The Joint Windows Project

[os2fan2]

A project that I have been playing around with, is to boot Windows 95, 98SE and ME from the same MS-DOS 7.1. This means that you could have one virtual machine with a DOS select menu that will select any of the versions required.

At the moment, most of the cdrom layout has been done. The preserved folders ADD-ONS, ADMIN, OTHER, TOOLS, match what's on the 95/98SE/ME disks. Various options like the resource kits and the Plus packs included, along with the PLUS and a new folder SUPPORT. This contains various published fixes and addons (like the webfonts, the powertoys and krnltoys, some files from the betas),

Three different MSD files are included (2.12, 2.13 and 2.14), 2.12 is actually the one wondering around the web as 3.01. The latest version of my help file is included (support\oldmsdos).

This disk will be used in the jwp, with an installed versions of MS-DOS 6.30 and 7.10 being the primary targets.

Windows 95 OSR/1 will run under this DOS, if you make it fake version 7.0

Windows 98SE OS/R 4 ought run under this DOS, it is the DOS from that version.

Windows ME is included at the moment to allow 98SE2ME to run, but eventually, the plan is to see if we can hijack this to run under MS-DOS 7.1 too. Making 7,1 pretend it's 8.0 is not the main hassle. It's more that it works well.

Currently complete is to display different logos on different boot options (so the Win95 logo shows when Win95 is booted, and Win98SE when that is booted.)

[Meow]

I’m not sure that Windows ME will boot on MS-DOS 7.1. There are probably a whole lot of differences between 7.1 and 8.0. Try running all of these off of 8.0 instead.

[Schneider616]

Yeah, that would actually be interesting to do, since ME dropped real-mode DOS, and the current patch (the one that uses the IO.SYS from the ME emergency boot disk) removes the WinME logo from the boot process.

[os2fan2]

An alpha version of the joint windows project is released.

http://www.os2fan2.com/files/dos6371.zip

This is an assembly of files that have already been used to dualboot Windows 95 and 98se, but the current release is to show that you can install a dual boot from nothing in a single boot. After reboot, both DOS versions function normally.

The full release of the working files are
\ALSO common files to both DOS versions
\D63 general DOS 6.3 release.
\D63\ALSO files to make 6.30 (aka 6.22) into 6.3 (6.20) and back
\D63\DRIVER Standard MSDOS drivers at 6.22 level
\D71 general DOS 7.10.2400 files
\D71\ALSO files to be used in the joint windows project.

The two boot disks are 7.10 and 6.30 resp. All MS-DOS.

As the joint windows project continues, further updates on how to use the assorted files will be given.