Technical information
HamsterOS Technical Information
The deeper reference for system requirements, supported hardware, storage behavior, apps, games, audio, networking, and shortcuts.
Feature Reference
Desktop shell
Windowed desktop with draggable and resizable windows, File Manager, Programs menu, Run, Task Manager, Find Files, dynamic desktop drives, preferences, screen savers, and safe VGA fallback.
File Manager
Icon and list views, sorting, file-type icons, app icon sidecars, copy/paste, rename, delete, new folder, ZIP extraction, mouse-wheel scrolling, and progress feedback.
Applications
Notepad, HamNet Help and browser, HamShare, HamsterPaint, Image Viewer, HamsterPiano, CD Audio Player, Clock, Calendar, Calculator, Preferences, plus HamChat, HamsterWrite, and HamsterSheets on Extras.
Games
FreeCell, Video Poker, Minesweeper, Snake, Sliding Puzzle, Moon Lander, and Extras titles such as Hamster Golf, Slot Machine, and Mighty Hamster.
Storage
FAT12/16/32 read/write, ISO-9660 read-only, floppy tools, ATA hard-disk install, RAM disk on larger machines, ZIP extraction, and ATAPI CD-ROM access.
Networking
HamsterNet plain HTTP browsing, ProtoWeb-friendly classic pages, Hamster Update, NE2000-compatible support, RTL8019AS ISA PnP, PicoMEM/PicoMEM 2 NE2000-style networking, and 3C509/3C509B support.
Audio
SoundBlaster 16 support, PicoMEM/PicoMEM 2 compatible sound features, CD audio control, HamsterPiano output, and PC speaker fallback.
DOS compatibility
.COM and .EXE launches try the VM86 DOS path first, with a FreeDOS handoff available for programs that need it.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+X / C / V | Cut / Copy / Paste |
| Ctrl+A | Select All |
| Ctrl+S | Save |
| Ctrl+F | Find |
| Ctrl+G | Go to Line in Notepad |
| Ctrl+R | Run |
| Ctrl+Q | Quit active window |
| Alt+H / F / E / S | Open Hamster, File, Edit, or Special menu |
| F1 | Help |
| F4 | Open Notepad |
| Ctrl+Alt+Del | Open Task Manager |
| Esc | Close or cancel |
Technical Specs
| Minimum CPU | Intel 386 or compatible |
| Recommended CPU | 486-class PC for the best experience |
| RAM | 2 MB minimum; 3 MB recommended for the full feature set and RAM disk |
| Display | VGA 640x480x16 colors |
| Boot medium | 1.44 MB FAT12 floppy |
| Download file | hamster.img |
| Download SHA-256 | FE834E3AA5B399FE7F07BAC5D6DA625AD8FA755213F2B1228B6FA8856BA216A2 |
| Extras medium | Optional Hamster_Extras.img for larger apps, help, fonts, games, templates, and add-ons |
| Hard disk install | Install Or Upgrade Hamster OS can prepare an ATA disk and make C: boot through FreeDOS into HamsterOS |
| Filesystem | FAT12/16/32 read/write; ISO-9660 read-only; RAM disk on 3 MB+ systems |
| Input | PS/2 mouse with wheel support; serial mouse fallback; keyboard shortcuts |
| Languages | English and Spanish supported now; more languages are on the way |
| Networking | NE2000-compatible ISA Ethernet, RTL8019AS ISA PnP, PicoMEM/PicoMEM 2 NE2000-style networking, and 3Com 3C509/3C509B for HamsterNet, ProtoWeb, and Hamster Update |
| DOS compatibility | VM86 DOS path for .COM/.EXE launches, with FreeDOS handoff fallback |
| Current build | .75.68 |
| Release | Beta 2 |
Supported Hardware
| VGA | 640x480x16 desktop mode |
| Mouse | PS/2 mouse, IntelliMouse wheel support, and serial mouse fallback |
| Storage | Floppy drives, ATA hard disks, ATAPI CD-ROM, and RAM disk |
| Audio | SoundBlaster 16 when available; PicoMEM/PicoMEM 2 compatible sound features; PC speaker fallback |
| Network | NE2000-compatible ISA Ethernet; RTL8019AS ISA PnP detection/configuration; PicoMEM/PicoMEM 2 NE2000-style network emulation; 3Com 3C509/3C509B activation, EEPROM identification, media setup, and polled transfers |
| Diagnostics | Floppy, CD-ROM, IDE, network, graphics, SCSI, device, and partition tools |
RTL8019AS support follows the Realtek RTL8019AS specification. 3C509/3C509B support follows the 3Com technical reference. PicoMEM and PicoMEM 2 support follows compatible sound-device and NE2000-style network behavior from the ISA-PicoMEM project.
Drive Layout
| Drive | Device | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A: | Floppy 0 | FAT12; CMOS geometry detection |
| B: | Floppy 1 | If present |
| C: to H: | ATA hard disks | Up to 6 FAT16/32 partitions across up to 2 ATA drives |
| I: to J: | ATAPI CD-ROM | Up to 2 drives; ISO-9660 files and Red Book audio |
| R: | RAM disk | Auto-enabled on 3 MB+ systems |
Developer SDK
Building apps for HamsterOS? The developer SDK page covers the HAMA app format, host APIs, and driver documentation.
Read the SDK docs →