Is there a tool to run pure dos without installing a real dos?

[chee]

by the abbreviated topic title, i mean:

1. say, i've a primary partition, where xp is installed

2. integrate a pure dos environment into this partition, while the disk partition scheme remains intact

to be explicit:

1st primary partition: xp

2nd primary partion: fedora

others: logical paritions

i'd like to integrate dos in to 1st primary partition, without

1. installing a real dos to any other partitions, say, dos 6,7 or win9x

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why this bothers:

1. for those in need to run dos progs without a cd-rom/floppy driver, especially 3rd party disk management tools, backup tools,...

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thanks

[Nakatomi2010]

I'd recommend a VMWare install, or DOSbox

[jaclaz]

@Nakatomi2010

No, using a Virtual Machine will prevent the correct working of most of the apps chee wants to run.

(disk management tools usually need direct hardware access bypassing the HAL)

@chee

A very simple way to add a Dos of some kind without altering partitions is to use a DOS from a Virtual DISK, i.e. an image of a Dos disk.

You can have this by using GRLDR, part of the GRUB4DOS project:

http://sarovar.org/projects/grub4dos/

Documentation is quite scarce, a few example are in the readme.txt file of the download, here is a thread where I posted some info:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16980

jaclaz

Edited May 30, 2006 by jaclaz

[LLXX]

Your primary hard drive will need to be formatted as FAT32.

Save the existing boot sector of the hard drive, SYS it with a DOS boot disk so that it will boot to a command prompt, then save the new boot sector created by SYS as BOOTSECT.DOS and restore the original XP boot sector. Now add a new line to boot.ini:

C:\="DOS 7.1"

Edited May 31, 2006 by LLXX

[chee]

thanks for your replies, yet

LLXX's suggestion is perhaps the mot difficult for me to understand and carry out, since i'm not good at dos manipulations, could the suggestion be explicted: how to sys ?

thanks again!

[chee]

@jaclaz:

i've read the contents directed by the links, yet don't know how to do this.

@LLxX:

well, now i'd like to try to install dos 7.1 right on the partition where xp is installed, would this porcedure be feasible:

1. backup partition table and mbr

2. install dos 7.1 without formatting pri partition 1

3. ????

what would be the next?

thanks

[LLXX]

3. Save new boot sector as BOOTSECT.DOS in the root of the boot drive

4. Add the line I specified above to BOOT.INI in the [operating systems] section

5. Restore existing XP's boot sector

[chee]

thanks, LLXX

i've got it done.

ms dos 7.1 is able to configure a dual boot while keeping the existing hd geo and ox intact, so that there's no need to treat 3~5.

thanks for all your replies.

[stickzilla]

I'm with jaclaz on the suggestion of using a virtual floppy. However I have never used the tools he recommended. I have access to some Virtual Floppy tools from Symantec while here at work, and they are incredibly easy to use.

I'd say its worth spending some time to research and test with using a virtual floppy. It may be the easiest way to go about this - and you won't have to adjust your partitions or anything.

[chee]

alos, i've tried grldr.

and i'd like to ask one more question on this issue:

how to edit grldr, and save the edited application without changing its format?

since the grldr i've adopted is with default chn locale which is unchangeable, and i wanted to make this bi-lingual one.

thanks

[jaclaz]

@chee

I think it is not possible without editing the sources and re-compiling it.

Since the developer of GRUB4DOS is Chinese, and he made TWO builds, a Chinese and an English one, probably making a bi-lingual one is not so easy.

@stickzilla

As far as I know, GRUB4DOS GRLDR is the best tool to allow booting a floppy (or hard disk) image from the Boot.INI menu (thus complying with chee's request to NOT modifying the hard disk).

There is an elder project, called ISOEMU, which code was ported partly into GRUB4DOS and a newer one, called AVLGOMGR, still experimental.

Moreover there is a file floating around, Chinese as well, called vfloppy, that derives from Powerquest (now Symantec) virtual floppy app.

Just search for the above on the 911Cd forum.

jaclaz

[chee]

Thanks to Jaclaz!

i've just tried to edit grldr with UltraEditor in hex mode, and the edited grldr crashed.

so the only possible way is to download its source and recompile the edited one.

i've tried this scheme and succeeded:

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1. install wingrub on primary partition 1

2. install real dos 7.1 on primary partition 1, and let dos 7.1 make a dual boot

3. make primary partition 1 active since dos 7.1 needs an active primary partition

4. leave grub for linux intact, grub for linux is installed on primary partition 2, where fedora core 4 resides.

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it's Jaclaz's suggestion that led to me wingrub and, here again my appreciations.