DESQView (1984) 9 Utility DOS

DESQView, from Quarterdeck, was a DOS application multi-tasker and in later versions functioned as an X client for applications on remote UNIX systems. It competed against IBM Topview. The original DESQ was just a task switcher, but subsequent versions offered preemptive multitasking of well behaved DOS programs on real-mode 8088 PCs. It gained popularity when DESQView 386 added virtual x86 support. This enabled the ability to multi task many poorly behaved programs, and was often used on BBSes due to its excellent COM port handling. It was later overtaken by OS/2 and Windows.

• DESQView X 1.x
• 2.x
• DESQView X 2.x

Direct Access (1988) 29 Utility DOS

Direct Access is an easy to use menuing program designed to simplify access to applications on systems with many programs loaded on the hard drive. It is customizable, includes screen blanking, and includes password protection and usage logging. Later versions also detect common programs already installed on the hard disk.

• 5.x

Disk Technician (1987) 1 Utility DOS

Disk Technician, from Prime Solutions Inc., is a hard disk utility and surface monitor. It contains an interleave adjuster and pattern tester similar to Spinrite. The Gold version also includes a defragmenter and disk-level virus protection.

• Gold 1.x

DiskClone (1998) 2 Utility DOS

DiskClone, from Quarterdeck, is a simple, professional, small, powerful, and easy to use hard disk cloning tool. It can copy a drive to another internal or external drive of different sizes. It can be used as a backup, or a migration tool to a new drive. It all fits on a single floppy disk. "Corporate" editions.

• 1.0

DiskLock (1993) 0 Utility DOS Windows

DiskLock, From Fifth Generation Systems, and later from Symantec as Norton DiskLock, is a data security tool that can lock a hard disk or individual files or directories so that it requires a password to access any data. It can also log activity to detect unauthorized access attempts. It also features the ability to lock the system after an idle usage period. There were versions for PC and Mac.

• 2.x
• 3.x

DisplayWrite (1984) 13 Word Processor DOS

DisplayWrite is a word processor that is based on the IBM Displaywriter dedicated word processing system. It directly competed with software ports of dedicated word processors such as the Wang Word Processing System (or its clone MultiMate ), Lanier Word Processing Software, Xerox, DEC, or similar.

• 5

DoubleDisk (1991) 0 Utility DOS

First released in 1989, DoubleDisk was the first real-time drive compression product for DOS. It is a fairly no-frills program and sticks to what it does best. It was relatively low cost compared to its later competitors. and Expandz! Plus

• 2.5
• 2.6

DoubleDOS (1984) 0 Utility DOS

DoubleDOS is a simple and easy to use multitasking tool for DOS. It can preemptively run up to two DOS programs at a time. Its main advantage is that it requires very little RAM overhead compared to other multitasking or task switching environments. Because DOS programs can and usually do bypass OS calls, many programs must be "patched" in order to work. things at once, then this would have been a good choice. Reportedly, the first version may have worked with DOS 1.x.

• 4.02

Easy Access Menu System (1989) 0 Utility DOS

Easy Access Menu system, from TengWare, is a customizable menuing system for DOS that features a built in calendar. It is shareware, but there are few archived versions of it out there.

• 5.x

Easy Working DOS Manager (1989) 1 Utility DOS

Spinnaker Easy Working DOS Manager is a menu system and file manager for DOS. It was bundled with a number of computer systems including Packard Bell. use of a mouse. It features a customizable application menu, primitive file management, and menu options for the disk utilities commonly included with DOS. It includes built in help, and a tutorial.

• 1.5

Easy Working Tri-Pack (1992) 1 Word Processor Spreadsheet Database DOS

The Easy Working Tri-Pack, from Spinnaker Software, is a bundle of three budget productivity applications from Spinnaker Software. It includes Easy Working The Writer - a word processor, Easy Working The Filer - a database, and Easy Working The Planner - a spreadsheet. These applications boast ease of use with a friendly menu interface wile remaining full-featured.

• 1992

Expert Utilities (1990) 0 Utility DOS

Expert Utilities is a rudimentary file manager shell for DOS. It provides an on screen directory listing and a visual command menu. It does not use the mouse.

• 1990

EZ-Drive (1996) 0 Utility DOS

EZ-Drive is a hard disk partitioning tool bundled with new hard drives. It detects, partitions, formats drives, and installs BIOS overlays, all in one easy to use program. Such setup programs were often necessary due to the complexity of BIOS size limitation and the skyrocketing size of new hard drives. EZ-Drive is similar to Ontrack Disk Manager.

