Commodore PC - Page 12

vi MS-DOS User's Guide
Introducing ms-dos
What is MS-DOS?
The Microsoft® ms-dos operating system is like a translator
between you and your computer. Basically, this translator is a
series of programs, making up what is called the ms-dos operating
system. The programs in this operating system let you communi
cate with your computer, your disk drives, and your printer, let
ting you manage these resources to your advantage.
ms-dos is more than just a translator, though. It is also a disk
operating system. This means that you can use ms-dos programs on
computers with floppy disks or hard disks. Once you have loaded
ms-dos into your computer's memory, you can compose letters
and reports, run programs and languages such as Microsoft
gw-basic®, and use devices such as printers and disk drives.
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System requirements Before YOU Begin
Before you begin using this book you should have:
■ A 16-bit personal computer that runs ms-dos and has at least
256K bytes of memory.
■ Two disk drives (either two floppy disk drives, or one hard
disk drive and one floppy disk drive).
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