XP still works fine. Sorry, the devil in me couldn’t help myself. lolol
🙂
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Home » Forums » AskWoody support » Windows » Windows Vista, XP and earlier » Questions: Vista, XP back to 3.1 » The day after
Hold on, let me finish doing this directory listing in DOS 3.2, and then shut down my 1200 baud modem.
OK. Yeah, it all still works.
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist either!)
You lucky DOG!, that 1200 baud modem “SMOKES” my 300!
On the other hand, did you know that there serial ports today, that will not go that slow, they start at 2400 baud?
You lucky DOG!, that 1200 baud modem “SMOKES” my 300!
On the other hand, did you know that there serial ports today, that will not go that slow, they start at 2400 baud?
Wow! You guys have modems? I still fumble around with sneaker-net exchanging floppies! I guess technology has passed me by! What next? Are you going to tell me that they are developing systems nowadays using anything other than assembler and Cobol?
One time, back in those days, I stepped my 1200 baud modem down to 300 baud, just to see what it was like. Boy was it slow!
And all I remember about serial ports was that you had four ports which shared two interrupts, and you always had to avoid interrupt conflicts.
Sample files for Dos 6 and Win 3.1
autoexec.bat:
@ECHO OFF
SET LMOUSE=C:MOUSE
LH C:DOSKEYBOARD.SYS
LH C:DOSMSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /M:10
LH C:WINDOWSSMARTDRV.EXE /L C- D- 1024 512
SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 T4
SET GALAXY = A220 I7 D1 K2 P530 T6
SET SOUND = C:SGPRO16
PROMPT $P$G
PATH=C:WINDOWS;C:;C:DOS;C:PKWARE;C:FPROT
SET TEMP=D:TEMP
C:MOUSEMOUSE.EXE
WIN
config.sys:
DEVICE=C:DOSHIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:DOSANSI.SYS
C:DOSCOUNTRY.SYS
FILES=100
BUFFERS=10
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:DOSCD-ROMMTMCDAE.SYS /X /D:MSCD001 /P:300 /A:0 /M:20 /T:5 /I:10
DEVICE=C:WINDOWSIFSHLP.SYS
SHELL=C:DOSCOMMAND.COM C:DOS /p
LASTDRIVE=G
Memory was controlled by running Memmaker
Sample files for Dos 6 and Win 3.1
autoexec.bat:@ECHO OFF
SET LMOUSE=C:MOUSE
LH C:DOSKEYBOARD.SYS
LH C:DOSMSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /M:10
LH C:WINDOWSSMARTDRV.EXE /L C- D- 1024 512
SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 T4
SET GALAXY = A220 I7 D1 K2 P530 T6
SET SOUND = C:SGPRO16
PROMPT $P$G
PATH=C:WINDOWS;C:;C:DOS;C:PKWARE;C:FPROT
SET TEMP=D:TEMP
C:MOUSEMOUSE.EXE
WINconfig.sys:
DEVICE=C:DOSHIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:DOSANSI.SYS
C:DOSCOUNTRY.SYS
FILES=100
BUFFERS=10
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:DOSCD-ROMMTMCDAE.SYS /X /D:MSCD001 /P:300 /A:0 /M:20 /T:5 /I:10
DEVICE=C:WINDOWSIFSHLP.SYS
SHELL=C:DOSCOMMAND.COM C:DOS /p
LASTDRIVE=GMemory was controlled by running Memmaker
While the syntax (and commands needed) are different, the same stuff is now in the registry,msconfig, task manager.
Speaking of 1200 Baud rate, we had a real cutting edge setup back in 1999 when we were on the road in our motorhome. Before setting off on the “Great Adventure” in the RV we bought a Compaq 13-inch laptop with a blazing fast 333MHz cpu. It came with 32MB of RAM and we bumped that up to 128MB – huge! Then we added a 3Com slot-card modem specially designed to work with a Nokia cellphone. The connecting cable to go from the little jack on the slot-card modem to the jack on the cellphone cost an extra $22 (we were outraged but we needed it, so we paid the price). During our travels we would pull into a state park out in the middle of nowhere, set up camp, then bring out the laptop and cellphone onto a picnic table. Using our tethered cellphone for sending/receiving we could go online …. sort of. Earthlink dial-up internet service was 56K, but out in the boondocks at a campsite our cellphone often had 2 bars of signal which resulted in a connection speed of around 9.4Kbps for the internet !! Our browser had the option to load websites in “text-only” which was sufficient for reading emails, news, etc. Ah, those were the days … we were soooo cutting edge !
