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Difference Between DOS and Windows

DOS (Disk Operating System) was a common operating system for IBM PCs between 1981-1995 that used text commands, while Windows is a graphical operating system developed by Microsoft. Key differences include: DOS used text commands versus Windows' graphical user interface; DOS offered less storage and was limited to FAT16 filesystems, while Windows offers terabytes of storage; and DOS is now obsolete but still used for some specialized purposes due to its simplicity, while Windows dominates mainstream use worldwide.

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874 views

Difference Between DOS and Windows

DOS (Disk Operating System) was a common operating system for IBM PCs between 1981-1995 that used text commands, while Windows is a graphical operating system developed by Microsoft. Key differences include: DOS used text commands versus Windows' graphical user interface; DOS offered less storage and was limited to FAT16 filesystems, while Windows offers terabytes of storage; and DOS is now obsolete but still used for some specialized purposes due to its simplicity, while Windows dominates mainstream use worldwide.

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Duzzit
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Difference between DOS and Windows

Key Difference: DOS or Disk Operating Systems are operating systems that were most commonly found the
IBM PCs and were popular between 1981 and 1995. Windows is a range of graphical interface operating systems
that are developed and sold by Microsoft.
 
Before the Windows vs. Apple war and when times were simpler, there was a computing system known
as DOS (Disk Operating System) which dominated the IBM PC. Back then when you bought a computer,
it was most commonly an IBM that had a DOS operating system. DOS and Windows differ from each
other in many aspects.
 

DOS or Disk Operating Systems are operating systems that


were most commonly found the IBM PCs and were popular between 1981 and 1995. Many DOS versions
have been released by different companies, the most popular being the MS-DOS, also by Microsoft.
Related systems include MS-DOS, PC-DOS, DR-DOS, FreeDOS, PTS-DOS, ROM-DOS, Novell DOS,
OpenDOS and 86-DOS. The 86-DOS or QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) was bought by
Microsoft for the IBM PC.
 
Windows is a range of graphical interface operating systems that are developed and sold by Microsoft.
Early versions of Microsoft Windows ran on top of a separate version of DOS and it ceased to be used
when Windows 95 was launched as a stand-along operating system that did not require a separate DOS
license. With Windows 95 and 98, but not ME, the MS-DOS component could be run without starting
Windows. When DOS was no longer required to run the system, it was completely stopped being used in
PCs. The DOS is now obsolete and is very rarely used in the real world. DOS and Windows differ from
each other greatly even though Windows is believed to be derived from DOS.
 

DOS and Windows differ in GUI (graphical user interface),


where DOS uses a full text command input, Windows uses images, icons and text in their interface. The
full text command input in DOS required users to input commands and work on the computer using text
codes; making it harder to understand for first-time users or less tech savvy people. Windows simplified
the graphical user interface, by using the help of icons, images and text; eliminated the need for
remembering the codes and the actions that go with the codes.

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DOS also offered less storage space compared to Windows. The highest storage space that DOS offered
came around 2 gigabyte, while the latest Windows offers storage space in terabytes. Windows can also
accommodate much larger hard drives, while DOS cannot due to its dependence on FAT16 file system.
 
DOS and Windows also differ in terms of registry systems and swap files. While DOS uses a directory
system, where all the files are contained within a particular directory or a subdirectory, Windows uses a
much complicated registry system making it difficult to manually delete files from the system and
excessive files can cause the system to slow down or crash.
 
Due to the decline of usage for DOS, most versions of DOS are now available for free in the market. It is
also simple to use and does not require gigabytes of memory in order to work compared to Windows.
DOS has become ideal for prototyping, testing, and making automated systems that only require checking
if and when something goes wrong. Due to its simplicity in usage and lack of fancy GUIs, the system is
also much cheaper to operate.
 
  DOS Windows
Definition DOS (Disk Operating System) are Windows is a range of graphical
simple text command operating interface operating systems that are
systems that were popular from developed and sold by Microsoft.
1981 to 1995.
GUI DOS used a text based interface Windows uses graphics, images
that required text and codes to and text.
operate
Input System Text is used as the basic input Uses a mouse for all operating
system commands. system input.
Multitasking DOS is unable to run multiple Windows is a multitasking operating
processes at the same time. system; allowing more than one
process to work simultaneously.
Storage Size The highest amount of storage size Window systems offer storage
available is 2GB. space up to 2 terabyte.
Demands on System Resources Booting up system is DOS is less Booting up Windows is more
demanding on the CPU. demanding on the CPU.
Registry and Swap Files DOS uses a directory system, Windows uses a different registry
where all the files are contained compared to DOS, making it difficult
within a particular directory or a to manually delete programs. An
subdirectory. excessive number of temporary
files and file fragments can cause
the system to slow down or crash.
Current Uses More ideally used for prototyping, Used worldwide as the most
testing, and making automated popular operating system.
systems.
Price DOS is free Windows is costly
 
 
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Image Courtesy: wikimedia.org
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