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Using DOSBox to emulate DOS for DBase ... some problems

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First post, by heiner

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I'm not into games but I am using dBase programs that I wrote about 10 years ago and meanwhile have created a huge database, so I don't want to throw them away.
Until very recently I used Windows XP's own DOS emulator NTVDM with an autoexec.nt and a config.nt file placed in SYSTEM32 and addressed via a .pif-File. This worked fine until a few days ago when Windows updated automatically and this doesn't work anymore.
Now I get an error everytime I start the program.

So I installed the DOSBox and DEFEND and basically I can run the program, but there are several problems.

With the .pif-file I could define the character type and size and the "DOS" window size.
With DOS-Box the window size is fixed and characters also.

The config.nt file also allowed me to define some DOS environmental parameters like

BUFFERSHIGH=50,0
FILES=255
FCBSHIGH=4,0
REM DOS=HIGH,UMB
STACKSHIGH=9,256
Country=039,850, c:\windows\system32\country.sys

DBase accesses these parameters during its run, especially the country parameter is important.

Putting them in the autoexec file of DOSBox gives errors and there is not substitute for the config file.

I could not find a way to define them with DOSBox.

Any idea how to resolve these problems?
Thank you.

Reply 2 of 7, by heiner

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Thanks for your reply.
There are only two very old copies of these two files in this folder, from 2003. The copies in the SYSTEM32 folder look fine.

I attach the error message I get (my Windows is in italian).
Basically it says that the NTVDM CPU has encountered a not managed exception. I have no idea what that means, but there is obviously a software problem.

BTW dBase does not run either if I run it directly without the pif file and neither if I use the copy from another computer where it works fine (under Win 98).

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  • db4-error.jpg
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    error message dB4 running under Win XP
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Reply 3 of 7, by Dominus

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using DosBox you can use a hdd image, boot from that and install Dos 6.22. There is a guide in the guide sections on how to do that.

Windows 3.1x guide for DOSBox
60 seconds guide to DOSBox
DOSBox SVN snapshot for macOS (10.4-11.x ppc/intel 32/64bit) notarized for gatekeeper

Reply 4 of 7, by heiner

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I'm afraid I did not understand what you mean.

If I install DOS 6.22 then I will run DOS, not Wnodows, or not?
I want do run Windows regularly and just run dBase in a DOS or pseudo-DOS window.
I can do this actually with DOSBox, but I cannot adjust the window size and the character size and I cannot set DOS environment parameters in the DOSBo because it does not read the config file.
Unfortunately in the 10 years that have passed since I developed the program, I forgot much about DOS. I think there should be a way to set these environment parameters in some way.

Which guide section did you talk about? guide section of what?
Can you please elaborate what I should do exactly?

Reply 5 of 7, by Dominus

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ok, I'm slowing down 😀
Guide section of the Dosbox part of this forum 😀
You can make an image of a "virtual" hard drive and boot from that using DosBox. You would use tha guide at Sample usage of a harddisc image in DOSBOX to make a hard drive image and it tells you how to boot and prepare it. On that you can install Dos 6.22 and then use the tool mentioned there to transfer your program to that image.
Booting (in Dosbox) from that image again you should then be able to run the program in Dsobox.

Windows 3.1x guide for DOSBox
60 seconds guide to DOSBox
DOSBox SVN snapshot for macOS (10.4-11.x ppc/intel 32/64bit) notarized for gatekeeper

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