• 8.x

EZ-Tape (1992) 0 Utility DOS

EZ-Tape backup system for Windows and DOS.

• 3.x (DOS)

Failsafe Computer Guardian (1992) 0 Utility DOS

Failsafe Computer Guardian is a DOS TSR utility that prevents programs or other users from accessing or making changes to designated files on the hard drive. It includes password control, user groups, logging, keyboard locking, screen blanking, and support for Microsoft windows. Notably, it can do all of this with minimal DOS memory overhead, only 14k of RAM.

• 1.x

FastBack (1986) 6 Utility DOS

Fastback, by Fifth Generation Systems, Inc, is a backup utility for DOS. Its key feature is that it can read and write both a floppy disk and hard disk at the same time by making use of dual-channel DMA. Combined with speedy data compression, it can make a very fast backup.

• Plus 3.x
• Plus 6.x

FastTrax (1987) 0 Utility DOS

FastTrax is a disk optimization program for MS-DOS on IBM PC computers. It rearranges and defragments files to make file access faster.

• 4.x

FontasticWriter (1990) 1 Word Processor DOS

Fontastic, from David W Johnson, Pacific Tri Micro Inc / Wizardworks, Wizardware Group Inc, is a budget word processor. It promotes itself as having many fonts to choose from, making it sound like a graphical WYSIWYG, but it is really a text-based word processor with an external previewer application. "Wizardworks". Apparently it was a small-time publisher. Pacific Tri Micro products were published under other names as well. perfecting text that will add creative "snap" to documents. Choose from a library of more than 25 type fonts in varying sizes to spruce up any letter or presentation. Fontastic Writer Plus also includes 24 pin and laser printer drivers that allow your documents to print out just like the pros's. easy to use! Editing is also easy, and includes search and replace, cut and paste, left/right justification, line or word centering, underlining, and an electronic dictionary that scans documents and corrects your mistakes. documents from Easy Working Writer " and Word Writer" to name a few. Simply type the commands in your old files and Fontastic Writer Plus does the rest."

• Plus (1990)

Framework (1984) 15 Word Processor Spreadsheet Graphics Communications Database DOS

Originally created by Forefront Corporation for Ashton-Tate and first released in 1984, Framework was an early integrated office suite for DOS. It has a built in word processor, spreadsheet, database, outliner, graphing, and telecommunications.

• III
• XE
• IV

GeoPublish (1994) 0 Word Processor Publishing DOS

GeoPublish was a rudimentary desktop publishing program for the Apple II and C64 that ran under GEOS. In 1993, Geoworks re-released their commercial standalone Geoworks Writer product as a shareware product reprising the name GeoPublish.

• 2.x

GeoWorks Writer (1991) 2 Word Processor Publishing DOS

After the release of GeoWorks Pro, GeoWorks released stripped down versions that only included specific application. This included GeoWorks Desktop, GeoWorks Designer, and GeoWorks Writer.

• 1991

Ghost (2000) 3 Utility DOS

Ghost, originally released in 1995 by Binary Research and later under Symantec with the "Norton" title, is a PC cloning and imaging tool. It can image and restore drives to drives of different sizes, supports many different file systems, and supports many different archiving and communications methods. Ghost 7.5 and earlier support running from DOS. Later versions are Windows-only.

• 7.x

Grammatik (1988) 0 Utility DOS

Grammatik is a standalone grammar checker, and was possibly the first grammar checker for personal computers. Later versions were built in to Word Perfect. It competed against RightWriter.

• IV

hDC Windows Manager (1989) 0 Utility DOS

hDC Windows Manager is a set of small desktop utilities that enhance the way the Windows 2 GUI works. It includes an alarm clock, auto save automator, a screen saver, font viewer, memory usage viewer, automatic window cascading/tiling, it can set a mono bitmap as a desktop background, and it can store "sets" of applications to open all at once. menu shell, and hDC Color, a tool that lets Windows 2 VGA use all 16 colors instead of just 8.

• 1.0

Helix Headroom (1990) 0 Utility DOS

Headroom is a memory manager, TSR manager, and application switcher for DOS. It enables you to load many TSR programs at once without using extra base memory. It can load unload TSRs at any time in any order, and even improves compatibility with older TSRs.

• 2.x