larsen@mist.cs.orst.edu (Scott Larsen) (03/07/90)
Is there such a thing as a dos shell under ms windows? I am a user of X windows and am used to doing stuff in a "normal" shell like structure like xterm. Is there anything out there or is this just a pipe dream? -Scott Larsen larsen@cs.orst.edu UUCP: hplabs!hp-pcd!orstcs!larsen -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Open the pod bay doors, Hal." - David Bowman
wallwey@boulder.Colorado.EDU (WALLWEY DEAN WILLIAM) (03/08/90)
In article <16557@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> larsen@mist.CS.ORST.EDU (Scott Larsen) writes: >Is there such a thing as a dos shell under ms windows? I am a user of >X windows and am used to doing stuff in a "normal" shell like structure >like xterm. > >Is there anything out there or is this just a pipe dream? > >-Scott Larsen >larsen@cs.orst.edu UUCP: hplabs!hp-pcd!orstcs!larsen >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >"Open the pod bay doors, Hal." > - David Bowman If I am understanding your question right, you basically want to run DOS's COMMMAND.COM in a window. I do this all the time. All you need to do, is create a COMMAND.PIF file for COMMAND.COM. Use the PIFEDIT.EXE program that came with windows. The nice thing about COMMAND.COM is that it actually comforms to all of window's requirements for running in a window (at least as far as I know). You can use the PIFEDIT's defaults (of course after filling the in the balnks at the top), and then make sure you UNCHECK "Directly writes to SCREEN [ ]". After you save the COMMAND.PIF file with the other *.PIF files you have, you can just start up command.com from either the MS-DOS Executive, or on the command line when starting windows like "WIN COMMAND", or even modify part of your WIN.INI file so command starts up when windows does. The neat thing about doing this is, you can run several "DOS windows at once". Some helpful hints: 1) The COMMAND.PIF needs to be in the directory where windows looks for PIF files when not running "Windows applications". 2) You should also make .PIF files for non resident commands. 3) Command.com runs slowly "in a window". 4) Experiment!!!! Dean
larsen@mist.cs.orst.edu (Scott Larsen) (03/08/90)
Well, I took the advice of many a person and tried to run command.com in a window. It proptly came back and said "386 system not correctly installed." I then tried to run any other dos program and got the same thing. I called microsoft and they said that the reason that it does this is that I need at least 2 Meg's worth of memory in order to get this thing to work properly with my system. ( I have an Inboard 386 ) They said the only thing that will work with windows for me is applications written specifically for windows. So much for my $100 and the ability to do dos under windows for me! Thanx to all who replied however.... :) -Scott Larsen larsen@cs.orst.edu UUCP: hplabs!hp-pcd!orstcs!larsen -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Open the pod bay doors, Hal." - David Bowman
abukarb@prism.cs.orst.edu (Bassam A. Abu-Karroum) (03/09/90)
In article <16602@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> larsen@mist.CS.ORST.EDU (Scott Larsen) writes: >Well, I took the advice of many a person and tried to run command.com >in a window. It proptly came back and said "386 system not correctly >installed." I then tried to run any other dos program and got the same >thing. This message means that you started Windows/386 in a way that would not allow you to load DOS applications. Make sure you start Windows by typing WIN386 not WIN86 (the latter misses the 3). >I called microsoft and they said that the reason that it does this is that >I need at least 2 Meg's worth of memory in order to get this thing to >work properly with my system. ( I have an Inboard 386 ) They said the >only thing that will work with windows for me is applications written >specifically for windows. > The 2Mb requirments depends on what version of Windows/386 you have. Version 2.10 and earlier only need 1Mb. However, version 2.11 REQUIRES 2Mb and usually Windows/386 will display a not enough memory message not the message you mentioned. I know there is a special version of Windows/386 for the Inboard, not sure if this message "386 not ..." is related to the fact that you may need that version to run instead of the standard Windows/386 version. Try calling Microsoft to check about this. Hope this helps. Bassam
bjm@uther.camelot.cs.cmu.edu (Bret Musser) (03/13/90)
Dang it all, I never knew that I would like windows so much until I tried running command.com as a window. Thanks to the original poster and those who followed up for changing the whole way I've been using Windows. [I just love being able to run the windows programs from the command.com too.] bjm -- Bret J. Musser -- Carnegie-Mellon University -- bjm@cs.cmu.edu -- 412-268-8751 "If you can count your money, you don't have a billion dollars." (J.P. Getty)