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Questions tagged [ms-dos]

MS-DOS was the most popular operating system for desktop PCs until the mid-1990s. Do not use this tag for questions about Windows command line programs or scripts.

Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) is Microsoft’s first OS. Commissioned by IBM, Microsoft bought and modified QDOS for use on IBM’s range of personal computers, or “PCs”.

It soon became the most popular flavor of DOS and remained so for years, however due to its not so user-friendly text-based command-line nature and architecture limitations, it was eventually replaced for general use by Microsoft Windows (and other graphical OSes).

MS-DOS continues to be used for special-purpose uses such as flashing BIOSes and altering disk partitions, as well as for fun by aficionados, although other flavors of DOS including free ones which continue to be developed such as Free-DOS have since become more popular.

Windows command line

Do not use this tag for questions about Windows command line programs or scripts.

Instead, use the tag combination and .

379 questions
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What version of MS-DOS does Rufus use to make bootable USBs?

Rufus allows for the creation of a bootable MS-DOS flash drive. It does this out of the box as an option without needing to specify an image or ISO. However, documentation on the tool is virtually non-existent as it is, and I can't find anything…
Hashim Aziz
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73
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6 answers

Does Windows still rely on MS-DOS?

I am just about to start an OS course and as an Apple user I am not very familiar with the underlying details of Windows OS. I was wondering, is MS DOS still used with Windows running on top or is ONLY Windows used now as the OS? I was a little…
rrazd
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55
votes
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Transferring "large" file off of MS-DOS 5.0 Machine (without removing HDD)

As part of some sort of legal record-keeping thing, my father's business lawyers has requested a copy of the database of customers from a work computer. The core issue is that this work computer is a circa 1988 AOpen...thing, running what looks to…
Tarkenfire
  • 553
49
votes
1 answer

Can EXE always be replaced with COM?

Preview Our antivirus software didn't allow me to copy an EXE file into my Windows 7 startup folder (calc.exe for example) since it's an EXE file So I renamed it to a COM file and then copied it and it allowed it (very professional). And of course …
Royi Namir
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32
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4 answers

How do I transfer data between two old PCs using parallel or serial?

Recently, I found an old Gateway 2000 Colorbook laptop with MS-DOS6.22/Win3.1 that had no ports but PS2, parallel, and serial ports. My modern computer doesn't have any of these ports, so I am trying to use an old Optiplex 755 with a Vista/Kubuntu…
Pro Gamer
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32
votes
6 answers

MS-DOS command to delete all files except one

Is there an MS-DOS command that allows me to delete all files except one? Consider as an example the following files: a.001 a.002 a.003 a.exe a.c Is there a command to delete all files except a.c?
nunos
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30
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3 answers

What is the difference between CMD and Command prompt in windows?

Until now, I never thought (and never observed) that cmd and command are two different things. Well, are they? Take a look at this pic: Actually, I usually open cmd from the Run dialog whenever I want to command-line (for Git/ VIM). So, I…
Surya Kasturi
  • 433
26
votes
6 answers

Is it possible to run an old 16-bit DOS application under Windows 7 64-bit?

Possible Duplicate: Why 64 bit OS can't run a 16 bit application? How do I get 16-bit programs to work on a 64-bit Windows? Here at work my new development machine is Windows 7 64-bit (so I can use extra memory and run VMs). However I have a…
NFX
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26
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3 answers

Save the output of command in file MS-DOS 1.x

It seems that [COMMAND]>[FILE] does not work in the early versions of MS-DOS. I am using MS-DOS 1.25 and the above expression gives the statement invalid argument. Update:Since it is true that it does not work in DOS 1.x then is it possible to get…
Blake
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22
votes
5 answers

Do you have to install DOS 6.22 before installing Windows 3.0?

I've been tasked with creating a VM with Windows 3.0 and Office 3.0 on it. I have the install disks for Windows and Office but not for DOS. Do I need to have DOS installed first to install Windows 3.1?
blsub6
  • 867
21
votes
4 answers

my command prompt defaulting to H drive and not changing to C drive

When i open my command prompt it defaults to my H drive and when i use cd /c: its not changing to the C drive. Please need help I have tried the following commands regsvr32 /u msolap.dll Thanks
user1768709
  • 329
20
votes
6 answers

Why did PC users need partitions in the 1980s

I'm currently working on research related to the history of file systems. Apparently the Master Boot Record was introduced with MS-DOS 2 in 1983, which was also the first DOS that supported hard disks. MBR lasted for years, in part because we've…
Evert
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20
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4 answers

Which characters are invalid for an MS-DOS filename?

I'm writing a filename I/O procedure in x86-16 assembly language. It takes eight characters (I don't need to support long filenames) from the keyboard and prints them to an on-screen text input field. At the moment I'm allowing numbers,…
My life is a bug.
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19
votes
3 answers

How do I connect a 5 1/4" floppy drive to a modern PC?

This question was originally posted on Gaming Stack Exchange. I have a small collection of 5 1/4" floppy disks (early Sierra games) that I am trying to read. How can I connect a drive that accepts these disks to my PC.
Jason Sperske
  • 441
19
votes
2 answers

In Windows Explorer, why can we create a folder or file with the percent (%) symbol, if the percent symbol is used for existing variables?

Go to Windows Explorer, and create a folder/directory named %systemdrive%, %windir%, or any other existing variable. Open a command prompt, and go to the folder you just created. You can't, because there are percent (%) symbols in the folder…
The Tech Guy
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