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Windows 95 FAQ

1. Can I install Windows 95 and still boot MS-DOS and Windows 3.1?
2. Can I install Windows 95 on a computer running IBM OS/2?
3. Can I remove Windows 95?
4. After installing Windows 95, I can no longer boot from a different hard drive. What has changed?
5. Can I install Windows 95 over Windows NT?
6. After I install Windows 95 on a computer with Windows NT, how do I start W indows 95?
7. During the first boot of Windows 95, I get "Invalid System Disk" error message. What does this mean?
8. Can I dual-boot Windows 95 and OS/2 Warp?
9. Windows 95 Setup tells me to run ScanDisk in MS-DOS, but ScanDisk does not find any errors. Can I run Windows 95 Setup without running ScanDisk?
10. Will Windows 95 Setup work if I compressed my hard disk with disk compression utilities?
11. Will Windows 95 install correctly on a drive partitioned with Ontrack Disk Manager?
12. I have "Brand X" system and my hard disk is using MS-DOS compatibility mode. What is the problem?
13. Disabling Protected-Mode disk driver(s), hides the partition table when I run Fdisk? What can I do?
14. What are some possible scenarios under which Windows 95 might run in MS-DOS compatibility mode on my Enhanced IDE hard drive and how can I fix the problem?
15. Why don’t I get 32-bit disk access on my 1 GB hard drive in Windows 95?
16. How do I install Windows 95 with Disk Manager already present on my hard drive?
17. How do I install my new drive in a Windows 95 system?
18. Windows 95 reports that I am operating in DOS compatibility Mode. What is the problem and how can I fix it?
19. I use Western Digital’s FastDisk driver WDCDRV.386 for 32-Bit Disk Access in Windows 3.1x. Do I need to use this driver in Windows 95?
20. Does ScanDisk in Windows 95 support drives with cluster sizes larger than 8K?
21. Can I use my pre-Windows 95 memory manager with Windows 95 to manipulate where Disk Manager driver loads?
22. Do I need to use Disk Manager or EZ-Drive to support large Enhanced IDE hard drives under Windows 95?
23. I installed Microhouse Fastdisk driver, Mh32bit.386 and now Windows 95 reports DOS Compatibility mode. What can I do to fix this?
24. My DriveSpace 3-compressed slave drive does not boot after I made it my master drive. I get "invalid drive" error message. What is wrong?
25. I am adding a new hard drive but DriveSpace 3 is unable to decompress my existing drive. What should I do?
26. How can I copy the contents of my old Windows 95 controlled drive to my new drive and make the new drive the Master drive?
27. Windows 95 will only see my new drive if I tell it the drive is a "Removable" drive in Device Manager. What is going on?

1. Can I install Windows 95 and still boot MS-DOS and Windows 3.1?

Windows 95 supports booting the earlier version of the operating system if you are using MS-DOS version 5.0 or later or IBM PC-DOS version 5.0 or later. You cannot boot an earlier version of DR DOS. When you install Windows 95 in a new directory, Setup automatically makes the required adjustments so the computer can dual-boot Windows 95 and MS-DOS. To boot MS-DOS on a Windows 95 computer with dual-boot enabled, press F4 or F8 when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message.

If you install Windows 95 in a new directory, you must re-install all your Windows-based programs for them to run properly in Windows 95. However, if you upgrade your earlier version of Windows to Windows 95, you do not need to re-install your Windows-based programs because the registry information is transferred to Windows 95.

2. Can I install Windows 95 on a computer running IBM OS/2?

Setup does not run in OS/2. However, you can install Windows 95 on a computer running OS/2 if you boot to MS-DOS and run Setup from the MS-DOS prompt. You cannot install Windows 95 in the same directory as OS/2. Because Windows 95 cannot access HPFS partitions, a FAT partition must be available to install Windows 95. You can also run Windows 95 Setup if you boot from an MS-DOS diskette.

Windows 95 Setup disables Boot Manager to ensure that it can restart the computer and complete the installation. You can re-activate Boot Manager by running the Fdisk utility that is shipped with Windows 95.

If you do not use OS/2 Boot Manager, you must configure your computer to use Boot Manager and then follow the steps above.

