Go with DOSBox. Is the easiest method by far. Also, the DOS in Win98 isn't 100% compatible with most DOS games. So go with DOSBox.

Generally everything is easier with DOSBox, yes. Assuming it doesn't require Windows, I don't know why you wouldn't use it.

olddos25 wrote:

Also, the DOS in Win98 isn't 100% compatible with most DOS games.

Assuming you're referring to what you get when you reboot into "MS-DOS mode", I'm not sure where you got that idea, Is there something in particular you had in mind?

I've had nothing in my mind, because it's obvious that the MS-DOS in Windows 98 is not going to be compatible with most DOS games. It isn't the real thing.

olddos25 wrote:

I've had nothing in my mind, because it's obvious that the MS-DOS in Windows 98 is not going to be compatible with most DOS games. It isn't the real thing.

I assure you the differences are quite marginal. Microsoft went to tremendous lengths to ensure compatibility with older software at the time. If you find software that is incompatible with the version of MS-DOS included with Windows 98 (aside from FAT16 disk utilities) I am sure many people here would be very interested to know more about your discovery.

olddos25 wrote:

I've had nothing in my mind, because it's obvious that the MS-DOS in Windows 98 is not going to be compatible with most DOS games. It isn't the real thing.

I have yet to find one example that has problems.

olddos25 wrote:

I've had nothing in my mind, because it's obvious that the MS-DOS in Windows 98 is not going to be compatible with most DOS games. It isn't the real thing.

I'd suggest trying this yourself before stating it as a fact, you'll be surprised with the results.

Jorpho wrote:

If you find software that is incompatible with the version of MS-DOS included with Windows 98 (aside from FAT16 disk utilities) I am sure many people here would be very interested to know more about your discovery.

I didn't said so because of the reasons you've mentioned, it's because it's obvious. You can't always provide full compatibility for everything (for MS-DOS games in this case)

olddos25 wrote:

Jorpho wrote:

If you find software that is incompatible with the version of MS-DOS included with Windows 98 (aside from FAT16 disk utilities) I am sure many people here would be very interested to know more about your discovery.

I didn't said so because of the reasons you've mentioned, it's because it's obvious. You can't always provide full compatibility for everything (for MS-DOS games in this case)

Please stop spreading misinformation based on things in your imagination that "are obvious" (only to you).

The DOS core of Windows 9x (unofficially known as "MS-DOS 7.x") is just as much real DOS as MS-DOS 6.x, and is compatible with all games.

olddos25 wrote:

I didn't said so because of the reasons you've mentioned, it's because it's obvious. You can't always provide full compatibility for everything (for MS-DOS games in this case)

I suppose someone could conceivably write a DOS program that, say, tries to check the CRC32 of command.com before it runs and then returns an error if it does not exactly correspond to the CRC32 of command.com from MS-DOS 6.22. Except it would be completely absurd to write a program with such an arbitrary requirement and to my knowledge no one in the last twenty years has reported a program in wide distribution that acts in such a way.

Please, please, don't be so harsh on me just because I don't know certain things.

That's no reason to be harsh. We're all here to learn and share our knowledge.

Maybe it's a subtlety which isn't immediately clear, but it's important to articulate your opinions, experiences, and factual information with independent corroboration differently. For instance, saying Win98's DOS is incompatible is contentious. Saying you don't trust Win98 DOS mode to be completely compatible (but you do trust DOS 6.22) is the just the way you operate without overstating or miss-stating anything.

Saying it that way is the beginning of a conversation.

Windows 98/98SE DOS mode, especially if you reboot into DOS via a customized PIF file, is the "real" thing. I have yet to come across anything that does not work properly. It is one of the reasons Windows 98 is such a perfect retro PC OS. Best of both worlds.

Guess you're right then.