DigestI
Title: Ultimate DOS Missions
——On Building a Super DOS System
Author: Zhao Wancheng
Unit: Dongguan Guancheng No. 1 Middle School
Address: Xueyuan Road, Dongguan
Postal Code: 523000
Personal homepage: http://warmrose.126.com
Email: warmrose@21cn.com
Ultimate DOS Missions
——On Building a Super DOS System
Abstract: DOS was once an operating system that enjoyed glory for a long time. Although now is the age when Windows shines brightly, DOS is still developing; DOS also has its powerful functions, and has special roles that other operating systems, especially Windows, cannot replace. This article focuses on discussing the importance and practicality of building a truly powerful DOS system with a brand-new appearance, and uses this to show: treating DOS correctly is the driving force behind DOS’s new development!
Keywords: DOS new DOS system long filenames USB network management NTFS file management disk management super DOS system
DOS (Disk Operation System: Disk Operating System) was once the PC operating system popular all over the world. It is only because of Microsoft’s “Windows strategy” that in our country it has now almost become “the forgotten generation.” The DOS era has indeed passed; this is an indisputable fact. But DOS did not disappear from then on because Microsoft abandoned it. Instead, there are still many followers both at home and abroad. Compared with Windows, DOS is more convenient, faster, more stable, and more efficient to operate, and it also has low-level and free/open characteristics that Windows systems do not have. Therefore, treating DOS correctly is the driving force behind DOS’s new development! Recently, on the “DOS Joint Forum,” I have had many exchanges and discussions with several moderators and netizens about this viewpoint of mine, and benefited a great deal, so I wrote this article to describe how to build a super DOS system suitable for our use.
As for how to write out these thoughts, I had quite a lot of consideration. In the end I decided to use the form of combining the weapon names from Gu Long’s famous martial arts novel The Seven Weapons with DOS applications, explaining them one by one, in order to complete the ultimate DOS missions. Everyone is welcome to contact me and discuss them together!
The Longevity Sword——new DOS systems
The “death sentence” against DOS mainly has the following points: it does not support long filenames and USB devices, its network capability is poor, it does not support NTFS, and so on. Even worse, it is inconvenient to operate and requires remembering quite a lot of commands, making most ordinary users afraid to operate computers and also unable to.
Only by constantly making progress can one gain users’ support! At present, new DOS systems are still appearing one after another, with powerful functions. Such as ROM-DOS, DR-DOS, Free-DOS, etc. Most of them support FAT32 format, long filenames, and have a certain amount of network processing ability. In particular, Free-DOS is a free system, currently developed jointly by many programmers around the world, just like Linux. I believe it will obtain relatively great development. So DOS has actually not died. On the contrary, it has made considerable progress in many respects. And new DOS systems will certainly further expand their living space as they continue to advance, and gain users’ recognition.
The Peacock Plume——support for long filenames
After Windows 95 was released, DOS’s “bad name” of not supporting long filenames also arose, because DOS only supports the 8.3 format. If DOS is used to look up Windows long filenames, you can only see something like program~1.exe, making people feel they cannot tell what it means. After the efforts of countless programmers, today’s DOS already fully supports long filenames. Even MS-DOS, which Microsoft abandoned for many years, can support them just the same. The tailless peacock has finally spread its tail! The main ways to implement this are the following three:
1. Perfect support by new DOS systems, such as the aforementioned ROM-DOS and other systems, which already have perfected support for long filenames themselves;
2. Brand-new DOS commands that support long filenames, for example: the Odi's LFN tools software package. It contains commands such as LDIR, LCD, LCOPY, LREN, and supports formats such as FAT32. Using them is just like using external commands, and they are essential tools in our DOS toolbox;
3. External driver method. The most stable is DOSLFN. Its use is also quite simple: just enter DOSLFN after the prompt;
Among the three methods, I personally think the first has more or less compatibility issues with MS-DOS, and is not suitable for use in Windows, so as to avoid causing unnecessary problems; the second method can only be regarded as a method that “treats the symptoms but not the root,” but it is also more convenient and easier to operate; the third method is what I recommend. It fundamentally solves the long filename defect of any DOS, and is fully compatible with Windows, so that no errors will occur when it handles Windows failures. Its only shortcoming is that it takes up a small amount of memory.
