How to install PC DOS 1.10 on 86Box?

In the last few tutorials, we installed MS DOS 1.25 on various emulators and hypervisors. Now we will continue with IBM PC DOS. IBM PC-DOS was an IBM branded version of MS DOS licensed from Microsoft for use on the IBM PC system. Versions of PC DOS paralleled that of MS DOS up until version 6.1, where PC DOS was independently maintained by IBM up until 7.1, the last version. Although not the only OS available for the IBM PC when it came out, it quickly became popular due to its low cost in comparison to the others.

The first version of PC DOS was released in August 1981 with the IBM PC. IBM PC DOS 1.0 was a port of 86-DOS purchased by Microsoft in 1981 for use on the IBM PC. This version of DOS resembles that of CP/M at the time. 1.0 only supports single sided 8-sector 160k 5.25 inch floppy disks. 1.1 adds support for double sided 320k disks. Directory support did not exist with this version of DOS. PC DOS 1.x was a floppy-only version of DOS. It cannot be installed to a hard drive.

You need to download the following file to follow this tutorial:

• IBM PC DOS 1.10 archive

Creating the Virtual Machine

If you have not installed 86Box yet, see our tutorial on how to do so on windows and on Linux.

Open the 86Box Manager. Click on Add and enter the details for your VM. Tick the "Configure this VM now" checkbox. Then click on Add.

The machine settings window will open. In Machine tab, leave the Machine type to 8088. In the Machine Dropbox, choose [8088] IBM XT (1986). Change the FPU to 8087. Change the speed to 16 and memory to 640 KB.

Move to Display tab. Choose [ISA] VGA from the Video list.

Move to Input devices. Choose Microsoft Serial Mouse from the mouse drop-down list.

Click on OK to close the settings window. Extract the PC DOS 1.10 archive and open the extracted folder. Go to the images folder inside it and open the Raw folder. Copy the file called DISK01.IMA to the VM folder. You may want to rename it to something like PCDOS1.10.IMA to avoid confusion later.

Start the Virtual Machine. Click on Media > Floppy 1 (5.25" 360k): (empty) > Existing image... and choose the disk image you just copied.

Click on Action > Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart the VM. PC DOS 1.10 should load.

When asked for Date and time, just press enter. Do not enter anything. PC DOS 1.10 has problems with dates later than year 2000, so it is best to leave the default date set. You can enter the DIR command to see the list of files:

That's it. We used PC DOS 1.10. You can now close the VM window. The next time you start it, you do not need to insert the disk file again. PC DOS 1.10 will start without any problem. Read the manual linked below to learn more about PC DOS 1.10. You can also read the MS DOS 1.25 manual which I posted in its tutorial, since they both are almost same.

Manuals

• PC DOS 1.10 Manual
• BASIC Manual

You may also want to read the IBM PC manuals. IBM PC DOS 1.10 was meant to be used on the IBM PC and the above manual refers to the IBM PC manuals many times. The following are the IBM PC manuals:

• Guide to Operations
• Technical Reference
• Hardware Maintenance and Service

You can also read the IBM PC XT manuals:

• Guide to Operations
• Technical Reference

You can read a lot more manuals related to IBM PCs and many other software and hardware at www.minuszerodegrees.net and www.bitsavers.org/pdf/.

Related Pages

• WinWorld page
• Wikipedia
• PCjs page - Run PC DOS 1.10 in you web browser
• BetaWiki page
• OS/2 Museum Page
• The IBM PC's debut - IBM Archive
• Some related YouTube videos:
  • https://youtu.be/ZyYPmD5zjFI
  • https://youtu.be/-aC_9Q5AW3U
  • https://youtu.be/0PceJO3CAGI
  • https://youtu.be/tWKAxqyjA4I
  • https://youtu.be/yXPpLLYMRqI

Credits

• The 86Box emulator is an open source project hosted on GitHub. Visit its website to know more.
• The disk image used above was taken from WinWorld.