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re: Old DOS Game Friday, December 21, 2001 at 5:37 pm Posted by Dale (700 messages posted) Most older games will not run on Win98. On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Friday, December 21, 2001 at 6:00 pm Posted by Michael R. Walls (6 messages posted) Hey, Dale, Thanks for the post. I know that a lot of the older games won't play in 98, but after reading some of the posts here, I'm gonna hedge my bets, and hope that someone has done the "impossible" out here. Thanks again! Michael On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 5:37 pm, Dale wrote: >Most older games will not run on Win98. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Friday, December 21, 2001 at 6:56 pm Posted by carl (316 messages posted) I am running a couple of old dos pgms(I mean like dos 3) not rpt not games and no problems in win 98 and did nothing different in loading them. On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from there. This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then select Command Prompt Only, or you can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the [Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set BootMenu=0. You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, you can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: [menu] menuitem=Windows menuitem=gamename menudefault=gamename,10 [common] variables common to both programs [Windows] variables needed by Windows [program name] variables needed by gamename gamename pathname [common] more variables common to both programs For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: Commands common to both programs goto %config% :Windows Commands needed by Windows goto end :gamename Commands needed by gamename C:\windows\win.com :end Commands common to both programs Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. Let us know how it works out. On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Friday, December 21, 2001 at 11:23 pm Posted by amaralliya e. thenardier (3194 messages posted) so booting to DOS won't allow you to run them, either? [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 4:43 am Posted by Lenny (3 messages posted) I have installed a lot of old DOS games on computers at a school for exceptional children (disabled and retarded) in Freeport, Bahamas. Most of them work OK, but there are a few problems. They have some computers with Windows 95 and others with Windows ME. I have Windows 98 at home. I installed Reader Rabbit I which works OK on all machines. When I try to run Reader Rabbit II, I get a blue screen with the message "LOADING READER RABBIT II" and it freezes there. "Word Rescue" works on Windows 98 and 95. On Windows ME it works but without the back ground music. The option for "ALL Sounds" is checked in the program. I had a similar problem with "Treasure Mt". Is there a way to set these programs up to run properly. I would want a way that would allow the chilren to run them from a desk top icon without having to restart in DOS mode or press F8. Lennyh On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 4:59 pm Posted by Michael R. Walls (6 messages posted) Hey, Amaralliyade, Thank you for responding. No, I get a message that the drivers for my sound card failed to load. Also, it appears that the cdrom is not recognized, even though I can access it in DOS. When I try to start the game, it tells me I have to load it, though it's already loaded in Windows. I don't expect a response anytime soon, but thanx, and enjoy your Holiday Season. Michael On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 11:23 pm, amaralliya e. thenardier wrote: >so booting to DOS won't allow you to run them, either? [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 5:04 pm Posted by Michael R. Walls (6 messages posted) Wow, Everett!! Thank you for the quick response. I'm sitting here reading your instructions, and breaking out in a cold sweat. I don't mean to sound stupid, but I will admit that I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to rewriting files. I'm going to give it my best shot, and just have some fun with it. ( I have a backup computer set up). I'm a little confused when you talk of common variables, though, and would like a bit more info before I begin. This is the Holiday season, so I really don;'t expect to hear back from you til next year, but let me say "Many, many Thanks" in advance! Respect Michael On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 5:10 pm Posted by CoolSights2000 (983 messages posted) Have you tried any of the game sites to see if there are any patches available also after you load the game on the puter right click on the desktop and create a short cut to the exe file.. when you create a shortcut from the desktop a different kind short cut is made for DOS games.. if the short cut is made correctly when you right click and do the properties thing you will see 5 tabs General,Program,Font,Memory,Screen,Misc Good Luck! On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 11:07 pm Posted by amaralliya e. thenardier (3194 messages posted) windows, unlike