Command.com is the command line program, essentially the DOS "front end". Sounds like your MS-DOS 6.22 was not installed correctly, or the install disks are incomplete. There should literally be a file called "command.com" in one of the install disks for MS-DOS.

It should be at C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM by default. The installation process should've created a CONFIG.SYS file at C:\ root defining that path for the SHELL variable. One or the other is missing or corrupt, or something.

Make sure you're actually booting from the right drive. (Boot order is configured in BIOS.)

A boot floppy will have the equivalent files at A:\ root.

notsofossil wrote:

Command.com is the command line program, essentially the DOS "front end". Sounds like your MS-DOS 6.22 was not installed correctly, or the install disks are incomplete. There should literally be a file called "command.com" in one of the install disks for MS-DOS.

I looks like my disk image is fine; "command.COM" is 54,645 bytes, according to WinImage. Maybe it's the process of unpacking onto the disk?

firage wrote:

It should be at C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM by default. The installation process should've created a CONFIG.SYS file at C:\ root defining that path for the SHELL variable. One or the other is missing or corrupt, or something.

Make sure you're actually booting from the right drive. (Boot order is configured in BIOS.)

A boot floppy will have the equivalent files at A:\ root.

A:\DOS\COMMAND.COM does nothing. The error just pulls up again.

OK, I've discovered something. When I look into the files (from WinWorldPC), COMMAND.COM is there, but after getting those images onto disk (by WinImage and RawWrite), COMMAND.COM and some other files don't show up when I look on the disk. So is it a writing issue?

Dunno we use original media here not "abandonware". hint hint.

DosFreak wrote:

Dunno we use original media here not "abandonware". hint hint.

A real copy of 6.22 is $55. My computer, monitor, soundcard, and keyboard were about $20 less than that. I'm cheap, ok? 😢

11justsomekid wrote:

COMMAND.COM and some other files don't show up when I look on the disk. So is it a writing issue?

What OS are you using to check which files are there?
If you haven't set your file manager to show hidden files, then COMMAND.COM, IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, and maybe some other files will appear to be missing. They're there, just hidden/system flagged.

COMMAND.COM should be in the root directory, i.e. C:\ or A:\ etc. It's as relevant whether it's in C:\DOS as it is whether it's in any other directory other than root (you can change this behavior in CONFIG.SYS but why would you want to?).

Somehow MS-DOS 6.22 has been installed wrong. Try booting from a startup disk and running the command "SYS A: C:". You may have to run this from C:\DOS or wherever the SYS.COM program is located.

My COMMAND.COM has always been directly in C:\>, and other DOS commands in C:\DOS> on multiple versions of DOS I tried.

keenmaster486 wrote:

What OS are you using to check which files are there? If you haven't set your file manager to show hidden files, then COMMAND.CO […]
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11justsomekid wrote:

COMMAND.COM and some other files don't show up when I look on the disk. So is it a writing issue?

What OS are you using to check which files are there?
If you haven't set your file manager to show hidden files, then COMMAND.COM, IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, and maybe some other files will appear to be missing. They're there, just hidden/system flagged.

COMMAND.COM should be in the root directory, i.e. C:\ or A:\ etc. It's as relevant whether it's in C:\DOS as it is whether it's in any other directory other than root (you can change this behavior in CONFIG.SYS but why would you want to?).

Somehow MS-DOS 6.22 has been installed wrong. Try booting from a startup disk and running the command "SYS A: C:". You may have to run this from C:\DOS or wherever the SYS.COM program is located.

I would try using SYS, but it won't even bring up a prompt. Every time it boots, it just gives the error. No matter what I type, it brings the error up again.

Beegle wrote:

My COMMAND.COM has always been directly in C:\>, and other DOS commands in C:\DOS> on multiple versions of DOS I tried.

It's definitely under C:\DOS\ in my 6.22 installations. It would be at the root in the case of floppies or drives that were prepared with the SYS command.

What type and size of hard disk are you installing to?

11justsomekid wrote:

I would try using SYS, but it won't even bring up a prompt. Every time it boots, it just gives the error. No matter what I type, it brings the error up again.

Oh, so you haven't even gotten started installing yet! Your boot disk won't even boot, is that what you're saying?

Could be you got some bad images. Abandonware sites aren't necessarily reliable.

firage wrote:

Beegle wrote:

My COMMAND.COM has always been directly in C:\>, and other DOS commands in C:\DOS> on multiple versions of DOS I tried.

It's definitely under C:\DOS\ in my 6.22 installations. It would be at the root in the case of floppies or drives that were prepared with the SYS command.

That is weird. I'm using 6.22 too, and it installs as I said everytime by default. I don't use the SYS command or move files afterwards.

I have never, ever in all my life seen a DOS installation put COMMAND.COM in the DOS directory.

It's always in the root.

Well, it certainly has been a couple of years now since I last ran the installation from the floppies; I don't move anything, but admittedly I can't rule out a step in the installation process couldn't have affected the path. I'd have to check. I'll take your word that I'm mistaken on the most common default path. The other way seems common, but the line "SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM" does appear a lot around the web and 6.22 literature. I think earlier versions would've been likely to differ on this point, too, before possible changes for Windows compatibility.

Not that any of this is actually relevant to the original issue, just trivia really.

keenmaster486 wrote:

I have never, ever in all my life seen a DOS installation put COMMAND.COM in the DOS directory.

It's most definitely in there.

COMMAND.COM is in both the root and DOS directories on my 486. That said, my memory says that COMMAND.COM has always lived in root. I've seen it so many times after running a directory listing, it would look out of place if it weren't there. It's probably always been in C:\DOS too, I just don't study its directory listing as often, so I couldn't swear to it without looking.

The file does in fact appear to install in both locations, you're absolutely right. That mystery's solved, then. 🤣 (Missed Windows hides the root copy from me but not the other, earlier. 😊) Suppose the root one is good to always have there as backup in case everything goes wrong with CONFIG.SYS.

Ah, it seems I haven't fully searched through my DOS directory before 😀

But, is there a situation in which the SHELL variable would be set to the COMMAND.COM in DOS rather than in root?