I had a set of IBM 4.0 DOS Install/Operate disks form the late 80's or early 90's and was told they were no good because back then the disks had a magnetic strip in them and after a certain length of time they demagnitized. Anyone ever hear anything like that?
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Vintage IBM program disks, good or no good?
- Thread starter dcjjg
- Start date
patscc
Veteran Member
bushwah
bushwah
bushwah, as they say. They should still be fine.If floppies from the '90's are having problems, what are all my floppies from the '70's gonna do ? Put them in your PC and see if you can read the files.
patscc
bushwah
bushwah, as they say. They should still be fine.If floppies from the '90's are having problems, what are all my floppies from the '70's gonna do ? Put them in your PC and see if you can read the files.
patscc
Chuck(G)
25k Member
What Pat said.
I've got a copy sitting on my shelf that I bought when it came out. It still works fine.
That out of the way, PC-DOS 4.0 isn't my favorite. If you do install it, be sure to get the CSDs for it, as there were a number of bugs in the initial release.
I've got a copy sitting on my shelf that I bought when it came out. It still works fine.
That out of the way, PC-DOS 4.0 isn't my favorite. If you do install it, be sure to get the CSDs for it, as there were a number of bugs in the initial release.
tezza
Veteran Member
I'm assuming that PC-DOS is the same as MS-DOS?
Yes, from my memory it didn't last long at all. Version 5 was quick in coming.
Tez
Yes, from my memory it didn't last long at all. Version 5 was quick in coming.
Tez
Chuck(G)
25k Member
Strictly speaking, has PC-DOS ever been the same as MS-DOS? Right from the start, it was "IBMBIO.COM and IBMSYS.COM", no?
MS-DOS still wasn't being sold retail then (wasn't the first retail version 5.0?), so "MS-DOS" was still a bundled product.
There was something odd about the MS and IBM versions of DOS 4.0. ISTR that IBM brought out PC-DOS 4.0 before Microsoft did and that the first official MS-DOS of that series was really 4.01.
FWIW, I have the 3-disk CSD set for PC-DOS 4.0--I think it brings the version up to 4.01.
tezza
Veteran Member
Oh sure, I don't mean exactly the same. But close, yes?
You might be right about retail MS-DOS. It's a long time ago now and the memory fades just a tad.
Tez
84TAVeRT
Experienced Member
i scavenged a 20mb mfm hd that has a good install of ibm pc-dos 3.1...
i am going to back it up to a bootable cd just for nastalgia...
later,
Chris
i am going to back it up to a bootable cd just for nastalgia...
later,
Chris
My inexperience, what does CSD stand for? Would you have a DEBUG disk?
Chuck(G)
25k Member
IBM support jargon for "Corrective Service Diskette".
My inexperience: what's a DEBUG disk?
IBM support jargon for "Corrective Service Diskette".
My inexperience: what's a DEBUG disk?
I'm not an expert in this field but to my knowledge, a DEBUG disk was inserted to check for problems on DOS, much like a anti-virus program does for Windows. Anybody, please correct me if I am wrong!!!!