Windows XP and MS-DOS

  • Thread starter Thread starter Douglas
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D

Douglas

I recently acquired Windows XP, Home Edition and have not
been able to find DOS. The questions boil down to:
1) Is DOS even on XP? 2) If so, how do I get to it? 3) If
it is not on XP can it be put on and how?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
I recently acquired Windows XP, Home Edition

good for you
1) Is DOS even on XP?
Click to expand...

NO.....but there is a command line which resembles DOS...but it is not dos

2) If so, how do I get to it?

command.com 16 bit em. and cmd.com 32 bit em. but again remember it is not
DOS
3) If it is not on XP can it be put on and how?
Click to expand...

You must set up a dual boot or boot from a floppy disk.

again DOS is dead so why do you want to use it?
 
Douglas said:
I recently acquired Windows XP, Home Edition and have not
been able to find DOS. The questions boil down to:
1) Is DOS even on XP? 2) If so, how do I get to it? 3) If
it is not on XP can it be put on and how?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Douglas,

In XP, the "command prompt" is available from the menu: Start | All
Programs | Acessories .

This will give you what I *think* you are referring to as DOS.

You can copy this shortcut to your desktop or "run" the command
"cmd.exe" to do this also.

DOS as an operating system is not really there any more. Microsoft
stopped development and distribution many years ago.

What is it you are trying to do ... the Command prompt window is
terrific for issuing commands, writing script files (bat and cmd), etc.
You'll find that some DOS-only programs no longer work. Limitations
of XP's "dos box" (as I like to call this) I'm sure are documented on
Microsoft's web site.
 
DOS was part of the Win9x series, WinXP is a system from the NT series and
NT never had DOS. Only something that looks like it... And thank god they
kicked out DOS in NT. I always disliked the skins over DOS...
DOS it self is fun though!
 
Douglas said:
I recently acquired Windows XP, Home Edition and have not
been able to find DOS. The questions boil down to:
1) Is DOS even on XP? 2) If so, how do I get to it? 3) If
it is not on XP can it be put on and how?
Click to expand...

True Real mode DOS is *not* there. Nor its code. What there is is an
Emulation of the DOS environment in which you can run (usually) the
cmd.exe emulated command interpreter (Start - All Programs - Accessories
- Command Prompt) or a 'genuine, but old, DOS 5.0 command.com which
predates long file names

You can run well behaved DOS programs direct in this environment, either
by directly d-clicking the .exe or by a shortcut to it, which allows
adjustment of some Properties - and a limited amount can be done by
editing windows\system32\config.nt and autoexec.nt

But you can NOT run real mode drivers or TSRs, nor programs that try to
go under the system to handle hardware direct.

Aside from that you would have to boot a separate DOS - eg a Win98
startup floppy.
 
I recently acquired Windows XP, Home Edition and have not
been able to find DOS. The questions boil down to:
Click to expand...
1) Is DOS even on XP?
Click to expand...


No. However there is a command prompt, which is a DOS emulator.
It lets you do most (but not all) of the things you used to do in
DOS.

2) If so, how do I get to it?
Click to expand...


Go to Start | Run and type CMD.

3) If it is not on XP can it be put on and how?
Click to expand...


No, it can not. The only way to get true DOS is to boot from a
DOS diskette.

If you need more help, tell us what you want to use DOS for.
 
Or dual boot it as mentioned before...

Ken Blake said:
No. However there is a command prompt, which is a DOS emulator.
It lets you do most (but not all) of the things you used to do in
DOS.




Go to Start | Run and type CMD.




No, it can not. The only way to get true DOS is to boot from a
DOS diskette.

If you need more help, tell us what you want to use DOS for.
Click to expand...
 
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