• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

I need help getting a copy of PC-DOS 5.0/ or other versions

J

johnnydicamillo

Experienced Member
Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
88
Location
California
I just got my keyboard so I was abke t opower on my XT to get a "non system disk or disk error" "please replace and press any key". So my guess is that it got its OS formatted because they hard drive is still alive and going. So I was wondering if someone could help find the files for PC-DOS 5.0 so I can install it on my machine. Or other versions od Dos would be great to.

Thank you
 
You can get 2.0 and 2.1 on the internet, and there are lots of boot disks available for many versions. However, when you get one, this might be an opportunity to do a bit of maintenance. That is, a low level format followed by fdisk and then format. This should be done once in a while or you will get errors.
 
johnnydicamillo said:
So I was wondering if someone could help find the files for PC-DOS 5.0 so I can install it on my machine. Or other versions od Dos would be great to.

Thank you
Click to expand...


I don't want to be a stick in the mud, but DOS, of any flavor, is still legally the property of it's developer. That is to say, IBM, Microsoft, &c. You seem to be asking for links to illegally shared, copywritten software. This is unethical. It's also not particularly safe, as most such sites are simply crawling with malware.

Your best bet is to pony up the cash on Ebay or your local recycler to get a legally installable copy of the software. I picked up a set of PC-DOS 6 at my local electronics recycler last month for $5 still in the wrapper. Look around, stuff like that can still be found. Failing that, there are many sources for free open-source DOS installations online that don't infringe the rights of the original developers.
 
Last edited:
dpatten said:
Your best bet is to pony up the cash on Ebay or your local recycler to get a legally installable copy of the software. I picked up a set of PC-DOS 6 at my local electronics recycler last month for $5 still in the wrapper. Look around, stuff like that can still be found.
Click to expand...

In fact, there's two copies of the MS-DOS 6 Upgrade (link one, $5 and link two, $6) and MS-DOS 6.2 with Windows for Workgroups 3.1 (link, $15) on the Vintage Computer and Gaming Marketplace.
 
Last edited:
dpatten said:
I don't want to be a stick in the mud, but DOS, of any flavor, is still legally the property of it's developer. That is to say, IBM, Microsoft, &c. You seem to be asking for links to illegally shared, copywritten software. This is unethical. It's also not particularly safe, as most such sites are simply crawling with malware. ...
Click to expand...

I basically agree, it does sound like he's looking for illegal software. However, malware is not an issue for many of us, and there are indeed legally available versions of DOS available on the net. Here are three suggestions for full featured, full versions of DOS:

DR-DOS 7.02 (Free for non-commercial use)
FreeDOS 1.0 (GPL)
OpenDOS 7.01 (Free for non-commercial use)

There's also enhanced DR-DOS, and all these can be legally downloaded on the internet.
 
For my $0.02 in regards to the "legality" of old/outdated software such as DOS... it's a grey area. Is there copyright involved? Certainly! Does a company have a right to protect their IP? Absolutely! Is it right that a company lets outdated software die rather than release it as a downloadable freebie, to the public domain, or absolutely worst of all, stop offering that software, even for a fee, when there is still a need for it, however small? To my mind, YES - that is where the real crime is at.

I realize I speak from a user's point of view rather than from the aspect of a software developer or a company with IP to protect.. but I believe in the "abandonware" concept: if/when a company abandons their software, then after a 7+ year time-frame, to me, it's fair game for not-for-profit distribution. To me, MS and PC DOS fit in that category.

Although in the case of DOS, it's absolutely fantastic that there are freely-available, perfectly functional alternatives. And as has been said... OS's are cheap on the used/auction market.
 
Bored and feeling edgy so thought I'd point out that while yes software obtained in grey land can have malware or viruses, but these are floppies we're talking about so technically in the wrong or ignorant hands buying them off ebay could still land you an infected disk. Yes they're usually write protected but nothing a little scotch tape couldn't bypass if at any point in their life they were inserted in an infected computer.
 
ahhhh I need to be more clear, I meant to help me find a free version of dos similar to IBM pc dos 5.0 or other version for it but thanks for the legal info, and other free alternatives
 
johnnydicamillo said:
ahhhh I need to be more clear, I meant to help me find a free version of dos similar to IBM pc dos 5.0 or other version for it but thanks for the legal info, and other free alternatives
Click to expand...

Put the words "download drdos" into Google and the first hit is this:
http://www.drdos.net/download.htm
Chose either DR-DOS 7.03 or 7.02 or Caldera OpenDOS 7.01

Or search on "download freedos" and the first hit is:
http://www.freedos.org/freedos/files/
Chose from basic version to full CD with source code.

That ought to do it. :)
 
Whilst I don't generlly condone the copying of software, all the owner is asking for is a copy of what, in all probability, the machine already has a licence for (well I guess actually it will at least have 3.x and probably 4.01).

All IBM PCs came with a copy of DOS. All be it an ealier version than he is asking for but most XTs were upgraded to 4.0 at least.

Then think of all the PCs that have been junked over the years!. As far as i know they all had transferable licences. I don't think non-transferable licences came in until Windows 95.

Actually if he has 360K drives then I think 3.x may be the latest version he can use....
 
g4ugm said:
All IBM PCs came with a copy of DOS. All be it an ealier version than he is asking for but most XTs were upgraded to 4.0 at least.
Click to expand...

That's most certainly not true. I paid $40 for a copy of DOS 1.1 for my 5150 and even have the paperwork to prove it. I purchased PC-DOS 2.1, 3.3 and 4.0--all separate purchases. I have the paperwork for those too.

Early IBM PCs did not have bundled OS software and upgrades cost the same as purchasing the software new.
 
g4ugm said:
If you didn't buy DOS what use was it?
Click to expand...

My first computer I purchased was a Heath/Zenith. It didn't come with and Operating System, although you could get a special package deal where you got a discount on an OS.

The options were:

MS-DOS v2.0
UCSD p-System
CPM86

and maybe a couple of other choices. But at that time, MS-DOS was not automatically bundled with the system.
I actually got the UCSD p-System.

Taken from this site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCSD_Pascal

UCSD p-System (Version IV, supplied by SofTech) was one of three operating systems (along with PC-DOS and CP/M-86) that IBM offered for its original IBM PC; but the p-System never sold very well for the IBM PC, mainly because of a lack of applications and because it was more expensive than the other choices.
 
...not to mention that you could run the 5150 barefoot with no floppies and just an audio cassette drive using the built-in BASIC. @g4ugm, are you one of those who believe that a PC is no good without Windows installed?
 
Well before I buy anything, I want to make sure I buy the one that would work best with my 5160 XT.

My specs are:
20mb hard drive
640kb ram
VGA card
cpu is a NEC D8088D
5.25 in. floppy and is half the size of the floppy drive in a IBM 5150
 
It all depends upon what you'd like to do. When the 5160 was in its heyday, PC-DOS 3.3 or PC-DOS 3.2 was probably the most common and represented a major step up from PC-DOS 2.1, incorporating a substantial number of new features. So if you want to be authentic, I'd pick 3.3, although if you want some reduced functionality, PC-DOS 2.1 might be a good "authentic" choice.

PC-DOS 4.0 was not a particularly good release until a number of corrective patches had been issued. The big deal with it was breaking the 32MB barrier for hard disk partitions. Since you have a 20MB hard drive, that's not particularly important.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top