Need some dos help....

swatbat

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Ok one of the companies I know has a dos based program that they need to run. The problem is the new machine is a dell pentium d with no legacy ports. I have tried getting virtual pc to run the app but it doesn't find the pci parallel port so the program will not run(hardware lock). Anyway I am wondering if I make another partition and duel boot the machine with xp and dos I was under the impression that I would need dos drivers for the pci serial card and the pci parallell card. Am I right in thinking this as they are not onboard? It has been years and I mean years since I've worked with dos. In the same sence I'm thinking that if virtual pc could not pick up the parallel port(a driver was loaded in xp) that the chances of it working in dos are slim to none.

Any ideas?
 
I have to do something similar with a legacy finger print reader. The problem with the new "Legacy Free" systems is that the add in card are a pain to work with. We ended up buying a new usb reader instead.

You might try using a non-legacy free system instead.
 
Ugh. Any chance of building an old beater box for this? It would be a lot easier than trying to find drivers for those serial and parallel cards. Any old 486, or pentium would do.
 
sandmanx said:
Ugh. Any chance of building an old beater box for this? It would be a lot easier than trying to find drivers for those serial and parallel cards. Any old 486, or pentium would do.
This is how I would attack the problem. It's a cheap solution as well. Also, politely hint to the company that it's 2006.
 
To be fair we are going to be talking with them tommorrow about just hooking up a kvm and running a old p3 or something. My big worry is if I load dos 7 or something on it on a second partition it will not see the add-in pci cards. From memory dos wouldn't really care but I have a sinking feeling that a program from 92 is not going to find a pci parallel card. They had looked at upgrading the software a few years ago to the windows version but the windows version didn't have all the features of the old dos version. I personaly think it is about time to take another look and see if the features are there. This being said if I can get virtual pc to run it all would be good as it is like 80 bucks or so a client. I can bet this software they are running is a lot more expensive then that. My issue with virtual pc is although I was able to point the serial port to serial port 1 on it I couldn't point the parallel port to it as it didn't allow me to select it. I am thinking of going to compusa or something and picking up a basic pci parallel card and trying again.

I figure virtual pc or vmware would be the best option for price/ease of use. Next would be a dual boot if it worked, thrid would be mr kvm with a p3 system or something(well maybe switch 2 and 3). Anyway any one think does with a program that old will find a parallel pci card?
 
djnes said:
This is how I would attack the problem. It's a cheap solution as well. Also, politely hint to the company that it's 2006.

Yea I saw that the disk said 92 on it and was like "ahh fuck"

If anything a kvm or something to an old box may hold untill they can decide to either upgrade to the windows version of this if it has the features(they have had a long time to put them in it) or find another program.
 
14 year old software...nice. I thought I was special for using a 13 year old HP LaserJet 4 Plus printer at home.
 
djnes said:
14 year old software...nice. I thought I was special for using a 13 year old HP LaserJet 4 Plus printer at home.

Yea scarry I know. The use this software to trace plans of areas and it tells them how much dirt, rocks what ever that they need to fill in the area and level it or whatever. I didn't really get too much into what it does. They only use it for that. Since it does what they want it too fully the cheaper the fix the better.
 
djnes said:
14 year old software...nice. I thought I was special for using a 13 year old HP LaserJet 4 Plus printer at home.

You have a newer printer than I do. I have a Laserjet 4. The Plus is way too new. :p

I have the same problem at work though. They run a DB off of a dos version of Paradox, and we can't get the data to import to anything else without a ton of conversions. They are looking into moving to something else finally. That old ass DB is slow as shit, but it somehow manages to run in a command prompt under Win2K.
 
OP-- the chances of getting those PCI cards to be seen by a '92 vintage DOS app are nil and next to none (IMHO)

Good luck. Add another vote for an old 486 and a kvm
 
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