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80286 with DOS 6.0 needs makeover
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Original Message
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Name: djinnette
Date: February 13, 2001 at 23:46:51 Pacific
Subject: 80286 with DOS 6.0 needs makeover
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Comment: Have a 286 with little more then an ancient version of Word Perfect and cheezy games on DOS 6.0. Would like to get more use out of it, but here's where it gets tricky... *What* to do with it? Getting it online seemed a nice challenge. Grabbed the arachne browser last night and was half way through the install when hit with an “out of disk space” error. Typical... Curious about the browser, I suck the floppy in my 586 to snoop around and was immediately hit with a stealth_boot.b virus. After reading up on this, sounds like my old 286 is in sad shape... Mem only shows 640k (in keeping with the attack description). I should have 4mb (at least) with the extended memory added. I’ve read that “format c:/u/s followed by fdisk/mbr” will remove all traces, but my original software disks are long gone and I’d hate to lose everything. What are my alternatives? In case it makes a difference in anyone’s reply, let me add that it spits out a “Bad or missing command interpreter” note when booted. Again, for what it’s used for now, no biggie - just an fyi.
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Response Number 1
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Name: Mark p
Date: February 14, 2001 at 01:05:54 Pacific
Subject: 80286 with DOS 6.0 needs makeover
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Reply: (edit)Boot off a write protected bootdisk(available from bootdisk.com).
Then use the command "fdisk/mbr C:"
This should rewrite the mbr of the hard drive.
Remove the bootdisk and reboot. There is also the Ultimate Boot Disk
with a supplimental Virus scanning disk.
A search on your favourate search engine should find it.
Hope this helps.
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Response Number 2
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Name: djinnette
Date: February 14, 2001 at 06:32:04 Pacific
Subject: 80286 with DOS 6.0 needs makeover
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Reply: (edit)Thank you for your help, I tried 2 different sites for the MS-DOS 6.0 boot disk – both were 685k+ (probably same exact file). Both times tossed up an error “Unable to run from DOS.” (Could echo a few choice words I had for that msg, but am sure you have a visual…) Where to go from here? Thanks also for the command "fdisk/mbr C:" (Will use it if able to find a stable boot disk). At boot, RAM reads 640k OK
Mem shows:
-Conventional = 630k
-Used = 83k
-Free = 553k
-Largest executable = 552k. (hmmm) That said, here comes the flood of questions…
Is there a boot disk available under 553k?
Is pointless to try anything at all?
Found the Ultimate Boot Disk several places, but I don’t have Windows so it would be useless right?
Would I be better off setting it up as a terminal? (If so, where to learn how?)
Is there a good irc chat going where DOS is the main topic?
What am I going to cook for dinner?
Do these shoes make me look to tall?
What’s the ultimate meaning of life? (Oh wait, I know that last one… 42!)… My brain hurts, but I’m actually enjoying the learning experience. Any and all suggestions are most appreciated.
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Response Number 3
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Name: djinnette
Date: February 14, 2001 at 06:33:52 Pacific
Subject: 80286 with DOS 6.0 needs makeover
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Reply: (edit)One more thing… The line: “format c:/u/s followed by fdisk/mbr”
Is this like “alt+f4” advertised as a catch all in irc? (Yes, I did fall for it *once*… First week online/3rd time I’d ever chatted.) Found a site that discussed undocumented MS-DOS command params this morning (axcel216’s on aol). Here’s a clip that makes me question the line:
- FORMAT drive: /SELECT /U [MS-DOS 5.00 and above ONLY]
-This particular combination of FORMAT.COM parameters makes a disk(ette) UNREADABLE by filling the system area (sector 0) with zeroes, due to using these two incompatible options together. All other sectors are left intact. [Thank you William Levak (wlevak@cyberspace.org)!] /select = /s ???
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Response Number 4
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Name: fred6008
Date: February 15, 2001 at 19:41:43 Pacific
Subject: 80286 with DOS 6.0 needs makeover
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Reply: (edit) You say "...boot disk under 553" K bytes? All a boot disk has to have are MSDOS.SYS, IO.SYS and Command.Com. They are
131,533 when totalled in version 6.0.
Incidentally, the probable reason 6.0 was the version selected is because all higher versions Himem.sys counts and checks extended memory and might object to no extended memory. 286 computers ran expanded memory on boards didn't they? Something was different I know. And they ran virtual memory that was a forerunner of the windows swap file.
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Response Number 5
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Name: djinnette
Date: February 16, 2001 at 22:36:15 Pacific
Subject: 80286 with DOS 6.0 needs makeover
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Reply: (edit)fred6008: Thank you - you're the first person to say the 286 could run extended memory! I knew something was missing, but it had been so many years and my memory sucks. Thinking back, there may have two 1x3 inch chips (best as I can recall). They were lost eons ago. Have talked with 4 different shops here and they all said I'd have to get a 386 to run Win3.1. Uggg... Now another long search for replacements... should be fun since nobody but you and I know what's needed!
About the "...boot disk under 553" K bytes." All I can say is I'm learning - lol. This experience has taught me more then the last 10+ years of just sitting at the keys writting and playing games. Heck, I even learned how to make a disk bootable last night! (Still don'tunderstand it all, but I follow directions well *g* To Mark p: Great advice. The disk from bootdisk.com worked, I've fdisked and formated my heart out, and have everything back loaded safe and sound :)
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