AT2k Design BBS - DOS 6.x Tips and Tricks

DOS in WIN95

Mon, 28 Aug 1995 21:09:33 -0500

From: Billy Corgan @1717008 *1
To: ALL @ *1
Subject: DOS in WIN95

Hi all,
I'm having a problem on a friends computer trying to run a Dos based BBS
in Win95.

Whenever it shells to a door or exits to another program it shuts down.
It used to have a PIF file that would fix this by saying, don't close on
exit (I.e. it won't go inactive it'll just drop to dos after the dos
program is run), but in Win95 if the close on exit isn't checked it won't
close but when you drop to DOS it just hangs there and waits for the Dos
window to be closed...

what a stupid oversite!!!!!!

Can someone give me a suggestion.

buh-bye
---
* UniQWK v3.3a* The Windows Mail Reader

Proper use of Windows!

Sat, 26 Aug 1995 17:14:55 -0500

From: Bill Wehrkamp @1717008 *1
To: Ted Grachis @1407018 *1
Subject: Proper use of Windows!

Re: Proper use of Windows!

> > I could easily drop to DOS without having to exit windows. I never used
> > File Manager either.
> Just curious, have you ever used Qdos3? Normally I don't bother with it for
> simple file transfers, I'll just type Dos commands pretty fast. But QD3 is a
> great all-round utility. You can rename. prune, move entire directories.
> Canage file attributes and view any documentation in Zipped files, view gif

> some features like memapmaker, looks at your system memory. It puts XtGold
> to shame!

Nope... never tried Qdos3, but it sounds interesting. Up 'till now, I've
been using XtGold and have always been happy with it. I'll have to hunt
around for Qdos3 and give it a try...

vanishing share.exe

Sat, 26 Aug 1995 17:11:23 -0500

From: Bill Wehrkamp @1717008 *1
To: Frank Zamenski @1915020 *1
Subject: vanishing share.exe

Re: vanishing share.exe

> as my Brainex door games require it. A few days ago, I started getting a
> 'loadhi exec failure' error when my system booted. After scouting around,
> I found that c:\dos\share.exe was 0 bytes! Thinking it was 'just one of
> those things', a HDD gliche maybe, I re-loaded share.ex_ from the DOS
> 6.22 setup diskette to the c:\dos dir, and used expand.exe to inflate it
> back to its 10k size, which seemed to work. Consequent re-bootings and the
> same error showed that the damned file still comes up at 0 bytes! So I

That is a strange one... Try loading SHARE as soon as possible in your
config.sys (or is it autoexec.bat?). Like, right after the line that
loads QEMM.

If that doesn't do it, then do it the hard way... REM out the other items
in your config files one at a time, 'till you have some success. Maybe
it's another TSR that's getting in the way?

Or, maybe you can rename SHARE.exe to SSHARE.exe and try to load that?
Worth a try, although it wouldn't solve the mystery.

userfile.zip

Mon, 21 Aug 1995 05:02:28 -0500

From: lucky @1704008 *1
To: All @ *0
Subject: userfile.zip

This is a neat little program 17121 bytes can be freq or sent via message if
you would like to ask for it.
Put it into the data base and it will give you a scrollable list of all
users up to 1500. Pick any user you wish and it will display all
statistics for that user.
Send request to User Deepin at Classic BBS 1704008 at Charlotte N. C.
704-394-2642

join.exe

Fri, 18 Aug 1995 23:43:55 -0500

From: JONNYCARSON @1419016 *1
To: Ron O'neill @1512046 *1
Subject: join.exe

Re: join.exe

> ∩┐╜ Where did that come from? :)
> ∩┐╜∩┐╜ -∩┐╜∩┐╜-∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜
> ∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜> Now Here is what I Say∩┐╜∩┐╜.
> ∩┐╜∩┐╜-∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜Reply∩┐╜Requested∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜∩┐╜
> _Outland_ by Berkely Breathed. A home town favorite ;-)

My favorite is when Opus give Bill Gates the idea that he can put MS code on
everything that 's electronic in the world, then at the year 2000 he can take
control of everything and declair himself "king". Heheheheh...not too far
from the truth! :)

JC

Re: 640k is not 'nuff...

Fri, 18 Aug 1995 23:41:16 -0500

From: JONNYCARSON @1419016 *1
To: dracken @1419001 *1
Subject: Re: 640k is not 'nuff...

Re: Re: 640k is not 'nuff...

> I mean, like how many people here are really touch typists anyway?

Me :P

I do about 70-100 words a second. Depending on my day :)

JC

Proprietary

Fri, 18 Aug 1995 23:39:22 -0500

From: JONNYCARSON @1419016 *1
To: dracken @1419001 *1
Subject: Proprietary

Re: Proprietary

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
> I DON"T, BELIEVE, YOU SAID THAT. :/

Well it's true! All the cables are coded (cute little pictures...even tells
you which side is up), the case has no screws, just a tab that you press and
slide the cover off....very rugged.....some things that Macs are famous for
:). Now...some things that Macs AREN'T famouse for...........

