What sort of configuration options are you using?

Are you sure the USB-to-parallel device is suitable for this application? Perhaps you could test it using Bochs.

It's doubtful you will ever get that to work. USB-Parallel converters are not meant to fully emulate all the functions of spp/epp/ecp parallel ports. They are designed strictly for printers so no scanners/ZIP drives and probably not dongle protection.

There was actually an old thread about dongle support at Adding old dongle support to DosBox . Mr. HAL appears emphatic that USB-parallel converters do not work (see also Parallel port passthrough (Windows only) ).

I would suggest using a parallel port on a PCI card, but I don't know if you can share those with an OS running in a virtual machine.

A programme in Dosbox on Windows on VMWare on a host OS (be it Windows or Linux) wanting direct access to the physical parallel (via USB) port of the host computer? Four layers of hardware abstraction - I really can't see that working very well.

What sort of configuration options are you using?

Please explain what you mean by that please.

Are you sure the USB-to-parallel device is suitable for this application? Perhaps you could test it using Bochs.

It should. All that it needs to do is be able to see the parallel port. It doesnt need to send messages to it like a printer. Unless I'm mistaken, it should be a more basic function. I dont really understand it so please dont judge me for this.

It's doubtful you will ever get that to work. USB-Parallel converters are not meant to fully emulate all the functions of spp/epp/ecp parallel ports. They are designed strictly for printers so no scanners/ZIP drives and probably not dongle protection.

It is something that we are willing to try our hardest to get working. This will "revolutionize" the knitting industry if it works. Dosbox only needs to be able to see it nothing more.

There was actually an old thread about dongle support at Adding old dongle support to DosBox . Mr. HAL appears emphatic that USB-parallel converters do not work (see also viewtopic.p...p;start=20 ).

I would suggest using a parallel port on a PCI card, but I don't know if you can share those with an OS running in a virtual machine.

I will try those out and get back to you, and it works on the back of a pci card, but the computer needs to be running dos, or are you saying that I should get a physical computer to run windows xp with dosbox ontop of it and try it that way with a dongle or a pci card?

A programme in Dosbox on Windows on VMWare on a host OS (be it Windows or Linux) wanting direct access to the physical parallel (via USB) port of the host computer? Four layers of hardware abstraction - I really can't see that working very well.

The program runs, but it needs to see the parallel port...

Again I would like to mention, anyone that is willing to remote in to us, we would be willing to compensate!

Also if someone could please explain porttalk id be very grateful!

Thanks,
Richard

Bottom line is, dos is too old for me to understand. Most people in this company dont understand it either. You guys are the experts in this field. Many of you have written various patches etc for dosbox to get it to do whatever you want. If someone has the time to remote into this computer with us and help us with this we would be wiling to compensate!

Thanks
Richard

Since the parallel port usage stuff seems to increase lately, I'll add a reference here just for information:
DOSBox IS NOT SUITED TO RUN YOUR NON-GAMING DOS APPLICATION

wd wrote:

Since the parallel port usage stuff seems to increase lately, I'll add a reference here just for information:
DOSBox IS NOT SUITED TO RUN YOUR NON-GAMING DOS APPLICATION

program runs but needs to see license key. I read many of those threads, but a programs a program be it game or for business... and if it closes out who cares, its better then trying to find parts for a computer from 1987...

its better then trying to find parts for a computer from 1987...

Guess you didn't understand the threads then, but not my problem, have fun and good luck.

wd wrote:

its better then trying to find parts for a computer from 1987...

Guess you didn't understand the threads then, but not my problem, have fun and good luck.

Worst comes to worst i lose that instance of xp. Since its a virtual instance, all I have to do is delete it and recreate it from a template. And since its virtual it wont effect the physical machine its running on.

Again, I am looking for someone who is wiling to help me with this. Posts that tell me it may not work dont help.

We are willing to compensate any one who can take the time to help us.

