After Clean Install of XP - Unable to execute some MS-DOS Commands

[veritasffg]

I have a Dell 2400 with 756 mb RAM.  Just did a clean reinstall of XP on a new 320 gb drive.  Now, I can not locate the standard large MS-DOS icon (I can get to a dos window from a command prompt), and I can't do some DOS based operations, such as format a floppy disk in Drive A.  I suspect there is some simple switch thingy somewhere, but I can't find it.  Anyone out there have any suggestions?  I searched the database here and found no topics which appeared to be on point.  I run a rather large DOS based application on this machine, and this inability is a matter of some concern.

[alan1000]

Hi veritasffg,

I don't have the knockdown solution, but I can sympathise because I run a database in dBASE 5 for DOS which recently just stopped working altogether under Windows 2000 (to my horror).

In my case it appears that the Windows VDM (Virtual DOS Machine) had become corrupted.  You can test for this by clicking on Start > Run, then type COMMAND.COM and hit OK.  If a DOS window opens, showing the command prompt, then your VDM is ok (according to Microsoft) and the problem must be elsewhere.

If the window won't open, then your VDM is corrupted.  This is repairable but not by simply re-installing the VDM.  There is a complex sequence of steps to be followed and you can find the full instructions at the Microsoft site - unfortunately I've mislaid the link, so you will have to search for it!

As to (re-)creating a Command prompt shortcut, this is just a matter of right-clicking anywhere on the desktop, selecting New > Shortcut, and referencing it to C:\Windows\System32\Command.com.  Having created it, you can drag-and-drop it to anywhere in your Start menu.

Are you getting any specific error messages when your DOS applications fail to run?

Not the biggest thing on your mind right now, I know, but in case you are not aware of it, there is a third-party utility called TameDOS which you can purchase for $US20 or something like that;  it loads in the background and enables DOS applications to run smoothly and reliably under the later Windows versions.  It is a very professional product and I recommend it without any hesitation.

[veritasffg]

Thanks very much alan1000.  The application I wrote (in Clipper, in 1988), still runs just fine, except that I can't print anything.  I intend to look into the TameDOS program you mentioned; maybe it will restore my ability to print under XP.  I'm reluctant to even try to run this 20 year old application under Vista.  By the way, my inability to perform certain DOS commands (mentioned in the original post) was due to a very obvious thing which I overlooked.  In a batch file which I run immediately after shelling out to DOS, I had a path command, which omitted System 32, so that explained that.  I'm pretty much back to where I was before the reinstall, except that I can't find the original MS-DOS Icon (I've searched everywhere which seems to be logical for a copy of it, but it's just gone.  You have any ideas on that?

Again, thanks for your help - and it's good to hear from an old timer still dBaseing himself.

[veritasffg]

For alan1000:

Today, I downloaded and installed Ver 5 of TameDOS, as you suggested.  It is miraculous.  Now I can print with no problems from an old application written 20 years ago.

Thanks so much for giving me the tip about this product.  Of course, I will buy it - and if they ever finalize a version for Vista, I want to try it also.

Oh - by the way - for this, and another similar post I filed during a senior moment - the original MS-DOS Icon - I mean the ORIGINAL - I finally found where it probably was all along - in an obviously named file - C:\Windows\System32\PIFMGR.DLL.  So that very pressing issue is now resolved, also.

Thanks again.