How can I get a copy of DOS?

[Doug Mc]

I have some old programs that use DOS that I need to us temporarily.
How can I get a copy of DOS to install?

Obviously, I'm using WINXP2

Thanks,
Doug

 

[Tom Willett]

www.google.com

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I have some old programs that use DOS that I need to us temporarily.
How can I get a copy of DOS to install?

Obviously, I'm using WINXP2

Thanks,
Doug

www.bootdisk.com

 

[Falcon]

I have some old programs that use DOS that I need to us temporarily.
How can I get a copy of DOS to install?

Obviously, I'm using WINXP2

Go to a second hand place and lay out a few bucks, cheap, for an
older machine that is pre-ME.

 

[Doug Mc]

I thought that a bootdisk only enabled you to bring it up under a basic DOS;
but doesn't have all the routines that an installed DOS system would have.

Am I wrong??

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I depends what you want to do under DOS - you never
told us other than in general terms. If you become a little
more specific then someone will tell you if a DOS boot
disk will do it. Furthermore, you're in the wrong newsgroup.
A DOS newsgroup would be a far better place to ask
this question.

 

[Doug Mc]

1. If I have the DOS program(s) installed and I use a Boot Disk, can I go to
that folder, etc. and execute it without error?
2. I don't know how to get to a DOS news group.......

 

[marse]

I have some old programs that use DOS that I need to us temporarily.
How can I get a copy of DOS to install?

Obviously, I'm using WINXP2

Thanks,
Doug

Attack of the (free) DOS Clones
http://www.freedos.org/
http://www.deltasoft.com/opendos.htm

or -- read about other free clones
(I haven't kept up)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOS

or -- to steal the real deal
(Who cares, its old)
http://www.isohunt.com/torrents/?ihq=DOS+6.22
+
http://azureus.sourceforge.net/

 

[marse]

1. If I have the DOS program(s) installed and I use a Boot Disk, can I go
to that folder, etc. and execute it without error?
2. I don't know how to get to a DOS news group.......

<shrug>

Nobody knows what program you want to run and what all it needs.

Give it a try with just a boot disk. If it don't work, grab one of those
free DOS clones I listed.

If you even want to play around further run a DOS inside a virtual machine
inside Windows...
Vmware has a trial period, as does MSVPC I believe.

 

[Doug Mc]

OK, I'll give it a try with the boot disk.

And...... I don't see another reference to "Marse" so I don't know what
"free DOS clones" you mean....

 

[Dustin Cook]

1. If I have the DOS program(s) installed and I use a Boot Disk, can I
go to that folder, etc. and execute it without error?

Not unless you load an NTFS driver. As your system is likely using NTFS as
it's filesystem. If you boot from a dos disk, drive c: won't be available.

2. I don't know how to get to a DOS news group.......

Google.com is your friend. Windows XP does a reasonably well job of
emulating most DOS functions. Have you already tried the application under
a command.com or cmd.exe window?

 

[Carl Kaufmann]

I have some old programs that use DOS that I need to us temporarily.
How can I get a copy of DOS to install?

Obviously, I'm using WINXP2

Thanks,
Doug

See if DOSBox will handle your needs:
http://dosbox.sourceforge.net

Don't be put off by all the games listed. Generally games require
even more non-standard capabilities than "legitimate" apps.

Carl

 

[Eric]

I have some old programs that use DOS that I need to us temporarily.
How can I get a copy of DOS to install?

Obviously, I'm using WINXP2

Thanks,
Doug

DOS is installed. Windows 95/98/ME was built on DOS. Windows 2000/XP.. has
an emulator.
You can start a DOS session in WinXP by going to Start > Run and typing CMD.
Windows 95/98/ME have command.com, the real DOS. cmd.exe is the emulator.
If the command interpreter that comes with Windows doesn't do what you need,
for WinXP you could set up a shortcut that runs your program through cmd.exe
and set the compatibility flag.
If that still doesn't do it, you'll need a DOS Clone program, which you can
find with a quick search of the internet.
If that still doesn't do it, you'll need an old PC with the old version of
DOS which you might find on ebay or an antique store..

 

[Doug Mc]

Hi Dustin,
So, if the DOS system is loaded on drive C then I can't find it or run it??
(need your answer to this one to see if I understand you....)

No, I haven''t tried to execute from a command com.
I'll try that also.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[Eric]

Hi Dustin,
So, if the DOS system is loaded on drive C then I can't find it or run
it??
(need your answer to this one to see if I understand you....)

The DOS system is on your disk if you use the boot disk method. It just
might not see your hard drive if you have an application on the hard drive
you're trying to run.

 

[Lem]

Hi Dustin,
So, if the DOS system is loaded on drive C then I can't find it or run it??
(need your answer to this one to see if I understand you....)

No, I haven''t tried to execute from a command com.
I'll try that also.

Thanks,
Doug

No, Dustin meant that DOS cannot read files on a disk drive that is
formatted using the NTFS file system. If your C:\ drive uses NTFS (and
most computers that come with XP pre-installed do), then when you use a
DOS bootdisk, DOS will start up but will not be able to "see" anything
on C:\. You can get around this by adding an NTFS driver to the DOS
bootdisk: http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/NtfsDos.html

 

[Doug Mc]

OK, thanks Lem. That helped.

No, Dustin meant that DOS cannot read files on a disk drive that is
formatted using the NTFS file system. If your C:\ drive uses NTFS (and
most computers that come with XP pre-installed do), then when you use a
DOS bootdisk, DOS will start up but will not be able to "see" anything on
C:\. You can get around this by adding an NTFS driver to the DOS
bootdisk: http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/NtfsDos.html

--
Lem MS MVP -- Networking

To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer

 

[Doug Mc]

Thanks Eric,
Understand everything except "set the compatibility flag."
How do I do that?

 

[marse]

Hi Dustin,
So, if the DOS system is loaded on drive C then I can't find it or run
it??
(need your answer to this one to see if I understand you....)

No, I haven''t tried to execute from a command com.
I'll try that also.

Thanks,
Doug

Oh, yeah, just try that first.

Sorry, I had assumed that whatever-it-is-you-want-to-run needed to be in a
true DOS..

I got a few such animals that I play with every now and then (mainly just
for nostalgia).

I.e., a couple favorite emulators for old 8-bit machines that I wasted time
on decades ago. They only run in a true DOS. I play with them in DOS
running inside a virtual machine. Emulation inside emulation. One of the
8-bit'rs even has a program that emulates a machine prior to it. Emulation
inside emulation inside emulation.

Another oldie favorite I play around with when really bored is Falcon 3.0...

 

[Doug Mc]

Makes my head hurt!!

Oh, yeah, just try that first.

Sorry, I had assumed that whatever-it-is-you-want-to-run needed to be in a
true DOS..

I got a few such animals that I play with every now and then (mainly just
for nostalgia).

I.e., a couple favorite emulators for old 8-bit machines that I wasted
time on decades ago. They only run in a true DOS. I play with them in
DOS running inside a virtual machine. Emulation inside emulation. One of
the 8-bit'rs even has a program that emulates a machine prior to it.
Emulation inside emulation inside emulation.

Another oldie favorite I play around with when really bored is Falcon
3.0...