Re: Under a Killing Moon (Dos)

[Joan]

I haven't been able too for well over a year. I cannot get my favorite
Pandora Directive to run in XP either. The new Sound Blaster cards do
not give you dos drivers anymore. UAKM is strickly a dos game and even
with Win98 I had to setup and reboot to Dos.

Joan

 

[Chris H.]

There are a couple new methods possible for DOS games, and we'd sure like to
hear reports back on them. I'll quote Jimmy's previous posts:
=====
In the past, I've been offering a Multi
bootdisk solution, which essentially is a diskette you
can boot from to have a real DOS environment to be
able to play DOS games in. However, ideally it would
be nice to be able to create that environment inside of
XP. This can be done using VM Ware, but it's costly.

Two (free/shareware) solutions exist: DOSBOX is one:
of them: http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/information.php
and TameDos was brought to my attention by Chris H.:
http://www.tamedos.com/downloads/downloads.htm

Give us some feedback on those. Which one did you
find the easiest to use; most adaptable; the fastest?

--
Cheers,
Jimmy S.

Additional Support Resources: My Zone.com Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk
Microsoft Online Tech Support: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=376
Game FAQ's: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
=====

 

[Lin]

UAKM will run quite happily in 98 and ME without resorting to rebooting to
DOS. After you install the game, do NOT start it using MOON.EXE. Open the
game's folder (usually C:\MOON), right-click the TEX3.EXE file, select
'Properties', click the 'Program' tab, and click 'Prevent MSDOS programs
from detecting Windows'. Then use TEX3.EXE to run the Set Sound Device
configuration and set up the 'Digital Format' screen for SB1.0 or SBPro,
A220 I5 D1 and the 'Midi Music Format' screen for MPU 401 Midi at I/O 330,
which 98 and ME will normally emulate for the game regardless of the
soundcard you actually have. Then whenever you play the game, do NOT use
MOON.EXE, use TEX3.EXE instead and it'll run just fine.
XP should *theoretically* work the same way, so it may be possible to play
UAKM under XP the same way. Because XP's sound and vesa graphics support for
DOS games is, shall we say... *lacking*, VDMSound may be required:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/vdmsound)
I don't have the Pandora Directive (yet) but since it's very similar, I
imagine setting it up and starting it the same way, with a different .EXE
would work with it, too.
Let me know if the above process works in XP.

 

[Lin]

Thank God for those 3rd Party Solutions!
;-)

There are a couple new methods possible for DOS games, and we'd sure like to
hear reports back on them. I'll quote Jimmy's previous posts:
=====
In the past, I've been offering a Multi
bootdisk solution, which essentially is a diskette you
can boot from to have a real DOS environment to be
able to play DOS games in. However, ideally it would
be nice to be able to create that environment inside of
XP. This can be done using VM Ware, but it's costly.

Two (free/shareware) solutions exist: DOSBOX is one:
of them: http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/information.php
and TameDos was brought to my attention by Chris H.:
http://www.tamedos.com/downloads/downloads.htm

Give us some feedback on those. Which one did you
find the easiest to use; most adaptable; the fastest?

--
Cheers,
Jimmy S.

Additional Support Resources: My Zone.com Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk
Microsoft Online Tech Support: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=376
Game FAQ's: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
=====
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP
Associate Expert
Expert Zone -

I haven't been able too for well over a year. I cannot get my favorite
Pandora Directive to run in XP either. The new Sound Blaster cards do
not give you dos drivers anymore. UAKM is strickly a dos game and even
with Win98 I had to setup and reboot to Dos.

Joan

 

[Michael W Ryder]

There are a couple new methods possible for DOS games, and we'd sure like to
hear reports back on them. I'll quote Jimmy's previous posts:
=====
In the past, I've been offering a Multi
bootdisk solution, which essentially is a diskette you
can boot from to have a real DOS environment to be
able to play DOS games in. However, ideally it would
be nice to be able to create that environment inside of
XP. This can be done using VM Ware, but it's costly.

Two (free/shareware) solutions exist: DOSBOX is one:
of them: http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/information.php
and TameDos was brought to my attention by Chris H.:
http://www.tamedos.com/downloads/downloads.htm

Give us some feedback on those. Which one did you
find the easiest to use; most adaptable; the fastest?

The DOSBOX method is currently unusable with a lot of the old DOS games
as it does not support protected mode memory.

 

[Jimmy S.]

Hi Michael,

How is TameDOS working for you in comparison? Thanks!

--
Cheers,
Jimmy S.

