DOS Box problem in TABmate and ViewSOL

If your PC runs one of the Win95/98 family of operating systems you may just possibly encounter an annoying problem with TABmate or ViewSOL. The symptom of the problem is that when you run TABLO from TABmate, you can see the TABLO job as a minimized process in the Windows task bar -- but the job does not run. Similarly, if you open a solution file from ViewSOL (this runs the program SLTOHT), you can see the SLTOHT job as a minimized process in the Windows task bar -- but it does not complete. Sometimes you can make it finish by clicking on its icon on the task bar: this will cause a DOS box to appear, which may run by itself and then close itself, or alternatively may wait for you to close it (click on the "X" in top right corner).

The problem is rare and has not been seen on machines running Windows NT or 2000.

Cause of the problem

TABLO and SLTOHT are command line programs which run in a DOS box. TABmate and ViewSOL launch the user's default console (ie, default DOS box) for this purpose. The console (or DOS box) is supposed to run in the background and close itself when finished. Unfortunately it is possible for a user, either by accident or by deliberate malice, to alter the properties of their default console so that:

(i) It will not run in the background, or

(ii) It will not close itself when finished.

Either (i) or (ii) will prevent TABmate or ViewSOL from working properly.

Diagnosing the problem

Start TABmate and use its File..DOS box in current folder command. This will launch your default console (DOS box). Close TABmate, then type into the DOS box:

echo %COMSPEC%

This should give the full path of command.com (16-bit console) under Win95/98 or of cmd.exe (32-bit console) under NT/2000. The problem mentioned above only occurs if COMSPEC is set to COMMAND.COM.

Now right-click on the blue title-bar of the DOS box, and select Properties. A notebook style Options dialog will appear. On the first page (Program), you should make sure that Close on Exit IS checked (switched on). Click the Advanced button and ensure that:

(a) "Prevent MSDOS-based programs from detecting Windows" is NOT checked.

(b) "MSDOS-mode" is NOT checked.

Close the Advanced dialog and move to the Misc page of the Options dialog. Ensure that "Background....Always Suspend" is NOT checked.

Click OK to close the options dialog, then type Exit to close the DOS box. You might be asked if you want to save the DOS box settings for future use -- say Yes if that happens.

Now start up TABmate or ViewSOL and see if they work properly.

Notes:

1: The procedure above alters the properties of the default console (ie, that referenced by the COMSPEC environment variable: the one TABmate and ViewSOL use). DOS boxes launched in some other way (by icon-clicking or from the Start button on the task bar) will often have their own properties, independent of the default console. The properties are stored in PIF or LNK files or in registry keys.

2: Under NT and Win2000, the Properties dialog for a DOS box will normally lack most of the items mentioned above -- since a 32-bit console [CMD.EXE] has no such settings.

URL of this topic: www.copsmodels.com/webhelp/viewsol/hc_dosbox.htm

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