Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
Hi, On Fri, Jan 8, 2016 at 4:52 AM, Xavier Dury wrote: > Thanks for all the feedback! :-) > > As I said before, DOSBox is not an option to me as I have already done it > before on my PC and my RPi > (there is nothing hard/challenging in installing DOSBox on windows or > linux)... and don't get me wrong: > I have absolutely nothing against emulators. It's just that I work everyday > with linux/windows, hypervisors, > containers, (java) VMs. If you work every day with those, then do you know about VT-X? "Unrestricted guest mode execution"? Hyper-V? > I wanted to try something different in my free time and somehow go back to my > roots (DOS). > > I initially wanted to run rpix86 on a RPi2 for its tiny form factor but it > can only emulate a 486@20Mhz > which is a bit slow for the last DOS games like Quake, DN3D, Magic Carpet, > Hi-Octane... Yes, it's slow, especially if you choose such a (relatively) low-end host cpu. That can barely be helped. You could try some unofficial forks of DOSBox, but I don't know of any perfect solution to speeding it up on a RPi2. Native x86 is fast, but it lacks sound. Even under DOSEMU, sound doesn't always work. (Although I played the heck out of Hexen2 [Hammer of Thyrion] under DOSEMU in recent years, which is Quake-based.) Most people would tell you to use a modern source port (e.g. Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D) compiled for Windows or Linux. Seriously, if at all possible, the consensus is not to run under DOS at all, if the .EXE can be recompiled. Heck, even Tyrian was ported to modern systems. > So I thought, why not use a recent x86 as DOS was intended to be run on > instead of an ARM one. Sound is the big problem. But if you can live without that, then you're "probably" okay (more or less). > I knew beforehand that it was going to be a challenge as I had so many > questions > (how does DOS behave with USB keyboard and mouse, Depends on the built-in BIOS emulation (if any) and drivers. > UEFI, Depends on if CSM is available. > SATA, None. > sound chips?) Almost none. > but that's where the fun is. Depends on your level of patience and skill, but some things are (almost) impossible. > And I chose FreeDOS over MS-DOS because I had better hope it could handle the > last x86 evolutions > (the last version is only 4 years old while the last MS-DOS came with windows > 98). Nope, FreeDOS doesn't have extra cpu or driver support at all. And there are no companies contributing in recent years to DOS at all. There is no upstream interest in DOS as anything but bare bones (i.e. minimal bootup to do low-level recovery or BIOS flashing). DOS is not supported nor recommended by any big companies anymore. Even hobbyist projects have mostly dropped it, esp. once NTVDM got buggier and buggier (after XP) and AMD64 became mainstream (no V86 mode). > So, that's why I wanted to know if someone already did it: > > - If yes then what are the difficulties? > - If no then why? > - Is it because nobody thought about doing that before? (I hardly doubt it) > - Is it because it's not possible anymore? > - Then, at what point in the x86 evolution have we lost the capability to run > DOS (which ruled that platform for years)? If you have a BIOS, you can run DOS. But 99% of the time, things like sound don't work. And all the other stuff (power management, multiple cores) is almost totally ignored or broken. There are no huge modern enhancements to FreeDOS. If you're expecting FreeBSD levels of compatibility with ultra-modern hardware, you're sorely mistaken (sadly). > Now that I know that current sound chips aren't SB compatible at all, this is > a blocking issue. > > The 2 options I got left are indeed use DOSBox on linux (and launch DOSBox on > boot to have something that looks like > an old DOS computer) or dig up my old Pentium@166Mhz from the basement (but > its size and noise are not so convenient > and won't please my wife :-) ). > > Once again, thank you for the great discussion and information. I almost forgot that ReactOS has been heavily working on their own NTVDM, and I just found a video of them playing Duke Nukem 3D in (unreleased) 0.4 previews. So it's not all hopeless, but that depends on whether you find that acceptable or if you still insist on using exactly "DOS only" or not. P.S. Did you hear about Retro City Rampage DX? -- Site24x7 APM Insight: Get Deep Visibility into Application Performance APM + Mobile APM + RUM: Monitor 3 App instances at just $35/Month Monitor end-to-end web transactions and take corrective actions now Troubleshoot faster and improve end-user experience. Signup Now! http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=267308311&iu=/4140 ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
