Problems with 16 bit sub-system

[Guest Tony Hedge]

I've got a strange problem with the 16-bit subsystem on XP Pro SP2.

 

I use a very old DOS cross-assembler tool. It works by spawning from one

program to the other, passing arguments. It's a third party tool, so I

have no control over it.

 

I've never had any problems running it under XP. It would always run

either from IDE's which can invoke assemblers etc, from cmd.exe or from

command.com.

 

Last time I needed to use it was November time, when it was working

fine. Since then, of course, there have been lots of Xp updates, and

I've installed various new (to me) MS tools (VS2005, CE5.0, eVc4 etc).

 

When I tried to use the cross assembler yesterday, I got all sorts of

problems!

 

I can run it from a command line in a command.com window - no problems.

The first part of the program generates a pre-processed file, and passes

the file name correctly to the second program.

 

But if I try to run it from a command line in cmd.exe, it looks as if

its working, but the second program doesn't seem to receive the

file-name parameter from the first. Likewise if I try to invoke it from

an IDE. I really need to run it from an IDE to be able to capture error

messages etc - command line software development is something I'd hoped

I'd left behind 25 years or so ago!

 

I can't find any clues despite searching every newsgroup, forum, support

site I can search! Microsoft have a KB article describing very similar

symptoms but only for Vista!

 

My own suspiscion is that it has got broken by an update, but

unfortunately its almost 6 months since I used it - I can't face trying

to roll back so far.

 

Any ideas much appreciated.

 

Thanks

Tony

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Problems with 16 bit sub-system

 

 

"Tony Hedge" <tonyatbenthicsciencesdotcodotuk> wrote in message

news:O6veSFehIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> I've got a strange problem with the 16-bit subsystem on XP Pro SP2.

>

> I use a very old DOS cross-assembler tool. It works by spawning from one

> program to the other, passing arguments. It's a third party tool, so I

> have no control over it.

>

> I've never had any problems running it under XP. It would always run

> either from IDE's which can invoke assemblers etc, from cmd.exe or from

> command.com.

>

> Last time I needed to use it was November time, when it was working fine.

> Since then, of course, there have been lots of Xp updates, and I've

> installed various new (to me) MS tools (VS2005, CE5.0, eVc4 etc).

>

> When I tried to use the cross assembler yesterday, I got all sorts of

> problems!

>

> I can run it from a command line in a command.com window - no problems.

> The first part of the program generates a pre-processed file, and passes

> the file name correctly to the second program.

>

> But if I try to run it from a command line in cmd.exe, it looks as if its

> working, but the second program doesn't seem to receive the file-name

> parameter from the first. Likewise if I try to invoke it from an IDE. I

> really need to run it from an IDE to be able to capture error messages

> etc - command line software development is something I'd hoped I'd left

> behind 25 years or so ago!

>

> I can't find any clues despite searching every newsgroup, forum, support

> site I can search! Microsoft have a KB article describing very similar

> symptoms but only for Vista!

>

> My own suspiscion is that it has got broken by an update, but

> unfortunately its almost 6 months since I used it - I can't face trying to

> roll back so far.

>

> Any ideas much appreciated.

>

> Thanks

> Tony

 

If it runs under the legacy command processor "command.com",

why not stick to that environment?

 

An easy way out of your dilemma might be to install a Virtual

DOS machine, using Microsoft's Virtual PC. You can download

it freely from here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx

[Guest Tony Hedge]

Re: Problems with 16 bit sub-system

 

Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

> "Tony Hedge" <tonyatbenthicsciencesdotcodotuk> wrote in message

> news:O6veSFehIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

>> I've got a strange problem with the 16-bit subsystem on XP Pro SP2.

>>

>> I use a very old DOS cross-assembler tool. It works by spawning from one

>> program to the other, passing arguments. It's a third party tool, so I

>> have no control over it.

>>

>> I've never had any problems running it under XP. It would always run

>> either from IDE's which can invoke assemblers etc, from cmd.exe or from

>> command.com.

>>

>> Last time I needed to use it was November time, when it was working fine.

>> Since then, of course, there have been lots of Xp updates, and I've

>> installed various new (to me) MS tools (VS2005, CE5.0, eVc4 etc).

>>

>> When I tried to use the cross assembler yesterday, I got all sorts of

>> problems!

