I won't even go inot the details of the last couple of days with my father's store computer breaking down and me trying to fix it and then replace it, sufifce to say FUCK Vista and FUCK Emachines.  Neither would run the stupid 200k DOS accounts receivable program that is the sole reason for his computer's existence.

But this was my first time trying to use Vista, and god, every new incarnation of Windows looks mor and more like an idiot box.  It took me forever just to figure out where the hell they moved display settings to so I could change the screen resolution to something I could read, and I didn't see a "My Computer" or anything to browse the HD directory and didn't bother.  We ended up giving the Vista Dell to my mother and using her old refurbished Dell for his new work machine, since it would run the program.

Eitje, don't you work in computers somewhere?  Is Vista gonna be around long enough that I should get it and learn it, or should I wait for Windows 7?  The most elaborate description I've gotten of it is this: http://xkcd.com/528/

Downgrade to something you know how to use... like XP, or 3.1...

Windows 7 is apparently a stripped down version and runs a lot better and faster. Maybe you should use XP until that comes out.

I have a Mac, life is good.

Shit's gone downhill since DOS.

I won't even go inot the details of the last couple of days with my father's store computer breaking down and me trying to fix it and then replace it, sufifce to say FUCK Vista and FUCK Emachines.  Neither would run the stupid 200k DOS accounts receivable program that is the sole reason for his computer's existence.

But this was my first time trying to use Vista, and god, every new incarnation of Windows looks mor and more like an idiot box.  It took me forever just to figure out where the hell they moved display settings to so I could change the screen resolution to something I could read, and I didn't see a "My Computer" or anything to browse the HD directory and didn't bother.  We ended up giving the Vista Dell to my mother and using her old refurbished Dell for his new work machine, since it would run the program.

Eitje, don't you work in computers somewhere?  Is Vista gonna be around long enough that I should get it and learn it, or should I wait for Windows 7?  The most elaborate description I've gotten of it is this: http://xkcd.com/528/

I think you'll see Windows 7 in the world within a year.  Here's an article.  The beta is already available (not ready for use in your dad's store), and the Release Candidate is supposed to come out in the next few weeks/months (also not for use in fathers' stores).

Vista can run DOS applications, but there's some configuration at the application level that's necessary.


Finally:  purchasing from eMachines is just always a bad idea.

I have a Mac, life is good.

...this will DEFINITELY not run that DOS application.

I just got a new dell w/ ubuntu, so they now save me the step of wiping everything and installing it myself!

Ok thanks.  I never bothered with Vista because I thought it was gonna be another Windows ME (which it seems it's turning out to be) and I didn't wnat to downgrade the system because it's a brand new Dell machine and I didn't want to take the chance tat we might have to bring it back in the next couple of weeks and have to explain to them why the OS is different than what they gave us.  Plus my mother's pleased as punch that she has a newer OS so that's all good now.

But yeah, I screwed with the compatibility options between both machines for hours before giving up.  I know Emachines are crap but my thinking was "Hell, all it has to do is run a 200k DOS program, so what difference does it make, it's the cheapest?"  I have now learned my lesson, in spades.  The Emachine kept giving weird errors about "VLCPU volations" or something like that whenever I tried to run the program, no matter what compatibility options I used, and the Vista Dell Inspiron we swapped it for (plus one hundred bucks) would just keep telling me that "This machine cannot run an application in full screen mode" or something along those lines.  I was tearing my hair out at the end of it, and finally just told him to bring my mother's Dell by today and I swapped the damn program over in five minutes with a thumb drive and gave it back to him.

I know my computer skills are a little obsolete, but I think I'm still up on the take enough to know crap when I see it.

Why even buy a new machine in that case?

Because the old one was fried (mainboard or processor I'm not sure which) whena power transformer across the street exploded.  Though I really think the PSU would protect the internals from that, but maybe not.  Could have been just a coincidence, but it's dead all the same.  And I decided it'd be cheaper and easier to just replace the whole machine in the long run.

There are many legacy DOS programs that will not operate on modern hardware.

I meant, why not just buy a second hand box? They don't cost much normally

Yeah, you know, you can retro it, howver, running in COMPABILITY MODE is a lot better ...
eijte just posted that, how odd ...

Anyway, ask us for details on how, however, I'll warn you, it doesn't ALWAYS work ...

I meant, why not just buy a second hand box? They don't cost much normally

Time constraints.  It might be a cheap DOS program, but it has all of his charge account data on it if someone wants to know what their bill is, and he can't add/revise charges without it.  Had to be back up by this monday or he'd get seriously behind in paper(less) work.

Agreed, however, it's worth a shot ...

What are you talking about?  Compatibility mode?  I already said, I tried that.

Situation's over with, anyway.  New computer was up and running and printing out statements as of 10AM yesterday morning.

I didn't catch that; sorry ...

WINDOWS 3.1!!!!

We should never have gone beyond that!

WINDOWS 3.1!!!!

We should never have gone beyond that!

I've actually considered that.  Hell, if I could find a modern printer with a DOS driver I'd just install DOS 6.22, then set the machine up to autoboot to the program and be done with it.

RETRODRIVERS.COM ....

Or something like that ....

I wish my old bubble jet still worked.