Io.sys & Msdos.sys
These 2 files are very important to your computer. It should be in your root directory or the boot-up drive. Without these 2 files, you will not be able to boot your PC! These files can also be found in your boot disk. It generally should be under the attributes of SHR (System, Hidden & Read-Only). What this means is that if you type dir at dos prompt, you will not see these 2 files. In windows, you need to select the "view all files" option. Please try to avoid messing with these files!
Config.sys & Autoexec.bat
After your computer is started, your PC will look for a few files. The config.sys and
the autoexec.bat contains information about device drivers. These 2 files will tell
your computer what to do, and which drivers to load. The file config.sys always
will be loaded first. CD-ROM drivers, sound card drivers, virus scanners are just
a few things that can be loaded automaticly every time you start your computer. The
more drivers you have, no longer it takes for your computer to boot and the more
memory it takes. Memory will be discussed in another section.
You will sometimes have different extensions for these files, like *.bak, *.umb, *.dos, *.000 and others. There will always be a pair of files that will be loaded. It is usually the autoexec.bat and the config.sys although it is NOT always the case. Experienced users might want to edit these files to improve their PC's performance, increase available memory and so on. If you do not know, or are not sure what you are doing, try not to change the file.
A handy tip: Make a backup copy of all the files you want to edit & then you can try to edit the files. This way, if anything goes wrong, replace the files you have edited with your backup copies! This will save a lot of trouble.
Command.com
The command.com comes in 2 sizes, 91.6 KB for Windows95 and 53.3 for Dos. This file
should not be edited at all because a byte more or less might corrupt the file, thus
making it unusable! This file can be found in your root, dos or windows directory.
There might be more than 1 copy on your hard disk. All the "basic" command you type
at dos prompt comes from this file.
Simple commands like "dir", "del" are executed from the command.com file. More complex commands like "memmaker", "scandisk" and so on have seperate EXE files. It is always a good idea to not mess with this file.
Win.ini & System.ini
These two files should be in your windows directory. When your Windows is launched,
Windows will look for a whole bunch of files, but mainly the win.ini & system.ini
files. These 2 files will instruct Windows to look for other files, drivers, etc.
which is associated with your windows application. Sizes of these 2 files vary, and
differs from each computer to another.
The more devices your PC needs the longer it will take for Windows to load. It is a good idea not to delete files especially from your Windows/System/ directory. This is because if the line in your win.ini or system.ini file refers to a non-existing file, an error message would come up each time you start your windows. If you wish to remove any application, use the uninstall program. Don't go deleting any files in your Windows or Windows/System directory, especially hidden files!
Win386.swp
This is a temporary swap file in your Windows directory it is suppose to be a very
large file but it is usually temporary only. Sizes might change each time you load
your Windows. Swap file would increase your Windows performance at the expense of
your hard disk space. It will sort of converts your hard disk space to RAM
temporarily. The larger the file the better windows performance you have!
I strongly recommend you let Windows manage this swap file or "Virual Memory". It is usually the default option. Experianced people can change the settings at Control Panel - System - Performance - Virtual Memory.
Drvspace.000
This file is only on PCs that have compressed their hard disk using DriveSpace 3.
If you have not compressed your hard disk, don't read this section as it is of no
use to you. Compressing hard disk has a lot of Pros and Cons. It will be
discussed in another section.
This extremely HUGE file will be located in your uncompressed hard disk. Everything in your compressed hard disk will be stored in this file. Do not delete this file or any drvspace under any circumstances. Everything in your hard disk will me deleted if you got rid of this file! This file should be in the root directory of your uncompressed drive. It's also hidden, for safety reasons.
