Going to Create a Bootable CD

[Bjorn Simonsen]

Well the version of Dos Navigator on the Ultimate Boot CD is the latest
version 3.7.0. Unfortunately, it does not display the long file names of my
files on my hard disk.

I don't have the ultimate bootcd handy here, but here is what I would
do in your shoes: First find out if maybe the long filename driver
(say DOSLFN or LFNDOS) simply is not loaded via autoexec.bat or
config.sys by default, but needs to be loaded via the command line.
And/or find out what LFN driver it use, then get copy of the driver
and read the docs about configuration/loading, if they are not already
included on the CD-rom that is.
Links here <http://sta.c64.org/lfnemu.html>

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen

 

[Roger Johansson]

Well the version of Dos Navigator on the Ultimate Boot CD is the latest
version 3.7.0. Unfortunately, it does not display the long file names of my
files on my hard disk.

Pity. I suspect the LFN Driver is missing. Or maybe I am doing something
wrong...

When I tested it I simply ran the doslfn.com before I ran the file
managers, it looks like the doslfn.com stays in the memory and is active
after it has been run.

 

[Roger Johansson]

An alternative to FreeDos you might want to consider
is Dr-DOS (history: DR-DOS-> NovelDOS-> Opendos-> DR-DOS)
See:
"Club Dr-DOS" <http://stud3.tuwien.ac.at/~e0225895/drdos/drdos.htm>
"Unofficial DR-DOS Resources": <http://www.drdos.net/>
Search pages there for info about dedicated LFN files/driver
for DR-DOS.

DR-DOS download page here ftp://ftp.fsn.hu/pub/OpenDOS/DR-DOS.703/images
Caldera Dos: ftp://ftp.fsn.hu/pub/OpenDOS/OpenDOS.701

A list of alternative DOS versions and many DOS utilities:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ak621/DOS/Websites.html#Alternate

 

[Mark S.]

Roger Johansson wrote to alt.comp.freeware on Sun, 28 Mar 2004 21:11:33 +
0200, the following ...

DR-DOS download page here ftp://ftp.fsn.hu/pub/OpenDOS/DR-DOS.703/images
Caldera Dos: ftp://ftp.fsn.hu/pub/OpenDOS/OpenDOS.701

A list of alternative DOS versions and many DOS utilities:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ak621/DOS/Websites.html#Alternate

Just a short note here. I Installed DrDOS/Caldera and had terrible
results with FAT32 partitions. Someone recomended a GNU 32 bit version
of DOS. It's in the very early beta stages (.2). It does boot the
computer and does recognize FAT 32 partitions but that's about it. I
checked out the alternative DOS versions which you just mentioned Roger.
Unless I have missed something there are three free version of DOS which
will read FAT32 partition (DrDOS, FreeDOS and the GNU 32 bit one (don't
even recall the name) I am going to reinstall FreeDOS and if it works and
if it works great and if not so be it.

To answer someone's question about NDN and Dos Navigator NDN is a 32 bit
program and Dos navigator is a 16 bit. This is probably the biggest
difference.

Mark S.

 

[David Simpson]

So DOS 7.10 is really GNU licensed?

That would be great.

I looked at FreeDos and found that it cannot be run from floppy disks,
as far as I can see. It needs to be installed on C:, or run from CDROM.

Not being able to boot up from a floppy is a serious limitation for a
DOS version.

So if DOS 7.10 is really GNU that is very good.

As far as I am aware the last stand-alone version of MSDOS was 6.22.
so if it claims to be MS DOS then I doubt if it would be GNU and may
be a pirate edition of Win95 as a command line boot only. If it states
that it is just DOS your guess is as good as mine.

Novell DOS or DR DOS were put into the public domain by Novell or
whoever bought it from Novell, I think Caldera. FreeDOS is the
continuation of that system as far as I can tell. It had various name
changes and they settled on FreeDOS with version 7.3 which had LFN
support as a TSR. Worked well but did not support large drives or
FAT32. I lost track of it after I started getting more involved with
Linux.

FreeDOS, which I downloaded this afternoon, is in the form of a floppy
image file which needs to be written with the GNU licensed Rawrite
program. It will certainly boot from a floppy.

I would be very, very suspicious of any version of DOS which did not
boot from a floppy and which required installation on an HDD before
doing anything. Even Win98 will boot from a floppy.

I have not tested FreeDOS as yet.

 

[David Simpson]

When I tested it I simply ran the doslfn.com before I ran the file
managers, it looks like the doslfn.com stays in the memory and is active
after it has been run.

That is the way I remember it working from the original beta that came
with DRDOS 7.2.

 

[Roger Johansson]

Unless I have missed something there are three free version of DOS which
will read FAT32 partition (DrDOS, FreeDOS and the GNU 32 bit one (don't
even recall the name) I am going to reinstall FreeDOS and if it works and
if it works great and if not so be it.

The problem I had with FreeDos, during my short experiment, was that it
booted from the CD-ROM, but it created a virtual C:\ root, and I could
not get into contact with my real disks, floppy or hard.

I hope it is possible to install it to floppies too, besides to hard
disks. Maybe you will have to install it on a hard disk first, and then
sys A: and put as many useful parts of it as possible onto the floppy.

But you wanted to create a bootable CD-ROM..

I hope you find a way to do that.
The bootable CD-ROM iso is most of all an install program, not a run
program as far as I could see.
It would be better if it ran off the CD, and was usable, like bootable
linux CD:s like Knoppix.

It should run happily from CD-ROM and also give the possibility to
install to either hard disk or floppies.
If it installs on hard disk it must avoid disturbing an existing windows
installation, or inform the user very clearly that it will replace his
windows operating system..

I didn't dare install it to my hard disk, because I suspect it will
break my windows installation. And there was no option to install it to
floppies. That is why did not test it any further.