Help with DOS commands

fixer27

fixer27

Joined
Nov 17, 2004
Messages
14,031
My "project" IBM think pad 356c laptop has led me to relearn DOS 7.0
which is a good thing but for the life of me I can't remember the run
commands. I can't even remember the disk format commands!

What I am looking for is the commands for

1. opening a floppy(3.5 inch) there were 4 included in the package and
I think they are install floppies for win 3.1 but I have forgotten the C:\
command
2. the disk format command like A:\???????

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Man, I can't remember that stuff either, and I have several computers that run DOS. What I can do is suggest an excellent resource, the book DOS for Dummies. But I'm so dumb that I lost my copy...

Good Luck,
Bob
 
fixer27 said:
My "project" IBM think pad 356c laptop has led me to relearn DOS 7.0
which is a good thing but for the life of me I can't remember the run
commands. I can't even remember the disk format commands!

What I am looking for is the commands for

1. opening a floppy(3.5 inch) there were 4 included in the package and
I think they are install floppies for win 3.1 but I have forgotten the C:\
command
2. the disk format command like A:\???????

Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

To see the content of the floppy you just type
a:

then

dir

To format one, use

format a:

or

format a: /s to make a bootable FD
 
Bob W said:
Man, I can't remember that stuff either, and I have several computers that run DOS. What I can do is suggest an excellent resource, the book DOS for Dummies. But I'm so dumb that I lost my copy...

Good Luck,
Bob
Click to expand...

Well I didn't "lose" my copy I put it in a circular file. :o

And thanks Flava and Gajinoz that was just about exactly what I needed.
Btw, I didn't realize how programs that are still out there for win3.1 if you
have the memory to upgrade to fat32. Most printers will still work on the
old girl as well.

Just a one more question, I am going to add memory 8mb(yes 8mb) should
I do that before I uninstal/reinstal win3.1 or after I uninstal/reinsta win3.1?
 
fixer27 said:
Just a one more question, I am going to add memory 8mb(yes 8mb) should
I do that before I uninstal/reinstal win3.1 or after I uninstal/reinsta win3.1?
Click to expand...
Theoretically it shouldn't make any difference. It's the BIOS that's going to have to recognise the memory change. I'd put it in, hope the machine recognises it then do your upgrades/reinstall/whatever.
 
gajinoz said:
Theoretically it shouldn't make any difference. It's the BIOS that's going to have to recognise the memory change. I'd put it in, hope the machine recognises it then do your upgrades/reinstall/whatever.
Click to expand...

Thanks Gajinoz, i just ordered the upgrade and was cruious about it.

The thing even still has the modem on it (in working order) I checked the
ports. So maybe later I'll try to go online with the thing IE 2.0! It should
be fun either way. ( a whopping 9,000 baud!) it should fly! Not.
 
fixer27 said:
Thanks Gajinoz, i just ordered the upgrade and was cruious about it.

The thing even still has the modem on it (in working order) I checked the
ports. So maybe later I'll try to go online with the thing IE 2.0!
Click to expand...

Given the millions or so security flaws that IE 2.0 must have, I'd get another browser.
 
Ryan8 said:
Given the millions or so security flaws that IE 2.0 must have, I'd get another browser.
Click to expand...

Say it isn't so, I just bought a bunch of software at a place called Phrack.
I kept wondering why they wanted me to keep using a different credit card
Am I in trouble here? :D :D

Seriously though that dude is so slow that any web browsing will be kept
to discreet minimum. Besides, who still uses IE 2? As an aside the first
entry in the thing is from 1994 and the last is from 02 but it has been
updated with fat32 and Y2k stuff which saves me a headache at least.

But thanks for the advice though.
 
You want to put the memory in before you install windows ideally. This way you won't need to tweak the swap file size again.

