Installing MS DOS on a previous Win 10 computer.

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  1. Posts : 2,465
    Windows 11 Pro 64-bit v23H2
       #71

    If all you care about is the Lotus 123 worksheet data files you created have you thought about converting these files to something your Windows 10 computer can read?

    I found a free website that converts Lotus 123 .wk4 files to Excel .xlsx files.

    On left you can see the file SOLVER.WK4 open in Lotus 123 v.4 running in Windows for Workgroups 3.11.

    On the right you can see the converted file open in Excel 2021 running in Windows 11 Home.

    Installing MS DOS on a previous Win 10 computer.-2023-02-10-16_28_48-greenshot.jpg
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  2. HDL
    Posts : 105
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #72

    jasond3d said:
    If you can have both drives connected (either sata for the DOS disk or USB-sata) you can do this.

    Boot into windows and use file explorer to create a directory on the DOS drive for lotus install (only make it a short name like lotusin). Grab the disk image files from the web and extract them all into the directory. You can do the same with the FreeDOS install disks.

    Restart the machine with a DOS boot disk (if it's the installer just exit it without installing). Enter the folder and run the setup (for both if you wish).
    I have tried to understand what I find on the WEB about FreeDOS. I cannot seem to get a clear answer to my questions. Hopefully you or someone here will know. Right now I have my Windows HHD and my DOS HHD both connected by SATA connections and Windows 10 sees the DOS HHD as "MS-DOS_6 (F:). I have not tried to look at it any further with Windows File Explorer because my intentions now are to reformat it to the NTFS format so it will be the same as the Windows C: Drive. I think that is what I need to do to use either of these DOS programs. Then try to figure out either this FreeDOS or DOSBox, both of which I am not yet understanding. So here are a few questions.
    1. Does FreeDOS work with Windows 10 64 Bit version 22H2? I cannot find a clear answer to this question on the WEB.
    2. Can it be installed on what I described above as F: drive after it is reformatted?
    3. Most importantly, if I get FreeDOS installed and run it from F: drive, do you think I would be able to access the external 3 1/2" floppy drive which, hopefully, will be A: Drive? Keep in mind I cannot now access it while running Windows at all. If I cannot access the external floppy drive, all this would be for nothing. Even though, with a lot of guidance, I may be able to get Lotus 123 installed it would be of no use to me if I cannot get my old Lotus files from the 3 1/2" floppies they are on.
    4. Recommendations here are FreeDOS, any thoughts about DOSBox? I did see where it could run under a 64 Bit Windows 10.

    As you probably can see, I'm very befuddled.

    - - - Updated - - -

    MisterEd said:
    If all you care about is the Lotus 123 worksheet data files you created have you thought about converting these files to something your Windows 10 computer can read?

    I found a free website that converts Lotus 123 .wk4 files to Excel .xlsx files.

    On left you can see the file SOLVER.WK4 open in Lotus 123 v.4 running in Windows for Workgroups 3.11.

    On the right you can see the converted file open in Excel 2021 running in Windows 11 Home.

    Installing MS DOS on a previous Win 10 computer.-2023-02-10-16_28_48-greenshot.jpg
    Most importantly here is I cannot access those files on the 3 1/2" floppies they are on because if my machine is running Windows it cannot, or will not, see and be able to use the external 3 1/2" floppy drive.

    Back when Excel was in its early stages, it made the claim that it could open, convert, and run Lotus 123 files and macros. Back then I was still working and had created some very complex and interesting macros within the Lotus programs. I mean they would do everything I wanted them to do automatically once I told them to open. My company was switching from DOS programs to Windows programs so I was forced to try to use Excel. They did open the Lotus programs but made a mess of them and did not even come close to being able to run anything but the simplest Lotus macros. From that point on, I was useless in creating macros in Excel. I did not understand its VBA or whatever, it is called. For some reason creating Lotus' macros came easily to me. I have since forgotten 99.9% of what I used to do but I wanted to look at it again on the files I still have.
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  3. Posts : 63
    Windows 10 Home
       #73

    I can only speak to my experience using WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS, not Lotus 1-2-3:

    • For bare-metal (no Windows involved) DOS installations, I've had success with FreeDOS. I was able to access the CD-ROM drive, the 3.5" floppy drive, a USB thumb drive, and a parallel Iomega Zip drive.
    • For 64-bit Windows, those in the know at WordPerfect Universe recommend vDOS or DOSBox. Perhaps you'd have similar success with Lotus 1-2-3.



