Stripped down 98 DOS?

[randiroo76073]

Azagahl, have you run across this one yet: http://www.winimize.com/

Got it from nother thread this forum

[pcalvert]

Azagahl, have you run across this one yet: http://www.winimize.com/

Got it from nother thread this forum

Not necessary. It's actually more work to use that. The link I posted above explains how to do it in a simpler, cleaner, more complete way. One could try using that if one wanted to have the option of booting into a very minimal Windows 98. But for DOS only, it's overkill.

Phil

[somewan]

QEMM does not work here, because it is not Win9x compat.

Actually QEMM 8.0x and 9.0 [last one] releases are [or should be] compatible with all Win 9x builds, according to the Quarterdeck docs.

This also depends which of QEMM extra "features" one uses.

If used strictly as a plain EMS/XMS memory provider, without using any of the "stealth" modes or "advanced" switches, QEMM 9.0 should be almost 100% compatible with all Win 9x builds.

I seem to recall that I used the stealth feature successfully with Win98, as well as quickboot.

However, after finding UMBPCI.SYS and HIRAM.EXE I've been using those. If I recall correctly, I found them via links from your site.

[somewan]

MS-DOS 7.1 will work without doing the 3xStart patch, but you can't run lots of things.

odd, The only application people have told me that has not worked is win3x, what other dos programs don't work in dos7.1.???

Every dos game and applications I have used since 1991 on Dos 5 all work 100% on realmode Dos7.1.

That is my experience also. It's preferable over 7.0 for most purposes due to its FAT32 support.

I want to open Windows Me DOS 8 IO.SYS file with an hex editor to change some ASCII strings (which is possible in Dos7.1 Io.sys), but the file seems to have been compressed with an unknown (for me) utility. It's compressed because it has half size than previous versions.

And I'd like to hack the logo out of the 7.1 IO.SYS. Does anyone have more info on that?

[somewan]

You can run Windows 3.1 and Windows 98 from the same session, although the Win98 exit is a reboot.

Win98 exit is not a reboot, unless you chose the restart option, or unless there's something wrong. Problems with the shutdown sequence are common.

Typically Win98 will try to turn off the computer on shutdown. However, it can be made to return to the DOS prompt pretty easily.

[MDGx]

I seem to recall that I used the stealth feature successfully with Win98, as well as quickboot.

However, after finding UMBPCI.SYS and HIRAM.EXE I've been using those. If I recall correctly, I found them via links from your site.

You're probably right, I keep an updated page for UMBPCI + HIRAM, just in case...

http://www.mdgx.com/umb.htm

I also use them whenever I boot into Win98SE from my old P3 Intel 440BX PC.

My relevant config.sys lines:

DOS=HIGH,UMB,AUTO
DEVICE=C:\MAX\RAM\UMBPCI.SYS
DEVICE=C:\MAX\RAM\HIRAM.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\MAX\HIMEM.SYS /NUMHANDLES=120 /TESTMEM:OFF /Q

[MDGx]

You can run Windows 3.1 and Windows 98 from the same session, although the Win98 exit is a reboot.

Win98 exit is not a reboot, unless you chose the restart option, or unless there's something wrong. Problems with the shutdown sequence are common.

Typically Win98 will try to turn off the computer on shutdown. However, it can be made to return to the DOS prompt pretty easily.

Right on the money.

And here is how to do it, in case anybody is interested:

http://www.mdgx.com/98-4.htm#98ATX

http://www.mdgx.com/newtip1.htm#DOS

http://www.mdgx.com/last3.htm#DOS2DOS

Please remember that MS-DOS 7/8 is the 8-bit layer on top of which Win9x 16-bit layer loads.

With some modifications to autoexec.bat, config.sys + msdos.sys [MS-DOS 7 + 8 only, because in MS-DOS 6.xx MSDOS.SYS is a binary file], one can actually regain full access to native/true MS-DOS, upon exiting Windows GUI [instead of shutting down], and that includes WinME, if patched with a Real-mode DOS patch:

http://www.mdgx.com/dos.htm#ME

Hope this helps.

[somewan]

You can run Windows 3.1 and Windows 98 from the same session, although the Win98 exit is a reboot.

Win98 exit is not a reboot, unless you chose the restart option, or unless there's something wrong. Problems with the shutdown sequence are common.

Typically Win98 will try to turn off the computer on shutdown. However, it can be made to return to the DOS prompt pretty easily.

Right on the money.

And here is how to do it, in case anybody is interested:

http://www.mdgx.com/98-4.htm#98ATX

http://www.mdgx.com/newtip1.htm#DOS

http://www.mdgx.com/last3.htm#DOS2DOS

You don't seem to mention this registry setting:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Shutdown]
"FastReboot"="0"

Or, at least I think that's the one - it can be changed with the MSCONFIG utility too, and will make the system return to WIN.COM, which - if patched - will terminate and return to DOS.

There may be one or two alternative approaches, which I haven't tested well enough to say anything definite about:

1. According to Andrew Schulman's classic "Unauthorized Windows 95",

WIN.COM is not really needed, and you can launch VMM32.VXD directly

by renaming it to *.EXE. However, Schulman tested an early version of

Win95 and this may no longer be entirely accurate.

1.1. The big picture is still true, however, and it shouldn't be hard to cut

WIN.COM out of the boot sequence if you know where to hack,

because the DOS portion of VMM32.VXD is the true bootstrap

loader of the 32-bit ring-0 kernel (VMM + the other VxDs).

2. Look in Control Panel >> System >> Device Manager

2.1. Select "View Resources by Connection"

2.2. Open the properties for "Advance Power Management Support" and disable it.

2.3. Go back to 1.1 and expand the "PLug and Play BIOS" tree

2.4. Expand the "PCI Bus" tree.

2.5. Open the properties for "Intel Power Management Controll" and disable it.

Approach 2 probably wouldn't do anything about WIN.COM, however, so you'd still have to patch it.

Please remember that MS-DOS 7/8 is the 8-bit layer on top of which Win9x 16-bit layer loads.

I assume you're referring to the fact (if my recollection is correct) that MS-DOS did start its life as a "quick-and-dirty" (QDOS by Seattle Computers) clone of the 8-bit CP/M operating system.

What I find more amazing, however, is the amount of Unix concepts and compatiblity introduced into versions 2.x/3.x - for example:

* file descriptors/handles

* standard input, output, error descriptors

* sample system calls that map directly to Unix equivalents: unlink(), ioctl(), lseek(), dup2()

* user-installable character and blocked devices, that can be opened as files

* forward-slash recognised as path separator

* config.sys switchchar= setting, typically used for setting "-" rather than "/" as

the command line switch-indicator

* setting for requiring \dev\ (or /dev/) path prefix for opening devices

Amusing how MS later tried to distance itself from Unix, and how some of the above functionality was subsequently reduced - the last two, specifically.

Almost equally amusing is how rarely this Unix heritage is one of things Unix advocates have to say on the topic of MS-DOS.

[os2fan2]

I've pried MS-DOS 7.1 from Windows 98se, and modified it so that it does no version check. Some 622 files (like mouse.com, mscdex.exe), are added to the mix. Still, it fits on a single floppy uncompressed. Most run nicely under Windows NT/2K/XP/etc.

The QBASIC system is heavily revised. You can now access the DOS help system from inside the editor, so you can cut and paste text from help. QBasic also has the phatcode patch, the *.* patch applied. Help is rewritten to cover the new utilities added. (except where.exe, exetype.exe)

Programs from the oldmsdos packages have been modified to match the 7.1 dos version, although deversioned themselves. share,exe comes from Windows 95.

[MDGx]

I've pried MS-DOS 7.1 from Windows 98se, and modified it so that it does no version check. Some 622 files (like mouse.com, mscdex.exe), are added to the mix. Still, it fits on a single floppy uncompressed. Most run nicely under Windows NT/2K/XP/etc.

The QBASIC system is heavily revised. You can now access the DOS help system from inside the editor, so you can cut and paste text from help. QBasic also has the phatcode patch, the *.* patch applied. Help is rewritten to cover the new utilities added. (except where.exe, exetype.exe)

Programs from the oldmsdos packages have been modified to match the 7.1 dos version, although deversioned themselves. share,exe comes from Windows 95.

Wow... that's a lot of work, but I bet it's worth every minute you invested, now you have the stand alone MS-DOS 7.1 OS, a DOS gamer dream come true.

btw:

Did you add dosshell files to the mix?

Those don't need version patching.

The only major bug of dosshell I know of is that it is not LFN compliant.

P.S.

May I ask for a copy of your files, please, for my own personal use only? [e-mail]

Many thanks in advance.

Best wishes.

[Guest wsxedcrfv]

I don't get it.

Something called "MS-DOS 7.10" has been available for download on the net for quite a few years.

[Link to Warez Removed]

How is this different?

I'm curious as to why asking for a copy of someone's files is acceptable here.

Edited January 5, 2010 by wsxedcrfv
No links to warez! Rule 1a says: "You will be warned on your first offence"... consider yourself warned.