MS-DOS Kermit and Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP

Can I Use MS-DOS Kermit in 32-bit Windows?

MS-DOS Kermit is a 16-bit DOS program for MS-DOS, PC-DOS, DR-DOS, etc, that also can be used (with some extra setup work) in Windows 3.1 and earlier.

MS-DOS Kermit was not designed for and was never intended to run under 32-bit Windows operating systems such as Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millenium Edition, Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. Although you might be able to start MS-DOS Kermit on these platforms, it will not be able to access all of their devices and features:

Nowadays new PCs tend to have Windows 98 or higher preinstalled, plus a Winmodem and the Microsoft TCP/IP stack. MS-DOS Kermit can not use the Winmodem, nor can it use the TCP/IP stack. Thus it is not appropriate or recommended for, nor supported on, 32-bit Windows operating systems. If you wish to try MS-DOS Kermit under Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP (or OS/2), you may do so at your own risk.

If you have any trouble, the remedy is to use Kermit 95 instead, which is the native, recommended, and supported 32-bit Windows Kermit software for Windows 95 and above, which has none of the limitations listed above. It "just works" out of the box with any Windows communications device or network stack, gives you full access to Windows features, and is fully supported in Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP, as well as in IBM OS/2.

[Kermit Project Home Page]


MS-DOS Kermit / Columbia University / kermit@columbia.edu / 8 Feb 2001