DOS, has inherent CD-ROM support. to use the drive in DOS, you'll need to load a DOS driver. do you have DOS drivers for the drive? what sound card does the machine have? [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Sunday, December 23, 2001 at 3:53 am Posted by Lenny (11 messages posted) On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. I am not familiar with "Afraid of the Dark". However I have a lot of old DOS games, some of which run in Windows 98 without any special effort and some don't. One of these was "Reader Rabbit 2", and I just found a way to run it. I assume you know how to make a desk top icon either by dragging the exe file from Windows explorer to the desk top, or by right clicking in a space on the desk top, selecting "New", "Short cut" giving the file location, naming the file, picking an icon if necessary, etc. Once you have the icon on the desk top, right click on it. Select properties. Select the "program" tab, then "advanced". Then check MS DOS. You can uncheck the "warn me" button, since this is just an annoyance. Let me know if this works. If it does, maybe you can send me a copy of "Afraid of the Dark" as a zipped attachment. I have a lot of old DOS games, most of which work in Windows 98 and, if interested, I could possibly send them to you as attachments. Do you have Reader Rabbit 1 and 2, Word Rescue, and AMY? What age range children do you have? Lenny Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Sunday, December 23, 2001 at 8:24 am Posted by Michael R. Walls (6 messages posted) Wow! Thank you for the tip. Yes, I did read your letter, along with a LOT of others. I tried to answer them all, but I guess I missed you! Thank YOU! I don't know if this will work, and as it's Xmas, I'll have to try it when I can sneak away from the kids. I would be glad to send you this file, if you'll explain how to zip it! I've never tried, but I'll try it on my own now, and read the help files! Merry Christmas, Lenny! On Sunday, December 23, 2001 at 3:53 am, Lenny wrote: > > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. > >I am not familiar with "Afraid of the Dark". However I have a lot of old DOS games, >some of which run in Windows 98 without any special effort and some don't. One >of these was "Reader Rabbit 2", and I just found a way to run it. >I assume you know how to make a desk top icon either by dragging the exe file from >Windows explorer to the desk top, or by right clicking in a space on the desk top, >selecting "New", "Short cut" giving the file location, naming the file, picking an >icon if necessary, etc. >Once you have the icon on the desk top, right click on it. Select properties. Select >the "program" tab, then "advanced". Then check MS DOS. You can uncheck the "warn >me" button, since this is just an annoyance. > >Let me know if this works. If it does, maybe you can send me a copy of "Afraid of >the Dark" as a zipped attachment. > >I have a lot of old DOS games, most of which work in Windows 98 and, if interested, >I could possibly send them to you as attachments. >Do you have Reader Rabbit 1 and 2, Word Rescue, and AMY? What age range children >do you have? >Lenny > > > > > > >Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Sunday, December 23, 2001 at 4:08 pm Posted by Michael R. Walls (6 messages posted) I'm using a SBLive card, and I have tried using a floppy containing cdrom drivers. It loads to C:\CDROM. Thanks for responding. On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 11:07 pm, amaralliya e. thenardier wrote: >windows, unlike DOS, has inherent CD-ROM support. to use the drive in DOS, you'll >need to load a DOS driver. do you have DOS drivers for the drive? > >what sound card does the machine have? [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Sunday, December 30, 2001 at 2:36 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Michael: there appears to be more interest in running DOS games from an icon on the Desktop so that children do not have to restart or reboot their computers. There are about seven progressive stages in the process depending on how difficult the DOS game may be to run properly. The good news is that there is a way to have Windows do the work so that the child (or adult for that matter) has only to click on the icon for the game! I may be interrupted so please bear with me as the steps may take two or more messages. First, the DOS game should be installed in its own folder on the root directory and the .exe file identified, for example; C:\MAXWELL\688.EXE within the DOS limitations of 8 characters for the name and 3 characters for the extension. Next create the ICON for the game by right-clicking the Desktop, select New, select Shortcut. Type in the command line: C:\Foldername\DOS.exe file name A dialog box will likely pop up saying: "This file cannot be found...". Click OK and then click on the Browse button and drill down to the games' .exe file, click Open, click Next, give the new Shortcut a name, choose an icon symbol, click Finish. You now have the key ingredients set up for further use. Must go.... more to follow. On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 