Chapter 3 : How to Perform a "Clean Boot”
Microsoft FoxPro Support Engineers
Microsoft Corporation
Created: December 15, 1993
Abstract
This section discusses how to perform a “clean boot” for FoxPro for Windows, and contains the following:
·	Introduction
·	Configuring Microsoft MS-DOS for a Clean Boot
·	Configuring Microsoft Windows for a Clean Boot
·	Clean Boot for Microsoft FoxPro for Windows 
·	Additional Steps
·	Performing a Clean Boot
·	Additional Information
Introduction
A "clean boot" is rebooting the computer after all unnecessary commands and device drivers have been removed from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. It is used as a basic troubleshooting step to eliminate system errors and test for possible conflicts between FoxPro for Windows and various device drivers and terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs.
Configuring Microsoft MS-DOS for a Clean Boot
This section discusses:
·	Preparing to Clean Boot
·	Drivers that SHOULD NOT be Removed
·	Commands and Drivers that SHOULD be Removed
Preparing to Clean Boot
Create a startup disk that contains the MS-DOS system files and any other files that are required to make the system operational. If disk-partitioning, disk-compression, or other third-party software is required to boot the computer, the startup files on the disk created should appear as follows:
CONFIG.SYS	AUTOEXEC.BAT	
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS	PATH C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\FOXPROW	
FILES=99	PROMPT $P$G	
BUFFERS=20	SET TEMP = C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
* Ensure that the TEMP environment variable points to a sub-directory that really exits. NEVER point to the ROOT directory of any drive for temporary files.	
<Third-party disk-partitioning software>	SET FOXPROW = -SAVEREGS
* Only if Novell Netware ODI drivers are being used	
<Third-party disk-compression driver>	<Third-party networking drivers>
* Only if FoxPro cannot be used without the network	
<Other third-party drivers>
* Only if the system cannot be operated without these drivers		
STACKS=9,256		
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /E:1024 /P		
Drivers That SHOULD NOT Be Removed
The following are examples of drivers that SHOULD NOT be removed. They are used when the computer is booted 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			
The products listed above are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability. If you do not know the purpose of a device driver or program, DO NOT remove it. Most device drivers and programs display a message describing their purpose when they are initialized.
Commands and Drivers 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	SET FOXPROCFG=CONFIG.FPW	
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	
MODE for printer redirection	spoolers/redirectors/buffers	
Multiple PATH statements	Data-acquisition units	
MS-DOS-level mouse drivers	Keyboard accelerators/buffers	
Third-party MS-DOS shells	4DOS, NDOS, etc.	
Configuring Microsoft Windows for a Clean Boot
This section discusses configuring Windows for a “clean boot”, and contains the following topics:
·	Video Drivers
·	Windows Initialization Files
·	Additional Steps
IMPORTANT:     The first step to take when editing any configuration file is to make a backup copy of the file prior to making any changes.
Video Drivers
As a standard troubleshooting procedure, use a video driver that is shipped with Microsoft Windows, such as VGA. This can be installed through the Windows Setup icon in the main group.
TIP:     If you are using standard VGA and suspect a problem with the video driver, run Windows Setup via the icon in the Main group and change the driver to VGA 3.0. When the dialog prompts “A driver for this display is already on the system. Do you want to use the currently installed driver or install a new driver?”, select New to replace the files on the hard drive. You will need your Windows diskettes in order to install a different video driver.
There are several video drivers that are incompatible with FoxPro for Windows. Please see the Configuration section of this Resource Kit, or the README.TXT file shipped with the product for a listing of these drivers.
Windows Initialization Files
The two main Microsoft Windows initialization files are the WIN.INI and the SYSTEM.INI. To edit the SYSTEM.INI and the WIN.INI files, run the SYSEDIT program by selecting File and then Run from the Program Manager menu. At the "Command Line" prompt type SYSEDIT. You will see the Windows System Editor appear with several open windows, two of which will be the SYSTEM.INI and the WIN.INI (see Figure 1.).
NOTE:     You will also see the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files in windows of their own. This is a good way to edit all of these files.
For assistance with SYSEDIT please see the Help function that accompanies this program.

Figure 1.
Changes to WIN.INI
1.	Comment the lines LOAD= and RUN= in the [windows] section by placing a semicolon (;) in front of these lines.
2.	If using any third-party Windows font managers like Adobe Type Manager, Bitstream FaceLift, HP Intellifont, etc..., comment modifications that these programs may have made to the WIN.INI. 
·	For Adobe Type Manager, comment any lines that begin with Softfont=.
·	For HP Intellifont, find the section marked [Intellifont] and comment all of the lines in this section.
Changes to SYSTEM.INI
1.	If using any third-party Windows shell programs like Norton Desktop for Windows, or HP Dashboard for Windows, disable these shells by commenting the SHELL= line in the [boot] section of SYSTEM.INI. To do this place a semicolon in front of this line (i.e. ;SHELL=NDW.EXE). Add a line to the [boot] section that reads:
SHELL=PROGMAN.EXE.
2.	If using any third-party Windows font managers like Adobe Type Manager, Bitstream FaceLift, HP Intellifont, etc... comment the modifications that these programs may have made to the SYSTEM.INI. 
·	For Adobe Type Manager comment the following lines in the [boot] section:
SYSTEM.DRV=ATMSYS.DRV
ATM.SYSTEM.DRV=SYSTEM.DRV
	And add the following line to the [boot section]
SYSTEM.DRV=SYSTEM.DRV
·	For HP Intellifont comment the line:
CHAIN_DISPLAY=<name of video driver in use>
Clean Boot for Microsoft FoxPro for Windows 
To configure FoxPro for a “clean boot” do the following:
·	Rename the FOXUSER.DBF and FOXUSER.FPT files. FoxPro will recreate a default FOXUSER resource file if it cannot find one.
·	Either run FoxPro with the -C switch to avoid loading the CONFIG.FPW file, or rename the CONFIG.FPW file.
Additional Steps
·	Remove all items from the STARTUP group found in Program Manager.
·	Remove any anti-virus utilities that load automatically.
·	Remove any automatic back-up schedulers.
·	If the problem is printing related, install the Generic/Text Only printer driver and set it as default.
·	Run CHKDSK with the /F parameter to ensure that MS-DOS does not see any problems with your hard disk's configuration.
·	Run a program like MS-DOS version 6.0's DEFRAG.EXE, that defragments the files on your hard disk.
TIP:     A good way to see what files are fragmented on your hard drive is to issue the command CHKDSK *.* at the MS-DOS command prompt. This will report which files are non-contiguous.
Performing a Clean Boot
Once you have completed modifications to your system's configuration files, reboot your computer. If the problems you were experiencing no longer occur, gradually add components back to your system's configuration one at a time. This will allow you to determine the source of the conflict. Once you have made this determination, contact the manufacturer of the product for an updated version or for further troubleshooting steps.
Additional Information
Additional information concerning a “clean boot” configuration can be found by looking at the following articles:
Q68128	Q92603	Q90511