Getting DOS programs to run in windows

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mr Colm
  • Start date Start date
M

Mr Colm

Hi,

I'm trying to use some old DOS programs on Windows XP Home. However, when I
run them they automatically start in full screen mode. If I press alt+enter
then the application minimises and I get taken back to Windows.

What I'd like to do is run the application inside a Window so that I can see
all my other Windows apps at the same time. Is there a way to do this?

Thanks,

Mr Colm.
 
Hi, Mr. Colm.

Remember the PIF files that we used back in the "good old days"? WinXP
allows us to configure its "DOS" windows in much the same way, using a
program's Properties screen. (I include "DOS" in quotes because, as you
probably know, WinXP does not include true MS-DOS. The "DOS" window is an
emulation included in WinXP.) There are several ways to get to a program's
Properties window, depending on whether you want to start them from inside a
"DOS" window, or from clicking a shortcut on the Desktop, or some other way.
Here's one way...

In Windows Explorer, navigate to the .exe or .com file for the DOS program.
Right-click on the filename and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
That should open a window with several tabs, including Font and Screen. The
Screen tab lets you choose Full Screen or Window, among other things.

Another way is to customize the Properties page for the "DOS" window itself,
starting with a right-click on Command Prompt from Start | All Programs |
Accessories. This Properties screen has an additional tab for Colors. I've
created a shortcut to the Command Prompt and put it in my Quick Launch
Toolbar; the Properties page reached by right-clicking this icon also has
the Colors tab. I also have a shortcut to CL.EXE, the DOS Calendar program
in the old WordPerfect Office Library, in Quick Launch; a right-click here
gets me to a Properties screen with a still different look, including the
Colors tab.

I usually run DOS programs full-screen, Alt-Tabbing among them and whatever
other programs may be running at the time (such as this OE Compose window),
but most of them also happily run in a smaller window.

I've not exhausted all the ways to customize windows for DOS programs. I'm
sure you can find more. ;<)

RC
 
Hi RC,

Thanks for responding to my query.

I don't remember the good old days of PIF files, but I do remember spending
many hours creating boot disks and configuring sound cards. In those days
you had to be a real master to even play a game.

Strangely enough my current problem is in aid of helping me reminisce those
times and I'm actually try to get ancient games to work. Using the Alt+TAB
solution does not put the game into a window. It just minimises it.;{

Do you or anyone else know how I can play these old dos games in a window
rather than full screen. Alternatively, I've tried remotely connecting to
my machine and using a remote desktop but I can't even make that find my own
machine!

Regards,

Jon.
 
Hi, Jon.

MOST old DOS programs run just fin in a "DOS" window. But games, as you
probably know, often used various tricks to try to gain more speed than was
possible by following the MS-DOS rules. They often used machine language to
deal directly with the hardware, rather than using MS-DOS calls. WinNT and
its descendants (including WinXP) won't let programs talk directly to the
hardware (including the monitor screen), so some of these games cannot be
made to run in their windows.

Since I'm an accountant, not a techie of any kind, I probably can't explain
it in any more detail than that.

Have you investigated the "compatibility mode"? I haven't needed it, so I
haven't learned anything about it, but you should be able to find an
explanation in the Help and Support Center (from the Start button).

RC
 
Hi RC,

Thanks for making the effort to help me out. I still can't get the game to
work in a window but believe that it might work if I remotely connect to my
machine from my machine (I'm having a problem with this as well! But will
start a new thread for it).

Regards,

Jon.
 
Hi, Jon.

One last suggestion that's so obvious I should have made it much sooner:

What is the name of your problem game? At least thousands, and possibly
millions, of people read this newsgroup every day. There's an excellent
chance that at least one of them will recognize your game. And there's a
pretty good chance that he/she will know how to get it to run in a window in
WinXP.

Good luck!

RC
 
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