My recommendation is dig out your old PC and do a refurb. A quieter PSU can be obtained for $20 and a couple of low rpm fans for $20 I just built a "new" retro machine and I am having a blast! An intel SE440BX-2 motherboard, PIII 500MHz CPU 384 RAM 3.5" & 5.25 Drive, 4 hard drives (two of which are dedicated to FreeDOS; ISA ESS 1868 Audiodrive Card, PCI Yamaha YMF724 card I had about half the parts on hand, so my additional cost was about $150 (Motherboard, CPU, RAM , case, PSU and Fans). On Fri, Jan 8, 2016 at 5:52 AM, Xavier Dury wrote: > Thanks for all the feedback! :-) > > As I said before, DOSBox is not an option to me as I have already done it > before on my PC and my RPi (there is nothing hard/challenging in installing > DOSBox on windows or linux)... and don't get me wrong: I have absolutely > nothing against emulators. It's just that I work everyday with > linux/windows, hypervisors, containers, (java) VMs. > > I wanted to try something different in my free time and somehow go back to > my roots (DOS). > > I initially wanted to run rpix86 on a RPi2 for its tiny form factor but it > can only emulate a 486@20Mhz which is a bit slow for the last DOS games > like Quake, DN3D, Magic Carpet, Hi-Octane... So I thought, why not use a > recent x86 as DOS was intended to be run on instead of an ARM one. > > I knew beforehand that it was going to be a challenge as I had so many > questions (how does DOS behave with USB keyboard and mouse, UEFI, SATA, > sound chips?) but that's where the fun is. > > And I chose FreeDOS over MS-DOS because I had better hope it could handle > the last x86 evolutions (the last version is only 4 years old while the > last MS-DOS came with windows 98). > > So, that's why I wanted to know if someone already did it: > > - If yes then what are the difficulties? > - If no then why? > - Is it because nobody thought about doing that before? (I hardly doubt it) > - Is it because it's not possible anymore? > - Then, at what point in the x86 evolution have we lost the capability to > run DOS (which ruled that platform for years)? > > Now that I know that current sound chips aren't SB compatible at all, this > is a blocking issue. > > The 2 options I got left are indeed use DOSBox on linux (and launch DOSBox > on boot to have something that looks like an old DOS computer) or dig up my > old Pentium@166Mhz from the basement (but its size and noise are not so > convenient and won't please my wife :-) ). > > Once again, thank you for the great discussion and information. > > Regards, > > Xavier > > ---------------- > > From: dennis.mccun...@gmail.com > > Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2016 19:13:18 -0500 > > To: freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > > Subject: Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick > > > > On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 6:49 PM, Rugxulo wrote: > >> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 5:43 PM, dmccunney > wrote: > >>> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 6:31 PM, Rugxulo wrote: > >>>> > >>>> Maybe I misunderstood you, but you seem intent to *only* run atop this > >>>> new Intel Compute stick thingy. Have you never tried a bootable USB > before? > >>> > >>> His stated intent is to run old DOS games on a cheap HD monitor with > >>> the Compute Stick plugged into it. A bootable USB drive requires a > >>> computer to plug it into so you can boot from it. The Compute Stick > >>> *is* a bootable computer. > >> > >> Great, but so is the machine he's sending email from (which, more than > >> likely, already has a BIOS). > > > > Yep. But what if that's not what he wants to use that computer for? > > He's looking at a cheap, dedicated games device. > > > >> Besides, he hasn't bought either the stick *or* the monitor yet! > >> Surely he must've known that a simple bootable USB jump drive is > >> easier to find and get working (and cheaper too). > > > > I'm certain he does. At the moment, he's exploring whether his notion > > is doable. > > > > The answer seems to be, if he gets one that boots Windows or Linux and > > installs DOSBox, he can do it. If he insists on using FreeDOS, he has > > a problem because he may not be able to get it to boot due to the > > Compute Stick design. > > __ > > Dennis > > > > > -- > > ___ > > Freedos-user mailing list > > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user > > > -- > ___ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user > -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