The Jasper Knife——USB support
Many people, even friends engaged in computer work, believe: DOS cannot support USB devices! USB is an interface standard. Being unable to support USB is undoubtedly also a reason why many people abandon DOS. But after many tests, I can finally say to everyone: DOS absolutely can support some USB devices, and the operation is very convenient! Because now we have the “Jasper Knife” DUSE version 4.4! Now I will use this software under MSDOS to drive an aigo Storage King USB hard disk as an example, to explain how to use it:
>DUSELDR DUSE.EXE VERBOSE DRIVES=2 XFER=8 SEC=2048 NOCD?
(DUSE.EXE can also be used as a device in the DEVICE item of CONFIG.SYS)
It should be noted that DUSE has quite a few parameters and the settings are relatively complicated. Once the settings are wrong, the USB device may be unusable. For a USB hard disk, the most important thing is the setting of the SEC value.
Of course, it cannot be denied that not all USB devices can work well in DOS. For example, USB-interface digital cameras simply cannot be used at all. After all, the development of device drivers and application programs under DOS still has considerable difficulty or problems, and many programmers still need to continue improving them.
The Passionate Ring——complete network management capability
Networks have become a main way for human beings to keep in touch emotionally, and are even one of the most important main directions in the IT field. In the early DOS era, there was already a former network giant: NOVELL! That is to say, DOS actually also has perfect network management capability. It was only “blocked” in MS-DOS, and Microsoft put its sights on the NT series, which fully supports networking. In network management work, one often encounters various problems. How can DOS be used to deal with them? There are mainly the following two methods:
1) DOS peer-to-peer networking: for this method, I like to use the software Netware Lite 1.1. It is a very easy-to-use DOS peer-to-peer networking tool released by Novell. Due to length, I will not explain it in detail. What needs attention is that during installation it is best to choose the client and server mode, and when using it it is best to understand the use of the NET command in NOVELL networks; otherwise you will be helpless;
2) DOS workstation logging into a server: this method requires the support of two software packages: Microsoft Network Client v3.0 for DOS (MSClient) and MetaFrame’s client software ICADOS32. MSClient’s function is to connect to and share server resources, while ICADOS32 plays the role of logging into the server.
Using these two methods, we can both conveniently implement DOS management of networks. Using these methods, I have also achieved remote cloning without using GHOST’s multicast method. Those who are interested may as well give it a try.
The Parting Hook——NTFS enters DOS’s embrace
Now Microsoft is strongly pushing the 2000 and XP series built on the NT kernel. The NT series has a brand-new NTFS disk format, which is more secure, reliable, and stable. But DOS and the Win9X series cannot read it. That is to say, in DOS or Win9X, partitions formatted with NTFS cannot be seen at all, let alone operated on and used. The purpose of doing this of course makes the NT series somewhat more secure, but it leaves us helpless when the NT series crashes and cannot boot... After all, most people are now beginning to use the Windows XP operating system. However, now things are fine: with NTFS for DOS Professional Edition, we can operate NTFS-format files under DOS. If the NT series has problems, it provides a very good solution.
NTFS for DOS is quite convenient to use. Just enter >ntfspro at the DOS prompt and press Enter. Only note that its versions are divided into read-only (free) and read/write (commercial software) editions. After downloading it, when installing it to the hard disk, you must also copy the 7 files c_1252.nls, c_437.nls, l_intl.nls, ntoskrl.exe, autochk.exe, ntdll.dll, ntfs.sys from the NT system (3.2M in total) into a certain folder, and the execution line must add the parameter /P. The most convenient method is to put them in the same folder as NTFS for DOS. In addition, entering /? after ntfspro lets you learn some of its parameters; for example, /L can customize the NT system drive letter.
This is quite easy-to-use software, but its powerful functions build a bridge for DOS, Win9x, and the NT series, letting NT, parted from DOS for so long, return once more to DOS’s embrace, and also providing us with the most direct and convenient method for handling NT system faults.