3. Can I remove Windows 95?

Yes. During Setup, you are prompted whether you want to save your computer’s system files. If you choose to save the system files, Setup saves them in a hidden, compressed file on the hard disk. You will not be asked to save the system files if a) you are installing Windows 95 in an empty directory, b) you are not running MS-DOS version 5.0 or later or c) you are re-installing Windows 95 over itself.

To remove Windows 95, follow these steps:

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click Windows 95, and then click Remove.

You can also remove Windows 95 by starting your computer with the Windows 95 Startup Disk and then typing uninstall at the command prompt.

4. After installing Windows 95, I can no longer boot from a different hard drive. What has changed?

Windows 95 Setup program checks all the hard disks in your computer to make sure that only one contains 80h in the DriveNumber field of the boot sector. Setup makes this change so that Windows 95 can find the boot disk when you start the computer and recognize the other drives.

You can use either of the following methods to correct the DriveNumber field:

- Use the Fdisk program that is included with Windows 95 to set the primary active partition.
- Use a disk editor to change a disk’s DriveNumber field so that you can boot from that hard disk.

5. Can I install Windows 95 over Windows NT?

You cannot install Windows 95 in the same directory as Windows NT. To install Windows 95, boot to MS-DOS, then run Windows 95 Setup. After you install Windows 95 to a different directory, you can boot either Windows 95 or Windows NT.

6. After I install Windows 95 on a computer with Windows NT, how do I start Windows 95?

When you start your computer, you are given a choice to run Windows NT or MS-DOS. Choose MS-DOS to load Windows 95.

7. During the first boot of Windows 95, I get "Invalid System Disk" error message. What does this mean?

If during the first reboot in Windows 95 Setup or when you boot from the start-up disk, you receive the following error message:




  Invalid system disk

  Replace the disk, and then press any key

Your system may be:

a) infected with a boot-sector virus
b) running virus-protection software
c) using hard disk management software (such as Disk Manager, EZ-Drive, or DrivePro) for Logical Block Addressing (LBA) support. These tools provide support for hard disks with more than 1024 cylinders.

To correct the problem if the system is infected with a Virus, use an anti-virus program to detect and remove the virus, and then re-install Windows 95 system files.

If the system is running Virus-Protection Software, Boot the system using the startup disk created during Windows 95 Setup. Use the SYS command from the startup disk to restore the system files to the hard disk.

Windows 95 may not detect disk management software and may overwrite the master boot record (MBR). Refer to the documentation for the disk management software you are using for information about restoring the MBR.

To re-install the Windows 95 system files, follow these steps:

1. Boot the system using the Windows 95 Emergency Boot Disk.
2. At the MS-DOS command prompt, type the following lines:




  c:

  cd\windows\command

  attrib c:\msdos.sys -h -s -r

  rem c:\msdos.sys c:\msdos.xxx

  a:

  sys c:

  del c:\msdos.sys

  rem c:\msdos.xxx c:\msdos.sys

  attrib c:\msdos.sys +r +s +h

3. Remove the Emergency Boot Disk and reboot the system.

8. Can I dual-boot Windows 95 and OS/2 Warp?

To dual boot between Windows 95 and IBM OS/2 you must reset or re-install the OS/2 Boot Manager. Please consult your OS/2 documentation for information about enabling Boot Manager.

9. Windows 95 Setup tells me to run ScanDisk in MS-DOS, but ScanDisk does not find any errors. Can I run Windows 95 Setup without running ScanDisk?

To run Setup without running ScanDisk, run Setup with the /IS switch. However, we recommend that you make certain your hard disk is free of errors before you use this switch.

10. Will Windows 95 Setup work if I compressed my hard disk with disk compression utilities?

Windows 95 is compatible with Stacker version 2.0 and higher, and with all versions of SuperStor. Before you start Setup, make sure there is enough free hard disk space on the host drive. For further details, please consult your compression utility software documentation.

11. Will Windows 95 install correctly on a drive partitioned with Ontrack Disk Manager?

Windows 95 is compatible with Disk Manager versions 6.03 and later, however, if you are currently using version 6.03 through 6.03c of the Disk Manager, download Dmpatch.exe to update the Disk Manager drivers. If you use version 6.03d of Disk Manager, Windows 95 automatically uses its protected-mode driver.

