io.sys vs BIOS

[esara]

Hi
I want to know what is the use of "io.sys" and "config.sys" files?? So
I went to

http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid1_gci214057,00.html

to find what is "io.sys" file. What I do not understand in the
defination of io.sys is this part:
<quote>
....when the operating system is booted (started), processes
instructions that tell the operating system how the computer is set
up.
</quote>

I thought this what the BIOS suppose to do?? is there any conflict
between io.sys or config.sys and the BIOS


===================================
From whatis.com
IO.SYS
In the Windows 95 operating system, IO.SYS is an executable binary
file (in other words, a program) that, when the operating system is
booted (started), processes instructions that tell the operating
system how the computer is set up. In Windows 95, IO.SYS replaced the
older MS-DOS system files, IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS. The newer IO.SYS
contains all the information needed to start your computer and
eliminates the need for the CONFIG.SYS and autoexec.bat files because
the values in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT are in IO.SYS instead. Both
of these files still come with Windows for older applications and
drivers that need them.
In computers using DOS or Windows 3.x, the IO.SYS is loaded with the
MSDOS.SYS file when the computer is booted. MSDOS.SYS is a text file
that determines whether DOS or Windows is loaded. Because IO.SYS is a
sequence of executable code rather than readable text, it is not
editable like MSDOS.SYS, CONFIG.SYS, and AUTOEXEC.BAT.

To change default values that come with IO.SYS, you must change the
CONFIG.SYS file. In loading IO.SYS, the system picks up any changed
values that are present in the CONFIG.SYS file.

 

[Overlord]

I'll take a stab at it....
The hardware talks to the MB bios.... which talks back....
The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) has lots of onboard stuff and routes
requests between hardware. It has the POST code (Power On Self Test)
which it executes at.... well, power on. To a great extent it's a traffic cop
and AAA roadmap service. Since most drives are controlled by the MB,
you told the BIOS where to look and what the drive was. It setup the clock
on the board and kept track of what day of the month it was.
It took a little survey to see what hardware was there and what wasn't and
reserved resources for what was there and dealt each device memory
space and interrupts like cards. The lower the interrupt # the faster the
device can get the BIOS/CPU's attention. It gave everything a priority rating.
It checked the CPU rating/speed and gave it what it needed in the way of
speed and bandwidth, etc to run right. It checked out your ram for ya.

io.sys contains, or used to contain, device drivers specific to the OS so it
could talk to the BIOS and get things done. Something like "oh look a 16bit
network card... I'd better write this down so I don't forget! I'll talk to it like this".
You note the io in bIOs.
In the old DOS boot, io.sys would be followed by msdos.sys which contained
interrupts, functions, and hooks and such that gave it little windows to yell into
the BIOS. Afterall, when you call home to mom, you just need the phone number,
you don't care about voltages, switching, trunk lines, routing, bandwidth,
frequency or anything else.
Bootable disks contain, or at least used to contain, a boot sector that had an
itty bitty bootstrap loader that did a couple things and then looked on the drive
for the io.sys to load. No boot sector or no io.sys? That's as far as you got.
The BIOS stepped in basically told you to come back and try again when you
had your act together. The BIOS is also where you configured your system and
told it which drive to boot from; A, CDROM, SCSI. It basically went down the line
taking a look until it found a disk and a boot sector.

Command.com loaded next which keeps track of what you're doing on the keyboard
and helps talk back to you. It also can be thought of as several small programs
that you can use to control the system. You see how far we're getting from the
hardware? At least now you're starting to control the hardware tho thru an interface.

Command.com loads Config.sys which is starting to be configuring the system
this bootup the way you want it to be setup. Your game needs the memory set
up This way so config.sys does it that way After you tell it to. You don't like this
driver put in this piece of memory, you edit config.sys to put it in a different range
of memory. That little program HAS to run in order to make this piece of hardware
work so you run it here, pointed at That piece of hardware, and aimed at That
stretch of memory real estate. You need to use your CDROM so it has a file put
in here, and another run in the autoexec.bat.
You're not in the US? You don't want the date to be 12/1/2004? Change it in here
with "Country". You're going to have a lot of files open? Here is where you tell
the system how many it can have open at one time. You're doing a lot of disk
activity? This is where you specify how many buffers to run with, how large your
cache is, how far to read ahead on the hard drive trying to anticipate what data
you're going to want next.

Autoexec.bat is just that, a batch file. If you have a system log that wants to know
each time the system is booted and when, put a line in the autoexec. You want an
option at startup to delete old files? Code it into the autoexec.
Another option to run chkdsk on your drive? Or run a virus scanner? Put it in there
along with a little menu to give you the options and a timer to default after so many
seconds to a specific choice.
You want the system to boot into winders? Put it at the end of the autoexec.
You want it to boot to a prompt in F:\dasystem\stuff\crap\things\ThisIsWhereIAM\ ?
Put it in. You want your dos prompt to give you the time each time you bring it up?
Put it in; c:\/12:13/> Or the date.... or.....
A man's autoexec.bat became Very personalized. To a lesser extent also his
config.sys. My autoexec was 10 to 12 pages long. My config.sys slightly shorter.
You could also put a menuing system in the config.sys to boot to different configurations
you previously put in there.