Well, it seems the devil was at work around here also…
In [underwhelming] anticipation of my XP machine’s entry into harm’s way, I got W7 “Ultimate” (oh, really?) installed on an alternate drive. The “Day After” that, coinciding with the Day After you refer to, it crashed hard, never to boot again.
I write this with XP Home SP3, Alive and well, thank you.
If someone hacks and destroys it, what have I got to lose? My files are backed up and hard drives are cheap.
BRING IT ON !
Well, it seems the devil was at work around here also…
In [underwhelming] anticipation of my XP machine’s entry into harm’s way, I got W7 “Ultimate” (oh, really?) installed on an alternate drive. The “Day After” that, coinciding with the Day After you refer to, it crashed hard, never to boot again.
I write this with XP Home SP3, Alive and well, thank you.
If someone hacks and destroys it, what have I got to lose? My files are backed up and hard drives are cheap.
BRING IT ON !
I am with you! Still using XP SP3 behind a firewall. Have my drive imaged and data backed up to different mediums. I also delved into Linux using Puppy Slacko booting from a USB drive on an HP notebook that was pretty much useless under windows with its Atom processor. Slacko loads everything to RAM so performance is great. Perfect for surfing the net. I am also trying this Linux version from Zorin and I have to say, it is the closest thing to windows XP you will ever find. They include the latest WINE version that allows me to install and run most Windows apps including MS Office 2003.
Not trying to plug any particular software, but there are alternatives so even if my XP stops working for some reason, I do not see the need to go Win8 or whatever flavor MS is hawking these days. Better yet, with Linux the hardware requirement, you do not need to upgrade your hardware.
So, now off to play with the Mint version of Linux.
Puppy is a popular version of Linux, (number 10 on Distrowatch http://distrowatch.com), but it is for very old computers that can’t support other distros like Zorin or Linux Mint.
if you have the hardware to support Zorin (number 9 on Distrowatch) or Linux Mint (number 1) they are better choices.
Zorin http://zorin-os.com/free.html Zorin 8 is newer, Zorin 6 has long term support
Linux Mint http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php
If you download the .iso files, you can burn them to DVDs or install them on USB thumb drives, if you XP hardware supports booting from a USB thumb drive.
You can live boot from the DVD or thumb drive without installing and without disturbing XP, if you want to.
Puppy is a popular version of Linux, (number 10 on Distrowatch http://distrowatch.com), but it is for very old computers that can’t support other distros like Zorin or Linux Mint.
if you have the hardware to support Zorin (number 9 on Distrowatch) or Linux Mint (number 1) they are better choices.
Zorin http://zorin-os.com/free.html Zorin 8 is newer, Zorin 6 has long term support
Linux Mint
Thanks. How old is too old? I had W7 x64 (seemingly) running OK on a Dell Dimension 4700, ca. 2005. Its only issue was the lack of an available W7 video driver for its on-board Intel graphics chip. All other hardware had drivers available and no conflicts.
All (seemed) well until I installed Google Earth, which the W7 x64 version would not run in any of its graphics modes.
Upon uninstalling it, the Dell rolled over and died (W7 – wise).
That was when I decided I’d had enough Windows improvements. I am back on XPH SP3 (it WORKS) but realize the scripting is on the wall as far as its internet usage is concerned.
I have the Zorin OS-8 lite ISO downloaded. I will try the USB stick approach next, with a different HDD selected.
Hope to hear from you soon, PP-
Thanks. How old is too old? I had W7 x64Thanks. How old is too old? I had W7 x64
If you upgraded it from Windows 95 to XP and it has 256MB of memory and a 1.3 GB hard drive, that’s old, and you better go for Puppy.
Is the Dell Dimension 4700 the machine that you want to install it on? You don’t say how many cores your 64-bit processor has, how much memory, or what size your hard drive is, Probably a Core 2 Duo with 1GB of memory or more, and 80GB hard drive, in which case Zorin or Linux Mint would be fine.
If you upgraded it from Windows 95 to XP and it has 256MB of memory and a 1.3 GB hard drive, that’s old, and you better go for Puppy.
Is the Dell Dimension 4700 the machine that you want to install it on? You don’t say how many cores your 64-bit processor has, how much memory, or what size your hard drive is, Probably a Core 2 Duo with 1GB of memory or more, and 80GB hard drive, in which case Zorin or Linux Mint would be fine.
Hello again.
The iso file for Z-8 light is 926,720 Kb and thus too large fo a CDR. My DVD drive is not a burner.
