Hi Ray,
Given your scenario I'm gonna cut to the chase. To install FreeDOS on
FAT32 you need to have a partition with the type 0x0C (W95 FAT32 LBA) in
your MBR formatted drive. The partition also needs to be formatted as a
FAT32 filesystem beforehand. Do this, and the bootable installer will
pick it up immediately. Whether the partition has to be primary or
logical - I've no idea. I avoid logical partitions because their
foundations have implications for performance and drive wear. Your best
bet is a primary partition.
That's all there really is to it. Given this information, you should
also be able to install on GPT as long as the partition intended for
FreeDOS is available in a hybrid MBR. Some older IDE and SATA
controllers are going to freeze the boot process when they see a GPT
partitioned drive, and some won't care. If you're keen on doing this,
you'll have to find out for yourself if your controller does this. GPT
has one downside - GRUB will default into treating the drive as a GPT
partitioned drive, so it can't hide partitions if you ever need to do
that. I know I do in order to hide FreeDOS and Windows 98 system
partitions from each other's reach. You'd have to re-interpret the drive
as a MBR device. That's one backflip I don't bother doing, no matter how
cool it sounds that you have FreeDOS on GPT.
Best regards,
Michał
W dniu 13.03.2026 o 21:00, Ray Davison via Freedos-user pisze:
I have been using FreeDOS for about as long as it has existed - it
still runs my accounting and desktop publishing programs. The first
app that has always gotten installed is Acronis OS selector V5 (OSS).
I have used OSS to boot many versions of DOS, OS/2 and Win. I claims
to be able to boot Linux.
Long ago the market forced me to use Win. I have had a LAN since DOS
was the only PC OS. Current WEB sites have forced me to use current
browsers, and current browsers have forced me to use current Win.
Current Win says I don't need a LAN, I can use the cloud instead.
When Linux was becoming common, I tried it, and decided it was not the
solution to any problem I had. But Win, for me, has become unusable.
When Win7 had updates to offer it provided a list, and I could chose
to install each or not. Win11, grabs a machine and tells me I need to
wait, maybe an hour, while it updates. One such update left me with a
black screen which took much time, help and effort to recover from. I
have cleaned that machine for Linux.
I have installed three different Linux partitions. None have created
a boot manager. There is an empty 2G space at the front. Can I make
it Fat32 and put FreeDOS on it?
TY
Ray
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