Windows ME MS-DOS help

[bradgrupe]

Does anyone know how to get an msdos command prompt on windows me directly from start-up. I made a system.ini change and I need to get to a command prompt to enable the rest of my stuff to load. Using the cntrl key doesn't get m that option.

[(jj)]

If you have a boot disk (floppy) for the ME machine, that will allow you to go directly to the command prompt.

[bradgrupe]

Thanks-
I ended up having to use the recovery CD and was able to get into it that way. It wasn't nearly as easy as when I did this with Win 98.

[mrmagill]

Originally posted by bradgrupe
Does anyone know how to get an msdos command prompt on windows me directly from start-up. I made a system.ini change and I need to get to a command prompt to enable the rest of my stuff to load. Using the cntrl key doesn't get m that option.

For what is worth - here's an extra trick to know:

One handy way is to keep a specially configured floppy around for the purpose. Remove the attributes from MSDOS.SYS and load it into a simple text editor, such as EDIT. You'll see (among others) these lines:

[Options]
BootMulti=1
BootGUI=1

and so on. Change BootGUI=0 instead of 1 and save the new file. Shazaam! No more Windows auto-boot. (Issue the command WIN and press ENTER to start it when you're ready - It'll be a little slower starting that way, but will come up just fine)

MSDOS.SYS lives in C:\ directory, and has AHSR attributes, which you'd remove with a:

ATTRIB MSDOS.SYS -r -s -h

that removes the Read only, System File, and Hidden File flags.

When you're all done fixing up your custom CD, put'em back with

ATTRIB MSDOS.SYS +r +s +h

DISCLAIMER:
NOTE: Do not change any other part of MSDOS.SYS. It is a critical system file. NEVER CHANGE THE COPY ON YOUR C:\ DRIVE UNTIL YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU WANT TO DO IT AFTER EXPERIMENTING WITH A FLOPPY for a while.