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Groups > comp.os.msdos.programmer > #289

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

From "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm>
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 13:34 -0400
Organization Aioe.org NNTP Server
Message-ID <j7houb$ut5$1@speranza.aioe.org> (permalink)
References <4E9B5A53.392C9558@Guy.com> <j7grp5$ejv$1@speranza.aioe.org> <9g2tfsFj91U1@mid.individual.net>

Cross-posted to 3 groups.

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"Klaus Meinhard" <K_Meinhard@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:9g2tfsFj91U1@mid.individual.net...
>
> They had to start DOS, which was then used to start some important
> drivers and system processes.

AFAIK, it only needs HIMEM.SYS or another XMS driver ...  Personally, I use
HIMEMX.  The only place HIMEMX won't work with Win98 or SE is the very first
part of a fresh install from the install CD.  After the first reboot, you
can switch XMS drivers.  It's rumored MS has some custom code in HIMEM.SYS
for 98/SE/ME that's not present in normal DOS XMS drivers.

> 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.

You could do that ...  However, no hack is required to get to DOS.  You can
boot directly into 16-bit real-mode DOS for Win98 and SE.  I think you hit
F8 at startup.  A command menu appears.  You have two real-mode DOS choices,
one with drivers and one without.  Select either to boot into DOS.  ME
required a binary patch to the startup to allow access to real-mode DOS.

> MS tried quite some antics to hide this
> fact, but it was of course widely publicized
> in all computer magazines.

You must mean ME ...

> 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.

You mean it can't start without DOS.  I don't believe it needs DOS once
started.  It might, but I don't think so ...  It needs a FAT16 or FAT32
filesystem.  It has PM 32-bit harddisk drivers.  In fact, it has PM 32-bit
device drivers for just about everything.  SATA drivers are the only thing
you won't find.  It switches video modes, so it probably needs BIOS via
16-bit v86 mode.


BTW, posting from and using either Win98 or SE since '98 ...  The
motherboard manufacturer claims it's motherboard is incompatbile with
Win98/SE:

AMD X2 5600+ 2.8Ghz AM2
MSI K9N Neo-F
EVGA Nvidia 7960GT 512MB
OCZ Sata II 64GB SSD
Logitech MX-518
4GB memory

Memory is capped at 1GB for WinSE by HIMEMX, but full 4GB should be
available in MS-DOS.  I've not confirmed though.

With KernelEx, you can run all sorts of non-Win98/SE software (single-core):

Opera 11.51
Mozilla FireFox 3.6.13 and 3.5.19
Java 6 update 27
Adobe Flash 11,0,1,152
OpenOffice 3.2
VLC 1.1.11

I've not tried more recent versions of FF.  It should run upto 3.6.17.  It
may run upto 3.6.22 or later.  Supposedly, you can run Adobe Reader 7
series, but not 8 or 9.  However, other open source pdf viewers are
available.


Rod Pemberton

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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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