China DOS Union

DOS boot disks: dragon-slaying skill, but where is the dragon?

　　I’ve been reading here for quite a long time, and I have a question I’d like to ask everyone: you’ve all spent so much effort and so much time making DOS boot disks so good, but what exactly are they used for? Where exactly are their “powerful” functions supposed to come into play?

　　A “DOS boot disk” is meant to be used, but used in what area? Has everyone really thought this question through?

　　Back when I was still an ordinary network admin, I made a boot disk for myself that only included CD-ROM boot support, Scandisk, Fdisk, Format, and SmartDrv, and I used it only to install Windows 9x and do simple hard disk management. I kept using it until later I made a second one that could boot and log into the internal network, and all the other tools I needed, including the Windows 9x installation files, were obtained from the internal network. I used it until I was no longer the admin for that network. I was very satisfied with both of those boot disks, because I was actually “using” them, and they met the practical needs of my work at the time very well. Looking at it from another angle, they produced “benefit”!

　　The moderator’s “super boot disk” seems to be trying to cram in every good thing, but I’d like to ask the moderator: where can it actually put its functions to use and produce “benefit”? Which “dragon” are you trying to capture?

　　I’d like to suggest that everyone write here about why they need a DOS boot disk, and list which functions they need from it and what tasks they use it to complete. Everyone’s needs are different. Only when everyone lays out their real needs, and a DOS boot disk is customized according to those needs, can it count as a truly useful “tool,” rather than a “collector’s item” or a “toy.”

　　Of course, I’m not asking the moderator to personally make a separate boot disk for every single person. Rather, I hope that through everyone’s joint effort, we can discuss together which software can implement a certain function, and which software can complete these tasks better, so as to achieve a deeper understanding of DOS and make better use of it.

　　Let me throw out a brick here, hoping to bring forth a pile of jade.

I just don't directly use other people's boot disks, I piece one together myself according to my own needs..... haha
I say "piece together" because "ms-dos" wasn't written by me, "VIDE-CDD.SYS" wasn't written by me, and "CTMOUSE.EXE" wasn't written by me either....

It should be adapted according to your own needs! I use WENGIER's super boot disk, modified for my own purposes!

We’re only doing research here on various boot techniques... Of course, everyone can use that as a basis... and assemble their own boot disks.... That’s the purpose of our union...

WENGIER's super boot disk is the "dragon" I captured. My own boot disk was born from it, and I kept referring to other experts' boot disks and modifying it until I was satisfied:



The powerful functions of VC (DOS file manager) are very satisfying:






The Chinese DOS information makes it feel especially familiar:



A DOS boot floppy still has an irreplaceable role when it comes to BIOS flashing:



Also, if DOS boot disks include CD boot disks as well, that would be even more wonderful:

Agreed, so personally I advocate personalized boot disks.

I've also been thinking about pretty much the same question as the OP!
http://www2.zzu.edu.cn/ie/newdos/dispbbs.asp?boardID=11&ID=5290

Please discuss!

I think DOS has advantages that WINSOWS cannot replace, and each has its own strengths. I want them each to occupy half the world on my computer, but I feel that since everyone is working so hard on boot disks, why not move it onto the hard drive to boot? This way of using WINDOWS from the hard drive and DOS from a floppy just really feels bad, and also unfair!

Actually DOS (MS/ROM/Free-DOS) also boots from my hard drive... But the problem is, how can we make a DOS boot disk on a hard drive for everyone to download? That doesn’t seem very possible... so we have no choice but to make DOS boot disks on floppies...

Wengier, hehe, should've said so earlier! Then can your machine also use WINDOWS at the same time?

Just like installing WINDOWS
installing a DOS system, I think WENGIER
can definitely do it!
For example: SETUPDOS
then everything's OK!

The following is quoted from Klin625's post on 2003-7-24 22:11:20:
Wengier, hehe, you should've said so earlier! So can your machine use WINDOWS at the same time too?

Of course it can... MS-DOS 6.x/7.10, ROM-DOS 7.10, FreeDOS Kernel 2030, Windows 2.1, Windows 3.11 for WorkGroups, Windows 3.2 Chinese edition, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, etc. can all be used... Among them, Win2.x/3.x/9x are all started under MS-DOS 7.10 with the corresponding WIN command.

Making an MS-DOS 7.10 installer would be pretty nice too...

The following is quoted from Wengier's post on 2003-7-24 22:32:06:

The following is quoted from Klin625's post on 2003-7-24 22:11:20:
Wengier, hehe, you should've said so earlier! Then can your machine also run WINDOWS at the same time?

Of course it can... MS-DOS 6.x/7.10, ROM-DOS 7.10, FreeDOS Kernel 2030, Windows 2.1, Windows 3.11 for WorkGroups, Windows 3.2 Simplified Chinese edition, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, etc. all work... Among them, Win2.x/3.x/9x are all started under MS-DOS 7.10 with the corresponding WIN command.

It'd be nice to make an MS-DOS 7.10 installer...

Just modify FreeDOS's installer a bit and it'll do......

The following is quoted from Roy's post on 2003-7-24 22:35:10:
用FreeDOS的installer改一下就可以了......

Roy, upload this FreeDOS Installer and its source code so everyone can have a look...