The Overlord Spear——memory management
DOS can only use 640K of conventional memory; this is also many people’s view. Of course, it is true that because of historical reasons DOS’s support for memory is not very good. Fortunately, now we have the two “Overlord Spears” QEMM and UMBPCI. These two software tools can both replace EMM386.EXE and let DOS make full use of upper memory, in order to save conventional memory that is already pitifully scarce. I recommend using QEMM even more. I have used this software for nearly ten years, and have found that its compatibility is quite perfect, while the freed conventional memory can be as high as 630K. More importantly, it will configure automatically, allowing users to obtain more available memory without doing it themselves. And as its versions are constantly updated, it also gets along quite “harmoniously” with Chinese character systems; compared with QEMM, UMBPCI is newer and its functions are slightly stronger, only on certain motherboards it may have some compatibility problems. But it is very small and exquisite, suitable for use on a boot disk.
The Fist——disk and file management
Using disks and files is the work we most often encounter, and disk management is DOS’s strong point. Its functions are much stronger than the Windows series, such as handling partition tables, boot sectors, etc., and operation is quite convenient. Of course, DOS’s own FDISK and Format commands have limited functions and are slow. I strongly recommend the software SPFDISK. It is only a little over 100K, yet it is an excellent tool for partitioning, quick formatting, and multi-system management. It can recognize partitions of many formats, such as NTFS, ext2, etc. Most importantly, it can establish multiple systems on one hard disk with no influence on one another, realizing multi-C drive technology. On my 80G hard disk I used it to install several operating systems such as Win98SE, Win2000 Server, WinXP, and RedHat Linux. Moreover, the software interface is fully Chinese (Traditional). I think it is much more powerful than other partitioning and multi-system software, and it is also the only partitioning tool I now keep.
In terms of file management, the first recommendation is the software VC (Volkov Commander). The version currently circulating on the Internet is the 4.99 free edition. It supports long filenames and dual-window operation. Its interface is similar to the once very famous Norton Commander, but its functions have completely surpassed the latter; another one is DOS Navigator version 2.7. This is also a free version, and its functions are on par with VC. With these “fist” tools for file management, DOS will also become much more convenient and easy to use.
Through the above introduction, I think everyone will look at DOS with new eyes. Although DOS has already been abandoned by most people, in practical applications, such as network management, disk partitioning, post-processing after system crashes, and other common problems, DOS still plays a powerful and irreplaceable role! In campus network management, I often encounter various problems or even complete crashes in computers or network systems. How can these faults be solved conveniently and quickly? After many explorations, I built a super DOS system, which has had twice the result with half the effort in solving practical problems. This system is burned onto my rescue CD. Now I will make a simple summary of the approach:
1) Use Format a:/s to create a Win98SE boot disk (DOS7.0), and copy some commonly used tools and drivers, such as smartdrv.exe, himem.sys, cdrom and mouse drivers, etc.; these files can be replaced by other utility software, but I personally think Microsoft’s files do rather well in terms of compatibility;
2) Long filename support: DOSLFN, LFNTOOLS;
3) USB hard disk support, of course DUSE, and one can also choose a USBCDROM;
4) NTFS support: NTFS for DOS and related files;
5) Network support: MSClient, ICADOS32, NWLite, IPXCOPY.EXE, etc.;
6) Disk tools: SPFDISK, PartitionMagic for DOS 8.0, NDD 2002, etc.;
7) File tools: choose either VC or DN;
8) Other software: extraction/compression tools RAR, UNDISKP, etc.;
Actually there is still a lot of very good software under DOS, and in terms of functions and operability it is not necessarily worse than Windows’s. It is just that I feel the main purpose of this super DOS system is to do “cleanup” work afterward, so installing some related tools is enough.
Final words: DOS is a compact operating system. It runs quickly and has quite high efficiency. At present there are still many, many programmers adding various functions to it, improving its performance, and solving its defects. If we make good use of it in actual work, we can also obtain better and faster results. Therefore, treating DOS correctly means making full use of DOS to complete our work. DOS can be competent for many tasks; the key lies in how users apply it. Just as martial arts masters also have a weapon that suits them, I hope everyone will make good use of DOS, this DOS weapon that does not cost much, to complete many kinds of ultimate missions.
