Can't find msdos.sys

[Guest Chris Bondy]

I'm trying to locate the msdos.sys file. I currently have windows selected

to show hidden files and folders under the "tools" option so why can't I find

it? I'm using Windows XP Home

[Guest David B.]

Re: Can't find msdos.sys

 

Probably because that is not part of an XP installation, it is part of

Windows ME/ Windows 98 and below.

 

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"Chris Bondy" <ChrisBondy@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:B07F9737-FC34-4788-8E45-842CE00295B4@microsoft.com...

> I'm trying to locate the msdos.sys file. I currently have windows

> selected

> to show hidden files and folders under the "tools" option so why can't I

> find

> it? I'm using Windows XP Home

[Guest David B.]

Re: Can't find msdos.sys

 

Although I've noticed it on a few machines, maybe my 1st reply was

incorrect? You need to unhide protected operating system files as well to

see it.

 

--

 

----

Crosspost, do not multipost http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

How to ask a question http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

 

 

 

"Chris Bondy" <ChrisBondy@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:B07F9737-FC34-4788-8E45-842CE00295B4@microsoft.com...

> I'm trying to locate the msdos.sys file. I currently have windows

> selected

> to show hidden files and folders under the "tools" option so why can't I

> find

> it? I'm using Windows XP Home

[Guest Ian D]

Re: Can't find msdos.sys

 

 

"Chris Bondy" <ChrisBondy@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:B07F9737-FC34-4788-8E45-842CE00295B4@microsoft.com...

> I'm trying to locate the msdos.sys file. I currently have windows

> selected

> to show hidden files and folders under the "tools" option so why can't I

> find

> it? I'm using Windows XP Home

 

It's in the XP boot partition root directory, but it's a zero byte file,

along

with autoexec.bat, config.sys, and io.sys for compatibility purposes.

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: Can't find msdos.sys

 

On Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:34:00 -0700, Chris Bondy

<ChrisBondy@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> I'm trying to locate the msdos.sys file. I currently have windows selected

> to show hidden files and folders under the "tools" option so why can't I find

> it? I'm using Windows XP Home

 

 

 

You also have to uncheck "Hide protected operating system files."

 

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Guest VanguardLH]

Re: Can't find msdos.sys

 

David B. wrote:

> Although I've noticed it on a few machines, maybe my 1st reply was

> incorrect? You need to unhide protected operating system files as well to

> see it.

 

If present, it is a 0 (zero) byte sized file (i.e., empty). The MS-DOS

version cannot be used under an NT-based version of Windows since

programs are not allowed direct access to hardware. It only exists for

compatibility should some old DOS-based program try to see if it exists

and to add or read config values from it. Unlike in MS-DOS where

msdos.sys was a binary file (to load the kernel), it is a text file

under 9x/ME versions of Windows. Read:

 

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article07-021

 

So it is possible for this file to contain entries that old DOS-based

programs put in there during their installation under Windows XP. If it

is empty, you haven't installed any old DOS-based programs that updated

this file. Besides, you'll probably have better luck running such an

old DOS-based program in a virtual machine where MS-DOS was installed,

like VMware Server, Virtual PC, or DOSbox (all free), rather than hope

compatibility mode gets it working under an NT-based version of Windows.