12. I have "Brand X" system and my hard disk is using MS-DOS compatibility mode. What is the problem?

Windows 95 may use DOS Compatibility Mode on large EIDE hard disks (hard disks with more than 1024 cylinders) in some computers. This situation may occur because of invalid drive geometry translation in the system ROM BIOS that prevents the protected-mode IDE device driver from being loaded. Please contact your system manufacturer for information about obtaining an updated BIOS. You may also want to check the system for a virus, as boot sector virus will make Windows95 give you the same warning.

13. Disabling Protected-Mode disk driver(s), hides the partition table when I run Fdisk? What can I do?

If this is happens in your system, do not use the "Disable all 32-bit protected-mode disk drivers" option, or upgrade your computer’s BIOS to a later version.

14. What are some possible scenarios under which Windows 95 might run in MS-DOS compatibility mode on my Enhanced IDE hard drive and how can I fix the problem?

The IOS.INI file, located in the Windows directory, contains a list of device drivers that Windows 95 can safely remove from the Config.sys file and replace with its protected mode IDE device driver (ESDI506.PDR.) If the real mode device driver name is not present in the IOS.INI file, Windows 95 will use the real mode device driver in the Config.sys file and the devices attached to the controller will operate in MS-DOS Compatibility Mode.

If you add the name of the real mode device driver for the Enhanced IDE controller to the Ios.INI file to get Window 95 to operate the device in protected mode, you may risk data loss, data corruption and performance degradation.

The Windows 95 protected mode IDE driver needs to use the Int13 hardware interface to communicate with the IDE controller. If another device driver is intercepting these calls, the Windows 95 protected mode driver will not be able to communicate directly with the device. As a result all devices attached to the controller will use MS-DOS Compatibility Mode.

To check if there is a device driver or if any other program is intercepting Int13 calls:

Open the Ios.log file located in the Windows directory with any text editor. You will only find Ios.log only if there is a device using MS-DOS Compatibility Mode.
Search for the line MBRINT13 to determine which device driver is intercepting calls to Int13:
Boot the system and press the F8 function key to display the boot menu
Choose step-by-step Confirmation to selectively load drivers. This will help you to determine which driver may be responsible for the problem.

If you are not able to locate the driver in question, it is possible that a virus is interfering with protected-mode support. If a virus is present on the system, or in its Master Boot Record (MBR), Windows 95 will receive incorrect information about the EIDE controller and the device(s) connected to it and will fail to load the protected mode device driver.

Run a virus detector to clean the system. If your MBR is not infected by any viruses, It is possible that the manufacturer of the EIDE controller has drivers for 32-bit Disk Access for Windows 3.1x.

Lastly, your EIDE controller itself may be causing the compatibility issue. It is possible by selecting different modes of operation (i.e. Normal, Fast, Turbo, etc.) you may be able to correct the problem. Please contact your controller card manufacturer for further instructions.

15. Why don’t I get 32-bit disk access on my 1 GB hard drive in Windows 95?

Make sure there is no conflict between the motherboard CMOS setup and the controller BIOS settings. (i.e. if both the motherboard and the controller have settings for Logical Block Addressing, LBA, make sure only one is in use.)

16. How do I install Windows 95 with Disk Manager already present on my hard drive?

The following information applies only to Disk Manager version 6.03 and later. An end-user with a version earlier than 6.03 will not benefit from the following information. They will need to upgrade to a version 6.03 or later.

There are four possible configurations when installing Windows 95 in a system using Disk Manager:

A single hard drive using Disk Manager

A master drive using Disk Manager in a dual drive system

A master and slave drive using Disk Manager in a dual drive system

A slave drive using Disk Manager in a dual drive system.

The first three configurations, where a master or single boot drive utilize Disk Manager, should experience no problems when installing Windows 95 onto the drive. The overlay will load, revealing the familiar Western Digital blue banner as usual, and Windows 95 will acknowledge the presence of the overlay and recognize the drive accordingly. Entering Windows 95 Control Panel and choosing Performance under the System option reveals a file system in running 32-Bit Protected-mode.

