Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!sjsca4!poffen
From: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russ Poffenberger)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: DOS windows in Enhanced mode??
Message-ID: <1990Sep6.222151.15840@sj.ate.slb.com>
Date: 6 Sep 90 22:21:51 GMT
References: <9009052355.AA21062@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Reply-To: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russ Poffenberger)
Organization: Schlumberger Technologies, San Jose, CA.
Lines: 33

In article <9009052355.AA21062@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> MBT3@PSUVM.PSU.EDU ("Mike Tierney") writes:
>IBM has confused me once again.  At a exposition here at Penn State, they
>showed me a 386sx model 55 ps/2 running windows.  Since I only have a 286
>machine, I was interested in seeing the 386 Enhanced mode of windows and
>running a DOS-app in a window just to see how well it worked.  I made sure
>it was in 386 Enhanced mode, then double-clicked the DOS Prompt icon.  It
>then proceeded to shell out from windows to the dos prompt, just as it does
>on my 286 in standard mode.  I exited, and once again made sure it was in
>Enhanced mode.. it was indeed, and had plenty of free memory.  I've seen
>posts from people who say that they run multiple DOS Prompt windows in
>386 Enhanced.. so basically I'm wondering: what was wrong?  IS it possible
>to run the dos prompt in a window?  Or was it just Windows wasn't set up
>correctly on the machine i was using?  Maybe a missing PIF file that would
>give windows the necessary information needed to launch it in a window?
>I was thinking of upgrading to a 386(sx), but if you can't work from the
>DOS prompt in a window, then the upgrade would really be basically pointless.
>Anyone have any insights on this?  Thanks,
>

The problem is that by default, there is no "pif" file for DOS, so even in
enhanced mode, it uses the default which implies full screen. Note that is is
not "shelling" out to dos, just giving the app (DOS) the entire screen.

To run multiple DOS boxes in separate windows, you need to make a "pif" file
that runs "command.com", and specifies NOT to run full screen, and allows
background processing while open.

I have mine setup to start 4dos, and that works great.

Russ Poffenberger               DOMAIN: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com
Schlumberger Technologies       UUCP:   {uunet,decwrl,amdahl}!sjsca4!poffen
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