Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mandrill!gatech!mcdchg!clyde!feg From: feg@clyde.ATT.COM (Forrest Gehrke) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: DOS 3.21 --> 3.3 problems Summary: Not quite this way...... Keywords: DOS 3.21, 3.3 , SYS command, doesn't work Message-ID: <28113@clyde.ATT.COM> Date: 14 Jun 88 15:35:51 GMT References: <1286@ark.cs.vu.nl> <294@sdrc.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Whippany NJ Lines: 64 > Is everyone forgetting that DOS 3.3 does not have to have its hidden system > files contiguous. If you mean these files may be fragmented, this is only half right. Starting with the v3.2 version, limited fragmentation is allowed. The first hidden file (usually the bios file) MUST NOT be fragmented and MUST be laid into the first data sectors of the bootable partition on the HD. In a single partition disk this starts at relative sector number 2. This file must be the first listed file in the root directory. The second hidden file (usually the dos file) MUST be the second listed file in the root directory and its inital data must follow upon the first hidden file's data. It may be fragmented however. > The easiest way to upgrade from DOS 3.x to 3.3 is to do the following: > > 1 - Boot with 3.3 (on floppy) > 2 - If upgrading from MSDOS to MSDOS then SYS C: > If upgrading from PCDOS to MSDOS or MSDOS to PCDOS then remove the 2 > hidden system files using Norton or PCTOOLS then SYS C: > 3 - Copy various DOS programs over to the hard drive. > 4 - Remove the floppy and re-boot. > > Although a complete format is really the "BEST" way this does work and I have > done it on 3 different machines. You have been lucky. A number of posters have said they followed this very procedure only to have displayed a message "Not enough room...." The problem is that the hidden files have grown and additional space must be found for them because SYS needs to load them following the above rules I have outlined. Assuming no change from 12 bit FAT to 16 bit is desired, the two hidden files and some of the following files in the root directory must be deleted. Using chmod, change the attributes of the two hidden files so that they may be deleted. Using DIR without any switches, list the files in the HD root directory. Delete the first few at the beginning of the list. Note how much space is needed from the size of the two new hidden files, (again, using chmod to be able to see them, if sizes are not known). Just to be sure, delete a few extra files. (If these are user files, be sure they're saved on a floppy). From the system floppy now use SYS C: (be sure that the system files on the system floppy are hidden). Copy in the rest of the new dos files to the HD. If the files that were deleted to make room were user files, they may be copied back in. The original autoexec.bat and config.sys, if used, should be in the root directory. The new command.com must be in the root directory unless other special arrangements have been made via shell or set comspec. This procedure will lay in the two hidden files contiguously. I have done this purposely to be absolutely sure that second system file is listed as the second file in the root directory. All this is necessary because the boot program/loader is a very simple heads-down affair. It knows only that those two system files are at the beginning of the HD. If not, you will get that dreaded "DISK BOOT ERROR", "NON-SYSTEM DISK...", or worse yet "FATAL ERROR: SYSTEM HALTED", when you try to start the system. If despite your best efforts this happens, then go back to square one; follow Mark's advice and do the complete HD backup and format. Forrest Gehrke