I was recently given a Dimension 9100 which had a MSRP of ~ $2,700 in 2005, vs. the Dimension 4700 list price of under $500 the same year.
The 4700 has a P4, 2.8 GHz single core chip, two seagate 250 Gbyte SATA HDD’s and 4 Gb of Corsair ram (but only presents at 3 Gb which is a MB/chipset limitation).
But I should make these efforts on the 9100 rather than flog the dying horse. The 9100 is a much heavier hitter, and I enjoy getting free computers to run at their best potential. Seems like a more sensible project.
I’ll be posting my foreward and backward progress and most likely asking more advice.
Regards and thanks, PP_
The 4700 has a P4, 2.8 GHz single core chip, two seagate 250 Gbyte SATA HDD’s and 4 Gb of Corsair ram (but only presents at 3 Gb which is a MB/chipset limitation).
I had a Dell Optiplex 260, a Dell Optiplex 280, and a Dell Precision 370, which had P4s ranging from 2.4 to 2.8Ghz, but I have moved them out. I decided that I didn’t want to deal with P4s anymore, especially since they all had COAs for Windows XP Professional, and I have a couple of Dell Optiplex 755s, one with a Core 2 Duo processor, and one with a Core 2 Quad.
Still the P4 should run Zorin, and the 9100 is what you have.
I don’t think you can boot the 9100 from a USB thumb drive, but I don’t have one to check that on, so you should check it on yours. One of my Optiplex 755s will boot from a USB thumb drive, and the other will not. In fact when you go to the F12 boot screen, it doesn’t even see it. Otherwise, do you have access to another computer that has a DVD burner, either a friend or at work?
HELLO,
I have not picked up the 9100 yet, the guy who gave it to me was sick today but it should not be long before I can mess around with it.
The D-4700 will boot from a USB stick, at least it’s a choice in the boot menu section of the BIOS screen.
Is the file the bootable element? If so, could I copy it to my other SATA 250 Gbyte drive, which has a 50 gig and a 200 gig partitions on it, ( partitioned and formatted with Acronis True Image ), and have the machine boot to the ISO file? I select and deselect these drives in BIOS prior to booting, so there would be no Windows issues.
And, out of curiosity, what is the name of the Zorin file system? The drive is formatted with NTFS, but I couled easily change that if the necessary file system is available with Acronis. ( I am assuming that the Zorin installation ISO sets up its own file system during installation, so it would not matter what FS the drive is formatted in.)
Thanks again, and please keep the information coming!
PP-
The .iso file is similar to a .zip file and has to be opened and unpacked while it is “burned” to the USB or DVD. Most CD/DVD software can burn a .iso file to a DVD, but you need something else to burn it to a USB
When you are burning a Windows iso, Microsoft has a Utility called Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool. There is a similar tool for Linux called Universal-USB-Installer.
You can get it from http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/. There are also directions for it’s use there.
I have used it but not recently, so my memory is not fresh on exactly how to do it. Besides, I couldn’t get the BIOS of the machine I wanted to use it on to see the thumb drive, although other machines that I did not want to load it on could see it, and boot from it as a live boot.
So, I picked up the Dim. 9100 today, but upon examination is is extremely filthy and in need of complete disassembly, thorough cleaning, re-assembly, and testing. It will be a couple of days before I can try the Zorin install.
It does have a Lite-ON “DVD/CD Rewritable Drive”, Model SOHW -1633S, which. I assume is the type that can burn an ISO file to a DVD blank. Assuming, again, that it is functional.
I’ll post here again when I have some meaningful test results, good or bad. I may try this “new” drive in the Dim. 4700 as an aside to play with the Zorin ISO. (IF it works!)
Thanks again to all who responded.
I’ll be back, PP-
If you confirm that it’s possible to boot from a USB flashdrive/thumbdrive and you want it to boot up and operate quickly then you may wish to look at the Sandisk Extreme USB flashdrive. It comes in various capacities. The Sandisk is a bit special because it offers not only fast Read/Write speeds on large files (such as videos, photos, and music collections) but is also fast at reading & writing small files. Most operating systems and software programs consist of a bunch of small files. Most USB flashdrives and traditional hard drives have poor performance with these small files. The Sandisk Extreme is many times faster so Linux or Windows loads quickly and runs quick & snappy. I’ve played with Puppy Linux a few times on both old and new PCs. For me the main shortcoming is how long it takes to boot up from a DVD. As i recall it loads (slowly) into RAM memory and then runs OK once that’s done …. but it takes a while to get there. Booting from a USB flashdrive that features speedy performance on both large and small files will avoid the long bootup times and still be quick once it’s booted up. By the way, that fast performance on small files is available on older USB ports as well as the newer versions.
