Slow loading - 16 bit DOS programs

I have a 3-year old Dell Dimension Pentium III computer.
It's operating system is Windows NT 4.

Windows programs run perfectly on it.

But DOS 16-bit programs are very slow to load.
There is a delay of nearly 10 seconds before they start up.
Once started, they too run perfectly.

I decided I could live with the problem.
But now I find other people
(other Clipper application developers)
are having the same problem
under Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Can anyone here tell us if there is a known problem
in starting up 16 bit programs on Dell PIII machines ?

We would be grateful for any relevant info.

Joe Grant

Joe Grant wrote:

I have a 3-year old Dell Dimension Pentium III computer.
It's operating system is Windows NT 4.

Windows programs run perfectly on it.

But DOS 16-bit programs are very slow to load.
There is a delay of nearly 10 seconds before they start up.
Once started, they too run perfectly.

I decided I could live with the problem.
But now I find other people
(other Clipper application developers)
are having the same problem
under Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Can anyone here tell us if there is a known problem
in starting up 16 bit programs on Dell PIII machines ?

We would be grateful for any relevant info.

Joe Grant

It is not a problem with the computer or Windows NT. But in
order to run a 16-bit application, Windows NT/2000/XP need
to set up DOS emulation mode to run the DOS application in
its own virtual box (or window) and this takes up the time.
(BTW, Windows NT/2000/XP are 32-bit operating systems.)

Well considering that none of the mentioned OSs even run DOS as part of
the OS and that means they are all running using emulation your lucky
they even run.
Steve W.

"Joe Grant" wrote in message
...

I have a 3-year old Dell Dimension Pentium III computer.
It's operating system is Windows NT 4.

Windows programs run perfectly on it.

But DOS 16-bit programs are very slow to load.
There is a delay of nearly 10 seconds before they start up.
Once started, they too run perfectly.

I decided I could live with the problem.
But now I find other people
(other Clipper application developers)
are having the same problem
under Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Can anyone here tell us if there is a known problem
in starting up 16 bit programs on Dell PIII machines ?

We would be grateful for any relevant info.

Joe Grant




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On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:14:04 -0800, Ghostrider
wrote:

It is not a problem with the computer or Windows NT. But in
order to run a 16-bit application, Windows NT/2000/XP need
to set up DOS emulation mode to run the DOS application in
its own virtual box (or window) and this takes up the time.
(BTW, Windows NT/2000/XP are 32-bit operating systems.)



What you say is true.
But the fact remains that on _other_ PIII computers
running NT/2000/XP, it takes only a second or two
to get a 16 bit DOS application started -- but on the
Dell PIII it takes more than 10 seconds - even 15 or 20.

My question is: What makes the difference ?

Joe

"Joe Grant" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:14:04 -0800, Ghostrider
wrote:

It is not a problem with the computer or Windows NT. But in
order to run a 16-bit application, Windows NT/2000/XP need
to set up DOS emulation mode to run the DOS application in
its own virtual box (or window) and this takes up the time.
(BTW, Windows NT/2000/XP are 32-bit operating systems.)



What you say is true.
But the fact remains that on _other_ PIII computers
running NT/2000/XP, it takes only a second or two
to get a 16 bit DOS application started -- but on the
Dell PIII it takes more than 10 seconds - even 15 or 20.

My question is: What makes the difference ?

Could be the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG scripts are different.
Maybe the 16-bit subsystem isn't preloaded in OEM versions of Windows?

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 02:48:55 -0500, "Madonna"
wrote:

But the fact remains that on _other_ PIII computers
running NT/2000/XP, it takes only a second or two
to get a 16 bit DOS application started -- but on the
Dell PIII it takes more than 10 seconds - even 15 or 20.

My question is: What makes the difference ?

Could be the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG scripts are different.
Maybe the 16-bit subsystem isn't preloaded in OEM versions of Windows?


Madonna,

I find that second suggestion very interesting.
But I heed help understanding it.

What file or files constitute the 16-bit sub-system ?
When you say "preloaded", do you mean
made resident in memory when Windows starts up
so that it does not have to be
loaded each time a new task calls for it ?
If so, what tells Windows to preload it:
something in some *.ini file ?
something in config.sys/.nt ?
something in autoexec.bat/.nt ?

I can't see anything that seems relevant
in my *.nt files
on computers where there is _no_ problem.
I don't know my way around the *.ini files.
I'd be glad of any pointers you can give.

Joe

"Joe Grant" wrote
What file or files constitute the 16-bit sub-system ?
WOWEXEC.EXE and WOW32.DLL and some others. WOW means Windows on Windows,
or in other words a Windows 16-bit running in the Windows 32-bit subsystem.
So if you start wowexec you will see it in the tasks list when you press
ctrl-alt-del.
Once loaded I think it stays resident for a long while, even if the 16-bit
application is done.
A network start-up batch script may load it.

When you say "preloaded", do you mean
made resident in memory when Windows starts up
so that it does not have to be
loaded each time a new task calls for it ?
Yes.

If so, what tells Windows to preload it:
something in some *.ini file ?
something in config.sys/.nt ?
something in autoexec.bat/.nt ?
See above. Maybe the cleanest would be to put a shortcut to it in the
Startup group of the Start menu.

I can't see anything that seems relevant
in my *.nt files
on computers where there is _no_ problem.
I don't know my way around the *.ini files.
I'd be glad of any pointers you can give.
Well maybe you just want to start it up and it'll stay in memory.

Note that all 16-bit applications share the same resources, so a slow or bad
one
will make trouble for all the other 16-bit applications. That's why there
were so
many system crashes in windows 3.1 and windows 95.