——On Building a Super DOS System
Author: Zhao Wancheng
Unit: Dongguan Guancheng No. 1 Middle School
Address: Xueyuan Road, Dongguan
Postal Code: 523000
Personal homepage: http://warmrose.126.com
Email: warmrose@21cn.com
Ultimate DOS Missions
——On Building a Super DOS System
Abstract: DOS was once an operating system that enjoyed glory for a long time. Although now is the age when Windows shines brightly, DOS is still developing; DOS also has its powerful functions, and has special roles that other operating systems, especially Windows, cannot replace. This article focuses on discussing the importance and practicality of building a truly powerful DOS system with a brand-new appearance, and uses this to show: treating DOS correctly is the driving force behind DOS’s new development!
Keywords: DOS new DOS system long filenames USB network management NTFS file management disk management super DOS system
DOS (Disk Operation System: Disk Operating System) was once the PC operating system popular all over the world. It is only because of Microsoft’s “Windows strategy” that in our country it has now almost become “the forgotten generation.” The DOS era has indeed passed; this is an indisputable fact. But DOS did not disappear from then on because Microsoft abandoned it. Instead, there are still many followers both at home and abroad. Compared with Windows, DOS is more convenient, faster, more stable, and more efficient to operate, and it also has low-level and free/open characteristics that Windows systems do not have. Therefore, treating DOS correctly is the driving force behind DOS’s new development! Recently, on the “DOS Joint Forum,” I have had many exchanges and discussions with several moderators and netizens about this viewpoint of mine, and benefited a great deal, so I wrote this article to describe how to build a super DOS system suitable for our use.
As for how to write out these thoughts, I had quite a lot of consideration. In the end I decided to use the form of combining the weapon names from Gu Long’s famous martial arts novel The Seven Weapons with DOS applications, explaining them one by one, in order to complete the ultimate DOS missions. Everyone is welcome to contact me and discuss them together!
The Longevity Sword——new DOS systems
The “death sentence” against DOS mainly has the following points: it does not support long filenames and USB devices, its network capability is poor, it does not support NTFS, and so on. Even worse, it is inconvenient to operate and requires remembering quite a lot of commands, making most ordinary users afraid to operate computers and also unable to.
Only by constantly making progress can one gain users’ support! At present, new DOS systems are still appearing one after another, with powerful functions. Such as ROM-DOS, DR-DOS, Free-DOS, etc. Most of them support FAT32 format, long filenames, and have a certain amount of network processing ability. In particular, Free-DOS is a free system, currently developed jointly by many programmers around the world, just like Linux. I believe it will obtain relatively great development. So DOS has actually not died. On the contrary, it has made considerable progress in many respects. And new DOS systems will certainly further expand their living space as they continue to advance, and gain users’ recognition.
The Peacock Plume——support for long filenames
After Windows 95 was released, DOS’s “bad name” of not supporting long filenames also arose, because DOS only supports the 8.3 format. If DOS is used to look up Windows long filenames, you can only see something like program~1.exe, making people feel they cannot tell what it means. After the efforts of countless programmers, today’s DOS already fully supports long filenames. Even MS-DOS, which Microsoft abandoned for many years, can support them just the same. The tailless peacock has finally spread its tail! The main ways to implement this are the following three:
1. Perfect support by new DOS systems, such as the aforementioned ROM-DOS and other systems, which already have perfected support for long filenames themselves;
2. Brand-new DOS commands that support long filenames, for example: the Odi's LFN tools software package. It contains commands such as LDIR, LCD, LCOPY, LREN, and supports formats such as FAT32. Using them is just like using external commands, and they are essential tools in our DOS toolbox;
3. External driver method. The most stable is DOSLFN. Its use is also quite simple: just enter DOSLFN after the prompt;
Among the three methods, I personally think the first has more or less compatibility issues with MS-DOS, and is not suitable for use in Windows, so as to avoid causing unnecessary problems; the second method can only be regarded as a method that “treats the symptoms but not the root,” but it is also more convenient and easier to operate; the third method is what I recommend. It fundamentally solves the long filename defect of any DOS, and is fully compatible with Windows, so that no errors will occur when it handles Windows failures. Its only shortcoming is that it takes up a small amount of memory.
