You could do both...Windows didn’t boot up at start up like it does now...You couls also open a DOS window and do a lot of damage if you didn’t know what you were doing...
And these days you could look a college graduate in the eye and say can you open me up a DOS prompt???
The puzzled looks might make you feel a million years old...hehehe
I’ve done that.
We have some old computers here at work for specific purposes that run DOS. The younger guys have no clue how to operate them. No mouse, no windows. nothing but keyboard and memory of the ‘old’ commands...........makes me feel superior!...........