Solve : MAJOR PROBLEM WITH MY WONDERFUL OLD DOS PROGRAMS?

1.	Solve : MAJOR PROBLEM WITH MY WONDERFUL OLD DOS PROGRAMS?
Answer» I have had to reinstall Money Manager Business Edition version 4. The original installation disk is a floppy and needs me to operate my Windows 98 computer in ms.dos mode. The installation is very quick, and needs only A:INSTALL to be type after the C prompt. That C prompt shows as follows:- C:\WINDOWS> So the entry becomes;- C\WINDOWS> A:INSTALL The installation installs the program on drive C: in a directory called C:\MONEY. I have checked that this is the case. At the end of the installation I am told to simply type MONEY at the DOS prompt, and NOT to add C:\MONEY to my path. But, as soon as I do this, or immedately after, the DOS freezes, or up comes ECHO OFF. I cannot move on, and have to force the DOS to close and then try all over again. I am getting nowhere, and do not understand why the procedure which used to work fine no longer does. What has gone wrong, and with what? Do I need to reinstall the Windows?Is the command prompt at C: ? ? It MIGHT still be at A: if you didn't remove the floppy... The fact that it doesn't want a path typed means the app loader is likely in the root folder of C:... Yes, the command prompt is at C and the floppy is out.There is a file called MONEY BAT in the C directory. Copy and PASTE the bat file here... Also see where the Money directory was created to.Sorry, I don't know how to copy and paste the bat file. The MONEY directory is in drive C. The problem I am having is so complex and difficult (it may betoken a serious fault in either the computer or the OS) that I really need someone to come and see the problems I am having. How did you find the Money path ? ? The bat file you could type out since you cannot copy/paste it...The Executable could be corrupted. Try reinstalling. Since it's a floppy disk, it could be damaged. Do you have any copies of the disk you could use, or, if you are using a copy, any other copies? The batch file in C:\ can be viewed with the edit command, eg. "EDIT MONEY.BAT" I expect that it effectively just launches the money program. The symptom you are seeing is that the program hangs. This tends to be caused by the executable itself being corrupt, but You mention RUNNING the install in MS-DOS mode. Are you running the program in MS-DOS mode as well? This: Quote and have to force the DOS to close Makes it sound like you are running it within Windows from a DOS Window, where it could also merely hang.Thanks for all the advice. I am afraid I had been uwittingley leading you, as well as myself, "up the garden path". A bit more work enables me to define the situation as follows:- 1. Original installaton disk works fine, but possibility of running the program from the C prompt is extremely unreliable. Very occasionally it will start if the directory is change to C:\MONEY\ and the name of the program (money) typed in after the back slash. Normally, however the DOSCONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS ATTEMPT, WHICH WAS GRABBED OFF ME AND POSTED WHEN HARDLY STARTED! 1. Program installs fine, but hardly ever Not never) runs from the string attached to the C prompt as per program's instruction. 2. I remembered that the installation places the program files on a hard disk, if the computer has one (the program dates for 1987, and was a development of an even oldercontinued again! PCW program. 3. The program comments referred to state that one of the files copied onto the local hard disk is MONEY.EXE. I viewed the contents of the MONEY folder in MY COMPUTER>DRIVE C of my 1999 W.98 machine. I found this file under the program icon and created a shortcut for the desktop. This was how things were before the mighty accident. 4. The shortcut works fine. The original data files load and run. 5. The only problem is that the program crashes and has to be....RE-INSTALLED via the DOS prompt. The printer settings within the program are the same as previously and the printer is the same one. However, I cannot print! Whilst not perhaps 100% vital to be able to do so from a personal money management program, print-outs are sometimes extremely useful. So I am very bothered by both this fault and by the mayhem which is UNLEASHED if I do try to print. Any ideas, please?!I've solved the crashing problem. A bit of lateral thinking when looking for something QUITE different me look at the default settings in the short-cut. It would seem that this was being triggered to close the program when I tried to print (using the keystroke which is the only way of printing in this program). Then altering the default spooling settings allowed the printer to work normally, instead of taking for ever to produce one blank sheet and then take so long to produce a printed sheet that it exceeded its (long) timeout setting and switched off.As it's a dos program, then a strategy is to install it under dos and then back it up. When it fails in some way you can restore the files, and put your configuration files into the fresh copy. Backup your configuration files regularly, and when they change. JFTR The web site says this about V6 "nor will they operate under a Windows 7 64-bit environment"

Answer»

I have had to reinstall Money Manager Business Edition version 4. The original installation disk is a floppy and needs me to operate my Windows 98 computer in ms.dos mode. The installation is very quick, and needs only A:INSTALL to be type after the C prompt. That C prompt shows as follows:-

C:\WINDOWS>

So the entry becomes;-

C\WINDOWS> A:INSTALL

The installation installs the program on drive C: in a directory called C:\MONEY. I have checked that this is the case.

