MSCDEX is a lightweight program developed by Microsoft to provide CD-ROM support for MS-DOS an certains versions of Windows. It is necessary to mention that most modern operating systems do not require any additional modifications to access the functionality offered by this application.

General notes

The software functions as a driver executable which allows DOS programs to recognize, read and control CD-ROMs. This requires the loading of an appropriate device driver from the configuration file. Please note, this command should not be used after the operating system has booted up. If you want to quickly switch between different OSs at startup, you may use a special tool called GRUB4DOS Installer.

Compatibility

The final version of this utility was included with Windows 95 and is used for creating bootable floppy disks with CD-ROM support.On computers with MS-DOS the driver utilizes the standard Microsoft command line interface. From the system perspective it looks like a network drive. The driver is implemented as a TSR program and an extension to the redirector interface. It is necessary to note that the Datalight ROM-DOS distribution comes with MSDEX by default.

Features

free to download and use;
compatible with MS-DOS and Windows 95;
gives you the ability to control CD-ROMs;
all operations are carried out via the command line;
official Microsoft software distribution;
does not require installation to run.