How to install pure DOS in WinNT/2 K/XP

Now many netizens are using WinNT, 2 K, XP, and other operating systems. However, when they started WinNT/2 K/XP, they found that many DOS programs could not run on it, and they could not use pure DOS. What's going on?

As you know, WinNT/2 K/XP has a "command prompt" stuff, the surface looks like Win3.x/9x in the MS-DOS window. However, they are completely different. Win3.x/9x is a GUI enhancement program running in a large protection mode under the MS-DOS, while WinNT/2 K/XP is an independent operating system based on OS/2, NT components, therefore, there is an essential difference between them. The real DOS is MS-DOS, PC-DOS and other pure DOS, and WinNT/2 K/XP in the "command prompt" is only a "WinNT system console ", some "DOS virtual machines" are available. Since it is virtual, the effect is naturally not really good. As a result, when this "Virtual DOS" cannot run DOS programs normally, only real DOS (such as MS-DOS 7.10) can be used to run them.

Since WinNT/2 K/XP does not contain DOS, you can only use dual-boot if you want to install a pure DOS system on the hard disk after installing these operating systems. Many netizens know that a menu appears when WinNT/2 K/XP is started, from which you can select the OS to start. However, sometimes this menu does not have the "DOS" option, this menu does not even appear at startup (if you choose to retain the original operating system when installing WinNT/2 K/XP, in the WinNT/2 K/XP Startup menu, the options of the original operating system are displayed ). So what should we do? The following describes how to install DOS after WinNT/2 K/XP is installed.

DOS Startup requires the Boot Sector and startup file of the DOS system. The DOS installer automatically reconstructs the DOS Boot Sector and Startup File during installation, so that DOS can be started after installation. However, for earlier versions of DOS (such as MS-DOS 6.x), their installer overwrites WinNT/2 K/XP boot information, causing WinNT/2 K/XP to fail to start. This is also the case if you use commands such as SYS that come with DOS to transmit data. Therefore, a better method should be used to enable both DOS and WinNT/2 K/XP, or use a DOS installer that can be automatically made into a DOS and WinNT/2 K/XP dual-start.

MS-DOS 7.10 is currently the most powerful, practical, and compatible DOS. In addition, it fully supports large hard disks, large memory, long file names (LFN), FAT32 partitions, and the possibility of directly starting Win3.x/9x. In addition, its installer fully supports coexistence with WinNT/2 K/XP. "MS-DOS 7.10 full installation version" (can be downloaded in the dossystem) in the installation can allow the system to automatically complete the installation of DOS full version in WinNT/2 K/XP, and automatic DOS and WinNT/2 K/XP dual start. Because MS-DOS 7.10 complete installation version is very powerful and practical, so we recommend that you use. More details can be seen in the article pure MS-DOS 7.10 full installation version.

However, if the primary partition of the hard disk (usually the C disk) is in NTFS format, DOS cannot be directly installed because DOS does not directly support NTFS format. In this case, you can use multiple start managers, such as SPFDISK. After setting the system partition with the Multi-Boot Disk Manager, directly install MS-DOS 7.10 to realize coexistence with WinNT/2 K/XP.

In addition to installing DOS or using a real DOS boot floppy disk to start DOS, you can also use a virtual floppy disk image to start DOS, that is, DOS in the Virtual DOS boot floppy disk is directly started from the boot menu of WinNT/2 K/XP, which is equivalent to starting from the DOS boot floppy disk. You can use software such as VFloppy and GRUB for NTLDR to achieve this. You can see it in the China DOS Alliance forum. However, do not install DOS when using a virtual floppy disk or a real floppy disk to start to DOS. To install DOS, you must use the DOS installer to automatically install DOS.