1	Lesson 4 DOS Configuration Essentials
2	The Boot Process The boot process begins with hardware testing and loading. The boot process also includes the loading of software from the HD
3	The Boot Order Post-Check Hardware Computer searches for an O.S. to pass control to. IO.SYS loads device drivers so the O.S. can communicate with hardware. MSDOS.SYS loads the core program
4	The Boot Order CONFIG.SYS loads to tell DOS how to modify its operating system AUTOEXEC.BAT loads to tell DOS how to configure itself and if it should start additional programs. Command prompt loads
5	CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT Are not required, but are almost always present in a DOS system. AUTOEXEC.BAT contains a batch file, which is a series of commands that have been grouped together. Tells DOS how to configure itself to find certain files, such as the default temp folder. CONFIG.SYS Tells DOS how to configure to run additional Hardware by adding additional device drivers
6	DOS Disk Management Utilities FDISK Used to partition the hard drive Used to delete all info in a partition You must understand this command before you use it or you could erase critical information on the computer.
7	DOS Disk Management Utilities FORMAT Prepares the hard drive to store data by creating a file system on the partition Uses the File Allocation Tables(FAT) file system Formatting a partition deletes all information stored on that partition. You must understand this command before you use it or you could erase critical information on the computer.
8	DOS Disk Management Utilities SCANDISK (CHKDSK) Checks the physical surface of the hard drive for errors or damage. Checks for logical errors in the File Allocation Tables(FAT). Fat keeps track of where pieces of files are locate by using pointers. Sometimes these pointers become corrupted and parts of a file or program get lost. Scandisk groups these files together and saves them in a temp folder Usually the user just throws these files away because they are difficult to read and replace.