A warning about MS-DOS and Windows ME!

Chat about new breakthroughs in technology and science. Or even about cool stuff that happened in the past...
Forum rules
Please read the Forum rules and policies before posting.
Post Reply
theadder
Journeyman
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2000 8:00 pm

A warning about MS-DOS and Windows ME!

Post by theadder »

Windows Millennium DOES NOT support either "raw dos" mode or "ms dos mode" for programmes. IE:

1) You cannot press F8 on boot up and get a DOS prompt.
2) You cannot reboot into DOS mode or set a progamme to run in DOS mode.

The only option in Windows Millennium is the DOS box. If you can't get your DOS programme to run there, you are stuffed unless you have a duel boot system or another PC with DOS installed :-(

Interestingly (good one, Microsoft) if you try to run a DOS programme like DM in a Windows DOS box, it will still display a window saying "this programme will work better in DOS mode - would you like to set this programme to run in DOS mode?". If you reply "Yes", and then run the programme, you will get another error saying Windows ME does not support DOS mode. Good one.
Van
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2000 3:00 am

LOL

Post by Van »

Its getting better and better.

The way I go around these things is I have Win98 on one drive, DOS or DOS/Win95 on another and switch between them by manipulating slave/master drive settings. I find it less involving than some dual booting headaches. Have my comp in front of me on the table open on one side, so I look right in and have tweezers ready to re-jumper the drives as needed. Have been toying with the idea of getting some connector for the jumper pins and some complicated switch, so I could do the whole procedure with one flip or turn of the switch for both drives at one time, or separately if I can't make it as one gismo. You have to rebbot anyway, so why not into pure old DOS

Of course, you can't run FAT32 for Win98 if you want to access that disk from DOS...

Van
isamu
Apprentice
Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2000 5:00 am

??????

Post by isamu »

I'm curious. Is there a way to go into 100% pure dos without exiting windows? What exactly defines the dos environment anyway? Is it an actual application, an independant O/S, or just just some other type of format? Van-what you're suggesting sounds incredibly kewl! How can you set up dos and Windows and switch between them? Can I have my PC shop set up my PC that way? Are there any risks or disadvantages? How much is it gunna cost?
Van
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2000 3:00 am

Well, read more carefully, maybe...

Post by Van »

...I did not explain myself clearly enough.

So, you have one physical hard drive on which you install windows95 or 98 or 3.1.
Then you have another (second) drive on which you install Microsoft DOS say v 6.22

You do it by first connecting one drive as master (RTM) and installing say Win98.

Than you make the other drive master and install on it whatever else, say MS DOS

Now, most computers have primary and secondary IDE BUS, each can support two drives. On the primary IDE cable, one drive has to be set as master, that one will boot, the other on the same cable is then just a storage drive, set up as Slave non-booting Drive by little connectors, so called jumpers (RTM) The DOS on the slave is just a bunch of files that cannot do anything, especially not boot. That changes though when you set this Slave drive as a Master now and the other you either completely disconnect (power down your computer first) or you set it as Slave (again RTM). That makes your Win98 on it just a harmless bunch of files that cannot do anything, especially affect the DOS.
As I said, if you want to have any access to these files from DOS, you cannot have the disk formated as FAT32 (again manual explains that).

The whole idea is that Windows and DOS cannot interfere in any way with each other, they are each on a different physical disk, you see.

So you need two hard disks, not just one as usual. And I want to make clear, you do not switch to DOS (that's an OS of its own) from Windows, that is, not to classic DOS. You shut the computer down and then start up from the other drive.
And that involves manipulating certain very small contacts (you need a pinzette to grip them at all) at the back of your drive(s)
and you damn better know what you are doing
No magic at all. And as I said, dual-booting Win and DOS from one drive is (can be) a headache, don't know of anybody doing it really.
Voila, ce simple, nespa?

Van
Post Reply