Testing FreeDOS (v1.1) over Vmware

what is Freedos?
An operative system
>>FreeDOS aims to be a complete, free, 100% MS-DOS compatible operating system<<

http://www.freedos.org/




Why use freeDOS actually?
Maybe all the answers are a bit freak for the most. You can play old games, surf in internet with a rare webbrowser (arachne), and a bit more productive, you could execute dos programs like compilers, office,....

Why use it over vmware?
-vmware is virtual machine server, therefore you can have virtual pcs inside your windows/linux,.... you can use your apps, and to use freedos in other window.
-is "gratis" *
-vmware emulate standard and compatible PC hardware (easier for testing than to use different real hardware)

* however you need to register in the page for a serial number.
http://www.vmware.com/download/server




INSTRUCTIONS
-Download and burn FreeDos in a cdrom
-Create a new virtual machine in vmware (300 mb of harddrive are enough)
-Put FreeDos in cdrom drive
-Start the new virtual machine and it will detect the autobootcd
-Install all the packets
-At the end the install will try to configure, but probably hang up (don't worry)
-After reset FreeDos.
-You could see a boot menu with memory options (option 2 EMM386+EMS: crash in vmware) you must choose 1 or 3
-Configuring the network card (vmware emulate a AMD 79c97oA -PCNET family)
-Go to fdos directory (cd fdos)
-In theory you must execute crynwr.bat file (script) BUT there is a problem in the script when you select 1 or 5 then script crash (*).


However the solution is very simple:
You can execute the next command:
c:\FDOS\drivers\net\crynwr\pcntpk int=0x60

and now you can surf in internet with arachne webbrowser
c:\FDOS\arachne\arachne.bat

Now you have a FreeDos with network working :)


(*) my point of view about the script problem, I think the main reasons are:
- c:\fdos\temp directory isn't created
- FreeDos by default doesn't start autoexec.bat (i don't know why)
- crynwr.bat script try to write in a variable %autofile% and this variable don't exist, i suppose %autofile% should be assigned to autoexec.bat
- FreeDos by default doesn't start autoexec.bat ¿why?