>>

>> I can run it from a command line in a command.com window - no problems.

>> The first part of the program generates a pre-processed file, and passes

>> the file name correctly to the second program.

>>

>> But if I try to run it from a command line in cmd.exe, it looks as if its

>> working, but the second program doesn't seem to receive the file-name

>> parameter from the first. Likewise if I try to invoke it from an IDE. I

>> really need to run it from an IDE to be able to capture error messages

>> etc - command line software development is something I'd hoped I'd left

>> behind 25 years or so ago!

>>

>> I can't find any clues despite searching every newsgroup, forum, support

>> site I can search! Microsoft have a KB article describing very similar

>> symptoms but only for Vista!

>>

>> My own suspiscion is that it has got broken by an update, but

>> unfortunately its almost 6 months since I used it - I can't face trying to

>> roll back so far.

>>

>> Any ideas much appreciated.

>>

>> Thanks

>> Tony

>

> If it runs under the legacy command processor "command.com",

> why not stick to that environment?

>

> An easy way out of your dilemma might be to install a Virtual

> DOS machine, using Microsoft's Virtual PC. You can download

> it freely from here:

> http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx

>

>

 

Thanks for the suggestion re the Virtual PC - its something I have been

thinking of to resolve other dilemmas like conflicts between CE6.0 and

CE5.0 installations.

 

My problem with either of your suggestions in this case is simply one of

productivity. If I can run the cross-assembler the way it used to (and

should) work, I can integrate it into an IDE along with (Win32) editors,

download utilities, version control systems etc. Assembly errors come up

in an editor window, click on them and the editor goes to the offending

line of source. The last thing I need is to have to go and do

command-line assembly and then go off to look up errors manually!

 

But that is my problem, not yours! Thanks for the help - I'll carry on

trying to make it work somehow.

 

Thanks again

Tony

[Guest Colin Barnhorst]

Re: Problems with 16 bit sub-system

 

I suspect he will need to use the VPC 2004 virtual machine additions for

DOS. The VPC 2007 vmadds don't even support Win95 anymore. Steve Jain has

them in a zip file for download at http://vpc.essjae.com/. (He doesn't need

to run VPC 2004 to use the old vmadds.)

 

"Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@fly.com.oz> wrote in message

news:OMwZ$5ehIHA.2540@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

>

> "Tony Hedge" <tonyatbenthicsciencesdotcodotuk> wrote in message

> news:O6veSFehIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

>> I've got a strange problem with the 16-bit subsystem on XP Pro SP2.

>>

>> I use a very old DOS cross-assembler tool. It works by spawning from one

>> program to the other, passing arguments. It's a third party tool, so I

>> have no control over it.

>>

>> I've never had any problems running it under XP. It would always run

>> either from IDE's which can invoke assemblers etc, from cmd.exe or from

>> command.com.

>>

>> Last time I needed to use it was November time, when it was working fine.

>> Since then, of course, there have been lots of Xp updates, and I've

>> installed various new (to me) MS tools (VS2005, CE5.0, eVc4 etc).

>>

>> When I tried to use the cross assembler yesterday, I got all sorts of

>> problems!

>>

>> I can run it from a command line in a command.com window - no problems.

>> The first part of the program generates a pre-processed file, and passes

>> the file name correctly to the second program.

>>

>> But if I try to run it from a command line in cmd.exe, it looks as if its

>> working, but the second program doesn't seem to receive the file-name

>> parameter from the first. Likewise if I try to invoke it from an IDE. I

>> really need to run it from an IDE to be able to capture error messages

>> etc - command line software development is something I'd hoped I'd left

>> behind 25 years or so ago!

>>

>> I can't find any clues despite searching every newsgroup, forum, support

>> site I can search! Microsoft have a KB article describing very similar

>> symptoms but only for Vista!

>>

>> My own suspiscion is that it has got broken by an update, but

>> unfortunately its almost 6 months since I used it - I can't face trying

>> to roll back so far.

>>

>> Any ideas much appreciated.

>>

>> Thanks

>> Tony

>

> If it runs under the legacy command processor "command.com",

> why not stick to that environment?

>

> An easy way out of your dilemma might be to install a Virtual

> DOS machine, using Microsoft's Virtual PC. You can download

> it freely from here:

> http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx

>