MS-DOS Compatibility Mode When Booting from Removable Disk (163317)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q163317

SYMPTOMS

If your computer is configured to boot from a removable disk, the Performance tab in System properties may show that the computer is using MS- DOS Compatibility mode for virtual memory. This problem is known to occur with Iomega Zip drives, Iomega Jazz drives, and SyQuest EZ drives, and may also occur with other IDE or SCSI removable disk drives.

Note that this behavior can also occur if you are using a laptop computer with a removable or "swappable" hard disk and the Removable check box is selected in the drive's properties.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, configure Windows 95 so that the Windows swap file is located on a non-removable disk. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. In Control Panel, double-click System.
  2. Click the Performance tab, and then click Virtual Memory.
  3. Click "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings," click a non-removable disk in the Hard Disk box, click OK, and then click OK again.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows 95 and Windows 95 OEM Service Release 1. This problem does not occur with Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:7/27/2001
Keywords:kbDiskMemory kbHardware KB163317
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.