5:04 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: > >Wow, Everett!! > > Thank you for the quick response. I'm sitting here reading your instructions, >and breaking out in a cold sweat. I don't mean to sound stupid, but I will admit >that I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to rewriting files. I'm going to give >it my best shot, and just have some fun with it. ( I have a backup computer set up). > I'm a little confused when you talk of common variables, though, and would like >a bit more info before I begin. This is the Holiday season, so I really don;'t expect >to hear back from you til next year, but let me say "Many, many Thanks" in advance! > Respect Michael > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Sunday, December 30, 2001 at 3:05 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Lenny: you are doing good deeds for the young ones. You have rightly expressed an interest in running DOS games from an icon on the Desktop so that children do not have to restart or reboot their computers. There are about seven progressive stages in the process depending on how difficult the DOS game may be to run properly. The good news is that there is a way to have Windows do the work so that the child (or adult for that matter) has only to click on the icon for the game! I may be interrupted so please bear with me as the steps may take two or more messages. First, the DOS game should be installed in its own folder on the root directory and the .exe file identified, for example; C:\MAXWELL\688.EXE within the DOS limitations of 8 characters for the name and 3 characters for the extension. Next create the ICON for the game by right-clicking the Desktop, select New, select Shortcut. Type in the command line: C:\Foldername\DOS.exe file name A dialog box will likely pop up saying: "This file cannot be found...". Click OK and then click on the Browse button and drill down to the games' .exe file, click Open, click Next, give the new Shortcut a name, choose an icon symbol, click Finish. You now have the key ingredients set up for further use. Must go.... more to follow. On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 4:43 am, Lenny wrote: >I have installed a lot of old DOS games on computers at a school for exceptional >children (disabled and retarded) in Freeport, Bahamas. Most of them work OK, but >there are a few problems. They have some computers with Windows 95 and others with >Windows ME. I have Windows 98 at home. > >I installed Reader Rabbit I which works OK on all machines. When I try to run Reader >Rabbit II, I get a blue screen with the message "LOADING READER RABBIT II" and it >freezes there. > >"Word Rescue" works on Windows 98 and 95. On Windows ME it works but without the >back ground music. The option for "ALL Sounds" is checked in the program. I had >a similar problem with "Treasure Mt". >Is there a way to set these programs up to run properly. I would want a way that >would allow the chilren to run them from a desk top icon without having to restart >in DOS mode or press F8. >Lennyh > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Monday, December 31, 2001 at 4:47 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Michael: now that the game's icon is in place we can move onto the next step; trying to run the game without any further reconfiguration. Click on the icon to start the game. Windows will recognize your game as DOS-based and will try to adjust to the game's resource needs.If the game works properly at this stage you need go no further. There are two principles involved in this process: 1. make changes only if necessary, and 2. all changes are customized to apply to the specific game and do NOT apply to other games nor to your system as a whole. You will have to repeat the process for each and every DOS game. It may happen, at this point, that Windows will produce a dialog box saying: " Program requires MS-DOS Mode" and asking if you want to change the shortcut properties. Click "Yes" and a dialog box will appear for "Configuration Options". The four options are: 1. EMS: to load the EMM386 driver and upper memory blocks (UMBs). 2. Disk Cache: loads the SmartDrv disk cache program to improve disk I/O performance. 3. Doskey: for command line editing. 4. Direct Disk Access: enables the game to directly modify disk data structure. At this point, enable EMS and restart the game. If the game now works well, proceed no further. If not, enable SmartDrv. Restart the game...etc. until all options are enabled. Now if you do NOT see the above dialog box and/or you are still not happy with the game's performance, we move onto the next stage which will be the subject of the next message. More to follow... On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 5:04 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: > >Wow, Everett!! > > Thank you for the quick response. I'm sitting here reading your instructions, >and breaking out in a cold sweat. I don't mean to sound stupid, but I will admit >that I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to rewriting files. I'm going to give >it my best shot, and just