VERSIONS
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| Entertainment | Free MP3/WMA Music | What Next? | |
| Freeware | Commercial | DOS Clones | MSDOS Updates |
| DR-DOS | FreeDOS | PCDOS | PTSDOS |
| MSDOS TECHNET | W95 OLDDOS.EXE | FUTURE DOS | EMM622.EXE | |
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- Freeware Download
- DR-DOS - There are two free 7.03 versions, a 'full' version and a 'lite' version. DRDOS is a multitasking MSDOS v6.22 compatible OS. DR-DOS originated in 1987 at Digital Research, Inc. It was acquired by Novell in the early 90s then in 1996 DR-DOS was acquired by Caldera Inc. In 1998 it was spun out to Lineo Inc. (a Canopy company) and in October 2002 DR-DOS has been acquired by DeviceLogics, Inc. (renamed to DRDOS, Inc. recently). The so-called new v8.1 of DRDOS for sale for $45 at the DRDOS.com website is a fake combination of the work of Udo Kuhnt and utilities from FreeDOS (all free elsewhere). I recommend ignoring this fake version of DRDOS.
NOTE: The FTP server at LINEO has been deactivated as of 11-26-2002. Fortunately all of the FTP servers have not been erased - yet. I have selected another FTP server where both the 'full' and the 'lite' versions remain plus the 'beta' files but how long they will remain I cannot say.
As of 09-03-2003 I see NO free download of any DRDOS versions at the DRDOS.com website. All versions are commerical and none are free at the DRDOS.com website.
Other websites claiming to be official or unofficial "DRDOS" websites seem to have given up on DRDOS offering links for downloading that no longer work. The webpages at these other sites are not being updated and remain as 'left-overs' that only clutter the Internet with useless information. Search engines rank these websites as more 'relevant' than DOSGHOST when the search terms refer to DRDOS but search engines can be extremely stupid at times? The download links at DOSGHOST actually do link to free downloads of DRDOS and continue to function as of 10-24-2005.
W31 users claim that there is a noticeable speed improvement for W31 when DR-DOS is used to replace the orginal MSDOS (PTSDOS makes similar claims). I did execute W31 after booting to DR-DOS from a floppy and W31 did seem faster here at DOS Ghost than the normal MSDOS v6.22 usually is. There are two free versions of DR-DOS v7.03, the LITE version and the FULL version that includes personal netware. Both free versions are available for downloading from DOSGhost using the links provided for that purpose. The seldom discussed DR-DOS v7.05 developed by OnTrack and available from IBM may be the solution to the FAT32/LBA shortcomings of DR-DOS v7.03 or maybe not. I have not tested this combination here at DOS Ghost as yet. Another option available is the work being done on DR-DOS/OpenDOS at the DR-DOS/OpenDOS Enhancement Project. This is a work-in-progress version to add FAT32 support to DR-DOS. Thanks to Udo Kuhnt for this tip! A QuickStart DR-DOS configuration page is available here at DOS Ghost and an online version of the DOSBook documentation for DR-DOS v7.03 is located here. - FREEDOS - v9.x beta sr 2 (2005-11-30) GNU opensource work in progress by volunteer programmers. If you enjoy programming in 'C' or ASM and want to have the source code for your OS this is one of your options (see links to Mini-Linux). If you only want a working version of DOS this might be overkill for you? FreeDOS was used by the author of the Arachne DOS GUI browser to develop and test Arachne at one time. The company that was hosting www.freedos.org on it's server has gone out of business but the FreeDOS files (binaries and source) are stored at Ibiblio. I have adjusted my links accordingly until www.freedos.org can find a new 'home'.
- To join the discussion of FreeDOS on usenet refer to : alt.os.free-dos
- To join the discussion of FreeDOS on usenet refer to : alt.os.free-dos
- Miscellaneous DOS clones - Datalight ROM-DOS for @$37.50 US. The demo version requires submission of a brief registration form and then you can't find the download link when you use the 'password' they email out to you? RxDOS (kernel only, no development since Aug 2000), http://www.moedos.com MOE DOS appears to be dead?, etc.
