FreeDOS 1.3-RC5 bug report: ChkDsk and Defrag don't run on 286, Format shows incorrect free space on floppy, using real HW and emulator too
FreeDOS v1.3-RC5 installed on PC with 80286-25 CPU and 80287 FPU. Using PCem v17 emulator, 1MB RAM, machine type: GoldStar GDC-212M. GoldStar BIOS. HDD type: custom 1024cyl, 16hds, 63sect, total 528MB size. The installation ran from the 1.44MB set of diskettes using original image files. Floppy only version. The process took about 45 minutes to complete. On start of the installation, the text shows installing for 386, but completes without any errors. The only program that does not run during the install is LBAcache, which shows that 386 is minimum. After completing the install and rebooting with empty diskette drives, the boot process works flawlessly. Got 630900 Bytes of conventional memory free without using CTMOUSE. Got free XMS memory rounded to 227 kBytes. Tried the core programs: FDISK, FORMAT, SYS, SHCDX86, DISKCOPY, SHFDRV86, FDXMS286, these are working OK. DEFRAG and ChkDsk do not run, they throw an error invalid opcode, because they run on 386 or higher CPU. Haven't tried the other programs yet. From the commercial programs: Symantec Norton Commander 5.0 is working, Software602 Manazer602 is working. DOS Navigator OSP is working. Norton Disk Doctor from Norton Utilities 6.0 is working. The FreeDOS operating system takes about 14MB of HDD space when installed. As far as the real hardware goes, I made a bootable diskette image from the system installed on the PCem emulator using FORMAT A: /S. This made an image file which was restored to a real diskette where I put also the most frequently used programs: CALLVER, CTMOUSE, DEVLOAD, DISKCOPY, FDISK, FORMAT, MEM, SHCDX86, SHFDRV86, SYS and the driver FDXMS286, adjusted the FDAUTO.BAT and FDCONFIG.SYS, which was originally placed on the HDD image to suit the needs of a diskette. Booted the diskette in my old 80286-12 laptop with 1MB RAM and I have seen that everything works as it should. The booting has no problem, the programs ran on the diskette just as they ran in the emulator a moment before. FYI: The laptop has a 40MB HDD and I was not in the mood for wiping the HDD in order to try to make a full install consuming 14MB. The earlier mentioned commercial programs (not supplied in FreeDOS) like Norton Commander 5.0 worked OK just like in the emulator before. The laptop has one full length 16bit ISA slot, where I put a sound card. Tried some abandonware games too: Leisure Suit Larry EGA (AGI version) from 1987 runs OK, Larry 6 runs OK, Blockout by California Dreams LDW runs OK. OPTi 82C931 ISA sound driver works OK. The only thing that caught my eye was when I made FORMAT A: /S and after formatting the diskette it said in the summary that there are 1474560 Bytes on the diskette and 1457664 Bytes free! That is not possible if there's an OS kernel on it already. However this single operation was done in the emulator only.
Nevertheless, thanks a lot! FreeDOS is working on a 286! A great OS.
Yours, truly D. Cernak jr