What Is a Clean Boot for Windows 3.0?

• Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.0, 3.0a

SUMMARY

A "clean boot" is used for testing purposes and may reveal possible conflicts between Windows and terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs or device drivers. There are different types of clean boot configurations listed below, depending on the MS-DOS version being used, and whether Windows 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

To make changes to the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files, use a text editor such as the Notepad application packaged with Windows.

If you have used third-party software to partition the hard drive (for example, using Disk Manager) or to compress the hard drive (for example, using Stacker), make sure that the appropriate device driver is installed in the CONFIG.SYS file. Also, make sure that any necessary hardware (for example, a hard card) device drivers are in the CONFIG.SYS file.

Be sure to create backups of the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files before making any changes.

ALWAYS make sure that a system disk is available before making any changes to the CONFIG.SYS file. Refer to your MS-DOS manual for instructions on making a system disk.

Pre-Installation

CONFIG.SYS                      AUTOEXEC.BAT
----------                      ------------

BUFFERS=20                      PROMPT $P$G

MS-DOS Versions Earlier Than 5.0

CONFIG.SYS                      AUTOEXEC.BAT
----------                      ------------

DEVICE=C:\HIMEM.SYS             PROMPT $P$G
FILES=60                        PATH C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS;C:\
BUFFERS=20                      SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP

MS-DOS 5.0

CONFIG.SYS                      AUTOEXEC.BAT
----------                      ------------

DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE        PROMPT $P$G
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS         PATH C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS;C:\
FILES=60                        SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP

If the purpose of a device driver or command is unknown, DO NOT remove it. Most device drivers and commands will display a message describing their purpose when they are initialized.

A clean boot DOES NOT include:

• 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