have some fun with it. ( I have a backup computer set up). > I'm a little confused when you talk of common variables, though, and would like >a bit more info before I begin. This is the Holiday season, so I really don;'t expect >to hear back from you til next year, but let me say "Many, many Thanks" in advance! > Respect Michael > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Monday, December 31, 2001 at 5:23 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Lenny: now that the game's icon is in place we can move onto the next step; trying to run the game without any further reconfiguration. Click on the icon to start the game. Windows will recognize your game as DOS-based and will try to adjust to the game's resource needs.If the game works properly at this stage you need go no further. There are two principles involved in this process: 1. make changes only if necessary, and 2. all changes are customized to apply to the specific game and do NOT apply to other games nor to your system as a whole. You will have to repeat the process for each and every DOS game. It may happen, at this point, that Windows will produce a dialog box saying: " Program requires MS-DOS Mode" and asking if you want to change the shortcut properties. Click "Yes" and a dialog box will appear for "Configuration Options". The four options are: 1. EMS: to load the EMM386 driver and upper memory blocks (UMBs). 2. Disk Cache: loads the SmartDrv disk cache program to improve disk I/O performance. 3. Doskey: for command line editing. 4. Direct Disk Access: enables the game to directly modify disk data structure. At this point, enable EMS and restart the game. If the game now works well, proceed no further. If not, enable SmartDrv. Restart the game...etc. until all options are enabled. Now if you do NOT see the above dialog box and/or you are still not happy with the game's performance, we move onto the next stage which will be the subject of the next message. More to follow... On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 4:43 am, Lenny wrote: >I have installed a lot of old DOS games on computers at a school for exceptional >children (disabled and retarded) in Freeport, Bahamas. Most of them work OK, but >there are a few problems. They have some computers with Windows 95 and others with >Windows ME. I have Windows 98 at home. > >I installed Reader Rabbit I which works OK on all machines. When I try to run Reader >Rabbit II, I get a blue screen with the message "LOADING READER RABBIT II" and it >freezes there. > >"Word Rescue" works on Windows 98 and 95. On Windows ME it works but without the >back ground music. The option for "ALL Sounds" is checked in the program. I had >a similar problem with "Treasure Mt". >Is there a way to set these programs up to run properly. I would want a way that >would allow the chilren to run them from a desk top icon without having to restart >in DOS mode or press F8. >Lennyh > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Tuesday, January 1, 2002 at 2:27 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Michael: Stage 3. Advanced Program Settings Dialog Box. right-click the game icon and select Properties, select Program tab, click on Advanced button, and enable the following: Prevent MS-DOS-based program from detecting Windows (if not already shaded out); also enable MS-DOS Mode. Now run the game again and see if it works properly, if it does you can stop here, if it does not then proceed to.... Stage 4. return to the Advanced Program Settings dialog box and this time enable the line that reads: "Specify a new MS-DOS configuration". Enter he following in the CONFIG.SYS window (if not already there), each on its own line: DOS=HIGH,UMB Device=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS DeviceHigh=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE Enter the following in the AUTOEXEC.BAT window (if not already there), each on its own line: SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP SET PROMPT=$p$g Note: any changes here will apply ONLY to the game activated by the icon selected. Now run the game again...if happy, can stop here...if not happy, move to Stage 5, which will be the subject of the next message.... P.S. Happy New Year and I hope your daughter appreciates all your hard work on her behalf!... On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 5:04 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: > >Wow, Everett!! > > Thank you for the quick response. I'm sitting here reading your instructions, >and breaking out in a cold sweat. I don't mean to sound stupid, but I will admit >that I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to rewriting files. I'm going to give >it my best shot, and just have some fun with it. ( I have a backup computer set up). > I'm a little confused when you talk of common variables, though, and would like >a bit more info before I begin. This is the Holiday season, so I really don;'t expect >to hear back from you til next year, but let me say "Many, many Thanks" in advance! > Respect Michael > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Tuesday, January 1, 2002 at 2:59 