Old .exe question

[erikhertzel]

Hi,

I am trying to run some old GWBASIC programs in Windows 2000/XP.

They will not run correctly (when you run them they just blick and go away). Someone suggested running them "("run as under Win95" etc) for that EXE"

How would I go about trying this?

Thanks,

Erik

 

[sch911]

There is no included GWBASIC interpreter in Windows 2000/XP so they won't run. I'm sure there are some third party or shareware work arounds but I'm not aware of them....

 

[Nelviticus]

I think Erik is talking about compiled EXEs that were originally produced by GWBasic. If so you can right-click them and select 'Properties', then change various settings. I've never had to do this so I can't give you advice on what settings to use, but if you know a little about DOS you should be able to figure it out.

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[erikhertzel]

Yes, this is what I am talking about....does anyone have any experience in how to do this (under the properies and settings)?

Thanks a bunch,

Erik

 

[JockMullin]

Hi, Erik

You may or may not be able to do what you want. The old basic compilers had two possible levels of compilation - a standalone .exe file or an exe which required GWBASIC.EXE also to be present to act as a library (much like .dll's do today).

If your program was not compiled as a standlone it isn't going to work unless you have the support file - and even then it is doubtful. GWBASIC used to allow low level memory and processor access which is disallowed under NT-class windows, and this was often used for performance reasons.

Regarding compatibility - set up a shortcut to point to your .exe and then right click on it and click on properties. In there you should have a compatibility tab, put a check in "run this program in compatibility mode for" and select windows 95.

Beyond that, there is also a virtual machine product available from Microsoft which establishes a more compatible environment for old programs.

Jock

 

[Nelviticus]

If you get nowhere with the above suggestions, try running it from a command prompt. At least that way you may be able to see if there are any error messages.

If all else fails, do a search for something called DOSBox, which is a DOS emulator for Windows XP. It's not free but it is quite cheap I believe. I've never used it but I know a lot of people rate it very highly.

Regards

Nelviticus