[edit] Technical specifications
| Name |
Max Hard Drive partition size |
File systems supported natively |
3.5" Floppy capacities supported natively |
5.25" Floppy capacities supported natively |
Integrated disk compression utility? |
Long File Names supported natively? |
| MS-DOS 1.1 |
n/a |
FAT12 |
n/a |
360kB |
No |
No |
| MS-DOS 2.0 |
10MB |
FAT12 |
n/a |
360kB |
No |
No |
| MS-DOS 3.0 |
32MB |
FAT12 |
n/a |
360kB, 1.2MB |
No |
No |
| MS-DOS 3.2 |
32MB |
FAT12 |
720kB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
No |
No |
| MS-DOS 3.3 |
32MB |
FAT12 |
720kB, 1.44MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
No |
No |
| MS-DOS 4.0 |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16 |
720kB, 1.44MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
No |
No |
| MS-DOS 5.0 |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
No |
No |
| MS-DOS 6.0 |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
Doublespace |
No |
| MS-DOS 6.22 |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
DriveSpace |
No |
| MS-DOS 7.0 (Windows 95A) |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
No (DOSLFN) |
| MS-DOS 7.1x (Windows 95B/OSR2, 95C/OSR2.5, 98, and 98SE) |
124.55GB (with FAT32)3 |
FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
No (DOSLFN) |
| MS-DOS 8.0 (Windows ME)2 |
124.55GB (with FAT32)3 |
FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
No (DOSLFN) |
| DOS Plus 1.2 |
32MB |
FAT12, FAT16, CP/M-86 |
n/a |
360kB, 1.2MB, CP/M 320kB |
No |
No |
| DR-DOS 6.0 |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
Superstore |
No |
| DR-DOS 7.03 |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
Stacker |
No |
| DR-DOS 8.0 and 8.1 |
? |
FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 (buggy ?) |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
No |
| FreeDOS 1.0 |
2TB |
FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
No (DOSLFN) |
| Novell DOS 7.0 |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
No |
| OpenDOS 7.01 |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
No |
| PC-DOS 1.0 |
n/a |
FAT12 |
n/a |
160kB |
No |
No |
| PC-DOS 7.x / 2000 |
2GB |
FAT12, FAT16 |
720kB, 1.44MB,
1.86MB (XDF), 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB,
1.54MB (XDF) |
Stacker |
No |
| PTS-DOS 32 |
? |
FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
Yes |
| PTS-DOS 2000 |
? |
FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
Yes |
| PTS-DOS 2000 PRO |
? |
FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
Yes |
| ROM-DOS |
? |
FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 |
720kB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB |
360kB, 1.2MB |
? |
Yes |
Note 1: Current understanding has it that if one has a license to run a Windows version, one can also legally install any MS-DOS version up to the level of that Windows' version.
Note 2: MS-DOS 8.0 has most of the functionality of previous versions, but there are significant losses of usability, like: the loss of FORMAT /S command, that can be substituted by formatting HDD/FDD and then copying IO.SYS from CD-boot A: image, as first ever file onto drive; loss of SYS A: (or SYS B:) command for floppies, that can be substituted too in the same way as FORMAT /S; inability to boot to a command prompt without substitution/modification of IO.SYS (other than CD-boot version) and COMMAND.COM. For purpose of booting from C: drive, an unmodified IO.SYS from simulated A: boot diskette image placed on Windows ME OEM CD from which that CD boots can be used, and COMMAND.COM can be substituted by (now free as in beer) 4DOS (from which NDOS is derived) [1]
Note 3: As mentioned at Microsoft's KB article 184006, the limit of 124.55GB for FAT32 partition size is a primarily a limitation of Windows 95/98's 16-bit SCANDISK utility. Other DOS versions supporting FAT32 may allow a larger partition size closer to the theoretical ~8TB maximum suggested by FAT32's specifications (maximum of 268,435,445 clusters times 32 Kb cluster size). Windows 2000 and XP can mount and use a FAT32 partition larger than 32GB, but they cannot natively create one, which according to Microsoft is by design.
Note 4: While Windows ME may be unsupported and end-of-life, a version of its underlying DOS is included with Windows XP. When one formats a floppy in Windows XP and selects "Create an MS-DOS startup disk", the floppy is formatted with a DOS version that identifies itself as "Windows Millennium [Version 4.90.3000]".
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
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