I feel like an idiot.

[Tedob1]

now you have a clean system to play with.

You can put an older version of linux on it, or maybe freeDOS.
Or you can look for the original 3 disks used to install it originally.
DOS on 9x machines just pretends to be dos and will not stand alone. You can start the computer from a 98 boot disk. But what the hell for?

[NHBoehm]

Originally posted by chsh
Alcatraz, for future reference, when you decide to format a drive you want to boot from, make sure you do a format c: /s instead of just format c:. The /s switch transfers the 'system files' and makes the drive bootable.

Just so it spares you some headache NEXT time.

Errrm ... If you do a format c: /s FROM the drive being formatted, i guess there won't be anything left, when you get to the /s part, doesn't it???

[Alcatraz]

tedob1 said...

You can start the computer from a 98 boot disk. But what the hell for?

Well most of the DOS commands don't work, but I can still play games. But since there's not much else to do I just decided to take apart the computer, and now it's remains are scattered throughout my bedroom.

[chsh]

Originally posted by NHBoehm




Errrm ... If you do a format c: /s FROM the drive being formatted, i guess there won't be anything left, when you get to the /s part, doesn't it???

I know that as of dos 6.0 or later, when you do a format c: /s it loads the required system files into RAM, and then writes them to the drive afterwards. I can't remember if it does the same before Dos 6.

Secondly, it's usually never a good idea to just format the drive without a bootdisk to recover with.

[Tedob1]

so, put it back together. Their's a lot you can do with an old computer. all it takes is a 386 processor to use it as a router or firewall. and doing these things is a real learning experience.
i've seen downloads of all the older versions of dos on different web sites, if you just want to restore it.
what where the specs on it anyway?

[Alcatraz]

I could use a link to one of those DOS sites since I can't seem to find one. It's a Gateway, older computer. Don't remember at the moment, but I'm pretty sure it's a 386. Has 5.25 and 3.5 floppy drives.

Tedob1, I'm open for some suggestions on what exactly to do with. I've never messed around with the hardware before, only software, so it would definitely be a good learning expierence. But more then telling me that I can make it a firewall or router could you tell me how to do that? I would be much obliged.

[micael]

Originally posted by Alcatraz
I could use a link to one of those DOS sites since I can't seem to find one.

Som links to DOS and DOS related sites:
Club Dr-DOS
Datalight products
Interesting DOS programs
DOS Links
FreeOS

[faust]

insert bootable floppy
a: fdisk /mbr

fdisk make a partition
a: format c: /s

system is ready