- CPM v2.2 - The free download of an emulator originally from Lineo. CPM support website and a CPM WordStar support website.
- Commercial ©
- DR-DOS v8.1© - DR-DOS Inc. (formerly DeviceLogics) released DR-DOS 8.1 in the beginning of this month. But instead of an upgrade of the previous DR-DOS 8.0 released last year based on the old Caldera DR-DOS 7.03 code, as one would expect, it's something completely different:
1. The kernel is a badly patched copy of the Enhanced DR-DOS kernel old version 7.01.06 without any credit to its author Udo Kuhnt who added LBA and FAT32 support and many other features to the old OpenDOS 7.01 source code and turned it into what it's now. A NEWFUNCT.TXT file taken from Udo's later version (7.01.07) is included, which doesn't correspond to the included kernel. This kernel (unlike the later 7.01.07) can't even boot off a FAT32 partition, contrary to their claim that FAT32 is supported!
2. The utilities are the same revisions as the old version 7.03 utilities with just changed copyright year and company name. Even worse, many of them that were included in version 8.0 are now removed. Only DELWATCH and SHARE are actually updated. (Contrary to what one would expect, there are no other FAT32-enabled DR-DOS utilities there!) And TASKMGR is the same that Udo patched to work with his kernel...
CPA Note: Nice to collect $45 for what others have already accomplished for FREE and quite a coincidence that this announcement follows the release of a FAT32 compatible version of DR-DOS/OpenDOS from the DR-DOS/OpenDOS Enhancement Project.
- MSDOS© (this is not a download link) - Microsoft v7.x released 1999 with W98SE - displays "Windows 98 [version 4.10.2222]" and W95 startup disks display as "[version 4.10.1111]" but both are referred to as v7.x DOS? I cannot get these newer DOS to boot on anything older than my `386? (stable MSDOS releases: 2.11, 3.3, 5.0*, 6.22, 7.x) There are no free download versions of MSDOS, all versions are ©Microsoft. Refer to DR-DOS, PTSDOS, FREEDOS, or the miscellaneous links below if you are in need of a full DOS install.
NOTE: There are potential problems using the CHKDSK or UNDELETE of MSDOS v5.0? Details of how these utilities can malfunction and under what circumstances are included within the archive. If you use MSDOS v5 then get this free download of a Microsoft Update file just in case the circumstances apply to your setup.
- PCDOS© (not a download link) - IBM PCDOS v2000 is the newest release that was available. (stable releases 3.31, 7.x, 2000) No free or even demo versions I am aware of and I am unable to locate a webpage offering to sell PC DOS 2000 at either IBM or Lenovo. PCDOS 2000 also retains PCDOS 7.0's features, including Stacker 4.0, Central Point Backup, IBM's own flavor of REXX for batch programming, IBM AntiVirus (I continue to recommend that you use F-Protect regardless), and it can run on just about any computer, from an 8088 to the latest Pentium III's and Athalons.
NOTE PC DOS 7.0 Users: A free download of the Year 2000-compatibility FixPak for PC DOS 7 is still available. Please visit here to download it (several different languages available).
- PTSDOS - 2000© (link to demo version) - Multitasking Russian DOS trial download fully functional trial version but a 1 minute delay when booting up the computer. Minimum requirements : i286 CPU (or better) with 512kb RAM or more.
PTS website: "PTS-DOS is the powerful and fast DOS with network support, file manager, archiver, internal boot viruses protection and numerous utilities. It is fully compatible with MS-DOS 6.x and Windows 3.x. PTS-DOS has a built-in boot manager that allows you to use up to 10 other operating systems on one PC. PTS-DOS is certified by Russian Ministry of Defense and was used on the Russian satellites 'Uragan'."