Some apps can talk directly to the hardware. The OS doesn't always like it tho.....

Hi
I want to know what is the use of "io.sys" and "config.sys" files?? So
I went to

http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid1_gci214057,00.html

to find what is "io.sys" file. What I do not understand in the
defination of io.sys is this part:
<quote>
...when the operating system is booted (started), processes
instructions that tell the operating system how the computer is set
up.
</quote>

I thought this what the BIOS suppose to do?? is there any conflict
between io.sys or config.sys and the BIOS


===================================
From whatis.com
IO.SYS
In the Windows 95 operating system, IO.SYS is an executable binary
file (in other words, a program) that, when the operating system is
booted (started), processes instructions that tell the operating
system how the computer is set up. In Windows 95, IO.SYS replaced the
older MS-DOS system files, IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS. The newer IO.SYS
contains all the information needed to start your computer and
eliminates the need for the CONFIG.SYS and autoexec.bat files because
the values in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT are in IO.SYS instead. Both
of these files still come with Windows for older applications and
drivers that need them.
In computers using DOS or Windows 3.x, the IO.SYS is loaded with the
MSDOS.SYS file when the computer is booted. MSDOS.SYS is a text file
that determines whether DOS or Windows is loaded. Because IO.SYS is a
sequence of executable code rather than readable text, it is not
editable like MSDOS.SYS, CONFIG.SYS, and AUTOEXEC.BAT.

To change default values that come with IO.SYS, you must change the
CONFIG.SYS file. In loading IO.SYS, the system picks up any changed
values that are present in the CONFIG.SYS file.

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[Kevin Lawton]

| Hi
| I want to know what is the use of "io.sys" and "config.sys" files?? So
| I went to
|
| http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid1_gci214057,00.html
|
| to find what is "io.sys" file. What I do not understand in the
| defination of io.sys is this part:
| <quote>
| ...when the operating system is booted (started), processes
| instructions that tell the operating system how the computer is set
| up.
| </quote>
|
| I thought this what the BIOS suppose to do?? is there any conflict
| between io.sys or config.sys and the BIOS

No, there isn't a 'conflict' between io.sys and the BIOS - they work
together.
In computers which aren't PCs the BIOS is considered to be part of the
operating system, but PCs are weird because the BIOS is run before any
attempt is made to access the boot media. Basically is defines a model of
how the hardware can be seen by the operating system itself. With a PC BIOS
it is possible to enter a 'BIOS setup' menu and adjust various parameters of
how the hardware is presented and responds, so you can enable or disable
various hardware features, assign interrupts and I/O addresses and suchlike.
Some plug-in devices, SCSI host cards for example, have thier own built-in
BIOS extension and setup menu. So, the BIOS could be visualised as the
'soft' side of the heardware - it determines how the hardware is set up
ready for the software to make use of it.
IO.SYS could be thought of as the reverse of that - it is sort of the 'hard'
end of the software. It is responsible for making sure that parts of the
hardware-software interface - buffers, IO maps, interrupt vectors, etc are
correctly assigned so that the operating system, Windows in this case, has a
way to access the hardware.
What is important is that the configuration held in IO.SYS matches the
interfaces presented by the BIOS.
Of course, once the op system kernel has been loaded then device drivers can
come into play, which is a whole different ballgame (well, fairly
different).
Kevin.

| ===================================
| From whatis.com
| IO.SYS
| In the Windows 95 operating system, IO.SYS is an executable binary
| file (in other words, a program) that, when the operating system is
| booted (started), processes instructions that tell the operating
| system how the computer is set up. In Windows 95, IO.SYS replaced the
| older MS-DOS system files, IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS. The newer IO.SYS
| contains all the information needed to start your computer and
| eliminates the need for the CONFIG.SYS and autoexec.bat files because
| the values in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT are in IO.SYS instead. Both
| of these files still come with Windows for older applications and
| drivers that need them.
| In computers using DOS or Windows 3.x, the IO.SYS is loaded with the
| MSDOS.SYS file when the computer is booted. MSDOS.SYS is a text file
| that determines whether DOS or Windows is loaded. Because IO.SYS is a
| sequence of executable code rather than readable text, it is not
| editable like MSDOS.SYS, CONFIG.SYS, and AUTOEXEC.BAT.
|
| To change default values that come with IO.SYS, you must change the
| CONFIG.SYS file. In loading IO.SYS, the system picks up any changed
| values that are present in the CONFIG.SYS file.