Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

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iMattThomas
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Joined: 7. May 2009, 20:29
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Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by iMattThomas »

Hello,

this is a little long, but this is how I did it:

HOW TO GET MSDOS 6.22 INSTALLED AND RUNNING

You will need to use a separate utility called Virtual Floppy Drive. Its freeware. Obtain it here.
  1. HowTo: Install/Setup: Virtual Floppy Drive (in Windows)
    1. Download the zipped program.
    2. Unzip the program into a folder (directory).
    3. Create a folder C:\VFloppy
    4. Copy the Virtual Floppy Drive files to C:\VFloppy. The list of files:

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      copying.txt
      readme.txt
      readmej.txt
      vfd.dll
      vfd.exe
      vfd.sys
      vfdhelp.txt
      vfdhelpj.txt
      vfdwin.exe
    5. Create a shortcut to vfdwin.exe and name it Virtual Floppy Drive.
    6. Put the shortcut somewhere handy, like the launchbar or whatever.
  2. HowTo: Use: Virtual Floppy Drive (in Windows)
    This assumes you have created image files of your MSDOS 6.22 disks. If you have not, then use rawrite to create image files of each disk.
    1. Start Virtual Floppy Drive (use your shortcut). You will see a VFD Control Panel with 6 tabs. Leave this VFD Control panel open while doing the following below.
    2. Start the Virtual Floppy Drive Driver by selecting the Driver Tab; click the Start button.
    3. Set the correct drive name for the first floppy drive. This assumes you do not have a floppy drive on your computer. If you do, then pick another letter than A, like B. Start with tab 1 (Drive0), click the button Change, select drive letter A, uncheck the checkbox Persistent, click the OK button.
    4. Click the Open/Create button. click the Browse button.
      Navigate to the floppy image file for MSDOS 6.22 disk 1, and use defaults of RAM, 3.5" 1.44MB, Write Protect unchecked,
      Click the Open button. You will now have the floppy image mounted as a virtual floppy drive which you can see by using Windows Explorer, look at Drive A (or B).
    This is a quick method for accessing the contents of the disk images.

    When you have finished using the VFD Control panel you can close the virtual floppy drives by going to Tabs Drive0 and Drive1, use the Close button to close each virtual floppy drive, and then on the Driver Tab select the [b/Stop[/b] button.
  3. Create a real MSDOS 6.22 boot disk
    This is easy, but it will involve using the Virtual Floppy Drive software.
    1. Copy the image file for MSDOS 6.22 disk 1. Name this copy bootdos.flp
    2. Use VFD to open bootdos.flp as drive A: Be certain you open the correct file: bootdos.flp and be certain this is drive A:
      When you open the image file, use the Browse] button, choose the image file, choose FILE not RAM. Leave as Media Type 3.5" 1.44MB/ UNcheck Write Protect.
    3. Use Windows Explorer to view the files of drive A: These files will be viewed:

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      ATTRIB.EXE
      AUTOEXEC.BAT
      CHKDSK.EXE
      COMMAND.COM
      CONFIG.SYS
      COUNTRY.SYS
      COUNTRY.TX_
      DEBUG.EXE
      DEFRAG.EXE
      DEFRAG.HL_
      DOSSETUP.INI
      DRVSPACE.BIN
      EDIT.COM
      EGA.CP_
      EGA2.CP_
      EGA3.CP_
      EMM386.EX_
      EXPAND.EXE
      FDISK.EXE
      FORMAT.COM
      IO.SYS
      ISO.CP_
      KEYB.COM
      KEYBOARD.SYS
      KEYBRD2.SY_
      MEM.EX_
      MSCDEX.EXE
      MSDOS.SYS
      NETWORKS.TXT
      NLSFUNC.EXE
      PACKING.LST
      QBASIC.EXE
      README.TXT
      REPLACE.EX_
      RESTORE.EX_
      SCANDISK.EXE
      SCANDISK.INI
      SETUP.EXE
      SETUP.MSG
      SYS.COM
      XCOPY.EX_
    4. Delete files until only these files remain:

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      ATTRIB.EXE
      AUTOEXEC.BAT
      CHKDSK.EXE
      COMMAND.COM
      CONFIG.SYS
      COUNTRY.SYS
      DEBUG.EXE
      DEFRAG.EXE
      DRVSPACE.BIN
      EDIT.COM
      FDISK.EXE
      FORMAT.COM
      IO.SYS
      KEYB.COM
      KEYBOARD.SYS
      MSCDEX.EXE
      MSDOS.SYS
      QBASIC.EXE
      SCANDISK.EXE
      SCANDISK.INI
      SYS.COM
    5. Use notepad to edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. You should delete all contents of this file, or add stuff if you want/know what you are doing. Save the file.
    6. Use notepad to edit the CONFIG.SYS file. You should delete all contents of this file, or add stuff if you want/know how. Save the file.
    7. Use VFD to open MSDOS 6.22 disk 2 as drive B:
    8. Copy HIMEM.SY_ from B: to A: Copy QBASIC.HL_ from B: to A:
    9. Open a dos window. (Start Menu, Run, CMD, enter key, navigate to A:)
    10. In the dos window, type:
      • EXPAND HIMEM.SY_ HIMEM.SYS 
        EXPAND QBASIC.HL_ QBASIC.HLP
    11. Now close the virtual floppy drives using VFD. Go to each tab: Drive0, Drive1, then use the Close button on each tab.
    NOTE: The image bootdos.flp now is a bootable boot disk that can be used in VirtualBox.
  4. Now create the following using VirtualBox:
    • 64 MB Memory
    • 8 MB Video Memory
    • Hard Disk: 512 MB (or whatever)
    • CD/DVD: you can choose to use your hardware cdrom, or use an ISO for a game if you have.
    • Floppy: set to use the bootdos.flp image
    • Shared Folders: you can set a folder on your actual C: drive if you want to share between
    • VirtualBox and your Windows OS. I have not experimented with this yet.
    • Name your Virtual Machine something meaninful like: MSDOS-6.22
  5. Work inside the Virtual Machine
    1. Start the MSDOS-6.22 Virtual Machine. It will startup, you will see the standard dos boot stuff and end up at a command prompt.
    2. Make the virtual hard drive into a usuable partition by using fdisk. In your virtual window, at your dos prompt, type fdisk
      In FDISK, on the menu, choose 1 to create Dos Partition. When this has completed, exit fdisk by using the Escape key.
    3. On the VirtualBox menu, choose Close Machine.
    4. Start the MSDOS-6.22 Virtual Machine again. Wait until you reach a dos command prompt.
    5. Now we will format the new virtual hard drive. At the virtual command prompt, type format C:. Wait for this to complete.
    6. Now we will make the virtual hard drive bootable. At the command prompt, type exactly this sys A:\ C:
      When it completes you get the message: System transferred
      You can confirm this by the command dir C: which will show a single file COMMAND.COM and the free bytes on the drive.
    7. Make a dos directory on the virtual hard drive. And confirm it.
      • C:
        mkdir dos
        dir
    8. Get all the MSDOS 6.22 files installed on the virtual hard drive C: This is easy.
      1. Close the virtual machine.
      2. Change the floppy drive to use the MSDOS 6.22 disk 1 (install disk).
      3. Start the MSDOS virtual machine.
NOTES:
  • You will see the Setup Screen and a menu with 2 choices. Choose: Continue Setup and replace your current version of DOS. (Use the down arrow key to scroll to this choice.)
  • Notice your C:\dos directory is found automatically.
  • When asked for the next disk: Go to the menu Devices, Mount Floppy, Floppy Image, select your MSDOS disk image, ok.
  • Let the installation proceed until you have dos.
  • Close the virtual machine.
  • DOS lives.
  • You may want to change your boot order:
    1. In VirtualBox, Click the Settings Icon.
    2. Select General, then the Advanced Tab.
    3. Set boot order to Hard Disk first (use the arrows).
    4. Start your MSDOS virtual machine and it will now boot from virtual drive C:
  • Regarding the Host Key: If you are using a Laptop and you find there is no right control key, then try using the function + left control keys together. This works as a right control key on my laptop. You may be able to change the host key through your VirtualBox Preferences menu.
Cheers,
Matt
 Edit: TerryE: reformatted to make article readable 
TerryE
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by TerryE »

