Printing with application running under ms-dos

Rhudie67 Posted messages 29 Status Membre -  
 Rhudie67 -
Good evening,

I have an application running under MS-DOS and I want to print on a current laser printer.
How should I proceed?
My main PC is equipped with Windows 10 but I also have PCs on which I can install any OS. Should I install MS-DOS on one of the PCs with a utility that allows printing to my USB printer or can I use, for example, DOSBOX on my Windows PC, but with which utility to print on the USB printer?

I remain at your disposal for any further information.

Thank you in advance

PS: Which forum should I post my question on?

Configuration: Windows / Firefox 95.0

5 réponses

Anonymous user
 
Hello
Does your "DOS" program work well on your Windows 10??
Maybe you haven't tried it? Just do that first...

Does your "DOS" program have a printing function?
That's probably where to look...

Most "DOS" programs are able to print to a file...

Do it and let us know the format of that file, we will find a way to print it.

See you later
--
If the answer helped you, a little thank you is really nice...
Is it resolved? The green button at the top, that's great!

Let him who has never opened a user manual throw the first mouse ;-)
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Rhudie67 Posted messages 29 Status Membre
 
Good evening and best wishes,

thank you for your response.
I will reply in order. First of all, when we launch the application on Windows 10, we get the message "Application not supported for your PC, you need to find a version for it." If we run it with the command file, we get "16-bit application not supported."

I am showing you a copy of the print configuration menu of the app that I launch in DOSBOX 0.74-33

Finally, my app does not allow printing to a file.

Looking forward to your response,

Best regards
0
brucine Posted messages 24390 Registration date   Status Membre Last intervention   4 098
 
Hello,

I had answered this question, but my response has disappeared.

In real 16-bit DOS mode (and not in DOS emulation as written elsewhere), it is generally not possible to print to USB since DOS only recognizes LPTn (and COMn), and it is indeed not possible to run a 16-bit DOS application in Windows except through an emulator.

However, we can work around the issue either from the DOS station by directing the output to a text file that will then be imported into Windows, or by redirecting this output in MS-DOS mode under Windows to a USB printer via a NET USE command over the network or an appropriate utility:

https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-1274936-imprimer-sous-dos-vers-usb
0
Anonymous user
 
Hello
Have you tried Windows compatibility mode?
Right-click on the exe or com of the program, properties, compatibility tab...
You can try several times.
Can you try to copy the cmd file content here for us?

All DOS applications know how to print to a file, that was the norm back in the day!!
You just need to change the settings of yours...
And it's not the Graphical mode...

See you later
--
If the answer helped you, a little thank you would be very nice...
Is it resolved? The green button at the top is good!

Let he who has never opened a user manual throw the first mouse ;-)
0
Rhudie67 Posted messages 29 Status Membre
 
Hello,
to let you know that I tried the Windows compatibility mode, and my app doesn't open.
Tell me how to copy the cmd file? And what do you mean by cmd file?
Regarding printing to a file, if you want I can give you remote access to my PC so you can check it yourself.

Looking forward to your response,

Best regards
ER
0
brucine Posted messages 24390 Registration date   Status Membre Last intervention   4 098 > Rhudie67 Posted messages 29 Status Membre
 
Even if I repeat myself, a real 16-bit DOS application does not run under 64-bit Windows, even in compatibility mode.

If we use DOSBox, the trick would be to go through a customized version:
https://archive.org/details/DOSBox-Megabuild
to make it think that the bladders are lanterns by redirecting LPT1 to USB as follows:


edit config file
change:
#parallel1=file append:C:\Users\xxx\filename.txt
to:
parallel1=file dev:lpt1

then capture the LPT1 port in the command line:
net use LPT1: \\"PC name"\printer /persistent:yes
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Anonymous user > Rhudie67 Posted messages 29 Status Membre
 
Hello
It's you who say
"Application not supported for your PC, you need to find a version for it". When we run it with the command file, we get "16-bit application not supported". 


So, edit with a right click (there it is again ;-) what you call "command file" and paste the content here.4
See you!
0
brucine Posted messages 24390 Registration date   Status Membre Last intervention   4 098 > Anonymous user
 
It's definitely a deaf dialogue: Windows 10 in 64-bit mode cannot launch a 16-bit real mode DOS application (first error message), and if we launch it from the command console, we will get the second one (16-bit application not supported) and nothing more.

If we now run it in DosBox or equivalent, we're no longer in real DOS mode but in DOS emulation, and we can print to LPT without any problem, the issue being that current printers are no longer parallel, and we have to cheat to print to USB.

Even if we confuse, which we willingly do, the Windows command prompt in emulated DOS mode and real DOS mode, this console is not natively able to print to anything other than LPT, COM, or a real or simulated network printer; it's this last feature that we take advantage of to print to a USB printer:

https://ss64.com/nt/print.html
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Anonymous user > brucine Posted messages 24390 Registration date   Status Membre Last intervention  
 
Hello
There's no need to take it out on me...
See you later
0
Anonymous user
 
Good evening,

With this software, you should be able to print under DOS on Windows 10:

https://www.moyens.net/windows/comment-utiliser-vdos-pour-executer-danciens-programmes-dos-sous-windows-10/

Bernard4241.
0
Rhudie67
 
Good evening,

I have good news to share with you.
I am able to print using 2 small tools called "DOSPRINT" and "PRINTFIL", and the most interesting part is that I get the prints directly in PDF.

However, I am looking for someone to fix 2 functional anomalies in my application. In fact, when we launch 2 modules of the app, we are thrown out and find ourselves at the DOS Prompt.
I don't know how the app was developed. However, the app's launch .exe is accompanied by a .OVL

In the meantime,

Best regards
0