Embedded logo in IO.SYS - how to extract/convert?

[Marztabator]

While building myself a nice little Windows 95 virtual environment, I figured I might choose to mix things up and use the boot logo from Windows 98 since I reckon it looks prettier.

Wondering why I couldn't find the startup logo (or "logo.sys") amongst the CAB archives on my 98SE CD, I googled for information and discovered that apparently the default startup animation is hidden inside the system file IO.SYS.

Only problem is that I don't know how to get it out of there. I looked at it (as well as its renamed equivalent "winboot.sys") through a hex editor and It doesn't appear to be in bitmap format, or at least not have the proper header to make it stand out easily. What's odd is that the Windows ME version - from playing around with the file on my ME CD and unpacking it with IO8DCOMP - has an obvious bitmap file inside that can be extracted easily (but is otherwise identical to "sulogo.sys"). So why is the pre-ME equivalent more difficult to deal with?

I googled everywhere hoping someone had the same idea as me and received or gave out the answers I was looking for - the closest I got was with this guy on this very board, who rather unfortunately was ignored and the thread forgotten about relatively quickly.

All I'm looking for is the means to extract this default logo/animation out of the file and NOT a guide on how to use a replacement "logo.sys" like most similar questions on the net ended with. I've read the odd suggestion that a utility or two exists that should deal with this, but nobody ever mentioned any names.

Anyone care to help? Thank you.

[ZortMcGort11]

nevermind...

Edited April 12, 2014 by LostInSpace2012

[rloew]

Windows ME IO.SYS is entirely compressed so there was no need to separately compress the Logo.

The earlier Windows did not compress the IO.SYS itself so they only compressed the Logo.

The Logo is in a separate Module within IO.SYS so it can be extracted, removed and probably replaced with another compressed Logo.

I can't say for certain if the Logos from 95 and 98 are interchangeable.

[Marztabator]

Does one need to use a resource editor to extract certain modules out of the file?

If so, I'm not sure if there's one out there that supports 16-bit DOS files - even eXeScope can't handle it.

[oldskool]

reserved for later

Try this. U need hex edit or the tool in that page.

http://www.russwill.com/library/computers/computer_graphics/logosys/logo_sys_animation.htm

http://www.xrx.ca/logoutils/

this here explains how to strip the image out. of msdos 8.0

http://www.edm2.com/index.php/Some_features_of_MS-DOS_8.0

Edited April 12, 2014 by oldskool

[jaclaz]

Just for the record, there is a thread here to the same effect:

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/77019-windows-me-iosys-winbootsys-format/

Rloew provides a decompressor (see above), look here:

http://rloew.x10host.com/prerel.htm

for "IO8DCOMP".

jaclaz

[Marztabator]

Guys, guys............ I already know how to unpack ME's IO.SYS file and extract the bitmap out of it. This is what I already mentioned in my post!

The IO.SYS I need help with relates to MS-DOS 7.1 (and by extension 7.0) as used in Win98 (and 95). That's generally not packed apart from the logo itself, which according to rloew is compressed in a different format. We need a tool or something for *that*.

[submix8c]

"Roll your own" -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOGO.SYS

Create one according to conventions and place in Boot Drive Root.

edit

use the boot logo from Windows 98 since I reckon it looks prettier

Guess you'll just need to find an "image", download it, and "modify" accordingly.

HTH

Edited April 13, 2014 by submix8c

[Marztabator]

See, this is precisely the problem I found with similar questions being responded to online. People seem to think that creating a LOGO.SYS file and placing it in C:\ is the only answer. If you want a custom loading screen yes, but the fact remains I want to use the *original* boot logo - which is currently trapped inside IO.SYS - outside of its original OS.

[DougB]

I would like to know how to do this too, but for a different reason. Just to clarify, i would like to:

+ Remove the bitmap from IO.SYS v7.1.
- Not bypass it (with LOGO=0).
- Not replace it with a different LOGO.SYS or embedded bitmap.

IIRC, there was an MS IO.SYS floating around somewhere where this was done, but it was an older buggy version (not RLoew's fixed IO.SYS).

The reason i would like to do this is to reduce the size of IO.SYS to allow more (or larger) files on bootup diskettes.

As it is, i've been using IBM PC-DOS v7.1 for this, and while it does allow access to FAT32 partitions, i'm a little nervous about using that particilar build of the system files.

MS-DOS v7.1 IO.SYS: 222,670 bytes
PC-DOS v7.1 IBMBIO.SYS: 44,656 bytes
IBMDOS.SYS: 42,566 bytes

- Doug B.

[rloew]

I have extracted the LOGO from IO.SYS 7.1. I used the decompression code built into IO.SYS. This is how IO8DCOMP works.

The LOGO can also be removed reducing IO.SYS to 156,216 Bytes.

Incidentally, my IO.SYS fix has nothing to do with the LOGO.

[Marztabator]

That's great to know! But is it something that's easy to pull off, particularly in absence of an easy tool similar to IO8DCOMP?

Will I need to be using DOSBox's debugger or something?

[dencorso]

While you should not use MS-DOS 8.0 as a stand-alone MS-DOS, you sure can do it with MS-DOS 7.1. So you might as well install WIn 95, then replace all DOS files by those from 98SE (and some from ME) and then add the various fixes to IO.SYS (I believe RLoew released a freware patcher for IO.SYS, IIRR). In this aproach, you'd not only have the LOGO, but also all the benefits from the most up-to-date MS-DOS version in existence. Of course, this is lateral thinking, and you might proceed in the quest for extracting (and even recompressing) the LOGO from inside IO.SYS. This is just my 2¢, of course.

[rloew]

The easiest way to make the change is to copy the compressed Logo from the Windows 98 IO.SYS to the Windows 95 IO.SYS.

Some realignment will be required as the 98 Compressed Logo is larger than the space allocated to the 95 Logo.

I'm not sure why you would want to use the Windows 98 Logo in your Windows 95 System. It says "Windiows 98".

[jaclaz]

Guys, guys............ I already know how to unpack ME's IO.SYS file and extract the bitmap out of it. This is what I already mentioned in my post!

Sure , without providing a reference to it.

I filled this "gap", and my post was a reply to oldskool's one, sorry for having made it not clear.

jaclaz