Thanks
Richard

For your information wd is one of the authors of DOSBox, and knows his stuff.

DOSBox is for GAMES.

IMO, this thread should be locked.

tannerstevo wrote:

For your information wd is one of the authors of DOSBox, and knows his stuff.

DOSBox is for GAMES.

IMO, this thread should be locked.

If he is an author of dosbox then we are willing to pay him for his time helping us.

I unserstand that dosbox is designed for games, but a game is a program and thats what we are trying to do regardless of the circumstances.

This is a help forum, and im begging for help! I dont understand the links that people post, im looking for someone we can pay to do it for us, if it works or not...

And this thread should not be locked, we are willing to pay anyone who helps us configure this.

Thanks
Richard

but a game is a program

But a program is not a game.

I'm not going to argue about anything, just pointing that out once in a while so people don't do too much off-the-road stuff they may regret later.

wd wrote:

but a game is a program

But a program is not a game.

I'm not going to argue about anything, just pointing that out once in a while so people don't do too much off-the-road stuff they may regret later.

Thanks but still a program and I'm willing to take the risk... Still willing to pay you or someone else to help...

richboy109 wrote:

What sort of configuration options are you using?

Please explain what you mean by that please.

As per Parallel port passthrough (Windows only) , did you alter your dosbox.conf? And naturally if you don't have porttalk running, I doubt you'd get anywhere.

Are you sure the USB-to-parallel device is suitable for this application? Perhaps you could test it using Bochs.

It should. All that it needs to do is be able to see the parallel port. It doesnt need to send messages to it like a printer. Unless I'm mistaken, it should be a more basic function. I dont really understand it so please dont judge me for this.

It seems unreasonable to assert that "it should" if you "dont really understand it". A parallel port is capable of many sophisticated things that aren't necessarily needed in order to print.

It is something that we are willing to try our hardest to get working. This will "revolutionize" the knitting industry if it works. Dosbox only needs to be able to see it nothing more.

If this is so important, why not just track down the people who originally made the program and ask for a version that does not require a dongle? Or why not just focus your efforts on trying to remove (or finding someone to remove) the dongle-protection itself? I very much doubt you're the first person over the decades to be confronted with a problem like this.

I would suggest using a parallel port on a PCI card, but I don't know if you can share those with an OS running in a virtual machine.

I will try those out and get back to you, and it works on the back of a pci card, but the computer needs to be running dos, or are you saying that I should get a physical computer to run windows xp with dosbox ontop of it and try it that way with a dongle or a pci card?

One of the issues here is that it is not clear if the dongle will work with a USB-to-parallel converter. As such converters are not supported by DOS directly, the only way to know for sure is to test it with a Win9x machine (which should hopefully be able to both support the converter and run the DOS program).

Also if someone could please explain porttalk id be very grateful!

What do you need explained?

Have you tried just installing DOS in VMWare? It should pick up any ports automatically that are installed in the host. If you don't have any copies of DOS try FreeDOS. It would probably work better with any parallel port adapter than DOSBox. You still don't know if this USB - Parallel adapter will work with the dongle unfortunately so a PCI card would be preferred.

Jorpho wrote: Quote: What sort of configuration options are you using? Please explain what you mean by that please. As per Paral […]
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Jorpho wrote:
Quote:
What sort of configuration options are you using?
Please explain what you mean by that please.
As per Parallel port passthrough (Windows only) , did you alter your dosbox.conf? And naturally if you don't have porttalk running, I doubt you'd get anywhere.

I tried installing int but im at a total loss as to how it works.

Quote: Quote: Are you sure the USB-to-parallel device is suitable for this application? Perhaps you could test it using Bochs. I […]
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Quote:
Quote:
Are you sure the USB-to-parallel device is suitable for this application? Perhaps you could test it using Bochs.
It should. All that it needs to do is be able to see the parallel port. It doesnt need to send messages to it like a printer. Unless I'm mistaken, it should be a more basic function. I dont really understand it so please dont judge me for this.
It seems unreasonable to assert that "it should" if you "dont really understand it". A parallel port is capable of many sophisticated things that aren't necessarily needed in order to print.

good point.

