mine. 😎
I will post here
new DOS secrets every time I'll also add them to SECRETS.TXT, part of my Updated ©Tricks + Secrets Files, FREEware:
FYI:
ALWAYS BACKUP ALL YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM DRIVES TO A SAFE
LOCATION
BEFORE USING ANY TOOLS THAT MODIFY DISK OR BOOT STRUCTURE ! |
|
|---|
Contents: [alphabetical order] | | MUST HAVE [99.99% Free(ware)]:
[separate pages]MS-DOS Commands on the Internet: |
Back 2 ContentsCOMMAND.COM
HIDDEN PARAMETERSCOMMAND.COM is the MS-DOS mode command line interpreter, located by default in %winbootdir% + %winbootdir%\COMMAND (default is C:\WINDOWS + C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND) [Windows 95/98/ME,
a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00], C:\DOS or C:\MSDOS [MS-DOS 5.00 - 6.22]. Another copy of COMMAND.COM may exist in C:\ root.
IMPORTANT:
To become familiar with the COMMAND.COM command line
switches (the documented ones anyway):- Windows 95/98/ME users: use Notepad to read the "SHELL" topic from CONFIG.TXT, a text file located in your Windows folder.
- All Windows/DOS users:
run:
COMMAND /?
at any DOS prompt to display the COMMAND.COM help screen. - MS-DOS 6.xx users: run this command from a DOS prompt:
HELP COMMAND
and read
the topic. - More info.
- See also "COMMAND.COM", also in TIPS95.TXT (part of W95-11D.EXE), and in
MYTIPS31.TXT (part of W31-11D.ZIP).
All COMMAND.COM parameters listed below can be used on the CONFIG.SYS file SHELL= line (primary permanent shell):
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\
/E:512 /D /F /T /Z
on a Windows PIF file (MS-DOS Prompt application) command line, in batch files, or/and at the plain DOS prompt (secondary shell, which can be made permanent if adding the /P switch).In MS-DOS
5.00 - 6.22 you can use this undocumented workaround to force COMMAND.COM to load "high", which requires an upper memory manager in CONFIG.SYS, like EMM386.EXE or UMBPCI.SYS.
Example:
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /C LOADHIGH=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:512 /P
This works ONLY IF:- a copy of your COMMAND.COM file resides in C:\ root (for compatibility with
older DOS programs/games that expect to find the command interpreter in the root directory of your boot drive/partition);
- ALL your "SET <variable>=" lines are placed/moved into your AUTOEXEC.BAT file from
CONFIG.SYS (MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22 ONLY);
- this command exists as your first AUTOEXEC.BAT line:
SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM - UMBs are enabled by this CONFIG.SYS line so COMMAND.COM (or ANY other
device/driver/TSR) can load in UMA:
DOS=HIGH,UMB
Disadvantage:
In some cases a second copy of COMMAND.COM remains resident in (upper) memory.
More details.
In MS-DOS 7.00 - 8.00 [a.k.a. Windows 95/98/ME] this function is built into IO.SYS, and COMMAND.COM loads in UMA (Upper Memory Area) automatically
ONLY IF UMBs (Upper Memory Blocks) are provided by an upper memory manager like EMM386.EXE or UMBPCI.SYS, and IF the line "DOS=HIGH,UMB" exists in
CONFIG.SYS. - COMMAND /D [MS-DOS 5.00 and above ONLY]COMMAND /D (DENY) performs different actions depending on the MS-DOS
version:
- in MS-DOS 5.00: used on the CONFIG.SYS file SHELL= line prevents the execution of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file (if present) at bootup.
- in MS-DOS 6.xx and 7.xx/8.00 [a.k.a. Windows 9x/ME]: disables
the automatic disk "Fail" response if enabled by the /F (FAIL) parameter (see "COMMAND /F" below).
- COMMAND /F [MS-DOS 6.00 and above
ONLY]COMMAND /F (FAIL) removes the "Abort, Retry, Fail" message and forces a "Fail" response to all "Abort, Retry, Fail" prompts issued by the DOS critical error handler. If the disk is not ready it automatically
goes to "Fail".
- COMMAND /T [Windows 95 + MS-DOS 7.00 and above ONLY]COMMAND /T forces the COMMAND.COM resident module to load permanently in low memory
(below the 640K barrier), even if the Upper Memory Area (UMA) is enabled by an upper memory manager (i.e. EMM386.EXE or UMBPCI.SYS) from CONFIG.SYS.
Using /T in combination with the /P
(PERMANENT) parameter, ONLY from the DOS prompt or in batch files (NOT from the CONFIG.SYS SHELL= line), also executes the AUTOEXEC.BAT file (if present), besides forcing the COMMAND.COM resident module to load permanently in low
memory.
WARNING:
Using /T on the CONFIG.SYS SHELL= line may lock up Windows 9x/ME GUI upon shut down! - COMMAND /Z [Windows 95 +
MS-DOS 7.00 and above ONLY]COMMAND /Z (ZERO) displays the "ERRORLEVEL" return code messages after executing external DOS commands (internal DOS commands do not display error codes in this
manner).
You'll see a message like this when using the /Z parameter [errorlevel 0 is the default (normal) return
code]:Microsoft(R) Windows 98
(C)Copyright Microsoft
Corp 1981-1999.
Return code (ERRORLEVEL): 0
WARNING: Reloaded COMMAND.COM
transient
Back 2 ContentsEMM386.EXE HIDDEN
PARAMETERSEMM386.EXE is the Microsoft upper/extended/expanded memory manager, located by default in C:\WINDOWS [Windows 95/98/ME, a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00],
C:\DOS or C:\MSDOS [MS-DOS 5.00/6.xx].
EMM386.EXE can be loaded ONLY in CONFIG.SYS using the DEVICE command.
Example:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM I=B000-B7FF D=256 AUTO NOTR
The EMM386.EXE DEVICE
line MUST appear in CONFIG.SYS AFTER the HIMEM.SYS line, and BEFORE ANY other device drivers loaded with DEVICE, DEVICEHIGH,
INSTALL or INSTALLHIGH.
Running:
EMM386
from a DOS prompt, displays the EMM386
status.
EMM386.EXE provides access to the Upper Memory Area (UMA), uses the computer's extended memory to simulate
expanded memory and allows programs and device drivers to load into Upper Memory Blocks (UMBs).
IMPORTANT:
To become familiar with the EMM386.EXE command line switches (the documented ones anyway):- Windows 95/98/ME users: use Notepad to read the "EMM386.EXE" topic in MSDOSDRV.TXT, a text
file located in your Windows folder.
- MS-DOS 6.xx users: run this command from any DOS prompt:
HELP
EMM386.EXE
and read the topic. - See also the EMM386.EXE related topics in MEMORY.TXT + EMM386.TXT (both
part of W95-11D.EXE + W31-11D.ZIP).
DEVICE=drive:\path\EMM386.EXE NOTR [MS-DOS 6.00 and above ONLY]The EMM386.EXE default detection
code searches for the presence of a Token Ring Network adapter, which may cause some computers to hang. In such cases use the
NOTR parameter to disable this search.
This is valid ONLY for EMM386.EXE versions 4.45 - 4.49 [MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22] up to
4.95 [Windows 95/98/ME, a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00]. Example:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE
NOTRFYI:
Get newest HIMEM.SYS 3.95 + EMM386.EXE 4.95 16-bit DOS mode memory managers.
See
MEMORY.TXT, EMM386.TXT + REGIONS.TXT (part of W95-11D.EXE and W31-11D.ZIP) for comprehensive memory management
guidelines. Back 2 ContentsFAT16
➜ FAT32 ➜ exFATFAT32 | exFAT | FAT Links
FAT32FAT16 [R.I.P. :-)] used to be the most popular
File Allocation Table (FAT) 16-bit standard on "Wintel" PCs, recognized by all MS-DOS releases beginning with 4.00 (released back in 1991), and all other 3rd party DOS OSes (DR-DOS, FreeDOS, OpenDOS etc), and by all Windows versions.
MS-DOS releases older than 4.00 used to operate with the obsolete FAT12 standard, discontinued, but still in use by the ol' floppy disk(ette) standard. :(
FAT12 is [was :)] able to handle disk partitions only up
to 16 MB using 4 KB clusters.FYI:
Officially Microsoft implemented FAT16 only begining with MS-DOS 4.00 (through extended partitions larger than 32 MB), but unofficially FAT16 was already
implemented in MS-DOS 3.3. FDISK.EXE supports extended partitions (the only way to take advantage of FAT16 at the time) begining with MS-DOS 3.3 (up to a total of 128 MB), but FORMAT.COM supports partitions larger than 32 MB only begining with
MS-DOS 4.00. MS-DOS 3.3 FORMAT.COM supported partitions only up to 16 MB (FAT12), even if FAT16 was already available. :(
Further reading: "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" book by Scott Mueller, second edition, page 653.
[Thank you
Mr. Nobby!]FAT16 limitations:- maximum partition size = 2 GigaBytes (GB) = 2,048 MegaBytes (MB);
- maximum number of root directory
file entries allowed = 512 (same as FAT12);
- (too) large cluster size, which wastes a lot of disk space, by allocating at least 1 cluster to each file on disk, even if a file is at least 1 byte in length.
Note that 0 byte files (same as
directories/folders) do NOT take ANY disk space, but each directory entry (32 Bytes on FAT32) occupies a separate FAT entry. Moreover, Long File Names (LFNs) files and folders occupy an additional LFN FAT entry.
