DOS FILES under XP

[Jud McCranie]

A client of mine is trying to run an old DOS program migrating to a
new Windows XP system. Last week their test was working fine. Now
the program is doing some initializing but not finishing it and
stopping. They say they haven't changed anything, and they have tried
it several times, including rebooting. From the error message they
are getting and the place the program is bombing out, they need more
DOS FILES available. The old "FILES=xx" in DOS. Is there a way to
set the number of files for a DOS program under XP?

 

[philo]

A client of mine is trying to run an old DOS program migrating to a
new Windows XP system. Last week their test was working fine. Now
the program is doing some initializing but not finishing it and
stopping. They say they haven't changed anything, and they have tried
it several times, including rebooting. From the error message they
are getting and the place the program is bombing out, they need more
DOS FILES available. The old "FILES=xx" in DOS. Is there a way to
set the number of files for a DOS program under XP?

yes.
you can still use autoexec.bat
and config.sys with XP
and edit accordingly...
though I have some doubts if it will help...it's worth a try i guess

 

[David Candy]

Type
files dos
in help

 

[Ron Martell]

yes.
you can still use autoexec.bat
and config.sys with XP
and edit accordingly...
though I have some doubts if it will help...it's worth a try i guess

Nope.
Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Ron Martell]

A client of mine is trying to run an old DOS program migrating to a
new Windows XP system. Last week their test was working fine. Now
the program is doing some initializing but not finishing it and
stopping. They say they haven't changed anything, and they have tried
it several times, including rebooting. From the error message they
are getting and the place the program is bombing out, they need more
DOS FILES available. The old "FILES=xx" in DOS. Is there a way to
set the number of files for a DOS program under XP?

Yes.

Add the appropriate FILES=nnn line to the config.nt file in the
c:\windows\system32 folder

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Jud McCranie]

Add the appropriate FILES=nnn line to the config.nt file in the
c:\windows\system32 folder

Good luck

Thank you, the client's support person is gone for the day now, I'll
have him try it soon.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

yes.
you can still use autoexec.bat
and config.sys with XP
and edit accordingly...
though I have some doubts if it will help...it's worth a try i guess

Actually, that's not correct. WinXP doesn't use AUTOEXEC.BAT or
CONFIG.SYS. The empty files are present simply to provide some
backwards compatibility with legacy applications.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? .... I know not what course others may take, but as
for me, give me liberty, or give me death! -Patrick Henry

 

[Bruce Chambers]

A client of mine is trying to run an old DOS program migrating to a
new Windows XP system. Last week their test was working fine. Now
the program is doing some initializing but not finishing it and
stopping. They say they haven't changed anything, and they have tried
it several times, including rebooting. From the error message they
are getting and the place the program is bombing out, they need more
DOS FILES available. The old "FILES=xx" in DOS. Is there a way to
set the number of files for a DOS program under XP?

To set environmental variables, Right-Click My Computer >
Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables > System Variables/New
(or Edit, as applicable). You can also add the appropriate line(s) to
C:\Windows\System32\Autoexec.nt and/or C:\Windows\System32 Config.nt.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? .... I know not what course others may take, but as
for me, give me liberty, or give me death! -Patrick Henry

 

[Jud McCranie]

To set environmental variables, Right-Click My Computer >
Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables > System Variables/New
(or Edit, as applicable). You can also add the appropriate line(s) to
C:\Windows\System32\Autoexec.nt and/or C:\Windows\System32 Config.nt.

"FILES" is not in there on my system. If it isn't there, can you
click "new" and add "FILES=whatever"?

 

[David Candy]

Listen you lazy moron, you been told the answer. But you are so stupid and lazy you refuse to help yourself. This answer is wrong moron. But you would know that if you weren't a complete lazy, abusive, cu*t face.

 

[David Candy]

Files is a config command not an environmental variable.

 

[Jud McCranie]

To set environmental variables, Right-Click My Computer >
Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables > System Variables/New
(or Edit, as applicable). You can also add the appropriate line(s) to
C:\Windows\System32\Autoexec.nt and/or C:\Windows\System32 Config.nt.

Thanks, but it didn't work. But I have more information now. The
client's system support person took their computers back to his shop
to test.

This is an old DOS program. It has been working on Windows 95, 98,
and ME. I have tested it on four XP machines - two P4s, a Celeron,
and a 3-year old Athlon. It works on all except the Athlon. When it
tries to start on the Athlon, it immediately gives the message "EMS
driver and/or hardware not installed."

The client is trying to run it on two Sampron machines. A week ago it
ran on two test machines. As of about two days it won't run on either
of them.

Other than initializing a few things, the first thing the program does
is read two files into EMS memory. The two files together are less
than 1 megabyte. With the client, it is reading the first file OK,
then it says "insufficient EMS memory" and stops. All of the memory
things are set to auto or 16 megs.

Any idea of why it would think it doesn't have enough EMS memory on
the Sampron machines?

 

[David Candy]

You could try typing in Help if you are not too stupid.

 

[philo]

Thanks, but it didn't work. But I have more information now. The
client's system support person took their computers back to his shop
to test.

This is an old DOS program. It has been working on Windows 95, 98,
and ME. I have tested it on four XP machines - two P4s, a Celeron,
and a 3-year old Athlon. It works on all except the Athlon. When it
tries to start on the Athlon, it immediately gives the message "EMS
driver and/or hardware not installed."

The client is trying to run it on two Sampron machines. A week ago it
ran on two test machines. As of about two days it won't run on either
of them.

<snip>
yes...I mentioned that adding the line to autoexec.bat would probably not
work...
and one other person mentioned to add the "files" statement to autoexec.nt
but that also was not likely to have done
anything...

what you can do is right click on the dos application (or it's shortcut)
and right click...then look at properties, compatability & memory

you might be able to tweak the settings to get your app. to run


since you said you had it working once...
i'd think you could get it working again...
but it will prob. take a bit of trial and error

 

[David Candy]

If the moron typed it in help he would have been given directions on EXACTLY what to do.