Well, I've heard from the Blind-L list that it is indeed possible. So apparently, it really is a stand-alone system. As soon as I get an adapter, I'll try to install JAWS or ASAP using JFW and then try to reboot directly into DOS or exit Windows and go into it. I'm just happy because now I can finally start my QuickBASIC lessons that I've been forced to put on hold for lack of a decent machine. The only bad thing is that this computer doesn't have an internal modem. I've heard that those can be problematic but now I have to buy an external ontop of subscribing to a dial-up service, unless I can find a DOS-compatible wireless card.
On 10/12/10, chris hallsworth <[email protected]> wrote: > We have been talking about this over on my Blind Virtual Machines list > ([email protected] for those interested), simply because I > was interested in playing "museum" operating systems. Thanks for posting > this information. > > > From Chris H in Derbyshire > E-mail and Facebook: [email protected] > MSN: [email protected] > Skype: chrishallsworth7266 > Twitter: http://twitter.com/christopherh40 > Please visit my blog at http://chrishallsworth.klangoblog.net. > If you need any computer help, please contact me. Thank you. > > On 12/10/2010 02:08, Eleni Vamvakari wrote: >> I always knew that Windows 3.1 and DOS ran separately. You could pop >> out of one and go into the other. Of course, this isn't true with XP, >> since it doesn't have actual DOS inside it, just an emulator. But I >> thought the same was true for 95 and 98 as well or at least that there >> was no way of entering DOS apart from the command prompt found in >> Windows. I was happily wrong on both counts! Apparently, it contains >> MS-DOS 7, which is unsupported officially (they say the last supported >> stand-alone version is 6.22) but which I know as a fact can run on >> it's own. I can even enter it without needing to use Windows and can >> have the computer boot directly to full DOS! I found all the details >> here. >> >> http://www.ctyme.com/msdos7.htm >> >> It so happens that I have a working laptop with Windows 98 on it and >> even a full version of JFW 3.7! If I'm correct, this means that I can >> use the Windows command line to install a DOS screenreader so that >> when I boot without Windows, I can start up the reader and be on my >> way. Of course, I don't intend on staying with MS-DOS forever, but >> this will give me a nice experiment until I can either collect the >> drivers needed for this laptop, find a better one or get a desktop, >> put Enhanced DR-DOS onto some floppies and have someone install it for >> me. At the very least, I can finally! start my QuickBASIC tutorials >> because I have all the necessary keys (my KeyNote Gold was built with >> a few missing) and play around with all sorts of software. I can even >> switch from one opperating system to the other and try out some >> Windows applications if I wanted. >> >> But I do have a question. The laptop has a bios and some other >> drivers that specifically work with DOS. I checked them out on the >> manufacturer's website. I've been under the impression that a machine >> must have at least certain core drivers in order for DOS to be >> properly installed on it with no other opperating system. But is this >> actually true? What would happen if I loaded it onto a machine that >> was originally designed for XP? More importantly, could I load it onto >> a Windows 3.1, 95 or 98 machine if there aren't any specific DOS >> drivers available, since those versions of Windows had real DOS in >> them or does all of that depend on the fact that Windows and it's >> drivers are loaded? Sorry if this is confusing. >> >> Thanks, >> Eleni >> >> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ > > For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: > http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ > For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