Another
example: a 33 KB file has 2 clusters assigned on a disk partition with 32 KB clusters, thus wasting 31 KB, because the same cluster canNOT be shared among separate files or folders:
| Partition size | FAT16 Cluster size | | 0 - 127 MB | 2 KB = 2048 B | | 128 - 255 MB | 4 KB = 4096 B | | 256 - 511 MB | 8 KB = 8192 B | | 512 - 1023 MB | 16 KB = 16384 B | | 1024 - 2047 MB | 32 KB = 32768 B |
In 1996 Microsoft introduced a new
File Allocation Table standard called FAT32 (32-bit), which extends these limits:- FAT32 (first version) released beginning
with Windows 95B OSR 2.0, supports partitions up to 2 TeraBytes (TB) = 2,048 GB = 2,097,152 MB (theoretical + new practical limit);
- FAT32X (second version)
released beginning with Windows 95C OSR 2.5 (1997), features eXtended support for hard drives larger than 8 GB (with more than 1023 cylinders, 255 heads and 63 sectors), using the BIOS interrupt 13 (INT13h) LBA (Logical Block Addressing) extension
(on Pentium class and newer chipsets that support this BIOS feature), for a total of 28 bits of addressing a maximum of 137 GB of hard disk capacity (old practical limit).
Newer PC mainboards add eXtended support for drives larger than 137 GB,
using the new BIOS interrupt 13 (INT13h) LBA (Logical Block Addressing) extension (on Pentium III/IV class and newer chipsets that support this BIOS feature), for a total of 48 bits of addressing a maximum of 2 TB of hard disk capacity
(new practical limit); - supports unlimited number of root directory file entries;
- largest supported file size 4 GigaBytes (GB);
- smaller, more efficient cluster size, without noticeable performance
degradation:
| Partition size | FAT32/FAT32X Cluster size | | 0 - 259 MB | 512 B
[*] | | 260 - 511 MB | 1 KB = 1024 B [*] | | 512 - 8191 MB | 4 KB = 4096 B | | 8192 - 16383 MB | 8 KB = 8192 B | | 16384 - 32767 MB | 16 KB = 16384 B | | 32768 MB - 2 TB | 32 KB = 32768 B |
[*] = ONLY if using custom FORMAT drive: /Z:n values!Therefore FAT32 wastes a lot less disk space, preserving speedy disk
access at the same time.
More info:NOTE:
You MUST be using Windows 95B/95C OSR
2.0 - 2.5, 98/98 SE(U) [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.10], ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS 8.00], 2000/newer [no native MS-DOS] to take advantage of FAT32.Intel 48-bit LBA test tool [33 KB, free].
This tool detects if the motherboard BIOS supports 48-bit LBA addressing mode, and therefore hard disks
larger than 137 GB.PROs + CONs:- Larger cluster size means faster disk access, but more disk overhead (wasted clusters), and less space for stored files,
opposite to:
- Smaller cluster size means slower disk access, but less disk overhead (wasted clusters), and more space for stored files.
FYI:
The performance hit for using FAT32(X) depends
on the speed of your CPU, bus bandwidth, disk controller capabilities and hard disk subsystem
transfer rates + access times.
Test your computer motherboard extended BIOS capabilities using EXTBIOS.EXE for DOS [7 KB, freeware].FAT16/FAT32 versus NTFS versus exFAT comparison.
Default FAT16, FAT32, NTFS + exFAT cluster sizes
when using MS FORMAT tool.
More info.
Even
more info.FAT+ extension (FAT32+) (open source) is a new Enhanced DR-DOS and FreeDOS standard, and removes some of the FAT32/FAT32X limitations.KNOWN BUGS + FIXES:- Microsoft acknowledged in this MSKB article that Windows 95 retail, 95a OSR1 + 95B/95C OSR 2.x do NOT support disk drives larger than 32 GB. :(
- Windows 98 retail, 98 SP1 + 98 SE(U) provide built-in support
for media drives > 32 GB, but ONLY IF you install the fixed ESDI_506.PDR [English patch] that allows ScanDskw.exe to properly recognize
(E)IDE/(Ultra)ATA hard disk clusters beyond cluster number 967,393.
More info @ MSKB. - The only Microsoft Operating Systems that natively support drives larger than
32 GB are Windows NT 4.0 + newer.
- Make sure your motherboard BIOS supports hard disks larger than 137 GB (48-bit LBA function). Always "flash" your BIOS using the current BIOS
update from your mainboard vendor's web/ftp site.
More info @ MSKB.
Windows 98/98 SE/ME
(E)IDE/ATAPI Driver for Hard Disks > 137 GB, also here.
Back 2 Contents
exFATIn 2006 Microsoft introduced exFAT (Extended
File Allocation Table) file system for Windows XP/newer similar to FAT32/FAT32X, but without the flaws and limitations that plagued FAT32/FAT32X, and designed for USB flash drives, SSD flash drives, hybrid
(HDD + SSD) drives and flash memory cards, cartridges + sticks, and compatible with hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state drives (SSDs) and
PCIe NVMe RAM drives.
Wikipedia: Comparison of flash memory cards.
Wikipedia: exFAT.
MSDN: File System Functionality Comparison.
NTFS.com: exFAT
versus FAT32/FAT32X comparison.
NTFS.com: FAT16/FAT32 versus NTFS versus exFAT comparison.
Integral Memory: CARDS - Differences between FAT16, FAT32 and exFAT?
Tech-Recipes: exFAT versus FAT32 versus NTFS.
How-to Geek: What's the Difference between
FAT32, exFAT and NTFS?
MSKB: Default FAT16, FAT32, NTFS + exFAT cluster sizes.Advantages:- largest disk size 512 TB
(TeraBytes) (practical limit) or 128 PB (PetaBytes) (theoretical limit);
- largest file size 512 TB (TeraBytes) (practical limit) or 16 EB (ExaBytes) (theoretical limit);
- largest cluster size 32 MB;
- up to 2,796,202 files per
directory;
- extensible directory structure and file name hashes;
- improved free space allocation and delete performance due to free space bitmaps;
- Access Control Lists (ACL) support;
- Transaction-Safe FAT File System
(TFAT) support (Windows CE only);
- OEM definable custom file system parameters for specific (portable) devices.
See technical specifications + requirements.
Disadvantages:
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED:
In case you are using USB/Thunderbolt/port, CF/CFx/SD/SDHC/SDXC/SDUC/Micro-SD/mini-SD/M2/MMC/MS/MSXC/XQD, Wi-Fi/Wireless/Bluetooth flash/memory/RAM
cards, cartridges, drives, sticks, HDDs, SSDs, NVMes, etc storage devices/media formatted with the obsolete, flawed, limited FAT32 file system you should (re)format them with the superior exFAT that among other advantages provides universal support and compatibility for all digital computers/devices/electronics released for the past 15+
years. This is why:Nowadays overwhelming majority of computers, portables, devices,
electronics: servers, desktops, laptops, netbooks, terminals, tablets/smart phones, flat TVs/monitors, multimedia/streaming audio/video players/recorders transmitters/receivers, amplifiers/tuners/stereos, digital
cameras/recorders, projectors, etc... support exFAT for both reading and writing operations, even if some may do this unofficially (or undocumented) due to steep/unaffordable proprietary licensing
fees. :-(
On the other hand, you [the end user  ] can safely leap into the 21st century, and take advantage of the full capacity of your
storage media and be able to use an almost unlimited number of files larger than 4 GB, as long as you own a computer/portable/device running a modern/compatible edition/release of Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, iOS
+/- similar/derivative/branch/fork/proprietary operating system(s) [OS(es)].
See next paragraph (further below) to learn how to (re)format all your storage media with
exFAT in Windows.
How to enable exFAT:
Format with exFATHow to format your
drives/cards/cartridges/sticks with exFAT: In Windows Vista/newer you can use a 3rd party exFAT formatting tool (freeware), or get the official
Secure Digital (SD)/miniSD/microSD/SDHC (High Capacity)/SDXC (eXtended Capacity)/microSDXC/SDUC (Ultra Capacity) Card Formatter (free). Secure Digital (SD)/miniSD/microSD/SDHC (High Capacity)/SDXC (eXtended Capacity)/microSDXC/SDUC (Ultra Capacity) memory cards require Microsoft Windows Vista Pre-SP2/7 Pre-SP1/2008 Pre-SP2/2008 R2 Pre-SP1 Memory Cards > 32 GB Fixed Card Driver! ➜ See WIC +
MCCP + RAW Codecs for details + downloads. Windows Vista SP2 + newer include Fixed Card Driver!With the appropriate exFAT drivers installed Windows NTx OSes (2000/newer)
can (re)partition and (re)format HDD, SSD, NVMe + USB drives/partitions/volumes by using the built-in Disk Management (a.k.a. Logical Disk Manager) front end GUI (which in turn uses DiskPart.exe
+ FORMAT.COM command line tools): Start button (orb) ➜ (All) Programs ➜ Administrative
Tools ➜ Computer Management ➜ Storage
➜ Disk Management. You can also run this command from the Run... box (hold down the WinKey and press R at the same time) or
from a DOS console ( CMD): DISKMGMT.MSCThis is the complete version: %windir%\SYSTEM32\MMC.EXE /S %windir%\SYSTEM32\DISKMGMT.MSCSee
" WINKEY SHORTCUTS" in TIPS95.TXT (part of W95-11D.EXE). Microsoft Management Console (MMC) executable ( MMC.EXE) and this MMC snap-in
( DISKMGMT.MSC) are both located in %windir%\SYSTEM32 (Win2000/newer 32-bit) and in %windir%\SYSWOW64 (WinXP/newer 64-bit). Or (re)format a drive/partition/volume in Windows Explorer/File
Explorer/Desktop shortcut/My Computer icon: highlight desired (must be writable) drive/partition/volume letter/name in the right hand pane ➜ right-click on it
➜ select Format... ➜ select desired Capacity, File System [NTFS, FAT32 or exFAT (only
with exFAT drivers installed)] ➜ select exFAT ➜ select Allocation unit size (Bytes) (you should
leave it at default value in order to use full drive/partition capacity) ➜ select Volume label (type desired drive/partition/volume name)
➜ select Format options [Quick Format +/- Enable Compression (NTFS only)] ➜ select Quick Format
(leave all other options at default values) ➜ click the Start button or press Enter. More details. If you
prefer using an automated/unattended batch (.BAT)/command (.CMD) script which runs the Windows built-in FORMAT.COM DOS console command line tool, this is an example of how to (re)format your G:
drive/partition/volume with exFAT default parameters and a new label XFAT_007: FORMAT G:
/FS:exFAT /V:XFAT_007 /QThis is the complete
version: %windir%\SYSTEM32\FORMAT.COM G: /FS:exFAT /V:XFAT_007 /QMicrosoft DOS console Format ( FORMAT.COM)
command line tool is located in %windir%\SYSTEM32 (Win2000/newer 32-bit) and in %windir%\SYSWOW64 (WinXP/newer 64-bit). Hold down the WinKey and press R at
the same time to open the Run... dialog box ➜ type CMD ➜ press Enter or click OK to run this
command from a DOS box console to view all FORMAT.COM command line parameters: FORMAT /?See " WINKEY SHORTCUTS" in TIPS95.TXT (part of W95-11D.EXE). You can create/edit your .BAT/.CMD file in Notepad (%windir%\ NOTEPAD.EXE = where %windir% is usually C:\WINDOWS) or a better plain text/ASCII editor
[free(ware)]. Then save it as XFATFRMT.BAT or XFATFRMT.CMD (example), and (optionally) save it inside a directory/folder found on your PATH
statement. Run this command from a DOS console window to view all directories/folders listed in your PATH: PATHTo format any internal/external/removable/remote
drive/partition/volume by using this batch/cmd script, just modify it to include these 2 variables, and then type a drive letter and a drive label number after the file name (each separated by a Space) whenever
running it: %1 (substitute 1st number with your actual drive/partition/volume letter: from D up to Z) and %2 (substitute 2nd number with an
actual integer number: from 0 up to 999): Click/Touch inside block of text below ➜ right-click ➜ Copy [Ctrl+C]:
-----Begin cut & paste here-----
@ECHO OFF
IF NOT "%OS%"=="Windows_NT" GOTO END
IF NOT EXIST %windir%\SYSTEM32\FORMAT.COM GOTO END
ECHO Y|%windir%\SYSTEM32\FORMAT.COM %1: /FS:exFAT /V:XFAT_00%2 /Q
:END
EXIT ------End cut & paste here------ |
In this example you are
formatting your G drive/partition/volume with the exFAT file system and giving it the new label XFAT_007: XFATFRMT G 7Have
fun!
