wales@valeria.cs.ucla.edu (Rich Wales) (09/25/90)
I recently restored an old Taiwanese XT clone to working order. I'm about to get it its very own copy of DOS. The system is an extremely "compatible" clone that I absolutely know will run fine with Microsoft's generic "packaged product" MS-DOS 3.30A -- the version that has not been modified by any clone maker (OEM; or if you prefer, VAR). The machine's only "extras" are a software-switchable turbo mode and an on-board clock/calendar -- both of which I have firmly under control via extra software, and neither of which requires any mod- ifications to DOS itself whatsoever. Since the Microsoft "packaged product" MS-DOS is apparently not as easy to find as, say, a version packaged by Phoenix or some other company (due to the way Microsoft markets MS-DOS), I would like to know whether I can safely go ahead and get someone's third-party version. Essentially, I want to know whether, say, Phoenix MS-DOS is the "same" as the generic, unmodified Microsoft MS-DOS -- or, if not, what has been done to it. I'm mentioning Phoenix here only as an example (since one computer store around here is selling Phoenix's version of MS-DOS); I'm open to comments on any OEM DOS version that is essentially "generic". I'm not talking about a version of DOS that a given manufacturer has custom-tailored for its clones, and which it sells as part and parcel of its clones. I'm talking about a copy of DOS which I would get if I were to go to a reputable computer store and buy a copy of DOS without buying a computer at the same time (for example, if I were upgrading from the DOS that originally came with the machine). One absolute "must" is that I need a version of MS-DOS that includes the bug fixes to the DRIVPARM= parsing in the CONFIG.SYS file. This fix (as well as others) was done by Microsoft in what they called "3.30A" -- but I understand that not all manufacturers picked up these changes. Any comments as to which OEMs' versions of MS-DOS 3.30A do, or do not, meet these criteria will be greatly appreciated. -- -- Rich Wales <wales@CS.UCLA.EDU> // UCLA Computer Science Department 3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, CA 90024-1596 // +1 (213) 825-5683 "We would all become unpeople, undoing unthings untogether. Fascinating."