95LX - booting into DOS

[polbit]

Does anyone know how I can make a 95LX boot straight into DOS instead of the app manager? I haven't used mine in a while and now I can't remember, but I know there was a way...

[striegel]

Edit or create the autoexec.bat file and don’t let it start the system.

[akpoff]

I don't have a 95LX, but if it helps on the 200LX you can hit the ALT key at boot and it will pop-up a dialog asking which drive you want to boot from. The default is the ROM drive on D:. Choosing C: will get you a plain DOS session.

If you want the normal path and drivers loaded, copy autoexec.bat from D: to C: and remove the System Manager load command "200" from the last line.

--Aaron

[polbit]

I've created c:\autoexec.bat and just put prompt $p$g in there, but it doesn't do anything, still boots straight into manager.

My main 200LX does work like that, but not the 95LX...

[polbit]

For other that might be looking for the same answer:

You have to create C:\CONFIG.SYS file, and add:

Code:

shell = command /p

That is the bare minimum to get it started in DOS. To make it cleaner, you can then create C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT, and add the following:

Code:

echo off
cls
prompt $p$g

Unfortunately @echo off doesn't work with this DOS version, but cls clears echo off fast enough that you won't notice.

[striegel]

I was mistaken to suggest editing the AUTOEXEC.BAT. The full details are explained well on page 2 of the HP 95LX Developer's Guide in chapter 3 (It's only 2 pages long).

Quote:The Default Shell
On standard DOS systems, the default shell is COMMAND.COM. On the HP 95LX, COMMAND.COM is the System Manager.

The System Manager is the program that directs execution of the built-in and special add-on applications.

The HP 95LX System Manager does not process any AUTOEXEC.BAT files.

The DOS Command Processor
COMMAND.COM is available in the HP 95LX but is not normally run at initialization time since DOS goes directly to the System Manager shell. There are two ways to access the command processor:

1. Invoke the command processor from within the System Manager program.

2. Change the shell to the command processor by including the line SHELL=COMMAND /P
in the CONFIG.SYS file and reboot.

This causes DOS to go directly to COMMAND.COM — the System Manager is not invoked, and the built-in application keys will not be active. The commands that are available are the internal command processor commands, any external programs on disk, and the two ROMed program commands listed above.

One use of this method is to get access to DOS in order to perform some custom initialization and then run the System Manager using the $SYSMGR command.