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Lenny: Stage 3. Advanced Program Settings Dialog Box. right-click the game icon and select Properties, select Program tab, click on Advanced button, and enable the following: Prevent MS-DOS-based program from detecting Windows (if not already shaded out); also enable MS-DOS Mode. Now run the game again and see if it works properly, if it does you can stop here, if it does not then proceed to.... Stage 4. return to the Advanced Program Settings dialog box and this time enable the line that reads: "Specify a new MS-DOS configuration". Enter he following in the CONFIG.SYS window (if not already there), each on its own line: DOS=HIGH,UMB Device=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS DeviceHigh=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE Enter the following in the AUTOEXEC.BAT window (if not already there), each on its own line: SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP SET PROMPT=$p$g Note: any changes here will apply ONLY to the game activated by the icon selected. Now run the game again...if happy, can stop here...if not happy, move to Stage 5, which will be the subject of the next message.... P.S. Happy New Year and I hope the children in Freeport appreciate all your hard work on their behalf!... On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 4:43 am, Lenny wrote: >I have installed a lot of old DOS games on computers at a school for exceptional >children (disabled and retarded) in Freeport, Bahamas. Most of them work OK, but >there are a few problems. They have some computers with Windows 95 and others with >Windows ME. I have Windows 98 at home. > >I installed Reader Rabbit I which works OK on all machines. When I try to run Reader >Rabbit II, I get a blue screen with the message "LOADING READER RABBIT II" and it >freezes there. > >"Word Rescue" works on Windows 98 and 95. On Windows ME it works but without the >back ground music. The option for "ALL Sounds" is checked in the program. I had >a similar problem with "Treasure Mt". >Is there a way to set these programs up to run properly. I would want a way that >would allow the chilren to run them from a desk top icon without having to restart >in DOS mode or press F8. >Lennyh > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Wednesday, January 2, 2002 at 9:06 am Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Michael: a correction for the previous message; for DOS to load high properly it must follow after the HIMEM.SYS line, which in turn must be before the EMM386.EXE line. Also DEVICEHIGH is not effective for EMM386 or for HIMEM. Please revise the window in the Advanced Program Settings Dialog (APSD) box to read: DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE DOS=HIGH,UMB Now try running the game again...if still not good enough, proceed to Stage 5: Additions/Changes to CONFIG.SYS in the APSD windows. For the CONFIG.SYS file, add the following: REM Files: default=8, max=255 FILESHIGH=20 REM Stacks: default=9,128, max=64,512 REM second figure is Stack size in bytes STACKSHIGH=18,128 REM Buffers: max=99,8 . See game readme.txt. BUFFERSHIGH=20 REM FCBS:file control blocks for DOS 1 game REM default=4, max=255 FCBSHIGH=4 REM Switch: turns off enhanced keyboard function SWITCHES= /K REM the line below is for sound driver:insert own DEVICEHIGH=C:\pathtosounddvr\sounddvr /switch Next we will look at the AUTOEXEC.BAT...to follow On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 5:04 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: > >Wow, Everett!! > > Thank you for the quick response. I'm sitting here reading your instructions, >and breaking out in a cold sweat. I don't mean to sound stupid, but I will admit >that I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to rewriting files. I'm going to give >it my best shot, and just have some fun with it. ( I have a backup computer set up). > I'm a little confused when you talk of common variables, though, and would like >a bit more info before I begin. This is the Holiday season, so I really don;'t expect >to hear back from you til next year, but let me say "Many, many Thanks" in advance! > Respect Michael > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Wednesday, January 2, 2002 at 10:55 am Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Lenny: a correction is needed in the CONFIG.SYS window commands for the previous message: the HIMEM.SYS line must come before the DOS line. Also DEVICEHIGH is not effective for EMM386 or for HIMEM. Please revise the window in the Advanced Program Settings Dialog (APSD) box to read: DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE DOS=HIGH,UMB Now try running the game again...if still not good enough, proceed to Stage 5: Additions/Changes to CONFIG.SYS in the APSD windows. For the CONFIG.SYS file, add the following: REM Files: default=8, max=255 FILESHIGH=20 REM Stacks: default=9,128, max=64,512 REM second figure is Stack size in bytes STACKSHIGH=18,128 REM Buffers: max=99,8 . See game readme.txt. BUFFERSHIGH=20 REM FCBS:file control blocks for DOS 1 game REM default=4, max=255 FCBSHIGH=4 REM Switch: turns off enhanced