We recommend you use a PC emulator to install FreeDOS. This creates a "virtual machine" that runs inside your operating system, so you can run FreeDOS in a "window."

Dec 29, 2025 · FreeDOS is an open source DOS-compatible operating system that you can use to play classic DOS games, run legacy business software, or write new DOS programs. Any program that …

Apr 5, 2025 · Visit FreeDOS 1.4 | Download to download the new FreeDOS 1.4 distribution! Most users should use the Live CD image to install FreeDOS, especially if you're using a virtual machine.

The FreeDOS 1.3 RC4 LiveCD contains all of the software you might want to install on the new system. Each FreeDOS program is available as a separate "package," which is really just a Zip archive file.

This was common on DOS in the 1980s and 1990s, some games needed EMS and some needed XMS. These links are provided as a convenience and do not constitute endorsements or approval. The …

Dec 14, 2025 · FreeDOS is an open source DOS-compatible operating system that you can use to play classic DOS games, run legacy business software, or write new DOS programs. Any program that …

Fortunately, setting up a minimal FreeDOS environment is pretty easy. Technically, all you need to boot FreeDOS and run DOS applications is the kernel and a FDCONFIG.SYS configuration file.

test.freedos.org

Jim Hall started FreeDOS while an undergraduate. He wasn't a fan of Windows 3.x, and when Microsoft announced in 1994 that the next version of Windows would replace DOS entirely, Jim announced a …

Here's the full QEMU command line that I use when I boot FreeDOS after I install it. This has a bunch of other options, such as to support sound and to use a second virtual disk as my D: drive.