Using MSDOS and front end

[tma]

Hello,
I'm trying to figure out how to use msdos as a primary OS on my hard drive and be able to use a front end.
Basically how to just install msdos on the hdd and setup front end etc..
I do have the windows98SE disk.  Is there a way to load up msdos from this disk?

thanks

[Odonadon]

Set gui=0 in MSDOS.sys .  Then your machine won't boot straight into Windows, but you'll still have windows in case you need it.  Then add a command to autoexec.bat calling your front end.

To find out how to setup and install a FE, download the one you want to use and read the documentation.

Odonadon

[SirPoonga]

http://easymamecab.mameworld.net/

[Jakobud]

What you need to do is get to a commandprompt (using the win98 boot disk) and then do this:

format c: /s

the '/s' will make the partition a system disk so it will be bootable.  

Now you just need to download something like FreeDOS and you are up and running  Just download your favorite DOS frontend (ArcadeOS, Game Launcher, etc...) and go

[Odonadon]

What you need to do is get to a commandprompt (using the win98 boot disk) and then do this:

format c: /s

the '/s' will make the partition a system disk so it will be bootable.  

Now you just need to download something like FreeDOS and you are up and running  Just download your favorite DOS frontend (ArcadeOS, Game Launcher, etc...) and go

You're better off using Windows DOS because if you go into Windows you'll still have CD-ROM support and Internet access so you can update MAME easily and regularily.  If you format /s from the win98se boot disk, you'll be putting the Win98 DOS command.com on there anyway.  You won't even need to download freedos.  No point of going to all that trouble when you can just edit msdos.sys and change "bootgui=1" to "bootgui=0"

Odonadon

[Howard_Casto]

Actually if the machine is capable of running 98se well then you shouldn't be running dos at all.  (Ok here it comes for the 357th time)  If your have a halfway decent computer than you will actually get better performance on a windows os than on dos.  After a certain footprint for windows has been taken care of, dos gives you 0 benefits.  

[Odonadon]

Windows can run on a Pentium 100 with 32MB of RAM JUST fine.  But you'll get better performance out of DOS, as I know from personal experience.

Odonadon

[Howard_Casto]

Actually it won't run on a 100 mhz machine just fine.  It will run, but very sluggishly and badly. Your definition of being able to run windows must be technical, not practical.  

Myself I consider a decent pc a 400 mhz with 128 to 256 megs of ram or greater.  I consider a 100 mhz a doorstop that isn't good for anything.  

[Chris]

Actually if the machine is capable of running 98se well then you shouldn't be running dos at all.  (Ok here it comes for the 357th time)  If your have a halfway decent computer than you will actually get better performance on a windows os than on dos.  After a certain footprint for windows has been taken care of, dos gives you 0 benefits.  

The big benefits DOS does give you, though, are stability (my MAME box never crashed once when running DOS) and a machine that feels more like an arcade machine than a Windows machine in a cabinet.  DOS boots far faster as well.  Under Windows, Window-isms keep popping up: the mouse pointer appearing during games, the taskbar occasionally popping up, having to "shut down" gracefully (yeah, the power button shuts down gracefully on modern machines, but there's a delay and you can't do it from within MAME), etc.  My performance is not noticeably better in Windows, if at all.  Windows has been far more of a pain to configure.

I've been very disappointed since converting my cab to Windows; I would go back to DOS in a heartbeat, except that the Act-Labs gun has become by far the most popular part of the cabinet, and that's Windows-only.  If I were building a new cab and a lightgun wasn't a requirement, I'd definately use DOS.

But I'll readily admit that I'm in the minority on this issue.

--Chris

[Odonadon]

Actually it won't run on a 100 mhz machine just fine.  It will run, but very sluggishly and badly. Your definition of being able to run windows must be technical, not practical.  

Myself I consider a decent pc a 400 mhz with 128 to 256 megs of ram or greater.  I consider a 100 mhz a doorstop that isn't good for anything.  

Yes, it does run on an 100MHz PC just fine.  But that's a relative term.  I can name 3 people who run it on an ~100MHz PC and don't have any desire to upgrade .

Also, I'm typing this on a 400MHz PC with 256MB RAM, and it runs WinXP Pro just fine .  But I wouldn't call it a decent PC.

tma - What speed is your system?  Perhaps this can clarify things

BUT, Windows has the advantage of more efficient file system usage.  ROMS load MUCH faster, and if you're using Game Launcher and have screen caps setup, they'll display MUCH quicker in Windows.

Odonadon

[Chris]

BUT, Windows has the advantage of more efficient file system usage.  ROMS load MUCH faster, and if you're using Game Launcher and have screen caps setup, they'll display MUCH quicker in Windows.

That's because of disk caching.  Many people setting up DOS for MAME forget to install SMRTDRIVE, which is the disk cache for DOS.

--Chris

[tma]

Thanks for all your helpful replies  
I've been tinkering around with dosmamev60 and arcadeos and I almost have it figured out.
A couple of stupid questions though

In my game list in arcadeos I have some games that are greyed out but still work, what does this mean?  I've had all of them show up and work in mame32(no incorrect roms in audit).

Is there a way to access the config menu inside(while running arcadeos) instead of going to the arcadeos.cfg file?

thanks

t