Windows XP DOS Replacement?

[Takuon Soho]

Have several older dos programs that ran fine
on Windows 2000 but won't run at all on
the CRIPPLED dos in win XP
(stack crash, ntvdm video exceptions, etc. etc.).

Is there a freeware DOS replacement out there?

Has anyone tried lifting the command.com from W2K
and using it in Win XP?

Thanks
Jim

 

[Chief Suspect]

Have several older dos programs that ran fine
on Windows 2000 but won't run at all on
the CRIPPLED dos in win XP
(stack crash, ntvdm video exceptions, etc. etc.).

Is there a freeware DOS replacement out there?

Has anyone tried lifting the command.com from W2K
and using it in Win XP?

=============

Still wouldn't work, Jim. Command.com is just the interpreter
that recognizes your keyboard entries, and then which sends the
data to the IO.SYS where is the action is actually performed.
Now, there does exist one or two DOS emulation programs that are
all self-contained, but I have no way of knowing if they will do
things any better or worse, than the existing Windows way. Many
of the problems associated with DOS shell-outs from Windows often
had to do with the DOS program requiring certain parts of memory
already in use by Windows in some way .. that goes for video,
sound, and other considerations. The *best* way to get older
DOS programs to work is boot in REAL DOS from a boot floppy or
CD, which then doesn't care if Windows is anywhere on the planet.

 

[Takuon Soho]

The *best* way to get older
DOS programs to work is boot in REAL DOS from a boot floppy or
CD, which then doesn't care if Windows is anywhere on the planet.

Good advice, many thanks.

I am trying out a dos emulator called DOS box.

So far it almost works on a couple of my dos programs and fails on a third
one.

Thanks again
Jim

 

[Richard Steinfeld]

Have several older dos programs that ran fine
on Windows 2000 but won't run at all on
the CRIPPLED dos in win XP
(stack crash, ntvdm video exceptions, etc. etc.).

Is there a freeware DOS replacement out there?

Has anyone tried lifting the command.com from W2K
and using it in Win XP?

Thanks
Jim

Please name the programs that you're using that run well or poorly under XP.

I will be very unhappy if I can no longer work with my old XyWrite and
PC-Write documents. Granted, PC-Write can't handle the complicated
directory nesting levels that probably most of us are now used to.

I have never used any word processing software close to the ballpark of
these two when it comes to speed of handling. Virtually all word
programs I've ever used were put together by people who can't type.

Richard.

 

[Takuon Soho]

Have not even tried any word processing programs.

Am mainly trying out old DOS APL's such as IAPL
and APLSE and the old IBM APL2 for DOS.

Have some old dos games around somewhere too -
will try them later.

Thanks
Jim

 

[Bill Bradshaw]

Have not even tried any word processing programs.

Am mainly trying out old DOS APL's such as IAPL
and APLSE and the old IBM APL2 for DOS.

Have you visited this site?

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/

 

[Josh Randall]

Still wouldn't work, Jim. Command.com is just the interpreter
that recognizes your keyboard entries, and then which sends the

I had a similar problem. Can't recall if the other poster had *actual* DOS
programs, or just ones written for WIN 95, for example............If it's
the latter, I've had good success creating a plain FAT partition using
Partition Magic, and installing them there. If you install XP from scratch,
it defaults to using NTSF file system......Which is good, except some
installs can't recognize it......just a thought.
JR

 

[Takuon Soho]

Am trying it out now.

Not perfect but obviously an outstanding effort
on the part of the programmers.

Jim

 

[(ProteanThread)]

Have several older dos programs that ran fine
on Windows 2000 but won't run at all on
the CRIPPLED dos in win XP
(stack crash, ntvdm video exceptions, etc. etc.).

Is there a freeware DOS replacement out there?

Has anyone tried lifting the command.com from W2K
and using it in Win XP?

Thanks
Jim

WinXP has both "COMMAND.COM" and "CMD.EXE as command processors.

try using "COMMAND.COM" instead of "CMD.EXE"

 

[Mike Dee]

Am trying it out now.

Not perfect but obviously an outstanding effort

There is also Bochs
<http://bochs.sourceforge.net/getcurrent.html>

 

[Rhys]

Have you tried the Compatibility Mode available in XP?

Right click the .EXE file, click the compatibility tab and check the box "Run this program in compatibility mode for" and you are offered Win 95, Win 98/ME, Win NT4.0 SP5, or Win 2000

I have had success with it in the past for older programs.

Rhys

Have several older dos programs that ran fine
on Windows 2000 but won't run at all on
the CRIPPLED dos in win XP
(stack crash, ntvdm video exceptions, etc. etc.).

Is there a freeware DOS replacement out there?

Has anyone tried lifting the command.com from W2K
and using it in Win XP?

Thanks
Jim

WinXP has both "COMMAND.COM" and "CMD.EXE as command processors.

try using "COMMAND.COM" instead of "CMD.EXE"

 

[Rhys]

Sorry, left out a step in my first post!

Have you tried the Compatibility Mode available in XP?

