Re: Re: DOSBox
By: Night Stalker to Spitfire on Fri Mar 29 2024 20:31:09

So what are people doing with a DosBox and Windows 3.1 these days?

I used DosBox/Windows 3.1 to access an MS-DOS database I had. I have, however, subsequently set up a Windows 3.1 machine in my basement (is there a more appropriate place LOL) where I currently back up said DB. Other than that (and even that, if I'm being honest LOL), it's all for the nostalgia.

...Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.
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So what are people doing with a DosBox and Windows 3.1 these
days?

I tend to use a fork of Dosbox called Dosbox-x as it has a number of nice features that I like. One such feature is the ability to use a physical printer port.

This has turned out to be extremely useful in transferring data from my main windows based desktop machine to my older dos based retro PCs. Laplink or Fastlynx (I recommend Faslynx as it seems more reliable) running at both ends with a parallel port null modem cable & you are all set to copy data across!

Its great and is a really handy way to bootstrap a new install or recover from a screw up...

... Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead.

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Re: DOSBox
By: thatonechap to K-Guide on Thu Feb 21 2019 22:43:40

Lately I've been looking at old systems to try to learn more about what computers used to be like, and this is just another one of them.

Last month I recovered a HDD from a 486 we've been running at work for some 30 years. The computer was tanking along as normal when a power outage finally killed it. I managed to transfer all the files off of the HDD by first transplanting the HDD into another 486 and then transfer them via LapLink to my Linux box running DosBox.

I would have just used an IDE to USB adaptor, but the hard drive was starting to fail and my adaptor wasn't reading it. Luckily I was sucessful in getting it up long enough to transfer everything off. All files saved.
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Re: DOSBox
By: Partiersp to thatonechap on Sat Jul 13 2024 22:09:57

Last month I recovered a HDD from a 486 we've been running at work for some 30 years. The computer was tanking along as normal when a power outage finally killed it. I managed to transfer all the files off of the HDD by first transplanting the HDD into another 486 and then transfer them via LapLink to my Linux box running DosBox.

I would have just used an IDE to USB adaptor, but the hard drive was starting to fail and my adaptor wasn't reading it. Luckily I was sucessful in getting it up long enough to transfer everything off. All files saved.

Good job! I've had the same experience where a disk would be more readable plugged into an internal controller than into an external USB adapter.

Last year i started keeping hashes of all my files so i can catch it if they become corrupted.

What will you replace that workhorse 486 with?
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So what are people doing with a DosBox and Windows 3.1 these
days?

Playing Spiderweb Software rpgs from the 90s and drawing pictures in first Paineter apps and trying to learn Newtek Lightwave 3.5/4.0 without flicker in hi-res.. something I don't know how to do on my Amiga, unfortunately.

-h1

... Xerox Alto was the thing. Anything after we use is just a mere copy.

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Playing Spiderweb Software rpgs from the 90s and drawing pictures in
first Paineter apps and trying to learn Newtek Lightwave 3.5/4.0 without flicker in hi-res.. something I don't know how to do on my Amiga, unfortunately.

I see that Spiderweb Sofware made their got their older games freeware, you can download them from their main website.. very cool. I'm going to give Exile a go, it might even run on my 286 PC.

Which of their games do you play in dosbox?

... We start rehersals tomorrow. - Picard

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I spent sooo many hours as a kid playing Spiderweb's Exile Escape From the Pit. The version I played was on Win 3.1. One of the few shareware games I had that I actually bought the full version. Never beat it... I tried again a few years ago and got decently far (on the same 486 and version from back in the day!) but never finished.

That's awesome that they released their older stuff as freeware. I'll have to go check out some of their other games.

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I spent sooo many hours as a kid playing Spiderweb's Exile Escape From
the Pit. The version I played was on Win 3.1. One of the few shareware games I had that I actually bought the full version. Never beat it... I tried again a few years ago and got decently far (on the same 486 and version from back in the day!) but never finished.

Have you tried using otvdm (github.com/otya128/winevdm) to run those games in Windows 10/11? I gave it a quick shot & it seems to install and run well enough to show the start menu, though on my ultrawide monitor everything is tiny!

Might work well with some more config (i've not looked into this to be honest), or if you reduce your screen resolution.

... Friend: (n) Some who still likes you, after getting to know you.

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Have you tried using otvdm (github.com/otya128/winevdm) to run those
games in Windows 10/11? I gave it a quick shot & it seems to install and run well enough to show the start menu, though on my ultrawide monitor everything is tiny!

