This may be a stupid question....

[Allen Schoessler]

I just got a new computer which runs Windows ME. I have an old, old DOS program which I want to install, and it WILL NOT run under Windows. I have tried everything. The program never will run under Windows, and it never has, even under Windows 3.1. (That was years ago.)

So, I want to run my DOS program. Windows ME won't let me boot to DOS, even if I try to get the Boot Menu. Microsoft has removed the "Command Prompt Only" option. Has anyone found a way to get into DOS without being in Windows ME?

I don't have an answer,

but it really pisses me off, all of the off-the-shelf computers sold currently, run WinME. And the O/S is horrible, it's too.... I can't describe the feelings I have. It's like when you see a little kid looking at a book and it's like "look at all the pretty colors".

[Allen Schoessler]

And they made it so babyish... If you delete a shortcut to a program, it says, "Deleting this will NOT remove the program. This is just a shortcut. To delete the program, go to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel."

And of course "Add/Remove Programs" is a hyperlink - We're too stupid to know where the Control Panel is....

You can shut that message off, but there are tons of others...

[Jeff_1]

But there is a registry command ( i think ) that will allow you to use DOS again... if you go to www.regedit.com and look around ( it has been so long since i been there i forgot where ) there should be a regestry edit command that you could use to open dos..

again i am not sure though...

[HarryW]

Yeah I've heard you can get the DOS prompt back in ME.

Originally posted by Allen Schoessler
And they made it so babyish... If you delete a shortcut to a program, it says, "Deleting this will NOT remove the program. This is just a shortcut. To delete the program, go to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel."

And of course "Add/Remove Programs" is a hyperlink - We're too stupid to know where the Control Panel is....

You can shut that message off, but there are tons of others...


And they have to specify what kind of drive it is, (C:\ local drive, D:\ cdrom drive) having the little icons isn't enough for the stupid people.

sometimes I have nightmares of having to use WinME... it may sound strange.. but I really do, WinME is the worst O/S I've ever used...

And it's so slow...... I used it on a 1.4ghz machine at the store, and I've never seen the timer cursor run for so long..

and the interface is horrible, it's too bright and colorful, too many dialogs, they idiot proofed everything. If people are stupid enough that they learn from the dialogs in WinME, well, they shouldn't be using a computer :mad:

[sail3005]

you could use a plain win98 bootdisk to boot to dos, and then install/play the game.

[Iain17]

Well, well, well, aren’t we all the elite here. ;) If you think you could write a better OS Dennis, feel free.

Of course they are trying to make it easy to use, would you rather an OS that took you a day to find out how to do something. No, didn’t think so. Just because it is easier to use and looks pretty doesn’t make it a bad program. Think about what you are saying, would you like games that look awful and are impossibly hard to use, no I didn’t think so.

I am not saying this is the case with all of you, but often the people that moan about OS’s that are easy to use are those that need to fell they are above other people, or have something to prove. It is a simple case of, look I know everything about this really hard to use OS, yeah great mate, well done, I think I will spend my time with an easy to use OS that does not require my entire life devoted to it. :rolleyes:

I know I can't write a better one....

I know of a tutorial which shows how to write a simple one, but I'm not even going to attempt it....

I'm not saying I'm better than anybody else(well not in this thread ;)), but it's just, things are fun when there is a little bit of a challenge. Of course, I would not want to spend a day trying to find something out, but MS has taken out accesability to DOS(not completely, but it's diffictult trying to boot into it), because DOS isn't as easy as windows.

A thing I don't like about things that are easy, is, there is always something wrong. AOL is horrible, there are too many users, it's slow, etc. And all because it's easier to use than anything else, of course WinME is not an ISP, so more users will not make it slower, but it's harder to fix problems when you can't easily boot into DOS. And possibly all of the added features that make something simple, also make it slow.

I don't really know what conclusion I am trying to reach.... but all I'm saying is, WinME sucks..... 98 isn't the best OS in the world(I would prefer BSD, Linux, or Win2k), but it's simple enough to use.

Plus, all those "extra" features that make it easy, also make people feel like idiots...

[Allen Schoessler]

OK - I got into DOS. I agree with Dennis: Windows ME SMELLS, STINKS, and I HATE it. There I feel better.

There were no Registry tweaks for booting DOS. One thing said to change the "BootGUI" setting in MSDOS.SYS from 1 to 0, but that didn't do anything. (It didn't mention WinME, I assume it works on 9x)

So I made a Windows ME boot disk, which allowed me to boot to a screen which allowed me to start DOS. Then I started my program. (It is a graphics editing program, by the way. I used it a long time ago and liked it a lot. I want to see it again just for fun.) It said that it couldn't start because there was no Microsoft or compatable mouse installed.

I have an IBM ScrollPoint II mouse, and I could find no DOS drivers in its directory. Anyone have an idea on how to fix that?

(Oh, Dennis, and have you seen the new Windows ME File Type Register box? I got mad at that one today...)

[Guv]

I have not used ME yet, but was told by a knowledgeable friend that you could run DOS programs from a DOS Window, much the way you do in Windows 9x.

Windows 98 supplies 3 DOS Prompt shortcuts with various customizing options, allowing for doing some of the functions you used to do with AutoExec.BAT & Config.SYS. Two of the Shortcuts are set up for use with Games and/or programs requiring DOS EMS/XMS memory support.

I was told that Windows ME provided similar facilities for running DOS programs, but did not allow you to boot into DOS Prompt mode.

WAEFRN (When All Else Fails Read Manual): Have you checked the ME help files or a manual? There is probably some way to get a DOS Window and/or invoke DOS programs.

Windows ME might prevent a DOS program from doing some of the functions you used to be able to do in DOS.

While most of my DOS programs run under Windows 98, some do not. I am not sure why. Perhaps they might if I set up the correct environment. Perhaps there are some DOS Functions no longer supported by Windows 98. I assume that Windows ME presents similar problems.

[Active]

So no one Saw this ??

http://www.sgmvp.freewebsites.com/WinME_DOS/Win-ME.htm

Originally posted by Allen Schoessler

(Oh, Dennis, and have you seen the new Windows ME File Type Register box? I got mad at that one today...)

I haven't seen it yet, I've only used WinME on a store computer, I would never install that trash on my PC...:eek:.. Why did it make you so mad?

I think what people are trying to say is its not bad that things are made easier, its bad that the "difficult" things are removed.

It's like in school when you were'nt allowed to read the other books "because they'd be too hard". Dont censor people, just allow them to find their own level. It makes you feel stupid to be prevented from something you are capable of because somebody else says its hard to do..!

*I'll get down off my soapbox now...*

[sail3005]

Allen Schoessler....

The windows bootdisk won't run a mouse driver when it starts. My friend and I however have made one that will do this. I can attach it or something if you need/want it.

[Iain17]

Yeah, i like dos as well, i like the fact that if you ahve a problem with windows you can boot to dos and sort out a corrupted file ir whatever.

The point is that we cannot keep backwards compatability forever. To be perfectly honest, supporting Dos has been holding back the development of windows for years.

I am sad to see it go, but it is the end of an era now.

[Chris_SE]

At the store where I work, we always discourage ME. The main problem is not because its babyish(which it is though), but because the driver support is horrendous. Also, I believe Dennis said the 1.4 ghz cpu ran slow, that is most likely due to the fact that P4's are not truely backwards compatible. That makes then run horribly on current software. Give me an Athlon anyday

[Allen Schoessler]

(posted by Active)
So no one Saw this ??

Thanks! I got the mouse drivers from the site, ran them from DOS, and then my program ran.

However, now that I can do it, I want to make it into a simpler process. I would like the boot disk to boot me directly to the A:\>, if that is possible. sail3005, does the disk you and your friend made do that?

Guv: Windows ME took the "Advanced" button off the PIF file properties box, and so running them as under Windows 9x is impossible. It does include one botton which says "Prevent MSDOS programs from detecting Windows ME," but this does not effect the program.
Windows ME also removed those DOS shortcuts.

WAEFRN - hehe, I tried that. The new Windows ME troubleshooter is very horrible and offered little help. Running MS-DOS programs was not on the main troubleshoot list, I had to search to find it. Then it suggested to do what I'd already tried. And it offered no solution, but expected me to contact the manufacturer of the 15 year-old program.

The File Type Register box, Dennis, has had most of the options removed. But there is an Advanced button which lets you do some of the Windows 9x functions. If people weren't smart enough to figure out the Windows 9x box without an Advanced button, they shouldn't be registering files....

Originally posted by Allen Schoessler
If people weren't smart enough to figure out the Windows 9x box without an Advanced button, they shouldn't be registering files....

That's what I've been trying to say the whole time! Win9x was easy enough for any average person to use without much hassle.

[dbowling]

in windows 2000 you can go to Start Run then type in Cmd and it will run in the dos mode. But i bet that your dos program will no run?? May be worth a try!

[HarryW]

Yeah I've noticed that in NT you type 'cmd', but in 98 and the like, you type 'command'.

[Mark Sreeves]

Personally, this constant change in operating systems really P*sses me off!

there seems to be the mentality that a pc should take X second to boot-up and z seconds to do anything usefull.

As the speed odf PCs increase M$ add more crap to the OS to slow them down again.

When I was a University a few years ago we had a room of P200s and they awesome. Why? because they were still running Win3.11 thats's why. The boot-up time was amost instant.


I'm not saying 3.11 is the mutt's nuts...
I use NT4 and that suits me perfectly.

Originally posted by Mark Sreeves
As the speed odf PCs increase M$ add more crap to the OS to slow them down again.

yea agree.... M$ spend to much time making it look good than getting the bugs out and making it more stable... i would be quite happy to go back to win95/winNT4 if they were stable and would neva crash!!

Ive used ME as we have some at work which we cant find device drivers for the bloody hardware for any OS other than ME!!!

[NeoBlade]

You wait till Windows XP, that's REALLY gonna piss everyone off. Like the illegal music protection for a start!

[Active]

Originally posted by Mark Sreeves
When I was a University a few years ago we had a room of P200s and they awesome.

Mark..You are Great !.. I mean ... You are a University
By yourself. :)