Disable the F8 Startup Menu on WIN98 Boot Disk., patching IO.SYS External links Options

[scrumpyjack]

Hello this is my first post. Ok i have a W98 boot disk. I need to use W98 as it uses JO.sys to prompt to insert CD. If i use less version of DOS there's no cd prompt. I need to disable the F8 startup menu. This can be done with 6.22 by editing MSDOS.SYS and putting 0 on certain Boot [Options]. This has no effect on W98 disk and actually makes it hang. So it's a catch 22. I thought if i can patch IO.SYS to disable F8 and the rest of the function keys. I looked up the keyboard scan codes and hex 42 00 is coming up on F8. I also looked up what interrupts use the keyboard. INT9 INT21 and INT16 seem to be the ones. I went through the code and 4200 looks suspicious, comes up a few times but too many times... Does anyone have a clue on assembler or knows anything can try and help me find the right opcode to patch. Thanks.

There are 2 scan codes. 1 for when the key is pressed called the make code and another scan code called break when depressed.

F8 Inactive Make 42 Break C2 Active Make Break E0 42 E0 C2

http://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/linux/kbd/scancodes-1.html#ss1.4

Here's a free trick to make the DOS screen change colour by editing COMMAND.COM and searching for MOV BH,07 and change the 7 to one of the below.

Black - 0 Grey - 8
Blue - 1 Bright Blue - 9
Green - 2 Bright Green - A
Cyan - 3 Bright Cyan - B
Red - 4 Bright Red - C
Magenta - 5 Bright Magenta - D
Brown - 6 Yellow - E
White - 7 Bright White - F

[was_jaclaz]

Last time I checked, the MSDOS.SYS from 6.22 was a binary file, no "Boot" nor "[Options] in it.

The DOS 7.1 (W98) DOS has an option in MSDOS.SYS:
http://www.mdgx.com/msdos.htm

[Options] BootKeys= Startup keys access: F4, F5, F6, F8, Ctrl and Shift
1 Enabled
0 Disabled

But the above should apply only after boot menu appears, most probably what you wish must be done using a combination of setups, see this:
http://www.mdgx.com/msdos.htm#MEN

Maybe, just maybe, having:
"BootGUI=0"
"BootMenu=1"
"BootKeys=0"
could work.

On a completely different direction, how does LZDOS behave?
http://dos.nm.ru/

jaclaz

[scrumpyjack]

I meant to say W95 MSDOS.SYS not DOS 6.22. I have tried 7.1 aka WIN98 and whatever i put it in the MSOS.SYS it hangs after Starting. I also tried with LZ DOS you kindly provided but still hangs. Its good that it detects JO.SYS. Certain dos utils didnt run right though. I need to maybe mess with it. Why won't it work with MSDOS.SYS??? Does MSDOS.SYS only work for when it's on your hard drive and not a floppy image?

I have tried

CODE

[Options]
BootGUI=0
BootMenu=1
BootKeys=0

[Options]
BootGUI=0
BootMenu=0
BootKeys=0

I also tried

CODE

[Options]
BootGUI=0
BootMenu=0
BootKeys=0
;
;Some programs on this system expect the Msdos.sys file to be at least
;1024 bytes in length; hence, the following lines create an Msdos.sys
;file that is greater than 1024 bytes in length. These lines are not
;needed for Windows to boot or run.
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxb
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxc
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxd
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxe
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxf
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxg
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxh
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxi
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxj
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxk
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxl
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxm
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxn
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxo
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxp
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxq
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxr
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxs

[was_jaclaz]

Why won't it work with MSDOS.SYS??? Does MSDOS.SYS only work for when it's on your hard drive and not a floppy image?

It's a possibility that some of the MSDOS.SYS options only work from hard disk , or maybe you need to have in MSDOS.SYS also a "[Paths]" section with something in it?

Logically there is no sense in having a "safe mode" from floppy.

Cam't you try a HD image in Qemu or other VM to check if this is the problem?

Maybe you can then make a HD image and boot it through grub4dos or syslinux, but if I may, what is the reason for the need to disabling the F8?

jaclaz

[scrumpyjack]

I thought that too about the PATHS section pointing to A:\. I gave it all it wanted but still wouldn't have it! One benefit i saw the Windows 98 logo lol. When you get a W98 boot disk it just has ;W98EBD in MSDOS.SYS. I actually tried 3 days ago this is why i went down the hacking IO.SYS route now but could be i screwed up with MSDOS.SYS but doing what you say it still same. I try an image. I releasing a CD and trying to protect my work.

I am going slightly mad. Arghhhhhh. This is old skool. I will not be beaten

Somehow it should work from floppy it still the same IO.SYS file and scans MSDOS.SYS if it wrong it alerts you. Maybe it scans your hd for Win98.

[scrumpyjack]

I found this very amusing.

I bet nobody wants to touch this one! I have read that the IO.SYS is impossible to edit. Is this true? I would like to learn how to edit it if possible. Can somebody direct me to a good website tha might talk abou this. There are a few things in it that I'd like to edit. Thank you.

Who in the bloody hell told you it's impossible? I HAVE DONE IT BEFORE! It works fine! All you have to do is unATTRIB the System, Read-Only, and Hidden attributes on it. Then get a good hexadecimal editor; don't use DOS's EDIT program unless you're in Binary mode (file menu) and extremely careful. Hey, give me the email address or website of whoever said you can't edit IO.SYS, they have a lot to learn.

[scrumpyjack]

I found the problem. The MSDOS.SYS works fine with the Boot Menu options alone but when i add JO.SYS to the disk that's when it hangs.
The 2 together don't mix.

[was_jaclaz]

Good.

Which JO.SYS are you using?

I mean the original one or the Bart Lagerwej's free one?

jaclaz

[scrumpyjack]

The Bart Special.

What is more interesting is just inserting the word [Options] in the MSDOS.SYS it still hangs with JO.

IO.SYS is maybe thinking which one should i load...

Could it be it's thinking its in a dual boot environment.

In case it isn't obvious i made a bootable CD from a floppy image with JO.SYS included. I not booting the floppy seperately.

[scrumpyjack]

I dont know how to solve the clash with JO.SYS but I am getting nearer to patch IO.SYS. I found for NTLDR.