Back 2 Contents
FAT LinksFAT + BIOS limits techno details + specs: Back 2 ContentsDISK PARTITIONING, FORMATTING, BACKUP + RECOVERY
TOOLSFree(ware) WinDOwS Backup + Restore
ToolsALWAYS BACKUP ALL YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM DRIVES TO A SAFE
LOCATION
BEFORE USING ANY TOOLS THAT MODIFY DISK OR BOOT STRUCTURE ! |
|
|---|
- Reference:
- FDISK.EXE: FDISK.EXE is a 16-bit DOS
based command line driven tool, the "de facto" Microsoft partitioning utility, located in %winbootdir%\COMMAND (default is C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND) [Windows 95/98/ME, a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00] or in the MS-DOS 6.00/6.20/6.21/6.22
directory (default is C:\DOS or C:\MSDOS).
Its purpose is to display boot, disk and partition information, modify existing partitions, create new ones and/or delete the ones you want on all installed fixed hard disk(s),
but ONLY WITH COMPLETE DATA LOSS! :(
Starting with Windows 95B OSR 2.0 FDISK has the capability of creating FAT32 partitions of minimum 512 MB on existent drive(s), and of converting your
current FAT16 partitions to FAT32, but NOT the other way around WITHOUT COMPLETE DATA LOSS!
IMPORTANT:
To become familiar with the FDISK.EXE command line
switches (the documented ones anyway), run one of these commands from any DOS prompt:
FDISK /?
or:
HELP FDISK
to display the FDISK.EXE help
screen.
Install fixed FDISK.EXE for Windows 98/98 SP1/98 SE(U) to properly detect hard disks larger than 64 GB [English patch].
More info.
LIMITATIONS:More FDISK details: - CVT.EXE: Another
Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x, 98 + ME FAT32 conversion DOS mode 16-bit tool comes also from Microsoft: CVT.EXE [62 KB, free, unsupported].
More info.
Newest and most compatible CVT.EXE is found on Windows ME setup CD-ROM.
CVT.EXE preserves disk data integrity. Requires to
specify the drive letter to convert. Running CVT without command line parameters displays the help screen.
Windows 98/ME users can find CVT.EXE in %winbootdir%\COMMAND (usually C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND).
Run CVT.EXE from a
floppy/CD/DVD boot disk or from a hard disk/partition other than the one you want to convert, because if the conversion ends with errors, data on respective disk will be lost.
The Win98/98 SE version of CVT.EXE may NOT work
from native MS-DOS! In this case use the Windows GUI version (Cvt1.exe = see below).
The little known /CVT32 parameter works ONLY with the Win98/98 SP1/98 SE(U) version of CVT.EXE and allows FAT32 conversion
in native MS-DOS mode. Example:
CVT.EXE D: /CVT32
This MS TechNet article details all available
CVT.EXE parameters.
More info.
How to use
the WinME version of CVT.EXE.
[Thank you ERPMan!]
CVT.EXE canNOT convert FAT32 partitions/disks back to FAT16!
CVT requires a minimum of 500 KB of free DOS memory. To avoid
error messages like:Not enough memory (system) resources while running CVT, disable the
loading of some of your DOS mode devices/TSRs, by adding REM in front of the respective lines in your CONFIG.SYS and/or AUTOEXEC.BAT, or use an upper memory manager (like MS EMM386.EXE or UMBPCI.SYS) to load them all "high", in upper memory (UMA). Edit your startup files using EDIT.COM in DOS or Notepad/Sysedit in Windows. Reboot when done. - Windows 98, 98 SE(U) + ME include a graphical
FAT32 conversion tool (Cvt1.exe, located in %windir% = default is C:\WINDOWS), capable of converting your existing FAT16 disks/partitions to FAT32 (528 MB minimum size), but NOT the other way
around!
Cvt1.exe actually provides a front end
GUI to running the CVT.EXE DOS mode command line tool (see above), also included with Win98/98 SE(U)/ME (in C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND), but adds extensive help to guide you through the entire process.
To access the FAT32
conversion tool: Start button ➜ Programs ➜ Accessories ➜
System Tools ➜ FAT32 Converter. - DiskPart.exe: Windows 2000/newer
include a FAT16/FAT32(X)/exFAT/NTFS command line tool [DiskPart.exe, located in %windir%\SYSTEM32 = default is C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 (Win2000/newer 32-bit) and in %windir%\SYSWOW64 = default is
C:\WINDOWS\SYSWOW64 (WinXP/newer 64-bit)], capable of (re)partitioning [only exFAT + NTFS up to full capacity], resizing, converting (only FAT32 ➜
NTFS, NOT the other way around), deleting and (re)formatting [using the FORMAT.COM command line tool, also located in %windir%\SYSTEM32 (Win32 NTx OSes) and in %windir%\SYSWOW64 (Win64 NTx OSes)]
existing hard/USB/external drives/partitions/volumes.
Microsoft limited (is phasing out) FAT16 + FAT32(X) support in Windows NTx OSes: 2000 and newer.
Newer FORMAT.COM versions can format hard/USB/external
drives/partitions/volumes with the new exFAT file system.
See further above to learn how to use Windows built-in FORMAT.COM command to (re)format any
internal/external/removable/remote drive/partition/volume with exFAT.
Windows XP Format.
About.com: Format Command Details and Examples.
Rob van der Woude's Scripting Pages: The FORMAT Command.
SS64: FORMAT.com.
IMPORTANT:
Windows 2000, XP, 2003 + Vista
need specific Updates/Fixes and/or Service Packs (SPs) installed in order to enable exFAT: see "exFAT" for details.
Windows 2008 + newer have exFAT drivers
built-in.
MSKB: A Description of the Diskpart Command Line Utility.
MS Windows XP: Windows XP DiskPart.
MS TechNet: DiskPart
Command Line Options.
MS TechNet: DiskPart.
SS64: DiskPart (Windows
Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012/10/2016).
Wikipedia: DiskPart.
To access the front end GUI disk partitioning tool called Disk Management or Logical Disk Manager
(the DiskPart counterpart) in Windows NTx OSes (2000/newer): Start button (orb) ➜ (All) Programs
➜ Administrative Tools ➜ Computer Management ➜ Storage
➜ Disk Management.
You can also run this command from the Run... box (hold down the WinKey and press R at the same time) or from a DOS
console (CMD):
DISKMGMT.MSC
This is the complete version:
%windir%\SYSTEM32\MMC.EXE /S %windir%\SYSTEM32\DISKMGMT.MSC
See "WINKEY SHORTCUTS" in TIPS95.TXT (part of W95-11D.EXE).
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) executable (MMC.EXE) and this MMC snap-in
(DISKMGMT.MSC) are both located in %windir%\SYSTEM32 (Win2000/newer 32-bit) and in %windir%\SYSWOW64 (WinXP/newer 64-bit).
Or (re)format a drive/partition/volume in Windows Explorer/File Explorer/Desktop
shortcut/My Computer icon: highlight desired (must be writable) drive/partition/volume letter/name in the right hand pane ➜ right-click on it
➜ select Format... ➜ select desired Capacity, File System [NTFS, FAT32
or exFAT (only with exFAT drivers installed)] ➜ select exFAT ➜ select Allocation unit size
(Bytes) (you should leave it at default value in order to use full drive/partition capacity) ➜ select Volume label (type desired drive/partition/volume name)
➜ select Format options [Quick Format +/- Enable Compression (NTFS only)] ➜ select Quick Format
(leave all other options at default values) ➜ click the Start button or press Enter.