Additional Support Resources: My Zone.com Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk
Microsoft Online Tech Support: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=376
Game FAQ's: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| Chris H. wrote:
|
| > There are a couple new methods possible for DOS games, and we'd sure like to
| > hear reports back on them. I'll quote Jimmy's previous posts:
| > =====
| > In the past, I've been offering a Multi
| > bootdisk solution, which essentially is a diskette you
| > can boot from to have a real DOS environment to be
| > able to play DOS games in. However, ideally it would
| > be nice to be able to create that environment inside of
| > XP. This can be done using VM Ware, but it's costly.
| >
| > Two (free/shareware) solutions exist: DOSBOX is one:
| > of them: http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/information.php
| > and TameDos was brought to my attention by Chris H.:
| > http://www.tamedos.com/downloads/downloads.htm
| >
| > Give us some feedback on those. Which one did you
| > find the easiest to use; most adaptable; the fastest?
| >
|
| The DOSBOX method is currently unusable with a lot of the old DOS games
| as it does not support protected mode memory.
|

 

[Michael W Ryder]

Hi Michael,

How is TameDOS working for you in comparison? Thanks!

While TameDOS does work with the game I am trying to get running -- The
Elder Scrolls Arena, it does not fix the problem. I can get the initial
screens to work, generate a character, and listen to the introductory
video. Then it goes to a blank screen and freezes. Using VDMSound
allows me to hear the sound even though it isn't configured so that may
be part of the problem.
I will see if TameDOS improves the performance of the machine with other
DOS programs and let you know.

 

[Joan]

Lin, I will keep trying, but with my new computer with XP, even the
vdmsound does not seem to work correctly. It won't let me adjust
anything. My prior XP did not have the XP SP1 update, but I still could
not get either of those games to work. I have not tried DosBox or Tame.
Since I pass down my computers to family members, I asked my nephew to
return the Dimension 233 I gave him because that system played all dos
games with no problems. I'm giving him a PIII 1000 ghz PC. The 233 is
not that great for the latest games or web surfing but for older games
it excels. In XP, neither of the games worked with VDsound or the Tex3
files or anything. The Overseer plays great in XP. Both games played
great in Win98SE booting to dos. I think my SB Live 5.1 has been the
biggest hangup with these games.

Joan

 

[Lin]

The Dimension 233 played all those DOS games simply because it didn't have
XP. If you put the same OS on the PIII that you had on the Dimension, it
would play those old games too. People like to make you think it's the new
computers that are incompatible with old games, but it's not, it's XP. On
any given computer, 98SE will run just about any game XP will, plus a lot of
old games that XP won't. In fact, I can't think of anything significant that
you can do with XP that you can't do with 98SE anyway. I can think of lots
of things you can do with 98 that you can't with XP though, like play UAKM.

 

[Chris H.]

The tail wagging the dog again, huh, Lin? Windows XP does not include DOS.
You need to recognize that. DOS is only emulated, and therefore a lot of
these games - written for years-old operating system which did include DOS -
don't work except by kludging the emulation to make them believe they're in
DOS.

DOS is dead in Windows XP, Lin. Remember seeing Bill Gates of Microsoft
"exit" DOS for the last time at the Windows XP Launch in New York City in
October, 2001? Time to gather yourself together and stop the denial.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP
Associate Expert
Expert Zone -

The Dimension 233 played all those DOS games simply because it didn't have
XP. If you put the same OS on the PIII that you had on the Dimension, it
would play those old games too. People like to make you think it's the new
computers that are incompatible with old games, but it's not, it's XP. On
any given computer, 98SE will run just about any game XP will, plus a lot of
old games that XP won't. In fact, I can't think of anything significant that
you can do with XP that you can't do with 98SE anyway. I can think of lots
of things you can do with 98 that you can't with XP though, like play

UAKM.

 

[Lin]

Who on earth was saying DOS wasn't dead in XP? I realize it's only emulated.
I also realize the emulation is lousy, as evidenced by 3rd party add-ons
like VDMSound, where 3rd party hands-full of code can (and need to) do what
big ole Microsoft couldn't do, well actually, could but didn't want to do.
All I was saying is that the problems with running older games was not in
the computer but the OS. It's simply that 98SE will run anything XP will,
but XP sure won't run anything 98SE will.

 

[Chris H.]

Exactly, Lin. You're saying Windows XP won't do DOS well. And what I'm
saying is the realization that Windows XP is not intended to DOS needs to
set in. There is no failure from the operating system, it simply isn't
designed to do what you want. Stay with Win98SE (which I liked) to do the
DOS games. It is better because it was designed to do DOS. XP is not.

 

[Joan]

Chris, sorry to say I didn't or don't watch Mr. Gates on anything.
Because of the enormous amount of software I have purchased for Windows
PC, I and others are just stuck with him walking out the door on dos.
Along with him the sound card companies walked out on emulating dos in
XP. I have installed a few very old dos games with really no problems.
The thing I guess I get the most disappointed with MS, is they bought
Accesssoftware for golf, and just ignore any help for Tex Murphy series
or making a new Tex Murphy game. Pandora Box is the very last game I
will ever buy from MS.

