Installing DOS 6.20 [PC-98]

MS DOS on the PC-98 works pretty much exactly the same as on the IBM PC, but obviously the installer is almost entirely in Japanese and has a completely different layout to what everyone is used to in IBM PC land. Here's a walkthough of how to install MS DOS 6.20 on a fresh, unformatted PC-98 hard drive.

First of all, if you attach an unformatted disk to either a PC98 emulator or a real PC9801 machine and attempt to boot from it, you'll see the following screen advising that the hard disk is currently unformatted:

Step 1. Boot from disk 1 of the DOS 6.20 disk set, you're asked to choose the destination for the install; either a hard drive (first option), or a floppy (second option):

At this point, before confirming either the choice of floppy or hard drive you can exit to a command prompt if you don't want to install; press Escape and then confirm that you don't want to install (first option), or go back to the installer (second option).

Step 2. After selecting the install type you are asked to confirm that you want to continue:

Step 3. Choose the size of the formatted partition you want to make, the maximum available size should already be filled in (497MB in my case of a 500MB virtual drive in Neko Project II):

After entering the size you're asked to confirm it (first option), or cancel (second option):

At this point the partition will be formatted and the drive made bootable via SYS, the installer will then reboot the machine to the second stage.

Step 4. Choose target directory. After the reboot the installer will start again, asking for the destination directory for the new DOS install:

You are then asked to confirm the location:

Step 5. The installer copies files from the first disk, then prompts you to insert disk 2 (then 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 in turn):

Step 6. After all disks are copied you are presented with a basic system summary screen, with some indications that a CONFIG.SYS will be created:

Step 7. Finally, after everything is done you'll see a screen saying that install has completed. Remove any floppy disks and the system will reboot to the new DOS 6.20 system. By default AUTOEXEC.BAT is set up to launch DOSSHELL, or DOS Hell as those of us who lived through the DOS era used to call it:

Hit SHIFT + F9 to exit from the shell and get a proper command prompt.