FreeDOS/V Asaasa Private Edition

This page is just a “display test for web browsing on FreeDOS”—it doesn't really mean anything lol
This is a repository for the results of the so-called FreeDOS/V project. See Converting FreeDOS to DOS/V for details on a separate page.
If you refer to FreeDOS - DOS/V Conversion Plan, you should be able to manage at least “Japanese keyboard” and “ATAPI DVD drive” using only the stock FreeDOS binaries.

Items uploaded here may be freely distributed on the condition that they are redistributed “as-is” as a ZIP file containing all floppy images, HDD images, and original distribution files.
- FreeDOS/V Private Edition Copyright and Licensing A summary of the individual licenses for the constituent software.
Please refrain from reposting or redistributing floppy disk images or HDD images on their own. (This would violate the redistribution provisions of some of the included software and applications.)
- I suppose it would be acceptable to burn them to CD, DVD, or USB as long as you include the original ZIP file containing all the components.
The person who compiled this is “Asasa,” and while they retain copyright on some of the custom batch files, please consider this to be based on the 3-clause BSD license.
You may use this free of charge for non-commercial and personal use. Since it contains software that prohibits commercial use, please refrain from using it for business purposes.
We assume no obligation to guarantee operation or fix bugs. Please use at your own risk.

A PC/AT-compatible machine (so-called “DOS-V” machine) equipped with an Intel 80386 16MHz or higher CPU. It must be an upward-compatible CPU that retains Intel 8086 compatibility.
- Naturally, it will not run on “non-DOS-V” machines such as the NEC PC-9801/PC-9821 series.
Must have 16MB or more of physical memory. (This is to expand to a 12MB RAM disk. If you resize the RAM disk, allow for approximately 4MB in addition to the RAM disk capacity.)
Must have a VGA or upwardly compatible graphics card, or an integrated graphics chip. DOS/V is not supported at resolutions lower than VGA, such as CGA.
Must be capable of BIOS-compatible boot. Does not support UEFI-only or SecureBoot.
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM support is limited to “IDE/ATAPI connections only.” If using SCSI or other interfaces, please reconfigure FDCONFIG.SYS and device drivers.
Must use a Japanese 106/109-key or compatible keyboard. (Since the settings are not configured for English keyboards, modifications are required for non-Japanese keyboards.)
A virtual machine running 86Box, VirtualBox, or VirtualPC 2004 or 2007, or a physical machine that meets the above conditions. (Note: This has not been verified on physical machines.)
- For Hyper-V, please change the extension of the floppy disk image file to .vfd. It should work properly after that.
- For VMware, it can be used practically only “when the DOS/V feature is not used.” If you use DOS/V mode, the CPU will core dump and crash, so it cannot be used.
- CDBoot support is optional. If you can boot from it, you might be able to run FreeDOS LiveCDs and other applications more comfortably.

FreeDOS 1.4 (2025 version) can be booted from floppy images in “FreeDOS DOS/V compatibility mode” or “FreeDOS normal mode”
- Since it is extracted to a RAM disk, you can use it comfortably without worrying about disk access speeds after extraction (however, at least 16MB of physical memory is required; while this might be manageable on PCs from the Windows 95 generation onward, it will likely be difficult on PCs running Windows 3.1 or earlier due to memory limitations)
Includes BATUTY, LHA, FD, MIEL, etc., allowing you to work with LZH archives. Additionally, by obtaining PKZIP-based software separately, you can handle ZIP files from the DOS era (you can use the UNZIP/ZIP included with the FreeDOS LiveCD, but they are not compatible with FD.com)
- Since PKZIP-based software is considered “commercial software” and is not permitted to be redistributed online, it is generally difficult to obtain through legitimate means.
The inclusion of the VZ Editor allows for comfortable text editing in both Japanese mode (DOS/V) and English mode.
With the combination of the custom \FreeDOS\BIN\FDIMPLES.BAT and the FreeDOS 1.4 LiveCD, you can add the “FreeDOS Official Binaries” package as an aftermarket addition.
- Strangely enough, installing the FreeDOS T26xx LiveCD allows you to upgrade to the latest beta version of FreeDOS.
You can install FreeDOS/V on an HDD/SSD? using your own A:\INSTDOS.BAT.
The system does not include a Japanese FEP (IME). This is because there is no Japanese FEP available that is redistributable, embeddable, and intuitive to use.