JC

Combo interface MBs

Tue, 22 Aug 1995 17:58:58 -0500

From: White Knight @1205523 *1
To: Green Dragon @1916006 *1
Subject: Combo interface MBs

Regarding: Combo interface MBs
Reply Requested: Yes

∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜∩┐╜ What You Said ∩┐╜∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜
Are they slower than the IBM ones where 3 of the interfaces (PCI/VLB/ISA) are
available? cuz that pretty neat... how much are they? Thanx! L8r! GD
∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜∩┐╜ White Knight's Response ∩┐╜∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜-∩┐╜

I don't think they are any slower. I've actually never even heard of the
other ones.

White Knight
acohen1@ibm.net

Re: 386spart.par

Wed, 23 Aug 1995 10:43:37 -0500

From: Frank Zamenski @1915020 *1
To: DRACKEN @1419001 *1
Subject: Re: 386spart.par

-=> Quoting Dracken #59 @1419001*1 to Green Dragon #35 @1916006 <=-

D#@> To: Green Dragon #35 @1916006
D#@> Subject: 386spart.par

GD>cuz I use my H: for d/ling stuff & sometimes it just runs outta space.. no
>big deal now that I upped to DX2/80... But I still wanna get a tape drive s
>I can back up all my crap & then kill DBLSPACE.. :( donations anyone? <G>

D#@> Have you considered a Zip drive?

Do you use one? They look pretty good on the carton, I am just wondering
if they are going to be "flash in the pans" and another passing medium.
ZED!

... **ZEDs ZEN*915-699-5051*VirtualNet@1915020*MidlandTX
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12

Re: Forget the sales guy.

Wed, 23 Aug 1995 10:43:37 -0500

From: Frank Zamenski @1915020 *1
To: COMIC @1806013 *1
Subject: Re: Forget the sales guy.

C#@> No, generally position on the cable does not effect Master/Slave.
C#@> JUMPER SETTINGS on each drive do. Don't know them? Find a manual for
C#@> each, or pick up a Hard Drives International manual. (I don't know
C#@> where to get one, we just have a few laying around...)
C#@> --The Comic

About all hard drive companies have a BBS and have files with the stats
of their particular drives on them. Some of the numbers I've called and
thus can confirm are:

Conner BBS 408-456-4415
Maxtor BBS 303-678-2222
Seagate BBS 408-988-4004

All are the usual 8/N/1 with a min 14.4kbps. Definatly see what else they
have besides text files, most have utilities and other usefull program
files.
ZED!

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12

swapping DOS install disks A: to B:

Tue, 22 Aug 1995 22:44:38 -0500

From: Frank Zamenski @1915020 *1
To: Frank Zamenski @1915020 *1
Subject: swapping DOS install disks A: to B:

Re: swapping DOS install disks A: to B:

> A while ago someone was experiencing the aggravation of wanting to install DO
> on a machine with floppy drive A: as 5.25" 1.2Meg instead of the 3.5" 1.44Meg
> format that the installation diskettes come on and =force= you to use. Severa
[.......snipped.......]
> Here it is, I found it under dskcmprsn, I have not tried it so can't vouch
> for it, but FWIW:

Addendum to this post: I decided to try this technique on an old Compaq
DeskPro 386DX/20 (circa 1986) with A: 1.2M and B: 1.44M, and installing
DOS 6.22 over 6.20 .......

> 3. If your Setup disks are compatible with drive A, insert
> Setup Disk 1 in drive A, and restart your computer. After
> Setup displays the first screen, quit Setup by pressing F3 twice.
> If your Setup disks are not compatible with drive A,
> create a startup floppy disk for drive A. To do this, insert
> Setup Disk 1 in drive B, and a blank floppy disk in drive A.
> Then type B:SETUP /F at the command prompt.
> When prompted, choose to install MS-DOS on the floppy disk
> in drive A. After Setup is finished, leave the disk in drive A,
> and restart your computer.