    Good luck to you.
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  4. HDL
    Posts : 105
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #74

    Carmano said:
    I can only speak to my experience using WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS, not Lotus 1-2-3:

    • For bare-metal (no Windows involved) DOS installations, I've had success with FreeDOS. I was able to access the CD-ROM drive, the 3.5" floppy drive, a USB thumb drive, and a parallel Iomega Zip drive.
    • For 64-bit Windows, those in the know at WordPerfect Universe recommend vDOS or DOSBox. Perhaps you'd have similar success with Lotus 1-2-3.



    Good luck to you.
    Thank you. From what I think I have learned about FreeDOS I don't think I can use it, not even sure I can install it. Last week when I tried to make an USB boot stick using Rufus it destroyed the stick and I thought the computer, as well. But the computer did come back up from what looked like the BSOD.
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  5. Posts : 33,815
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #75

    HDL said:
    Thank you. From what I think I have learned about FreeDOS I don't think I can use it, not even sure I can install it. Last week when I tried to make an USB boot stick using Rufus it destroyed the stick and I thought the computer, as well. But the computer did come back up from what looked like the BSOD.
    FreeDOS is an alternative to MS-DOS. It's not something that runs under Windows, it is installed to partition of its own and booted from there, as you would for MS-DOS.

    Install Howto - FreeDOS
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  6. HDL
    Posts : 105
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #76

    Bree said:
    FreeDOS is an alternative to MS-DOS. It's not something that runs under Windows, it is installed to partition of its own and booted from there, as you would for MS-DOS.

    Install Howto - FreeDOS
    Thank you.
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  7. Posts : 2,465
    Windows 11 Pro 64-bit v23H2
       #77

    Did you ever solve the problem with your floppy drive not being able to change disks? This may be a mechanical problem with the drive. It doesn't make any sense to try something else until you resolve that problem.
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  8. HDL
    Posts : 105
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #78

    MisterEd said:
    Did you ever solve the problem with your floppy drive not being able to change disks? This may be a mechanical problem with the drive. It doesn't make any sense to try something else until you resolve that problem.
    Exactly that is why I am seriously thinking of abandoning this project. I can change disks but the only thing the computer reads is the first disk that was in it. After that, as far as the computer or memory is concerned, the same disk is in it no matter what. I have not found the answer but I'd bet it has something to do with DOS not being compatible with the RAM that is installed in the machine.

    I was holding out hope to use either FreeDOS or DOSBox but I just am confused as to how it can be installed and used in my machine. If I ever can figure that out, I may try it but it still would have to access the floppy drive.
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  9. Posts : 599
    Windows 10 Home
       #79

    DOS used a utility called SmartDrive to store frequent disk reads in memory to speed up operation. When it is running, you can check its status by typing "smartdrv /s" at the command prompt.

    Ben
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  10. Posts : 2,465
    Windows 11 Pro 64-bit v23H2
       #80

    HDL said:
    Exactly that is why I am seriously thinking of abandoning this project. I can change disks but the only thing the computer reads is the first disk that was in it. After that, as far as the computer or memory is concerned, the same disk is in it no matter what. I have not found the answer but I'd bet it has something to do with DOS not being compatible with the RAM that is installed in the machine.

    I was holding out hope to use either FreeDOS or DOSBox but I just am confused as to how it can be installed and used in my machine. If I ever can figure that out, I may try it but it still would have to access the floppy drive.
    FreeDOS would be a little better that MS-DOS. I read you can install older versions of Windows in it but not Windows for Workgroups 3.11. However, it wouldn't be any better than MS-DOS unless you can change floppy disks. FreeDOS is normally installed from a CD but can be installed from a floppy drive.

    DOSBox runs in Windows. It can use its Mount command to mount regular Windows partitions as drives, CD drives, and floppy drives. Of course unless Windows can see the floppy drive that won't work. DOSBox uses IMGMount to mount CD ISO images and floppy img images, I tried to install Lotus 123 in DOSBox but didn't succeed because I coudn't figure out a way to change floppy images during setup.

    Note that when I run MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 as a virtual machine using VMWare I did not have problem installing Lotus 123. That is because it has a built-in way to change CDs and floppies. I use CD and floppy images so can't verify how well it works with physical CD and floppy drives.
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