The last configuration functions properly except for a few exceptions. According to Ontrack test results, the Windows 95 file system does not function properly under three unique conditions where only the slave drive has been set up using Disk Manager:

When a Windows 3.1x virtual driver replaces the Windows 95 Protected-mode driver WDCDRV.386

When the cylinder count in the CMOS for the slave drive is greater than 1024 cylinders.

When the CMOS setting for the slave drive are set to auto-detect.

Windows 95 ensures that all essential drivers in the system files, function properly even though Windows 95 does not recognize or have an equivalent. Both hard drives will now strictly use the BIOS for access with a reduction in system performance.

17. How do I install my new drive in a Windows 95 system?

The standard Fdisk and Format procedure is adequate to configure a drive for use. There is no graphical equivalent of Fdisk in Windows 95, therefore DOS is still the only interface to manipulate the partitions on the drive. You can run the Fdisk command from the Run option under Start on the Taskbar. Create your partition(s) then press ESC. Unlike DOS, Windows 95 does not reboot the system at this juncture. Exit the DOS window and restart the system.

Once the system has booted back up, proceed to format the drive. There are a number of ways you go about doing this. You can format the hard drive using the Format command. Type

format [drive letter] /[switch]

at the RUN option under Start. You can also format the drive by double clicking the MY COMPUTER icon, and then click the icon for the disk you want to format. Be sure not to double-click the disk icon, because you cannot format a disk if it is open in MY COMPUTER or Windows Explorer. On the File menu, click Format.

18. Windows 95 reports that I am operating in DOS compatibility Mode. What is the problem and how can I fix it?

Windows 95 invokes DOS Compatibility Mode whenever the system loads a real mode driver. This would happen when Windows 95 does not have an equivalent 32 bit protected mode driver to replace the real mode driver. Click on Performance tab under the System icon for details on what devices are affected when there is an irreplaceable device driver. Highlight the message in the details box and click the Details button for information on that particular issue. The first place to check for questionable driver(s) is your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. Once you discover these drivers, contact the developer/manufacturer of the driver for updated Windows 95 compliant driver(s).

19. I use Western Digital’s FastDisk driver WDCDRV.386 for 32-Bit Disk Access in Windows 3.1x. Do I need to use this driver in Windows 95?

Windows 95 has built in 32 bit protected mode support for your Western Digital hard drives and other EIDE peripherals. Hence, you do not need to load WDCDRV.386 in Windows 95. If Windows 95 has not removed any reference to 32-Bit Disk Access or WDCDRV.386 from System.ini file, you should manually edit this file and remove any reference to 32-Bit Disk Access or WDCDRV.386.

20. Does ScanDisk in Windows 95 support drives with cluster sizes larger than 8K?

Yes, the new Windows 95 version of ScanDisk supports large EIDE drives and large partitions with greater than 8KB per cluster size.

21. Can I use my pre-Windows 95 memory manager with Windows 95 to manipulate where Disk Manager driver loads?

Windows 95 runs in a virtual memory environment and the Disk Manager driver will not create any conflicts with this setup. Each DOS session is assigned its own virtual machine that simulates a conventional real mode memory scheme. The user can modify the amount of memory allocated to a particular application. This allows even your most memory intensive DOS programs to run well within Windows 95. For details on how your memory package interacts with the Window 95 environment and how to properly configure your system for their use, contact the manufacturer of the software. Quarterdeck can be reached at 310) 392-9701 and Qualitas (386MAX) at 301) 907-6700.

22. Do I need to use Disk Manager or EZ-Drive to support large Enhanced IDE hard drives under Windows 95?

To get the full capacity of your hard drive under Windows 95, you must have either hardware support (a translating system BIOS or an Enhanced IDE controller card), or software support such as Disk Manager. Windows 95 does support and recognize Disk Manager versions 6.03 and greater. The Disk Manager driver is loaded from the Master Boot Record (MBR) when the drive is in the master position, or in the Config.sys as a device driver when the drive is in the slave position.

23. I installed Microhouse Fastdisk driver, Mh32bit.386 and now Windows 95 reports DOS Compatibility mode. What can I do to fix this?