keyboard function SWITCHES= /K REM the line below is for sound driver:insert own DEVICEHIGH=C:\pathtosounddvr\sounddvr /switch Next we will look at the AUTOEXEC.BAT...to follow On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 4:43 am, Lenny wrote: >I have installed a lot of old DOS games on computers at a school for exceptional >children (disabled and retarded) in Freeport, Bahamas. Most of them work OK, but >there are a few problems. They have some computers with Windows 95 and others with >Windows ME. I have Windows 98 at home. > >I installed Reader Rabbit I which works OK on all machines. When I try to run Reader >Rabbit II, I get a blue screen with the message "LOADING READER RABBIT II" and it >freezes there. > >"Word Rescue" works on Windows 98 and 95. On Windows ME it works but without the >back ground music. The option for "ALL Sounds" is checked in the program. I had >a similar problem with "Treasure Mt". >Is there a way to set these programs up to run properly. I would want a way that >would allow the chilren to run them from a desk top icon without having to restart >in DOS mode or press F8. >Lennyh > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Thursday, January 3, 2002 at 11:18 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Michael: Stage 5 continues....with Changes to the AUTOEXEC.BAT File: again reference the game's APSD box window. This file processes commands in the order they are written and uses DOS or DOS alias names. Changes here consist of disabling those lines NOT needed by the game and then Loading High (LH) those lines used by the game. To disable enter REM at the beginning of the selected lines. Examples are: REM SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS REM SET LD_LIBRARY_PATH=C:\COREL\... Load High the game's drivers and TSRs into upper memory. Examples are: LH SET SOUND=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\AUDIOAPP (note: s/b on one line) LH SET BLASTER=A220 15 D1 H5 P330 E620 Now run the game again...if the game is still not running properly we can proceed to Stage 6: Configuration. More to follow... On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 5:04 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: > >Wow, Everett!! > > Thank you for the quick response. I'm sitting here reading your instructions, >and breaking out in a cold sweat. I don't mean to sound stupid, but I will admit >that I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to rewriting files. I'm going to give >it my best shot, and just have some fun with it. ( I have a backup computer set up). > I'm a little confused when you talk of common variables, though, and would like >a bit more info before I begin. This is the Holiday season, so I really don;'t expect >to hear back from you til next year, but let me say "Many, many Thanks" in advance! > Respect Michael > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Thursday, January 3, 2002 at 11:44 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Lenny: Stage 5 continues....with Changes to the AUTOEXEC.BAT File: again reference the game's APSD box window. This file processes commands in the order they are written and uses DOS or DOS alias names. Changes here consist of disabling those lines NOT needed by the game and then Loading High (LH) those lines used by the game. To disable enter REM at the beginning of the selected lines. Examples are: REM SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS REM SET LD_LIBRARY_PATH=C:\COREL\... Load High the game's drivers and TSRs into upper memory. Examples are: LH SET SOUND=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\AUDIOAPP (note: s/b on one line) LH SET BLASTER=A220 15 D1 H5 P330 E620 Now run the game again...if the game is still not running properly we can proceed to Stage 6: Configuration. More to follow... On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 4:43 am, Lenny wrote: >I have installed a lot of old DOS games on computers at a school for exceptional >children (disabled and retarded) in Freeport, Bahamas. Most of them work OK, but >there are a few problems. They have some computers with Windows 95 and others with >Windows ME. I have Windows 98 at home. > >I installed Reader Rabbit I which works OK on all machines. When I try to run Reader >Rabbit II, I get a blue screen with the message "LOADING READER RABBIT II" and it >freezes there. > >"Word Rescue" works on Windows 98 and 95. On Windows ME it works but without the >back ground music. The option for "ALL Sounds" is checked in the program. I had >a similar problem with "Treasure Mt". >Is there a way to set these programs up to run properly. I would want a way that >would allow the chilren to run them from a desk top icon without having to restart >in DOS mode or press F8. >Lennyh > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Friday, January 4, 2002 at 6:39 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Michael: this will likely be the final instalment on this sequence....Stage 6. Configuration. Return to the APSD box, only his time click on the Configuration button. A warning message will pop up to advise you that the changes