What you need to install MS-DOS 6.22 on VMware Workstation
To install MS-DOS 6.22 on VMware Workstation, you need three things: VMware Workstation already installed on your host machine, MS-DOS 6.22 floppy disk images (usually .img or .flp files), and a host with adequate resources, any modern PC with at least 2 GB of RAM and 5 GB of free disk space will run this lightweight guest OS without issue.
Step 1: Create a virtual machine for MS-DOS
Launch VMware Workstation and click "Create a New Virtual Machine" from the welcome screen or the File menu. In the New Virtual Machine Wizard, select "Typical" as the configuration type, this gives you the standard hardware setup that works well for DOS. On the next screen, choose "I will install the operating system later"; this is important because you'll be booting from floppy images rather than an ISO or physical disc.
For the guest operating system, select "Other" and then "MS-DOS" from the version dropdown. Name your virtual machine (e.g., "MS-DOS 6.22") and choose a location for its files, any folder with sufficient space works. When prompted for disk size, set the maximum to 2.0 GB; MS-DOS 6.x can only recognize FAT16 partitions, which are limited to 2 GB, so a larger disk would be wasted. Finally, choose to "Store virtual disk as a single file", this simplifies file management and avoids splitting the disk into multiple chunks.
Step 2: Add a floppy drive and mount Disk 1
After the wizard finishes, click "Edit virtual machine settings" to open the VM hardware configuration. Click "Add" and select "Floppy Drive" from the device list. In the floppy drive settings, ensure "Connect at power on" is checked, then select "Use floppy image file" and browse to your MS-DOS 6.22 Disk 1 image file (.img or .flp). This mounts the first installation disk as a virtual floppy, which the VM will use to boot.
If you have multiple floppy images (Disk 1 through Disk 3), you only need to mount Disk 1 now, the installer will prompt you to swap disks later, and you can change the image file at that point. For now, close the settings window and proceed to power on the VM.
Step 3: Install MS-DOS 6.22 from the floppy image
Power on the virtual machine. It will boot directly from the mounted Disk 1 floppy image. You'll see the MS-DOS 6.22 setup screen with the blue background and white text. Press Enter to continue past the welcome screen, then select "Continue" to proceed with the default installation options.
The installer will detect your virtual hard disk and prompt you to partition it. Choose "Create a DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive" from the FDISK menu, then select "Create Primary DOS Partition" and accept the default size (the full 2.0 GB). Set the partition as active, exit FDISK, and the system will reboot. After the reboot, the installer will format the partition as FAT16, this is automatic, so just confirm when prompted.
Once formatting completes, MS-DOS setup will begin copying files from Disk 1. When it asks for Disk 2, go back to the VM settings, change the floppy image to your Disk 2 file, and return to the VM to press Enter. Repeat this process for Disk 3 if prompted.
Step 4: Final configuration inside MS-DOS 6.22
After the reboot, you'll be at the C:\> prompt. MS-DOS 6.22 works out of the box, but you'll want to edit two key files to customize your setup: AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS. Use the built-in editor by typing EDIT AUTOEXEC.BAT or EDIT CONFIG.SYS. In AUTOEXEC.BAT, you can add PATH=C:\DOS to make DOS commands available from any directory, and set environment variables like SET TEMP=C:\TEMP. In CONFIG.SYS, you can load device drivers like DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS to access extended memory, this is essential if you plan to run DOS games or memory-hungry applications.
One critical step for VMware Workstation: install a CPU idle program like DOSIDLE.EXE inside the virtual machine. VMware recommends this because a DOS guest running a busy loop (which happens when the system is idle) will consume 100% of a host CPU core, causing unnecessary heat and fan noise. DOSIDLE.EXE detects when the CPU is idle and issues a HLT instruction, which tells the virtual CPU to pause until an interrupt occurs. Add DOSIDLE.EXE to your AUTOEXEC.BAT so it runs automatically at startup, this single step will keep your host machine cool and responsive.
Finally, take some time to explore the command line. Try DIR to list files, CD to change directories, COPY to copy files, and HELP to access the built-in DOS help system. MS-DOS 6.22 includes utilities like MEM (memory info), SCANDISK (disk repair), and DEFRAG (disk defragmentation), all of which you can access from the C:\DOS directory.
Troubleshooting and next steps
If you run into issues, the most common problems are boot failures (usually caused by the floppy image not being mounted correctly) or partition errors (make sure you're using FAT16, not FAT32). These additions let you transfer files between your host and the DOS VM, which opens up endless possibilities for running legacy software and games.
