# Getting DOS to recognize my hard drive **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-dos-to-recognize-my-hard-drive/402941 "2007-05-06T00:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-dos-to-recognize-my-hard-drive/402941/1 "2007-05-06T00:49:54Z")
I am trying to run an old DOS program I got off the Underdogs which can only be run in DOS itself (not a DOS window). My memory of DOS commands is extremely rusty, so I thought it was me when I was unable to access my C: hard drive, until I tried the same command in a window, where it worked. What then do I need to do to to get DOS to recognize my hard drive? Note to the jokers out there: I know what “format” does… 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-dos-to-recognize-my-hard-drive/402941/2 "2007-05-06T01:05:02Z")
What machine are you running this on? If you’re booting a modern PC from a DOS floppy or something, then the chances are it just hasn’t a clue how to deal with your modern hardware. You might be better off using [DOSBox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOSBox) ---
**Author:** ![wendigo1974](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@wendigo1974](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wendigo1974)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-dos-to-recognize-my-hard-drive/402941/3 "2007-05-06T01:35:38Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] I am trying to run an old DOS program I got off the Underdogs which can only be run in DOS itself (not a DOS window). My memory of DOS commands is extremely rusty, so I thought it was me when I was unable to access my C: hard drive, until I tried the same command in a window, where it worked. What then do I need to do to to get DOS to recognize my hard drive? Note to the jokers out there: I know what “format” does… 🆒 [/QUOTE] MS-DOS is only good up to 2 Gigabytes. Over that the hard drive won’t be recognised. It sounds more like your booting through an external medium and using a El Torito style interace. This would mean that you cannot operate outside of the boundaries of the disk you booted from. MSD-DOS cannot recognise NTFS. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-dos-to-recognize-my-hard-drive/402941/4 "2007-05-06T04:12:36Z")
As I said a Dos window won’t cut it, already tried it. Thanks for the info about hard drive size-that likely explains it. Oh well the program I wanted to run was basically a lark anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-dos-to-recognize-my-hard-drive/402941/5 "2007-05-06T04:32:38Z")
**John,** since when did you start extending your lines of text all the way to the end of the screen? That was your trademark, man! ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-dos-to-recognize-my-hard-drive/402941/6 "2007-05-06T04:35:54Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] As I said a Dos window won’t cut it, already tried it. [/QUOTE] DOSBox is more of a DOS emulator than a DOS window. I think it emulates the hardware as well as the software. It should work with most DOS programs. (Unless you’ve already tried it and it didn’t work?) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-dos-to-recognize-my-hard-drive/402941/7 "2007-05-06T12:49:38Z")
Click the link provided. DOSBox emulates a whole computer, including the CPU, as opposed to setting up a virtual machine. If the program runs under DOS on a real computer, odds are extremely good it will run under DOSBox. DOSBox is _very_ well-regarded among the people who play DOS games. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-dos-to-recognize-my-hard-drive/402941/8 "2007-05-06T15:58:21Z")
OIC thanks (didn’t realize it was an emulator you were talking about). As for the text thing, getting too old to play with my text when editing it to get all the hard returns to line up. 😛