Phil
 
you can also use dir /w or dir /p if the disk contains many files. it'll give wide or page break view.

to view directories within directories do cd <name of directory>

back to root is cd\


I've got an old thinkpad in storage as well. this is making me want to drag it out. :)
 
roughedges said:
you can also use dir /w or dir /p if the disk contains many files. it'll give wide or page break view.

to view directories within directories do cd <name of directory>

back to root is cd\


I've got an old thinkpad in storage as well. this is making me want to drag it out. :)
Click to expand...

I had thought that after I boost the memory i happen to have some old
Win95 Cd's OSR 2, that way I wouldn't have to fool with changing file
size fat16/32 and i would have the updated IE4 (I think) but that win 3.1
just is such an antique that I may just have to try it. I have budgeted 100
dollars towards this and the memory upgrade was 33 bucks there are a
couple of old desk jets available (lexmark 832c) for like 5 bucks and the
install program is still available, so all I'll need is cartridges and a mouse.
Maybe I can find an old cd drive that's a little faster as well.
 
It's been a while since I've fooled with laptops, but there are a lot of other people doing exactly what you're doing -- nobody throws away an old laptop; they're always good for something. Don't reinvent the wheel. Ask for help on comp.sys.laptops or try a search to see if there are web-based forums now (see, it really has been a long time for me....)

I think you'll find an early version of Netscape will serve you much better than an early version of IE. You probably don't have the resources to run the current IE at a reasonable speed. Opera will probably serve even better than an early Netscape version; Opera can run on a 386.

Ask the experts before you "upgrade" your operating system. Every new version of Windows is slower than the last. You might not notice that if you upgrade your hardware at the same time, but adding memory can only accomplish so much -- it's still an old processor.
 
As long as you just want to mess wround with different OS's and such why not try one of the lighter versions of Linux? I had bought an old laptop to play around with Linux on, but unfortunately needed to remove it to install Windows 2000 to use with my test prep lab equipment for my CCNA.

Basically I have found that a lite version of Linux will be much faster, more secure, and give you more options and capabilites than Windows. If you are just interested in playing around with computers it might be a worthwhile expereince for you. Best of all is that just about any version of Linux can be downloaded for FREE, and it is legal.
 
ErikD said:
As long as you just want to mess wround with different OS's and such why not try one of the lighter versions of Linux? I had bought an old laptop to play around with Linux on, but unfortunately needed to remove it to install Windows 2000 to use with my test prep lab equipment for my CCNA.

Basically I have found that a lite version of Linux will be much faster, more secure, and give you more options and capabilites than Windows. If you are just interested in playing around with computers it might be a worthwhile expereince for you. Best of all is that just about any version of Linux can be downloaded for FREE, and it is legal.
Click to expand...
All very true but there can be a slight problem with this. Those who have not grown up with a command line interface to the O/S and only have experience with driving things via a GUI may have a lot of problems coming to grips with getting things working properly.

If your first computer had Windows, and you've only ever dealt with Windows, then seeing someting like:
grep "^[a-zA-Z]" pgm.s

is not going to fill you with confidence.

Of course, you can always get a GUI interface to stick on the
top of the Linux shell .... :)
 
I had thought about using linux, but with zero experience with it and a
having a hard enough time with Dos I'll try win 95 if that crawls then
maybe I'll give linux a shot. I was lucky enough to have gotten the ibm
with both drives with it and the boot up disks as well as the modem cable.

Speaking of use groups I went over to computing.net and they had a ton
of stuff about 3.1 and downloadable boot disks and even win3.1 upgrade
progams. I'm justing waiting on the memory to arrive then I'll install and
see what happens.

Thanks for the advice.

( i'll look around for an old version of Netscape or Opera)
 
I remember running Win3.1 and Netscape on a laptop. Sometimes it would lock up and I would have to reboot, but then it would work again. :cool:
 
Well I installed the extra memory went to open win3.1 and received an error
message about svga 256. I exited windows and received a disk error message
I then removed the new memory and reinstalled the old memory and win 3.1
opened right up.

I think there is some setting that needs adjustment for the extra memory
but this being Dos I have no clue how to even find the directory let alone
what to adjust it to.
 
When you first boot up does it tell you what keys to press to get into the CMOS settings?
 
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