Win98 SE boot disk

[bear]

I was looking for some information about WIN98 boot disks for a client, and ran across something that made no sense to me, regarding DOS commands to reinstall system files. True, my DOS is a little rusty, but this seemed to me to be circular logic. Tell me what you think?

you can try to reinstall the system files from the startup diskette. Insert the startup diskette in the diskette drive and boot the computer. The computer will present a command prompt. At this prompt, type the following commands, pressing the ENTER key at the end of each line:

cd\windows\command

attrib c:\msdos.sys –s –h –r
copy c:\msdos.sys c:\msdos.old
a:
sys c:
attrib c:\msdos.sys –s –h –r
del c:\msdos.sys
copy c:\msdos.old c:\msdos.sys
attrib c:\msdos.sys +s +h +r

When you finish, remove the diskette from the drive and reboot the computer.

He changes the artributes so he can affect the file, then renames it.
Then copies the same files onto the drive (SYS C:)
Then takes the new files and removes 'read only', etc. again.
Then deletes it.
The renames the original file back to the original name
Then resets the attributes.

So, what was the point of this? Have I missed something? Seems to me he just renamed the file, and then put it back...or did this do some "magic" in the background? Why not leave the new files...?

[Michael]

It's all dutch to me .. I never have really tried doing DOS commands before .. maybe it's time to learn.

[bear]

Not that complicated, really.
attrib= attributes, kind of like file permissions on the server.
(-s system -h hidden -r read only "-" means remove, "+" means add or set)
copy= rename, in this case.
del= delete

[Zykaz]

It's all a circle! Nothing really happens.

[bear]

I didn't think so...guess my DOS isn't *that* rusty..

[wera]

I was looking for some information about WIN98 boot disks for a client, and ran across something that made no sense to me, regarding DOS commands to reinstall system files. True, my DOS is a little rusty, but this seemed to me to be circular logic. Tell me what you think?



He changes the artributes so he can affect the file, then renames it.
Then copies the same files onto the drive (SYS C:)
Then takes the new files and removes 'read only', etc. again.
Then deletes it.
The renames the original file back to the original name
Then resets the attributes.

So, what was the point of this? Have I missed something? Seems to me he just renamed the file, and then put it back...or did this do some "magic" in the background? Why not leave the new files...?
wow bear the master of all things computers is asking for help on the disk oporating system :eek: :eek:

[bear]

It was more of a rhetorical question, since I already knew it was circular reasoning, but sure, I ask questions too. I don't know everything by a large margin...

[wera]

It was more of a rhetorical question, since I already knew it was circular reasoning, but sure, I ask questions too. I don't know everything by a large margin...
lol you are still the computer guru and we al should know that ;)