FreeDOS

[Dr. Chef]

I love FreeDos and DOS in general, but I have a few questions. I want to install FREEDOS to a USB flash drive (not live, but actually installed). Could I be able to do that? Would FreeDOS work on a modern PC? Also, I've been having issues for the longest time to install network drivers (on any computer), is there a way to easily get networking configured, so I can use Arachne (web browser)?

Thanks.

-Dr. Chef

[ElPolloDiabl]

FreeDos is up to date and should work. I haven't yet gotten MSDOS working with XP already installed. It doesn't like an NTFS partition being there.

Try unetbootin:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/unetbootin/

[Dr. Chef]

My question is: Could I plop in a FreeDOS install disk, create partitions on a USB Flash Drive (fat 32. I know FreeDOS supports it) and install the OS to the FlashDrive? I don't want to mess with my current windows 7 partitions or install bootloaders to my HDD.


Could I do it all by installing to my FlashDrive, or is there a work around? I found a version of FreeDOS that had extra software on it, so I'm unsure if I need help with networking, but are there generic dos drivers that would allow me to connect to the internet? And if so, how would I install those drivers?

Thanks for the reply.

[Duce]

I've used the below guide before with flawless results:

http://www.howtogeek.com/136987/how-to-create-a-bootable-dos-usb-drive/

[ElPolloDiabl]

It should boot and run off a usb drive. I've just found out that you can only put one partition on a USB pen drive. It is not the same as an external hard drive.

Download one of the iso images. Use the usb maker to copy the image onto the usb stick. Hold down f2 (or del) during boot and select boot from USB.

[polyp2000]

I love FreeDos and DOS in general ...

What do you love about it ?

N

[psxphill]

I've used the below guide before with flawless results:

http://www.howtogeek.com/136987/how-to-create-a-bootable-dos-usb-drive/

Yeah Rufus is excellent. I've had a problem copying some bootable isos to a usb stick as it's not a universal method.

IIRC it uses SYSLINUX like the official instructions.

http://www.freedos.org/wiki/index.php/USB

I don't know if it's possible for freedos to be the bootloader.

I've just found out that you can only put one partition on a USB pen drive. It is not the same as an external hard drive.

You can put more than one partition on the disk, Windows just doesn't like more than one partition on a disk that says it is removable.

http://www.prime-expert.com/articles/a05/enabling-multiple-partitions-on-removable-usb-storage-devices.php

"Usually external USB HDDs are fixed disks and USB thumbdrives are removable disks in Windows."

My latest external hard drive says it's removable and I couldn't find any way to change it, so the partitioning is also limited by Windows.
 
 I decided against multiple partitions in the end, but this will do it.
 
 http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/win-8-1-format-a-sd-card-with-multiple-partitions-make-it-gpt-uefi-bootable-make-any-removable-storage-usb-appear-permanent.59815/

[Forcie]

Also, I've been having issues for the longest time to install network drivers (on any computer), is there a way to easily get networking configured, so I can use Arachne (web browser)?

Getting networking to work is not hard, but you have to have a network card in your machine which has a DOS packet driver available. Good candidates for DOS networking are 3Com NICs and older Realtek NICs. If you don't have one you can just buy a dedicated network card for DOS and plug it into your router, provided you have a machine old enough to support PCI (or ISA) cards.

Once you have a packet driver, you only have to load it at boot and you are set. Each Internet capable DOS program has to provide its own TCP/IP stack (for example WATTCP was common). This means that to run Arachne or other internet software you have to configure a network connection for each program, usually in a config text file in the program directory. But it also means that you don't have to bother with anything else than downloading the program in question to get it to work, provided you have the packet driver for your network card.

[psxphill]

But it also means that you don't have to bother with anything else than downloading the program in question to get it to work, provided you have the packet driver for your network card.

It depends on what software you want to use. If for example you want to use the dos lanman client then you need a driver for that and a packet driver shim so that applications can share it.

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/j_helmig/doscltcp.htm
 http://comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc.narkive.com/aRkDXHOI/lanman-and-packet-drivers

I used to use novell netware and packet driver shims and that was a similarly hairy experience.

[Linde]

I would probably just run it from the USB drive if I could get it to boot. Most modern BIOS allow you to boot from USB. I have never tried TCP/IP networking in DOS. Maybe you should also look for soundcard options, as some modern ones will not play well. If you have ISA slots I would recommend SB 16 or AWE32. For PCI, I think SB Live will emulate SB 16.