Article ID : S500007028 / Last Modified : 11/04/2018Print

Where is the MSDOS.SYS and how to edit it ?

    Where are the MSDOS.SYS and how do I edit it ?

    In Windows 98, MSDOS.SYS is a hidden, read-only text file that incorporates all of the Windows 98 start-up switches.
    To edit it, you'll first need to make the file visible:
    1. "Start|Settings|Folder Options", and click on the View tab, then check the button labeled "Show all files."
    2. Next, use Explorer to find MSDOS.SYS.
    3. Right-click on its icon and uncheck the Read-only box to temporarily change its attributes for editing.
    4. Finally, launch Notepad or another text editor and open the file. Be sure to reset the read-only attribute after you've finished.
    If you don't have access to Windows, follow these steps to edit the "MSDOS.SYS" file under DOS:
    1. Open an MS-DOS prompt and type "cd.." ( without quotation marks ), this brings you to the root.
    2. "attrib -r -s -h msdos.sys" ( without quotation marks ): now you can modify "msdos.sys"
    3. Make the changes needed, save the file and type " attrib +r +s +h msdos.sys" ( without quotation marks ).