The Jasper Knife——USB support
Many people, even friends engaged in computer work, believe: DOS cannot support USB devices! USB is an interface standard. Being unable to support USB is undoubtedly also a reason why many people abandon DOS. But after many tests, I can finally say to everyone: DOS absolutely can support some USB devices, and the operation is very convenient! Because now we have the “Jasper Knife” DUSE version 4.4! Now I will use this software under MSDOS to drive an aigo Storage King USB hard disk as an example, to explain how to use it:
>DUSELDR DUSE.EXE VERBOSE DRIVES=2 XFER=8 SEC=2048 NOCD?
(DUSE.EXE can also be used as a device in the DEVICE item of CONFIG.SYS)
It should be noted that DUSE has quite a few parameters and the settings are relatively complicated. Once the settings are wrong, the USB device may be unusable. For a USB hard disk, the most important thing is the setting of the SEC value.
Of course, it cannot be denied that not all USB devices can work well in DOS. For example, USB-interface digital cameras simply cannot be used at all. After all, the development of device drivers and application programs under DOS still has considerable difficulty or problems, and many programmers still need to continue improving them.
The Passionate Ring——complete network management capability
Networks have become a main way for human beings to keep in touch emotionally, and are even one of the most important main directions in the IT field. In the early DOS era, there was already a former network giant: NOVELL! That is to say, DOS actually also has perfect network management capability. It was only “blocked” in MS-DOS, and Microsoft put its sights on the NT series, which fully supports networking. In network management work, one often encounters various problems. How can DOS be used to deal with them? There are mainly the following two methods:
1) DOS peer-to-peer networking: for this method, I like to use the software Netware Lite 1.1. It is a very easy-to-use DOS peer-to-peer networking tool released by Novell. Due to length, I will not explain it in detail. What needs attention is that during installation it is best to choose the client and server mode, and when using it it is best to understand the use of the NET command in NOVELL networks; otherwise you will be helpless;
2) DOS workstation logging into a server: this method requires the support of two software packages: Microsoft Network Client v3.0 for DOS (MSClient) and MetaFrame’s client software ICADOS32. MSClient’s function is to connect to and share server resources, while ICADOS32 plays the role of logging into the server.
Using these two methods, we can both conveniently implement DOS management of networks. Using these methods, I have also achieved remote cloning without using GHOST’s multicast method. Those who are interested may as well give it a try.
The Parting Hook——NTFS enters DOS’s embrace
Now Microsoft is strongly pushing the 2000 and XP series built on the NT kernel. The NT series has a brand-new NTFS disk format, which is more secure, reliable, and stable. But DOS and the Win9X series cannot read it. That is to say, in DOS or Win9X, partitions formatted with NTFS cannot be seen at all, let alone operated on and used. The purpose of doing this of course makes the NT series somewhat more secure, but it leaves us helpless when the NT series crashes and cannot boot... After all, most people are now beginning to use the Windows XP operating system. However, now things are fine: with NTFS for DOS Professional Edition, we can operate NTFS-format files under DOS. If the NT series has problems, it provides a very good solution.
NTFS for DOS is quite convenient to use. Just enter >ntfspro at the DOS prompt and press Enter. Only note that its versions are divided into read-only (free) and read/write (commercial software) editions. After downloading it, when installing it to the hard disk, you must also copy the 7 files c_1252.nls, c_437.nls, l_intl.nls, ntoskrl.exe, autochk.exe, ntdll.dll, ntfs.sys from the NT system (3.2M in total) into a certain folder, and the execution line must add the parameter /P. The most convenient method is to put them in the same folder as NTFS for DOS. In addition, entering /? after ntfspro lets you learn some of its parameters; for example, /L can customize the NT system drive letter.
This is quite easy-to-use software, but its powerful functions build a bridge for DOS, Win9x, and the NT series, letting NT, parted from DOS for so long, return once more to DOS’s embrace, and also providing us with the most direct and convenient method for handling NT system faults.
