Installing DOS 7 to 64 meg SSD under Windows 10?

[Gregg Eshelman]

I need to install DOS to a 64 megabyte IDE SSD while it's connected to an IDE-USB adapter plugged into a Windows 10 x64 computer. 64 megabytes, not gigabytes. DOS is *tiny* stuff.

The target system is a WYSE S30 thin client. It has USB ports and can boot from USB to flash the SSD, but it requires some special software trickery. Boot with anything other than official WYSE (WinCE, Linux, or XP Embedded) images on 1gig or smaller USB sticks (or other linux with a hack to bypass this) and it hides the IDE controller.

How about making an image of the SSD, loading that into an emulator, installing DOS then writing the image back to the SSD?

I've found DOS drivers for the USB and everything else in the S30, just have to get DOS bootable on the little Apacer module then it can be put back into the S30 and configuration finished.

Why DOS 7? Because the S30 has an RS232 serial port and my Light Machines PLM2000 CNC mill has a servo controller that communicates with a PC via serial, and the only control software for the mill runs in DOS. It'll work on any PC that can run DOS and allows DOS programs full access to a serial port without interruption. It'd run under Windows 95, possibly under 98 or 98SE, but pure DOS is best. The S30 is also small, so I can mount it on the back of the mill instead of having to park a big computer box somewhere.

I likely won't bother with Ethernet or the audio on this one, it only needs to be able to read from USB for loading G-Code files. If the Ethernet and audio can be made to work in DOS... Tiny little DOOM boxes. 😉 Should also be ideal for many other old DOS games.

 

[Mark RM]

I am unclear -Why use the Wyse at all? That's why they make Dosbox and other virtual machines. They can communicate from the VM over serial ports.

Otherwise, there are lots of DOS boot images out there, boot your PC from DOS with USB drivers and just sys the bootable device, copy over the files.

 

[Gregg Eshelman]

Because the CNC control software must have absolutely uninterrupted, 100% control of the serial port. NOTHING can get in the way even for a millisecond or the milling machine stops.

It's a safety thing.

The S30 is also small, so I can mount it on the back of the mill instead of having to park a big computer box somewhere.

 

[Mark RM]

Because the CNC control software must have absolutely uninterrupted, 100% control of the serial port. NOTHING can get in the way even for a millisecond or the milling machine stops.

It's a safety thing.

The S30 is also small, so I can mount it on the back of the mill instead of having to park a big computer box somewhere.

I've built a lot of control systems, the one you describe is made for a VM. Serial ports in a VM are allocated only to a VM. If it were a USB device, ethernet, etc, I would not be so happy about it. Serial port? Yeah absolutely. Safety? No better or worse than a DOS hardware box because they are directly passed through on the right VM. I can't speak to your safety set up overall, play safe.

Anyhow, go to boot disk dot com and get yourself a nice USB dos boot disk, boot your wyse or other machine and install dos to the HD. Dead simple.

 

[Gregg Eshelman]

No, it's NOT 'dead simple'. I mentioned that the IDE controller gets hidden when booting from USB. Please READ EVERYTHING people write before replying.

 

[Mark RM]

No, it's NOT 'dead simple'. I mentioned that the IDE controller gets hidden when booting from USB. Please READ EVERYTHING people write before replying.

Step back and take a breath.
You can install it while it's on another machine.
Go to your junk drawer, install the appropriate adapter for IDE to USB or IDE to SATA or if Compact Flash your CF reader and install DOS while it's in a machine that isn't being a POS.

What is complicated about this?

For the future
What I have done in the past is just use a CF card in an IDE adapter , the reason - CF is pin compatible with IDE and is easier to keep around or even buy anywhere, unplugging the CF card and just being able to shove it into a card reader on my PC is literally priceless.