* Modify the boot media *



In order to modify the bootable media to exactly fit your needs you can configure the created boot-floppy.

Editing the file "Config.sys"
You can modify the existing config.sys file to make it fit your needs.
It is i.e. possible to add additional device drivers for a CD-ROM or the Microsoft network client
Further hints about editing the config.sys are in the documentation of DOS.

Editing the file "Autoexec.bat"
You can modify the existing autoexec.bat file to make it fit your needs.
It is i.e. possible to start AV scanners or image tools.

Adding additional software
If you want to add additional software like the Volkov Commander to the bootable floppy it is a good idea to pack these tools and extract it to a RAM-Drive provided by NTFS4DOS. You must edit the config.sys and autoexec.bat in order to support this configuration.



* NTFS4DOS from the command line *



NTFS4DOS is also able to start from the command-line.

NTFS4DOS supports the following command parameters:

 /lX - defines the first drive letter used by NTFS4DOS. So i.e. "lG", will use G: as the first volume for drives mounted by NTFS4DOS.

 /rX - defines the size of the RAM-Disk. So i.e. "r4", will create a 4 MB RAM-Disk

 /? - Shows a help-screen.



NTFS4DOS automatically loads a new shell or a program that is started as shell.
If no shell is defined NTFS4DOS uses the standard-shell (command.com).

After you finished the work with NTFS4DOS you can terminate the created shell with the "Exit" command and free all memory that NTFS4DOS has occupied.

Some samples how to start NTFS4DOS from the command line:

NTFS4DOS /lF /r8 command.com /C mybatch.bat

This starts NTFS4DOS, creates a RAM-Drive with the drive letter "F" and mounts all found NTFS volumes starting from the drive letter "G".
The RAM-Disk always gets the first defined drive letter.
After the mounting process is completed a new shell is started and <mybatch.bat> is executed.
After the <mybatch.bat> is finished NTFS4DOS is ended as well because the shell has been started with the parameter "/C".

The available parameters of the DOS shell are described in the DOS documentation.

NTFS4DOS F:\AV\AVSCAN.exe

This command starts NTFS4DOS and mounts all found NTFS-volumes assigning drive-letters starting from the first found free drive-letter. NTFS4DOS will not create a RAM-DISK. After the volumes are mounted a new shell is started and AVSCAN.EXE is started inside this shell. As soon as AVSCAN.EXE is ended NTFS4DOS ends as well and frees all occupied memory.


NTFS4DOS /lE /r4 command.com /K f:\vc\vc.com

This starts NTFS4DOS, creates a RAM-Drive with the drive letter "E" and mounts all found NTFS volumes starting from the drive letter "F".
The RAM-Disk always gets the first defined drive letter.
After the mounting process is completed a new shell is started and the Volkov Commander is executed.
After the Volkov Commander is ended NTFS4DOS isn't ended as well because the shell has been started with the parameter "/K".



* NTFS4DOS from the config.sys *



To save memory NTFS4DOS can be started directly from the file <Config.sys>. This might be useful if the lower memory is to small to start a 3rd party application.

A sample for the file <Config.sys> that loads NTFS4DOS and offers a maximum of free memory below 640 kB.

SWITCHES=/F
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICEHIGH=a:\HIMEM.SYS /NUMHANDLES=128 /TESTMEM:OFF /Q
DEVICEHIGH=A:\UMBPCI.SYS
BUFFERS=11,0
FILES=60
LASTDRIVE=Z
FCBS=1,0
STACKS=0,0
SET CMDLINE=
installhigh=a:\ntfs4dos.exe /r4 /lC A:\COMMAND.COM /K A:\autoexec.bat /E:1280 /P

This <config.sys>, based on MS-DOS 6.22, offers ~ 550KB free memory below 640 KB after booting. This should be enough to run any DOS program.



* Maximize I/O speed *



NTFS4DOS offers a maximum performance by the used NTACCESS.LIB.
Anyway some computers are relatively slow while accessing the hard disks running DOS because the BIOS don't use UDMA.

A lot of BIOS doesn't offer the maximum speed UDMA-Mode. Instead they use the much slower PIO-Mode. Using PIO the maximum transfer rate to/from the disk is 8 MB/second, in the real world this offer a Random-Access transfer rate of ~ 1 MB/second.

Modern hard disks reach transfer rates of ~ 10 MB/second and more, if they are using the much faster UDMA-Mode. If the BIOS don't offer UDMA you need to load a special driver.

This UDMA-driver can be started by the following line

devicehigh=udma.sys

added to the file <config.sys>. This UDMA-driver has been written by Latschezar Georgiev. Additional information and the latest release can be found on http://linux.tu-varna.acad.bg/~lig/freedos.



* NTFS4DOS and other 32 Bit DOS applications *



NTFS4DOS is a 32-Bit-DOS-application - therefore the usage of NTFS4DOS together with other 32-Bit-DOS-applications might cause problems or incompatibilities. By design all 32-Bit-DOS- Applications use the DOS extender of the first started 32-Bit-DOS-application.

NTFS4DOS should work with any bug free extender; it should be no problem if you start NTFS4DOS as the second 32-BIT application. Sometimes it is not possible to start NTFS4DOS as the second application because (i.e. an Anti-Virus-Scanner) requires access to NTFS-volumes provided by NTFS4DOS.
If such a tool only works with a special extender please contact the vendor of this tool and ask him for a version that runs under DOS32A.

If this is not possible please drop a line to our support and we may help you with a version of NTFS4DOS using another extender.



* NTFS4DOS under Windows 9x/ME *



As a DOS-Application NTFS4DOS can of course also be used when running Windows 9x/ME.
Thus you can i.e. use an installed Anti-Virus-Scanner of Windows 98 to scan and repair viruses from NTFS volumes.

NTFS4DOS should not be started from the autoexec.bat or config.sys if it is used with Windows 9x/ME.
NTFS4DOS must be started from a DOS-Box. As long as this DOS-BOX isn't closed the NTFS volumes are available.
Please exit NTFS4DOS with the "Exit" command before you close the DOS-BOX.

Under Windows NT/2000/XP NTFS4DOS cannot be started in a DOS-Box, because NTFS4DOS requires a direct access to the hardware and these versions of Windows don't offer a direct access.
