dnewhous wrote:

If I install WindowsXP to a new hard drive and format to NTSF and also make a FAT32 partition on the drive, will I be able to run DOS games off of the FAT32 partition or would I need to make a dual-boot drive to boot to either the NTSF or the FAT32 partition to be able to run DOS games?

I assume you want to run the games under Windows XP, right? I also assume you will use VDMSound to emulate a sound card. In this case, a FAT32 partition will be very useful, because several games have problems running from an NTFS partition. Having a FAT32 partition is a prerequisite for many games to work under Windows XP, but you do not need to boot Windows XP from the FAT32 partition, you only need to store the game files there.

Anyway, please remember that some games will *not* run correctly under Windows XP (or any other NT-based version of Windows, such as NT 4.0 or 2000). This is not related to the file system, it's about the way each game tries to control the hardware and the CPU. For these games, having a dual-boot configuration with Windows 98SE may be the only option. If you decide to go this way, keep in mind that Windows 98 requires the first partition (C:) to be FAT or FAT32.

Regards,

you can run DOS games from within WinXP on an NTFS partition. However, you will need to have a FAT32 partition if you want to use, say, a pure DOS bootdisk.

Does a pure DOS boot disk accomplish much on Windows XP?

This seams logically obvious: If you want to use a DOS boot disk with Windows XP does Windows XP need to be bootable from the FAT32 partition?

yes, a pure DOS boot disk does accomplish much if you have a FAT 32 partition. it lets you boot into pure DOS with a functioning hard drive

think of it this way: if you're using a pure DOS boot disk, you're not booting windows xp.

so, in recap: partition your hard drive. make one portion NTFS, the other FAT32. If you're nuts about win98 make the first partition the FAT32 one. Install winxp on the NTFS partition. when you use a DOS bootdisk, the NTFS partition will not be recognized whereas the FAT32 one will.

Of course, using DOS with modern hardware can be a bit of a pain but it's certainly possible.

and majorgrubert made a good point: there are some old windows games like icebreaker that need a fat32 partition to work properly.

dnewhous wrote:

Does a pure DOS boot disk accomplish much on Windows XP?

This seams logically obvious: If you want to use a DOS boot disk with Windows XP does Windows XP need to be bootable from the FAT32 partition?

Let's break this problem into smaller pieces. First, if you want to boot your machine from a DOS floppy you will need a primary partition (C:) formatted as FAT or FAT32. Actually, if you want FAT32 you will need a boot disk with MS-DOS 7.x from Windows 95OSR2, 98 or Me, because MS-DOS 6.22 does not support FAT32 partitions.

Second, if your primary partition is FAT32 you can still have Windows XP installed in another partition formatted with NTFS. The only real concern is to make sure that the primary partition is recognized by MS-DOS.

Third, if you boot MS-DOS you may not have all the necessary drivers for your sound card. A lot of modern cards don't have DOS drivers, so depending on your card you may end up with no sound in your games. That's the advantage of using VDMSound under Windows XP: it emulates SoundBlaster, AdLib and MPU-401 for DOS programs, regardless of the actual card you have.

Finally, why not use the search box in the upper right corner and look for previous threads about the games you intend to play? You can check which games are know to work or have problems under Windows XP and plan how much effort you intend to put into your installation (dual boot, DOS boot disk, etc).

Regards,

MajorGrubert wrote:

Let's break this problem into smaller pieces. First, if you want to boot your machine from a DOS floppy you will need a primary partition (C:) formatted as FAT or FAT32. Actually, if you want FAT32 you will need a boot disk with MS-DOS 7.x from Windows 95OSR2, 98 or Me, because MS-DOS 6.22 does not support FAT32 partitions.
Regards,

Windows Me has MS-DOS 8.0

dnewhous wrote:

Windows Me has MS-DOS 8.0

Which is a hybrid DOS, from what I understand, at least not without patching a "pure" DOS environment. Snover and the rest seem to favor 98's DOS over it.

dnewhous [/i][B]Windows Me has MS-DOS 8.0 [/quote][quote][i]Originally posted by Drogg wrote:

Which is a hybrid DOS, from what I understand, at least not without patching a "pure" DOS environment.

Right, they added elements from WindowsNT, but attempted to maintain compatibility. Apparently that came at the cost of stability. additionally, it was the first consumer OS where Microsoft deliberately "blocked" the consumer's access to DOS.

If you're dealing with DOS titles, it's not recommended. Win95B/Win98 are more stable and made with DOS in mind.

MajorGrubert[/i] [B]you will need a boot disk with MS-DOS 7.x from Windows 95OSR2, 98 or Me[/quote] [quote][i]Originally posted by dnewhous wrote:

Windows Me has MS-DOS 8.0

As Drogg and Nicht pointed above, MS-DOS version 8.0 that comes with Windows Me is a really bad choice for a DOS boot disk, and I totally forgot this when I wrote my post.

*puts foot into mouth*

Regards,

Originally posted by MajorGrubert As Drogg and Nicht pointed above, MS-DOS version 8.0 that comes with Windows Me is a really bad choice for a DOS boot disk, ...

Well, if it's all you have...it's all you have.

*puts foot into mouth*

Oh, stop it. That looks silly. Just give us more of that incomprehensible minutiae about Windows VXD and DLL files and you're a genius again.

Bootdisks - the most complete source of bootdisks i've ever seen.