How can I run PFS First Choice on a new Windows 10 machine

[timeshifter]

Very small business customer. The office manager, who is half the workforce , uses PFS First Choice for a couple of key things. I've been doing work for them a couple of times a year for the past few years. On a few occasions I've piddled with a way to get it to work on Windows 7. And I've spent a fair amount of time while there trying to develop a modern way of accomplishing the same tasks. So for the purposes of this discussion let's keep it focused on the technical aspects of how to make an old DOS program work - the discussion of why and how an old program should be abandoned and processes redesigned and users retrained, that can be for a different thread please

Current setup: Windows XP running on a Core 2 Duo box. NOT CONNECTED to any network, just an island. Connected to HP LaserJet 1320 via parallel cable. There is an icon on her Desktop used to launch the program. It's a PIF file. It references a single directory c:\MoChoice (M.O. are the initials of the user, they probably could have named the dir just Choice). Everything is in that directory the best I can tell - saved documents and spreadsheets along with program files. The program files seem to be dated 1999. There are also two subs CBW and SAMPLES. I believe the version of the PFS Choice program is 3.1.

I have backed up that folder. Like I mentioned I tried to make it run on Windows 7 a while back without success, but didn't try too terribly hard. Today I'm installing a new Dell PC with Windows 10 to replace her other computer. Would love to make this work on her new system and eliminate both old systems.

I'm thinking Hyper-V or Virtual Box or something similar. Should be relatively simple to get DOS running in a VM. Might be a little more challenging to get it to print. But it sounds like a fun exercise.

Anyone game? Got any ideas?

 

[Metanis]

Look into DosBox or vDos.

And there should be a way to share a new printer and then "net use lpt1 \\newmachine\shared_printer /persistent:yes"

 

[timeshifter]

Quick review: vDos rocks. DosBox kinda ok but really clunky. Will post more when I get time.

 

[Markverhyden]

You might take a look at VMware Player. Free and supported. The link below is dated. The I'd think the big issue is printing.

Installing DOS 6.22 in VMware Player

While looking for a copy of Windows 98 on MSDN to install some old software, I came across Windows 3.11. I just had to install it! But first, it needs DOS...

grantwinney.com

 

[timeshifter]

DOSBox was cool in that it worked on my Mac and Windows (and Linux). But it was a little intimidating. When it boots your boot drive is Z:. You use a mount command to connect C: to a local directory and I didn't find it well documented or easy to understand.

vDOS by contrast, your C: drive is the vDOS program directory. If you want a folder in C:\ then you just drag it into the program directory using Windows Explorer. AUTOEXEC.BAT is simply AUTOEXEC.TXT that you edit with Notepad. Printing just works. Issue a DOS print command and a Windows dialog box pops up and you pick your Windows printer. Very impressed.

 

[Blues]

I have mostly used DOSBox to my knowledge and not used vDOS but outside of early use of DOSBox for fun emulation testing I really hadn't used it where it wasn't preconfigured as I haven't run into anything that either couldn't be updated and replaced with newer software or wasn't a vintage game where you can purchase from a place like Good Old Games and it is preconfigured. I will say the last time I ran into something needing more DOS support worked through CMD interface as long as it was Windows XP or older and to fix this we ended up with a VM of Windows XP to get that system going and that business shutdown in January of 2020 I believe. I am not sure if I will find myself a use outside of self education and testing to really make use of vDOS but I am curious about it.