Read DOS under XP

[Csaba Gabor]

I know this question has been asked in the past,
but I can't seem to find a consistant answer:

I'd like to do a firmware update of a DVD Drive I have,
and the instructions say it "requires Real DOS, a DOS
box under Windows is not suitable".

I have a vanilla laptop that came preinstalled with
Win XP Pro (on the c: drive) when I originally bought
it about 4 years ago. I've read on the web that I might
be able to use command.com (as opposed to cmd.exe).
However, typing ver at both of those gives me:
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
which does not give me the warm fuzzies.

A second possibility is to insert a blank floppy
into the a: drive, open up My Computer, right
click on the a: drive, select Format, and then
click the checkbox that says
Create an MS-DOS startup disk
and afterwards to copy the firmware updating programs
to the floppy.

A third possibility that I read about (for example, at:
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...p.general/browse_frm/thread/74c78161cc5088cd/
)
is to go to
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm
and make a floppy drive that will boot into DOS.
But which of the many choices should I select?
The first DOS 6.22 ?

Any pointers on which option I should go for?
Thanks for any clarification,
Csaba Gabor from Vienna

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I know this question has been asked in the past,
but I can't seem to find a consistant answer:

I'd like to do a firmware update of a DVD Drive I have,
and the instructions say it "requires Real DOS, a DOS
box under Windows is not suitable".

I have a vanilla laptop that came preinstalled with
Win XP Pro (on the c: drive) when I originally bought
it about 4 years ago. I've read on the web that I might
be able to use command.com (as opposed to cmd.exe).
However, typing ver at both of those gives me:
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
which does not give me the warm fuzzies.

A second possibility is to insert a blank floppy
into the a: drive, open up My Computer, right
click on the a: drive, select Format, and then
click the checkbox that says
Create an MS-DOS startup disk
and afterwards to copy the firmware updating programs
to the floppy.

A third possibility that I read about (for example, at:
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...p.general/browse_frm/thread/74c78161cc5088cd/
)
is to go to
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm
and make a floppy drive that will boot into DOS.
But which of the many choices should I select?
The first DOS 6.22 ?

Any pointers on which option I should go for?
Thanks for any clarification,
Csaba Gabor from Vienna

Get a Win98 boot disk from www.bootdisk.com. It witl boot your PC into
"real" ("read"?) DOS. By the way, since you run WinXP, it would be best to
post your next question in a WinXP newsgroup.

 

[foxidrive]

is to go to
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm
and make a floppy drive that will boot into DOS.
But which of the many choices should I select?
The first DOS 6.22 ?

Yes. Best have an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) powering the
PC/drive, to be safe. A power glitch/fault in the middle of a flash will
give the drive a negative coefficient of wellness. ;-)

You can also create a bootable USB stick with MSDOS on it, if there is no
floppy drive on modern machines.