europa@cbnewsh.att.com (r.j.capik) (09/06/90)
Here is a question that I can't seem to find an answer for and don't even have a clue where (else) to look. The question: What is the difference between DOS? To be a bit more specific, what do vendors do to DOS and how can one evaluate the differences. I've encountered an unreasonable number of odd problems that can for the most part be traced to some *magic* that a vendor has added to their DOS. However, even without added magic different DOS versions seem to have unpredictable results. In one upgrade; hard disk #0 (normaly drive C:) became drive D: and disk #1 became C: (with a read error). FDISK showed no DOS Partitions on disk #1. Re-boot (same versio, different vendor) and both disks are back, but now I get interupt errors that I didn't have before. I did an upgrade on another system (DOS 2.2 to DOS 3.0) where I backed every thing to another hard disk. I upgrade the 1st disk only to find that I can no longer read the 2nd disk (the one with my full backup). It turns out that the new version can't read the old hard disk format, BUT, the old version can read both the old and the NEW format. So go figure... I did another upgrade on another computer (DOS 3.3 to DOS 4.0, and a tape backup). Install the new DOS, OK. Down load the old files, OK. Use some programs, OK. Edit a file: ERROR can't find ROOT directory! Copy some files to another directory: ERROR can't find ROOT directory! I run CHKDSK, Norton, Mace, etc. and everything is fine, no errors found. Re-install DOS 3.3, and every thing is back to normal. I got a data disk from a friend (Lotus123 WKS files) where the files were created on a HP machine. All my DOS machines can read the disk fine, but Lotus gives me a file error, and once more CHKDSK shows no errors. Then magic of magic, I try the disk on a Macintosh with a DOS reader, and all the data is there just like it should be (but I have no idea how to move it from the Mac to a normal computer). These are just a few of the problems I've encountered. I won't even go into the extended/expanded memory problems, or the low level format problems. So stands the question: What's the difference between DOS? [ PC-DOS, MS-DOS, Zenith DOS, HP DOS, AST DOS, ATT(MS)DOS, etc. ] Ron Capik AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, N.J. cbnewsh.europa@ATT.COM