Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (
More info?)
Hi RC,
Thanks for making the effort to help me out. I still can't get the game to
work in a window but believe that it might work if I remotely connect to my
machine from my machine (I'm having a problem with this as well! But will
start a new thread for it).
Regards,
Jon.
"R. C. White" <rc@corridor.net> wrote in message
news:uZE5TITuEHA.908@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Hi, Jon.
>
> MOST old DOS programs run just fin in a "DOS" window. But games, as you
> probably know, often used various tricks to try to gain more speed than
> was possible by following the MS-DOS rules. They often used machine
> language to deal directly with the hardware, rather than using MS-DOS
> calls. WinNT and its descendants (including WinXP) won't let programs
> talk directly to the hardware (including the monitor screen), so some of
> these games cannot be made to run in their windows.
>
> Since I'm an accountant, not a techie of any kind, I probably can't
> explain it in any more detail than that.
>
> Have you investigated the "compatibility mode"? I haven't needed it, so I
> haven't learned anything about it, but you should be able to find an
> explanation in the Help and Support Center (from the Start button).
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
> rc@corridor.net
> Microsoft Windows MVP
>
> "Mr Colm" <mrcolm@hotmailspoof.com> wrote in message
> news:UAVdd.212$mw6.68@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net...
>> Hi RC,
>>
>> Thanks for responding to my query.
>>
>> I don't remember the good old days of PIF files, but I do remember
>> spending many hours creating boot disks and configuring sound cards. In
>> those days you had to be a real master to even play a game.
>>
>> Strangely enough my current problem is in aid of helping me reminisce
>> those times and I'm actually try to get ancient games to work. Using the
>> Alt+TAB solution does not put the game into a window. It just minimises
>> it.;{
>>
>> Do you or anyone else know how I can play these old dos games in a window
>> rather than full screen. Alternatively, I've tried remotely connecting
>> to my machine and using a remote desktop but I can't even make that find
>> my own machine!
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Jon.
>> "R. C. White" <rc@corridor.net> wrote in message
>> news:udtuM1qtEHA.3932@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>>> Hi, Mr. Colm.
>>>
>>> Remember the PIF files that we used back in the "good old days"? WinXP
>>> allows us to configure its "DOS" windows in much the same way, using a
>>> program's Properties screen. (I include "DOS" in quotes because, as you
>>> probably know, WinXP does not include true MS-DOS. The "DOS" window is
>>> an emulation included in WinXP.) There are several ways to get to a
>>> program's Properties window, depending on whether you want to start them
>>> from inside a "DOS" window, or from clicking a shortcut on the Desktop,
>>> or some other way. Here's one way...
>>>
>>> In Windows Explorer, navigate to the .exe or .com file for the DOS
>>> program. Right-click on the filename and choose Properties from the
>>> pop-up menu. That should open a window with several tabs, including Font
>>> and Screen. The Screen tab lets you choose Full Screen or Window, among
>>> other things.
>>>
>>> Another way is to customize the Properties page for the "DOS" window
>>> itself, starting with a right-click on Command Prompt from Start | All
>>> Programs | Accessories. This Properties screen has an additional tab
>>> for Colors. I've created a shortcut to the Command Prompt and put it in
>>> my Quick Launch Toolbar; the Properties page reached by right-clicking
>>> this icon also has the Colors tab. I also have a shortcut to CL.EXE,
>>> the DOS Calendar program in the old WordPerfect Office Library, in Quick
>>> Launch; a right-click here gets me to a Properties screen with a still
>>> different look, including the Colors tab.
>>>
>>> I usually run DOS programs full-screen, Alt-Tabbing among them and
>>> whatever other programs may be running at the time (such as this OE
>>> Compose window), but most of them also happily run in a smaller window.
>>>
>>> I've not exhausted all the ways to customize windows for DOS programs.
>>> I'm sure you can find more. ;<)
>>>
>>> RC
>>>
>>> "Mr Colm" <mrcolm@hotmailspoof.com> wrote in message
>>> news:5kqdd.131$K2.70@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I'm trying to use some old DOS programs on Windows XP Home. However,
>>>> when I run them they automatically start in full screen mode. If I
>>>> press alt+enter then the application minimises and I get taken back to
>>>> Windows.
>>>>
>>>> What I'd like to do is run the application inside a Window so that I
>>>> can see all my other Windows apps at the same time. Is there a way to
>>>> do this?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Mr Colm
>
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram