i'm curious: where can I get the game?

In the directory listing I don't see DOS4GW.exe which means that most likely it is statically compiled into the program, which also usually means that it doesn't look for external DOS extender executables, so we are kinda stuck with the inbuilt DOS4/GW professional of the game 🙁

One more thing that can be tried unset the DOS16M variable then create a file named TEX4.VMC with the following contents

1minmem = 8192
2maxmem = 16384
3virtualsize = 16384

Then set the following environment variable:

1SET DOS4GVM=@TEX4.VMC

Harry Potter wrote on Yesterday, 20:04:

i'm curious: where can I get the game?

Well, they're available digitally on Steam and GOG, but I'm not sure how possible they are to get working in a DOS environment. I'm using the original release.

MagefromAntares wrote on Yesterday, 20:10:

In the directory listing I don't see DOS4GW.exe which means that most likely it is statically compiled into the program, which a […]
Show full quote

In the directory listing I don't see DOS4GW.exe which means that most likely it is statically compiled into the program, which also usually means that it doesn't look for external DOS extender executables, so we are kinda stuck with the inbuilt DOS4/GW professional of the game 🙁

One more thing that can be tried unset the DOS16M variable then create a file named TEX4.VMC with the following contents

Copy code to clipboard

1minmem = 8192
2maxmem = 16384
3virtualsize = 16384

Then set the following environment variable:

Copy code to clipboard

1SET DOS4GVM=@TEX4.VMC

Yeah, I suspected it might be built in. But thanks for the suggestion. I'll give it a try and bit later and see.

DustyShinigami: are you able to change BIOS settings? Older BIOSes have an option to set the size of RAM. Also, I believe that HIMEM.SYS has an option to set the size of RAM. I don't know off-hand the switch or where to get the information, byt try Googling "himem.sys settings."

Uhh...can you give me an URL?

Harry Potter wrote on Yesterday, 20:24:

DustyShinigami: are you able to change BIOS settings? Older BIOSes have an option to set the size of RAM. Also, I believe that HIMEM.SYS has an option to set the size of RAM. I don't know off-hand the switch or where to get the information, byt try Googling "himem.sys settings."

I can adjust the BIOS settings, but I don’t recall seeing one to adjust the RAM. There is something that works for Harvester’s installer. A setting to do with a 16Mb hole. I might try that later; see if it helps.

Harry Potter wrote on Yesterday, 20:25:

Uhh...can you give me an URL?

For a copy of the game…? Well, for a site you can get it from for free, it’s best if I don’t. That would be frowned upon. 😄

But the GOG version…

https://www.gog.com/en/game/tex_murphy_the_pandora_directive

Thank you. I should be receiving a $100 gift card in the mail able to ask my people to buy it for me. 😀

Harry Potter wrote on Yesterday, 20:42:

Thank you. I should be receiving a $100 gift card in the mail able to ask my people to buy it for me. 😀

Awesome. They're great games. I would recommend all three of the FMV games in the series. Despite owning Overseer, I still haven't finished it. ^^;

MagefromAntares wrote on Yesterday, 20:10:

In the directory listing I don't see DOS4GW.exe which means that most likely it is statically compiled into the program, which a […]
Show full quote

In the directory listing I don't see DOS4GW.exe which means that most likely it is statically compiled into the program, which also usually means that it doesn't look for external DOS extender executables, so we are kinda stuck with the inbuilt DOS4/GW professional of the game 🙁

One more thing that can be tried unset the DOS16M variable then create a file named TEX4.VMC with the following contents

Copy code to clipboard

1minmem = 8192
2maxmem = 16384
3virtualsize = 16384

Then set the following environment variable:

Copy code to clipboard

1SET DOS4GVM=@TEX4.VMC

Does this file need to be created within the game’s directory or the C drive? And how do you mean, exactly, by unsetting the DOS16M variable? Is there an UNSET command?

I did it within the game’s directory anyway, but the same crash still happens. 😕

DOS doesn't have an UNSET command, but the SET command can erase a variable. Just type "SET var=" where var is the variable you want to erase.

Harry Potter wrote on Yesterday, 23:24:

DOS doesn't have an UNSET command, but the SET command can erase a variable. Just type "SET var=" where var is the variable you want to erase.

Ahh, gotcha. Thanks. 😀

Well, something different has happened. I unset that variable and then set what was suggested, whilst in the root of C (not sure if that makes a difference…?), and when I try loading the game/setup, I get the general protection fault straight away. At least doing it this early, it doesn’t freeze the system up.

A lot of the time the general protection fault overlayed onto the software UI is because of some strange or incompatible sound setting (or even sound hardware issue) - My guess is if you run the game with no sound device selected it will work fine. Probably worth doing as a troubleshooting step.

NeoG_ wrote on Today, 00:08:

A lot of the time the general protection fault overlayed onto the software UI is because of some strange or incompatible sound setting (or even sound hardware issue) - My guess is if you run the game with no sound device selected it will work fine. Probably worth doing as a troubleshooting step.

Will try that now. I suspect you’re right and it’ll load up.

Whilst trying to remember the name of my custom batch file, I did load up the Pandora.bat file in a text editor and it has this:

First I have to say that NeoG_ is right, general protection fault is a quite general error, so it is very well possible that it might be caused by something else than DOS4/GW attempting to use memory, in fact it is possible that the error is caused by something unrelated to DOS4/GW, it is just making DOS4/GW fail.

Well at least by the change of behaviour, it seems that the DOS4/GW version linked into this game supports the DOS4GVM environment variable, unfortunately VMC files are a lot more limited in what can be set than the other environment variables 🙁

It is unfortunate that:

1set DOS4G=verbose

didn't work, as that can make the error messages given by DOS4/GW so much more useful...

MagefromAntares wrote on Today, 05:58:

First I have to say that NeoG_ is right, general protection fault is a quite general error, so it is very well possible that it […]
Show full quote

First I have to say that NeoG_ is right, general protection fault is a quite general error, so it is very well possible that it might be caused by something else than DOS4/GW attempting to use memory, in fact it is possible that the error is caused by something unrelated to DOS4/GW, it is just making DOS4/GW fail.

Well at least by the change of behaviour, it seems that the DOS4/GW version linked into this game supports the DOS4GVM environment variable, unfortunately VMC files are a lot more limited in what can be set than the other environment variables 🙁

It is unfortunate that:

Copy code to clipboard

1set DOS4G=verbose

didn't work, as that can make the error messages given by DOS4/GW so much more useful...

I’ll give it a try with 86Box next. I’m sure it’ll be fine with that, though it still won’t pin-point what’s triggering the issue.

Would the CPU affect it at all? Is there no setting I could put in that Pandora.bat file that would help? Specifically for the dos4vgm variable?

Okay, this makes for a nice change. Usually things are fine with 86Box, but in this case, the issue happens there, too. Which is good because it makes it easier and quicker for testing. 😀

The MPU-401 and Roland Sound Canvas options work, but the MT-32 option doesn't, despite having a virtual one configured.

Also tried the 15-16MB memory hole setting in the BIOS and lowering the amount of RAM to 16MB. The issue still happens. 🙁