Installable File Systems Under OS/2

Notice: The information on this archived page is quite dated and not regularly maintained. Information is preserved for those running older OS/2 systems and for historical reference.

Other Filesystems | The Joliet Format

Seeing Other Filesystems from OS/2

OS/2 supports only HPFS and FAT16 file systems by default. The utilities below will enable you to view file systems used by other operating systems such as Win9x and Linux from your OS/2 desktop.

You should be aware that there can be consequences from installing the ability to view other file systems including shifting drive letters and the fact that most (if not all) of these programs may have not been tested on a system similar to yours. You might wish to make sure you have backed up your system first so that you can return it to its original state if it fails to load properly.

FAT32 - used by Windows 9x/Me.
NTFS - used by Windows NT4 and XP.
EXT2 - used by Linux.

There is also an article by Douglas Clark on Installable File Systems covering many more such IFSs.

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Getting The Joliet Format to Work on OS/2

The OS/2 Warp 4 CD-ROM file system only has support for the limited 8.3 filename format and doesn't recognize the mixed-case and longer-than-32-character filenames used by many of the more recent CD-ROMs (particularly those for Internet or Java books and magazines aimed at the Windows markets). You can view these CD-ROMs properly after FixPak M5 or higher is installed with the new CDFS.IFS driver.

The long filename support (also know as the Joliet format) can be enabled by making a change to your config.sys file where the CD-ROM file system is enabled:

Look for the string that reads

IFS=D:\OS2\BOOT\CDFS.IFS /Q

where D: is your boot drive, and therefore might be a different letter. Make a minor addition to this line by adding /W to the string to end up with

IFS=D:\OS2\BOOT\CDFS.IFS /W /Q

Reboot and you will have access to Joliet support on your CD-ROMs that use it.

Thanks to BMT Micro and WarpCast for this hint. You will need it if you order the EDM/2 CD from BMT Micro.

More information about the Joliet Format is available at www.ms4music.com/devl/dvjoliet.htm.

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