Can't run DOS executables

SeanL · #1 09-09-2004, 07:33 AM

A client of mine has a pc running Windows 2000. Using the command prompt, I can not get any DOS programs to run i.e. if I go to the command prompt and type "XYZ.exe", nothing happens - it just returns to the command line. This has only been a problem since last Monday 06/09/04. Anybody got any ideas why?

bbeard67 · #2 09-09-2004, 02:20 PM

Is the program you are trying to run the same as the one you ran before?
Not all dos programs will run on win2000

One option is to use the compatability mode feature introduced by SP2.
Right-click on your executable, select the 'Compatability' tab, and try running it in Win95 mode

SeanL · #3 09-10-2004, 05:42 AM

Problem Solved!! We have a number of old applications on the network that were originally written in CA Clipper, which is essentially for DOS, but they always work fine in a Windows environment. The program in question is a small executable that takes data from a testing instument in to another database. As I said, this had been working with no problems, until last Monday. I did notice that one of the users had been downloading a lot of software from the internet. I removed all this "rubbish" and replaced the autoexec.nt and config.nt files from a backup directory. This solved the problem. I think one of the programs interfered with these files because the "Date Modified" was 06/09/2004.