At the end of the installation I am told to simply type MONEY at the DOS prompt, and NOT to add C:\MONEY to my path.

But, as soon as I do this, or immedately after, the DOS freezes, or up comes ECHO OFF. I cannot move on, and have to force the DOS to close and then try all over again. I am getting nowhere, and do not understand why the procedure which used to work fine no longer does. What has gone wrong, and with what? Do I need to reinstall the Windows?Is the command prompt at C: ? ?
It MIGHT still be at A: if you didn't remove the floppy...

The fact that it doesn't want a path typed means the app loader is likely in the root folder of C:...

Yes, the command prompt is at C and the floppy is out.There is a file called MONEY BAT in the C directory.
Copy and PASTE the bat file here...
Also see where the Money directory was created to.Sorry, I don't know how to copy and paste the bat file. The MONEY directory is in drive C. The problem I am having is so complex and difficult (it may betoken a serious fault in either the computer or the OS) that I really need someone to come and see the problems I am having.
How did you find the Money path ? ?
The bat file you could type out since you cannot copy/paste it...The Executable could be corrupted. Try reinstalling.

Since it's a floppy disk, it could be damaged. Do you have any copies of the disk you could use, or, if you are using a copy, any other copies?

The batch file in C:\ can be viewed with the edit command, eg. "EDIT MONEY.BAT" I expect that it effectively just launches the money program. The symptom you are seeing is that the program hangs. This tends to be caused by the executable itself being corrupt, but You mention RUNNING the install in MS-DOS mode. Are you running the program in MS-DOS mode as well? This:

Quote

and have to force the DOS to close

Makes it sound like you are running it within Windows from a DOS Window, where it could also merely hang.Thanks for all the advice. I am afraid I had been uwittingley leading you, as well as myself, "up the garden path". A bit more work enables me to define the situation as follows:-

1. Original installaton disk works fine, but possibility of running the program from the C prompt is extremely unreliable. Very occasionally it will start if the directory is change to C:\MONEY\ and the name of the program (money) typed in after the back slash. Normally, however the DOSCONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS ATTEMPT, WHICH WAS GRABBED OFF ME AND POSTED WHEN HARDLY STARTED!

1. Program installs fine, but hardly ever Not never) runs from the string attached to the C prompt as per program's instruction.

2. I remembered that the installation places the program files on a hard disk, if the computer has one (the program dates for 1987, and was a development of an even oldercontinued again!

PCW program.

3. The program comments referred to state that one of the files copied onto the local hard disk is MONEY.EXE. I viewed the contents of the MONEY folder in MY COMPUTER>DRIVE C of my 1999 W.98 machine. I found this file under the program icon and created a shortcut for the desktop. This was how things were before the mighty accident.

4. The shortcut works fine. The original data files load and run.

5. The only problem is that the program crashes and has to be....RE-INSTALLED via the DOS prompt.

The printer settings within the program are the same as previously and the printer is the same one. However, I cannot print! Whilst not perhaps 100% vital to be able to do so from a personal money management program, print-outs are sometimes extremely useful. So I am very bothered by both this fault and by the mayhem which is UNLEASHED if I do try to print.

Any ideas, please?!I've solved the crashing problem. A bit of lateral thinking when looking for something QUITE different me look at the default settings in the short-cut. It would seem that this was being triggered to close the program when I tried to print (using the keystroke which is the only way of printing in this program). Then altering the default spooling settings allowed the printer to work normally, instead of taking for ever to produce one blank sheet and then take so long to produce a printed sheet that it exceeded its (long) timeout setting and switched off.As it's a dos program, then a strategy is to install it under dos and then back it up.

When it fails in some way you can restore the files, and put your configuration files into the fresh copy.
Backup your configuration files regularly, and when they change.

JFTR The web site says this about V6 "nor will they operate under a Windows 7 64-bit environment"

Solve : MAJOR PROBLEM WITH MY WONDERFUL OLD DOS PROGRAMS?

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