Hi Jim,
However, last month I added a note to the "Download" page on the website, to encourage people to try the new test release. I just updated it today: :: Want to help test the next FreeDOS version? :: Download FreeDOS T2603 (March 2026)
That is small and inconspicious, but it IS a start, thanks :-)
:: If you want to install FreeDOS on real hardware without a CD-ROM :: drive, use the FullUSB instead. The LiteUSB installs the same :: version of FreeDOS, but contains fewer of the extra programs.
In both cases, you are forced to install before you can use apps. There is no option to install to a RAMDISK or to the stick itself. The problem with the USB images is that they have VERY little "LiveCD" abilities, not even UNZIP or MKEYB are there, so you would have to format the harddisk of the PC where you want to test FreeDOS to be able to really test anything. It basically was not possible to test things at all until I opened the DOS boot stick again in LINUX and unzipped MULTIPLE packages FROM that stick TO the same stick so that I could boot that stick with enough tools so I could continue to unzip & test apps IN DOS. There was a Windows I did not want to damage on that PC. In short, I needed something like the LiveCD, but for USB. It is possible to use Ventoy, but that is bloated & obscure and people have been worrying about whether it might be backdoored. Other boot helpers for example were only available for Windows, or required the ISOs to already be MADE for dual use, either as USB image or CD ISO, which would be cool if DOS had those, too. So back to the current FullUSB or LiteUSB download options: Once you say NO to the question whether you wanted to format your harddisk, you are dropped to a prompt with VERY few tools, without even an intro README regarding how to manually install another way.
I've actually switched my install method (on QEMU) to use the USB image, because all the packages are there...
The difference is that QEMU does not contain any valuable data when you start by telling QEMU to simulate a new, empty disk... Regards, Eric _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