No need for such tweaking. all Spider's Web games are part of eXoWin3 pack with Windows launcher that opens Win 3.11 and the game out of Windows app.

Alternatively Win 3.11 installation on DosBox or 86box works just fine.
I use the latter and I have one Exile game installed to check Spider's Web games phenomenon.

Never the less I never was too much focused on it to go any deeper into story and tactics.

-h1

... Xerox Alto was the thing. Anything after we use is just a mere copy.

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Re: DOSBox
By: Bencollver to Partiersp on Sun Jul 14 2024 09:08:46

The main task of that old 486 was to store, edit, and transmit G-Code programs to our CNC machines. If you've ever worked with 3D-printers, These programs are basically the same as the files that a Slicer creates for the printer, although in our case our files would be way smaller.

Over the decades of use that computer had, it servered programs that would feed our CNC to produce thousands of different metal parts that our customers ordered. If a customer needed a part we made in the past, they could simply give us their part number, we'd enter that in the 486 and it would pull up the program. We then could alter the program if needed, or simply send the file to one of 7 CNC machines all connected with the COM ports or LPT ports.

Alast most modern computers don't have physical serial or printer ports any more (USB adapters can be problematic to get to work). The old CNC machines have slowly been upgraded/replaced with modern ones using USB memory sticks or networking capibilites. Thus that old 486 has veen replaced with a Windows machine with new CAM software that generates G-Code files for the machines automatically (like slicer programs do for 3D printers).

I also created a PHP-MySQL program that was able to import all the old CNC files from the 486, and serve them in a webrowser. We use that for archieval purposes now.

So in the end that 486 was replaced by 2 different machines. lol
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On Wed 20-Feb-2019 10:17p, K-guide@80:774/68.0 said to Thatonechap:

Ok, so I just have to ask as someone that used to back in the day actually install as suppor Windows 3.1. What on earth are you looking to do?

So what are people doing with a DosBox and Windows 3.1 these days?

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ndow just perfect as if it were the original applications running right there in your GUI system. :P



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in my current Arch system. :P If only it had m0re than 25 lines - and yes, I have the same for ACiDDraw for that very reason. :P

It runs perfectly, and with more settings you can get it all zoomed in the window just perfect as if it were the original applications running right there in your GUI system. :P



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On Thu 28-Mar-2024 4:37p, Spitfire@80:774/1.0 wrote:

So what are people doing with a DosBox and Windows 3.1 these days?

I have ArcaOS 5.0 install in a VM for my Windows 3.1 needs lol ..
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Oh - I missed the part about Win3.1, but my very favorite DosBox thing
is;
dosbox-staging ~/dosbox/thedraw/THEDRAW.EXE
Which pops up original TheDRAW in my current Arch system. :P If only it had m0re than 25 lines - and yes, I have the same for ACiDDraw for that very reason. :P

I have never been able to find a registered version of either TheDraw or AcidDraw, nor have I succeeded in contacting the developers. Do you have
the registered version of those great ANSI editors?

It runs perfectly, and with more settings you can get it all zoomed in right there in your GUI system. :P
the window just perfect as if it were the original applications running.

Whereas these are text-mode program, you may find useful the ttf output mode
in DOSBox-X, which displays text video modes as real text, with TrueType fonts. Additionally, DOSBox-X implements a pixel-perfect graphical mode
that prevents blurry or uneven pixels that result from uneven interpolative upscaling. In this mode, each emulated pixel is displayed as a shart m:n
rectangle, with m:n approximating the pixel aspect ratio of the emulated graphical mode -- usually 1:1 (for Amiga port) or 5:6 (for native MS-DOS):

4/3 * 200/320 = 5/6

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dosbox-staging ~/dosbox/thedraw/THEDRAW.EXE

I have never been able to find a registered version of either TheDraw or AcidDraw, nor have I succeeded in contacting the developers. Do you have the registered version of those great ANSI editors?

Oh, well I'll tell you ant - just hop on over to 2oFB and give 'thedraw' a search in the File Menu. I'm sure you'll find ALL SORTS of registered versions available for download. Shhhhhhh - just don't tell your local Senator.



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Oh, well I'll tell you ant - just hop on over to 2oFB and give 'thedraw'
a search in the File Menu. I'm sure you'll find ALL SORTS of registered versions available for download. Shhhhhhh - just don't tell your local Senator.

Huh, thank you kindly. With some difficulties, I have managed to download a file from this BBS over the web. Shall I open the download link strictly from the same machine or address whence the connection to the BSS has been made?

I have yet to learn how to use ZModem from GNU Screen.

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