Groups > comp.os.msdos.programmer > #286

Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98?

From	"Klaus Meinhard" <K_Meinhard@gmx.de>
Newsgroups	alt.msdos, comp.os.msdos.programmer, comp.os.msdos.misc
Subject	Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98?
Date	2011-10-17 16:47 +0200
Message-ID	<9g2tfsFj91U1@mid.individual.net> (permalink)
References	<4E9B5A53.392C9558@Guy.com> <j7grp5$ejv$1@speranza.aioe.org>

Cross-posted to 3 groups.

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Hallo Rod,

> > Many people believe that Windows 95/98 runs "on top of" DOS.

> No.

Yes, somewhat :-)

> AIUI, there is a 32-bit, protected-mode DOS executive layer, but
> it's not running under Windows 9x.  It runs on top of Win9x like
> other applications, services, using Win9x's 32-bit functionality.
> I don't know what this is called for Win9x.  It's called NTVDM for
> other Windows OSes.

That means NT Virtual DOS Machine, and it runs only under 32bit NT
type OSs. Win 95 (and 98) belong to the DOS type OSsand were hybrid
16/32bit systems.,

They had to start DOS, which was then used to start some important
drivers and system processes. You could, with a little hack, still
boot to 16bit DOS (and remain and work there), then start Windows
(WIN.exe command), and shut down Windows and end up in DOS again like
after every other program. MS tried quite some antics to hide this
fact, but it was of course widely publicized in all computer
magazines.

It is debatable if you can call this "running on top of DOS". Windows,
when finally started, switched off some of the underlying 16bit DOS
system and became more and more 32bit, but even 98 couldn't run
without the underlying DOS.


--
Best regards,

*  Klaus Meinhard  *
<www.4dos.info>

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Thread

What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? DOS Guy <DOS@Guy.com> - 2011-10-16 18:27 -0400
  Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? Trifle Menot <triflemenot@beewyz.com> - 2011-10-16 23:38 +0000
  Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-10-17 05:16 -0400
    Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? "Klaus Meinhard" <K_Meinhard@gmx.de> - 2011-10-17 16:47 +0200
      Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? tomdzip <tomdzip@hotmail.com> - 2011-10-17 09:02 -0700
        Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? "Klaus Meinhard" <K_Meinhard@gmx.de> - 2011-10-18 08:42 +0200
      Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-10-17 13:34 -0400
        Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? DOS Guy <DOS@Guy.com> - 2011-10-17 16:43 -0400
          Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-10-17 18:34 -0400
            Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? DOS Guy <DOS@Guy.com> - 2011-10-17 19:29 -0400
              Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-10-17 20:36 -0400
                Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? DOS Guy <DOS@Guy.com> - 2011-10-17 21:36 -0400
                Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-10-18 09:46 -0400
          Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-10-18 10:51 -0400
            Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-10-18 13:49 -0400
  Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-10-17 12:46 -0400
    Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? DOS Guy <DOS@Guy.com> - 2011-10-17 19:46 -0400
      Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? Trifle Menot <triflemenot@beewyz.com> - 2011-10-18 00:14 +0000
      Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-10-17 20:56 -0400
      Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? "Klaus Meinhard" <K_Meinhard@gmx.de> - 2011-10-18 08:53 +0200
        Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? DOS Guy <DOS@Guy.com> - 2011-10-18 09:12 -0400
          Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? Jim Leonard <mobygamer@gmail.com> - 2011-10-18 07:03 -0700
          Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? "Klaus Meinhard" <K_Meinhard@gmx.de> - 2011-10-19 10:07 +0200
        Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? "Ant" <not@home.today> - 2011-10-19 01:26 +0100
          Re: What role does "DOS" play in Windows 95/98? "Klaus Meinhard" <K_Meinhard@gmx.de> - 2011-10-19 09:19 +0200

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