Subj : Running 4DOS.COM from RAMdrive...
To   : Jasen Betts
From : Gerald Miller
Date : Thu Sep 25 2003 09:01 am

Hello Jasen,

    On Wednesday September 24 2003 at 06:42,
    Jasen Betts [3:640/1042] wrote to Gerald Miller,
    about:  Running 4DOS.COM from RAMdrive...

 GM>> I will soon be installing a larger hard disk on this aging DOS
 GM>> box.  I am desiring to create a bootable disk and copy some files
 GM>> to a 2MB (or larger) RAMdrive and set the comspec to 4DOS.COM on
 GM>> the RAMdrive while I set up the different directories on the
 GM>> various drives...

 GM>> I think I have to copy 4DOS.COM, 4DOS.INI, 4START.BTM and
 GM>> 4EXIT.BTM to the RAMdrive (at a minimum).

 GM>> I would appreciate some user input about the required
 GM>> Initialization Directives for a "minimal" 4DOS.INI and any
 GM>> information for the 4START.BTM and 4EXIT.BTM files.

 JB> which dos brand/version ?

Micro$oft DOS version 6.22 and 4DOS version 6.02B (and, yes, I know there
is a newer version of 4DOS; I can't afford the upgrade).

 JB> ISTR that with DR-DOS you can tell the ramdrive which letter to use
 JB> (eg X:) and then put an  install=some_zip.exe X:\  in config.sys to
 JB> extract the ramdrive contents from a self-extract archive to the right
 JB> location. then do shell=x:\4dos.com   :)

 JB> if you're using ms-dos you need to mess around with stuff to locate
 JB> the ramdrive like they do on their windows 95 emergency boot disk.

Yes, I have "borrowed" the FINDRAMD.EXE utility.  I think I've got that
part figured out...  :)

I've also "borrowed" the Windoze AUTOEXEC.BAT, SETRAMD.BAT, and CONFIG.SYS
files and I am in the process of modifying them for my purposes.

Right now, I'm interested in cobbling a 4DOS.INI file that I can copy to
the RAMDrive and what directives I should include, at a minimum...

The 4START and 4EXIT BTMs have me a little confused and I'm wondering if I
need to copy my alias list and history files... ???

My 4START just displays the shell level and the amount of free memory and
the 4EXIT flushes the history to a file on the C: drive (I'll probably make
4EXIT a "zero" byte file).

           Cheers ... Gerald

.... 5 or 6 days after eating Italian food - I'm hungry again!
--- GoldED+/DPMI32 v1.1.5-30512
 * Origin: Color is only a pigment of your imagination. (1:342/512)

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