External as in USB? Assuming BIOS can load and boot a DOS boot sector from a USB hard drive...wouldn't DOS itself need USB support to see the disk it is booting from? Which it doesn't have AFAIK.

My idea is to format and drive and try to install DOS in my actual PC and later put that disk into the retro PC.

I can copy files into the old HDD, no problem with that. Just wondering if i can in any way install DOS into that drive using my actual PC. Have no floppy drive, only the DOS images.

I've done this using a VM and a pass through device file. Although I use KVM now, you might find VirtualBox to be more convenient. Here's how you set it up.
https://www.serverwatch.com/server-tutorials/ … tualbox-vm.html

I installed DOS 6.22, Win 3.1, and lots of other stuff with virtual floppies this way. The only downside (and one of the reasons I use KVM now) is that VBox is less flexible when it comes to floppy formats, but it's still a very handy trick.

gdjacobs wrote:

I've done this using a VM and a pass through device file. Although I use KVM now, you might find VirtualBox to be more convenient. Here's how you set it up.
https://www.serverwatch.com/server-tutorials/ … tualbox-vm.html

I installed DOS 6.22, Win 3.1, and lots of other stuff with virtual floppies this way. The only downside (and one of the reasons I use KVM now) is that VBox is less flexible when it comes to floppy formats, but it's still a very handy trick.

Thanks!!! This look like what im looking for. I need to test if it work with the hard drive conected vía USB.

Vikingo wrote:

Thanks!!! This look like what im looking for. I need to test if it work with the hard drive conected vía USB.

That's how I used it. Let me know if you have trouble.

I succesfully installed MS-DOS 6.22 into the external hard drive. Have several permission problems while i try create and later mount the vmdk file. Solved everything with this fantastic GUI tool for OSX. https://whatroute.net/vboxrawdisk.html

Excellent.