CD ROM at DOS

CD ROM

INSTALLING CDROM AT DOS.
THE CONFIG.SYS FILE
THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE
PROPRIETY CDROM'S.
PCMCIA CARD AND PARALLEL PORT DRIVES
DRIVER FILES FOR CDROM'S

DOS MODE CDROM INSTALLATION

While Windows 95 and up usually have their own CDROM drivers, you can't load the Windows program from a CDROM Installation Disk without DOS Mode access to the CDROM. Many older games and programs need DOS ("Real") mode to run. If you need CDROM access while in DOS mode, you need DOS Mode drivers. Also, many older CDROMs will not load in Windows. If you are having problems with the CDROM in Windows, you can load the CDROM in Real Mode before you start Windows and have access to it in Windows. You may lose some of the bells and whistles, But it will let you know if the problem is with Windows or the CDROM.

Loading the CDROM at DOS

VIEWING/EDITING BOOT FILES These instructions will work for a Hard drive or a Floppy disk. The commands will be put into the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. You may want to make a backup of these before editing them.
1.	Check for backup copies of the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files at c:\ . Open a MS-DOS Prompt window if you are in Windows: (Click the START button, select PROGRAMS, select MS-DOS PROMPT). Type: C: CD C:\ DIR CONFIG.* DIR AUTOEXEC.* There should be at least CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. With Windows 95 there will also be CONFIG.DOS and CONFIG.WIN and possibly AUTOEXEC.DOS and AUTOEXEC.WIN. Any other copies are backup copies created when a program was added. The extension will usually be BAK or letters and numbers relating to the program name. If the system is running fine those can be deleted.
2.	If you are going to change the files you should make backup copies "just in case". Type: COPY CONFIG.SYS CONFIG.SY1 COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT AUTOEXEC.BA1
3.	Type: EDIT CONFIG.SYS
Note:	Use this editor instead of other Windows editors as they are not available at DOS. Familiarize yourself with the tools that are available at DOS.
4.	Compare your files to what is below.
5.	Press the ALT key then (F)ile, (O)pen and open the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
6.	Compare your files to what is below.
7.	If you make changes press the ALT key then (F)ile, (S)ave for each file you have changed. Press the ALT key then (F)ile, E(x)it to close the program.
Note:	You may want to create a BOOT MENU to add changes without losing the ability to go back to your original configuration merely by choosing at boot.
8.	If the system doesn't work properly when you reboot you can copy the original files back by typing: C: CD C:\ COPY CONFIG.SY1 CONFIG.SYS COPY AUTOEXEC.BA1 AUTOEXEC.BAT

CONFIG.SYS DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DOS=HIGH,UMB
BUFFERSHIGH=40
FILESHIGH=30
LASTDRIVE=Z
STACKS=9,256
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\SSCIRUS.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\CS.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\CSALLOC.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\CDDRIVER.SYS /D:IDECD001

DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\CDDRIVER.SYS/D:IDECD001
The above line is the CDROM driver string.
C:\CDROM\	The path to the CDROM driver. Put the path where the file is on your system here.
CDDRIVER.SYS	The driver for your CDROM supplied with the unit or another compatible driver. Enter the name of your driver in place of CDDRIVER.SYS.
/D:IDECD001	A unique name to identify the CDROM. This can be any 8 characters. For instance /D:JOHN_DOE . This name must be the same in the AUTOEXEC.BAT.

The following three lines are for a PCMCIA card used in Notebooks computers. These particular files are for Cardsoft. Yours may differ. If you are using an External CDROM through a PCMCIA card, you must load these card drivers before the line(s) for the CDROM driver. The CONFIG.SYS file will load these in the order you have them.

DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\SSCIRUS.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\CS.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\CSALLOC.EXE

NOTE: The C:\WINDOWS and C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND paths will be C:\DOS in DOS 6.22 and earlier. Also, on DOS 6.22 or lower you must add:
LASTDRIVE=Z
to your CONFIG.SYS file. Without this no virtual drive letters will be allowed. You can have lower than Z if you aren't going to specify a letter that high.

AUTOEXEC.BAT ECHO OFF
PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
LH C:\WINDOWS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:IDECD001 /V /M:15 /L:Z

LH C:\WINDOWS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:IDECD001 /V /M:15 /L:Z
The above line is the Microsoft CD Extensions (MSCDEX) driver string.
LH	This loads the driver in high memory. This can be omitted if you want it loaded in low memory.
C:\WINDOWS\MSCDEX.EXE	The path to the DOS/CDROM interface file.
/D:IDECD001	The name in the CONFIG.SYS file that identifies the CDROM.
/V	This optional switch shows the settings after the CDROM drive is loaded. You can see if it worked.
/M:15	This optional switch sets upper memory usage if available. The number can be changed.
/L:Z	This optional switch sets the Drive letter for the CDROM to use. Z can be changed to a letter not already used. If you don't specify a letter the first available letter will be used. This can change as you add hard disks, setup Ramdrives or Doublespace/Drivespace. I start from the end of the alphabet for drives I can specify. If you install a CDROM program when your CDROM is D drive then add another hard disk, set up a Ramdisk, add a ZIP Drive first or create a Doublespace or Drivespace drive, the letter will move up the alphabet and the program will no longer work.

NOTE: If you are running Windows 95 and later, this line maybe REM'd out in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or missing all together. You may, instead, find it in the file c:\windows\dosstart.bat. The driver is not loaded before Windows starts so it will not interfere with Windows operations. When you select "Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode" from the Shut Down Menu, that DOSSTART file is executed to load the CDROM for DOS use.

Propriety CDROMS

If you have a CDROM that is designed to connect to the sound card instead of the IDE, you have to use extra settings to make it work. These vary with the brand. But this may help you set it up.

On the CONFIG.SYS line of the CDROM driver you must have a switch which tells the computer the port the CDROM is connected through. Since the computer can't SCAN through the sound card as it can with the IDE, it can't determine where the CDROM is located.

Additionally, the sound card must be set up and operational before the CDROM can be used. I have a Creative Blaster CD 6X CDROM which came with an IDE interface card. While this CDROM does work on an IDE, in order to make it work though the card you must add a switch:
/P:1e8,11
The three characters before the comma tell which port to use. The number after the comma is the Interupt (IRQ) to use. Other numbers for this unit are:
1F0
170
168
for the port and:
10
14
15
for the IRQ. These give 16 possible combinations to try out. The numbers entered here must match exactly what the jumpers on the sound card are set for. Also, the sound card cannot use the same settings for sound. If your instructions use PORT numbers, these will be listed as:
/P220
The sound should be set to use a lower number than the CDROM. Thus, /P220 for sound and /P240 for the CDROM should work.

The string for my unit would appear as:
DEVICE=C:\SBCD\SBIDE.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:1E8,11

The Panasonic CR-563 is a propriety type CDROM. Creative is one source for driver files for this CDROM. This page includes drivers for Windows 9.x as well as DOS/Windows 3.x.

Matsushita-Kobobuki Electronics (MKE Panasonic) has drivers for the following propriety CDROM's: CR-521, CR-522.CR-523, CR-562 and CR-563, in addition to other IDE Atapi drives. They provide files for several operating systems as well.

DRIVER CODES
IDE/ATAPI drives when connected to an IDE Controller are detected when the computer starts. Usually, these simply need the driver to load. However, when a CDROM is connected to a PCMCIA card, Parallel Port, Propriety Interface Cards and even SCSI ports, the driver needs to be told how to connect the CDROM. These are normally switches added to the CDROM Driver line in the CONFIG.SYS file.
Here are a few other examples of the DEVICE lines for some brands of CDROM's. The switch codes will most likely have to be changed to match your system:
BRAND/MODEL	SYNTAX
BUS	device=C:\CDROM\btdosm.sys /p330 /d device=C:\CDROM\btcdrom.sys /d:mscd001
cdr	device=c:\cdrom\cdrvr.sys /d:mscd001 /N:1 /A:4 /F:3
mtm	device=c:\cdrom\mtmcdas.sys /d:mscd001 /p:340 /a:0 /i:11
mzt	device=c:\cdrom\mztinit.sys /a220 /i5 /d1 /m /ca340 /ci10 /g /v7 device=c:\cdrom\mtmcdas.sys /d:mscd001 /p:340 /a:0 /i:10
Plex	device=c:\cdrom\fdcd.sys /d:mscd001
Traveler 620 6x Portable CD-Rom Drive (PCMCIA)	device=c:\cdrom\expcdi.exe /p:1 /I:15 /D:mscd001 The /p:1 and /I:15 settings must be changed to the settings on your cards.

If you don't have drivers for your CDROM here are a few sources:

BOOTDISK.COM BOOTDISK.COM provides a download file that creates a boot disk on your floppy disk. The disk has four CDROM drivers. You have to edit its CONFIG.SYS file to change the drivers.

Instructions:
File source keep changing so there are no standard instructions.
After you download the file, if it has an EXE extension, make a new folder (directory) and run the file from within that folder. It will either pull up a menu with instructions or unpack ZIPPED files. Among these should be a readme.txt file.
Put a formatted 1.44 floppy disk in A drive.
Run the program.
When the disk is completed it should be bootable.

Important! You cannot copy the downloaded files to the floppy disk. It will not be bootable. You must "Create" the disk as described above.

CDROM_GOD CDROM_GOD provides a download file, CDGOD55.EXE, that creates a boot disk on your floppy disk. The disk has 50 different drivers on it and an interactive menu that allows you to test each one on your system and install the one that works if you choose. Or you can just boot with it.

Mokie's Boot Disks

Start Disk Com
"The Ultimate Boot Disk"

Fast Lane Computers
"The Ultimate Boot Disk"

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Updated July 4, 2001

DOS MODE CDROM INSTALLATION

VIEWING/EDITING BOOT FILES

Propriety CDROMS