Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!mintaka!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!Teknowledge.COM!unix!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhc!hpspcoi!dlow
From: dlow@hpspcoi.HP.COM (Danny Low)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: MS-DOS 3.3 or 4.01?
Message-ID: <15090019@hpspcoi.HP.COM>
Date: 14 Nov 90 21:54:13 GMT
References: <71077@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Organization: HP Lovecraft Division
Lines: 26

>(Jim Schwalbe) 
>Well I pointed out some time ago that DAK (I've seen several people
>reference the 386SX system they are selling so I know at least some of you have
>seen the ad) advertises that they package DOS 3.31 (not 3.30) with their system
>and they state very clearly that it breaks the 32 M partition barrier.  Now, my
>question is, can anyone confirm this?  If so, where can I buy a copy of DOS
>3.31?  It seems like all I can find is 3.30.

When 3.3 was the latest and greatest DOS version, several PC makers
added large volume support to 3.3 and typically relabelled it 3.31.
The large volume was implemented through a special disk driver and
FDISK program supplied by the maker. The problem with this scheme 
is there was no standard so large hard disks partitions created this way 
were incompatible. I know of some cases where an attempt to upgrade
from "3.31" to 4.01 required trashing the hard disk to make 4.01
recognize the hard disk. In addition some programs did not run with
the large partitions and special disk driver.

The bottom line is 3.31 is an unofficial nonstandard variant of DOS
put out by some PC makers. Each one is different. Use at your own
risk.

			   Danny Low
    "Question Authority and the Authorities will question You"
	   Valley of Hearts Delight, Silicon Valley
     HP CPCD   dlow%hpspcoi@hplabs.hp.com   ...!hplabs!hpspcoi!dlow