DR DOS 5.x
DR DOS is an MS-DOS compatible operating system from Digital Research that evolved from their earlier CP/M-86 based products Concurrent DOS and DOS Plus.
DR DOS was compatible with most PC/MS-DOS software, including Windows 3.1, disk utilities, debuggers, networking software, and TSRs.
Version 5 was especially successful as it beat Microsoft to the market with the ability to free up more of the 640k base memory, something that was badly needed at the time.
Later versions included even more powerful features, including a graphical shell called ViewMAX based on Digital Research GEM, disk caching, LapLink style file serial/parallel transfer, power management, built in help, an undelete tool, SuperStor disk compression, and a task switcher.
Over all, it was considered a very good product, and it appealed to power users.
DR DOS also played a key roll in giving computer manufactures leverage against Microsoft.
Release notes
Version "4" was skipped to avoid being associated with the disaster called IBM-PC DOS 4.0 and MS-DOS 4.0.
New features include ViewMAX, a GEM-based GUI file management shell, the BatteryMAX power management system, bundled disk-caching software, and HMA and UMB memory use that frees up conventional 640k.
Notice that this was released in May, 1990 well before MS-DOS 5.0. Microsoft was scrambling to get similar features in to MS-DOS 5.0, that they released in June 1991.
Downloads
| Download name | Version | Language | Architecture | File size | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Digital Research DR DOS 5.0 (12-13-1990) [Spanish] (5.25-360k) |
5.0 (12-13-1990) | Spanish |
|
438.35KB | 0 |
 Digital Research DR DOS 5.0 (2-1-1991) (Premier Innovations OEM) (3.5-1.44mb) |
5.0 (2-1-1991) (Premier Innovations OEM) | English |
|
774.87KB | 1 |
|
Digital Research DR DOS 5.0 (6-15-1990) (5.25-360k) |
5.0 (6-15-1990) | English |
|
426.63KB | 1 |
|
Digital Research DR DOS 5.0 (6-15-1990) (Highscreen OEM) [German] (5.25-360k) |
5.0 (6-15-1990) (Highscreen OEM) | German |
|
1.24MB | 1 |
|
Digital Research DR DOS 5.0 (8-14-1990) (3.5-720k) |
5.0 (8-14-1990) | English |
|
429.04KB | 1 |
|
Digital Research DR DOS 5.0 (8-14-1990) (5.25-360k) |
5.0 (8-14-1990) | English |
|
427.91KB | 2 |
|
Digital Research DR DOS 5.0 (8-22-1990) (Highscreen OEM) [German] (5.25-360k) |
5.0 (8-22-1990) (Highscreen OEM) | German |
|
1.06MB | 0 |