MS TechNet: Disk Management.
MS Windows XP: Disk
Management overview.
MS Windows XP: How to... configure + use Disk Management.
About.com: How to Access Disk Management in Windows 7.
MC MCSE: Disk Management in Windows XP Professional.
MC MCSE: Using the Disk
Management tool in Windows XP Professional.
Softpedia: Disk Management under Windows XP.
The Elder Geek: Disk Management.
MSKB: How to Use Disk Management to Configure
Basic Disks in Windows XP.
MSKB: How to Use Disk Management to Configure Dynamic Disks in Windows XP.
MS TechNet: Troubleshooting Disk Management.
Wikipedia: Logical Disk
Manager. - 3rd Party Disk Partitioning + Formatting Tools [free(ware)]: To create FAT32 partitions
smaller than 528 MB or to convert FAT16 partitions to FAT32 and BACK:
- WITH data loss: see the UNDOCUMENTED FDISK parameters below.
- WITHOUT data loss (depending on particular
utility features): get a 3rd party [free(ware)] partitioning + formatting utility like:
- Ranish Partition Manager v2.44 Beta 16-bit for DOS/MS-DOS + Windows 3.x/9x/ME creates, deletes, resizes and formats FAT16/FAT32 hard disk partitions, includes Advanced Boot
Manager:
Direct download [136 KB, postcardware]. - Partition Resizer v1.3.4 16-bit for DOS/MS-DOS + Windows 3.x/9x/ME
(re)partitions/resizes FAT16/FAT32 hard disk partitions up to 2 TB (TeraBytes) without data loss, supports advanced command line options:
Direct download [98 KB, freeware]. - Cute Partition Manager (CPM) v0.9.8 16-bit DOS based OS independent tool for DOS/MS-DOS
+ Windows 3.x/9x/ME (re)partitions/deletes FAT16/FAT32 hard disk partitions up to 2 TB (TeraBytes) without data loss, supports advanced command line options:
Direct download
[233 KB, freeware]. - FIPS v2.0 16-bit for DOS/MS-DOS + Windows 3.x/9x/ME FAT32 dynamic nondestructive hard disk (re)partitioner
[158 KB, free GPL].
- GPT Fdisk v0.85 DOS/console/terminal command line tool for Windows Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012, FreeBSD, Linux + MacOS X creates,
modifies + repairs (using FixParts) GPT (GUID Partition Table)/hybrid GPT + MBR (Master Boot Record) hard disks, converts BSD/MBR (legacy up to 2 TB hard disks) to GPT without data loss, highly customizable (free GPL):GPT Fdisk
Tutorial.
Wikipedia: GPT. - Free FDISK.EXE
v1.3.1 16-bit [also part of FreeDOS] improved Microsoft FDISK.EXE replacement for DOS/MS-DOS + Windows 3.x/9x/ME partitions/resizes hard disks up to 180 GB, supports
Microsoft FDISK undocumented parameters, FAT32 and non-DOS partitions, extended command line for batch disk cloning, highly customizable:
Direct download [189 KB, free GPL].
Courtesy of Brian, author of Free FDISK. - XFDisk v0.9.3 Beta 16-bit for DOS/MS-DOS, Windows 3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003, Unix/Linux/FreeBSD + OS/2 partitions/resizes hard disks up to 1 TB, includes Boot Manager:
Direct download [41 KB, free GPL, English]. - GDISK.EXE 16-bit + GDISK32.EXE 32-bit improved Microsoft FDISK.EXE replacement for DOS/MS-DOS, Windows 3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003 +
Unix/Linux/FreeBSD creates/deletes, (un)hides and (un)formats hard disk partitions, supports FAT16, FAT32, NTFS + ext2:GDISK.EXE + GDISK32.EXE Switches.
- Super Fdisk v2.0 16-bit improved Microsoft
native DOS FDISK.EXE replacement for DOS/MS-DOS, Windows 3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003 + Unix/Linux/FreeBSD creates/deletes + (un)hides FAT16, FAT32, HPFS, NTFS, ext2 + ext3 hard disk partitions, formats FAT16 + FAT32 partitions, backs
up/restores MBR, partition table, boot sector, creates bootable floppy/CD, easy to use Graphical User Interface (GUI), highly customizable (freeware):
- Parted
Magic v2012_02_27 16-bit, 32-bit + 64-bit bootable Linux OS (Live CD/USB ISO image) OS independent for DOS/MS-DOS, Windows/WfWG 3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012, Mac OS + Unix/Linux/FreeBSD collection of internal/external
hard disk partitioning + formatting (GParted, gdisk, fdisk), scanning/repair, backup/restore (Clonezilla), file management, multi-boot, testing/benchmarking, CD/DVD burning etc tools, supports FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, HPFS, ext2, ext3 +
ext4 (E)IDE/(P)ATA/SATA/SAS/SCSI hard disk partitions, highly customizable:
Direct download [187 MB, ISO image, free GPL].
Parted Magic list of included programs. - GParted (Gnome Partition Editor) v0.14.0-1 16-bit
improved Microsoft native DOS FDISK.EXE replacement OS independent (Live CD/USB ISO image) for DOS/MS-DOS, Windows 3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012, Mac OS + Unix/Linux/FreeBSD creates, resizes, deletes + formats
FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, HPFS, ext2, ext3 + ext4 (E)IDE/(P)ATA/SATA/SAS/SCSI hard disk partitions, highly customizable:
Direct download [128 MB, ISO image,
free GPL].
GParted Documentation. - TestDisk v6.14 WIP 32-bit + 64-bit for DOS/MS-DOS, Windows
3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012, Unix/Linux/FreeBSD, BeOS + NetWare checks + undeletes deleted/lost hard disk partitions + boot sectors (free GPL):
- TestDisk for DOS + Windows 3.x/9x/ME [903 KB].
- TestDisk for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012
[3.33 MB].
- SwissKnife v3.22 32-bit for Windows 95B OSR 2.x/95C OSR 2.5/98/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 creates, deletes + formats fixed +
removable hard disk partitions up to 2 TB without data loss, supports FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS, supports (E)IDE, SCSI, USB, Parallel, PCMCIA, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) + SATA disk controllers, highly customizable:
Direct download [4.34 MB, freeware]. - PartitionGuru Free v3.4.5 32-bit for
Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 creates, deletes + formats fixed + removable hard disk partitions up to 2 TB, supports FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS, highly customizable:
Direct download [5.65 MB, crippled freeware]. - Partition Magic
v8.05 32-bit + 16-bit [discontinued!] hard disk partitioning + data management tool for DOS/MS-DOS, Windows 3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003, OS/2 + Unix/Linux/FreeBSD creates, deletes, copies, moves, resizes, copies, merges,
formats, converts, restores "on-the-fly" ANY hard disk partitions up to 196 GB without data loss, supports: FAT16 [Win3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003 + DOS], FAT32 [Win98/OSR2/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012], NTFS
[WinNT/newer], HPFS [OS/2] + ext2/ext3 [Linux], includes PQ Boot Manager, highly customizable [22.6 MB, retail demo!].
Need-to-know. - Partition Logic v0.69 16-bit DOS based OS independent hard disk partitioning + data management tool bootable CD-ROM ISO/floppy IMG
based on Visopsys OS creates, deletes, copies, moves, resizes, copies, merges, formats, converts ANY hard disk partitions without data loss, supports: FAT16 [Win3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003 + DOS], FAT32
[Win98/OSR2/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012], NTFS [WinNT/newer] + ext2 [Linux], highly customizable (free GPL):Partition Logic Manual.
- HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool
v4.40 for Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 low level hard disk partitioning tool, supports IDE, SATA, SCSI, SAS, USB + FireWire hard disk drives and Flash cards:
Direct download [759 KB, crippled freeware for personal use]. - Symantec (PowerQuest) Partition
Table + Boot Record Info + Editing tools 16 + 32 bit [discontinued!] (free):
- PartInfo (PARTINFO.EXE) 16-bit for MS-DOS 5/6 [117 KB].
- PartInfo (PARTIN9X.EXE) 32-bit for Windows 9x/ME [346 KB].
- PartInfo (PARTINNT.EXE) 32-bit for Windows NT/2000/XP [350 KB].
- PartEdit (PTEDIT.EXE) 16-bit for MS-DOS 5/6 [398 KB].
- PartEdit (PTEDIT32.EXE) 32-bit for Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP [174 KB].
Similar tools. - Partition Wizard Home Edition v7.8 32-bit for Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 hard disk partitioning +
data management tool creates, deletes, (un)hides, converts + formats hard disk partitions larger than 2 TB without data loss, supports FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS:
Direct download [14.4 MB, crippled freeware]. - AOMEI Partition Assistant (PA) Home Edition v5.1 32-bit for
Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 hard disk partitioning + data management tool creates, deletes, resizes, (un)hides, converts + formats hard disk partitions larger than 2 TB without data loss, supports FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS:
Direct download [3.4 MB, crippled freeware]. - EASEUS Partition Master Home
Edition v9.1.0 32-bit for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 hard disk partitioning + data management tool creates, deletes, moves, resizes, (un)hides + formats up to 2 TB (MBR) + 4 TB (GPT) hard disk partitions without data
loss, supports FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS:
Direct download, also here [11.9 MB, crippled freeware]. - EASEUS Data
Recovery Wizard Free Edition v5.0.1 32-bit for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 undeletes any type of deleted files from most fixed + removable disks:
Direct download [5.91 MB, crippled freeware]. - EASEUS Disk Copy v2.3 32-bit for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 creates exact mirror image (sector-by-sector backup copy) of hard disk/partition contents, Operating System + File
System independent:
Direct download [31.1 MB, CD-ROM ISO, freeware]. - BootPart v2.60 32-bit for
Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 adds extra/hidden OS/2 + Linux partitions to the Boot Menu by creating boot sector files in C:\ root which MUST be FAT16:
Direct download [26 KB,
freeware, English]. - Partition Saving v3.80 16-bit partition copy/save/restore tool for DOS + Linux, saves entire partitions as files provided
enough free space, supports FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, ext2 + ext3, highly customizable:
Direct download [1.34 MB, freeware, English]. - Partition Rescue v1.0 32-bit partition save/restore tool for Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003:
Direct
download [90 KB, freeware, right-click to save!]. - Microsoft DelPart 16-bit [part of Windows NT 3.1 Resource Kit (RK)] for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003
+ DOS deletes (hidden) NTFS drives/partitions/volumes:
Direct download [4 MB, free]. - FATWalker v0.3.1 32-bit for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 detects + displays file system low-level structure (hex), files, deleted files + all file attributes, supports FAT16,
FAT32 + exFAT:
Direct download [592 KB, freeware]. - NTFSWalker v0.1.1 32-bit for
Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 detects + displays file system low-level structure (hex), files, deleted files + all file attributes, supports NTFS:
Direct
download [588 KB, freeware]. - MBRWizard v2.0b 16-bit, 32-bit + 64-bit command line management tool for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 + MS-DOS 5/6/7/8
creates, saves, restores, fixes + deletes MBR/EMBR and hides/unhides, changes
type, sets bootable/active + deletes partitions (freeware for personal use):MBRWizard Reference Guide.
