Article ID: 92603
Article Last Modified on 9/25/1999
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.1
This article was previously published under Q92603
SUMMARY
A "clean boot" (starting your computer after all unnecessary commands have been removed from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files) is used as a basic troubleshooting step to test possible conflicts between Windows for Workgroups 3.1 and various terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs and device drivers. There are different types of clean boots; the correct one to use depends on whether or not Windows for Workgroups has been installed.
NOTE: This article explains how to clean boot your system up to the point when you start Windows. To start Windows without loading any third-party programs, you must clear the StartUp group, clear the LOAD= and RUN= entries in the WIN.INI file, and ensure the SHELL= entry in the SYSTEM.INI file is loading PROGMAN.EXE. Also, make sure the SYSTEM.INI file does not include third-party virtual device drivers (VxDs) or other third-party Windows components.
MORE INFORMATION
Before Clean Booting
Create a bootable floppy disk that contains the MS-DOS system files and any other files that are required to make the system operational, such as disk-compression utilities (for example, Stacker), disk- partitioning drivers (for example, Disk Manager), and other third-party device drivers.
To Clean Boot Before Running Windows for Workgroups Setup
If you are not using any disk-compression software, disk-partitioning software, or other third-party drivers necessary to boot the computer, the machine can be booted on a floppy disk that contains only the MS-DOS system files, without a CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
If there is disk-partitioning, disk-compression, or other third-party software required to boot the computer, the startup files on the disk created above should appear as follows:
CONFIG.SYS AUTOEXEC.BAT
----------------------------------------------------
FILES=45 PROMPT $P$G
BUFFERS=20
<Third-party disk-partitioning driver >
<Third-party disk-compression driver>
<Other required third-party driver>
After Windows for Workgroups 3.1 is installed with Novell NetWare as a second network, a clean boot should appear as follows:
CONFIG.SYS AUTOEXEC.BAT
----------------------------------------------------------
FILES=45 <valid path>NET START
BUFFERS=20 <valid path>MSIPX
DEVICE=C:\<Windows 3.1 directory>\HIMEM.SYS <valid path>NETX
<Third-party disk-partitioning driver> PROMPT $P$G
<Third-party disk-compression driver> PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS;C:\
<Other required third-party drivers> SET TEMP=C:\<valid path>
DEVICE=<valid path>\PROTMAN.DOS /I:<directory
where PROTOCOL.INI is located>
DEVICE=<MAC DRIVER>.DOS
DEVICE=<valid path>MSIPX.SYS
DEVICE=<valid path>WORKGRP.SYS
SHELL=C:\<valid path>\COMMAND.COM /E:1024 /P
LASTDRIVE=P
STACKS=9,256
Exceptions
The following are examples of drivers that should NOT be removed; these drivers are used when the computer is turned on to make the hard drive accessible. This is not a complete list, but it does include most of the commonly used drivers:
Hard Disk Drivers: SQY55.SYS, SSTBIO.SYS, SSTDRIVE.SYS,
AH1544.SYS, ILIM386.SYS, ASPI4DOS.SYS,
SCSIHA.SYS, SCSIDSK.EXE, SKYDRVI.SYS,
ATDOSXL.SYS, NONSTD.SYS
Disk-Partitioning Drivers: DMDRVR.BIN, SSTOR.SYS, HARDRIVE.SYS,
EDVR.SYS, FIXT_DRV.SYS, LDRIVE.SYS,
ENHDISK.SYS
Disk-Compression Utilities: STACKER.COM, SSWAP.COM, SSTOR.EXE,
DEVSWAP.COM
If the purpose of a device driver or program is unknown, do NOT remove it. Most device drivers and programs display a message describing the purpose when they are initialized.
A clean boot does NOT include the following:
- DOS=HIGH,UMB
- EMM386.EXE
- INSTALL=SHARE.EXE
- INSTALL=FASTOPEN.EXE
- Third-party memory managers
- RAM disk devices
- JOIN, GRAPHICS, PRINT, SUBST, APPEND
- MODE for printer redirection
- Multiple path statements
- MS-DOS-level mouse drivers
- Third-party disk caches
- Various third-party TSRs
- LOGIMENU, CLICK
- Virus checkers
- Drivers for scanners/fax
- Drivers for CD-ROM/network
- Tape backup spoolers/redirectors/buffers
- Data acquisition units
- Keyboard accelerators/buffers
REFERENCES
More information on clean booting can be found on pages 130-131 of the "Getting Started with Microsoft Windows for Workgroups" version 3.1 manual, on pages 165-167 of the "Microsoft Windows for Workgroups User's Guide" version 3.1, and on chapter 14, page 5 of the "Microsoft Windows For Workgroups Resource Kit" version 3.1.
For information on clean booting Windows 3.0, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
clean and boot and windows and 3.0
Additional query words: tshoot 1.0 1.00 3.00 3.10 lan manager lanman clean-boot novell print.com ramdrive.sys join.exe print.exe mode.com graphics.com subst.exe cleanboot
Keywords: KB92603
