The system flag is in the same set as the readonly, archive and hidden. If you cannot change it from windows, boot to dos (C: prompt). The Msdos.sys file should be in the root directory. Use the command attrib -s c:\msdos.sys .
Now the system attribute is removed and you can either remove the readonly from here as well or go back to windows and work on the file after removing the readonly. I just checked my file and do not have the system flag on it. If I want to return that flag, I would have to boot to C: prompt and use attrib +s c:\msdos.sys As the file is used in the system boot, it is considered a system file. Apparently, windows is not too rigid about the attribute in its use of the file. Keith Thompson "[EMAIL PROTECTED] -Clint Hamilton" wrote: > > Ok, I'm familiar with 'read only' and know how to change > that, but I'm not with 'system flags'. Do you mean the other > attributes for it's properties? The 'system' box for it is > checked, but is grayed out, it cannot be altered. You have > any thoughts on what could have done this? > Thanks Keith, > -Clint > > God Bless Us All > Clint Hamilton, Owner > http://OrpheusComputing.com > http://ComputerHardware-ConsumerElectronics.com > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Keith Thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Yes, I have edited my MsDos.sys several times. You need to > find it, > then remove the readonly and system flags. Once thats done, > you can > edit it very nicely in notepad. When you return it, you can > change the > flags back altho, I have left it as is on occasion and it > doesn't seem > to affect the useage. > > Keith Thompson > > "[EMAIL PROTECTED] -Clint Hamilton" wrote: > > > > Thanks Ralph. Guess it could have been a too new vir*s, > but > > I went back to the update site yesterday, and the updates > > that were installed yesterday ARE still installed, so > > whatever caused that seems to have mysteriously > disappeared. > > Any takers on that? > > > > No, haven't used any reg cleaners. I can't say how long > the > > msdos.sys file problem has been happening, but the removed > > updates was recent. Does anyone know if the msdos.sys file > > can be edited in notepad; can that erroneous line > > BootFailSafe=0 be SAFELY removed from it, ("Invalid setup > in > > the MSDOS.sys file BootFailSafe=0") then just close notepad > > out and save changes? I'd still like to know how these > > things could happen, this is very odd. I've NEVER seen > > anything like them. I HAVE seen updates disappear before, > > but that was ONLY AFTER a registry restoration was done (or > > reg cleaner like you mentioned) and it was not done this > > time. > > Thanks, > > -Clint > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 4:03 PM > > Subject: Re: PCWorks: Odd DOS hook @bootup-BootFailSafe=0 > > > > Clint, > > > > With the update issue, I can think of 2 different items > which > > happened > > to me recently that either could be involved with your own > > situation: > > > > 1) You may have gotten a v**us or similar that is so new > that > > any anti > > v**us software that you would use has not had updates for > it > > yet. In > > this case, it played havic enough with your registry that > it > > now thinks > > none of the updates you did have been done. When I recently > > got hit, it > > messed up the registry enough that I had to do a total and > > complete > > reinstall of Win98SE from scratch. > > > > 2) Did you do any programs to clean the registry??? I tried > > this and > > OnTrack's SystemSuite's registry clean program really did a > > number on me > > this time, and I just blindly said ok to what it found, and > > when my > > system rebooted, none of my system drivers or update > settings > > or a lot > > of other things were seen at all - before reboot, my system > > was 32-bit > > color with 1152x864 resolution, and then after reboot, it > was > > 256 color > > with 640x480 resolution, and nothing else working right. On > > that one, > > luckily I found a previous to registry clean set of > registry > > file, and > > was able to set that to the registry, and things came up > > properly. > > > > With the bootfailsafe issue, who knows what might have > caused > > that one, > > since have seen some weird settings put in the msdos.sys > file > > as well as > > the registry - just the same could be a problem caused by > #1 > > of the > > above. Since these uninvited "guests" on computer systems > are > > as wanted > > as the bubonic plague, AIDS, smallpox, or other wonderful > > illnesses, in > > the human body, they can and do any and all things on a > > computer system > > - and that could have been the cause of that issue. > > > > Also, some legit problems seem to want to set things in > this > > file as > > well as the registry that are none of its business to do, > or > > they do > > backups of files on your system, and do changes that really > > are > > unwarrented, without any permission to do so. So if you did > > any installs > > recently, that might be at the source as well. > > > > Since these problems you are having just happened recently, > > any could be > > the reason(s) for what you are now experiencing. > > > > Ralph > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Clint Hamilton wrote: > > > > > > Hi all, I'm getting sort of a 'boot up hook', although no > > > intervention is needed (no enter key or any key must be > > > pressed in order to continue booting properly), it does > > hang > > > for a second. This is a brand new format, and all is > > > operating fine. It is the SAME setup, drivers, software, > > etc > > > as before, yet this did NOT happen before! (win98) > > > > > > The error happens immediately after "Verifying DMI pool > > > data", and directly below it, no lines skipped, is: > > > > > > "Invalid setup in the MSDOS.sys file BootFailSafe=0" > > > > > > I could not 'run' msdos.sys they way you can for > instance, > > > system.ini, but I did look for it on the HD and found it > in > > > two places. One is NOT a 'hidden' file and is for > > "Adaptec's > > > Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum", and is in that folder. > > However, > > > it is BLANK. Nothing at all is in the file when viewed > in > > > Notepad. The other area is directly under C: and the > file > > > there IS hidden. Opening it does show the line > > > "BootFailSafe=0". > > > > > > All I could find on this in searches made no sense. For > > one, > > > it states that you SHOULD do this for windows to start > > > faster! The page also said that if it was set to "1", > > > windows would boot in safe mode. Then at another site, > > > it said the opposite, that "0" enables safe mode (but > that > > > was for win95). At another site: > > > "Oddly enough, BootFailSafe is considered > > > an illegal command, so it was commented-out..." > > > which brings up the question, why is it there on this PC? > > > > > > Still another site stated: > > > BootFailSafe= 0 Invalid parameter! > > > Use BootSafe= instead! > > > > > > All other hits (about 100) were in different languages. > > For > > > one, what could have caused this, how did it happen, and > > two, > > > how can it be fixed? Scandisk in DOS and windows shows > no > > > errors, nor does the registry show any errors. > > > > > > Now something even stranger, I don't know if it's related > > in > > > some way. I just went to the windows update site to > check > > > for any new updates. I was just there about 2 days ago > > > and needed NONE. NO NEW UPDATES were available. > > > Now, it shows I need all sorts of updates and patches, > > > that I ALREADY INSTALLED a week ago after the new > > > HD was installed! Some even go back to 1999! What > > > happened to all these on this computer??!!! How could > > > they have disappeared? The site is showing under > > > 'installation history' only TWO installed updates and > they > > > for DX 8.1 and IE 5.01 SP2! > > > > > > Could these two events be related in any way? > > > Thanks, > > > -Clint -- Keith Thompson, Worthington, OH (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) Home Web Page: http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~kthompson/ Genealogy Web Page: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kthompson Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it. ============= PCWorks Mailing List ================= Don't see your post? Check our posting guidelines & make sure you've followed proper posting procedures, http://pcworkers.com/rules.htm Contact list owner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Unsubscribing and other changes: http://pcworkers.com =====================================================