So, I got ahold of a 32 Gbyte USB “stick”, and used to put the Zorin files on it.
The setup “bios” on this machine has a provision to boot from a “USB Device”.
What do I need to do now? I put that option at the top of the Boot Menu list. It booted to the SATA drive with Windows XP.
I am at a loss but feel very close now. Need your continuing guidance, Thanks
Occasionally, when I’ve tried to boot from a CD, I’ve found the thing just boots from the HD anyway, whatever I’ve done with the boot order.
When the machine starts, after POST, do you get a prompt to select a boot device at the same time as a prompt to enter setup? A typical one might be:
Press F2 for Setup, F12 to select Boot Device
You should be able to select your USB stick from there. That should be a way to confirm you’ve successfully made it bootable.
THE DAY AFTER I INSTALLED ZORIN
I am liking it more with learning a few things. Had one inexplicable spontaneous reboot, but I suspect it was a temperature-cpu situation as the weather here has been unseasonably HOT.
Is there a user guide or manual available (Zorin for imbeciles) etc ? I would like to learn all I can about this OS, but there is no help function save “about”.
Thanks again to all who helped out on this, and please continue.
BTW, the Audacious music player working with my Creative Audigy sound card, soumds much better than Media Player/XP. Amazingly well, considering that the speakers I have connected at this time are *&(^%.
THE DAY AFTER I INSTALLED ZORIN
I am liking it more with learning a few things. Had one inexplicable spontaneous reboot, but I suspect it was a temperature-cpu situation as the weather here has been unseasonably HOT.
Is there a user guide or manual available (Zorin for imbeciles) etc ? I would like to learn all I can about this OS, but there is no help function save “about”.
Thanks again to all who helped out on this, and please continue.
BTW, the Audacious music player working with my Creative Audigy sound card, soumds much better than Media Player/XP. Amazingly well, considering that the speakers I have connected at this time are *&(^%.
Zorin is a great product but like any other Linux product documentation is, to say it in PC, lacking. After all, different Linux versions are created by perhaps one or 2 developers. To this day I have not met a developer who likes or has the desire and ability to create documentation!
I use Zorin on an HP notebook with a stinky Atom processor and 1 GB RAM with WINE installed, I run MS office 2003, and some other windows apps with not much problem. Zorin looks a lot like Windows but that’s where the similarities end. Zorin allows you to chose the OS at boot time. The only issue with Zorin is that it replaces the bootloader with its own version and you may have a problem reverting back to Windows only if you want to uninstall it. At least, that’s what I have read in several Linux forums and I did not have a need to uninstall it yet. But then again, that’s what imaging software are for, right?
I also have another Gateway notebook with the same specs that runs Puppy Slacko booting off of a USB drive. Slacko loads everything into the RAM. This is the machine I use to surf the internet as I do not save the session at the end and it reverts back to the original state.The Windows partition is intact and if I remove the USB before it boots ups, Windows comes up as usual. Keep in mind that Slacko is NOT a multiuser OS as it has only one user running with root privileges which by the way it does not make it a security issue as you can chose not to save your session if something goes wrong. If you want total peace of mind, then you can create a Slacko CD and boot from it.
Both OSs discovered all the hardware especially the Broadcom Wireless card. Again, reading the Linux forum apparently there are some driver issues with Broadcom cards not having Linux drivers. I did not have any problem.
Bottom lines: A user cannot go wrong with either version.
I guess you saw the Zorin Forum How tos and Tutorials page
http://www.zoringroup.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6
It’s not what I would call a tutorial, but apparently it is what Zorin calls a tutorial.
If you have a specific thing that you want to know, and there is a post there that covers it, it may be helpful, but overall, not so much.
Thanks for the link. I’m sure I’ll eventually learn enough about Linux to be mostly self-sufficient. After working on some mainframe beasts in the ’70s and ’80s (I’ll never will forget the node of 7 CDC Cypher7’s in the development lab of an upgrade to the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, which could absolutely give more than a few Cray installs a good tun for it.) in 1991 I bought a Packard Bell 386 SX-20 which I christened “The Hourglass”. Since then it’s been an evolutionary education of ThingsMicrosoft.
Given the wily-nilly and ~patchwork~ nature of those GUI’s, I believe if one can learn the ins and outs of Winders, any decent OS can be mastered to a practical level. So now I embark on what I hope to be not so mystical voyage. Wagons Ho!
And aagain, Thanks for the help.
