Win 10 comes with cmd so do you need to use dosbox?

I read that Qrst was just a file format. To quote The QRST disc image format was used by Compaq to distribute disk images of diagnostic software. The file QRST.EXE or QRST5.EXE would be supplied with the disc images to write them to a floppy drive. -So do you have the QRST programs available?

Since, allowing for snail mail, it will probably be a week, i have a question. Can you run the qrst.exe program at all? Was thinking that it might be possible to extract the image to hard disk then use an image burning prog to write to the floppy eith needing 16 bit drivers. Sent from my iPhone > On Feb 25, 2023, at 16:24, Wayne S &lt;wayne.sudol(a)hotmail.com&gt; wrote: > >  Btw… here’s the link to the Qrst info… > http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/wiki/Quick_Release_Sector_Transfer > <http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/wiki/Quick_Release_Sector_Transfer> > > > Sent from my iPhone > >> On Feb 25, 2023, at 16:23, Wayne S &lt;wayne.sudol(a)hotmail.com&gt; wrote: >> >> Yep. I can probably burn a floppy for you if you put the programs >> and data software somewhere i can get to it. I’ll try and then you >> can tell me where to send the floppies. >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>> On Feb 25, 2023, at 16:17, Chris Zach via cctalk >>> &lt;cctalk(a)classiccmp.org&gt; wrote: >>> >>>  >>>> >>>> I read that Qrst was just a file format. To quote The QRST disc >>>> image format was used by Compaq to distribute disk images of >>>> diagnostic software. The file QRST.EXE or QRST5.EXE would be >>>> supplied with the disc images to write them to a floppy drive. >>>> -So do you have the QRST programs available? >>> >>> Yes. However the QRST program is a 16 bit app that requires physical >>> access to a real floppy controller. Thus it cannot work on a Windows >>> 10 system with DOSBOX as the floppy is USB and I don't think DOSBOX >>> emulates a true floppy interface at the BIOS level. >>> >>> Modern archive tools like 7zip do not appear to have support for >>> QRST format. It's compressed in some odd way, so it can't just be >>> dd'ed to a floppy sector by sector. >>> >>> Never dull. >>> CZ

Install DOS and Format.exe on a 3.5 floppy Fire it up and when running QRST try selecting the "B" drive. That used to (on a single disk system) prompt you to switch floppies back and forth which *might* work, allowing me to write the image on a second floppy.

Or... Find a 1.2mb 5.25 floppy in my pile of stuff. Load DOS on the 3.5. Put the 5.25 in as drive B: Format the 5.25 with format b: /s /v to put the system on it. Boot off B: Copy the stupid image from A: to B: Run QRST Switch A floppy with a new disk and try extracting to it.

CORRECTION: Although the default of DOS used to be A: then first HDD (usually C:), it is the computer firmware, not DOS that decides that. The assumption that C: is the HDD can be annoying. I used to use PCs with four floppies. If jumpered properly, the HDD was E:. Many "modern" PCs, within the "CMOS" setup, have provision for changing the boot sequence. Mostly, in order to default to booting from HDD, rather than floppy, but also for CD or USB boot. I do not know of any that permit selecting floppy B: for boot, but there could exist some with that option, . . . On a PC with a single physical floppy, asking for any command with B: will trigger a prompt to put the B: disk in drive A:, and have a phantom B: that shares the physical drive with A: Swapping A: and B: is, of course, trivial to do with hardware, and/or messing with the cable. (pin 10 of the cable [at the FDC] is A: and 12 is B:, but the usual supplied cables are twisted and missing pins so that every drive, on the drive itself is jumpered as if it were B:). An untwisted cable, with switch[es] would be one way. -- Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin(a)xenosoft.com

You wanted a SETUP disk for a Deskpro/XE system, right?  Like SP1363 as listed here https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=76542 <https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=76542> ?  I was able to do this in Dosbox-X no problem: mount the local directory with sp1363.exe as C: or whatever, attach a disk image to A:, and then let sp1363.exe create the disk image on A: .  You can then write the raw disk image to a 1.44" floppy.