you will be making will override those in the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files in Stage 5. Click "Yes". A dialog box appears called "Select MS-DOS Configuration Options". This turns out to be the the same box you may have encountered in my second reply of Dec 31,2001 above. If you used this box previously then all the work done in Stage 5 will have been affected; so a choice needs to be made whether to rely on this Configuration, or clear all boxes here and run Stage 5 over again to see which works best for the game. If you choose to stay with this configuration, then a few more words about the options may be helpful. By enabling these options you will be making entries in the files of Stage 5. EMS and UMB you are already familiar with. Option 2 refers to the enabling of SMARTDRV which is a disk-caching utility that will speed the disk operations of your DOS game. It loads in UMB by default. Option 3 for Doskey uses 4KB of memory, so do not enable unless you plan to use it for command line editing. Option 4 for direct disk access is worth a try. I hope that this exercise has been helpful to you and that it will enable your daughter's game to work well from the desktop icon. Let me know how successful this was (or not). Everett. On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 5:04 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: > >Wow, Everett!! > > Thank you for the quick response. I'm sitting here reading your instructions, >and breaking out in a cold sweat. I don't mean to sound stupid, but I will admit >that I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to rewriting files. I'm going to give >it my best shot, and just have some fun with it. ( I have a backup computer set up). > I'm a little confused when you talk of common variables, though, and would like >a bit more info before I begin. This is the Holiday season, so I really don;'t expect >to hear back from you til next year, but let me say "Many, many Thanks" in advance! > Respect Michael > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Friday, January 4, 2002 at 7:15 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Lenny: this will likely be the final instalment on this sequence....Stage 6. Configuration. Return to the APSD box, only his time click on the Configuration button. A warning message will pop up to advise you that the changes you will be making will override those in the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files in Stage 5. Click "Yes". A dialog box appears called "Select MS-DOS Configuration Options". This turns out to be the the same box you may have encountered in my second reply of Dec 31,2001 above. If you used this box previously then all the work done in Stage 5 will have been affected; so a choice needs to be made whether to rely on this Configuration, or clear all boxes here and run Stage 5 over again to see which works best for the game. If you choose to stay with this configuration, then a few more words about the options may be helpful. By enabling these options you will be making entries in the files of Stage 5. EMS and UMB you are already familiar with. Option 2 refers to the enabling of SMARTDRV which is a disk-caching utility that will speed the disk operations of your DOS game. It loads in UMB by default. Option 3 for Doskey uses 4KB of memory, so do not enable unless you plan to use it for command line editing. Option 4 for direct disk access is worth a try. I hope that this exercise has been helpful to you and that it will enable you to have the childrens' games work well from the desktop icons. Let me know how successful this was (or not). Everett. On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 4:43 am, Lenny wrote: >I have installed a lot of old DOS games on computers at a school for exceptional >children (disabled and retarded) in Freeport, Bahamas. Most of them work OK, but >there are a few problems. They have some computers with Windows 95 and others with >Windows ME. I have Windows 98 at home. > >I installed Reader Rabbit I which works OK on all machines. When I try to run Reader >Rabbit II, I get a blue screen with the message "LOADING READER RABBIT II" and it >freezes there. > >"Word Rescue" works on Windows 98 and 95. On Windows ME it works but without the >back ground music. The option for "ALL Sounds" is checked in the program. I had >a similar problem with "Treasure Mt". >Is there a way to set these programs up to run properly. I would want a way that >would allow the chilren to run them from a desk top icon without having to restart >in DOS mode or press F8. >Lennyh > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Friday, January 4, 2002 at 8:05 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Michael: a postscript...when you right-click the game icon and select Properties, you will note that there are other tabs besides the Program tab we have used extensively; namely Font, Memory, Screen and Misc. You can only use these tabs when the the game is disabled for MS-DOS Mode. If you would like more info about these tabs, just post a reply here. Another interesting utility is available to make