Disable the line that loads the Mh32bit.386 device driver in the System.ini file. To do so, follow these steps:

Use any text editor (such as Notepad) to open the System.ini file in the Windows folder.

Locate the line that loads the Mh32bit.386 device driver.

Place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line.

Save and then close the System.ini file.

Restart Windows 95.

24. My DriveSpace 3-compressed slave drive does not boot after I made it my master drive. I get "invalid drive" error message. What is wrong?

Use the Sys command to transfer the system files to the "host" drive (the non-compressed drive, C drive is compressed "invalid").

25. I am adding a new hard drive but DriveSpace 3 is unable to decompress my existing drive. What should I do?

There is one small but vital INI file, which needs to be corrected to reflect the new configuration. It is a hidden, read-only file called DBLSPACE.INI. It is located in the root directory of the host drive. Most likely, DBLSPACE.INI is still referring to the host drive as H: (or another label which is no longer valid since a new drive has been added to the system). As a result, DriveSpace 3 looks for the host drive that is no longer there. Simply change the read-only and hidden attributes on DBLSPACE.INI, replace any reference to the old host drive with the new drive letter designation, save the file, restore the R and H attributes, and restart DriveSpace 3.

26. How can I copy the contents of my old Windows 95 controlled drive to my new drive and make the new drive the Master drive?

One of the most frequently asked questions is how to transfer all files from the old to the new drive and make it the boot drive in Windows 95.

Here I have compiled a list of steps that should allow you to copy your files over to your new drive, then make the new drive your primary or boot drive.

NOTE: The following steps may not be effective in your system. Microsoft does not recommend the use of the following procedure, however, results have been very positive. This information is provided, as is, solely for your information. Please consult your system manual or system manufacturer for product specifications, warranty information, and any further details.

I recommend that you back up your data before commencing.

First, install your drive as a slave/secondary drive to your existing hard drive. Be sure to jumper both of your drives properly. Refer to the Hard Drive Installation Manual for further information.

Create a Boot diskette (Rescue disk) as follows:

Double-click on My Computer

Double-click on Control Panel

Double-click Add/Remove Programs

Click the Startup Disk tab in the dialog box

Click Create Disk, and follow the instructions

Restart your computer in MS-DOS mode and partition and format your drive.

Be sure to transfer the system files to your new drive using the SYS command. You can transfer the system files by opening a DOS session under Windows 95 and type:

sys d:

Close the DOS window and double-click on My Computer again. Double-click on Control Panel and then System. Click on Performance tab and Virtual Memory button. Click on "Let me specify my own system memory setting" and disable virtual memory.

Restart Windows 95 and on the Taskbar click Start, then Run and type:

xcopy c:\*.* /e /h /k /r /c d:

and click OK. This command line copies all your files to the new drive. If your existing drive is fairly large, this operation could take some time. Do not power down your system during this operation.

Once this operation is completed, shut down Windows 95, turn off your PC, and change the jumper settings on your drive so that your new hard drive is the master/primary and the older drive is the slave/secondary drive.

Place your boot diskette in the floppy drive and turn on the PC, edit the CMOS settings to reflect the change in master/slave drives, then continue booting with your start-up disk.

At the A: prompt, type Fdisk and select option 2 to make the primary partition on your new disk drive the active partition, then exit Fdisk and reboot.

Windows 95 should boot from the new hard disk. It is a good idea to allow Windows 95 to determine your Virtual Memory settings. To do so, double-click on My Computer, then Control Panel and System icon. Click on Performance tab and Virtual Memory button then Click on "Let Windows specify my own system memory setting."

27. Windows 95 will only see my new drive if I tell it the drive is a "Removable" drive in Device Manager. What is going on?

In all likelihood, your drive needs to be partitioned using Fdisk. All hard disk drives must be partitioned before they can be formatted, even if the drive is only going to have a single partition. Windows 95 incorrectly allows you to format an unpartitioned drive if you designate the drive as "Removable." Using a drive this way may result in data loss. The solution is to first back up the data on the drive, then remove the checkmark from the "Removable" box. Next, use Fdisk to create at least one partition. Re-boot the system, then format the partition(s). This process will destroy any data on the drive.

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