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Announce

This document announces the release of FreeDOS 1.1, an open source operating system aiming to provide similar functionality to MS-DOS. The new release includes updates to the FreeDOS kernel, TCP/IP networking support, initial USB support, and many updated programs and drivers.

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Hung Pham
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36 views3 pages

Announce

This document announces the release of FreeDOS 1.1, an open source operating system aiming to provide similar functionality to MS-DOS. The new release includes updates to the FreeDOS kernel, TCP/IP networking support, initial USB support, and many updated programs and drivers.

Uploaded by

Hung Pham
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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We'd like to announce the release of the FreeDOS 1.1 distribution.

What's FreeDOS?
FreeDOS is an opensource operating system aiming to provide the same (or better)
functionality as Microsoft's
old MS-DOS. Right now the main use is running old games and software, but you mi
ght encounter it on some
freshly sold computers, motherboard setup CDs, BIOS flashing diskettes, embedded
hardware and other uses.
While FreeDOS itself is basicly just the DOS-C kernel as created by Pat Villani,
over the years many people have
added programs (often licensed as GPL, other times as freeware, public domain or
a custom license) to form a
distribution so you actually get some additional drivers and programs to run.
What's new since 1.0 (2006):
* FreeDOS kernel 2040 (Bart Oldeman, Jeremy Davis and others. Should fix fat32 f
ile corruption).
* mtcp (Michael Brutman), a suite of high-performance TCP/IP applications for an
y x86 computer.
* an initial attempt at USB controller support (Bret Johnson). So far only UHCI
(Intel/Via USB1.1 12Mb/s & 1.5Mb/s),
thus no OHCI (Nvidia etc, 12Mbit/s & 1.5Mbit/s, EHCI (USB 2.0 , 480Mbit/s) and
UHCI (USB 3.0 , 5000 Mbit/s)
* generic PCI IDE cache/cdrom driver (Jack R. Ellis) including PIO/UDMA modes fo
r (P)ATA/SATA harddisks and CD.
* new installation menu when starting from CD, intended to reduce amount of menu
s you have to respond to.
* universal BIOS backup program, see http://www.flashrom.org .
* updated memory drivers (HMA&XMS, UMB&EMS) with many thanks to Japheth, Jack, M
ichael Devore and Tom Ehlert
* 4DOS 8.00 command interpreter has been added, many thanks to Luchezar Georgiev
for updating JPSOFT's code
* installation scripts have been streamlined. Much to do still though.
* very limited USB flash disk support (often showing up as C: )
* many new versions of many programs, including DEVLOAD and DEBUG. Features and
fixes as usual.
* ..
Removed:
* Unstable kernel 2039. Replaced by 2040. No NLS (NLSFUNC/CHCP) support yet, exp
ected in 2041
* UDMA/GCDROM/QCDROM etc. Replaced by UIDE. For USB bootCD, using ELTORITO from
Syslinux 4.05
Installation notes:
* the FreeDOS 1.1 distribution itself might be stored as a single (ISO9660 CD-im
age) file on CD.
* right now the only way to install is to boot the CD, then select bottom option
.
this loads the entire collection of FreeDOS 1.1 installation files in system m
emory.
Only now you select option 1 (installing FreeDOS).
* Should you wish to keep things really simple, get a bootdisk and perform the f
ollowing commands:
1) FDISK (to create an active primary partition which should use the FAT16 or
FAT32 filesystem)

2) FORMAT C: (creates an empty filesystem on C:, also erases all previous soft
ware/data)
3) SYS C: (writes bootsector to C: and copies kernel and shell)
4) Whatever you'd like to do next.
Installation issues:
* Initial CD detection code isn't working rightnow. Hardcoded menu to show a CD
drive.
Undocumented: press "Q" to leave this menu. CD seems to have loaded anyway, of
ten as D:
Undocumented: press "U" to update the CD (copy files to ramdisk, 64MB+ systems
only)
* Old installation method hangs somewhere somehow after keyboard selection.
* The new FreeDOS text installer version 4.01 can be used by typing:
X:\SETUP (where X: is your CD drive) followed by a parameter, which can be a n
onsense
name or a drive/directory containing setup archive files (in YOURDIR\PACKAGES\
BASE\).
Example: D:\SETUP C:\MYFILES (provided C:\MYFILES\PACKAGES\BASE\*.ZIP exist)
* due to there being an ISO on the CD, without the Memdisk/ISO method you'll nee
d to boot
the small diskette image and/or a bootdisk, then locate the CD, then mount the
ISO file
before continuing. General commands to do so:
SHSUCDHD /F:D:\ISOLINUX\FDBOOTCD.ISO (or whatever your CD drive is, instead of
D: )
SHSUCDX /D:SHSU-CDH
Then switch to the newly added drive and type SETUP
* You can copy the inner ISO to harddisk or USB flash drive if you like and moun
t it there
* Bootdisk menu currently not working
* ..
Limitations:
* Only the BASE set has been packaged, thus meaning the LiveCD environment is mi
ssing completely.
* If installing from USB flash drive, be careful. Your flash drive might show up
as C: ..
* ..
TODO:
* adding additional sets
* adding useful programs
* creating disksets
* fixing bootdisks
* ..
Useful sites:
* (FreeDOS)
: http://www.freedos.org
(F
reeDOS news/software)
* (Rugxulo)
: http://sites.google.com/site/rugxulo/
(c
ontinuous updates over the years)
* (Blair Campbell) : http://sites.google.com/site/blairdude/
(p
orts, software, distro)
* (Jeremy Davis)
: http://www.fdos.org / http://wiki.fdos.info
(a
dditional FreeDOS info)
* (Eric Auer)
: http://ericauer.cosmodata.virtuaserver.com.br/soft/special
s/ (many small program)
* (Mateusz Viste) : http://www.viste-family.net/mateusz/dos/en/download.htm (F
Dupdate program, update packaging)

* (Udo / Florian) : http://www.drdos.org , http://www.drdos.net


xtensive DOS Wiki, covering a lot)
* ..
Bernd Blaauw,
2011-12-31

(E

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