Category Archives: DOS

MS-DOS 6.22 VM using VirtualBox – Part II

Posted by on January 8, 2012 No comments
Forum Discussion - MS-DOS 6.22 VM using VirtualBox - Part II - 1 post(s)

In the last installment, we focused primarily on getting a VM with MS-DOS 6.22 up and running.  We dont really have access to much, though.  We can run DOS commands and interact with the hard drive and floppy drive.  Thats it!  In this installment, we’re going to focus on two items:

  • Keep in mind that DOS is a fairly antiquated piece of software.  it was not designed to run under newer hardware.  As such, when DOS is running under a VM, you will notice that your computer will slow down significantly.  When looking at the task manager, you will find that the VirtualBox process will taken up about 50% or so of your CPU (it essentially takes up an entire core, if you have a mult-core processor, which most of us do nowadays).  A program called ‘DOSIdle’ solves that issue.  We will run through the process of loading the necessary files onto the hard drive and setting up DOS so that DOSIdle starts when the OS loads.
  • We will also be configuring the CD-ROM drive
  • A note on DOS VM’s and sound. Read more »

MS-DOS 6.22 VM using VirtualBox – Part I

Posted by on January 1, 2012 4 comments
Forum Discussion - MS-DOS 6.22 VM using VirtualBox - Part I - 4 post(s)

While Greg and I were hanging out to bring in the new year, a little nostalgia hit us and we began talking about MS-DOS and Windows 3.1.  As a result of that discussion, I began playing with the idea of having a VM of both DOS and Windows 3.11 (completely separate, just for the sake of having two environments).  This series will explore and layout the steps for creating an MS-DOS 6.22 VM using VirtualBox.  The concept of a VM is outside the scope of this series and we will assume that you know what a VM is and the basics of how VM’s work.

NOTE: This is a bit verbose, by design.  After doing some reading, I find that some users who want a MS-DOS VM dont exactly understand the pieces/parts involved.  This post works toward filling in some of the gaps some users may have. Read more »

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