PB for DOS in Windows XP...problems I noticed

[Paul Panks]

Hey all,

I've been running Windows XP for about two weeks now and have noticed
several issues with DOS based programs. The main difficulty is extremely
instability when running DOS-based programs in full screen mode. This appears
to be a phasing out of DOS under the NT Kernal, unless the video card for this
computer is weird.

At any rate, selecting text with the mouse is problematic in PB for DOS when
run under Windows XP. Additionally, the program has a tendency to lock up at
weird moments, especially when long lines are edited or changed. Finally, I
have noticed the bizarre occurance of lines being repeated if the enter
key is pressed to insert a new line above the old one.

Am I just imagining things here, or is this Windows XP and Microsoft playing
tricks on us old DOS users? (oddly enough, QBASIC doesn't appear to have
these problems under Windows XP...Hmmmmmm!...)

Regards,

Paul Panks
[email protected]

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Few cats act their age, while
most just cough up furballs.

[Lance Edmonds]

I've been running Windows XP for about two weeks now and have noticed
several issues with DOS based programs. The main difficulty is extremely
instability when running DOS-based programs in full screen mode. This appears
to be a phasing out of DOS under the NT Kernal, unless the video card for this
computer is weird.

What do you mean by "instability"? Can you explain the problem with a lot more detail please? Remember that DOS is emulated in XP (as it was in 2000, and NT4 before that) so "phasing out" can only be classified as rumor at this time.

At any rate, selecting text with the mouse is problematic in PB for DOS when
run under Windows XP.

Another vague description Paul! Does it not work at all? Have you disabled QuickEdit in the DOS window Properties dialog?

Additionally, the program has a tendency to lock up at
weird moments, especially when long lines are edited or changed. Finally, I
have noticed the bizarre occurance of lines being repeated if the enter
key is pressed to insert a new line above the old one.

That sounds more like a memory manager issue or unstable system.

Honestly Paul, the conclusions you have drawn are questionable at best given the low level of detail here... can you describe the problems in more detail please? Thanks!

PS: have you tried more than one PC running XP? Do you have any other problems with that PC that you have not mentioned here? For example, random Windows crashes or suchlike?

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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Paul Panks]

Lance,

Basically, it is a normal 80x25 window, 8x12 font which has is 25 row, 1 buffered window.
Quick Edit mode is not selected, but insert mode is. The font used is "Raster Fonts". When
I increase the buffer size or number of buffers, the program in the DOS window does unexpected and
often chaotic things (like freeze up, for instance).

Even in Windows 98 and Me, PB for DOS has decided to duplicate line numbers when in edit mode, and
even freeze up. Is this me or just Windows?

Paul


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Few cats act their age, while
most just cough up furballs.

[Lance Edmonds]

I assume you mean the screen buffer size, right? (there are two "buffer size" adjustments in the NT/2K-based DOS box I assume XP is the same).

Adjusting the screen buffer size while PB/DOS is running is... how should I phase this... "highly discouraged".

If you want to change the PB/DOS IDE's screen size, do it from within the IDE (Options/Evironment/Screen Size).

Paul, noone else has complained of duplicated lines, so my first suggestion is that it is something common to your system(s). Did you install on both from scratch, or copy across via network/sneakernet, etc?

Possible that this may be a good time to try a reinstall...

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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Daniel Buttigieg]

Hey Paul and Lance!,

Well from our experience all we could say is that we have had no encounters with such problems and are currently using PB/DOS together with the latest DOSPRINT and both work out just magnificanty. The only 'thing' is that sometimes you get a client that complains that there are funny colours flashing on his dos box and this happens in other dos apps too. The problems are due to video card incompatability with XP or 2000.

Best Regards,

Daniel

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mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[David J Walker]

I have had almost exactly the same problems as Paul running (or trying to run) my DOS apps on XP.
Mine are mostly PDS7.1, but an attempt to run PBCC2 met with equally little success.
This was on new laptops, incidentally. I think the graphics chipset was Neomagic.
Mostly things run OK windowed, but full screen, forget it! I have tried any amount of MODE statements in the config.sys, etc, but no joy.
So currently, I do not support XP. We'll see what happens with the service pack.

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