Windows 8

[FranzDages]

Has anyone figured out a way to run Alpha4 version 8 in Windows 8? I apologize if this has been dealt with elsewhere. I searched the forum, but didn't find the answer.

[Ray in Capetown]

Single user, ? can use Dosbox for free
Otherwise purchase the emulator from dbase LLC

[BurlB]

Single user, ? can use Dosbox for free
Otherwise purchase the emulator from dbase LLC

Do you have a website for "dbase LLC"

Thanks.

[Al Buchholz]

Do you have a website for "dbase LLC"

Thanks.

Google is your friend...

http://www.dbase.com/

[BurlB]

done that

[dougsilver]

I don't see why you couldn't use DosBox which is free (see my thread about getting it to work under Windows 7).

Doug

[BurlB]

I don't see why you couldn't use DosBox which is free (see my thread about getting it to work under Windows 7).

Doug

Thanks for the suggestion. I have tried DosBox in the past and thought it was time consuming to use. Maybe I just never completely understood it.

[Ray in Capetown]

As long as you run your DOS app in one window only, no multi-user and don't need printer it's fine and useful. Easy to set up and run.

[BurlB]

As long as you run your DOS app in one window only, no multi-user and don't need printer it's fine and useful. Easy to set up and run.

[BurlB]

I need a printer. Have you tried a product by dbase.com called "DbaseDos?

[Ray in Capetown]

now you've gone back to what I suggested in post #2 and its called DbDOS
Mike Rozlog told me he tested it for varieties including compiled Clipper and the printer handing is no problem
The newer version has even more printer functionality but it is expensive.
There are two things you try with Dosbox
DOSPRN and DosPrin must be paid for, the first is shareware

[BurlB]

now you've gone back to what I suggested in post #2 and its called DbDOS
Mike Rozlog told me he tested it for varieties including compiled Clipper and the printer handing is no problem
The newer version has even more printer functionality but it is expensive.
There are two things you try with Dosbox
DOSPRN and DosPrin must be paid for, the first is shareware

[BurlB]

Thanks Ray. Yes I found dbDos. It is expensive, but might be worth it if it can proven that it runs Alpha Four. I have been using A4 for over 20 years and have recently been purchasing XP machines for future backup to continue using A4. It would be really nice to run A4 seamlessly on W7 and W8 if that is possible Dbdos.

[dougsilver]

As long as you run your DOS app in one window only, no multi-user and don't need printer it's fine and useful. Easy to set up and run.

There is a workaround but first let me say that I was also reluctant for some time to use DosBox since it sounded complicated. But the DosBox website also includes some simple explanation about quickly creating a shortcut via Windows and running your program. It is really very simple if you just follow those directions.

The other thing is how to get around the printing. As far as Alpha 4 goes there is a Printer Configuration screen that should work for you. But barring that there is another alternative. You can print to a file and then use another great free utility PrintFile to print the output to any Windows printer.

Doug

[dougsilver]

To Burlb--DosBox (FREE) absolutely DOES run Alpha 4 (at least on my machine which is Win 7-64-bit). The key is to run the A4V8.exe file and NOT the A4.exe file.

[BillA]

What is the functional difference between A4.exe and A4V8.exe?

[BurlB]

To Burlb--DosBox (FREE) absolutely DOES run Alpha 4 (at least on my machine which is Win 7-64-bit). The key is to run the A4V8.exe file and NOT the A4.exe file.

Thanks, but what I was asking about is a program called "dbDOS PRO 2" sold by http://dbdos.com/. Have you or anyone out there had any experience with it. They claim it will run on W7 and W8?? It is about $150.00, no trial versions.

[dougsilver]

What is the functional difference between A4.exe and A4V8.exe?

The A4.EXE is basically a front-end loader (actually similar to DosBox as far as I can tell) to let the Dos program (A4V8.exe) run under Windows (at least as I understand it). The problem is that A4.exe also does some other things like trying to load some print driver (AMYUNI) that cannot be installed, at least on 64-bit Windows. I spent a bunch of hours trying to get that print driver loaded when I don't really need to even do any printing and I spent a bunch of emails back and forth with Rabins and another tech asking if there was some way of running without trying to load the non-existent print driver. I never did get an answer but stumbled upon it on my own--just run A4V8.exe in DosBox rather than A4.exe.

