Running a 16-bit DOS software on Windows 10 64-bit

zouriteman -  
 zouriteman -
Hello,
in response to those who do not know how to do it, I would like to point out that there is an excellent application, DBDOS (current version 6), which allows you to run old 16-bit programs (DOS or Win95); I use it to run DBASE version 3, which enables me to work on DBF files.
This is a paid software (about $100 US, quite variable depending on promotional periods), and it can be purchased from DBASE - INC.
G CHABANT

Configuration: Windows / Chrome 80.0.3987.163

8 answers

  1. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   Ambassador 1 313
     
    Hello,
    isn't there a trial version?

    --

    “Take your chance, seize your happiness and go towards your risk. By looking at you, they will get used to it.” René Char
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  2. zouriteman
     
    see the site http://www.dbase.com
    There is no TRIAL version, the current official price is $149, but I often receive promotional offers
    I can only tell you that it works very well.
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    1. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 313
       
      I was just wondering how MS-DOS was executed back in the day: we would put the boot program of a few kilobytes on a floppy disk in FAT and boot from it? We executed .exe files? Thanks for the information!
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  3. zouriteman
     
    MS-DOS was most often found on a floppy disk. I experienced the large 5.25-inch floppy disks (very flexible) of 256 KB around 1980, then the 3.5-inch rigid floppies of 512 KB, but also the first hard drives (5 to 20 million bytes).
    If you have a 3.5" floppy drive (generally designated A:\), you can easily boot with MS-DOS, or one of its free clones that are easily downloadable: DR-DOS, FREE-DOS, 4DOS.
    The executables are .EXE, .COM, and possibly .BAT files.

    Under WINDOWS 10 (or 7 or 8), you have the equivalent of MS-DOS, under the <windows key=""> -- RUN -- type CMD.
    A (black) window opens and you have nearly what you would have by booting MS-DOS, with some pros and cons.

    The essential problem is that the old applications (the .COM and .EXE) from that time, which are in "16-bit" format, do not work at all with a WIN-10 64-bit. They, however, work with Win-10 32-bit (included in WIN-10 PRO at about €150) and of course with WIN-XP (but which is abandoned by almost everyone).

    But the interest of DBDOS from DBASE.COM is that it adds functionalities that do not exist in original MS-DOS: PRINTING (on USB or Network printers), USB drives, access to large capacity disks (MS-DOS only recognizes small disks in FAT16), sound management, etc. ...</windows>
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    1. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 313
       
      Thank you for all this information!
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      1. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 313 > quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
         
        I tried on Windows XP, but the DOS commands are "bad dos", it won't open! It's an MS-DOS from 1986 put on a 1.44 MB floppy disk!
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      2. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 313 > quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
         
        In fact, to be on 32-bit under XP, I used an XP on VirtualBox, and I cannot boot from the floppy disk from the VM?
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      3. extempor Posted messages 2165 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   884 > quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
         
        Hello,

        the problem is that there are a plethora of MS-DOS versions...

        The last one I used with Win 3.11 was 6.22 (3.5-inch floppy disks of 1.44 MB), then with Win 95 it was integrated into the system.
        https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS
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    2. jean_marie
       
      Hello.

      Where can I install Windows 2000 on VirtualBox to get back that precious old DOS? Where can I find the Windows 2000 ISO? Surely online?
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  4. Anonymous user
     
    Do you know DOSBOX or what? At least DOSBOX is free.
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    1. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 313
       
      You have to learn some commands, but it's not bad for 1988... heehee!
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  5. zouriteman
     
    YES, DosBOX is pretty good too, free, but you need to know how to set it up;
    in particular, there is a parameter set too low (number of cycles) by default, which gives terrible performance (on my 10-year-old PC, with a Pentium Core E7400);
    I had to increase it from about 4000 to 50000.
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    1. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 313
       
      With DOS, apart from playing games, what else could we do? Listen to music, type a text, etc...?
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      1. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 313 > extempor Posted messages 2165 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
         
        Ok thanks!
        There are composers who connected Fairlights to microcomputers to compose melodies too... ;)
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  6. zouriteman
     
    As today, there were millions of businesses using professional software: accounting, client files, invoicing, etc... Including technical drawing software (Turbo-CAD for example), and data management software, of which the three most well-known are: DBASE (DBF) and its variant CLIPPER, PARADOX, FOXPRO.
    For the individual user, the only utility of DOS / 16-bit emulators is to run old games they experienced in their youth, or to continue using software they are comfortable with, without having to invest money (I'm thinking of alternatives to WORD or EXCEL for example).
    For the professional user, it is to run old applications whose developer has disappeared, or has not ported them to WIN32 or WIN64, or has prohibitively high prices.
    There is a nostalgic resurgence for old simple games like PacMan, etc...
    For my part, my only necessity is to use DBASE3 to easily perform tasks on my personal application files (Accounting) and those of my association (Payroll, Accounting, Activities, Staff Planning, ....)
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    1. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 313
       
      Thank you for all these clear and precise explanations. If you have any other names of exciting games under Dosbox, I'm interested, "pacman" is not bad at all!

      P.S.: I'd also like the Dosbox settings, or where to find them, not in the installation program?
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  7. zouriteman
     
    You will find a list of 3888 old games, several hundred of which run in DosBox, here:
    https://www.dosbox.com/comp_list.php?letter=a

    It's up to you to make your choice and find old floppy disks, or download them if you find websites that offer them!
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    1. quentin2121 Posted messages 9010 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 313
       
      Thank you very much!

      Is there a way to run DOSBox in full screen in game mode?
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  8. zouriteman
     
    YES, keyboard shortcut ALT + ENTER

    or in the config file:

    section [sdl]
    fullscreen=true
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