Installation of dos 6.22 followed by installation of 98se

Wouldn't it be easier to just install Windows XP itself instead of spending more time on upgrading and filling up your hard disk with useless files from the previous version?

If the Win98SE disk or WinXP disk is a full install, then just use that. Otherwise you are stuck because I highly doubt you can upgrade directly from MS-DOS 6.22 to Win98.

Install XP, then install DOS and Win98 into separate virtual machines inside XP. You will be MUCH happier  

Man you guys don't understand the point behind going from DOS to windows do you? Bla bla bla use a VM. Well VM's don't work with 50% of the good old dos games at all. Try playing a dos game w/ the only base graphics VGA driver that VM's have it works like sh!t.

If you go from DOS to windows xp or even vista and then 7 you retain all of the DOS capabilities w/out having to boot a VM and deal with the sh!tty VM crap VGA drivers.

Yes, I fully understand you want to play old DOS games, but I guess my experiences are different than yours.

First, most old DOS games only NEED basic VGA graphics support. Unless you have a game that needs an old 3D card like a Voodoo Graphics, any basic VGA emulation should easily support 60+ fps on decent hardware.

A Windows XP Command prompt (DOS box) will play most DOS games that use basic VGA graphics and Sound Blaster sound. A VM like VirtualBox will provide even better emulation, and should be able to play better than 95% of the old DOS games.

There are games that refuse to work even with compatibility in Windows 7, vista, and XP. Such as the: might and magic series, heroes of might and magic 1 and 2, CIV 1 and 2, Hexon, and many many more.

Myself. I would try those in VirtualBox first, but if you really need to install DOS, Win95, and Xp on one machine, then do something like this:

Create a 2GB FAT 16 partition and install DOS.
Boot to the Win95 CD, create a new partition, and install to the new partition. Win95 should preserve booting into DOS, but it might disable some utilities such as defrag.
Boot to the XP CD, create a new partition, and install to the new partition. Again, XP should preserve booting into DOS and Win95.

Good luck!

i will try these commands. however, when i try to change to the d rive it tells me"invalid drive specification" how do i tell DOS that my cd-rom is drive "D"?
now, i lifted this question from another site. it was asked in 1999. it is the exact problem i am having, it turns out. i thought it was because i had a dvd-rom in the machine, but now that i've installed an old cd-rom, same ***, different day.
also, i tried to reply earlier, but i wasn't logged in, so if you are getting 2 replies from me, please, be gentle. i am not a computer whiz, unless you mean pissing about with machines i do not understand as well as i should.

Best answer selected by carlmark.

while i didn't give you the "honour" of best answer, at least you understand why i want to do what i have done. now, i'm finding an issue with dos not wanting to recognise my cd-rom. when i try to command the computer to read the 98se disc in what is supposed to be d rive it tells me"invalid drive specification" how do i tell dos that my cd-rom is drive d?

You must have a boot floppy that has a CD driver installed that is compatible with your motherboard and CD.

thanks. at least now, i have a starting point to work from.