old dos 6x or older question

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*ProteanThread*

is there an ansi driver (with source code preferably) for dos 6x or
older that allows these older machines to take advantage of a windows
9x (not the newer multimedia ones) keyboard?
 
*ProteanThread* said:
is there an ansi driver (with source code preferably) for dos 6x or
older that allows these older machines to take advantage of a windows
9x (not the newer multimedia ones) keyboard?
Click to expand...

All versions of MS-DOS and compatible operating system came with
ANSI.SYS. You should be able to get detailed information about the (very
simple) installation with no trouble.

Better, and supplied with source code, was NNANSI.SYS

If you can't find, let me know and I'll rummage.

HTH,
 
*ProteanThread* said:
is there an ansi driver (with source code preferably) for dos 6x or
older that allows these older machines to take advantage of a windows
9x (not the newer multimedia ones) keyboard?
Click to expand...

You may find this interesting also:

KEYBoard driver U.S. International (KEYBUI) will allow you to type
accented characters, draw text graphic characters, blank your screen
and more! All this in a very easy way and with a standard U.S. QWERTY
keyboard. Takes only 1.5K while resident in DOS or OS/2 DOS sessions.
Homepage: http://surf.to/tripod
Download: http://tripod.mine.nu:6080/kbui_202.lzh

I coluld not live without it in my DOS days....

Heinrich Himmelschrei
 
*ProteanThread* said:
is there an ansi driver (with source code preferably) for dos 6x or
older that allows these older machines to take advantage of a windows
9x (not the newer multimedia ones) keyboard?
Click to expand...
Don't you just swap the keyboards?
I've tried one of those Keytronics keyboards, Windows 95 vintage, on a
Windows ME box with no problem. As far as I know, the basic key scan
codes are the same. Should/oughta work the other way around, no? Am I
missing something?

Richard
 
Bjorn said:
Michael Salem wrote in



Description and d/l link at:
<http://home.att.net/~short.stop/freesoft/screen.htm#ansirepl>

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen
Click to expand...

What a great site!
This brings up an issue:
I've abandoned the use of some wonderful old DOS programs for only 1 1/2
reasons.
- They can't handle long file names.
- They can't handle complicated nested directory structures.

But we've also lost the functionality of these tools.
I sometimes still use a marvelous, fast-handling file slinger named
"PFM." It's from around 1985. It performs the standard "DOS shell"
functions: delete/rename, etc., change attributes, bulk delete; with
fast viewing wrapped/unwrapped. I can examine file innards with File
Snoop today, but PFM was a lot quicker, faster, and best of all: didn't
require the mouse for anything.

And my all-time favorite text editor: PC-Write (around 1983). But PCW
poops out when a path gets too long.

I miss these.

Hmmm. Has anyone ever put out some sort of converter that would allow
these wonderful old DOS programs to handle long file names and multiple
directory levels?

Richard
 
Richard said:
Hmmm. Has anyone ever put out some sort of converter that would allow
these wonderful old DOS programs to handle long file names and
multiple directory levels?

Richard
Click to expand...

AFA long pathnames, what about using the SUBST command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
to substitute a drive letter for the long paths?

--
Kendall F. Stratton III
Fort Fairfield, Maine USA
k3@(86_THE_SPAM)maine.rr.com
http://home.maine.rr.com/k3

"Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have!"
 
all pre-95 keyboards do not have the extra "windows logo" keys
available, this was a feature introduced with Windows 95.
 
Has anyone ever put out some sort of converter that would allow
these wonderful old DOS programs to handle long file names and multiple
directory levels?
Click to expand...

DOS Emulation allows you to run DOS and many DOS programs, including
many DPMI applications such as DOOM and Windows 3.1, under Linux.

http://www.dosemu.org/

DOSBox is a DOS-emulator that uses the SDL-library which makes DOSBox
very easy to port to different platforms. DOSBox has already been ported
to many different platforms, such as Windows, BeOS, Linux, MacOS X...

DOSBox also emulates CPU:286/386 realmode/protected mode, Directory
FileSystem/XMS/EMS, Tandy/Hercules/CGA/EGA/VGA/VESA graphics, a
SoundBlaster/Gravis Ultra Sound card for excellent sound compatibility
with older games...

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/

Windows XP and Windows 2000 do not support a true DOS operating
environment, instead emulating the basic functionality to enable running
old DOS programs. The emulation does not extend to DOS memory
management. The solution to this issue will require the re-compile of
the programs with a new compiler that’s compatible with the Windows XP
and the newly patched Windows 2000 Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) subsystem.

Some good information here:

http://www.infopackets.com/channels...blems_running_dos_applications_in_windows.htm

And here:

http://www.infopackets.com/channels...unning_dos_applications_in_windows_part_2.htm

Hands On - Windows 3.1 - Not just a load of old DOS

http://www.vnunet.com/personal-computer-world/features/2045374/hands-windows-load-old-dos

Windows Application Compatibility
The ACT contains four tools for improving application compatibility.
Application Verifier, PageHeap, QFixApp, and Compatibility
Administrator.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows/appcompatibility/default.mspx
 
What a great site!
This brings up an issue:
I've abandoned the use of some wonderful old DOS programs for only 1 1/2
reasons.
- They can't handle long file names.
- They can't handle complicated nested directory structures.
Click to expand...

Take a look at my D-BROWSE and F-RECENT programs which handle LFNs.

Art

http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
 
*ProteanThread* said:
can these handle the extra windows logo keys on the windows 95
keyboards ?
Click to expand...
I don't see how they'd recognize the scan codes for those two keys. I
don't see why those keys just wouldn't pass right through to the
operating system and work as normal.

I never bother to use those keys on my current keyboard, by the way. I'm
presently ueing an ordinary Logitech keyboard that's got them -- it came
with this machine. But I have two favorite split keyboards that I much
prefer, one from IBM that cost quite a bit. These are perfectly adequate
for all Windows functions _except_ the Windows keys, and I've become
used to doing the stretch for CTRL+ESC, which does the same thing. As
you may recall, the Windows keys didn't come until after Windows 95 (if
I remember right).

My IBM keyboard awaits a good cleaning. The other one's a Keytronics
with dopey hinged board halves that go at angles up to horizontal.
However, it was possible to hacksaw the frame apart to produce two flat
seperable halves joined by a custom cable. Unfortunately, my technician
also cut the hinges, which messed up the contacts, so I've got some
repair work ahead of me. I like being able to separate my arms a whole
lot more than the convenience of the Windows keys (which I only "need"
when shutting down the computer).

Richard
 
And my all-time favorite text editor: PC-Write (around 1983). But
PCW poops out when a path gets too long.
Click to expand...
Hmmm. Has anyone ever put out some sort of converter that would
allow these wonderful old DOS programs to handle long file names
and multiple directory levels?
Click to expand...

No converter (is that even possible?) but if you like WordStar-style DOS
editors, take a look at VDE:

http://home.att.net/~short.stop/

Now freeware, can cope with LFNs to a fair degree, also access Win9x (but
NOT later) clipboards.
 
all pre-95 keyboards do not have the extra "windows logo" keys
available, this was a feature introduced with Windows 95.
Click to expand...

I thought they did not appear until '97/'98.
 
is there an ansi driver (with source code preferably) for dos 6x or
older that allows these older machines to take advantage of a windows
9x (not the newer multimedia ones) keyboard?
Click to expand...

The Windows keys will be ignored but all other keys will work as
advertised with no drivers necessary. If software recognised the
Windows keys then they will operate as the OS will simply pass the raw
code to the program.
 
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