PTSDOS is available in either English, Russian, or German language versions. The English version of PTSDOS is selling for $14.95 US at Paragon's website, the German subsidiary, and even includes source code. Certainly a fair market value if it can deliver all that is promised? PTSDOS is written almost entirely in ASM and is reputed to be 3.5% faster than MSDOS. Several DOS-Only users have insisted that PTSDOS is the superior DOS clone available today. At least one of the $1500 US per license embedded DOS resellers might want to argue about this but frankly, who cares about them?
- MTASK© - Willies Computer Software Co. produces a multitasking DOS kernel for $29.95 US that appears to be quite interesting. I have no personal experience using it but the screenshots (at the above link) and specs gave me reason enough to mention it as a multitasking alternative for the 'experimenter' willing to abandon the crowd and follow his/her own path? Source code is supplied with the DOS kernel which is also a plus.
- Free MSDOS Updates
- MSDOS Upate files mirrored from the Microsoft FTP server (free download) - I have selected those files that have a general interest for all DOS and W31 users. The complete listing of free downloads of update files from Microsoft is stored in INDEX.TXT, a 206k listing of most of the available update files free from Microsoft.
- Microsoft's FTP Server will no longer respond here. I am now using FTP links to a server in Poland that has mirrored the Microsoft server files.
Recent lack of access to the FTP server at Microsoft has prompted me to create a (73.5 kb) RAR self-extracting executable containing this same INDEX.TXT file and make it available from the DOS Ghost server. This same INDEX file is available on an HTTP server as online HTML. Be prepared to wait for this to load it's a 600K+ page of HTML code!
NOTE: Microsoft free downloads of update files for Windows v3.x are linked from DOS Ghost on this W31 webpage.
- PD0805.EXE SMARTDRIVE version 4.2 (a `smarter' smartdrv)
- MSCDX223.EXE Update to v2.23 MSCDEX CD-ROM extensions.
Our friends at Microsoft have removed the installation instructions from the Microsoft KnowledgeBase but the instructions below are sufficient if you ignore references to their proprietary CD (you won't have one, of course).
Installation instructions.
- EMM622.EXE EMM386.EXE and MSD.EXE for MSDOS v6.0 and v6.2 ( I use EMM386.EXE, HIMEM.SYS, IFSHLP.SYS and SMARTDRV.EXE from a W98SE setup with my v6.22 MSDOS - seems faster?
Installation instructions.
- STEPUP.EXE (FTP) or STEPUP.EXE (HTTP) (2.46 MB) MSDOS `STEPUP KIT' US version - This free download upgrades older version 6.0, 6.1, and 6.2 MSDOS to version 6.22 (recommended by me since the older versions weren't too good). If you do not already have a v6.x of MSDOS installed the automated update won't execute to completion and may even trash your C: drive in the process. The automated install alters files on your hard drive including IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS which could disable your hard drive if you are not careful.
NOTE : You have been made aware of the dangers, I am not recommending that this archive should be examined by any user, nor am I assuming any responsibility for collateral damage resulting from using STEPUP in any way other than that recommended by Microsoft.
However, WinZip will extract the separate executables (there are three main self-extracting executables within STEPUP which is itself a sfx-archive). A 'sfx' archive is a 'self extracting archive' that uses the '.exe' extension. After extraction of each of these files to a temporary directory WinZip can then examine each of the three sfx-archives and extract only the files you might want to examine futher.
MSDOS v6.22's defrag.exe, format.com and msd.exe are within the free download of these sfx-archives and do not require expand.exe, they are not compressed. (expand.exe is included in OLDDOS.EXE below if you did not install it onto your system when installing DOS).
MSDOS v6.22 command.co_, doshelp.hl_, drvspace.ex_, drvspace.bi_, scandisk.ex_, scandisk.in_, setver.ex_, and smartdrv.ex_ are compressed (note the use of the underline character) and require the use of expand.exe to return them to their proper sizes.
MSWBackup files dominate the #2 free download sfx-archive but I can't say for certain they would function without the automated makesys.exe and execution of makesys could potentially alter your existing DOS files and your hard drive.
