The document discusses the history and features of MS-DOS operating systems. It describes how MS-DOS was the dominant operating system for PCs in the 1980s and early 1990s. Key aspects included its single-tasking nature, reliance on command line interfaces, and use of files like IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, and COMMAND.COM to manage hardware, memory, and launch programs. The document outlines major versions from MS-DOS 1 through 6 and how they supported newer hardware, added networking functionality, and incorporated early graphical elements to interface with users.

1. MS-DOS
 In the 1980s or early 1990s, the
operating system that shipped with
most PCs was a version of the Disk
Operating System (DOS) created by
Microsoft: MS-DOS.

2. MS-DOS
 MS-DOS is a disk operating system
for IBM PC–compatible computers.
 In its day, it was easily the most
popular operating system in the world.
It also is the basis from which Windows
9x derives its under-lying organization.

3. MS-DOS
 As with any other operating
system, its function is to oversee the
operation of the system by providing
support for executing programs,
controlling I/O devices, handling
errors, and providing the user
interface.

4. MS-DOS
 MS-DOS is a disk-based, single-
user, single-task operating system.
These qualities make it one of the
easiest disk operating systems to
understand.

5. MS-DOS
 The main portions of MS-
DOS are the IO.SYS,
MSDOS.SYS, and
COMMAND.COM files.
 IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS
are special, hidden system
files

6. MS-DOS
The IO.SYS file moves the system’s basic I/O
functions into memory and then implements the
MS-DOS default control programs, referred to as
device drivers, for various hardware
components.
These include the following:
 The boot disk drive
 The console display and keyboard
 The system’s time-of-day clock

7. MS-DOS
The MSDOS.SYS file provides default
support features for software applications.
These features include the following:
 Memory management
 Character input and output
 Real-time clock access
 File and record management
 Execution of other programs

8. MS-DOS
 The COMMAND.COM command
interpreter accepts commands
issued through the keyboard, or
other input device, and carries
them out according to the
commands definition.

9. MS-DOS
 When DOS runs an application,
COMMAND.COM finds the
program, loads it into memory, and
then gives it control of the system.
When the program is shut down, it
passes control back to the
command interpreter.

10. MS-DOS
 The remainder of the operating
system is comprised of utility programs
to carry out DOS operations, such as
formatting disks (FORMAT), printing
files (PRINT), and copying files
(XCOPY).

11. MS-DOS
 When MS-DOS was developed, it was
designed to be a simple, stand-alone,
operating system. To that end, it didn’t
contain any network software, except
SHARE.EXE.
 SHARE.EXE was designed as an add-on
to popular networking software that
allowed two users to edit the same file at
the same time on a network.

12. MS-DOS
 Without SHARE.EXE , when a second
user tried to open a file that the first user
had opened, they got an error message.
With SHARE.EXE installed, when the
second user tried to open the file, they
received a message saying that the file
was being used by someone else and
offering to provide a copy of the file.

13. MS-DOS
 Another aspect of networking with MS-DOS is that
DOS can run client software for Novell and Microsoft
networks. Most client software for DOS falls into the
category of redirection software. This software
redirects requests bound for local resources out to
network resources.
 For example, with network client software
installed, you could point a DOS drive letter to some
disk space on the network. When you saved a file to
that drive letter, you were really saving that file to a
server. But, as far as DOS was concerned, it was

14. MS-DOS
MS-DOS Versions
 Next we will look at the evolution of
the MS-DOS operating system and
will examine the major changes in
microcomputer architecture and
standards that are reflected in each
revision.

15. MS-DOS
MS-DOS 1
 The original version of MS-DOS was, to
put it mildly, a “no-frills” operating system. It
had no provisions for networking, did not
include any sort of graphical shell program,
and had limited ability to manage system
resources. Approximately a year after the
release of DOS 1.0, a revision—DOS 1.1—
added support for double-sided 320KB
floppy drives.

16. MS-DOS
MS-DOS 2
 In early 1983, IBM introduced the IBM PC
XT. The XT featured a 10MB hard drive, a
serial interface, and three additional expansion
slots. It also had 128KB of RAM and a 360KB
floppy drive (40KB more capacity than that of
single-sided floppies on the previous PC) and
could support a 10MB internal hard drive.

17. MS-DOS
MS-DOS 3
 With DOS 3.0, released in summer 1984,
Microsoft continued to include additional DOS
features and to support more powerful hardware.
DOS 3.0 supported hard drives larger than
10MB, as well as enhanced graphics formats.
 Three revisions—3.1, 3.2, and 3.3—provided
additional innovations.

18. MS-DOS
 Version 3.1 was notable because it
featured the first DOS support for
networking. The IBM PC Network was a
simple local area network structure that
was similar to today’s workgroup
networks.

19. MS-DOS
 DOS 3.2 introduced the XCOPY
command, enabling the user to identify
more than one file at a time to be copied,
and it made important modifications to
other DOS commands. It was also the
first version to support IBM’s Token Ring
network topology and the first to allow for
720KB 3.5 Inch floppies.

20. MS-DOS
 Version3.3, introduced in 1987,
offered additional enhancements to
numerous existing commands and
introduced support for 1.44MB floppy
disks. Logical partition sizes could be up
to 32MB, and a single machine could
support both a primary and a secondary
partition on each disk.

21. MS-DOS
MS-DOS 4
 By 1988 it was apparent that the wave of the
future was the graphical interface, and DOS 4
provided users with the DOS Shell, a utility
much like the Windows File Manager. Actually,
DOS Shell was simply a scaled-down version
of Windows that allowed users to manage files,
run programs, and do routine maintenance, all
from a single screen. The DOS Shell even
supported a mouse.

22. MS-DOS
MS-DOS 5
 There were several important features
introduced in the 1991 release of DOS 5.0.
First of all, the ability to load drivers into
reserved (upper) memory was a relief to those
people who were constantly running out of
conventional memory. This feature allowed
more complex DOS programs. Several
software utilities made their debut. The most
commonly used utility introduced at this time
was EDIT.COM. Also added were

23. MS-DOS
MS-DOS 6
 Released in 1993 to excellent sales, DOS 6.0
offered a number of new commands and
configurable options. Another enhancement in
DOS 6.0 was EMM386.EXE, which allowed the
system to pool extended and expanded
memory. DOS 6.0 has subsequently been
revised a number of times. As of this date, DOS
6.22 is the most current MS-DOS version
available as a stand-alone operating system.