SANE - DOS All-in-one "safe" shutdown, reboot, bios password reset and DOS stabilization utility. \ VOGONS

SANE - DOS All-in-one "safe" shutdown, reboot, bios password reset and DOS stabilization utility.

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First post, by igully

Posted on 2025-12-01, 23:30

igully Offline

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This is a utility I formerly named SHUTDOWN up to v2.05 (27th November 2025)
MSDOS: reboot into boot sequence

It kept evolving into a multi-purposed one. The name change was to reflect the wider array of features and because it was shorter to type on a keyboard.

Overview:
--------
This is an all-in-one reboot and shutdown program for DOS that works on any
PC, even on ancient 8088 XT and, of course, on a modern ATX one, where it
actually powers down the system. It also has a few extras like BIOS password
resetting and attempts to stabilize DOS when chaos ensues.

Before any shutdown or reboot occurs, SANE will first notify Microsoft
Network Client and Novell NetWare. Afterwards, it will flush DOS cache
programs, and then perform a DOS file system and disk reset routine on all
available drives.

Partial list of DOS Cache programs that get to be flushed before any shutdown
or reboot:
CD Blitz, Norton Cache, Novell NWCACHE, PC-Cache, PC Tools, QCache,
QuickCache, SmartDrive, Super PC Kwik, and plenty others that have a routine
checking interrupt 13h.

In any case, by default, SANE will display text messages that allows users
to follow each internal process as it is being initiated. Redirect to NUL if
you don't want them displayed (Example: SANE /Y >NUL).

Usage:
-----
----------------

SANE - Powers off, reboots, resets BIOS password, and stabilizes DOS.
Version 2.11 - Copyright (C) Ignacio F. Gully

Syntax:
SANE [/Y] [/S] [/R] [/W] [/F] [/B] [/X]

Options:
[/Y] Shuts down the system.
[/S] Shuts down the system for long term storage. This option includes
drive parking and Dallas RTC battery preservation.
[/R] Cold system reboot.
[/W] Warm system reboot (Not recommended).
[/F] Fast DOS restart (May crash your computer. You have been warned!).
[/B] Removes BIOS password and sets CMOS values to default (Expert use only).
[/X] Performs a DOS stabilization process using a 40x25 text screen mode.

Note:
SANE without any option will attempt to stabilize the current DOS system.
It will use a default text screen mode of 80x25. Use /X for 40x25 mode.

Comments, requests and bug reports are welcomed.
The documentation included in the archive contains the above text and further detailed information about the program.

I hope you find it useful.
SANE is Public Domain software.

Ignacio

Last edited by igully on 2025-12-13, 23:45. Edited 4 times in total.

Reply 1 of 16, by keenmaster486

Posted on 2025-12-01, 23:34

keenmaster486 Offline

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What does the "stabilization" do?

Also, does the disk reset routine park the drive heads?

World's foremost 486 enjoyer.

Reply 2 of 16, by igully

Posted on 2025-12-01, 23:48

igully Offline

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SANE /S Shuts down the system for long term storage. This option includes drive parking and Dallas RTC battery preservation.
SANE without parameters will attempt to stabilize DOS. This, in essence means what is displayed in the picture below:

A simple use case:

An 80's game you were playing decided not to quit cleanly, leaving you a garbled screen with annoying high pitch tone coming out of the speaker. To fix this mayhem, just blindly enter: SANE

Last edited by igully on 2025-12-11, 15:47. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 3 of 16, by AncapDude

Posted on 2025-12-02, 00:03

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That's a cool Tool. Does Cache clean also work for smartcdx (patched smartdrive to work with shucdx)?

Reply 4 of 16, by keenmaster486

Posted on 2025-12-02, 00:18

keenmaster486 Offline

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igully wrote on 2025-12-01, 23:48:
SANE /S Shuts down the system for long term storage. This option includes drive parking and Dallas RTC battery preservation. SAN […]
Show full quote

SANE /S Shuts down the system for long term storage. This option includes drive parking and Dallas RTC battery preservation.
SANE without parameters will attempt to stabilize DOS. This, in essence means what is displayed in the picture below:

A simple use case:

An 80's game you were playing decided not to quit cleanly, leaving you a garbled screen with annoying high pitch tone coming out of the speaker. To fix this mayhem, just blindly enter: SANE

Nice, and sorry I missed that part.

World's foremost 486 enjoyer.

