Coincidentally, I have FreeDOS on a USB stick that's from around 2006. Very slow and it seems since last time I checked it, flash memory must have corrupted some files since something crashes during boot.

UCyborg wrote on 2026-09-05, 09:47:

Coincidentally, I have FreeDOS on a USB stick that's from around 2006. Very slow and it seems since last time I checked it, flash memory must have corrupted some files since something crashes during boot.

Oh, the flash cells must have forgotten their content over time! 😯
Maybe the USB pen drive still works after a full re-format?

Back then I've used HP's "USB Disk Storage Format Tool" to create DOS bootable flash drives..

I also vaguely remember it supported both MS-DOS (6.22 and 7?) and FreeDOS.
Speaking of FreeDOS, I got a DELL branded FreeDOS CD-ROM years ago!
I assume it was from the 2000s, too! 🙂

Aww, I missed that one.

A beleated happy birthday, FreeDOS! 🥳

Glad to still see it under active development, and helping to keep the retro DOS community going strong.

digger wrote on 2026-09-06, 21:24:

Aww, I missed that one.

A beleated happy birthday, FreeDOS! 🥳

Glad to still see it under active development, and helping to keep the retro DOS community going strong.

Yay! 😃

Personally, I do really like FreeDOS and its eco system too!

Even though I do critizise it sometimes.

I think that the installer is a bit too Linux-like, for example. The TUI, the many sub directories..

Looking at Novell DOS or good ol' MS-DOS 6.x, I think the user experience could be improved, could be nicer here.

The heart of FreeDOS is alright, though, I think! 🙂👍

Jo22 wrote on 2026-09-06, 18:53:

Oh, the flash cells must have forgotten their content over time! 😯
Maybe the USB pen drive still works after a full re-format?

Maybe, but this thing is incredibly slow. I only used that particular stick since I didn't have any data on it and old rarely used stick seemed fitting for something I'd boot once in a blue moon.

And it's a little bit too quiet in FreeDOS. I may have tried one game port of Quake II and a music player, both claiming some compatibility with HD audio, but there was still only silence.