Dear comp.os.msdos.programmer,

For a lack of a better group to ask -- or at least, I don't know
one -- how would I configure my PC DOS 2000 installation for the
dvorak keyboard layout? On MS-DOS 6.x, this is simply on the extra
diskette, and in FreeDOS it's just included.

Assuming I won't be coding my own keyboard driver, and/or keyb.com or
whatnot, what steps can I take to make this /easier/? Is there a dvorak
layout in the PC DOS 2000 installation? Is it on the CD somewhere?
Just doing

keyb dv

does not work.


Happy assembly coding in DOS!
--
Johann | email: invalid -> com | http://www.myrkraverk.com/blog/
I'm not from the Internet, I just work there. | via Easynews.com https://bsky.app/profile/myrkraverk.bsky.social | for ( ;; ) _:;


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:52:02 +0800, Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson wrote:

Dear comp.os.msdos.programmer,

For a lack of a better group to ask -- or at least, I don't know
one -- how would I configure my PC DOS 2000 installation for the
dvorak keyboard layout? On MS-DOS 6.x, this is simply on the extra
diskette, and in FreeDOS it's just included.

Assuming I won't be coding my own keyboard driver, and/or keyb.com or whatnot, what steps can I take to make this /easier/? Is there a dvorak layout in the PC DOS 2000 installation? Is it on the CD somewhere?
Just doing

keyb dv

does not work.

Happy assembly coding in DOS!

MS-DSOS and PC-DOS manuals don't mention any support for Dvorak keyboard.

Are you sure that "extra disk" is actually part of MS-DOS, and not a vendor-specific disk from a Dvorak keyboard? e.g. Dvorak keyboard bundled
with MS-DOS.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 21/08/2026 4:14 PM, JJ wrote:

On Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:52:02 +0800, Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson wrote:

Dear comp.os.msdos.programmer,

For a lack of a better group to ask -- or at least, I don't know
one -- how would I configure my PC DOS 2000 installation for the
dvorak keyboard layout? On MS-DOS 6.x, this is simply on the extra
diskette, and in FreeDOS it's just included.

Assuming I won't be coding my own keyboard driver, and/or keyb.com or
whatnot, what steps can I take to make this /easier/? Is there a dvorak
layout in the PC DOS 2000 installation? Is it on the CD somewhere?
Just doing

keyb dv

does not work.

Happy assembly coding in DOS!

MS-DSOS and PC-DOS manuals don't mention any support for Dvorak keyboard.

Are you sure that "extra disk" is actually part of MS-DOS, and not a vendor-specific disk from a Dvorak keyboard? e.g. Dvorak keyboard bundled with MS-DOS.

Dear JJ,

I am fairly certain. I haven't dared to test my physical diskettes yet, because I fear my U.S.B. diskette drive is malfunctioning, and I haven't
found a diskette drive I trust with my original Microsoft diskettes.

Therefore, I've made do with diskette archives found online, here and
there, and consistently, the /extra diskette/, I forgot if it's number
three or four, that's usually/always accompanied by such archives has
the dvorak layout. You'll need to install the driver with a batch file,
and then jump through a hoop or two -- basically edit autoexec bat and/
or config.sys -- and then we have dvorak on MS DOS 6.x.

Now, as /the internet/ is getting stupider and stupider, I have been
unable to find the directions where I originally found this information,
it was on some dvorak site or another; but search engines don't find it
in a hurry.

As we all know, that can mean it's just buried under S.E.O. L.L.M. slop,
or gone offline. No way to tell from just not finding it.

So your archive is as good as mine. If it becomes a /real problem/,
I'll make some extra effort to verify a diskette drive in the near fu-
ture, and if successfull, put my very own diskette dumps somewhere other archivists can find them.


Thank you for the reply, and I hope you'll find this extra diskette in
your collection! I also hope my non-L.L.M. sentence structure doesn't
confuse you, because it's confusing me!
--
Johann | email: invalid -> com | http://www.myrkraverk.com/blog/
I'm not from the Internet, I just work there. | via Easynews.com https://bsky.app/profile/myrkraverk.bsky.social | for ( ;; ) _:;

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)