How to install Ms-DOS 6.22

Nintenloup

Post subject: How to install Ms-DOS 6.22

Posted: 12 April, 07:15

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Retro PC: Tandy 1000 SX, V20, 640k, SB2.0, VGA, Syquest

How to install Ms-DOS 6.22 part one

So, you don't know anything about Ms-DOS and/or you just got an old pc and, unfortunately, there is a problem. The hard drive has nothing on it. The solution is simple, you need to reinstall dos. It could look hard to do at the first glance, but in fact, there is no need to be a computer wizard. First of all, you will need to download the diskettes images of Ms-DOS. The set is made of 3 floppies and one with complementary stuff. The link is just below.

Microsoft DOS 6.22 (4.3 MB) Hits : 7377

Once downloaded, go in the directory where it was downloaded and you will have, after decompressing, .IMA files:
[ img ]

You can open the files with Winimage (Floppy Image 1.5.2 is a free alternative):
[ img ]

In the menu "Disk", choose "format and write floppy".
[ img ]

This will format the floppy disk, copy the files and check the operations.
In the menu "Folder", click on close "image" and "Open".
Open the next one, put a second disk and so on.

Installing Ms-DOS

After that, go to your new old pc , put the first floppy disk in it and boot the computer. After a couple of seconds, you should have this:
[ img ]

Press enter, the pc will reboot and format the hard disk drive.
Now, and even if you didn't had the previous screen, you should have this screen:
[ img ]

If you are in an another country than the one in the options, just change it to your appropriate location and keyboard.
While being here, check if the time and date are ok. Your next menu should be like the one below.
[ img ]

Now, choose where you want the non-bootable dos files to be installed, C:\DOS is the by default directory. Once validated, you will have an installation screen and you will be prompted to put the other diskettes, like in the picture below:
[ img ]

By now, it will be really easy. Just change floppy when told to. When finish, the computer will reboot and you will finally have the dos command prompt C:\>

For the rest of the installation with the fourth floppy, it will be just below this topic.

SPOILER Disabled

Installing Ms-DOS part 2

If you are at this stage, it is probably because you successfully passed the first part. Now we are in the harder part of this how to, installing the optional floppy disk.

If you are in dos, (I show the prompt just below) type:

Code: Select all

C:\>A:
A:\>setup directory

"Directory" represent the place where you want to install the content of the floppy, C:\>DOS is a good place to install

You should now see this:
[ img ]

From there, you have two choices. You could just install every thing and if that is the case, just press A, or press S to choose the what you want to install. I recommend to press S, for sure it doesn't make it easier, but you will never need everything in this.

By pressing S, you will be prompted to choose which option you want like this:

Code: Select all

Yes, No, Exit [Y,N,X]?

There are the options:

AccessDOS: Those are accessibility tools, to install only if you have coordination disabilities and they are also hard to configure and useless for the others.
Keyboard utilities: Tools to improve your typing experience. Put your keyboers in DVORAK mode which is a type of keyboard specifically studied to make English typing better. KBDBUFF.SYS improve the buffering speed of the typed keys on the keyboard and ISO.CPI provide you an other font for dos, but specifically made for lcd screen. You can install those, it cost nothing and it could be useful.
DRVBOOT.BAT: is a really useful batch file that gives you the possibility to make a compress boot disk, thus with more free space. To install, ABSOLUTELY!!!
Additional MS-Dos Utilities: Some useful utilities from DOS 5.0 that are not present in the 6.22 version.
MS-DOS 6.22 Network Files: Install only if you are going to do some networking in dos
MS-Dos Shell: a "gui" that will help you managing your folders. Install that one too it is really useful.

Now that your choices are made, you will have this:
[ img ]

Choose your type of graphic adapter. Some exception might occur, but for normal desktop, vga will be the one to take. You will need to confirm the choice by pressing Y.

The installation will continue and when finish, restart your computer.

Voilà, you successfully installed a very stable os. To optimise it, you can run memmaker, you will not regret it.

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Translated from French (Comment installer MS-DOS 6.22)

Last edited by Nintenloup on 13 April, 02:36, edited 2 times in total.

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How to install Ms-DOS 6.22