How to Perform a "Clean Boot" for FoxPro

• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 1.0, 1.01, 1.02, 2.0, 2.5x, 2.6, 2.6a

SUMMARY

A "clean boot" (rebooting the computer after all unnecessary commands have been removed from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files) is used as a basic troubleshooting step to test possible conflicts between FoxPro and various terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs and device drivers.

MORE INFORMATION

Before clean booting, do the following:

1. Create a startup disk that contains the MS-DOS system files and any other files that are required to make the system operational, such as disk-compression utilities (for example, Stacker), disk- partitioning drivers (for example, Disk Manager), the MS-DOS search path to your FoxPro files (for example, PATH = C:\DOS;C:\FOXPRO2), and other third-party device drivers.

   If disk-partitioning, disk-compression, or other third-party software is required to boot the computer, the startup files on the disk created above should appear as follows:

         CONFIG.SYS          AUTOEXEC.BAT
         --------------------------------------------
   
         FILES=60            PROMPT $P$G
         BUFFERS=20          PATH = C:\DOS;C:\FOXPRO2
         <Third-party disk-partitioning software>
         <Third-party disk-compression driver>
         <Other third-party drivers>
   
      NOTE: For more information on what to remove and what not to
      remove, see "Drivers That Should Not Be Removed" and "Items That
      Should Be Removed" below.
   
   

2. Rename the FOXUSER.DBF and FOXUSER.FPT files.

3. Either run FoxPro with the -C switch to avoid loading the CONFIG.FP file, or rename the CONFIG.FP file.

Drivers That Shouldn't Be Removed

The following are examples of drivers that SHOULD NOT be removed; they are used when the computer is turned on to make the hard disk accessible. This is not a complete list, but it does include frequently used drivers:

   Hard Disk Drivers
   -----------------

   SQY55.SYS, SSTBIO.SYS, SSTDRIVE.SYS, AH1544.SYS, ILIM386.SYS,
   ASPI4DOS.SYS, SCSIHA.SYS, SCSIDSK.EXE, SKYDRVI.SYS, ATDOSXL.SYS,
   NONSTD.SYS

   Disk-Partitioning Software
   --------------------------

   DMDRVR.BIN, SSTOR.SYS, HARDRIVE.SYS, EDVR.SYS, FIXT_DRV.SYS,
   LDRIVE.SYS, ENHDISK.SYS

   Disk-Compression Utilities
   --------------------------

   STACKER.COM, SSWAP.COM, SSTOR.EXE, DEVSWAP.COM

   NOTE: The products listed above are manufactured by vendors
   independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or
   otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.

Items That Should Be Removed

A clean boot DOES NOT include the following items:

• DOS=HIGH,UMB - Third-party disk caches
• EMM386.EXE - Various third-party TSRs
• INSTALL=SHARE.EXE - CONFIG.FP
• INSTALL=FASTOPEN.EXE - Virus checkers
• Third-party memory managers - Drivers for scanners/fax
• RAM disk devices - Drivers for CD-ROM/network
• JOIN, GRAPHICS, PRINT, SUBST, APPEND - Tape backup

                                              spoolers/redirectors/
                                              buffers
  

• MODE for printer redirection - Data-acquisition units
• Multiple PATH statements - Keyboard

                                              accelerators/buffers
  

• MS-DOS-level mouse drivers
• Third-party MS-DOS shells - 4DOS, NDOS, etc