Trying out FreeDOS on a Barebone Motherboard

As a Linux user, it's rare that I find myself having to resort to a different operating system to resolve hardware and software issues. However, there are still hardware out there that is surprisingly still dependent on DOS-based or MS-DOS based operating systems. Motherboards and a few graphics cards are examples of systems that require DOS-based utilities to maintain their firmware.

Having long forgotten my exposure to MS-DOS during the dark days of the 80s when BASIC, WordPerfect, and Wordstar was all the rage, it was not without curiosity that I downloaded FreeDOS to run a BIOS utility from the commandline. The developers of FreeDOS did a great job with their site and kept things nice and simple. Since I really didn't need any other applications, I downloaded the FreeDOS 1.0 Base, which was a frugal 8MB. Users who want to try out an updated DOS experience can download the 40MB 1.1 release, while those who want to check out the code can take a look at the 49MB 1.0 Source.

Setting up your barebone system

You can try out FreeDOS with just a working motherboard with a processor, power supply, a stick of RAM, and a display (plus a metal paperclip for triggering the power switch).

Create a bootable FreeDOS LiveUSB using a USB flash drive and UNetbootin. I used my spare FAT32 USB stick and launched dependable UNetbootin to build the LiveUSB. Now, there are several ways to create a LiveCD or LiveUSB without having to use UNetbootin, which is well-known for creating Linux LiveUSBs, but I found it convenient and saved me the trouble of having to work out DOS peculiarities.

Trying out FreeDOS

Once you have your motherboard all ready for use, connect the LiveUSB and power up by clipping the power pins on the System Panel on your motherboard.

UNetbootin's menu will display a list of options. Take note that UNetbootin was always intended for Linux systems so the menu entries aren't quite accurate. Some of the items listed will trigger no response when clicked, particularly entries past 2. The entry fdos won't work either. Click Default or freedos on the menu.

The FreeDOS menu will be displayed with an option to install to the hard disk or boot to Safe Mode. Since I didn't have any hard disks nor any CDROM drives connected, I clicked FreeDOS Safe Mode (don't load any drivers) to get to the DOS prompt.

I was able to run the DOS utility for the motherboard firmware without issues. Afterwards, I played around with DOS commands but kept typing Linux commands out of habit. I was seized by nostalgia for the days of floppy disks but quickly remembered it wasn't just all about Sierra games like Police Quest and Leisure Suit Larry. Embarrassingly enough, I kept typing ls rather than dir while I was mucking around the DOS prompt. Thankfully, Microsoft's immortal command CTRL+ALT+DEL worked fine and got me out of there.

Conclusion? It was nice trying out an updated version of Microsoft's venerable DOS system. Reviewing DOS commands and comparing them with Linux reminds me just how easy it is to shift from one system or paradigm into a new one - and how the more things change, the more they stay the same.