I'm not knocking XP. I just know that my IRQ 5 & 7 are free and between
MS and Sound Card companies, they could do something, like letting
people boot up on the A drive. Boo Hoo Mr. Gates doesn't really want to
help people, just egg them on to buy more and more software. I'm just
glad there are so many people out there making programs to combat the
problem for many of the games, but it is sad MS won't do it. That would
be a program I'd buy from MS.

Just my humble opinions.

Chris H. wrote:

 

[Chris H.]

Very true, Joan. However, the first consideration is that absolutely no one
has forced anyone to buy a new computer or switch operating systems to
Windows XP from something else. I have friends who still run Windows 98SE,
and see no reason to change anything because it still works perfectly well
for what they want to do. And I agree with them. Win98SE is well-suited
for what they want, and it would be a waste of their money to purchase XP or
even buy a new computer.

Now, if you're required to use Windows XP because of a job or a specific,
XP-compatible-only program you've got to run, then you can always dual boot
your computer, keeping the Win9x operating system you want and use Windows
XP for the "required" things.

As for the free IRQs, that's something which started under Windows 2000 and
has been continued in Windows XP - the "stacking" of items on an IRQ. No
longer do we need to fuss with making sure we have no conflicts between the
dial-up modem and sound card, etc., because the manufacturers set them up to
seek the same IRQ. I have six different items on IRQ 11 on my systems, and
none of them conflict with the others.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP
Associate Expert
Expert Zone -

 

[Jimmy S.]

All feedback is appreciated Michael.. thanks!

Cheers,
Jimmy.

| Jimmy S. wrote:
| > Hi Michael,
| >
| > How is TameDOS working for you in comparison? Thanks!
| >
| While TameDOS does work with the game I am trying to get running -- The
| Elder Scrolls Arena, it does not fix the problem. I can get the initial
| screens to work, generate a character, and listen to the introductory
| video. Then it goes to a blank screen and freezes. Using VDMSound
| allows me to hear the sound even though it isn't configured so that may
| be part of the problem.
| I will see if TameDOS improves the performance of the machine with other
| DOS programs and let you know.
|

 

[Jimmy S.]

Hi Joan,

Let's not forget that you can bootup on the A: drive and run
DOS Games, or you could even install DOS on your C:\
partition, and then dual boot with XP in another partition.
MultiBoot Diskette: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~lpcd/downloads.html

--
Cheers,
Jimmy S.

Additional Support Resources: My Zone.com Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk
Microsoft Online Tech Support: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=376
Game FAQ's: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| Chris, sorry to say I didn't or don't watch Mr. Gates on anything.
| Because of the enormous amount of software I have purchased for Windows
| PC, I and others are just stuck with him walking out the door on dos.
| Along with him the sound card companies walked out on emulating dos in
| XP. I have installed a few very old dos games with really no problems.
| The thing I guess I get the most disappointed with MS, is they bought
| Accesssoftware for golf, and just ignore any help for Tex Murphy series
| or making a new Tex Murphy game. Pandora Box is the very last game I
| will ever buy from MS.
|
| I'm not knocking XP. I just know that my IRQ 5 & 7 are free and between
| MS and Sound Card companies, they could do something, like letting
| people boot up on the A drive. Boo Hoo Mr. Gates doesn't really want to
| help people, just egg them on to buy more and more software. I'm just
| glad there are so many people out there making programs to combat the
| problem for many of the games, but it is sad MS won't do it. That would
| be a program I'd buy from MS.
|
| Just my humble opinions.
|
| Chris H. wrote:
|
| <snip>
| > DOS is dead in Windows XP, Lin. Remember seeing Bill Gates of Microsoft
| > "exit" DOS for the last time at the Windows XP Launch in New York City in
| > October, 2001? Time to gather yourself together and stop the denial.
|

 

[Joan]

Jimmy I've thought of that, but how will I tell dos, let alone my games
that my sound card is on irq 17. , does it magically find the irq on
7 or 5, I don't think so. I'm going to give Dosbox and Tame a try, but
boy have I wasted time on trying to make my two most favorite games UAKM
and PD work.

As for Chris, it was kind of silly to tell someone not to buy a new
computer and stick with Win98. Parts are going to wear out and then you
have to purchase a peripheral that is in accordance with MS (no dos)
WinXP, Win2000, etc.,OS. I got my 1st. PC in 1987. Slowly I saw where
MS was going, so as I said before, I'll get back my Dimension Pentium
233mmx from my nephew and I still a have great trusty 486 system for my
special games too. At least there one good thing, installing Dos games
does not cause any real damage in XP, like it can in Win98.

Joan

 

[nilos]

I've added new and revised downloads to my website (Nilo's Place) http://home.wideopenwest.com/~hbech/ for the setup and running of UAKM, Pandora and Overseer with XP, and DOSBox. Plus all the necessary instructions. These files have been edited to work with each game, and they have been proven to work!

Nilo