Strange Legacy Problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Barry Watzman
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Barry Watzman

My system is dual boot with 98SE on C: and XP on D:

I use an old 1980’s MS-DOS TSR for which there is not a good modern
replacement (it’s called Addresselope, and it addresses envelopes on a
laser printer in an easy, straightforward fashion; no earth-shattering
task, but one that’s simply missing from the scene never the less).
Addresselope works under both 98 and XP in a DOS window (but read on).

This weekend I replaced the motherboard in my system, moving from an
Asus P4T-E (850 chipset) to an Asus P4T533 (850e chipset). I did not do
anything to either operating system or the hard drive, I just changed
the motherboard and rebooted. I know the problems that this can cause
"in general" (I'm a "computer expert" who advises people not to do wha I
myself was doing), but in this instance all cards in the system are the
same and these two motherboards, while different in some regards, are
overall quite similar and use the same Intel chipset drivers anyway.
Both 98 and XP took their time “detecting new hardware”, but both seem
fine with the swap, overall, without a reinstallation. Everything seems
to be working just fine.

However, as mentioned, Addresselope was originally a TSR (although I use
it now “stand alone” in a DOS box), and it was activated with the key
combination ALT-INSERT. So I run the command prompt program to get a
command prompt windows, type “Addresselope” at the prompt, hit
Alt-Insert, do my envelope and exit, closing the command prompt window.
30-45 seconds for a laser printed envelope.

Well, when I tried to use Addresselope tonight under XP, it would not
activate. It was not “getting” the ALT-INSERT combination that "pops it
up". The motherboard is the “only” thing that’s changed, and no BIOS
setting (including turning off legacy keyboard emulation) would fix the
problem. Addresselope simply would not “Pop-Up” under XP. The black
DOS Window just sits there.

So I figured that there is some issue in the Keyboard controller or the
ROM or KBC BIOS of the P4T533 that won’t pass the ALT-INSERT. Bummer.

But then I tried it under Windows 98 AND IT WORKED JUST FINE.

????

I could understand it not working on the P4T533. But given that both
OS' were unchanged, I could not understand it now working with 98 and
not XP.

I didn’t do anything to Windows XP, where it worked previously with the
P4T-E. And there clearly isn’t, as I first suspected, a problem in the
keyboard controller or the ROM or keyboard controller BIOS blocking
Alt-Insert, or it would not work under 98. So why isn’t it working
under XP and, more to the point, is there anything that I can do about it?

One other comment, in trying to resolve this, my recollection had been
that there were TWO “command mode prompt” programs under Windows XP, but
I can only find one of them (CMD.EXE). Anyone remember what the other
one was? I also tried to run Command.COM from Windows 98, but it pops
up and then disappears instantly, not allowing me to leave it open as a
command window.

Anyway, I’d like to get Addresselope working again (without surgery on
Addresselope itself). It worked under the very same XP (literally the
same, on the same drive) with the P4T-E.

Anyone have any ideas?
 
Barry said:
My system is dual boot with 98SE on C: and XP on D:

I use an old 1980’s MS-DOS TSR for which there is not a good modern
replacement (it’s called Addresselope, and it addresses envelopes on a
laser printer in an easy, straightforward fashion; no earth-shattering
task, but one that’s simply missing from the scene never the less).
Addresselope works under both 98 and XP in a DOS window (but read on).

This weekend I replaced the motherboard in my system, moving from an
Asus P4T-E (850 chipset) to an Asus P4T533 (850e chipset). I did not do
anything to either operating system or the hard drive, I just changed
the motherboard and rebooted. I know the problems that this can cause
"in general" (I'm a "computer expert" who advises people not to do wha I
myself was doing), but in this instance all cards in the system are the
same and these two motherboards, while different in some regards, are
overall quite similar and use the same Intel chipset drivers anyway.
Both 98 and XP took their time “detecting new hardware”, but both seem
fine with the swap, overall, without a reinstallation. Everything seems
to be working just fine.

However, as mentioned, Addresselope was originally a TSR (although I use
it now “stand alone” in a DOS box), and it was activated with the key
combination ALT-INSERT. So I run the command prompt program to get a
command prompt windows, type “Addresselope” at the prompt, hit
Alt-Insert, do my envelope and exit, closing the command prompt window.
30-45 seconds for a laser printed envelope.

Well, when I tried to use Addresselope tonight under XP, it would not
activate. It was not “getting” the ALT-INSERT combination that "pops it
up". The motherboard is the “only” thing that’s changed, and no BIOS
setting (including turning off legacy keyboard emulation) would fix the
problem. Addresselope simply would not “Pop-Up” under XP. The black
DOS Window just sits there.

So I figured that there is some issue in the Keyboard controller or the
ROM or KBC BIOS of the P4T533 that won’t pass the ALT-INSERT. Bummer.

But then I tried it under Windows 98 AND IT WORKED JUST FINE.

????

I could understand it not working on the P4T533. But given that both
OS' were unchanged, I could not understand it now working with 98 and
not XP.

I didn’t do anything to Windows XP, where it worked previously with the
P4T-E. And there clearly isn’t, as I first suspected, a problem in the
keyboard controller or the ROM or keyboard controller BIOS blocking
Alt-Insert, or it would not work under 98. So why isn’t it working
under XP and, more to the point, is there anything that I can do about it?

One other comment, in trying to resolve this, my recollection had been
that there were TWO “command mode prompt” programs under Windows XP, but
I can only find one of them (CMD.EXE). Anyone remember what the other
one was? I also tried to run Command.COM from Windows 98, but it pops
up and then disappears instantly, not allowing me to leave it open as a
command window.

Anyway, I’d like to get Addresselope working again (without surgery on
Addresselope itself). It worked under the very same XP (literally the
same, on the same drive) with the P4T-E.

Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...

Two things. First in the help section of XP it mentions that keyboard
shortcuts start with CTL + ALT, not just ALT. Second have you checked
the program's properties in Explorer to make sure that it is still
assigned a keyboard shortcut?
The two command prompts in XP are CMD.EXE and COMMAND.COM. You might
want to change their properties to not close on exit.
 
Barry Watzman said:
My system is dual boot with 98SE on C: and XP on D:

I use an old 1980’s MS-DOS TSR for which there is not a good modern
replacement (it’s called Addresselope, and it addresses envelopes on a
laser printer in an easy, straightforward fashion; no earth-shattering
task, but one that’s simply missing from the scene never the less).
Addresselope works under both 98 and XP in a DOS window (but read on).

This weekend I replaced the motherboard in my system, moving from an
Asus P4T-E (850 chipset) to an Asus P4T533 (850e chipset). I did not do
anything to either operating system or the hard drive, I just changed
the motherboard and rebooted. I know the problems that this can cause
"in general" (I'm a "computer expert" who advises people not to do wha I
myself was doing), but in this instance all cards in the system are the
same and these two motherboards, while different in some regards, are
overall quite similar and use the same Intel chipset drivers anyway.
Both 98 and XP took their time “detecting new hardware”, but both seem
fine with the swap, overall, without a reinstallation. Everything seems
to be working just fine.

However, as mentioned, Addresselope was originally a TSR (although I use
it now “stand alone” in a DOS box), and it was activated with the key
combination ALT-INSERT. So I run the command prompt program to get a
command prompt windows, type “Addresselope” at the prompt, hit
Alt-Insert, do my envelope and exit, closing the command prompt window.
30-45 seconds for a laser printed envelope.

Well, when I tried to use Addresselope tonight under XP, it would not
activate. It was not “getting” the ALT-INSERT combination that "pops it
up". The motherboard is the “only” thing that’s changed, and no BIOS
setting (including turning off legacy keyboard emulation) would fix the
problem. Addresselope simply would not “Pop-Up” under XP. The black
DOS Window just sits there.

So I figured that there is some issue in the Keyboard controller or the
ROM or KBC BIOS of the P4T533 that won’t pass the ALT-INSERT. Bummer.

But then I tried it under Windows 98 AND IT WORKED JUST FINE.

????

I could understand it not working on the P4T533. But given that both
OS' were unchanged, I could not understand it now working with 98 and
not XP.

I didn’t do anything to Windows XP, where it worked previously with the
P4T-E. And there clearly isn’t, as I first suspected, a problem in the
keyboard controller or the ROM or keyboard controller BIOS blocking
Alt-Insert, or it would not work under 98. So why isn’t it working
under XP and, more to the point, is there anything that I can do about it?

One other comment, in trying to resolve this, my recollection had been
that there were TWO “command mode prompt” programs under Windows XP, but
I can only find one of them (CMD.EXE). Anyone remember what the other
one was? I also tried to run Command.COM from Windows 98, but it pops
up and then disappears instantly, not allowing me to leave it open as a
command window.

Anyway, I’d like to get Addresselope working again (without surgery on
Addresselope itself). It worked under the very same XP (literally the
same, on the same drive) with the P4T-E.

Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...

Barry - I don't know if this is significant, but in a post from June23,
your posting header says:

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

The post you made above has this as a header:

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

In the Unix world, I think this would be called a "locale" problem.
I don't know what it would be called in WinXP, but you seem to be
using the wrong character set.

You may not be able to see it when you read this reply, but when you
quoted something above, the left double quote symbol is showing up
here as a character called quotedblbase. So, some kind of weird
translation is happening, and I bet that weird translation is eating
the ALT-INSERT you are trying so desperately to generate.

HTH,
Paul
 
Thanks for the input.

Unfortunately, it didn't help. Ctrl+Alt Insert didn't work any better
than Alt-Insert, and Command.com didn't work any better than CMD.Exe.

What's odd is that this was working fine with the P4T-E motherboard
(same installation of Windows XP on the same physical hard drive). That
would suggest that the problem is in the motherboard in some way
(meaning the keyboard controller or BIOS).

BUT, the system is dual boot, and the program STILL works if I boot
Windows 98SE instead of XP, which suggests that the problem is NOT in
the motherboard but in the OS.

?????

[And it doesn't help that most people have absolutely no idea what a
[1987] MS-DOS "TSR" even is, much less what the implications of trying
to run one in a DOS window under XP are].
 
Thanks, I will keep that in mind. I don't think that it's significant
to this issue, however. I'm going to guess that this change has to do
with having upgraded from Netscape 7.02 to 7.1, which I use to read this
newsgroup. That, however, won't impact the issue with the 1987 TSR that
I'm trying to run.
 
Barry said:
Thanks for the input.

Unfortunately, it didn't help. Ctrl+Alt Insert didn't work any better
than Alt-Insert, and Command.com didn't work any better than CMD.Exe.
Click to expand...

Did you check the shortcut for the program? Maybe when Windows XP
updated itself for the new board it wiped out the shortcut.
Also did you load the drivers for the new board? Maybe they have
something to do with the keyboard.

What's odd is that this was working fine with the P4T-E motherboard
(same installation of Windows XP on the same physical hard drive). That
would suggest that the problem is in the motherboard in some way
(meaning the keyboard controller or BIOS).

BUT, the system is dual boot, and the program STILL works if I boot
Windows 98SE instead of XP, which suggests that the problem is NOT in
the motherboard but in the OS.

?????

[And it doesn't help that most people have absolutely no idea what a
[1987] MS-DOS "TSR" even is, much less what the implications of trying
to run one in a DOS window under XP are].
Click to expand...
<snip>
 
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