I run FreeDOS in QEMU on Linux, so I can show you what I do.
First, I unzip the LiveCD ISO image so I can use it:
$ unzip FDT2404-LiveCD.zip '*.iso'
Archive: FDT2404-LiveCD.zip
inflating: T2404LIVE.iso
Then I create a virtual disk where I can install FreeDOS T2404. I'll
set this up as 500MB, which is plenty big for what I do:
$ qemu-img create -f qcow2 2404.qcow2 500M
Formatting '2404.qcow2', fmt=qcow2 cluster_size=65536 extended_l2=off
compression_type=zlib size=524288000 lazy_refcounts=off
refcount_bits=16
And then I boot the FreeDOS 1.3 LiveCD using QEMU. To install, I don't
need much, so I set up FreeDOS to use 32MB memory. I use -enable-kvm
with QEMU 8.1.3 on Fedora Linux 39.
$ qemu-system-i386 -enable-kvm -m 32 -cdrom T2404LIVE.iso -hda
2404.qcow2 -boot order=d
That gets me into the installer, which will always boot from the
LiveCD because I used order=d. Install FreeDOS as you would normally.
After I install, I use a slightly different command line to boot
FreeDOS. This gives me two things: 1. I have a separate hard disk
image with all my personal stuff, and 2. I add SB16 and AdLib support
so I can play games. This is the script I use to run FreeDOS: (quoted
with ">")
> #!/bin/bash
> # wrapper to run FreeDOS in a QEMU virtual machine
>
> # to create an empty disk image, do this:
> # qemu-img create -f qcow2 freedos.qcow2 500M
>
> # '-display' options can be 'sdl' or 'gtk' or 'curses'
> # '-soundhw pcspk' is no longer supported
>
> qemu-system-i386 -enable-kvm -m 32 -boot menu=on -device sb16 -device adlib \
> -hda /usr/local/tmp/freedos/2404/2404.qcow2 \
> -hdb $HOME/lib/freedos/mystuff.qcow2 \
> -cdrom /usr/local/tmp/freedos/2404/T2404BNS.iso "$@"
A note on the paths: I keep my FreeDOS install (my virtual C: drive)
in /usr/local/tmp because I don't need to back it up. If it's outside
my home directory, I don't bother backing it up when I backup my
computer. (I can just download it again and re-install it.) But I have
my personal stuff under my home directory (in $HOME/lib/freedos) so
that gets backed up.
Also: this shows that I have the BonusCD loaded on the virtual system.
After I install, the first thing I do is switch to the BonusCD so I
can install the compilers and editors I use.
On Thu, Apr 4, 2024 at 11:01 PM Paul Dufresne via Freedos-user
<freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote:
>
> Hi! Especially to Lunduke fans having their "second part" of DOS week...
> about one year and a half after first part.
> So from April 3 to April 10 2024.
> I am not a paid subscriber to lunduke.locals.com and just observing it from
> far.
>
> I decided to retry FreeDOS after not using it for too many months.
>
> And as I do in this time... I search back the messages I have previously left
> on the list to help me know how to launch qemu...
> as I don't think the wiki have an article about it...
> But it has been a long time... and I am seeding a new message for the next
> time(s).
>
> So FDT2404 is out: "
> ###############################################################################
> FreeDOS 2404-Test ("FreeDOS T2404")
> ###############################################################################
>
> Warning: This is a FreeDOS development build and is for testing purposes.
> It may exhibit behavior vary different from a release build and may not be
> suitable for regular use. For general use, please consider using the latest
> release build available at http://freedos.org
> "
>
> And can be found at:
> https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/test/readme.txt
>
> This time, I have chosen to use
> https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/test/FDT2404-FullUSB.zip
> rather than the usual
> https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/test/FDT2404-LiveCD.zip
> Mostly, I find a disk image, a more simple and logical format that a CDROM or
> DVD image format (iso file).
>
> So with an iso file I would use -cdrom image.iso... but the FullUSB.zip
> contains an .img file, that I will use the same
> qemu parameter as the hard drive destination image: -drive
> format=raw,file=$DISK where DISK=T2404FULL.img
>
> Steps goes about like this:
> Download and extract
> https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/test/FDT2404-FullUSB.zip
> in FDT2404 directory.
> cd FDT2404
> qemu-img create fdos.img 1000M
> DESTDISK=fdos.img
> INSTALLDISK=FDT2404FULL.img
>
> At install time, I present first INSTALLDISK, then DESTDISK:
> qemu-system-i386 -cpu 486 -name FreeDOS -machine pc-i440fx-4.2 -m 64 -drive
> format=raw,file=$INSTALLDISK -drive format=raw,file=$DESTDISK -audiodev
> pa,id=mysnd -device sb16,audiodev=mysnd -device adlib,audiodev=mysnd -machine
> pcspk-audiodev=mysnd -vga cirrus -display sdl -net nic,model=pcnet -net user
>
> After installation, I present first DESTDISK containing the installed
> FreeDOS, and then INSTALLDISK (not so much needed anymore):
> qemu-system-i386 -cpu 486 -name FreeDOS -machine pc-i440fx-4.2 -m 64 -drive
> format=raw,file=$DESTDISK -drive format=raw,file=$INSTALLDISK -audiodev
> pa,id=mysnd -device sb16,audiodev=mysnd -device adlib,audiodev=mysnd -machine
> pcspk-audiodev=mysnd -vga cirrus -display sdl -net nic,model=pcnet -net user
>
> Information given at boot seems to say E: is the INSTALLDISK... but it is
> really D: ... I don't know why.
>
> Games seems to work often better than it did in my memory.
> Was it on VirtualBox that color palette was wrong?
>
> Also... Magic Mirror game seems to start... and I did not remember to have
> seen it working before.
>
> For me DHCP seems not really working... but I run this on Vanilla OS ...
> with apx run $command .... and so I think maybe it does not work because the
> virtual machine
> is running inside the Ubuntu sub-machine (an other virtual machine as far as
> I know).
>
> So it seems to be the gist of what I wanted to say.
>
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