If a user wanted to examine a working MSDOS collection of binaries the combination of selected files from STEPUP and OLDDOS (below) would include a large part of what is included in a typical MSDOS install minus a bootable floppy diskette (bootdisk). Add a few of the missing utilities that are available from a free download FreeDOS or even DR-DOS FTP servers and you would have, more-or-less, a 'full' working example of MSDOS.
- OLDDOS.EXE (836.15 kB) MSDOS utilities that were not included with the original distribution of W95. (a self extracting archive that does not require any form of automated install)
Installation instructions.
- NOTE : All of the binaries seem to function properly under MSDOS v6.22. Some are identical to v6.22 utilities in size but do not have the same dates as earlier v6.22 binaries.
Filename.Ext Kbyt Filename.Ext Kbyt ------------ ---- ------------ ---- APPEND .EXE 11 HELP .HLP 295 CHKSTATE.SYS 41 INTERLNK.EXE 17 EXPAND .EXE 16 INTERSVR.EXE 37 GRAPHICS.COM 20 LICENSE .TXT 4 GRAPHICS.PRO 21 LOADFIX .COM 2 HELP .COM 1 MEMMAKER.EXE 117 Filename.Ext Kbyt Filename.Ext Kbyt ------------ ---- ------------ ---- MEMMAKER.HLP 17 README .TXT 2 MEMMAKER.INF 3 REPLACE .EXE 20 MONOUMB .386 9 RESTORE .EXE 38 PRINT .EXE 16 SIZER .EXE 8 QBASIC .EXE 190 TREE .COM 7 QBASIC .HLP 128 UNDELETE.EXE 26
- SUP622.EXE (762.81 kB) MSDOS v6.22 supplemental Disk adds Access DOS for impaired persons and updates various network software.
Installation instructions.
- SUP621.EXE MSDOS v6.21 supplemental Disk
- DOS62SP.EXE MSDOS v6.2 supplemental Disk
- DOS6SUPP.EXE MSDOS v6.0 supplemental Disk
- PD0646.EXE MSDOS v5.0 updates for CHKDSK and UNDELETE upate (Revision Date : 12/92) files in this archive are dated : 11-11-91 5:00a. If you are using MSDOS v5.0 and if your FAT occupies 256 sectors, using the CHKDSK.EXE file dated 04/09/91 with the /f parameter ("chkdsk /f" [without the quotation marks]) can result in data loss. Using the UNDELETE.EXE file dated 04/09/91 can lead to unpredictable results. More detailed information is in this archive along with updated versions of MDDOS v5 CHKDSK and UNDELETE.
- PD0747.TXT MSDOS v6.0 Configuration Q&A
- PD0746.TXT MSDOS v6.0 MemMaker Q&A
- PD0321.EXE Removing non-dos partitions with DEBUG
- Further information regarding MSDOS setup is available from Microsoft's own archival data files by acessing MSDOS TECHNET and selecting "MSDOS" from the lefthand menu. The belief that all DOS support has been removed is not correct (obviously).
 Installing and updating any version of DOS is a good thing but it is not an end it is a beginning. Processor speed, bus speed, and the amount of installed memory are very important, we all know this. How to maximize these resources and other factors affecting overall system speed and stability are not always common knowledge. Tweaking/Tuning DOS to maximize the use of your available hardware will improve system speed and stability. Hard drive maintenance and keeping backups will improve stability. The hard drive is the most limiting factor after processor speed that can stop DOS from being productive on your computer system. To overcome this limitation we can use cache software (see SMARTDRV v4.2) and tune the cache software using SPEEDCHK to match your hardware and your needs. Adding a cache can improve performance 20-30% and tuning the cache can make another 30% improvement - it did here. Adding other utilities that increase/improve your interaction with DOS will not only increase the overall efficiency of DOS, it will add to your enjoyment of the experience. MAXBAT is a way to combine short batch files and avoid having to remember all those switch commands for each utility plus create online documentation for these utilities in a comparable way that Linux users have their 'manpages' available to them. Finally, after all of this time and effort, take DOS onto the Internet and brag, you've earned it! |
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| © Charles Angelich 2002 |