The Overlord Spear——memory management
DOS can only use 640K of conventional memory; this is also many people’s view. Of course, it is true that because of historical reasons DOS’s support for memory is not very good. Fortunately, now we have the two “Overlord Spears” QEMM and UMBPCI. These two software tools can both replace EMM386.EXE and let DOS make full use of upper memory, in order to save conventional memory that is already pitifully scarce. I recommend using QEMM even more. I have used this software for nearly ten years, and have found that its compatibility is quite perfect, while the freed conventional memory can be as high as 630K. More importantly, it will configure automatically, allowing users to obtain more available memory without doing it themselves. And as its versions are constantly updated, it also gets along quite “harmoniously” with Chinese character systems; compared with QEMM, UMBPCI is newer and its functions are slightly stronger, only on certain motherboards it may have some compatibility problems. But it is very small and exquisite, suitable for use on a boot disk.
The Fist——disk and file management
Using disks and files is the work we most often encounter, and disk management is DOS’s strong point. Its functions are much stronger than the Windows series, such as handling partition tables, boot sectors, etc., and operation is quite convenient. Of course, DOS’s own FDISK and Format commands have limited functions and are slow. I strongly recommend the software SPFDISK. It is only a little over 100K, yet it is an excellent tool for partitioning, quick formatting, and multi-system management. It can recognize partitions of many formats, such as NTFS, ext2, etc. Most importantly, it can establish multiple systems on one hard disk with no influence on one another, realizing multi-C drive technology. On my 80G hard disk I used it to install several operating systems such as Win98SE, Win2000 Server, WinXP, and RedHat Linux. Moreover, the software interface is fully Chinese (Traditional). I think it is much more powerful than other partitioning and multi-system software, and it is also the only partitioning tool I now keep.
In terms of file management, the first recommendation is the software VC (Volkov Commander). The version currently circulating on the Internet is the 4.99 free edition. It supports long filenames and dual-window operation. Its interface is similar to the once very famous Norton Commander, but its functions have completely surpassed the latter; another one is DOS Navigator version 2.7. This is also a free version, and its functions are on par with VC. With these “fist” tools for file management, DOS will also become much more convenient and easy to use.
Through the above introduction, I think everyone will look at DOS with new eyes. Although DOS has already been abandoned by most people, in practical applications, such as network management, disk partitioning, post-processing after system crashes, and other common problems, DOS still plays a powerful and irreplaceable role! In campus network management, I often encounter various problems or even complete crashes in computers or network systems. How can these faults be solved conveniently and quickly? After many explorations, I built a super DOS system, which has had twice the result with half the effort in solving practical problems. This system is burned onto my rescue CD. Now I will make a simple summary of the approach:
1) Use Format a:/s to create a Win98SE boot disk (DOS7.0), and copy some commonly used tools and drivers, such as smartdrv.exe, himem.sys, cdrom and mouse drivers, etc.; these files can be replaced by other utility software, but I personally think Microsoft’s files do rather well in terms of compatibility;
2) Long filename support: DOSLFN, LFNTOOLS;
3) USB hard disk support, of course DUSE, and one can also choose a USBCDROM;
4) NTFS support: NTFS for DOS and related files;
5) Network support: MSClient, ICADOS32, NWLite, IPXCOPY.EXE, etc.;
6) Disk tools: SPFDISK, PartitionMagic for DOS 8.0, NDD 2002, etc.;
7) File tools: choose either VC or DN;
8) Other software: extraction/compression tools RAR, UNDISKP, etc.;
Actually there is still a lot of very good software under DOS, and in terms of functions and operability it is not necessarily worse than Windows’s. It is just that I feel the main purpose of this super DOS system is to do “cleanup” work afterward, so installing some related tools is enough.
Final words: DOS is a compact operating system. It runs quickly and has quite high efficiency. At present there are still many, many programmers adding various functions to it, improving its performance, and solving its defects. If we make good use of it in actual work, we can also obtain better and faster results. Therefore, treating DOS correctly means making full use of DOS to complete our work. DOS can be competent for many tasks; the key lies in how users apply it. Just as martial arts masters also have a weapon that suits them, I hope everyone will make good use of DOS, this DOS weapon that does not cost much, to complete many kinds of ultimate missions.
