Foxpro2.6 (Keeping it functioning) "UPDATED" 3

[jlg13]

I am running foxprow on Windows 2008 server, the last of the 32 bit operating systems (I think) and since Microsoft has stopped providing security updates, it's getting harder to find ways to keep the system operating in 2019. I would imagine that there are lots of companies in this predicament using Foxprow as well as other legacy applications. Has anyone come up with solutions? It's my limited understanding that the entire problem is 64 bit vs 32 bit which would lead me to believe some genius created a solution

Thanks for the replies received so far. I am adding more detail to my post for clarification.

My Foxprow 2.6 for Windows is successfully running on Windows 2008 Server. (installed patch may years ago)
I recently found out (yesterday) that Microsoft provides security updates for 2008 Server, but they have to be manually installed. Happy with that as this was a concern.

My father is the programmer, unfortunately he passed away in December 2018. I know a little coding and I am currently doing my best to "maintain" the code. We never created an executable install. We simply have a folder with .PRGs and compiled .FXPs that make up the application. There are 30+ PRGs that my dad has developed since 1991 and we have continued to add features and functionality. We thought about migrating to Visual Foxpro, but he had concerns. I believe we did some general testing.

I'd like to remain with Fox 2.6 for no other reason then my dad isn't around to work out the bugs of migrating. So all I want to do is keep this system functioning as the hardware keeps advancing.

My setup looks like this....

In office: Windows 2008 Server (contains installed foxprow 2.6, subfolders with working files Dbfs, programs, Screens, forms.)

I connect via VPN to the Win 2008 server machine with my Win 10 PC and use remote desktop to run the application.
Other computers which are local to the server (in same office), have Foxprow installed and run the application.

Am I stuck on Win 2008 server?? Can I get modern hardware and software and have a similar setup. I need advice on how to modernize equipment and keep this setup.

Apologies that I am not being more technical in my description.

Thank you for taking time to reply and offering advice.

Joe

 

[jlcca]

On my Windows 10 64-bit system, I have used;

vDosPlus
[URL unfurl="true"]http://vdosplus.org/[/url]

vDos
[URL unfurl="true"]http://vdos.proboards.com/[/url]

dbDos
[URL unfurl="true"]https://dbdos.com/[/url]

You could also install DOS into a Virtual Machine.

Although no longer actively developed, I use vDosPlus to run my dBASE 5/Clipper 5.3/FoxPro DOS Applications.
Nice thing about vDosPlus is that it comes with the C++ source code, so you can make modifications yourself.

Joe

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I don't think you need one of those for foxprow 2.6, this isn't foxdos 2.6
32bit is not the problem, that would even be a problem for VFP9 and VFP9 based EXEs. Any 64bit Windows has a 32bit subsystem.

Bye, Olaf.

Olaf Doschke Software Engineering

https://www.doschke.name

 

[Mike Lewis]

Have you consdered simply taking your 2.6 code and run it in Visual FoxPro? There might be a few minor incompatibilites which would need fixing, and it would not look particularly pretty, but the basic functionality should be in place.

(I'm talking about your source code, not a compiled program.)

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I know there is a patch for Foxpro 2.6, and this also is mentioned here:

https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/F...ro-26-in-windows-xp?forum=visualfoxprogeneral

It points to a non-existing Microsoft knowledge base page (KB240982). You must have patched your FOXPROW.EXE and FOXW250A.ESL ( or similar foxprow 2.6 files) to have it running in newer Windows versions than 95/98. As this thread shows it was a problem starting with XP and 2008 Server already is the equivalent of Windows Vista. You must have another problem than that. Not installed runtimes, not installed the application database, forgot to adjust configuration etc.

I fear the working server is not well documented. You may not have a setup, emails with the vendor or intern employee having programmed that is not existing, nobody cared for this software, as it runs. The typical way companies shoot themselves in the foot. If you'd have an installer, I'd say you would have installed that and it either works or you came up with error messages, not with guesses.

Anyway, the best chance to get this going in a newer server is perhaps the route of virtualizing the server. It's possible to create a VM from a physical server and that way you can have a "real" copy of it, something you can update while you still keep the physical server as is, so a risk-free way to see if this would work. The upgrade path will likely keep all essentials you forgot in the whole history of setup and maintenance of the software on that 2008 server, you keep runtimes, config, data, etc. and if the software then doesn't run after an upgrade of the VM from 2008 to Server 2016/17/18, then you can be sure with your claim it doesn't run, because it's very unlikely the OS upgrade uninstalls any part of the software, disables the runtime or anything like that. If it then doesn't run anymore, it really is because of incompatibility.

Bye, Olaf.

Olaf Doschke Software Engineering

https://www.doschke.name

 

[TamarGranor]

FPW is 16-bit, not 32, which is the issue. (VFP 3 was the first 32-bit Fox version.) To run it on in 64-bit Windows, you need to run inside a virtual machine. Hoping someone else here will tell you how to do that.

Tamar

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Yes, that's a problem, of course. No idea how long a 64bit Windows or its 32bit subsystem also contained a 16bit subsystem. But searching it you find even Win10 still contains it, it's just inactive or not installed feature by default.

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/enable-16-bit-application-support-windows-10/

Bye, Olaf.

Olaf Doschke Software Engineering

https://www.doschke.name