Thanks for all the feedback! :-) As I said before, DOSBox is not an option to me as I have already done it before on my PC and my RPi (there is nothing hard/challenging in installing DOSBox on windows or linux)... and don't get me wrong: I have absolutely nothing against emulators. It's just that I work everyday with linux/windows, hypervisors, containers, (java) VMs. I wanted to try something different in my free time and somehow go back to my roots (DOS). I initially wanted to run rpix86 on a RPi2 for its tiny form factor but it can only emulate a 486@20Mhz which is a bit slow for the last DOS games like Quake, DN3D, Magic Carpet, Hi-Octane... So I thought, why not use a recent x86 as DOS was intended to be run on instead of an ARM one. I knew beforehand that it was going to be a challenge as I had so many questions (how does DOS behave with USB keyboard and mouse, UEFI, SATA, sound chips?) but that's where the fun is. And I chose FreeDOS over MS-DOS because I had better hope it could handle the last x86 evolutions (the last version is only 4 years old while the last MS-DOS came with windows 98). So, that's why I wanted to know if someone already did it: - If yes then what are the difficulties? - If no then why? - Is it because nobody thought about doing that before? (I hardly doubt it) - Is it because it's not possible anymore? - Then, at what point in the x86 evolution have we lost the capability to run DOS (which ruled that platform for years)? Now that I know that current sound chips aren't SB compatible at all, this is a blocking issue. The 2 options I got left are indeed use DOSBox on linux (and launch DOSBox on boot to have something that looks like an old DOS computer) or dig up my old Pentium@166Mhz from the basement (but its size and noise are not so convenient and won't please my wife :-) ). Once again, thank you for the great discussion and information. Regards, Xavier > From: dennis.mccun...@gmail.com > Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2016 19:13:18 -0500 > To: freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > Subject: Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick > > On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 6:49 PM, Rugxulo wrote: >> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 5:43 PM, dmccunney wrote: >>> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 6:31 PM, Rugxulo wrote: >>>> >>>> Maybe I misunderstood you, but you seem intent to *only* run atop this >>>> new Intel Compute stick thingy. Have you never tried a bootable USB before? >>> >>> His stated intent is to run old DOS games on a cheap HD monitor with >>> the Compute Stick plugged into it. A bootable USB drive requires a >>> computer to plug it into so you can boot from it. The Compute Stick >>> *is* a bootable computer. >> >> Great, but so is the machine he's sending email from (which, more than >> likely, already has a BIOS). > > Yep. But what if that's not what he wants to use that computer for? > He's looking at a cheap, dedicated games device. > >> Besides, he hasn't bought either the stick *or* the monitor yet! >> Surely he must've known that a simple bootable USB jump drive is >> easier to find and get working (and cheaper too). > > I'm certain he does. At the moment, he's exploring whether his notion > is doable. > > The answer seems to be, if he gets one that boots Windows or Linux and > installs DOSBox, he can do it. If he insists on using FreeDOS, he has > a problem because he may not be able to get it to boot due to the > Compute Stick design. > __ > Dennis > > -- > ___ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 6:49 PM, Rugxulo wrote: > On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 5:43 PM, dmccunney wrote: >> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 6:31 PM, Rugxulo wrote: >>> >>> Maybe I misunderstood you, but you seem intent to *only* run atop this >>> new Intel Compute stick thingy. Have you never tried a bootable USB before? >> >> His stated intent is to run old DOS games on a cheap HD monitor with >> the Compute Stick plugged into it. A bootable USB drive requires a >> computer to plug it into so you can boot from it. The Compute Stick >> *is* a bootable computer. > > Great, but so is the machine he's sending email from (which, more than > likely, already has a BIOS). Yep. But what if that's not what he wants to use that computer for? He's looking at a cheap, dedicated games device. > Besides, he hasn't bought either the stick *or* the monitor yet! > Surely he must've known that a simple bootable USB jump drive is > easier to find and get working (and cheaper too). I'm certain he does. At the moment, he's exploring whether his notion is doable. The answer seems to be, if he gets one that boots Windows or Linux and installs DOSBox, he can do it. If he insists on using FreeDOS, he has a problem because he may not be able to get it to boot due to the Compute Stick design. __ Dennis -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