Result: it did not work! Well, I -did- originally say I had not tried it and
hence couldn't vouch for it! <G> Now I can say: BAH! If anyone decides to try
it on a newer computer -- why that should matter I do not know! -- please post
your results.
ZED!

swapping DOS install disks A: to B:

Tue, 22 Aug 1995 04:39:36 -0500

From: Frank Zamenski @1915020 *1
To: All @ *1
Subject: swapping DOS install disks A: to B:

A while ago someone was experiencing the aggravation of wanting to install DOS
on a machine with floppy drive A: as 5.25" 1.2Meg instead of the 3.5" 1.44Meg
format that the installation diskettes come on and =force= you to use. Several
of us had wonderous discussions on how to swap the drives mechanically, but I
came across this little ditty in my DOS 6.22 directory called README.DAMMIT!
<G> It tells you how to =do= the installation from a 1.2Meg. Of course, you
must allready HAVE DOS installed on your C: drive to be able to read this....
Argh! Billy Boy, ya make us NUTS! :)

Here it is, I found it under dskcmprsn, I have not tried it so can't vouch
for it, but FWIW:
================

7.4 Converting Other Disk-Compression Software to DriveSpace
-------------------------------------------------------------
If you are not using Stacker 3.1 disk compression or XtraDrive
disk compression, carry out the following procedure to convert
your disk-compression software to DriveSpace.

1. Install MS-DOS 6.22 if you haven't already done so.

2. Use Microsoft Backup for MS-DOS to back up the files on your
hard disk. If you didn't install Backup for MS-DOS during Setup,
see the chapter "Getting Started" in the MICROSOFT MS-DOS USER'S
GUIDE for instructions on installing it.

3. If your Setup disks are compatible with drive A, insert
Setup Disk 1 in drive A, and restart your computer. After
Setup displays the first screen, quit Setup by pressing F3 twice.

If your Setup disks are not compatible with drive A,
create a startup floppy disk for drive A. To do this, insert
Setup Disk 1 in drive B, and a blank floppy disk in drive A.
Then type B:SETUP /F at the command prompt.

When prompted, choose to install MS-DOS on the floppy disk
in drive A. After Setup is finished, leave the disk in drive A,
and restart your computer.

4. Use the FORMAT command to format the drive that contains the
file that contains all of your compressed files. If you don't know
where this file is located, see your disk-compression documentation.

If you are reformatting drive C, include the /S switch to transfer
system files to it.

5. If you formatted drive C, make sure Setup Disk 1 is in drive A
or B, and type A:SETUP or B:SETUP at the command prompt.

Follow the instructions on your screen.
===========================================================================
Happy installation, DOS fans! :)
Z∩┐╜D!

Re: unneccessary files?

Mon, 21 Aug 1995 14:26:04 -0500

From: peanut @1915050 *1
To: JONNYCARSON @1419016 *1
Subject: Re: unneccessary files?

Re: Re: unneccessary files?

> > ZR#@>> HR#@> doublespaced.
> > ZR#@>> DBLESPACE floppies??? WHY??? For what reason???
> > ZR#@>> There's a ton of utilities out there that are safer and easier to us
> > ZR#@>> that can put up to 2megs on a 3 1/2. DBLSPACE can't even do that wi
> > ZR#@>> the hassle of mounting and unmounting drives. Not to mention that t
> > ZR#@>> disks are totally useless to anyone else unless they have DBLSPACE t
> > ZR#@>>... DBLESPACE.....FEH!!!!
> > Just PKZIP it! Not a hassle and alot safer IMHO!!
> > ---
> PC dos reformats 1.44 floppies to an Xtended format, allowing 1.88 megs on a
> floppy without compatibility problems. Also, Stacker 4.0 allows 3 megs on a
> disk without having to have stacker on any other machine to read it.
> JC

We have always been able to format a floppie to a higher format than
intended. What we found was that anything stored on the disk would start
to fade after 3 0r 4 months.
Question? Will this still happen with PC dos and stacker.
pEanut

dula floppy

Tue, 22 Aug 1995 19:16:27 -0500

From: Green Dragon @1916006 *1
To: ZED @1915020 *1
Subject: dula floppy

Re: Re: Drive cables

> are, I've only played with one, a friends, and we played hell getting it
> to work with a DIECO 386SX16 motherboard and CMOS. I don't see any real

Oh & also, are there any special steps in boot up or anything like that after
you installl it? I've looked at the back of it & it only has one
connector... Thanx! L8r! GD

Dual floppies

Tue, 22 Aug 1995 19:15:17 -0500

From: Green Dragon @1916006 *1
To: ZED @1915020 *1
Subject: Dual floppies

Re: Re: Drive cables

> GD#@> wanna get me a dual floppy before I mess around with any more cables..
> GD#@> Are those dual floppy drives reliable? Thanx! L8r! GD
> The new ones with both 1.44M and 1.2M in one unit? Donno how reliable they
> are, I've only played with one, a friends, and we played hell getting it
> to work with a DIECO 386SX16 motherboard and CMOS. I don't see any real
> benefit to them other than bay savings, as if one drive goes, so goes the
> whole thing. And, they are expensive, he paid $125.00 for it.

Geez.. $125 huh? I can get them for $90 around here... but do you think
they'll work with a Biostar (I think that's what mine is)? L8r! GD