Reply 5 of 16, by igully

Posted on 2025-12-02, 00:28

igully Offline

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Don't worry. It is okay.

Reply 6 of 16, by igully

Posted on 2025-12-02, 00:36

igully Offline

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AncapDude wrote on 2025-12-02, 00:03:

That's a cool Tool. Does Cache clean also work for smartcdx (patched smartdrive to work with shucdx)?

I have never tested that patched SmartDrive version, and don't know what that patch does, but in theory it should work too, as I use both the multiplex interrupt and the device method to flush SmartDrive's cache, and even if its flushing method has been patched, it should most likely monitor interrupt 13h which is also addressed.

Reply 7 of 16, by igully

Posted on 2025-12-10, 05:45

igully Offline

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Changelog:
Sane version 2.09 (10 December 2025):
- Little code optimization.
- Added more verbosity in user-feedback on DOS stabilization procedure.

Update available for download in the first post.

Reply 8 of 16, by crusher

Posted on 2025-12-10, 08:33

crusher Offline

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Wow this seems like a cool Tool! 😀
Everybody knows the situation when a game or program is not exiting in the desired way leaving you with garbled screen or audio output.

Will check this out...

Reply 9 of 16, by Cyberdyne

Posted on 2025-12-10, 11:55

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Just a sugestion. To DOS stabilisation. Add Adlib OPL2/3 reset.

I am aroused about any X86 motherboard that has full functional ISA slot. I think i have problem. Not really into that original (Turbo) XT,286,386 and CGA/EGA stuff. So just a DOS nut.
PS. If I upload RAR, it is a 16-bit DOS RAR Version 2.50.

Reply 10 of 16, by igully

Posted on 2025-12-10, 15:18

igully Offline

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Cyberdyne wrote on 2025-12-10, 11:55:

Just a sugestion. To DOS stabilisation. Add Adlib OPL2/3 reset.

I found something to play with in this regard, as I never had an Adlib.
I will give it a try and deliver a testing version if everything goes fine.

Update:
=====
Please test AdLib/OPL2 reset in this new version 2.10.

Just enter SANE, and it should between many other things reset the AdLib/OPL2 and display a text message saying :
"Sending reset command to AdLib/OPL2 at ports 388h (status) and 389h (data)..."

I don't have such hardware, and have never used it, so any report is welcomed.

Last edited by igully on 2025-12-13, 19:42. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 11 of 16, by crusher

Posted on 2025-12-11, 07:26

crusher Offline

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What exaclty is the difference between /Y and /S parameters?

In my case I have AT compatible Pentium MMX computer with switching power supply.
Is /Y the same as shutting down via power button or is it /S?

Reply 12 of 16, by Disruptor

Posted on 2025-12-11, 10:07

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crusher wrote on 2025-12-11, 07:26:

What exaclty is the difference between /Y and /S parameters?

In my case I have AT compatible Pentium MMX computer with switching power supply.
Is /Y the same as shutting down via power button or is it /S?

/S stops the realtime clock. When you switch your computer on again, you will have wrong date/time, literally from the point where you shut it down. But this will make the life of a builtin battery in a Dallas module longer.

Reply 13 of 16, by crusher

Posted on 2025-12-11, 14:14

crusher Offline

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Disruptor wrote on 2025-12-11, 10:07:

/S stops the realtime clock. When you switch your computer on again, you will have wrong date/time, literally from the point where you shut it down. But this will make the life of a builtin battery in a Dallas module longer.

Ah now I got it 😀
Thanks for the explanation!

Reply 14 of 16, by igully

Posted on 2025-12-13, 19:42

igully Offline

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Changelog:
Version 2.11 (13 December 2025)
- Another code optimization pass. Program executable is now 27 bytes shorter (Every byte counts !).
- Made the parameter parsing more tolerant: you can now use "/" or "-" or whatever else you desire.
- Any non-existent parameter or input error will display the built-in help.
- Improved documentation.

Reply 15 of 16, by crusher

Posted on 2025-12-15, 10:49

crusher Offline

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I tested SANE last weekend and it works very good!
The stabilisation feature is very useful.

I made 2 batch files sd.bat and rb.bat for very fast reboot or shutdown of the PC.

Damn I would have needed this tool in the good old days.
But it's nice to have it even nowadays on my Retro DOS machine.

Thanks nad keep up the good work.

Reply 16 of 16, by igully

Posted on 2025-12-15, 18:23

igully Offline

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Thank you very much for your test report!

I am really glad someone other than me uses it.

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