FreeDOS bootdisk FAQ

1:
Q) what are the core files?

A) the core files consist of 2 files: kernel and shell
   (also called commandline interpreter, or CLI in short)
   FreeDOS kernel: KERNEL.SYS
   FreeDOS shell: command.com

2:
Q) what are the configuration files?
A) FreeDOS has 2 configuration files: a driver loading file,
   and a configuration script for automating settings
   Config file is config.sys or fdconfig.sys
   Automation file is autoexec.bat

3:
Q) How do I change non-kernel core and config filenames?
A) The only fixed name is KERNEL.SYS.
   You may rename config.sys to fdconfig.sys if you want.
   You may rename autoexec.bat to *.bat
   You may rename command.com to *.com

4:
Q) how do I indicate the changed files?
A) put a line in (fd)config.sys starting with shell like:
   SHELL=comspec.com /P=autobat.bat
   where comspec.com can be replaced by the real shell's name,
   and autobat.bat by the real automation file

5:
Q) how do I load cdrom-drivers?
A) CDRom-drivers can be divided in a few classes:
   *SCSI-based (requires host driver and cdrom-driver)
   *IDE/ATAPI based (requires cdrom driver)
   *custom board based (requires proprietary driver)
   *located on sound card (requires proprietary driver)
   Generally, config.sys needs to contain a line like
   DEVICE=CDROM.SYS /D:CDROMDRV
   and autoexec.bat a line like
   SHSUCDX /D:CDROMDRV

6:
Q) how do I assign a driveletter to cdrom?
A) -put a line LASTDRIVE=Z at the end of (fd)config.sys
   -add a parameter /L:X at the end of the SHSUCDX line
    SHSUCDX /D:CDROMDRV /L:X
    which results in cdrom driveletter X:

7:
Q) How do I automatically detect driveletter of cdrom?
A) This is a complex question. You need a utility from
   http://www.nu2.nu/utils called FINDCD.COM
   put it on you disc in the same place as SHSUCDX
   Now, put the following lines in autoexec.bat directly
   below the line loading SHSUCDX:
   A:\FINDCD.COM -r -e
    if errorlevel 255 echo SHSUcdx not loaded!
    if errorlevel 254 echo Error finding cdrom!
    For %%x In ( Z Y W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A ) Do If 
NOT ErrorLevel H%%x Set cdrom=%%x:
    Echo your cdromdrive has driveletter %cdrom%

8:
Q) How do I automatically run a program from a cdrom?
A) simply follow question 7, then add the following lines:
   %CDROM%
   CD \
   CD DIRNAME
   CD PROGRAM.EXE
   where dirname is WIN98 for example, and program.exe is SETUP.EXE for 
example

9:
Q) Nice cdrom tutorial, now memory! what's what?
A) DOS has a few types of memory,
   *Conventional Memory, also called Low memory
   *High Memory, also called HMA
   *Upper Memory, also called UMB's, or UMA
   *Extended Memory, also called XMS
   *Expanded Memory, also called EMS

10:
Q) what's low memory?
A) the first 640 kilobytes of your internal memory.
   Microsoft founder Bill Gates, richest man on the world,
   once said this was enough, but since we now have computers with
   up to 12Gigabytes of Memory, he was wrong.
   DOS runs all of it's programs in this 640KB

11:
Q) What's HMA?
A) A programming mistake.It enables to load 64KB of a program
   from low memory into this memory area, thus leaving more
   low memory available. Generally occupied by the DOS itself.
   requires an XMS driver, and the setting DOS=HIGH in (fd)config.sys

12:
Q) What's an UMB?
A) unoccupied memory between 640KB and 1MB memory.
   Usually system memory for add-on cards and the computer's BIOS
   is located there, but not all is used.
   Remaining blocks can be converted by UMB's by loading a
   UMB manager in (fd)config.sys and adding the line DOS=UMB
   to this same file. It's purpose is to load drivers into this
   memory instead of low memory, thus leaving more low memory
   available to run programs in.

13:
Q) Extended Memory?
A) demanding programs can use the memory from 1MB upwards for
   their own use. Requires access to this memory, which is done
   by installing a XMS manager like Himem or FdXMS to (fd)config.sys

14:
Q) Expanded Memory?
A) the rival of XMS. Extinct by now but meant a great deal for old
   computers as it was memory placed on add-on boards, and later on
   created by converting XMS into EMS through a EMS manager like EMM386


So now we have memory and cdrom acces, what's next?

15:
Q) Mouse support would be nice..possible?
A) Yes, sure, CuteMouse will do fine.
   Just add a line ctmouse.exe to autoexec.bat to load it every time.

16:
Q) Sound support?
A) Possible, but look at manufacturer's manuals.

17:
Q) What's a filesystem?
A) a way of storing and retrieving files on a storage medium.
   DOS can handle FAT12 (diskettes, or disks/partitions smaller than 12MB),
   FAT16 (harddisks from 16MB to 2048MB)
   FAT32 (harddisks from 512MB to 2000GB)

18:
Q) how do I install DOS?
A) installing on harddisk requires a few things:
   *organising disk (partitioning)
   *creating a filesystem on each disk (formatting)
   *select which partition to start from (set active partition)
   *Writing bootfiles and bootsector, and Master Boot Record.

19:
Q) How do I execute 18)?
A) *partitioning requires the Fixed Disk program (fdisk.exe)
   *creating a fat16 filesystem requires format.com
   *setting a partition active is done using fdisk (option2)
   *last stuff is done using SYS.COM like SYS A: C:
   congratulations, you have a bootable, but almost empty,
   FreeDOS system.

20:
Q) Now what?
A) boot from the FreeDOS disc #1 and install whatever programs
   you want. Afterwards, FreeDOS is completely installed, and
   you can install other software like WP5.1 if you have it,
   or games like Supaplex or Scorch. It's all up to you.
   Even Internet is possible, using Arachne webbrowser and a
   so called packet driver for your modem or network card.