- MBRWork
v1.08 16-bit MBR/EMBR save/restore tool for MS-DOS 5/6/7/8 + Windows 3.1x/9x/ME:
Direct download [16 KB, freeware]. - MbrFix v1.3.0.0 32-bit + 64-bit MBR/EMBR create/backup/restore/repair DOS console command line tool for Windows 2000/newer, works with FAT16, FAT32, NTFS:
Direct download [135 KB, freeware].
More
info. - SRC Tools R5 16-bit
boot/MBR/FAT16/FAT32 save/restore tools for MS-DOS 5/6/7/8 + Windows 9x/ME [9 KB, freeware].
- EasyBCD v2.1 32-bit Boot Configuration Data (BCD) tweaking
tool for Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 creates, saves, restores, fixes, deletes + tweaks MBR/EMBR/BCD, enables multi-boot with Windows 3.1x/9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012, MS-DOS 5/6/7/8, Linux/FreeBSD, MacOS X, Solaris,
OS/2, highly customizable:
Direct download [1.37 MB, freeware only for private, non-commercial use].
EasyBCD Documentation. - See also "FREE Windows 9x/NTx Boot Tweakers" for more similar
tools.
- Kickass Undelete 32-bit FAT16/FAT32(X)/exFAT/NTFS file recovery GUI tool for Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012/10/2016:
File [200 KB, free, open source]. - Undelete Plus v2.94 32-bit for Windows
9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 recovers deleted files, supports hard, floppy + USB drives/partitions/volumes, FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS, highly customizable:
Direct download [1.1 MB, last freeware version!].
Undelete
Plus Online HTML Help. - Deleted File Analysis v2.5 32-bit for Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 lists all
deleted files not completely overwritten on all local hard drives/partitions/volumes [799 KB, freeware].
- FreeUndelete v2.0 32-bit for Windows
NT4 SP2/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 deleted files data recovery tool, supports FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS:
Direct download [720 KB, freeware]. - Recuva v1.37.488 32-bit for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 deleted files data recovery tool, supports FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS:
Direct download [3.59 MB, freeware]. - Fat32Format v1.05 32-bit FAT32 format DOS box/console
command line tool for Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012, supports PATA [(E)IDE/ATA/(U)DMA], SATA, eSATA, USB + Firewire hard disks up to 2 TB (if formatted with normal/default cluster size), and up to 3 TB (if formatted
with larger cluster size), highly customizable:
Direct download [23 KB, free GPL].
Fat32Format
stand alone Windows GUI interface v1.01 32-bit + 64-bit (free GPL): - DR FORMAT (FORMAT.EXE) v1.0 16-bit improved Microsoft FORMAT.COM replacement for MS-DOS 5/6/7/8 + Windows 3.1x/9x/ME creates/deletes,
(un)hides and (un)formats hard disk partitions, supports FAT12, FAT16 + FAT32, highly customizable:
Direct download
[64 KB, free, open source]. - FORMAT.EXE v0.91v 16-bit [also part of FreeDOS]
improved Microsoft FORMAT.COM replacement for MS-DOS 5/6/7/8 + Windows 3.1x/9x/ME [142 KB, free GPL].
- FORMAT.COM v0.91 16-bit
improved Microsoft FORMAT.COM replacement for MS-DOS 5/6 + Windows 3.1x/9x/ME [86 KB, free GPL].
- HDAT2 v4.8.1 16-bit for native DOS comprehensive test, diagnostics + repair tool for PATA [ATA(PI), (E)IDE, (U)DMA], SATA, SCSI, SAS, RAID + USB drives: can run from bootable
floppy/CD/DVD/USB, drive + file level testing etc, highly customizable:
Direct download [415 KB, freeware]. - DRVEXCH.COM v0.4.2 16-bit TSR for MS-DOS 5/6/7/8 + Windows/WfWG 3.1x/9x/ME reassigns/swaps drive/partition letters according to physical hard disk numbers [14 KB,
free GPL].
- Drive Rescue v1.9d 32-bit [discontinued!] for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 hard drive data recovery tool and disk editor, supports
FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS, highly customizable:
Direct download [985 KB, freeware].
Recovery Tips DOC
[100 KB, free]. - PC Inspector File Recovery v4.0 32-bit for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 data recovery tool supports FAT12/16/32 + NTFS,
finds FAT (not NTFS) partitions automatically even if boot sector or FAT erased/damaged, recovers files with original time/date stamp, supports saving recovered files on network drives, recovers files even if header entry not
available, includes Special Recovery Function for many file types, highly customizable:
Direct download [5.83 MB, freeware]. - Restoration v3.2.13 32-bit for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 restores deleted files even if removed from Recycle Bin, supports
FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, highly customizable [164 KB, freeware].
- HDCopy v2.104 16-bit DOS tool for Windows 9x/ME copies entire fixed drive/partition to
any other available FAT16/FAT32 formatted fixed drive/partition only if target drive equal to or larger than source drive:
Direct download [121 KB,
freeware]. - HDHacker v1.4 32-bit for Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 displays, saves + restores MBR (physical drive), Boot Sector (logical
drive/partition) + desired disk sector(s) (fixed + removable drives):
Direct download [36 KB, freeware]. - Ontrack Data Advisor v5.0 16-bit DOS hard disk low level FAT16/FAT32 (not NTFS) diagnostic and recovery tool for MS-DOS 5/6/7/8 +
Windows 3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003:
Direct download [1.9 MB, crippled freeware]. - Disk Investigator v1.2 32-bit for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 displays all hidden hard disk info by bypassing the OS:
true contents, raw sectors, directories, files, clusters + system sectors, undeletes previously deleted files, highly customizable:
Direct download [535 KB,
freeware]. - Stats 2000 v1.8 32-bit for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 displays detailed hard disk statistics in 3D graphical format, highly
customizable:
Direct download [772 KB, freeware]. - EyeDrives v3.4 32-bit for
Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 displays free, used + total disk space on all installed floppy, hard, CD/DVD, optical, removable, backup, network etc drives/partitions/volumes, memory and resource usage:
Direct download [1.12 MB, freeware]. - Drive Scanner v2.6 32-bit for Windows
9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 displays files + directories usage on all installed floppy, hard, CD/DVD, optical, removable, backup, network etc drives/partitions/volumes in a pie chart:
Direct download [162 KB, freeware].
Back 2 Contents
- Free(ware) WinDOwS Backup + Restore Tools:
Free(ware) WinDOwS Backup +
Restore Tools
| Storage Media + Data Backup/Restore, Cloning/Recovery + Format/Partition Tools [free(ware)]: |
- Backup + Cloning Software for Windows 9x/NTx distributed by HDD/SSD manufacturers [free(ware), may require specific brands/models of HDDs/SDDs!]:
- HDClone Free Edition 16-bit + 32-bit for Windows
3.x/9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012, MS-DOS 5/6/7/8 + Linux/Unix duplicates/clones entire drive contents to another (which must be of equal or larger capacity) at physical level, adjusts to smaller capacity drives if
enough free space on target drive, includes SmartCopy, HotCopy, LiveImage, AutoExpand + AutoReduce, supports virtual drives, works independent of existing OS(es), includes DOS console command line tool for unattended BATch
files, fits on floppy/CD/DVD/USB:
Direct download [19 MB, crippled freeware].
Requires (E)IDE (PATA)/SATA/SCSI/SAS/FireWire/USB Hard Disk
Controller + bootable floppy/CD/DVD/USB drive! - Create Synchronicity 32-bit for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 backup + synchronization tool,
supports multiple folder/subfolder selection, file inclusion/exclusion, synchronization, scheduling, multiple profiles, portable, dynamic destinations, comparison, multiple file systems, network (UNC) + relative paths, command
line, file size comparison, integrity check, on-the-fly GZip/BZip2 compression, multilanguage, highly customizable:
Direct download [279 KB, free GPL].
Requires Microsoft .Net Framework Redistributable (NFR) 2.0 (free)!
Create Synchronicity Online Help.
Create Synchronicity FAQ. - Clonezilla Live 32-bit (x86) + 64-bit (x64) operating system
independent bootable CD/DVD/USB GNU/Linux distro clones + then restores entire hard disk drives (HDDs) in minutes by saving/restoring only used blocks, supports most File Systems and Linux/BSD, Microsoft + Apple OSes, highly
customizable:
Direct download [107 MB, free GPL].