Right click the .EXE file, choose Properties, click the compatibility tab and check the box "Run this program in compatibility mode for" and you are offered Win 95, Win 98/ME, Win NT4.0 SP5, or Win 2000

I have had success with it in the past for older programs.

Rhys

Have several older dos programs that ran fine
on Windows 2000 but won't run at all on
the CRIPPLED dos in win XP
(stack crash, ntvdm video exceptions, etc. etc.).

Is there a freeware DOS replacement out there?

Has anyone tried lifting the command.com from W2K
and using it in Win XP?

Thanks
Jim

WinXP has both "COMMAND.COM" and "CMD.EXE as command processors.

try using "COMMAND.COM" instead of "CMD.EXE"

 

[jmatt]

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/techinfo/deployment/appcompat/default.asp
Deploying Windows XP—Application Compatibility
http://www.worldstart.com/archives/computer-tips/2002/08-20-2002.htm
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-08-22.htm
LangaList Standard Edition 2002-08-22

4) Most Old Software Never Dies--- Even In XP

Well I'm another of those silent people who love the LangaList Plus
Edition - makes my day - and just reinforces that as I get older I
get geekier - well my wife says so
Onto my question - as a gamer, I use my PC a lot - but a friend has
just across a quandary - there is no MS-DOS emulator out there for
XP to play those old classics . . . or is there? Food for thought.
--- Richard Manley-Tannis

Some very early DOS (and later, Windows) programs and games tried to
overcome the limitations of the sluggish hardware of the day by
taking direct control of everything--- video, sound, the works. This
speeded up the software, but at the cost of compatibility. Programs
that are
fundamentally this incompatible can cause major trouble, because they
don't "play nice" with *any* other software. And when they crash,
they take everything down with them: You have to reboot.

Some of these very old programs won't run properly under any version
of Windows. In Win98, for example, you have to exit fully to DOS to
run this kind of fundamentally incompatible software.

NT/Win2K/XP have no DOS to exit to; you'd have to boot from a DOS
floppy to run ancient, incompatible software. (But you could do
that, and the old software probably would run fine.)

But note that lots of even very old software plays by the rules and
doesn't try to circumvent the OS. I have a compiler from 1987, for
example: It's 15 years old, but it still runs fine under XP, because
it doesn't try to directly control the hardware. In fact almost all
older software--- including DOS stuff and games--- that doesn't try
to circumvent the operating system will usually run fine under
Windows, including XP.

XP even has a feature that lets you fool older software into thinking
it's running on an older version of Windows. XP has a "compatibility
wizard" that can help you figure out and emulate whatever settings
the older software is looking for. (See
http://www.google.com/search?q=Compatibility+Mode+XP or
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q292533&
or
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q301/9/11.asp )

How can you tell if your software is going to be compatible, before
you install XP? See
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q295322&

Or you can try the "The Windows XP Upgrade Advisor" for the Home
versions at
http://www.microsoft.com//windowsxp/home/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp
and the Pro version at
http://www.microsoft.com//windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp

You can also try a search at:
http://www.google.com/search?q=xp+software+compatibility

In short: While there are some older, fundamentally incompatible
programs that won't run under XP, most do just fine.

* Posted via http://www.sixfiles.com/forum
* Please report abuse to http://xinbox.com/sixfiles

 

[Takuon Soho]

Have you tried the Compatibility Mode available in XP?

Right click the .EXE file, click the compatibility tab and check the box
"Run this program in compatibility mode for" and you >are offered Win 95,
Win 98/ME, Win NT4.0 SP5, or Win 2000

I have had success with it in the past for older programs.

Rhys

Thanks, I tried it on all of the programs with no success on any of them.

Jim

Have several older dos programs that ran fine
on Windows 2000 but won't run at all on
the CRIPPLED dos in win XP
(stack crash, ntvdm video exceptions, etc. etc.).

Is there a freeware DOS replacement out there?

Has anyone tried lifting the command.com from W2K
and using it in Win XP?

Thanks
Jim

WinXP has both "COMMAND.COM" and "CMD.EXE as command processors.

try using "COMMAND.COM" instead of "CMD.EXE"

 

[Takuon Soho]

There is also Bochs
<http://bochs.sourceforge.net/getcurrent.html>

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will check this out.

Impressive!

Thanks
Jim

 

[Slip Kid]

Have several older dos programs that ran fine
on Windows 2000 but won't run at all on
the CRIPPLED dos in win XP
(stack crash, ntvdm video exceptions, etc. etc.).

Is there a freeware DOS replacement out there?

Has anyone tried lifting the command.com from W2K
and using it in Win XP?

Thanks
Jim

This probably doesn't address your frustrations directly, but here's how
I've solved no-DOSinWin since the mid 90's. (I've been running
NT-->W2k---->XP)

When I get a new disc, I format/reformat it with a 200 mg FAT partition.
I install DOS 6.0 or 7.0 and proceed to add various dos apps to that
partition. There are some fine file manager and GUI's that most people
would never associate with the old DOS green screens. The number of
apps still being designed in/for DOS is amazing.

