I know that DOS stands for disk operating system, but is there a way to run dos as my operating system temporarily? I mean, the computer I'm using (not this one, my computer) doesn't have a big enough hard drive to install windows again (I even fooled with the partitions, but no dice) and the one disk linux system I tried to install was like, corrupted.

So, is there a way to have a computer that will just boot up and run dos? And if so, do you guys know how to configure that? I mean, all I want to do is run simple dos games, like the old Duke Nukem and other Apogee titles.

If you have CD or DVD drive just get Knoppix. Its a lot better and is actually a real OS

I think it is possible to buy dos from MS or their resellers but I haven't seen it on sale myself.

There was a good boot disk that you could even install in the HDD called Super MS-DOS, I will go search for a link of it...

EDIT: Here!

only if you want to lose your data do you run format c:

I have seen it... $200
[edit]
You can find it for free, look for abandonware in a search engine and dig around.
[/edit]

I've done what your tring to do. I put msdos on a 20gig hd with 512megs of ram.
It can only read a little bit of the ram and has errors with emm386 unless you configure it to just use 32megs/16megs. Also it can't read the entire hard-drive. But It installed just fine. I was running things like privateer and
dune2.
You will need to get a mouse driver, get the mouse driver called cutemouse. If you have a soundblaster live then your'll need to get creative's emulator. I used the emulator with my audigy2 gamer board, but it has some major problems.
You will also have to be able to install things with the cdrom. You need to get someting like oakcdrom.sys. Which you can get from a windows98/95 boot disk.

here is a config.sys (be carful probably full of typeos)

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS                                                       DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM                                                  
BUFFERS=15,0                                                                  
                                               DOS=UMB                                                                       
LASTDRIVE=E                                                                   
FCBS=4,0                                                                      
DEVICEHIGH /L:1,12048 =C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE                                      
DEVICEHIGH=c:\oakcdrom.sys /d:cdromone                                        
DOS=HIGH                                                                      
FILES=40

This is what my config.sys is in my bochs emulator.

AUTOEXEC.BAT

SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6                                             
C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /X
loadhigh c:\dos\mscdex /d:cdromone /l:e                                       
loadhigh c:\cm\ctmouse.exe
@ECHO OFF                                                                     
PROMPT $p$g                                                                   
PATH C:\DOS                                                                   
SET TEMP=C:\DOS

Thats what my configured stuff looks like in my bochs emulator.

You blaster would be different.
And you need to configure emm386.exe RAM
to just use 16/32 megs of ram(you'll get distorted sound with privateer if you don't).
I forgot how to configure it, but you could find something on the net I'm sure.

[edit2]
http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/news.php?show_news=1
you could just try using that.
if it doesn't work try a pc emulator.
http://bochs.sourceforge.net/

[edit3]
I googled and found something that might work for emm386.
devicehigh= c:\dos\emm386.exe RAM 32000000
try that. seems like the real thing was different though?:-/

I'm guessing you mean 16mb of RAM... which is quite a lot for the vast majority of DOS apps

Heh, yeah, still, it's not enough to install Red Hat.

Oh well, I think I got things under control.

Thanks!

I think that you can use format in FreeDOS like "format a:"
and put some necessary files (don't kill the kernel, you'll need it).
This is my setting:

[FDCONFIG.SYS](CONFIG.SYS)
FILES=40
BREAK=OFF
LASTDRIVE=Z
BUFFERS=20,0
FCBS=40
STACKS=0,0
DOS=HIGH,UMB
VERSION=6.20
DEVICE=C:\FDOS\BIN\HIMEM.EXE
DEVICE=C:\FDOS\BIN\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DEVICE=C:\FDOS\BIN\TDSK.EXE 16384 512 144 1
DEVICE=C:\FDOS\BIN\ATAPICDD.SYS /D:CDROM001
DEVICE=C:\FDOS\BIN\CDRCACHE.SYS CDROM001 CDRCACH$ 32
DEVICE=C:\FDOS\BIN\NANSI.SYS /S
SHELL=C:\FDOS\COMMAND.COM C:\FDOS/E:2048 /P=C:\FDOS\FDAUTO.BAT

[FDAUTO.BAT](AUTOEXEC.BAT)
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $P$G
PATH C:\DJGPP\BIN;C:\FDOS\BIN;C:\TOOLS;C:\SETEDIT\BIN
SET DJGPP=C:\DJGPP\DJGPP.ENV
SET HELPPATH=C:\FDOS\HELP
SET LANG=US
SET NLSPATH=C:\FDOS\NLS
LBACACHE BUF 8192 FLOP
TICKLE
SHSUCDX /D:CDRCACH$
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330
MOUSE
ECHO WELCOME TO FREEDOS

TDSK is for ramdisk (N/1024)
ATAPICCD and SHSUCDX are for CD-ROM,
CDRCACHE is for CD-ROM cache (N/4)
LABCACHE is for harddisk cache (N/1024), TICKLE is for floopy cache
MOUSE or CTMOUSE is for mouse (include wheel mouse)
also you can put EDIT, XCOPY, DELTREE,ZIP, UNZIP32 etc.
I hope these could help you.

I tried DSL, but it didn't work.

And when I say tried, I mean I looked at the requirements and laughed.

I had BasicLinux working on a 16MB machine. Don't expect to get X working very well, if at all, with that, though. Maybe if you have a good swap partition..

Why don't you just use Windows 95 or 98? I had Windows 95 installed on a computer with a 816mb harddrive, with only 8 mb RAM. It only takes 100 or 200mb I think, if even that. Seems like you'd have plenty of space for either. I would probably recommend Windows 95, actually...I liked it a lot better than 98.

Plus, you get all the benefits of DOS there too...should be no problem to play old DOS games. I used to do it all the time until I got a "new" computer.

http://www.bootdisk.com/

very good source.

I'm afraid dos only works with dos partitioned and formatted drives. But other OS'es can read dos drives