Useful DOS utilities

MS-DOS compatible operating systems often require TSRs for basic functionality, such as memory management or CD-ROM drivers. Many older TSRs, like the drivers included in MS-DOS, often consume large amounts of conventional memory. There are however many free and open-source replacements for these TSRs, which use less base memory and add extra functionality. This page lists a number of these utilities.

Utilities

FreeDOS

Full MS-DOS-compatible operating system. Includes most of the utilities and drivers listed below. Website

UMBPCI

UMB memory manager. Provides UMB memory without EMS, uses only 200 bytes of base memory. Website

Jemm386 and HimemX

XMS/EMS memory manager, replacement for HIMEM.SYS and/or EMM386.EXE. Website

XMGR

XMS memory manager, replacement for HIMEM.SYS. Website

UIDE

Universal IDE/SATA driver. Provides CD/DVD drivers and a large disk cache up to 4GB. Website

RDISK

Utility for creating very large RAM drives in XMS, up to 2GB. Website

Example configuration files

CONFIG.SYS

...

AUTOEXEC.BAT

...