Hi, Just one more quick reply, On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 3:56 AM, Xavier Dury wrote: > > Did anyone try to install FreeDOS on an Intel compute stick or other similar > x86 > (non-arm) pc on a stick ? > > I would like to use such a stick to play my old DOS game collection (with a > cheap > HDMI monitor) but I don't know if FreeDOS will install correctly on such a > machine Install? Yes. Work fully? Maybe not. > and how the games will see the embedded sound chip (will that chip be seen as > some sort of SoundBlaster compatible card ?). Okay, here's the deal: modern sound hardware is totally SB "incompatible". Sound is perhaps the weakest link in all of FreeDOS. There is (almost) no hope at all for that, and you would definitely be wasting your time if that's a deal breaker. Honestly, although DOSBox is 100% software-only emulation (not a real DOS, only for games!), it does have excellent soundcard emulation (e.g. SB16, GUS). It is almost perfect for old games that need a "fast" 486 or "slow" Pentium. A lot of YouTubers (e.g. Pixelmusement/ADG) use it extensively, and it fits their needs quite well. Heck, a lot of old games (e.g. GOG.com) come bundled with DOSBox nowadays. So no, don't even waste your time with literally anything else. I don't think even DOSEMU, QEMU, or VBox support SB16 properly in most cases (sadly), or at least I had horrible luck. So honestly, your best bet (for old games, only) truly is DOSBox. -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
Hi, On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 5:43 PM, dmccunney wrote: > On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 6:31 PM, Rugxulo wrote: >> >> Maybe I misunderstood you, but you seem intent to *only* run atop this >> new Intel Compute stick thingy. Have you never tried a bootable USB before? > > His stated intent is to run old DOS games on a cheap HD monitor with > the Compute Stick plugged into it. A bootable USB drive requires a > computer to plug it into so you can boot from it. The Compute Stick > *is* a bootable computer. Great, but so is the machine he's sending email from (which, more than likely, already has a BIOS). Besides, he hasn't bought either the stick *or* the monitor yet! Surely he must've known that a simple bootable USB jump drive is easier to find and get working (and cheaper too). -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 6:31 PM, Rugxulo wrote: > Maybe I misunderstood you, but you seem intent to *only* run atop this > new Intel Compute stick thingy. Have you never tried a bootable USB before? His stated intent is to run old DOS games on a cheap HD monitor with the Compute Stick plugged into it. A bootable USB drive requires a computer to plug it into so you can boot from it. The Compute Stick *is* a bootable computer. __ Dennis https://plus.google.com/u/0/105128793974319004519 -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
Hi, On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 9:49 AM, Xavier Dury wrote: > > Thanks for your answer. > > Yes, I know about DOSBox, Bochs and rpix86 but I don't want to take the easy > road :-) DOSEMU (V86)? VirtualBox (VT-X)? Neither of those is "slow", they are both (partially) native. > I spent my youth tweaking my config.sys and autoexec.bat... and I want to do > it again > (I know, it's a bit foolish How is it foolish? It's old-fashioned, but it still (sometimes) works. You don't have to apologize for listing to old music, so why apologize for old software? > but I am in my mid 30s and I miss that feeling having all > drivers/TSRs loaded and still having 630k+ of conventional mem :-) ). > > Now that everything runs in emulators/VMs, I want something that runs on > "bare metal" > for a change There's nothing wrong with emulators ... as long as they 1). function properly and are technically correct, and 2). aren't so slow as to watch paint dry. > but I must admit that I don't know where to start or even whether it's > possible or not with modern computers. If you're using UEFI, you presumably need a CSM, but I don't know much about it (and apparently not all machines come with that). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#CSM_booting > Regarding the BIOS issue, could something like SeaBIOS help? Doubt it. > I just wanted to know if somebody had already done such a thing. Maybe I misunderstood you, but you seem intent to *only* run atop this new Intel Compute stick thingy. Have you never tried a bootable USB before? That is native and can run on any semi-modern machine with a BIOS. Do you not have any such machines available? Didn't you know this could already be done (at least in that way, which is of course different to what you're asking but still works)? 