SUMMARY

The legality of purchasing MS-DOS version 5.0 can seem confusing. This is because Microsoft has two "MS-DOS 5.0"s.

Like earlier versions of Microsoft MS-DOS, Microsoft MS-DOS 5 is not available for retail sale. It is licensed to computer manufacturers to be sold with a computer, or to be purchased as an upgrade from the manufacturer.

The Microsoft MS-DOS 5 Upgrade, however, is a retail product that is not being licensed to computer manufacturers. There is nothing wrong with purchasing the Microsoft MS-DOS 5 Upgrade at a retail outlet.

The MS-DOS 5 Upgrade will upgrade a previous version of MS-DOS or PC-DOS to MS-DOS version 5.0. A previous version of MS-DOS or PC-DOS is required, because the MS-DOS 5 Upgrade does not contain a bootable diskette.

For more information on purchasing MS-DOS, please query on: