How to Install MS-DOS 6.22 Using Floppy Disks

Installing MS-DOS 6.22 on a physical computer or virtual machine requires three standard 1.44MB installation floppy disks. This guide walks you through the entire installation process, including configuring the BIOS, partitioning and formatting the target hard drive using the automated Setup utility, swapping disks during the file transfer process, and completing the initial boot into the operating system.

Prerequisites

Before beginning, ensure you have the following:

  • A PC-compatible system or virtual machine with at least a 286 processor, 512 KB of RAM, and a hard disk drive.
  • A working 3.5-inch 1.44MB floppy drive (Drive A:).
  • The three standard MS-DOS 6.22 Setup floppy disks (labeled Disk 1, Disk 2, and Disk 3).
  • BIOS configured to boot from Drive A: before Drive C:.

Step 1: Boot from Setup Disk 1

  1. Insert MS-DOS 6.22 Setup Disk 1 into floppy drive A:.
  2. Power on or reset the machine.
  3. The system will read the disk and display the blue "Microsoft MS-DOS 6.22 Setup" screen.
  4. Press Enter on the initial welcome screen to start the setup process.

Step 2: Configure the Hard Disk

  1. If the hard disk is unpartitioned or unformatted, Setup will display a message stating that the hard disk needs to be prepared.
  2. Press Enter to configure the unallocated space.
  3. Setup will restart the computer to initialize the drive configuration. Leave Disk 1 in the drive during this reboot.
  4. After restarting, Setup automatically resumes and formats Drive C: with the FAT16 file system.

Step 3: Confirm System Settings

Once formatting is complete, the Setup program displays the detected system settings:

  • Date and Time
  • Country
  • Keyboard Layout

If all settings are correct, select The settings are correct and press Enter. If any detail is incorrect, use the arrow keys to highlight the option, press Enter, select the correct setting, and return to the confirmation screen.

Step 4: Specify the Installation Path

Setup will prompt for the directory where MS-DOS files will be installed. The default location is:

C:\DOS

Press Enter to accept this default path.

Step 5: File Copying and Disk Swapping

The file copy process begins immediately. Follow the on-screen prompts to swap the disks:

  1. Setup will copy the initial files from Disk 1.
  2. When prompted, remove Disk 1, insert MS-DOS 6.22 Setup Disk 2, and press Enter.
  3. When prompted again, remove Disk 2, insert MS-DOS 6.22 Setup Disk 3, and press Enter.

Step 6: Complete the Installation

  1. Once the file transfer reaches 100%, a screen appears indicating that the setup is finished.
  2. Remove Disk 3 from floppy drive A:.
  3. Press Enter to restart the computer.

The computer will reboot directly from the hard drive, load CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, and display the command prompt:

C:\>

MS-DOS 6.22 is now fully installed and ready for use.