Restoring older systems

Ranmori · 10 December 2023 09:38

The error message is INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE. This is my guess that the IDE HDD or HDD controller does not support 32bit.

I suspect that NT3.51/NT4.0 would occur as well, based on this principle.

I know Win95/98 is both 16bit and 32bit, but if the FDD/HDD…IDE controller is 16bit, 95/98 is forced to run in MS-DOS compatibility mode. If the IDE controller is 32bit compatible, 95/98 operates in 32bit. This is my knowledge.

It is my opinion that if the IDE controller is 16bit, NT3.51, NT4.0, and Win2000 will fail to install because they are pure 32bit OS without 16bit.

I also found this report.

github.com

joncampbell123/dosbox-x/blob/master/NOTES/Microsoft Windows 2000


1. Install MS-DOS 6.22 first.

2. Use MS-DOS to run the NT installer.
   The floppy-based install will not work with NT, because DOSBox-X
   does not yet emulate the floppy controller.

3. Let DOSBox-X restart

4. Let NT Boot.

   NOTE: At this time, NT is unable to get past the boot screen and
   displays a crash dump with INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE. debug information
   seems to imply that NT's IDE driver is having difficulty issuing
   a sector read---debug info shows IDE command 20h is issued... long
   pause... another one is issued... eventually NT gives up.

p.s.
I remember I experimented with this a long time ago (using an actual IBM machine).
NT could not be installed on CPU i286.
NT could be installed on CPU i386.
NT and 2000 could be installed on CPU i486, 486SX, 486DX, IntelDX.

alexb3d · 10 December 2023 10:21

This is emulation, it has many patches and hacks to make it work. it is not real hardware.

How do you think the 4X CD-ROM works as fast as your local hard disk?

If it does not appear in install new operating system, it is because PURE does not have it in its list. If it cannot be installed/upgraded, it is because it is not implemented in DOSBox.

I don’t know why, the DOSBox forum may be the best option to solve that doubt.

https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=8324&p=54007&hilit=dosbox%20windows%20window%202000#p54007

Ranmori · 10 December 2023 10:26

Yeah.
I know that DOSBOX was originally developed around the time Win2000/XP came out, as a remedy for the time when compatibility with DOS/9x games and applications was about to be lost.

So I am aware that DOSBOX was targeted at DOS/9x.