1). http://rufus.akeo.ie/ 2). http://unetbootin.github.io/ 3). http://joelinoff.com/blog/?p=431 But for games I do recommend only DOSBox. Anything else I'd probably suggest VBox or QEMU. -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 9:34 AM, dmccunney wrote: >> The variant with Ubuntu pre-loaded looks interesting, and would save a >> fair bit of work. >> >> I can imagine the fun getting Fedora up on the Windows variant. I can >> also imagine "sloow to boot". >> >> I doubt the Ubuntu variant will be a speed demon, either, but for >> things like that, my practice is to boot it and simply leave it up. >> If you don't need to shutdown and reboot, why do so? > > To clarify: The ComputeStick was very fast to boot from the internal > storage. It was just booting from the LiveUSB that took forever. I'm > sure if I'd managed to install Fedora Linux on the ComputeStick, > Fedora would likely have booted very quickly too. Ah. I can see where that might be the case. I'd guess the LiveUSB was USB 2, and you would probably want USB 3 to boot from it quickly. (My desktop is USB 2. That's not a drawback in practice because what plugs into USB is mostly things like flash drives used for archival storage where USB 3 speeds aren't required.) > We regularly shut down the ComputeStick at the end of the day when we > were done experimenting. You can leave it up, but the network was > wireless network only, and our wireless network would "time out" > connections about every 3 hours. So there wasn't any value in leaving > it running overnight anyway. Since it booted quickly from internal storage, my "Just boot it and leave it up" comment is less relevant. I do that to avoid rebooting, but if you have fast enough booting, you may not care. >> What was the lab's experience with trying to use the Windows model? > > We found it was a nice device that would meet most workloads. We were > a Google Apps for Education campus, so most of the workload was via a > web browser, although (IIRC) the Windows ComputeStick came with a > local copy of Office. You really only noticed a "dip" in performance > when opening a big spreadsheet (I had a lot of those, as part of our > project management process). If you were just opening an empty Google > spreadsheet or an empty Excel spreadsheet or a Word document or a > Google Docs document, it was fine. My experience has been that opening really big spreadsheets is always a resource intensive process. At a former employer, the facility manager at the office I worked out of complained his PC was slow. His machine was basically identical in configuration with most of the others, and no one else complained. It turned out what was really slow was opening a big spreadsheet that contained the current stats on work in process. The spreadsheet resided on an NT server in my computer room. Another employee would update it nightly, and email it to him. He'd open it in the morning. We used Outlook talking to Exchange Server, and the Exchange Server was in another office at a remote location. So when he opened the spreadsheet, he was opening it across the WAN from the Exchange Server mail store. Gee. No wonder things were slow. The solution was for the employees doing the updates to include a pointer to the local copy in her email instead of actually attaching the file. The manager's speed complaints went away. :-) > We recommended that the ComputeStick would be a better fit for > classroom computers and conference rooms, where the workload was more > predictable (i.e. mostly Google Slides or Powerpoint). The > ComputeStick could be directly attached to the projector or display > (also makes the ComputeStick more difficult to steal, as it's either > locked away or really hard to get at) and use a BT keyboard/mouse. We > also recommended a USB adapter to provide a wired network connection, > rather than use wireless. Compute Sticks might get up and walk off if not closely watched? :-p But yes, that experience sounds like what I'd expect, and especially USB for network connectivity. If you don't need x86 compatibility, you can do similar things with ARM based devices. We are firmly in the age of "Getcher computer! Onna stick! 'Ardly moving at all!" CMOT. Dibbler would be in his element... __ Dennis https://plus.google.com/u/0/105128793974319004519 -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 10:19 AM, Jim Hall wrote: >> It's a very locked down device. There's an option in the EFI to select >> "Linux" or "Windows" boot mode. But you could simply buy the >> ComputeStick model that has Ubuntu Linux pre-loaded on it: >> http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Compute-Stick-Linux-BOXSTCK1A8LFCCR/dp/B00UYHE60Y >> >> However, I don't have experience with that model. We purchased the >> ComputeStick to evaluate it as a possible replacement in our campus >> computer labs, which run Windows. So we bought the Windows >> ComputeStick. I was able to boot a Fedora Linux LiveUSB on