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From: tony@softway.sw.oz.au (Tony McGrath)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: DOS in a window
Message-ID: <3675@softway.sw.oz.au>
Date: 4 Oct 90 00:10:16 GMT
References: <9718@ur-cc.UUCP>
Organization: Softway Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia
Lines: 32

In <9718@ur-cc.UUCP> nsus_cif@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Nicholas Leon Susch) writes:

>A quick and simple question: Do you have to have a certain amount of
>memory to run a dos application in a window? I have a 386-25 and 2 Megs
>of memory and when I try to run a dos application it will only work in
>full screen mode (yes I am running in 386 "Enhanced" mode). Thanks for
>any answers. (and sorry if this has already been asked).

Windows 3 uses a default PIF for the DOS command line. Unless you create
a specific windowed version for COMMAND.COM you will always get a full
screen COMMAND.COM. You can do this simply using the PIF Editor to create
a COMMAND.PIF and then changing the command to be invoked by the Program
Manager when you click the DOS icon to be that new COMMAND.PIF.

Similarly, if you are creating a PIF for a standalone DOS application you
must use the Extended 386 options to set up a windowed mode. However, this
can only work if you are really using Windows in Enhanced mode. In Real or
Standard mode you will always get a full screen. By default all DOS application
PIFs use full screen mode.

Be aware that if you start up a DOS appication directly, rather than its PIF,
then the PIF will be ignored and the application will start in full screen
mode regardless. You must execute the PIF to get windowed mode.

Also note that if your DOS application needs to use the mouse then you must
load a mouse driver in your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT before you start
Windows. The mouse, however, will only work with the DOS application when
that application is running in full screen mode.

Tony McGrath
Senior Consultant
Softway Pty. Ltd.