|
|
|
DOS
Tips
Why Do You Need DOS
The Windows DOS Prompt is the scariest imaginable thing to a GUI ( Graphical User Interface ) nutso. It is black, ugly and cyptic. But any advance Windows user will tell you that without DOS, you will lose a lot of stuff. Most games still runs under DOS - nearly all 3D first-person shooting game like Quake and DUke Nukem is designed for DOS so that Windows 3.1 users can also enjoy them. So you can't avoid DOS.
Accessing DOS
Actually, you can access DOS in three ways, the "Command Prompt Only" option in the F8 startup menu, open the Start Menu and go to Programs | DOS Prompt, or shut-down and select the "Restart In MS-DOS Mode". Let us briefly explain the difference between the 3 of them.
The Command Prompt option on the F8 startup menu usually is used if Windows is faulty and you need to install some drivers. Most of the time, you will find that your CD-ROM or sound card isn't detected because of your Config.sys and Autoexec.bat. The DOS Prompt under Windows is the "Dos in a box" mode. where it is actually DOS in Windows. Usually this mode will eat up more conventional memory because you are still under Windows. The "Restart In MS-DOS Mode" is recommended mode you should - it is a true DOS Mode, it takes up less conventional memory and most of your sound cards and CD-ROM drivers has been successfully loaded and detected.
Importance Of DOS
There are still some things that Windows can't do compared to DOS. The Windows Disk-copy and disk format are toys compared to the original DOS ones. And windows can't do multiple renaming which DOS can ( tip included later in this section ). And DOS batch files can be quite powerful, useful and easy to learn for automated tasks. But the most important one is - you will need to restore Windows in case Windows crashes.
Copyright (C)
1998-1999 The Active Network. All rights reserved.
Please click here for
full terms of use and restrictions.
