13,000+ hyperlinks are stored within these webpages with over 2,150+ links to other servers with free downloads plus a direct search of 700+ additional free download links at another DOS/W31 website.  If you've been wondering, there are over 2000 'random thoughts' contained in a database that is used for the displays and yes, reloading the page does display a new random thought.  Testing of download links here at DOS Ghost on 03-11-05 turned up a few broken links pointing to abondoned webpages and files removed from Microsoft's FTP server.  There should be few, if any, broken download links on the entire website now that these few have been corrected and , where necessary, replaced.  Many of the existing DOS and W31 websites have a high percentage of broken links.  If you notice, at DOS Ghost the links DO actually work!

Devedia has been sponsoring this website for quite some time now. We all owe a debt of gratitude for the much better response times and rapid transfer rates we can all enjoy on this server. Downloads of DOS updates, utilities, and the streaming of MP3/WMA files are the primary use here at DOS Ghost and that's a good thing. It was the reason for it's creation and being used is what it's all about!  The total of megabytes transferred each month from the server has doubled in the past six months and continues to increase in multiples each year of it's existence.

Time and effort has gone into keeping these webpages available to 16 Bit OS users.  The website is reviewed using LYNX386 a text-only DOS/*NIX clone, the Linux text-only browser LINKS, Arachne v1.70 rel3 DOS GUI browser, Opera v3.62 and v7.20, Netscape v4.08, IExplorer v3.0f and v6, Mozilla v1.7.5, and FireFox v1.07 from my own machines.  Each page will be submitted for testing to be at the W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN level of coding for HTML pages. It is my intention that no user will be unable to access the information contained at this website.

   

Weenies are attracted to smaller groups where they can play "Big Frog in a Small Pond" and unfortunately DOS & W31/WFWG is one of those small ponds they play in.  Echo mail, elists, and even usenet groups seem to be composed of 95% weenies with the rare serious thoughtful response that is often ridiculed by the weenies.  The people given the authority to control this nonsense are as inbred as the users only adding to the overall stupidity. This website is an attempt to offer as much useful information as possible without the need for anyone to subject themselves to the abuse found in these so-called 'help' group areas. 

NO javascript (JS) has been used in the coding of these webpages!  JS appears to be the darling of retailers and is used for snooping into other people's computers, neither of which is of interest to me here.  If you turn JS off you will realize that it has been adding little to nothing to your information content or even to your entertainment.  Many older browsers will just display garbage on the screen, stall or even lock up when confronted with JS.

The graphics animation above was created with Neopaint using DOS v3.3 then animated using a 16 BIT Windows v3.1 application.  This animation and others at this website are GIF animation files that do not require you to enable scripting, install another new plugin gizmo, nor do you need to download the latest version of anyone's browser.  Addition of the 'Random Thoughts' and other improvements have been accomplished using server side CGI code that your browser never 'sees'.  DOS really IS the GHOST in my machine!

NOTE: If the animation is slowing your browser more than you care for just disable animation for your browser.

What's Different About this Website? Information and links to useful free downloads of software at this site are based on my personal experiences of the past 20+ years using 16 Bit MSDOS.  Information from other sources will include the name(s) of the source of that information. This does not mean that free download software not linked here is not useful.  It only means that neither I nor anyone I know has installed the software.  If there are applications or free download links that should be listed here email the URL to me using the link at the bottom of this page and I will try to determine the URL's usefulness for this website.

Links within text will return to where you had been reading when you executed the link if you use your browser's back-arrow (previous page) function.  This means that you can get further information without 'losing your place'.  The   button returns to the sitemap page and the  button jumps to the top of the web page you are viewing.

The sidebar menu located at the homepage will take you to the other pages.     buttons allow the entire website to function like a wheel with spokes.  The information is at the end of each spoke while the HOME functions as the shortcut to each of them.  At any time you can return to the 'hub' to select a new topic.  The HOME buttons will be located near the top of each page.

links are located throughout the length of each page and are set to the right margin for ease of access for those who have right side scroll bars.  The top of the typical page will have links to topics on the same page and a HOME link.  Getting to the top of each page offers the easiest navigation of the page for those who do not use windows, do not have scroll bars, and would have to move one page at a time up and down looking for a particular topic.

Contrary to normal DOS websites the author is not a Linux user who thinks DOS is cute.  This website is not a museum!  DOS and Windows v3.1 have been used by the author of this website since MSDOS v2.11, v3.1, v3.3, and a more recent install of MSDOS v6.22.  The machines and software used to create, upload, and test these webpages were all using DOS and Windows v3.1 16 Bit OS and applications originally on an 80386 33mhz with 4 meg of memory, upgraded to a Pentium 5 at 60mhz and 16 meg of memory and more recently a W2K NTFSv5 machine with 328 meg of memory that dual boots to 32bit W98SE DOS on a FAT32 partition.

Internet Access began here on an XT using a local dialup FIDO BBS that offered Internet email accounts.  Using AGORA robot internet servers to download and then email the software to me at my BBS email account once I had located the proper software and arranged for this 'robot' transfer I could then use DOS packet drivers and DOS text-only browsers to go directly onto the internet.  I have installs of MSKermit, Minuet, DOSLynx, Lynx386, Arachne, FTP, PING, and POP3/SMTP DOS applications on this machine's hard drive and I did use them until my ISP changed it's authentication to MS CHAP.  I have been tweaking and testing W31 recently and will continue to use both DOS and W31 when either is the most appropriate.  Recent (2002) tweaks of W31 have included syshook.drv, memory valet, and OnTrack's 32 bit hard drive access driver.  Use of the newer W98SE himem.sys, emm386.exe, ifshlp.sys, and smartdrv.exe have improved DOS v6.22 and W31 stability and speed.

W2K is being used to maintain the website now partially as a 'shakedown' testing of the OS itself and to allow me to determine if the hardware using W2K is worthwhile (450mhz machine).  The upside is there is a new 52x35x52 CDRW burner in the W2K machine.  After trashing W2K no less than 15 times and restoring it from an image copy it has finally become quite stable and useable.  Almost simultaneously received an old 233mhz machine that will probably be used to test DRDOS and WFWG in the near future.

Archives of DRDOS (all 128 megs of it), PTSDOS, FreeDOS, and MSDOS v7.x and v8.x are also here on my machines.  I will be testing each one as time permits along with various applications for both DOS and Windows.  I have WFWG installed and operational on one hard drive but no computer to put it in right now.  Testing my way is to live with the software for awhile and give it time to become enjoyable/useful or annoying and deleted from my setups. 

DrDOS (not the version sold by DeviceLogics), OpenDOS, and FreeDOS are available as free downloads to those who require a free MSDOS compatible OS.  There is no compelling reason to pretend that MSDOS is not copyrighted software.  Distribution of boot disk images as so-called 'rescue disks' is illegal.  There are none here nor do I link to the websites that offer them.

DO check for free downloads of updates and/or patch files for your flavor of DOS or W31 at either the Windows versions page or the DOS versions page. Windows 3.1 and WFWG users should, of course, check for free download updates at both pages.  There were several patch and update files offered as free downloads by Microsoft and I have listed those files that are the most needed, in my opinion, and the link to the INDEX listing of the FTP server's contents including updates for newer 32 bit Windows and other Microsoft applications.  You are welcome to view this listing just in case I missed a few.