How to install MS-DOS 6.0 (en_msdos60.exe) from MSDN?

[Dabrowski]

Hi

I have a en_msdos60.exe file from MSDN, that is MS-DOS 6.0. In you unpack it, there will be a folder with 196 files including setup.exe. I am copping this folder to a formatted disk C using Win98 bootdisk and I'm running setup.exe, but it only proposes me to perform a "minimal installation" on a floppy disk. Why didn't it install on HDD, kinda like if you do the same with Windows 3.11(running setup.exe from a folder, copped on HDD... using 98 boot diskette)?

I really want 100% original DOS 6.22, so the idea was to install en_msdos60.exe and use en_msdos622.exe to upgrade. Yes, for some reason en_msdos622.exe posted on MSDN is an upgrade only release.

Thanks

[DOS]

How did you copy the folder to C: when it's larger than the size of a single floppy disk, did you use a few floppies, or something more complicated? It probably doesn't matter, just curious.

I guess you ran FDISK and FORMAT from the Win98 boot disk, so perhaps the issue is that the partition table and/or filesystem on the hard disk aren't recognized by DOS 6.0's setup.exe? I tried following your procedure but using an MS-DOS 5 boot disk and didn't have any trouble, regardless of whether I ran setup.exe after booting from A: or C:.

I've often wondered how to use those MSDN files if you don't already have another copy of DOS. It turns out that en_msdos622.exe contains floppy images, and the 1.44MB disk 1 at least is bootable (I didn't check the 1.2MB one). So, on a clean machine:

1. boot from DISKS/144UPG1.IMG
2. when the setup splash screen appears, hit F3 twice to exit (if you proceed, it will give you no option but to reset or power off the machine)
3. run FDISK as normal and let it reboot the machine
4. repeat step 2
5. run FORMAT C: /S/U
6. restart the computer again, making sure to still boot from the floppy
7. hit enter
8. pick "Continue Setup and replace your current version of DOS"

At this point, it will basically perform a clean install of MS-DOS 6.22 (with some more prompts), which is not really what I thought an "upgrade" version would ever want to do. This is probably not something Microsoft wanted anyone to do when they released the 6.22 upgrade, but I think that the intent of releasing the files on MSDN is that you should be able to install DOS somehow!

If at step 6 instead of rebooting you run SETUP from the DOS prompt, it won't prompt you like at step 8, and will instead say that you're going to have to provide it with floppies that it can write the uninstall files to. You probably don't want to go down that path, because that involves swapping floppies more, and there's not really anything to uninstall.

[Dabrowski]

That moment when a person justifies his nickname :)) Thank you very much, DOS! Your post answers much more than was asked

How did you copy the folder to C: when it's larger than the size of a single floppy disk, did you use a few floppies, or something more complicated? It probably doesn't matter, just curious.

Via CD-ROM, of course :)

I guess you ran FDISK and FORMAT from the Win98 boot disk, so perhaps the issue is that the partition table and/or filesystem on the hard disk aren't recognized by DOS 6.0's setup.exe? I tried following your procedure but using an MS-DOS 5 boot disk and didn't have any trouble, regardless of whether I ran setup.exe after booting from A: or C:.

Yes! Silly me, of course Win98 bootdisk has newer MS-DOS 6.22, plus I think I checked "Y" when it asked for a large disc support, that creates a FAT32 partition, maybe the problem was with that too for 6.0.

Not that this really matters now, since 6.22 was the final goal and you have provided me with a perfect solution, but still if we go back to en_msdos60.exe for educational purposes: now I am trying DOS 5.0 and DOS 6.0 live floppies from bootdisk.com (their links are dead, I put them through archive.org and obtain the files). And after hitting setup, on second installation screen it prompts me to create uninstall disks (like you predicted it will behave with with 6.22, if I run setup instead of restarting & "replacing my current version of DOS"). Did it prompt you too, is it normal? I'm wondering if there is a way to skip all the diskette parts, like say if I had a computer with non-working floppy drive.

This is exactly what I do:

1. Boot from DOS 5(or 6.0, result is the same) live diskette.
2. fdisk
3. format c: /s/u - it copies lite DOS on disk C:, makes it bootable
4. restart. it asks to confirm current date and time
5. (insert another DOS boot diskette(6.22) with CD driver, just to xcopy extracted 196 files from en_msdos60.exe from CD-ROM to disk C:, eject the diskette)
6. Restart, booting from C: lite DOS, cd to directory with DOS files, setup.exe

[DOS]

Yes! Silly me, of course Win98 bootdisk has newer MS-DOS 6.22, plus I think I checked "Y" when it asked for a large disc support, that creates a FAT32 partition, maybe the problem was with that too for 6.0.

DOS 6 definitely wouldn't like FAT32!

And after hitting setup, on second installation screen it prompts me to create uninstall disks (like you predicted it will behave with with 6.22, if I run setup instead of restarting & "replacing my current version of DOS"). Did it prompt you too, is it normal?

It didn't prompt me as I didn't go that far through the setup - I just went far enough to see that it was offering to install to C:\DOS - but I don't recall ever not being prompted for those disks when running SETUP normally (with no command-line options). It's definitely a normal, annoying part of the install!

I'm wondering if there is a way to skip all the diskette parts, like say if I had a computer with non-working floppy drive.

I don't feel like getting out the manual to check the documentation of the switches to the SETUP command, but this is from https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/094/Q94387/ which mentions the important one:

Setup /G disables the Uninstall feature of MS-DOS.

I think that's all you need, I have used SETUP /G /H in partially automated installs and I'm pretty sure there were no prompts for floppies (but sadly there were still some prompts, hence my saying "partially").

[Dabrowski]

DOS 6 definitely wouldn't like FAT32!

Oh... shame on me - for some reason I was strongly convinced that Win98 bootdisk has 6.22 version of DOS. Confused myself with all these bootdisks :) Of course, only 7.1 and higher to support FAT32. All clear now!

I don't feel like getting out the manual to check the documentation of the switches to the SETUP command, but this is from https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/094/Q94387/ which mentions the important one:

Setup /G disables the Uninstall feature of MS-DOS.

Brilliant! Just tested it. Perfect installation of en_msdos60.exe and no problem with upgrading it to 6.22 with files from "UPGRADE" folder, extracted from en_msdos622.exe. DOS rule! Both you and the OS.

P.S. Could you please help me with one more matter?

It's about CD-ROM driver. I know that to install it you have to edit config.sys with:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001

and autoexec.bat with

LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001 /l:D

No problems with that, worked for many years, but: recently I was reading this tutorial http://manmrk.net/tutorials/DOS/cdrom.htm

and it recommends to edit config.sys with 2 more lines, in total:

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001
LASTDRIVE=F

My question is about "DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS" line. The original config.sys file looks like this:

DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH
FILES=30

So, should you write "DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS" line two times, meaning... second time - just for the CD driver? Question is probably very silly, but it is not explained in the article :) Thanks.

[SistemaRayoXP]

No, you don't have to, that line is for ensuring you are running HIMEM because the CD-ROM Driver requires it. The LastDrive line is in case you assigned to the CD ROM the H letter (In case you have 3 disks or so) and to ensure the drive letter can be assigned (The default "parameter" is F, that applies when you load it and even when you don't load it)

[xelloss]

So, should you write "DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS" line two times, meaning... second time - just for the CD driver? Question is probably very silly, but it is not explained in the article Thanks.

If you try it, you'll see that HIMEM will complain. It cannot be installed two times (and there's no reason to, anyway: one memory extended memory manager is enough!)

[Dabrowski]

Guys, SistemaRayoXP & xelloss, thank you