compatible a game that is initially incompatible with Windows 98. Click Start, type at Run: mkcompat.exe and press Enter key. This utility will help you troubleshoot a game that stalls or has other performance problems and allows you to increase stack memory or emulate earlier versions of Windows. On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 5:04 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: > >Wow, Everett!! > > Thank you for the quick response. I'm sitting here reading your instructions, >and breaking out in a cold sweat. I don't mean to sound stupid, but I will admit >that I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to rewriting files. I'm going to give >it my best shot, and just have some fun with it. ( I have a backup computer set up). > I'm a little confused when you talk of common variables, though, and would like >a bit more info before I begin. This is the Holiday season, so I really don;'t expect >to hear back from you til next year, but let me say "Many, many Thanks" in advance! > Respect Michael > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Old DOS Game Friday, January 4, 2002 at 8:28 pm Posted by Everett (2940 messages posted) Lenny: a postscript...when you right-click the game icon and select Properties, you will note that there are other tabs besides the Program tab we have used extensively; namely Font, Memory, Screen and Misc. You can only use these tabs when the the game is disabled for MS-DOS Mode. If you would like more info about these tabs, just post a reply here. Another interesting utility is available to make compatible a game that is initially incompatible with Windows 98. Click Start, type at Run: mkcompat.exe and press Enter key. This utility will help you troubleshoot a game that stalls or has other performance problems and allows you to increase stack memory or emulate earlier versions of Windows. On Saturday, December 22, 2001 at 4:43 am, Lenny wrote: >I have installed a lot of old DOS games on computers at a school for exceptional >children (disabled and retarded) in Freeport, Bahamas. Most of them work OK, but >there are a few problems. They have some computers with Windows 95 and others with >Windows ME. I have Windows 98 at home. > >I installed Reader Rabbit I which works OK on all machines. When I try to run Reader >Rabbit II, I get a blue screen with the message "LOADING READER RABBIT II" and it >freezes there. > >"Word Rescue" works on Windows 98 and 95. On Windows ME it works but without the >back ground music. The option for "ALL Sounds" is checked in the program. I had >a similar problem with "Treasure Mt". >Is there a way to set these programs up to run properly. I would want a way that >would allow the chilren to run them from a desk top icon without having to restart >in DOS mode or press F8. >Lennyh > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 10:23 pm, Everett wrote: > >Michael: first thing to try is to Restart in MS-DOS Mode and run the game from >there. > This works for some games that do not want to share resources with other programs >such as Windows. The game you listed is probably in the next category which have >their own graphic environment. These games require you to startup to the DOS prompt. > You can boot to the boot menu by pressing F8 when Windows starts to load and then >select Command Prompt Only, or you >can boot directly to the DOS prompt by adding the command line: BootGUI=0 to the >[Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file (see Troubleshooting on the left of your >screen for more about MSDOS.SYS). If this route is chosen, you should also set >BootMenu=0. > You can further automate the running of the game by entering a command in Autoexec.bat >to start it. If you also want a choice to choose between the game and Windows, >you >can set up Config.sys to display a menu. Set up CONFIG.SYS as follows: >[menu] >menuitem=Windows >menuitem=gamename >menudefault=gamename,10 > >[common] >variables common to both programs > >[Windows] >variables needed by Windows > >[program name] >variables needed by gamename >gamename pathname > >[common] >more variables common to both programs > >For the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: > >Commands common to both programs >goto %config% > >:Windows >Commands needed by Windows >goto end > >:gamename >Commands needed by gamename >C:\windows\win.com > >:end >Commands common to both programs > >Note: for gamename substitute the DOS name for the game. >Let us know how it works out. > > >On Friday, December 21, 2001 at 4:29 pm, Michael R. Walls wrote: >Hey, Folks, > > I have a REALLY old game that my daughters love, called "Are You Afraid of the >Dark, The Tale of Orpheos Curse". It ran great back in 95, but won't do anything >in 98. Is there anyone out there who has been able to get this game to work in >W98? > I'd be grateful to learn how to do it. Thanks > [Reply or follow-up to this message] Tip: Use one of the [Reply or follow-up to this message] links above to add a message to this thread Search this forum Start a new thread on a different subject Report abuse of the forum Return to the Windows 98 Discussion Forum