🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <17rastINNb02@matt.ksu.ksu.edu>, danodom@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Dan Odom) writes:
> How do I figure out what the "OEM string" is in MS-DOS 5.0?  Neither of
> the "standard" services for discovering version stuff (30h and 3306h)
> returns it, and I can't find a reference to it anywhere in the programmer's
> reference.  

Well, there is a field at the start of diskettes (8 bytes starting with the 4th
byte) that may contain the name of the OEM disk name.  Some OEM diskettes still
call it IBM or sometimes MSDOS, though.  But there is also the OEM number, for
versions of DOS that aren't generic MSDOS, returned by the Get Version function
call... if you want to convert that number into a name look at Ralf Brown's
interrupt list for a few (I had a list somewhere, that included a few more,
like Data General's version of MSDOS for the DG10, and something like VCCP
DOS). OEM versions of DOS isn't common since DOS 3. DRDOS doesn't use a special
OEM number (although there are OEM versions of DRDOS, e.g. RDK); you can tell
if you are running under DRDOS either by looking at the environment variable
"OS" or by interrupt 21h/AX=4412h, as explained in Ralf's interrupt list
(available by anonymous ftp from all sorts of places)....

----------214412-----------------------------
INT 21 - DR-DOS 5.0 - DETERMINE DOS TYPE
        AX = 4412h
        CF set
Return: CF set if not DR DOS
            AX = error code (see AH=59h)
        CF clear if DR DOS
            DX = AX = version code
                1060h = ???
                1063h = DR-DOS 3.41 ???
                1065h = DR-DOS 5.0
                1067h = DR-DOS 6.0
Note:   this call is identical to AX=4452h
SeeAlso: AX=4452h


> Also, is there a DR-DOS programmer's reference?  Is it worth getting or 
> should I use the MS one?

There is, apparently.  All of the interesting extensions seem to be in Ralf's
interrupt list and, as Frotz posted recently, the Novell/DRDOS people are
working on making sure it is up to date.  Basically, though, if you look at the
interrupts for MSDOS 3.3 you won't be far out - there are a few added to find
and set the extra access rights (actually Multi-user DOS's system with Group
and Owner, I think it was, ignored). There are a few calls to device drivers
that come with SuperStor and SuperPCK that might also be interesting, again a
lot seem to be documented in Ralf's free interrupt list. 

Mark Aitchison, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.