Quote:
It is something that we are willing to try our hardest to get working. This will "revolutionize" the knitting industry if it works. Dosbox only needs to be able to see it nothing more.
If this is so important, why not just track down the people who originally made the program and ask for a version that does not require a dongle? Or why not just focus your efforts on trying to remove (or finding someone to remove) the dongle-protection itself? I very much doubt you're the first person over the decades to be confronted with a problem like this.

good point again, but several issues... like i said this program was written for dos in the early 90s and the bigger problem i have is that the company that wrote the program went out of business 15 or so years ago. and there are only 2 or 3 "experts" in the world who fully understand the software. lucky guys make tons of money! unfortunatly they arent programmers and dont understand the code of the software, they just understand every way that it could possibly work.

on a side note. there is a older version of that software that was "hacked" that works but its too basic and doesnt have most of the features needed. if necessary i can explain more. would you or anyone know any people that can "edit" the software to bypass the license key?

im not the first person to be confronted by this problem, im just the first person to confront it this way. most people just say screw it and spend their efforts on finding parts for the machine. but thats a problem bc those parts arent being made anymore and there are always less and less available...

Quote: Quote: I would suggest using a parallel port on a PCI card, but I don't know if you can share those with an OS running in […]
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Quote:
Quote:
I would suggest using a parallel port on a PCI card, but I don't know if you can share those with an OS running in a virtual machine.
I will try those out and get back to you, and it works on the back of a pci card, but the computer needs to be running dos, or are you saying that I should get a physical computer to run windows xp with dosbox ontop of it and try it that way with a dongle or a pci card?
One of the issues here is that it is not clear if the dongle will work with a USB-to-parallel converter. As such converters are not supported by DOS directly, the only way to know for sure is to test it with a Win9x machine (which should hopefully be able to both support the converter and run the DOS program).

i tried putting it ontop of a actual pc and it didnt work over the network im now in the process of trying it directly with a pc with dosbox on it.

Quote:
Also if someone could please explain porttalk id be very grateful!
What do you need explained?

i dont understand it at all. i think i installed it but i have no idea if it works or anything.

thanks again

Richard

im begging here. if anyone has time to help us and possibly walk us through it we are willing to pay anyone..

also, if anyone knows of a program that you can get to see the license key?

i cant explain it but we have a datamax label printer that needs to see a network license key (exactly like the one i need for dos) and there is a program called bartender that connects the license key to the computer that wants to print to the printer it wants to print to

i need one like this... any help?

richboy109 wrote:

on a side note. there is a older version of that software that was "hacked" that works but its too basic and doesnt have most of the features needed.

Well, if the older version can be "hacked", it's not impossible that the newer version can be hacked as well.

would you or anyone know any people that can "edit" the software to bypass the license key?

Not offhand, but I'm sure they must be out there. When I said "I very much doubt you're the first person over the decades to be confronted with a problem like this", I was referring to the problem of trying to run an old program from a dead company without having to use a security dongle.

i tried putting it ontop of a actual pc and it didnt work over the network im now in the process of trying it directly with a pc with dosbox on it.

You lost me there.

What do you need explained?

i dont understand it at all. i think i installed it but i have no idea if it works or anything.

This is a very poor way to begin, sir. Have you read the documentation, or any of the other threads that have been linked here so far?

The aforementioned Adding old dongle support to DosBox is actually a source patch for DOSBox that won't require PortTalk (or any port at all, once the dongle's data has been dumped). Whether or not it applies to your specific dongle depends on exactly what sort of dongle you have. (Many dongles apparently use the same internal circuitry but with different encryption data stored inside, you see.)

if anyone has time to help us and possibly walk us through it we are willing to pay anyone..

What part of the world are you located in, anyway?