Does that answer your question?

Doug

[dougsilver]

Thanks, but what I was asking about is a program called "dbDOS PRO 2" sold by http://dbdos.com/. Have you or anyone out there had any experience with it. They claim it will run on W7 and W8?? It is about $150.00, no trial versions.

But why spend any money at all when you can get Alpha Four to run for free under DosBox?

Doug

[BillA]

Thanks for the reply, Doug. I'm running A4.exe, without issue, as I faintly recall some issue executing with
A4V8.exe.

[dougsilver]

Thanks for the reply, Doug. I'm running A4.exe, without issue, as I faintly recall some issue executing with
A4V8.exe.

But how did you get the necessary print driver installed? There was NO way I could install the AMYUNI printer on my machine but perhaps it is because the Win 7 version is the 64-bit one. I think if I was running the 32-bit Windows then I might have a shot at installing the driver. Consequently every time I tried running A4.exe through DosBox a message would pop up saying something like "print driver not found" (of course) and that was the end of that. As I understand it A4.exe is still ultimately running A4V8.exe. The A4V8.exe is the actual program and A4.exe just invokes it via some WinAgent that is like DosBox.

Doug

[BillA]

Ah, I should have mentioned I am running XP 32-bit and you are
correct about A4V8.exe. I looked it up in my A4 documentation.
It acts like a DOS .bat file and calls A4.exe, which is the real
engine.

I also did a system file search. AMYUNI is not on my system.
Go figure.

[dougsilver]

Ah, I should have mentioned I am running XP 32-bit and you are
correct about A4V8.exe. I looked it up in my A4 documentation.
It acts like a DOS .bat file and calls A4.exe, which is the real
engine.

I also did a system file search. AMYUNI is not on my system.
Go figure.

I did not have any such documentation that described the differences between the A4.exe and A4V8.exe files but it finally dawned on me what was going on when I looked at the size of the respective files--obviously the much larger A4V8.exe file is the one that is the program.

If you look in your Devices and Printers on your XP machine you will likely find the AMYUNI printer.

I think if you stick with 32-bit even on Windows 7 or 8 machines you should have no problem with Alpha Four. It is only when you are running a 64-bit version of Windows that the troubles start and this is almost always due to the fact of there being no 64-bit AMYUNI printer.

[BillA]

Advice on Windoze.ver taken. I would like to think XP will last forever. But that ain't happening, I know.
My A4V8 came with a thorough, well-organized user's manual, about 4" thick. It was one of the last
really good documentation, which has been painfully absent, IMHO, for years.

[dougsilver]

Ah for the days of decent user manuals! I recall when I bought the very first version of Alpha 4 it came with one nice large 3-ring binder plus softcover getting started and example booklets that fit into a nice colorful cardboard case--looked nice on the bookshelf. Subsequent versions still came with nice softcover manuals as did the first version of Alpha 5 that I bought (and never used). When Alpha 4 refused to run on Windows 2000 I had to get Version 8 from Alpha and all they sent was the disk without manuals (presumably since my old ones still applied).

Software these days either consists of a disk in a nice package or a download from the web.

[tatteralan]

These are all in PDF form but I have the A4V6 reference manual and tutorial (these are quite chunky manuals), plus What's new in A4V7 and What's new in A4V8. If anyone's interested, I can send them to you.

[dougsilver]

Thanks--I found that I also have the references you cited in pdf form.

[dsears36]

Re: Windows 8

I have read through all the above and appreciate the comments. With XP coming off support, I too probably will have to move to Win 8. I do have a couple of questions:

Can I assume that the above discussion re A4v8 also applies to A4v7???
If all else fails, where can I get some suggestions on short cuts to convert to A5. I presently have A5v7 but have only dabbled in trying to convert.

dsc

[dougsilver]

I gave up on trying to convert the application that we had developed for Alpha Four (way back with version 1) to Alpha Five. It is not that it was so sophisticated but rather that, as I recollect, there was no easy way to translate the "rules" from Alpha Four to Five. So if you are happy using any version of Four, stick with it and keep running in DosBox as that seems to be a winner.

Doug

[dsears36]

Doug

Thanks for the comments. It looks like I will try the 2.0 version of Dbdos.com (dBaseLLC). At least they claim to be able to run the A4v7 in 8.1 with full screen capability.

dsc