I get a lot of flack form the MS purists who deny it is necessary to
"leave" the Win GUI to do anything. I won't get into my defense - I'm
satisfied that I've been able to do things (diagnostics, repair) from
outside the OS, thing that would not be possible at all or would not be
as efficient if done "in" Win. There are few direct disc functions
(formatting, partitioning) I will do from Win. There are plenty of
sites offering fee dos apps that are as 'new' as any other OS.

There's only one compromise. Yes, it means if one gets a new computer
they have to wipe out the new disc and start from scratch (reformat,
reinstall),. It take about two hours, no more. (Equally divided between
reformatting and re-installing)

All my OS boot files are in the FAT partition and I boot multiple OS's
from there. Yes, AFAIK there is no way to install DOS after XP. One
must have the FAT partition in first but 200 mg is more than enough
space for loads of DOS apps. I find it difficult to use more than fifty
mg and I have scores of apps in that partition.

So, without addressing how to run the specific apps? I am able to run
just about anything (even a network, CD Rom) by booting to DOS.

My only sacrifice is I have to allow for the FAT partition on every disc
before I use it. I suppose a boot CD can probably accomplish te same? I
do have the partition on a CD. It didn't do much good when I had a ROM
failure.

If one doesn't want to go to the "trouble" I do, plan b would be to
create a boot CD which could 'emulate' the function of my FAT partition.

 

[Mel]

There's only one compromise. Yes, it means if one gets a new computer
they have to wipe out the new disc and start from scratch (reformat,
reinstall),. It take about two hours, no more. (Equally divided between
reformatting and re-installing)

It's alot easier to resize the Partition and create 200mb of freespace
at the front of the drive, then create a 200mb fat partition in the
freespace released by the resize.

The popular freeware partitioning program is back! The first free
program to resize and move partitions without data loss, is now more
complete, with support for disks up to 2TB of size.

New features include:
=====================
Int13 extensions support allows handling of disks up to 2TB (2048GB) of
size. New Resizing/Moving engine with simpler inerface. Move and resize
your partitions in one step. Transparent extended partition resizing (no
more confusion with extended partitions). Command line parameters for
accessing advanced options (read-only operation etc.).

Partition Resizer is a small DOS executable, which requires no
installation, and can perform, all these tasks in a short while, giving
you the opportunity to re-arrange your partitions safely, quickly and
fuss-free.

http://www.zeleps.com/

 

[Takuon Soho]

partition. There are some fine file manager and GUI's that most people
would never associate with the old DOS green screens. The number of
apps still being designed in/for DOS is amazing.

You can say that again.
As a professional software developer, I got a little tired of using diff
and or emacs compare and one day happened upon "Delta.exe", a dos
based file and directory comparison program that is a gem.
Although it was a commercial product at one time, it is now freeware.
Search in Google for "Open Network" and "Delta" to find it.
Yes it has a few bugs and even crashes now and then but the 5 minutes
or so you need to read the docs and learn the key presses is all it takes -
one of the finest Dos freeware programs I ever found and one that I use
every day.

Luckily it works just fine in an XP "dos" (or whatever it is) box.
To get maximum number of lines to appear, you invoke it by
delta -l50 c:\dir1 c:\dir2 <enter>

The dir1 will appear on the left side of the screen and dir2 will appear on
the right side.
The tab key makes either one or the other active.
Now if dir1 is active and you type "c" (for file or subdirectory copy), it
will copy the
file or sub directory from the active window (dir1) to dir2.
If you hit the enter key on filename in dir1, it will do a beautiful file
compare on filename in dir1
and filename in dir2.

It does a lookahead and reserves space in filename in dir2 so when you copy
lines from filename in dir1
to filename in dir2, the structure of the later differences is clearly
preserved.

They also have some nice freeware Berkley Unix utilties ported to dos
(although I have Cygwin).

Just a sample of the excellent dos related stuff still out there.

Thanks
Jim

 

[Jeff Needle]

Man, you're on the same page with me.

I love the old DOS database program "File Express." It comes compressed
with an install program. Running the install program under XP goes through
the process, but doesn't install anything into the FE directory except the
readme file.

Very frustrating.

 

[Slip Kid]

It's alot easier to resize the Partition and create 200mb of freespace
at the front of the drive, then create a 200mb fat partition in the
freespace released by the resize.

Sounds great!

Im a bit cautiousI I tried to resize a volume with PM a year ago. Not
the primary - a logical volume down the line.

Well, it worked.

At least it seemed to for a few months? But, when I went back to try
another? It said I had geometry errors. I clicked OK for *the fix* on
several volumes. I get to the end?
It gives me a bizarro 'could be anything' error and will not touch the
disc - It won't execute! I later find out PM has been known to do that.

So, I switch to Paragon? It does a fine job, no errors. I reboot. One
of my multi-boot OS's was corrupted in the process! The volumes were
fine, but I had to re-install the OS!

The last three discs were partitioned while new - - with no plans to
revisit them once data was on them.