do you have a copy of dos (a full copy not just the boot disc) if so there will be a setup or install routine
otherwise you have to use the sys command

games from that era needed different settings i used to need several boot discs to run all my games (some needed ems, some need xms, some need a lot of conventional memory ect)
you might have to do the same

Well you can forget about QEMM and MEMMAKER. Since QEMM will cause compatibility issues with your games and MEMMAKER doesn't do much anyways.

As for EMM386 it's old and there are more updated programs such as JEMM: http://www.japheth.de/

Unless you have processors older than a Pentium your going to have to use slowdown programs depending on the games you are going to run. (and even if you do have a 486 your still going to have to use slowdown programs...again depending on the games).

If your going to play Daggerfall make sure that P1 is at least 100mhz.....and make sure you patch it to the latest ver.

All of the games you listed run fine in DosBox and ScummVM and unless you can find all of the hardware and get it running properly (and even when you do) your not going to find a better solution than DosBox or ScummVM for those games. There are a few areas where an old PC may be better than DosBox but if your not going to buy that hardware for your old PC then you may as well use DosBox (MT-32, Gravis, etc, old graphics demos). In fact in most cases you'll have improved graphics/sound using DosBox over an old PC (scaled graphics with filters instead of an old CRT monitor, better sound card, better speakers, higher quality REALsound instead of relying on low quality PC speaker)

Thank you Davros and DosFreak!

To clarify, I've already assembled a grouping of DOS / Windows 95 PCs, but they are absolutely loaded with about 3,000 pieces of horrible bloatware (old anti-virus, indexing programs, and the like). So far I've collected a:

Laser 386SX with 4MB RAM, Oak video card, no sound card, but a decent PC speaker, DOS and Windows 3.0

Dell OptiPlex 560 with 60MHz Pentium I, 16MB RAM, integrated video with 1MB, SB16 CT1740 (ISA), Dell DOS and Windows 3.1

Gateway 2000 P5-90 with 90MHz Pentium I, 16MB RAM, Ensoniq SNDCRD002ABWW ISA sound card, S3 TRIO 64 PCI video card, Windows 95

Micron Millennia Lxe with 166MHz MMX Pentium, 32MB RAM, Diamond Stealth 3D 2000 Turbo Pro video card, integrated Vibra 16c PnP, Windows 95

Dell Dimension XPS T500 with 500MHz Pentium III, 128 MB RAM, ATI Rage 128 Pro, integrated sound (Yamaha DS-XG), Windows 98

I've also collected boxed, full, retail versions of IBM DOS 5.0, MS DOS 6.2, Windows 95, Windows 95b, and Windows 98 and what I am looking to do is perform clean installs of DOS or Windows 95 / 98 on some of these machines, but I really need a walkthrough of which DOS drivers (mouse, sound, video, and the like) I will need and how to install them. Would anyone be able to point me towards a walkthrough or even a book?

Thanks again!

uraprat wrote:

I am really needing a step-by-step walkthrough of installing MS DOS 6.x,

First of all, you need a DOS boot disk, which you can find here. Scroll down until you find DOS 6.22 boot disk with Utilities.

If you need to re-partition your hard drive, then run fdisk and follow the on-screen instruction. It's text-based and not very user friendly, but hey, welcome to the DOS world! 😉

uraprat wrote:

the CD-ROM,

add this lines to your CONFIG.SYS:

1DEVICE=C:\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001

and this line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT:

1C:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /L:D

Now here's the explanation:
(1) OAKCDROM.SYS is the name of your CD-ROM driver, and the name can vary depends on your CD drive vendor. However, IIRC OAKCDROM.SYS is pretty much "universal", which means you can use it with various brands of CD-ROM drive. If you don't have OAKCDROM.SYS, then you can Google for download.
(2) the CONFIG.SYS above assumes that you are putting the file OAKCDROM.SYS in C:\. If you put it, let say, in C:\DOS, then you should replace the line with

1DEVICE=C:\DOS\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001

(2) the AUTOEXEC.BAT above assumes that you are putting the file MSCDEX.EXE in C:\. If you put it, let say, in C:\DOS (which is typical), then you should replace the line with

1C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /L:D

uraprat wrote:

mouse,

Again, depends on the mouse's manufacturer. However, there is a universal DOS mouse driver that you can use with any serial or PS2 mouse on DOS, [http://cutemouse.sourceforge.net/]here[/url].

uraprat wrote:

sound card,

If you're using Sound Blaster, you don't need drivers. However, if you're using plug & play Sound Blaster (Sound Blaster 16 and above, although there is an SB16 model that is not plug & play), you need a file named DWCFGMG.SYS and load it in your CONFIG.SYS.

1DEVICE=C:\DWCFGMG.SYS

Again, it assumes that the file DWCFGMG.SYS resides in C:\. If you put it in C:\DRIVERS\ for example, then the line should be

1 DEVICE=C:\DRIVERS\DWCFGMG.SYS

And of course, you need the SET BLASTER line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. For example:

1SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1

means that you use port 220, IRQ 7, and DMA1. IRQ 7 is quite typical if you're using Sound Blaster or Sound Blaster Pro.

If you're using Sound Blaster 16 or AWE 32, then you typically need this line:

1SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H4

H means High DMA, which is typically used by late version of Sound Blaster.

uraprat wrote:

and video card drivers

You don't need video card drivers when running DOS. However, you can use SciTech Display Doctors for hi-res, SVGA DOS games.

By the way, you can find a quite comprehensive DOS drivers here.

uraprat wrote:

and the use of memory applications like EMM386, QEMM, and MEMMAKER.

If you're using EMM386, then you should put these lines on your CONFIG.SYS:

1DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
2[DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM

Those line above assumes that your HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE reside on your C:\DOS\ folder. We used to call it "directory" back then. 😀

It is better that you put those lines above before anything else, thus, enabling high memory area for subsequent drivers to be loaded in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. For example, you can put your CD-ROM drive and MSCDEX.EXE on high memory area, thus saving conventional memory.
CONFIG.SYS:

1DEVICEHIGH=C:\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001

AUTOEXEC.BAT:

1LOADHIGH C:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /L:D

uraprat wrote:

My ultimate goal is to build 2 or 3 DOS based systems to run the vast majority of games from the original 1986 DOS version of Might and Magic Book One which only requires a 286 class processor with 256K (yes K not MB) of RAM

If you're playing DOS game as old as 1986, better use DOSBOX.

uraprat wrote:

to 1996's Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, which can make use of a fast Pentium I, 32MB RAM, and a video card with 8MB RAM.

If you're playing late DOS games (1996 and up), then a Pentium 1 is even too slow if you're running the DOS games in SVGA (640x480 and above). Better build a legacy system instead. Find a mobo that still has ISA slot (440BX is always reccommended), and put a processor faster than Pentium 1.

For instance, if you plan to use 440BX motherboard, then a Pentium II or Pentium III mobo should be fast enough to run late DOS games in SVGA.

uraprat wrote:

King's Quests, and the like...

You can perfectly use DOSBOX for the purpose, mind you.

You guys amaze me with your knowledge of this stuff! I will get right on this and THANK YOU!!!