it, just to >> try it out, but it was really slw to boot and (IIRC) >> didn't recognize the wireless interface. On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 9:34 AM, dmccunney wrote: > The variant with Ubuntu pre-loaded looks interesting, and would save a > fair bit of work. > > I can imagine the fun getting Fedora up on the Windows variant. I can > also imagine "sloow to boot". > > I doubt the Ubuntu variant will be a speed demon, either, but for > things like that, my practice is to boot it and simply leave it up. > If you don't need to shutdown and reboot, why do so? To clarify: The ComputeStick was very fast to boot from the internal storage. It was just booting from the LiveUSB that took forever. I'm sure if I'd managed to install Fedora Linux on the ComputeStick, Fedora would likely have booted very quickly too. We regularly shut down the ComputeStick at the end of the day when we were done experimenting. You can leave it up, but the network was wireless network only, and our wireless network would "time out" connections about every 3 hours. So there wasn't any value in leaving it running overnight anyway. > What was the lab's experience with trying to use the Windows model? We found it was a nice device that would meet most workloads. We were a Google Apps for Education campus, so most of the workload was via a web browser, although (IIRC) the Windows ComputeStick came with a local copy of Office. You really only noticed a "dip" in performance when opening a big spreadsheet (I had a lot of those, as part of our project management process). If you were just opening an empty Google spreadsheet or an empty Excel spreadsheet or a Word document or a Google Docs document, it was fine. We recommended that the ComputeStick would be a better fit for classroom computers and conference rooms, where the workload was more predictable (i.e. mostly Google Slides or Powerpoint). The ComputeStick could be directly attached to the projector or display (also makes the ComputeStick more difficult to steal, as it's either locked away or really hard to get at) and use a BT keyboard/mouse. We also recommended a USB adapter to provide a wired network connection, rather than use wireless. -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 9:38 AM, Jim Hall wrote: >> I remembered one other thing about this device: It uses EFI. I don't >> think there's a proper BIOS on the ComputeStick. But FreeDOS needs >> BIOS. On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 9:06 AM, dmccunney wrote: > Do you recall what was involved on getting Linux booted? > > If Xavier can get Linux up, he might be able to install DOSBox and run > his old DOS games that way. It's what DOSBox is for. It's a very locked down device. There's an option in the EFI to select "Linux" or "Windows" boot mode. But you could simply buy the ComputeStick model that has Ubuntu Linux pre-loaded on it: http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Compute-Stick-Linux-BOXSTCK1A8LFCCR/dp/B00UYHE60Y However, I don't have experience with that model. We purchased the ComputeStick to evaluate it as a possible replacement in our campus computer labs, which run Windows. So we bought the Windows ComputeStick. I was able to boot a Fedora Linux LiveUSB on it, just to try it out, but it was really slw to boot and (IIRC) didn't recognize the wireless interface. -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 9:38 AM, Jim Hall wrote: > I remembered one other thing about this device: It uses EFI. I don't > think there's a proper BIOS on the ComputeStick. But FreeDOS needs > BIOS. Do you recall what was involved on getting Linux booted? If Xavier can get Linux up, he might be able to install DOSBox and run his old DOS games that way. It's what DOSBox is for. __ Dennis -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS on a compute stick
I had a ComputeStick at my previous job; we bought it to experiment with for campus computer labs. That device is weirdly locked down. I didn't get a chance to boot FreeDOS on it, but even booting a Linux distribution was a pain. On Jan 7, 2016 3:57 AM, "Xavier Dury" wrote: > Hi, > > Did anyone try to install FreeDOS on an Intel compute stick or other > similar x86 (non-arm) pc on a stick ? > > I would like to use such a stick to play my old DOS game collection (with > a cheap HDMI monitor) but I don't know if FreeDOS will install correctly on > such a machine and how the games will see the embedded sound chip (will > that chip be seen as some sort of SoundBlaster compatible card ?). > > I would like to know if such a setup is possible before I buy the stick > and the monitor. > > Thanks a lot, > > Xavier > > -- > ___ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user > -- ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user