Running MS DOS programs on Windows 10

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Running MS DOS programs on Windows 10

I have many old programs from American steam car site most to do engine calculation and engineering.

Works OK on Windows XP but not on W10 have tried compatibility mode with no success.

Am fortunate to have a spare ancient PC on XP but would like to know if there is a simple fix so can use them on W10.

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

[John PParticipant @johnp77052]

Hi

You could try Dos box ,it seems as if it may be available for windows 10

it works on win7.

John

[BizibilderParticipant @bizibilder]

Try "DOSBox emulator" – its free and you can run any MS DOS program you need to.

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

I also have a DOS based database program which I run on Linux. I have tried DOSBox and found it unusable. However, DOSEmu was found to be very good, the major problem being that it is abandonware. There is, though, an attempt to update & improve DOSEmu, called unsurprisingly DOSEmu2. I have not tried this so cannot comment any further.

Good luck,

Peter G. Shaw

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

I use VMWare – the free version – which is excellent. Link

You do need a copy of MsDos or equivalent but these are also available online if you don't have one already

 

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 12/03/2021 19:24:18

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

The underlying problem is MS-DOS being 20 years past it's sell-by date. It was fairly compatible with 32-bit Windows, but getting it to run on 64-bit Windows-10 was an uncomfortable stretch for Microsoft, and there's not much in it for them.

The answer is to use one of the emulators or to run Windows 7 (or earlier) on a Virtual Machine hosted by Windows 10. As the complexity of a VM is unwelcome, I suggest an emulator like DOSBox.

Even the emulators are becoming a little uncertain because demand for DOS is falling away and the various versions of MS-DOS are not entirely compatible with themselves. Nothing to be lost by trying though, I'd try DOSBox first, then perhaps vDOS.

Good luck,

Dave

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

WinXP was the last Microsoft OS that could run DOS stuff properly

I recall trying emulator stuff, one or two of which were pretty good efforts but MS basically dumped DOS after XP

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

When asking on google a common answer was to use an old operating system so will keep the old XP pc.

[Peter SansomParticipant @petersansom44767]

I would recommend the free VMware client. Install is easy, available for most OS's.

Just install DOS in it, once working make a backup and it is easy if you have issues.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Peter Sansom on 13/03/2021 07:41:38:

I would recommend the free VMware client. Install is easy, available for most OS's.

Just install DOS in it, once working make a backup and it is easy if you have issues.

This Instructable describes how to install MS-DOS 6 on VMWare. Not too difficult.

If the functionality is required long term I recommend finding alternatives that don't depend on MS-DOS. MS-DOS is done for unless someone writes an emulator or a virtual machine to support it and keeps them up-to-date. They exist, but there are no guarantees a particular DOS program will run on them, and demand for DOS is gradually withering away.

For example, I see it's no longer possible to run MS-DOS on Virtualbox because Virtualbox have dumped their support for floppy format. Not difficult to write an emulator to run MS-DOS programs, but it's tricky to support some of the hardware they use, like parallel & serial ports, real or virtual floppy discs, dongles, and network cards, etc. It's a lot of effort for a falling minority of users. Even some modern technologies like CD-ROM are fading away, best not depend on them either.

Lathes outlive their owners, but a twenty year old computer is an antique, very much entering 'you can't get the parts guv' territory! Computers age in dog years!

Dave

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

My reason for suggesting going down the VMWare route was that your program is not then running on a 'simulated' MsDos but on a genuine Dos that is interfaced to the modern operating system – my belief being that it removed one layer of potential problems.

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