Thanks Matt. A useful tutorial. My main comment is that using BBCode to improve the layout would really help readability. :-)
Read the Forum Posting Guide
Google your Q site:VirtualBox.org or search for the answer before posting.
ghr
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by ghr »

Hi Matt, interesting to read this one ! I assume that it works but have a comment and a question:
- why do you use this (lengthy) procedure instead of the normal DOS setup ? If you have the images anyway using normal DOS setup saves you a lot of work
- seems that there's a small typo here (one misplaced blank after the backslash):
At the command prompt, type exactly like this: system A:\ C:
MrH
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by MrH »

Actually, the regular DOS setup doesn't seem to work too well...I tried this method and it fired right up! Also, about that typo, the command (at least for me) is sys (not system) a:\ c:
Trevtoo
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by Trevtoo »

Hi, thanks for that. I've been scratching my head and searching the forums to try to find how to make my PC DOS 2000 image bootable. So far no luck, then I found your tutorial. Same proceedure (so far). Didn't think to FDISK first, but now...
We'll see how it goes for the rest of the install. I have the floppy images too, so now just have to copy them over.
Great stuff...
Trevtoo
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by Trevtoo »

Oh yeah... BTW don't worry about trying toinstall PC DOS 2000 if you've got it. If it has 'prc' in the filename it's Chinese!
Oh well, anyone know where an English version is?
chanthru
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by chanthru »

This is really a good job.
I was tried with 64 bit OS. This is vfd is not working. Do you have any solution for this, will be very great.

Thanks,
Chanthru
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by John L. Galt »

manoflinux
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by manoflinux »

iMattThomas wrote:Hello,

this is a little long, but this is how I did it:
Ok I appreciate all the hard work, but wouldnt it have been easier to make a boot cd from the floppy image and install it that way. I just did that with the jx floppy image.
Here is how I did it.

Open k3b, choose new cd. then in the boot options section choose the floppy image for dos. then click burn.
In the burn options choose make iso only and choose where to save the iso to.
click burn.
boom. now you have a bootable cd iso of the bootable floppy image.
I know this works for dos floppies because I used to do it like 10 years ago, thats how I knew to do it for Jx.
BTW Jx ( http://www4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/ ... demos.html ) is one of the fastest booting VM's I have ever seen.
totoaus
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by totoaus »

Actually, I got a basic MS-DOS 6.22 VM up and running quite easily, once I puzzled out how to do it. It appears the automated partitioning and formatting of the HDD don't work. To conquer that, just exit out of the automated setup, run FDisk to create and activate the partition, then use format c: /s to format a bootable HDD. Once that is done, boot from the floppy again and run the setup program, letting it "upgrade" your PC.
michaln
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by michaln »

There is a bug in VirtualBox which causes some versions of DOS (6.22 is one of them) to lock up in the setup phase if VT-x or AMD-V isn't used.

One of the easier workarounds is to hit F5 during boot and start setup manually if it locks up. Manually performing FDISK/FORMAT also works, and may be helpful when using the upgrade floppies on a clean hard disk ;)

All the stuff about manually creating boot floppies is a complete waste of time, the original disks (or preferably images) should be used.
Sopalajo de Arrierez
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Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by Sopalajo de Arrierez »

Excuse me for a so simple question, but:
Isn't it possible to get access to a shared folder? I see I can configure shared folders in this MS-DOS VM, but there is no "net" command, and Guest Additions are not designed for DOS virtual machines, so how could I mount it?

Thanks in advance.
Sopalajo de Arrierez
Posts: 30
Joined: 5. Jul 2008, 12:04

Re: Install MSDOS 6.22 - A Working Method

Post by Sopalajo de Arrierez »

Sopalajo de Arrierez wrote:Excuse me for a so simple question, but:
Isn't it possible to get access to a shared folder? I see I can configure shared folders in this MS-DOS VM, but there is no "net" command, and Guest Additions are not designed for DOS virtual machines, so how could I mount it?

Thanks in advance.
Uuppssss... question solved, friends :-D :

Code: Select all

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Sharing_files_with_DOS
Excuse me, I did not found it.
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