Clonezilla FAQ. - XXCLONE Freeware v2.06.5 32-bit [discontinued!] for Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 creates self-bootable clone of Windows OS disk, can restore self-bootability, supports (E)IDE/SATA/SAS/SCSI internal hard
disk drives, FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS:
Direct download [4.5 MB, crippled freeware for personal use only].
XXCLONE
Online Manual.
XXCLONE FAQ.
XXCLONE HTML Help (CHM) [1 MB]. - EaseUS Todo Backup Free 32-bit for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 backup + restore tool: Disk and Partition Image, Restore System to Dissimilar
Hardware, File and Folder Backup, Incremental/Differential Backup, Backup Management/Schedule, Mount + Unmount, Image Splitting + Compression, highly customizable:
Direct download [97 MB, crippled freeware]. - Paragon Backup & Recovery (Advanced) Free Edition 32-bit + 64-bit for
Windows 2000 SP4/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 backup + restore tool: cyclic, disk + differential backup, disk + shrink restore, bootable CD/DVD/USB recovery disk, Recovery Media Builder, Check Recovery Discs, partitioning tools, highly
customizable:
Direct download [99 MB, crippled freeware for non-commercial use only]. - SyncBack 32-bit for Windows 98 SE/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 backup + synchronization tool: backs up + restores disks, folders and/or files to same or
different/removable media, supports CD-R(W), DVD-R(W), CompactFlash, Zip archive, FTP server + Network, highly customizable:
Direct download [1.8 MB, crippled freeware].
SyncBack Help PDF
[695 KB]. - Backup4All v1.3.0 32-bit [discontinued!] for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 disk + file backup + restore tools:
Backup Wizard, Backup Scheduler, multiple file filter sets, incremental backups, multiple scheduled backups, customizable ZIP
compression levels, customizable restores also supported by standard unzipping tools, supports all local and mapped network drive letters, UNC paths and removable media, CD-R(W)/DVD-R(W) etc, highly customizable:
Direct download [2.08 MB, freeware]. - Cobian Backup 32-bit for Windows
9x/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 multi-threaded backup tool: backup scheduler, backup file sets, integrated ZIP compression, multilanguage support, password protection, supports all local and mapped network drive letters, UNC
paths, removable media and FTP, runs as app or service (Win2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 only), highly customizable (freeware):
- ImageMaker v1.1 32-bit for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 backs up/restores hard drives/partitions/volumes by creating disk images independent of file system/OS, target drive
must be equal to or larger than source drive, includes Disk Management Control Panel applet, highly customizable [485 KB, freeware].
- Replicator
32-bit for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 automatically/periodically backs up local/remote/network files, directories and/or drives/partitions/volumes, highly customizable:
Direct download [1.93 MB, freeware]. - DriveImage XML (DiX) Private Edition logical
drives + partitions image + backup tool for Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012: Backup, Browse, Restore + Copy functions, uses Microsoft Volume Shadow Services (VSS), supports FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 + NTFS:
Direct download [1.78 MB, crippled freeware]. - Enhanced Windows Backup (EWB)
v1.1 32-bit for Windows 2000/XP/2003 improved Windows Backup (NTBACKUP.EXE) tool: core backup, Volume Shadow Copy, Active Directory backup, Live Registry backup, multiple concurrent backups, scheduling + background backups,
highly customizable:
Direct download [1.15 MB, MUST register! freeware].
Registration form (enter serial number to receive activation code in e-mail!).
Requires (free):Microsoft Windows NT Backup/Restore Supplement for Windows Vista/2008 restores
backups created on Windows XP/2003 using NTBackup (NTBACKUP.EXE) [right-click to save!]:Windows XP Backup Made Easy.
MS Windows XP: Ntbackup. - HDD Raw Copy Tool v1.10 for Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 low level, sector-by-sector hard disk duplication and image creation tool, supports
IDE, SATA, SCSI, SAS, USB + FireWire HDDs, SSDs and Flash cards/sticks:
Direct download [770 KB, freeware]. - Seagate Windows 9x/ME Backup Tool (MSBACKUP.EXE) 32-bit from Windows 98/98 SE/ME Setup CD:
MSBACKUP.EXE [1.33 MB, free,
unsupported]. - Microsoft Old MS-DOS 6.xx Backup Tool (MSBACKUP.EXE) for Windows 9x/ME is included with MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22:
Direct download [558 KB, free].
More
info. - Eraser v6.0.8 for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/8.1/2012 + 16-bit for DOS safely and completely deletes sensitive data
by securely overwriting it with unrecoverable patterns:
Direct download [8.8 MB, free GPL].
Back 2 Contents
IMPORTANT:
Run DOS based partitioning/formatting tools ONLY from the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode OUTSIDE Windows GUI, NOT from a DOS box/session/window INSIDE Windows, even full
screen! - 3rd party disk partitioning tools with FAT32X support:FAT32/FAT32X partitions are NOT compatible with Microsoft DrvSpace/DblSpace compression scheme! The ONLY disk compression tool that recognizes (but does
NOT compress) FAT32/FAT32X partitions/disks is included on the Windows 98/98 SE(U)/ME setup CD-ROMs!
There is NO disk compression scheme/software able to compress/double FAT32/FAT32X partitions. - Microsoft FAT32 Evaluation Tool [part of Windows 98 Resource Kit (RK)] included on the Windows 98 setup CD-ROM [97 KB, free] works
also with Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x, 98 SP1, 98 SE(U) and ME. Shows all your drives/partitions specs, sizes and the disk space saved should you decide to convert existing FAT16 partition(s)/disk(s) to FAT32.
UPDATE:
"Thanks for the FAT32 analysis - very comprehensive and understandable. I have only one suggestion:
You might consider a mention of users with
Compressed Hard Drives who cannot use FAT32 and for whom Partition Magic is of little use. Of course, this applies to older
machines with their small hard drives, but I read that the average age of PCs in use is about 3 years with many machines well
past the 5 year mark. Many of these probably can't or don't run Win9x for various reasons, but for those that do, the
substitute to FAT32 is DriveSpace which comes with Microsoft Plus! for Win95 [the Desktop Themes and Pinball game are just
space wasting fluff to those with small hard drives]. As a result of using DriveSpace [on a 250 MB hard drive] the cluster
size on C: is 8,192 bytes and on H: [the C: Host drive] is 4,096 bytes. The other caveat: minimize cluster waste by deleting
unused files, zip several files together if appropriate and send files/programs off to portable drives if possible. If stuck
with a small hard drive, apply a "worthy to keep" test to every file that is added."
[Thank you Ojatex!]Below are
detailed ALL available FDISK parameters, including the UNDOCUMENTED + HIDDEN
ones:
Back 2 ContentsFDISK.EXE HIDDEN
PARAMETERSWARNINGS:- BACKUP ALL YOUR DATA TO A SAFE LOCATION FIRST!
- Use ALL FDISK.EXE command line
switches with CAUTION, ONLY from native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode, NOT from a Windows DOS box/session, even full screen!
- FDISK /FPRMT [Windows 95B OSR2 +
MS-DOS 7.10 and above ONLY]FDISK /FPRMT bypasses the FDISK startup screen, but enables interactive FAT16/FAT32 support. This can be used to force FDISK to create
FAT32 partitions smaller than 512 MB, normally not possible by default.
TIP:- Copy HELP.COM as FDISK.COM .
- Open FDISK.COM in a hex editor.
- Replace each
QBASIC.EXE instance with FDISK.EXE followed by 1 space.
- Replace /QHELP with /FPRMT .
From now on whenever you run
FDISK, it won't ask for large/FAT32 disk support anymore.
To use FDISK without parameters, just run FDISK.EXE.
[Thank
you os2fan2!] - FDISK x /PRI:n (/PRIO:n) /EXT:n /LOG:n (/LOGO:n) [MS-DOS 6.00
and above ONLY]FDISK x /PRI:n (or /PRIO:n) /EXT:n /LOG:n (or /LOGO:n) MUST be used together for proper
operation. Meaning:
- x = drive number: 1, 2, 3... etc. Drive 1 corresponds to the 1st hard disk
installed (C), drive 2 to second hard disk (D)... etc.
- /PRI:n = creates a primary partition of size n (in MegaBytes) and
makes it bootable (active).
- /PRIO:n = creates a primary partition of size n (in MegaBytes) and makes it bootable (active)
while overriding FAT16/FAT32.
- /EXT:n = creates an extended partition of size n (in MegaBytes) which holds logical
partition(s).
- /LOG:n = creates a logical drive in the extended partition of size n (in MegaBytes).
- /LOGO:n = creates a
logical drive in the extended partition of size n (in MegaBytes) while overriding FAT16/FAT32.
If using FAT16 maximum
size allowed is 2,047 MB (2 GigaBytes).
If using FAT32 maximum size allowed is 2,047 GB (2 TeraBytes).
NOTES:- Maximum partition size MUST be equal to or smaller than existing free disk
space.
- /EXT:n and /LOG:n (or /LOGO:n) partition sizes MUST be identical.
- Only one FDISK "LOG" is allowed per EACH
logical drive! Therefore on computers with more than one logical drive you MUST run a separate FDISK x /LOG:n (or /LOGO:n)
command for EACH installed drive.
- ONLY IF using Windows 95B OSR 2.0 + MS-DOS 7.10 or newer: /PRI:n and /LOG:n default to
FAT32 on partitions larger than 512 MB, or to FAT16 on partitions smaller than 512 MB. /PRIO:n and /LOGO:n default to FAT16
even on partitions larger than 512 MB, same as older MS-DOS 5.00/6.xx FDISK.
- ONLY Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x, 98, 98 SE(U),
2000, ME, XP and 2003 support FAT32.
- Use /LOGO:n instead of /LOG:n and/or /PRIO:n instead of /PRI:n to ignore FAT
information in case of disk access errors.
- FDISK /MBR [MS-DOS 6.00 and
above ONLY]FDISK /MBR recreates the boot sector of the first (bootable) hard disk overwriting it with a fresh
copy, by writing a new Master Boot Record (MBR) based on existent disk structure, without altering the partition table
information.
