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VISTA Restrictions
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Vista™
Restrictions
Under all previous editions of Microsoft
Windows, DOS programs that are run from the Command Prompt could operate in both windowed
and full-screen mode. Switching between these modes is done manually by
use of the Alt-Enter key combination or, as in DISPRO, through program operation
when graphics mode is entered. Unfortunately, full-screen mode is not
allowed in Vista, thus preventing the execution of
DISPRO. A search on the Microsoft web site located a "Knowledge Base"
article with the following information:
You may find that some
16-bit DOS-based programs do
not run in full-screen mode
in Windows Vista. You cannot
set a Command Prompt (CMD)
window to display in
full-screen mode.
The issue occurs because the
Vista device drivers do not
support running all of the
DOS video modes. The Vista
device drivers are based on
the Windows Vista Display
Driver Model (WDDM).
You may be able to work
around this problem by
installing the Microsoft
Windows XP version of the
video drivers for your video
adapter. Contact the
manufacturer of your video
adapter for more information
about how to obtain the
Windows XP version of the
video drivers for your video
adapter. For information
about how to contact the
manufacturer of your video
adapter, click the
appropriate article number
in the following list to
view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
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At my present state of knowledge it is
uncertain whether DISPRO can run under Microsoft Vista, even if the XP driver
for your video adapter is installed (the KB article doesn't say what this would
do to Vista-compatible graphics application).
Fortunately, a workaround is available
through the use of DOSBox, a freeware package which provides a windowed
environment for the execution of DOS programs (I'm indebted to Dr. J. Garner
for drawing my attention to this software). You can learn about the
program, and download it, at www.dosbox.com.
The emulation in DOSBox allows DOS programs to execute under all versions of
Windows including Vista. Interestingly, the application has been ported to
other operating systems so that, it appears, you can run DISPRO on a Mac under
OS X. My experience with DOSBox in Windows XP has been positive, with the
exception of printing: because DISPRO looks in the DOS low memory area to
determine if a printer is attached to a parallel port (either LPT1, LPT2, or
LPT3), the expected information is apparently not emulated in DOSBox so DISPRO
informs you that the printer is not ready. A fix for this problem is in
the works.
[For any experience with Vista, or with
DOSBox in Mac OS X, please
post comments on the Contact Me page.]
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