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WINDOWS vs DOS
WINDOWS VS. DOS
Another important debate among diagnostic and utility programmers is the use of DOS, as opposed to Windows 3.xx or Windows 95. Two factors make Windows-based diagnostics particularly troublesome. First, Windows makes much more extensive use of a PC’s resources than DOS (that is the nature of Windows). As a result, the simple fact that Windows boots at all eliminates the possibility of serious, catastrophic faults—so anything that a Windows-based “diagnostic” could possibly report would be minor. Second, Windows makes extensive use of disk swapping and temporary files. If a Windows-based diagnostic were to trigger a system failure, it would likely leave unwanted (perhaps even corrupted) files. This weakness is particularly strong in the Permanent Swap File (PSF) of Windows 3.xx, and in the Registry of Windows 95. If either of these key system files were corrupted, Windows would fail to start until the damaged file(s) were repaired.
By comparison, booting to the DOS command line is much less demanding on a system. It requires only a little conventional memory, almost no video resources, and few (if any) drivers. Your diagnostics can then examine each respective sub-system of the PC without risking file corruption, or otherwise interfering with the operation of Windows.
If you have a choice in the matter, DOS diagnostics are often the preferred tools for system testing. If your system is set to boot to Windows 95, you can press F8 when the “Starting Windows 95.” message appears, then select option 5, which boots to the command prompt (MS-DOS 7.0).
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WINDOWS vs DOS
WINDOWS VS. DOS
Another important debate among diagnostic and utility programmers is the use of DOS, as opposed to Windows 3.xx or Windows 95. Two factors make Windows-based diagnostics particularly troublesome. First, Windows makes much more extensive use of a PC’s resources than DOS (that is the nature of Windows). As a result, the simple fact that Windows boots at all eliminates the possibility of serious, catastrophic faults—so anything that a Windows-based “diagnostic” could possibly report would be minor. Second, Windows makes extensive use of disk swapping and temporary files. If a Windows-based diagnostic were to trigger a system failure, it would likely leave unwanted (perhaps even corrupted) files. This weakness is particularly strong in the Permanent Swap File (PSF) of Windows 3.xx, and in the Registry of Windows 95. If either of these key system files were corrupted, Windows would fail to start until the damaged file(s) were repaired.
By comparison, booting to the DOS command line is much less demanding on a system. It requires only a little conventional memory, almost no video resources, and few (if any) drivers. Your diagnostics can then examine each respective sub-system of the PC without risking file corruption, or otherwise interfering with the operation of Windows.
If you have a choice in the matter, DOS diagnostics are often the preferred tools for system testing. If your system is set to boot to Windows 95, you can press F8 when the “Starting Windows 95.” message appears, then select option 5, which boots to the command prompt (MS-DOS 7.0).
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