DOS Terminate and Stay Resident Program error

I received the following eMail from my brother who has Win XP pro. installed on his computer:
Could you look and inquire about my problem running a DOS Terminate and
Stay Resident (TSR) under Windows XP environment? It gives me a
"runtime error R6000 - divide by 0 error" but if I change my TSR to load
to the floppy drive, it works fine but is real slow. It must have
something to do with processor speed.

If anyone could shed a little light on this problem I would appreciate it greatly. I know he uses some old DOS Bible programs but can find out more if anyone has any answere. I run Win 98SE and do not use any DOS so am lost.

Thanks

 

It * MAY * be due to the fact that XP ( like ME ) does not allow DOS commands or TSRs in the Autoexec.bat.

Beginning with Windows ME, DOS was supposed to be DEAD.

ME and XP were not designed with DOS in mind.

ME and XP I guess can be made to run DOS programs but it may not be as easy as 9x.

Your Brothers' DOS program would run fine in 95, 98FE or 98SE.

BillyBob

 

This may work. Not sure. But certainly won't hurt anything.

Try opening an old-style 16bit command window rather than the newer 32bit one that you get from start~programs~etc. As follows:

start~run~command.com

When that window opens, he can try his application.

The newer version is cmd.exe and while it is lots smarter, it can't do some of the older stuff and TSRs surely class as older stuff.

 

Where is he trying to run this program from? If he is in XP, Newt's suggestion holds the most hope. If he is trying to load at startup, no go. XP contains absolutely no DOS and no DOS program will run until XP loads with its DOS emulator (the NTVDM--NT Virtual DOS Machine).

ME still contained DOS and command.com and there are even directions on the web for reinstalling DOS in ME so that it works like in 98. But XP has no DOS functionality at startup at all.

 

Want to thank everyone fro their replies and relay they information on and reply back if a solution is found. He is Running the TSR from XP or trying to.
Thanks again for all the help.
James Skinner

 

Abraxas

Thank you.

I believe you confirmed my thinking as correct.

We ain't supposed to be using DOS programs any more.

But there are many real good DOS/Win3.1 programs that the creator just did not bother to upgrade.

That is why I must not mess with my Wifes machine. She would hand me my head on a platter if I messed up the DOS side of her house.

BillyBob

 

Here is the latest reply I received:
I am trying to load it in XP and I have already tried to run in under
the old command.com profile. I started having trouble in 98 SE because
it loads in EMS only but in XP they use a different memory set up I
guess. BUT, I can run it successfully in XP if I direct it to load to
A: drive. It works fine but as I said, it is slooow! It has to access
the floppy every time I use it. The program is called "Swap" and is
used to access a DOS Bible program "CBible" to a dos word processor of
which I use PFS and also WP51. I am just wondering if it works fine
using the A: drive to load, if there is a way to slow it down in order
to operate to C: or D:?
I hope you can derive some information from this and shed some more light on his problem.

James Skinner,

 

I started having trouble in 98 SE because it loads in EMS only

That should have been no problem in 98SE. Just needed to make sure HIMEM.SYS and EMM386 were loading in the Config.sys.

I have two DOS programs that use it.

BillyBob