WIN.COM
Developer(s)Microsoft
Included withWindows 1.0x, Windows 2.0x, Windows 3.x, Windows 9x
TypeWindows loader

WIN.COM is the executable file used to load versions of Windows that run from DOS. In Windows 3.11 and its predecessors, it is executed either manually from the DOS prompt or as a line in AUTOEXEC.BAT. In Windows 95 and onward it is automatically invoked by IO.SYS after AUTOEXEC.BAT is processed.[1] The file is present in the SYSTEM32 directory of some Windows NT-based versions of Windows (such as Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista) for backwards compatibility purposes.

Usage

WIN.COM has several parameters that facilitate system recovery and diagnostics.[2]

Issues

Corruption or deletion of WIN.COM caused many issues for users of Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0, Windows 3.0, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me, and some early Windows viruses targeted WIN.COM. Corruption of WIN.COM would cause the system to be unable to load the graphical user interface.[3] In all these versions (except for Windows Me without a boot disk), the system could still be booted to the underlying DOS prompt.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "WIN.COM Definition: TechEncyclopedia from TechWeb". www.techweb.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  2. ↑ "Windows 95/98 Win.com Command-Line Switches". support.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2004. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "How to Fix Win.com Errors". www.computerhope.com.
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