Here’s a clear, step-by-step answer to help you get MS-DOS 6.22 working from .img files in VirtualBox.
VirtualBox does not natively boot from .IMG files attached as floppy drives in the same seamless way VMware does. If you simply attach an IMG file to the virtual floppy controller, VirtualBox often fails to read the boot sector correctly, resulting in: ms dos 622 img files works with virtual box top
File Transfers: Transferring files into DOS is tricky since VirtualBox Guest Additions don't support it. Use tools like Folder2ISO to turn host folders into .iso files, which DOS can read if you install a CD-ROM driver (like OAKCDROM.SYS). Here’s a clear, step-by-step answer to help you
| Setting | Recommended Value | Why? |
|---------|------------------|------|
| OS Type | Other → MS-DOS | This disables modern CPU features DOS can’t use (NX, PAE). |
| Base Memory (RAM) | 16-32 MB | DOS 6.22 maxes out at 64MB without EMM386 tricks. 16MB is safe. |
| Hard Disk | VDI or VHD, <= 512 MB | DOS 6.22’s FDISK cannot handle >512MB partitions easily. 200-500MB is ideal. |
| Hard Disk Controller | PIIX3 (IDE) | DOS has generic IDE drivers for PIIX3. Avoid SATA or NVMe. |
| Floppy Controller | I82078 (enabled) | This is the standard PC floppy controller. | Use ISO and CD-ROM: DOS can support CD-ROM
C:\DOS).Let's build a working DOS 6.22 machine from scratch. You will need:
Image File Specs: A standard raw image for VirtualBox must be exactly 1,474,560 bytes (1.44 MB) without headers or compression. VM Configuration: Type: Set to "Other" with version "DOS". RAM: 16 MB to 32 MB is more than sufficient.