Thanks for the info. I have a question re: “The only issue with Zorin is that it replaces the bootloader with its own version and you may have a problem reverting back to Windows only if you want to uninstall it. ”
Are you referring to the file (Win XT) C:boot.ini? On this machine, its contents are:
[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS=”Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition” /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
That looks normal to me. I For Zorin-os8-lite I am using a 32 gByte USB stick. It is only bootable when I choose the “boot menu” option (F2) immediately when booting.
I do not recall whether booting Zorin writes a ramdisk on any hardrives, I’ll check that next time I boot Zorin.
There is a file in the root directory of the XT drive, is that a Zorin loader file? I’m not sure when it was put there, but I did make all sorts of attempts, using all sorts of approaches, before getting the USB stick. I just don’t remember.
Thanks again, hope to see more soon, R-
Thanks for the info. I have a question re: “The only issue with Zorin is that it replaces the bootloader with its own version and you may have a problem reverting back to Windows only if you want to uninstall it. ”
Are you referring to the file (Win XT) C:boot.ini? On this machine, its contents are:
[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS=”Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition” /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptInThat looks normal to me. I For Zorin-os8-lite I am using a 32 gByte USB stick. It is only bootable when I choose the “boot menu” option (F2) immediately when booting.
I do not recall whether booting Zorin writes a ramdisk on any hardrives, I’ll check that next time I boot Zorin.
There is a file in the root directory of the XT drive, is that a Zorin loader file? I’m not sure when it was put there, but I did make all sorts of attempts, using all sorts of approaches, before getting the USB stick. I just don’t remember.
Thanks again, hope to see more soon, R-
Peyton Place, sorry for the late reply but I have not logged in this forum for a long time. The Bootloader is the program that the Master Boot Record (MBR) points to in order to find the OS.
Linux distros use their own bootloader called GRUB because Windows bootloaders do not recognize Linux installs but Linux bootloaders recognize other OS installs. So, the Zorin installation will modify the MBR to point to the GRUB loader and when you remove the Zorin installation you may run into trouble as your MBR may point to a bootloader that perhaps does not exist.
Once solution will be to make sure that before you install Zorin oh the HD, you image the HD and you keep it in a safe location. But you are doing this already, right? (If not, you may want to consider HD imaging)
I have not tried to uninstall Zorin myself, but I read this warning on some Linux forums.
Thanks johngaz for the heads-up. I got zorin working by booting from a thumbdrive,where [ I think] it runs as some sort of virtual machine. I’m not aware of an HDD installation being present, but that may be just ignorance.
Where would I look for one on a drive? Is there a viewer available to examine the contents of an MBR?
I am aware of the potential (and likely “fatal”) consequences of screwing up an XP bootloader file, and/or any other part of the startup process. I think it got me once and once was enough.
I’ve been running this Dell OEM XP Home on a seemingly ancient Dimension 4700 for 10+ years and it is incredibly resilient.
I don’t know how many “Days After” it’s been now, but I’m still running it right now with Firefox, Avira, Malware Bytes and ocaisionally an update & scan with Spybot S&D… and it lives!
Still learning zorin though and the ability to work directly with Windows files is very cool.
Thanks again, keep the info coming…
The OS is Dead! Long Live the OS!
XP Rules
We are even at this late date after the day after, staring the Bogeymen in the eye and flaunting our loyalty to Windows XP.
I found an “old” Linksys non-wi fi “Broadband Firewall Router” at a thrift store for about $2.00
Dug up from the harware archives a 12VDC 500 mA regulated wall wart originally used with a board camera. Works fine. It provides us with a nice warm fuzzy, a.k.a. Cozy False Sense of Security.
It may be that I am “Tickling the Dragon’s Tail”, but as far as we can tell the forces of doom & gloom have been staved off.
I you do not hear from me again, you can surmise just what horrible fate has beset us.
Regards, -PP-
i also rely on an old firewall. Whenever i want to go on the internet my wife takes up a position between the cable modem and the computer. In her hand is a large frying pan. At the first sign of malware approaching she brandishes the frypan with a fierce scowl on her face. Needless to say, our computer has remained malware free …… :rolleyes:
lol; enjoyed reading the backstory Peyton. I still have an ol’ 3COM NIC that I can’t use since they never ported drivers for Win Vista and later. I should sell, it, but it’s on my counter; well now in my hand since your story reminded me of all the old perfectly fine hardware that no longer can be used with today’s OSs. Oh well; just venting.
Also, I can just see your wife’s scowl Marvin. lol
🙂
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