Re: Should I install win2k?
GruntWageSlave_at_IncompetentISP.org
Date: 06/07/04
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Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2004 02:11:50 GMT
OK guys, the problem is with the machine itself, not the OS so
changing to Win2K (or Linux) wouldn't solve the problem. Here's an
explanation I posted in the XP group.
******begin extract
OK guys, Bill is off the hook. I booted real 6.2 DOS from diskette on
the machine that runs XP normally and the two test programs mentioned
below have similar problems. MD11REAL runs but MD11PROT displays a
screen of various colors and a stepped "!" across and down its full
length. It then hangs the machine. Further investigation disclosed
that MD11 (either one) use direct memory mapping for the video which
means that anything can happen. However the compiler mfg realized this
might cause problems and included the option of linking in a module
which causes only BIOS calls to be made. I recompiled and link-edited
with the instructions not to use video memory mapping and SUCCESS! The
two programs run perfectly (under command prompt) just as they did
under NT4.
Unfortunately the solution only works for the simple test programs;
for the real processing I use a screen generator whose library is
included at linkedit time. That screen generator requires
memory-mapped video and so we're almost back to square one. The only
saving grace is that it lets me down gently with a run time error
indicating that I can't use BIOS memory calls. Yuk!
Now it becomes an investigation of the various video adaptors to see
where they load. I'm currently running an S3 Pro Savage and the Win 98
machine was also a S3 Savage adapter; the NT machine was running a
Matrox GE Force G400 MX and I'm awaiting information as to the machine
running Win2K.
So wherever the Matrox adapter loads itself doesn't cause a conflict
but of course this board is four years old and a little unreliable. I
need to find out where direct-mapped video (from my legacy programs)
loads and where any potential video adapter loads. Can I manipulate
these memory addresses (see Device Manager|Resources) and if so how?
Well... it's no longer a question for an OS group so I'll leave you in
peace.
********end extract
GruntWageSlave@IncompetentISP.org wrote:
>Here's the sad sorry story...
>
>I was happily co-existing with NT4 Sp6a Workstation for about the last
>4 years but then the wife bought a digital camera and as we all know
>the USB is not supported by NT. I had an upgrade-to-Win2k CD that I
>received when I purchased NT back in 1999/2000 so I installed or tried
>to install) Win2K from that. After problems of not finding this and
>that driver and not being able to read from my main CDROM unit and a
>horrible experience of replacing my laboriously-downloaded IE6 with
>IE5.4 (obviously they don't check!) I finally reached the blue screen
>of death (several times) with "Fatal System Error...[blah blah]".
>Great! Now what the f... do I do?
>
>Well, my machine had a 466mhz processor and 128M of memory and no
>possibility of upgrade and I'd seen these 2+ gig machines with gobs of
>memory and other good things at a great price so... well, it's a good
>excuse. I went out and bought one pre-loaded with Win XP Home.
>
>Great, at least I have no installation worries now and the biggest
>problem is re-installing my old software and trying to eliminate the
>baby talk. But then disaster again struck in the form of a set of
>programs written for MS-DOS 6.2 and used by myself daily which now
>won't run under XP (they run fine under NT and Win2K). I'd understand
>the punishment if these were game programs or similar frivolity but
>they just manipulate text and massive indexed files. No direct machine
>instructions: everything done through OS calls.
>
>Well, I could kill XP and re-install NT4 and then SP6a and then the
>Win2K upgrade but that's a huge amount of work and I'm now dealing
>with a machine which is up to date and a version of the OS that is 4
>years old. I would imagine that almost nothing on the machine has
>drivers. Did they even have a DVD ROM back in those days? I'm sure
>that Win2k SP4 has all that's necessary but getting there will be a
>real problem.
>
>Or I could install Win2K from scratch eliminating the NT4 and NT4 SP6a
>dance but despite a menu item on the installation disk of "Install
>Windows 2000 Professional" the outside of the CD is clearly marked
>"Upgrade" so presumably it will check that there's at least something
>of NT4 on the machine (anyone know what?).
>
>Or maybe I should learn Linux <g>...
>
>Does anyone have an views on what I should do?
>
- Next message: Carlos: "NT with XCH5.5, insert W2K CD and just upgrade?"
- Previous message: Matthew McClanahan: "New Win2k Install Hangs on Start-up"
- In reply to: GruntWageSlave_at_IncompetentISP.org: "Should I install win2k?"
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