Can be used to repair a damaged/corrupted MBR (i.e. by a virus).FYI:WARNING:
Writing the master boot record to the hard disk in this manner can render certain hard disks
partitioned with SpeedStor unusable! It can also cause problems for some dual-boot programs (including Windows 95) or for
disks with more than 4 partitions!DEFINITION of MBR:
During the bootup sequence, at
the end of the ROM BIOS bootstrap routine, the BIOS will read and execute the first physical sector of the first available
floppy or hard drive on the system. This sector is called the Master Boot Record (MBR), or Master Boot Block (MBB), or
Partition Table.
A small program is stored at the beginning of this sector and the partition table is stored at the end of
this sector. This program uses the available partition information to determine which partition is bootable (usually the
first primary DOS/WIN partition) and attempts to boot from it.NOTES:- The largest partition MS-DOS beginning with release 5.00 and up to Windows 95a OSR1 versions of FDISK can
create/recognize is 2 GB (GigaBytes). The 2 GB partition limit has been overcome by Microsoft (FINALLY!), beginning with
Windows 95B OSR 2.0. Named the FAT32 file system, it supports partitions/drives up to 2 TB
(TeraBytes).
- Windows NT/newer have their own 32-bit protected file system called NTFS, INCOMPATIBLE with
FAT16 or FAT32!
WINDOWS 95 AND 95a OSR1 "MBR REFRESH" BUGThere is
a problem when installing a new hard drive on your system under Windows 95 [original retail] or 95a OSR1 [upgraded with
SP1].
If you upgraded from MS-DOS 5.00 (or earlier), your primary hard disk, formatted under your old version of MS-DOS,
contains the MBR (the Master Boot Record, also called the boot sector) written by the hard disk formatting utility (FDISK)
provided with MS-DOS. When you add another hard disk under Win95, you format and partition it with the Win95/OSR1 (MS-DOS
7.00) version of FDISK.
This means that each drive was formatted and partitioned under a different OS, but Windows
95/OSR1 WON'T RECOGNIZE YOUR DRIVE! There is nothing wrong, don't panic. :) It's "just" another glitch in the OS,
something Microsoft overlooked! :(
When a drive is formatted/partitioned under Win95/OSR1 the MBR tells the OS that the
drive is a Windows (WIN) drive. If your drive was formatted/partitioned under earlier versions of MS-DOS (3.0 - 6.22) the
drive is recognized as an MS-DOS (DOS) drive.
All you have to do is refresh the MBR by running FDISK (the Windows
95/95a OSR1 version) with the UNDOCUMENTED /MBR switch on the old drive, which repairs the boot sector by overwriting
it with a fresh copy:
FDISK /MBR
The boot record (MBR) will be refreshed without
reformatting the drive or losing any data!
I presumed your primary (old) hard disk has assigned the letter C (single
logical partition) and your new (secondary) hard disk is D (also with a single logical partition). Change drive letters if
different on your system and/or if you have more than 1 partition per each hard disk.
This can be done ONLY from
native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode AFTER you EXIT Win95/OSR1 GUI to MS-DOS or (re)BOOT with the "Command prompt only" option from the Startup Menu.
If the Win95 OS doesn't recognize the new drive, then you can ONLY do this after
rebooting into your old MS-DOS version, using the dual-boot feature implemented into Win95 OS. This means you MUST have kept
your old MS-DOS files (including FDISK) on your primary (old) hard disk.
You also need to have kept the old drive as
primary (master) and set the new one as secondary (slave).
Reboot when done. Your (newly installed) hard drive should be
recognized by the OS from now on.
Now you can change the new drive to "master" (primary boot drive) and setup the old one
as "slave", especially if the new one is faster.
Sounds pretty complicated, but you may have to do this some day, and it's
better than reformatting the entire drive, and losing precious data.
There is still another way to refresh/fix the MBR:
run the Windows Scandisk tool (Scandskw.exe, located in your main Windows folder) on ALL
hard drives on your system. It will automatically refresh the MBR (as needed) if it is damaged.
See also "USE WINME DEFRAG + SCANDSKW WITH WIN95/98".A MUST:
Install Microsoft Windows 95/95a OSR1 LBA and INT13 IDE Hard Disk Data
Loss DISKTSD.VXD Fix:
DSKTSUPD.EXE [147 KB,
English].NOTE:
The "MBR BUG" does NOT affect Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x, 98/98 SE(U) or ME.FYI:
Partition Magic overcomes the above Windows 95/OSR1 limitation, and makes ANY hard drive compatible with ANY Microsoft operating system and ANY FAT system
(and much more). IMHO it's worth every penny, it saved my "computing life" more than once! :)
Supports Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x/98/98 SE(U)/ME FAT32/FAT32X and NT/newer NTFS file system
standards. - FDISK /Q [MS-DOS 6.00 and above ONLY]FDISK /Q prevents rebooting the computer automatically after altering the partition information by
using FDISK with other parameters.
- FDISK /STATUS [MS-DOS 5.00 and above ONLY]FDISK
/STATUS displays a screen similar to using FDISK's option 4: "Partition information", but shows also extended partition
information (if any).
- FDISK /X [Windows 95 + MS-DOS 7.00 and above
ONLY]FDISK /X limits disk access to a total of 8.4 GB even on larger physical drives, even if the BIOS supports
INT13h extensions for hard disks over 8.4 GB, thus preventing the use of 0E and 0F partition types, by ignoring LBA (Logical
Block Addressing) and extended disk information.
This makes possible disk partitioning on computers with older BIOSes
without support for hard disks larger than 8.4 GB.
Use /X to start FDISK if you receive disk access, stack overflow and/or
data corruption error messages. - FDISK /ACTOK [Windows 95B OSR 2.0 + MS-DOS
7.10 and above ONLY]FDISK /ACTOK (ACT OK = act as if disk is OK) allows to set an active partition on any hard
disk (if present) other than hard disk 0 (default = 128).
[Thank you JW Rebel!] - FDISK /CMBR x [Windows 95B OSR 2.0 + MS-DOS 7.10 and above
ONLY]FDISK /CMBR x MUST be used together for proper operation. Recreates the boot sector of the second, third... etc hard disk(s) (if any) overwriting it
(them) with a fresh copy, by writing a new Master Boot Record (MBR) based on existent disk structure, without altering the
partition table information. Valid values for x:
- 1 = first (bootable) physical hard disk (same as
using FDISK /MBR):
FDISK /CMBR 1 - 2 = second (not bootable) physical hard disk (if
any):
FDISK /CMBR 2 - 3 = third (not bootable) physical hard disk (if any):
FDISK /CMBR 3 - ... etc.
Can be used to repair a damaged/corrupted MBR (i.e. by a virus). - FDISK /PRMT [MS-DOS 6.00
ONLY]FDISK /PRMT adds extra prompt ["nagging" :)] screens which require user input (key press) before proceeding
further.
Back 2 ContentsFORMAT.COM HIDDEN PARAMETERSFORMAT.COM is an external MS-DOS command,
located by default in %winbootdir%\COMMAND (default is C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND) [Windows 95/98/ME, a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00]
or in the MS-DOS 6.xx directory (default is C:\DOS or C:\MSDOS) [MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22].
IMPORTANT:
To become
familiar with the FORMAT.COM command line switches (the documented ones anyway), run one of these commands from
any DOS prompt:
FORMAT /?
or:
HELP FORMAT
to display the
FORMAT.COM help screen.
NOTE:
FORMAT drive: /Q (documented switch) performs a QUICK format
ONLY IF respective drive/partition is already formatted.- FORMAT /AUTOTEST
[MS-DOS 5.00 and above ONLY]FORMAT /AUTOTEST checks for the existing format of your disk, unless the /U (UNCONDITIONAL) parameter is also used, and then proceeds with an UNATTENDED
DISK(ETTE) FORMAT:
- DOES NOT prompt for a volume label!
- DOES NOT prompt to format another disk(ette)!
- NO delay: NO user intervention!
- Ends WITHOUT pausing!
After completion, it DOES
display disk space statistics, ONLY IF using MS-DOS 5.00/6.xx.
WARNING:
This works on ALL hard, flash, floppy + hybrid disk
drives! - FORMAT drive: /BACKUP [MS-DOS 5.00 and above ONLY]FORMAT drive: /BACKUP works exactly like /AUTOTEST, applies ONLY to floppy diskettes,
but it DOES prompt the user for a volume label, and it DOES display disk space information upon completion.
- FORMAT drive: /SELECT [MS-DOS 5.00 and above
ONLY]FORMAT drive: /SELECT is similar to using the MIRROR command [a MS-DOS 5.00 and earlier ONLY utility, removed from all MS-DOS releases beginning with 6.00], and reads the disk(ette) system area (sector
0).
In MS-DOS 4.0 FORMAT /SELECT has the same effect as FORMAT /BACKUP.
[Thank you William!] - FORMAT drive: /U [MS-DOS 5.00 and above
ONLY]FORMAT drive: /U performs an UNCONDITIONAL format, which DESTROYS every byte of data on ANY writable hard disk/floppy/tape/optical/USB/SSD by overwriting it with zeroes (hex
F6h).
WARNING:
ANY disk(ette) formatted using /U canNOT be UNFORMATTED using the MS-DOS 5.00 - 6.22 UNFORMAT (UNFORMAT.COM) FAT16 drive/partition restore command installed in C:\DOS or C:\MSDOS
(default location)!
Microsoft removed UNFORMAT.EXE from MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00 [a.k.a. Windows 95/98/ME]. - FORMAT drive: /SELECT /U [MS-DOS 5.00 and above
ONLY]FORMAT drive: /SELECT /U makes a disk(ette) UNREADABLE by filling the system area (sector 0) with
zeroes (hex F6h), due to using these two incompatible options together. All other sectors are left intact.
