Re: Running DOS on Windows XP
From: cquirke (MVP Win9x) (cquirkenews_at_nospam.mvps.org)
Date: 05/11/04
- Next message: Will: "Re: How do I print a .prn file"
- Previous message: Richard Urban: "Re: copy data"
- In reply to: R. C. White: "Re: Running DOS on Windows XP"
- Next in thread: R. C. White: "Re: Running DOS on Windows XP"
- Reply: R. C. White: "Re: Running DOS on Windows XP"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 01:35:42 +0200
On Tue, 11 May 2004 16:10:58 -0500, "R. C. White" <RCWhite@msn.com>
>Hi, Gwynn.
>Windows 98 was built on the MS-DOS foundation.
Er, no; Win98 is built on the Win95 code base, which is quite
different to MS-DOS. However, they share a common startup, which can
branch off to load an updated DOS instead of Windows.
>WinXP is built on the NT platform.
Yes, and that does not share a common startup. In fact, XP is really
NT 5.1, while Windows 2000 was 5.0, but you know marketoids.
>It deals with hardware much differently. Therefore, some
>MS-DOS/Win3x/9x/ME programs won't run on WinXP. The programs least likely
>to make the transition are those that deal directly with the hardware - such
>as the screen display in the program you want to use, maybe.
Yep. Both Win9x and NT emulate DOS within Windows, but whereas
Win9x's emulation allows a high degree of DOS-like behaviour, NT does
not, and the difference usually applies to games etc. that access
hardware directly as RC says.
>WinXP does include two different emulators (16-bit and 32-bit) that many
>users have proclaimed "a better DOS than DOS". Every DOS program that I
>have tried runs just fine in WinXP's "DOS" window, including my 13-year-old
>WordPerfect Office Library Calendar.
I wouldn't call the Command.com or Cmd.exe command-line interpreters
running on NT a "better DOS than DOS", though that description is
accurate for the DOS mode that came with Win9x, and possibly the
in-Windows emulation of Win9x as well.
>If you open a "DOS" window in WinXP (click Command prompt, or click Start |
>Run and type: cmd), can you run your program from there? If it doesn't run
>without tweaking, there are several ways to adjust the "DOS" settings, such
>as emulating extended memory, setting Files=, etc. These might be done by
>setting environment variables, or by using WinXP's Compatibility Mode, or by
>using the files Config.nt and Autoexec.nt to substitute for the MS-DOS
>equivalents. I don't know much about these techniques because, as I said,
>the DOS programs I've run have not needed them, but others here will know.
What is the DOS app you are trying to run?
>If you tell us the name and publisher of your program, there's a very good
>chance that at least one of the thousands of readers world-wide will
>recognize it and have some tips for you.
Ah, I see RC was about to ask that too!
As long as C: is FATxx not NTFS, it is possible and IMO desirable to
install NT over a Win9x DOS mode, so that the option to boot either OS
is preserved. It is also possible, but somewhat more fiddly, to add a
Win9x DOS mode as an alternate bootable OS to NT after NT has been
installed. But in all cases, C: must be FATxx, and if the DOS mode
you are using is from Win95 older than SR2, it must be FAT16.
See http://cquirke.mvps.org/mutlos.htm and related pages for more on
dual booting, and http://cquirke.mvps.org/whatmos.htm on why you may
one day be very happy to have DOS mode as an alternate boot.
>--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -
Dreams are stack dumps of the soul
>--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -
- Next message: Will: "Re: How do I print a .prn file"
- Previous message: Richard Urban: "Re: copy data"
- In reply to: R. C. White: "Re: Running DOS on Windows XP"
- Next in thread: R. C. White: "Re: Running DOS on Windows XP"
- Reply: R. C. White: "Re: Running DOS on Windows XP"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Relevant Pages
|
