DOS ain't dead

Considering MS-DOS (now FreeDOS) - Part 3 (Users)

posted by paulrichards, 08.08.2011, 03:11

OK, this is all getting too hard for my tiny mind.

After consideration I decided to use FreeDOS for a Windows XP dual boot configuration. The major reason for that being that with FreeDOS I didn't have to place it in a partition at the beginning of the HD, as is required by MS-DOS (and I didn't want the complications of an originally C:\ based XP becoming D:\ with issues relating to the XP registry not 'knowing' about D:\)

So I shrunk my XP partition and created a FAT32 partition at the 'end' of the HD, this partition becoming D:

I then tried to boot from the FreeDOS Base CD and got the message "InitDiskWarning : Partition ID does not suggest LBA to access partition C:. Invalid Opcode" + a string of hex digits (obviously FreeDOS can't see the XP C: partition and is looking at the 'new' D: partition, as expected.)

So, checking the documentation for my partition software regarding LBA, it basically stated that I needed to make changes in the BIOS, albeit with dire warnings about possible data corruption. But, being an adventurous sort, I rebooted, had a look in the BIOS and there's no reference to LBA. However there is a reference to having SATA enabled with the message "Disabling SATA may be necessary when a legacy OS is used", MS-DOS being a legacy OS, no doubt.

This is all too complicated and fraught with the danger of data loss - and if I can't modify anything to do with LBA I'm stuffed anyway.

I think I'll stick with DOSBox

---
Paul
Melbourne, Australia

Complete thread:

• Considering MS-DOS (now FreeDOS) - Part 3 - paulrichards, 08.08.2011, 03:11 (Users)
  • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - LBA48 and > 128 GiB - DOS386, 08.08.2011, 03:34
    • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - LBA48 and > 128 GiB - paulrichards, 08.08.2011, 03:51
      • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - paulrichards, 08.08.2011, 12:36
        • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - SOLVED - paulrichards, 08.08.2011, 23:37
        • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - DOS386, 08.08.2011, 23:39
          • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - paulrichards, 09.08.2011, 04:18
            • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - Rugxulo, 10.08.2011, 04:48
              • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - paulrichards, 10.08.2011, 06:27
                • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - Rugxulo, 10.08.2011, 14:32
                  • Considering DOS (now FreeDOS) Part 3 - paulrichards, 10.08.2011, 15:40
                • Considering DOS (FreeDOS) Part 3 | GAGA real/unreal "C:\" - DOS386, 17.08.2011, 09:20
                  • Considering DOS (FreeDOS) Part 3 - paulrichards, 17.08.2011, 23:02
                    • Considering DOS (FreeDOS) Part 3 - Rugxulo, 18.08.2011, 01:59
                      • Considering DOS (FreeDOS) Part 3 - paulrichards, 19.08.2011, 05:34