Re: MS DOS
From: cquirke (MVP Win9x) (cquirkenews_at_nospam.mvps.org)
Date: 03/15/04
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Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 03:14:52 +0200
On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 21:18:43 -0700, "Bruce Chambers"
> WinXP, like its predecessors WinNT & Win2K, is a pure 32-bit GUI
>OS, and does not include or "ride upon" any version of DOS, as did
>Win3.x & Win9x/Me. WinXP does include a command-line emulator for
>those times when GUI applets are unnecessary/redundant, but it cannot
>be started in "DOS mode."
Ken and Bruce are just about right on this. What makes DOS DOS is the
kernel, which is IO.SYS in the case of MS-DOS and the DOS Mode of
Win9x, but is the Windows kernel within Win9x GUI and NT.
Command.com is not DOS, though it's part of the package of MS-DOS,
Win9x, and NT. It is a program that can run on the DOS kernel, or the
Win9x kernel, or the NT kernel. It interprets commands, either from
the command prompt it offers or in the form of batch files (.bat).
However, Bruce and Ken drift off the mark when they describe Win9x as
"riding on DOS". This isn't true; while IO.SYS forms part of the boot
process and launches the Win9x kernel, it is not the kernel under
Win9x GUI (though some interrupt services may use code there).
They are also slightly off the mark in another minor way; XP can
generate DOS mode boot diskettes :-)
Win95xx and Win98xx can boot DOS mode instead of Windows, and this
mode can be thought of as a successor to MS-DOS. NT cannot boot to a
DOS mode instead of NT, unless one exists as a different OS that can
be booted instead of NT via Boot.ini or some other boot manager.
It's important to get these details right as there are real and
fundamental ways in which things differ, depending on what kernel is
active, even when things are made to LOOK the same either way.
This is true for...
- running DOS apps and .bat files within NT
- running DOS apps and .bat files within Win9x GUI
- choosing Cmd.exe or Command.com in NT
- choosing old vs. new .pif formats in XP
- troubleshooting VESA or sound issues in Win9x
...etc.
>--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -
Hello DOS mode my old friend
I've come to hack with you again
>--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -
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