[Thank you
William!]
WARNING:
NEVER use these two FORMAT switches TOGETHER on ANY drive! - FORMAT drive: /Z:n [Windows 95B OSR 2.0 + MS-DOS 7.10 and above
ONLY]FORMAT drive: /Z:n formats a FAT32 drive with a cluster size of n times (multiple of) 512
Bytes.
Meaning:
drive: = your hard drive letter: C:, D:, E:... etc.
n = number of sectors per cluster multiplied by
512 (cluster size in Bytes).
n = 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64.
Examples:
n = 1 creates a 512 Bytes cluster;
n = 2
creates a 1024 Bytes (1 KB) cluster;
n = ? creates a ? x 512 = ???? Bytes (???? Bytes : 1024 = ? KB) cluster.
You can
modify the size of the allocation units (sectors) on a FAT32 drive to your heart desire.
The /Z:n parameter canNOT be used
with floppy/removable drives.
WARNING:
It is NOT recommended to change default cluster size
because certain programs such as disk-repair/anti-virus tools may STOP working
properly! Back 2 ContentsHIMEM.SYS HIDDEN
PARAMETERSHIMEM.SYS is the Microsoft high/upper/extended memory manager, located by
default in C:\WINDOWS [Windows 95/98/ME, a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00], C:\DOS or C:\MSDOS [MS-DOS 5.00/6.xx].
Windows
(ANY release) canNOT start without HIMEM.SYS loaded!
HIMEM.SYS can be loaded ONLY in CONFIG.SYS using the DEVICE
command. Example:
DEVICE=drive:\path\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF /Q
HIMEM.SYS's DEVICE line MUST
appear in CONFIG.SYS before ANY other device drivers loaded with DEVICE, DEVICEHIGH, INSTALL or INSTALLHIGH, including
EMM386.EXE.
HIMEM.SYS provides access to the High Memory Area (HMA), Upper Memory Area (UMA) and coordinates the use of
the computer's extended memory, so that no two programs or device drivers use the same memory area at the same time.
IMPORTANT:
To become familiar with the HIMEM.SYS command line switches (the documented ones anyway):- Windows 95/98/ME users: use Notepad to read the "HIMEM.SYS" topic in MSDOSDRV.TXT, a text file
located in your Windows folder.
- MS-DOS 6.xx users: run this command from any DOS prompt:
HELP
HIMEM.SYS
and read the topic. - See also the HIMEM.SYS related topics in MEMORY.TXT + EMM386.TXT, both part
of my ©Tricks + Secrets files.
DEVICE=drive:\path\HIMEM.SYS /Q [MS-DOS 6.00 and above ONLY]HIMEM.SYS /Q (QUIET) disables the
display of HIMEM.SYS loading status during bootup. Only error messages will be shown, IF the Logo=0 line exists in
MSDOS.SYS, under the [Options] section, valid ONLY for Windows 95/98/ME OS.
This switch is valid ONLY for HIMEM.SYS
versions 3.10 [MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22] up to 3.95 [Windows 95/98/ME, a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00].
Example:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /QFYI:
Get newest HIMEM.SYS 3.95 + EMM386.EXE 4.95 16-bit DOS mode memory managers.
See
MEMORY.TXT, EMM386.TXT + REGIONS.TXT (part of W95-11D.EXE and W31-11D.ZIP) for comprehensive memory management
guidelines. Back 2 ContentsMEM.EXE HIDDEN
PARAMETERSMEM.EXE is an external MS-DOS command, located by default in %winbootdir%\COMMAND (default is C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND) [Windows 95/98/ME, a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00] or in the MS-DOS
6.xx directory (default is C:\DOS or C:\MSDOS) [MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22].
IMPORTANT:
To become familiar with the MEM.EXE command line switches (the documented ones anyway), run one of these commands
from any DOS prompt:
MEM /?
or:
HELP MEM
to display the MEM.EXE help screen.
More details:MEM /A [MS-DOS 6.00 and above ONLY]MEM /A (ALL) displays a short summary screen of your memory configuration and
also the status of the HMA.
HMA (High Memory Area) is a little known 64 KB area just above the first MegaByte (1 MB = 1,024 KB = 1,048,576 Bytes) of RAM as mapped by Microsoft HIMEM.SYS memory manager or
another 3rd party upper/extended/expanded memory manager, like Quarterdeck QEMM386, Helix NetRoom RM386, Qualitas 386MAX, Lineo DR-DOS EMM386 etc.
Part of the DOS resident module and DOS BUFFERS usually load into the HMA,
ONLY IF this memory region is free at bootup.
Example of MEM /A output display (only the HMA info shown here):Available space in High Memory Area 1K (944 bytes)
MS-DOS
is resident in the high memory area. To display ALL available memory configuration at a DOS
prompt, run:
MEM /A /C /P
or if you prefer technical details (conventional/upper memory regions
map and exact hex addresses where all loaded devices/drivers/TSRs reside), run:
MEM /D /P
NOTE:
High DOS is enabled by this CONFIG.SYS line (the "HIGH" switch):
DOS=HIGH,UMB Back 2 ContentsVER HIDDEN PARAMETERSVER is an internal
MS-DOS command, built into COMMAND.COM. An actual file does not exist.
IMPORTANT:
To become
familiar with the VER command line switch (the documented one anyway), run one of these commands from any DOS
prompt:
VER /?
or:
HELP VER
valid for all MS-DOS 6.xx and Windows
95/98/ME users.VER /R [MS-DOS 5.00 and above ONLY]VER /R (REVISION) displays extended
DOS info: the DOS revision and the memory location of the DOS module, in addition to using the plain VER command.
Example
of screen output for plain VER command (using Win98 SE + MS-DOS 7.10):Windows 98 [Version
4.10.2222] Example of screen output for VER /R command (using Win98 SE + MS-DOS 7.10):Windows 98 [Version 4.10.2222]
Revision A
DOS is in
HMA Back 2 ContentsWIN.COM HIDDEN
PARAMETERSWIN.COM is the Windows GUI (Graphical User Interface) command line executable
located in %winbootdir% (default is C:\WINDOWS).
IMPORTANT:
To become familiar with the
WIN.COM command line parameters (the documented ones anyway):FYI:
Microsoft removed ALL
undocumented WIN.COM switches detailed below from Windows Millennium Edition (ME)!- WIN /MQ [Windows 95B OSR 2.1 and above ONLY]WIN /MQ automatically
restarts the computer (soft reboot), without prompting or waiting for input (key press). This is similar to Quarterdeck
QEMM's QuickBoot, which calls INT19h to reboot almost instantaneously (VERY FAST!) without performing any BIOS/CMOS
hardware or OS/software checking.
CAUTION:
This fast reboot routine may generate error messages
and/or lockups!
This switch works ONLY IF executed from the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode OUTSIDE the Windows 95/98 GUI,
NOT from WITHIN Windows in a DOS box/session.
This DOS secret suggested by phish. - WIN /W [Windows 95 and above ONLY]WIN /W generates this
message:
Press any key to continue...
Pressing a key reboots back to Windows 95
(98). waiting for user input (key press), and then restarts the computer (warm reboot), restoring the original CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT
files in the root directory of the boot drive from CONFIG.WOS and AUTOEXEC.WOS (if any). This is useful when the computer is
restarted after interrupting a "single" mode MS-DOS session, because of this CONFIG.SYS line:
DOS=SINGLE
which does NOT allow Windows 95/98 GUI to load.
This switch works ONLY IF executed from
the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode OUTSIDE the Windows 95/98 GUI, NOT from WITHIN Windows in a DOS box/session.
NOTES:- The .WOS files are created when you run a DOS based program that requires a separate
MS-DOS reboot setup (in "single" mode), and you have selected the "Specify a new MS-DOS configuration" check box in
the PIF file Properties tab.
- For more details see "MS-DOS PROMPT", also in
MYTIPS95.TXT (part of W95-11D.EXE).
- WIN /WX [Windows
95 and above ONLY]WIN /WX automatically restarts the computer (warm reboot), without prompting or waiting for
input (key press), and restores the original CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files in the root directory of the boot drive from
CONFIG.WOS and AUTOEXEC.WOS (if any). This is useful when the computer is restarted after interrupting a "single" mode MS-DOS
session, because of this CONFIG.SYS line:
DOS=SINGLE
which does NOT allow Windows 95/98 GUI to
load.
This switch works ONLY IF executed from the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode OUTSIDE the Windows 95/98 GUI, NOT from
WITHIN Windows in a DOS box/session.
NOTES:- The .WOS files are created
when you run a DOS based program that requires a separate MS-DOS reboot setup (in "single" mode), and you have selected the
"Specify a new MS-DOS configuration" check box in the PIF file Properties tab.
- For more details see "MS-DOS PROMPT", also in MYTIPS95.TXT (part of W95-11D.EXE).
- WIN /Z [Windows 95B OSR 2.1 and above ONLY]WIN /Z
automatically forces the ATX power supply to (soft-)power off the computer ONLY on ATX motherboards, without prompting or
waiting for input (key press).
This switch works ONLY IF executed from the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode OUTSIDE the
Windows GUI, NOT from WITHIN Windows in a DOS prompt/box/session.
This DOS secret suggested by Shaminda. - WIN : [Windows 3.xx + WfWG 3.1x ONLY]WIN : starts Windows 3.xx or
Windows for WorkGroups 3.1x WITHOUT displaying the startup logo (RLE encoded, 16 colors).
This switch works ONLY IF
executed from the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode OUTSIDE the Windows/WfWG GUI, NOT from WITHIN Windows/WfWG in a DOS
prompt/box/session.
CAUTION:
This switch may cause sudden lockups with some older video
controllers!
NOTE:
To learn about another (SAFE) method of starting Windows/WfWG 3.1x without a logo, see NEWLOGO.TXT (part of W31-11D.ZIP). Back 2 Contents
|
