old DOS prgram won't start

  • Thread starter Thread starter D.Currie
  • Start date Start date
D

D.Currie

This is on a customer's computer.

Peachtree Classic Version 12
Windows XP home, just did all updates.

When I click on the program icon, I get a split second of the hourglass,
then nothing. If I copy the whole program folder over to another computer,
it runs fine.

It's not an exe problem; other exe's run fine.
Peachtree support has information about adding certain environmental
variables to allow the program to run. I've done that with no success (and
the computer that is does run on doesn't have those variables).

I've created a new user, in case that was the issue, checked permissions,
tried to run from Safe mode, from a command prompt, and with every possible
combination of compatibility options. The only difference is that when I try
to run in compatibility mode, 256 colors or 640x480, the screen goes black
for a second, then comes back on.

Any ideas?

The customer only needs to run this for a few hours, and then he can trash
the program, but he needs those few hours.
 
Scan for viruses and scumware.

Some trojans screw up the autoexec.nt and the config.nt and various files
like command.com and cmd.exe.

Troubleshooting MS-DOS-based programs in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314106

How to Troubleshoot 16-Bit Windows Programs in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314495

Troubleshooting NTVDM and WOW Startup Errors
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;196453

Lots of good 16-bit info here...
Appendix D - Running Nonnative Applications in Windows 2000 Professional
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/Windows2000Pro/reskit/part8/proch36.mspx

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Thanks for the reply.

Viruses were the first things I checked for.

I've since tried the program on a couple of other computers, and those won't
start, either. I'm thinking there's some odd file that's required that just
happens to be on my test machine that doesn't exist on a standard XP
install.

When I tried to run it after booting from a BartPE cd, it asked for
msvbm60.dll. When I copied that to the program folder, it didn't ask for the
file any more, but it didn't start, either. Maybe some related dll?

D.
 
Have you tried running from the command prompt? Sometimes DOS programs
don't automatically open the commad Prompt window (or what some call it
DOS box).

What you need to do is as follows:

1) start, run, cmd
2) cd\
3) cd PeachTree (or whatever the folder is called)
4) peachtree (or whatever the exe file is called)

hth
 
D.Currie said:
This is on a customer's computer.

Peachtree Classic Version 12
Windows XP home, just did all updates.

When I click on the program icon, I get a split second of the hourglass,
then nothing. If I copy the whole program folder over to another computer,
it runs fine.

It's not an exe problem; other exe's run fine.
Peachtree support has information about adding certain environmental
variables to allow the program to run. I've done that with no success (and
the computer that is does run on doesn't have those variables).

I've created a new user, in case that was the issue, checked permissions,
tried to run from Safe mode, from a command prompt, and with every
possible combination of compatibility options. The only difference is that
when I try to run in compatibility mode, 256 colors or 640x480, the screen
goes black for a second, then comes back on.

Any ideas?

The customer only needs to run this for a few hours, and then he can trash
the program, but he needs those few hours.
Click to expand...

Since it runs on the other computer, and the customer only needs to run it
for a few hours, can you transfer the required data to the other computer
and let your customer use that computer to do the task?

On a similar vein, I used to be able to run ASCENDANCY on XP (the mouse was
painful, but it'd run...) but it suddenly decided it wasn't going to run any
more - I believe that it was after I installed XPSP2.

Running it under DOSBOX v0.63 restored - and in fact enhanced operation.

HTH

....Bill
 
billious said:
Since it runs on the other computer, and the customer only needs to run it
for a few hours, can you transfer the required data to the other computer
and let your customer use that computer to do the task?

On a similar vein, I used to be able to run ASCENDANCY on XP (the mouse
was painful, but it'd run...) but it suddenly decided it wasn't going to
run any more - I believe that it was after I installed XPSP2.

Running it under DOSBOX v0.63 restored - and in fact enhanced operation.

HTH

...Bill
Click to expand...

I considered lending him a computer, but the one that it runs on is my test
machine which is sort of an octopus with nothing really screwed in
permanently and a lot of programs that I use daily. It's a piece of junk,
but it does a lot of work for me.

But I finally got it to work. There was something left behind that none of
the anti-spyware programs were killing.

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions.
 
But I finally got it to work. There was something left behind that none of
the anti-spyware programs were killing.
Click to expand...

;-) It's always something.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
D.Currie said:
This is on a customer's computer.

Peachtree Classic Version 12
Windows XP home, just did all updates.

When I click on the program icon, I get a split second of the
hourglass, then nothing. If I copy the whole program folder over to
another computer, it runs fine.

It's not an exe problem; other exe's run fine.
Peachtree support has information about adding certain environmental
variables to allow the program to run. I've done that with no success
(and the computer that is does run on doesn't have those variables).

I've created a new user, in case that was the issue, checked
permissions, tried to run from Safe mode, from a command prompt, and
with every possible combination of compatibility options. The only
difference is that when I try to run in compatibility mode, 256
colors or 640x480, the screen goes black for a second, then comes
back on.
Any ideas?

The customer only needs to run this for a few hours, and then he can
trash the program, but he needs those few hours.
Click to expand...

Is that DOS program icon a shortcut? If not, make a shortcut to the exe
file that runs the program. Right click it, choose Properties, click on the
Compatibility tab and try running it in Win 95 compatibility.

Or for just your one-time use, click Start, type in Run, type in cmd.exe,
navigate to the DOS program and try to run it that way.
 
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