Can you make dos boot-able on like computers we use today or do I need something really old?

Question

Can you make dos boot-able on like computers we use today or do I need something really old?
A customer of mine wants to boot into dos on a laptop but its core 2 duo and I don't think its possible.

Answer 1

DOS will boot just fine on today's computers. Get yourself a thumb drive image of FreeDOS, install it to a thumb drive, set the system's BIOS or UEFI to boot from the thumbdrive.



However, depending on what he's intending to do, it might be more practical to install the DOSBox emulator.



If he's looking to design a custom box for some R&D project that requires low system resources and uses custom software that's specifically written for today's hardware, then boot up the real thing. Get FreeDOS, and go to it.



If he's looking to run some old software from the early 90s or older, DOSBox might be a better option. You'll have far better compatibility and speed compensation, as that's what DOSBox was designed for: to run DOS video games. Of course, if you happen to want to dust off Lotus 1-2-3, that'll work too.

Answer 2

Yes - there are a number of versions of DOS that are still maintained. One of these is FreeDOS (http://www.freedos.org/).

Answer 3

you can burn it on a CD if you like or put it on a flash drive...



He would have to since most laptops don't come with 3.5floppy drives.