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- I've just purchased MS-DOS Version 5.0 this past week. I installed it
- and believe it or not, it worked the first time the system booted.
-
- Here are some tips that might be useful to anyone who is contemplating
- purchasing and installing DOS 5.0.
-
- 1. Read the "Getting Started" book from cover to cover. If you are
- running a network, you will have to concern yourself with the
- the network software you are running and its version.
- Also, read the following text files on your diskettes before
- you begin the installation.
-
- README.1ST on diskette #1
- README.TXT on diskette #5
- APPNOTES.TXT on diskette #6
-
- 2. Backup all of your hard disk drives before you attempt to
- install the product. Although my system had no problem in
- this area, the instructions uge you to do this. DOS 5.0 may
- have to change your partitions if you are running special
- partitioning software.
-
- 3. If you are running 4DOS, remove it from the system and use
- COMMAND.COM. 4DOS verion 3.02 and up does work with DOS 5.0.
- You can re-install 4DOS later.
-
- 4. Remove all TSR's from your system and reboot it before installing
- DOS 5.0.
-
- 5. Save a copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files for later.
- This will be especially useful if you have a lot of started
- programs and device drivers.
-
- 6. Before you begin installation, you will need 2 or 3 blank
- diskettes. DOS 5.0 automatically uninstalls your old version
- of DOS and puts it on two diskettes. You will need the other
- diskette to make a bootable system for emergency purposes.
-
- 7. You can now begin the task of installing DOS 5.0.
- Just put your first diskette in the drive and type SETUP.
- The SETUP program will determine your system type and
- available hardware during the installation process.
- You will have the option of overriding the following options:
-
- a. Whether you are installing DOS 5.0 on a network system
- b. Whether you want the DOSSHELL program to start automatically
- when system is booted.
- c. Select the type of monitor you have on your system for
- for DOSSHELL program.
-
- 8. The installation takes anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes depending
- on the type of system you are running. When the installation
- is completed, the SETUP program will tell you to remove the
- diskette from the drive and press any key to boot your system
- which now contains DOS 5.0. The FIRST thing you should do
- is to make a bootable diskette for DOS 5.0. Just type
- SYS A:.
-
- 9. When the system boots, you will have to put your TSR's
- and 4DOS back in your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS system.
-
- 10. Special Notes:
-
- a. If you have your own extended memory manager, (e.g., QRAM, QEMM,
- 386MAX, etc), leave them in your system. DOS V5.0
- will load approximately 30K of its kernel in the HMA
- area if you have an AT and have more than 1 meg of memory.
- If you do not have a extended memory manager, DOS 5.0
- will use its HIMEM.SYS to give you these benefits.
-
- b. You can also gain some conventional memory if you can
- use UMB's (upper memory blocks) to contain device drivers
- and TSR's. DOS 5.0 gives you a "DEVICEHIGH" parameter
- for CONFIG.SYS for device drivers and a "LOADHIGH" command
- to use in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file for TSR's.
- NOTE!: You can only use "LOADHIGH" and "DEVICEHIGH" is
- your you use the HIMEM.SYS extended memory manager that
- comes with your DOS 5.0. If you are using a different
- extended memory manager, you must use the equivalent
- programs that it comes with.
-
- 11. SOME NEAT FEATURES OF DOS 5.0.
-
- a. The DOSSHELL program that comes with DOS 5.0 is much
- better than the one that came with 4.0. It takes a lot
- getting used to, but it makes life easier.
-
- b. The QBASIC that comes with DOS 5.0 is very similar to
- QUICK BASIC with the exception that you can not create
- a load module. It comes with its own editor which makes
- writing and executing BASIC easy.
-
- c. DOS 5.0 also comes with its editor (which is really the
- QBASIC editor) and can be used to create and update
- text files. With this you can throw away EDLIN.
-
- d. Another neat enhancement it that DOS 5.0 comes with
- three new commands. UNFORMAT, UNDELETE, and MIRROR.
- If you think these names sound familiar, you are right.
- These are the same three utilities that come with
- PCTOOLS from Central Point Software.
-
-
- I hope everyone has the same luck I had with installing DOS 5.0.