Boot Up Menu for Win 98 to interlink to Win 3.1.

. Simplified version of making a boot menu. Specifially for Windows95/98/00 So it can interlink to Windows 3.1 or 95/98 Longer DOS version of this page.

		Got a new computer and want to copy your hard earned files and work to the new one? This can be done by using interlink over a parallel cable from your old 486 to your new Windows 95/98/00 computer to keep/make a copy of your old 486 computer? With Windows 95/98/00, there is a way to have it boot [up] with any configuration you want. It's like having a computer for backups and another for the network. Its free and it only takes a few minutes of work to set up. Warning, Do not multitask while using interlink. Both computers are emulating diskettes, and can corrupt the low level formatting of the HD, making it useless.
(This is the Simplified version) Longer DOS version of this page.		Example starts in item #7. The PC is a big box of parts. It takes software "drivers" to make the computer operate with different hardware. Your Win98 computer converts FAT32 to FAT16 for its input and output devices. And interlink emulates your old Win 3.1 computer's HD has being a floppy FAT12. This allows you to link them over a male-male parallel "data" cable.
		Example
For Windows 95 /98/00		If you havn't already done so, make a stratup diskette, click Start \| Control pannel \| Open the "Add remove Programs" Properties dialog box at the \| Startup Disk tab \| Click Create Disk. Now, if something goes wrong, the config.sys or the autoexec.bat, it can be edited baci the way it was.
#1		Use the Interlink programs, included with DOS 6.0, and 6.2, as a TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) in each machine to communicate and transfer files over a parallel or serial cable. The two Interlink programs needed consist of INTERLNK.EXE 17KB 3/10/93 6:00 AM and INTERSVR.EXE 37KB 9/30/93 6:20AM. Copy them to the root on both machines.
#2		Start making a menu by editing the CONFIG.SYS. Or without a menu, they can just be remarked (rem) in and out as needed. At the first line, put the word [menu] and include the brackets. Now a menu will pop up when booting. Tip: a great diagnostic feature is that you can press F8 at boot, then bypass any errant files or mistakes you might have made. An example of the config.sys is item #7.
#3		Lets call the items in our menu "regular" for normal every day (net)working, and "link" for interlinking to an old 486. So, on the next line of the config.sys put "menuitem=regular". and on the next line "menuitem=link", without the quotes. With the following command, the computer will wait 9 seconds, for you to press a key, then it will go ahead and choose "regular" for you. Put the command for this: "menudefault=regular ,9"
#4		*Exclusive; Undocumented anywhere else* When making a menu with many different options, or on different computers, I forget what "regular" means. I add more description for the menu to display after a ";" semicolon. The menu will display your description as a choice, but the batch file follows , the item named "regular" in the program. The descriptive choice is only for display. So if you want to add a description, after a "menuitem" put a space then a ";" (semicolon) then put the description you want it to display for your choices. Here is an example of what it could display for "regular". The complete command line to make it display more discritpion is: "menuitem=regular ;Regular is normal networking". Tip: For diagniostic purposes, you can prevent commands from loading and taking effect in the config.sys and autoexec.bat. By preceedeing the line with a "rem", they will become remarks or comments. Similarily, any Windows .ini file entry can be remarked out by preceeding the line with two ";;" semicolns then a space.
#5		Any other stuff that has to load in the config.sys and autoexec.bat can be included in [common] sections. Placing [common] stuff in the first and last areas are the least confusing to me.
#6		On your new menu, put [common] and on the lines under that, put the items which stay the same on each boot. For instance [common] then some lines might say: device=c:\dos\himem.sys and "share" etc. For Win3.1 and DOS, be sure to put all the rest of the [common] stuff; including, but not limited to: dos=high, dos=umb, files=60, buffers=20,0, lastdrive=Z, stacks=9,250, etc.. and a shell command such as: shell=c:dos\command.com c:\dos\ /e:1024 /p
#7 Example		Here is an example of the config.sys.. Yours will be different! Leave out the extra spaces between the lines and leave out the "(descriptions)". [menu] menuitem=regular ;Regular is normal networking or print. menuitem=link ;Interlink to 486, Warning, do not multitask! menudefault=regular ,9 [common] (Put all the usual stuff that is in your config.sys which boots up the same, as per #6.) (Such as but not limited to: LASTDRIVE=M, DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS BREAK=ON STACKS=12,256 DOS=HIGH) [regular] (Thats any stuff that is different from the "link" boot) (or just a "rem" remark if there is nothing extra to put there) [link] DEVICEHIGH=C:\INTERLNK.EXE /LPT:1 /DRIVES:3 (can also use a serial cable). (Be sure to copy DOS 6.2x interlnk.exe and intersvr.exe to the root of c:\ drive on both machines.) (In DOS 6+ type "help interlnk" for help.) [common] (Put any more of the usual stuff that stays the same, as per #6.) Half of the battle is finished, save the config.sys... Now we have to edit the autoexec.bat file and insert instructions that will correspond to the config.sys instructions. Example in #14 .
Now, the Autoexec.bat		Batch files (.bat) execute each command in order, just like if you had typed them in at the "C:\>" prompt. Plus batch files have a few extra commands for making decisions, such as "IF" and "Choice", at which time they branch to a label. Labels always start with a ":" colon. The batch file then continues to process each instruction.
#8		Lets keep it simple, and not change your original autoexec.bat any more than is necessary. The top part of the autoexec.bat should stay the same and contain all the usual common stuff. If you have a line(s) that need to be different for the "link" part of the menu, move them to the bottom.
#9		The autoexec.bat will execute all the (usual) common stuff first. Then we want it to branch to any necessarily different "menuitem"s. The "menuitem" that was chosen in the config.sys is now called a label and is carried over and contained in the variable %config%. After the common stuff, and before the interlink stuff, insert a new line with the command: goto %config%. Then add a line with a the label :link. This new action command will branch to the label ":link" if that was chosen at boot up from the menu in the config.sys. The autoexec.bat will execute all the commands after skipping to the :link label. After processing any lines necessary to make interlink work, we want it to skip down and not process anymore by sayint on a line "GOTO END". Also, make the last line say :END"
#10 Example		First, put all the usual things needed in the autoexec.bat here at the top. Then put the changes that might be added to make it work in conjunction with the menu started in the config.sys. (goto%config%, branches to :link or :regular.) Put all the usual stuff here like path etc... then: goto %config% :link c:\intersvr.exe (This item will mainly be used on the older smaller computer. In the case of the larger computer, the autoexec.bat has no lables.) (Warning, because while using interlink, both computers are emulating floppy drives, do not multitask at all, It can corrupt the low level formatting and/or boot sector, rendering the HD useless.) Play minesweeper or take a nap. goto end echo Type Win for Windows (Windows 3.1) :end
		With interlink, on both machines connected by a parallel cable, file manager "Explore.exe" will show all the drives. You may need to move the drive letter assigned to the CD-ROM drive in the system driver in the config.sys. Check your CD_ROM intatllation instructions. Give yourself a star for being a programmer.

Longer DOS version of this page.