Rewriting a dos program to work in Windows 7

BrianStephan

BrianStephan

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I have a dos based program want to know if its possible to rewrite the program to work in Windows 7?
Its an afrikaans based education program we use.
 
Hey Hey

Why not just download VirtualBox and install it as a Virtual Dos machine within Windows 7 ?

Might be a lot quicker than re-writing it !
 
Do you have the source code?
Do you know what it was written in?
 
Sorry my explanation was n bit short
I need to get the program for our 75 franchisees the problem is they about as computer literate as brick walls they all school teachers
I have Dosbox and Dosshell but to try explain that to them will never work
 
Does it work in Windows XP?

If so, they can run it in XP mode in Win 7... ?? Maybe ??
 
It works great in XP. Have tried compatibility mode in Windows 7 and all it says it cant open it full screen and you can choose to ignore or retry and then nothing happens. I presume you can get to the source code just dont know what it is written in
 
I think its still easier to use DosBox/DosShell.

You can create a redistributable that uses the shell to launch the app. When you download old games these days they all come as part of a dossbox setup.

One install file, click to install and click to launch. The use wont even know the difference.
 
BrianStephan said:
It works great in XP. Have tried compatibility mode in Windows 7 and all it says it cant open it full screen and you can choose to ignore or retry and then nothing happens. I presume you can get to the source code just dont know what it is written in
Click to expand...

Find out who wrote it and ask them for the source code. Given how old it is, its probably easier to write it again. How literate are you as far as source code and programs go?
 
BrianStephan said:
It works great in XP. Have tried compatibility mode in Windows 7 and all it says it cant open it full screen and you can choose to ignore or retry and then nothing happens. I presume you can get to the source code just dont know what it is written in
Click to expand...

Have you tried compatibility mode in the Windows virtual PC XP?
 
I have almost no knowledge of source code programs Ancalagon did VB but that was almost 5 years ago and moved into Networking.
As for the writer of the program its been discontinued. Is there a way that you can write a file that will load all the programs you need into Dosshell in 1 go or do you have to add them manually? As I said earlier people with no computer knowledge will need to run this program of Dosshell
 
BrianStephan said:
It works great in XP. Have tried compatibility mode in Windows 7 and all it says it cant open it full screen and you can choose to ignore or retry and then nothing happens. I presume you can get to the source code just dont know what it is written in
Click to expand...

Hey Hey

I am referring to Windows 7 XP mode... it is a feature that allows a native install of XP in virtual machine mode... you then install your program in this, and it runs in Windows 7 in a fully fledged XP virtual mode... not compatibility mode.

See here...

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/reviews/2010/01/windows-xp-mode.ars

I don't know if this is helping or making things more complicated !
 
Kilobits that could work have never seen that before only know of that on Mac's no Windows 7 also have the problem it is only compatible in Windows 7 Pro-Enterprise
 
BrianStephan said:
I have almost no knowledge of source code programs Ancalagon did VB but that was almost 5 years ago and moved into Networking.
As for the writer of the program its been discontinued. Is there a way that you can write a file that will load all the programs you need into Dosshell in 1 go or do you have to add them manually? As I said earlier people with no computer knowledge will need to run this program of Dosshell
Click to expand...

I've seen deployments where everything is included - ie you just run a shortcut and it runs Dosbox which runs your program. So it is possible.

Looks like you wont be able to get the source code - you would be starting from scratch then. How complicated is this program?
 
BrianStephan said:
Kilobits that could work have never seen that before only know of that on Mac's no Windows 7 will have to research and find out how easy it is to install and set up
Click to expand...

It is fairly easy to set up. A couple of downloads... one a 500MB file and the other a MsVirtual PC install. It integrates with Windows 7 and any installed software appears on the start-menu and runs in native XP.

I find it works fine for older software that likes XP and not Windows 7. A little resource hungry, memory wise, but not too hectic.

I think that you will need Windows 7 Professional and up to use this... I may be wrong... I will see what links I can find for you.
 
Its not at all Ancalagon just a basic afrikaans program kind of like commander keen just not so many viarables.
 
Okay

Here is the official Microsoft page for it...

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

Do I need Windows XP Mode?

Windows 7 has several built-in tools to help with program compatibility and Windows XP programs should be installed directly on Windows 7. Windows XP Mode runs many older Windows XP productivity programs and that are not natively compatible with Windows 7, thus helping realize cost savings and reduce possible operational downtime by extending the life of existing software. Visit the Windows 7 Compatibility Center to find software that works with Windows 7.
Click to expand...

Hope it helps.

EDIT: Here is a FAQ too about it... http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/support/faq.aspx
 
BrianStephan said:
Its not at all Ancalagon just a basic afrikaans program kind of like commander keen just not so many viarables.
Click to expand...

Does it have graphics or is it text only? If its text only, it would be quite easy to redo. If its graphical, like a game, then it gets a lot more complicated to do. And a lot more expensive unless you do it yourself.

My suggestion is, in the meantime, look into how to deploy Dosbox with the program so that the user doesnt need to install anything or do anything. Just copy some files and it works. In the longer term, start looking at programming languages or scripting languages and see if you can redo it yourself. It can be a fun project to work on, and it will save you money. You could hire someone to do it, but given how small it is, I dont think its worth it.
 
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