A common problem: You need to run some MS-DOS utility, such as a flash ROM updater, and are a Linux user. Either you're not sure if you even still have MS-DOS at all, or have it only on floppy disk and no longer own (or use, anyway) a floppy drive.
Part One: Acquire DOS.
- Buy a copy of MS-DOS. (Note that Win9x/ME includes it; it's just hidden.)
- Use your existing copy, generating a bootable CD version. (See below.)
- Download MS-DOS, e.g., from http://www.bootdisk.com/ . Disadvantage: This almost certainly violate's Microsoft Corporation's copyright.
- Download DR-DOS. Disadvantage: Download licence permits only non-commercial use.
- Download FreeDOS. Disadvantage: Possibly less mature code.
Part Two: Make a CD version.
See instructions below.
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 15:49:10 -0700
From: Seth Daniel <svlug@sethdaniel.org>
To: svlug@lists.svlug.org
Subject: Re: [svlug] BIOS upgrade under Linux - can it be
done?
On Mon, Aug 16, 2004 at 03:36:28PM -0700, Roland Krause
wrote:
> Therefore my question, has anyone here ever tried a BIOS
upgrade under
> DOSEMU (if that thing is still around) - Why does this not
sound like
> a good idea to me?
>
> Any other ideas? I mean, eventually I could put a copy of
XP on it. I
> have one - but I really rather avoid that. Is DR-DOS still
around?
> FreeDOS anyone?
I've had good success when following the instructions from this Web page:
http://www.nenie.org/misc/flashbootcd.html
[RM comments: Indicated page points out that some places on the net such as http://www.bootdisk.com/ have downloadable ZIPped disk image files (with filename extension .EXE) of MS-DOS, though such are almost certainly technical copyright violation. Then, you loopback-mount the image's filesystem, add any utilities or ROM images you need, unmount the filesystem, then create and burn to CD an ISO9660 filesystem, as follows:
mkdir /tmp/bootcd # temporary directory for CD image
cp FLOPPY.IMG /tmp/bootcd/ # add floppy image to CD root
mkisofs -r -b FLOPPY.IMG -c boot.cat -o /tmp/bootcd.iso
/tmp/bootcd
cdrecord dev=X,Y,Z /tmp/bootcd.iso
"boot.cat" is a catalogue file mkisofs automatically creates inside the filesystem as a result of the furnished "-c" flag.
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 16:32:15 -0700
To: svlug@lists.svlug.org
From: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com>
Subject: Re: [svlug] BIOS upgrade under Linux - can it be
done?
Quoting Roland Krause (rokrau@yahoo.com):
> Therefore my question, has anyone here ever tried a
BIOS upgrade under
> DOSEMU (if that thing is still around) [...] Any other
ideas?
1. Use a DOS floppy or CD. This is the conventional approach. Or:
2. Use the open-source Linux utility "flash_rom" from the FreeBIOS project. Details at: "BIOS Flashing" on http://linuxmafia.com/kb/Hardware/
> Is DR-DOS still around?
Proprietary source-available software, free of charge for non-commercial use. Devicelogics, Inc. now owns the copyright (Digital Research -> Novell -> Caldera -> Lineo -> Devicelogics), and no longer offers direct downloads of the binary images (for either the current 8.0 or former 7.0x series), but those are still available elsewhere.
Best starting point for Web searches: http://www.drdos.net/
> FreeDos anyone?