This is going to waste more time than dialysis and hospital visits combined!

[Paul]

Downloaded DosBox to my computer yesterday. This means I can again play all those games that ceased to be compatible somewhere around the release of Windows Vista. That is going to steal so much of my time.

And it started yesterday afternoon. Played Settlers from late afternoon onwards, eventually decided it was gone dinner time so paused the game to get something to eat. Then I noticed that it was still light outside, which surprised me as I thought I had played long enough for it to have gone dark. Then I looked at the clock and realise it was not still light, it had got dark, then got light again. It wasn't dinner time, it was breakfast time. I'd been playing the damn game all night!

If you never hear from me again, I haven't died, I just can't drag myself away from old, last century games.

[Marilee]

LOL! See ya LATER, Paul!
We spent MANY hours, back in the day, playing Infocom Games, starting of course with Zork. They were the text-adventure ones where we would keep a journal of where we'd been, what we'd tried, maps, ideas... We have several "Lost Weekends" to those games for sure!
Good Luck and keep some snacks handy .

[Charlie B53]

LOL

I quit playing computer games when our Kids and I wore out the controls for our Atari 5200, FOUR times!  By then a whole new game system was on sale far far less than ordering a new set of controls, so we bought another 5200 system, and promptly wore those out, warranty exchanged them , and wore those out also.  After a few warranty replacements we were told not to come back.

Both systems are in a box in the basement.

And I haven't played anything since.

Well, pinochle a couple of times, and pool.  But Son won't play pool with me any longer.  Maybe I should have let him win once in a while.

[Riki]

I've thought about DoxBox, but I've never gotten it.  I desperately want to play the Cross Country Canada game that I played when I was in the children's hospital in the 90s.  That, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego were my favorite games

[Marilee]

Hi! Marilee's Hubby Dick Here.
If you want the latest version of DosBox go here https://www.dosbox.com/download.php?main=1 for a safe download. No Charge

Also I got hooked on some of the old game available here https://www.gog.com/ most are played through the DosBox.

They often have sales as low as a couple bucks US a copy. At least worth a look just for a nostalgic browse.

Dick

BTW Thanks for being there for Marilee. I'm not a social guy and she really likes talking with you guys.
        At this point I just like being alive.   

[Paul]

I've thought about DoxBox, but I've never gotten it.

Strongly recommend you do. It is a great "easy and relaxing" thing to do when you are out of spoons, but don't want to sleep (assuming you pick an easy and relaxing game). However if you do download it, once you have done so, read all of the instructions on how to start a game. It begins by telling you that you have to type in the game and path via DOS, then after that it gives a really easy alternative method using "drag and drop". (if you have Windows, not sure if it works on Mac or other systems).

Also remember that if you make a new folder to put your games in, DOS has a limit of 8 character length, and cannot deal with spaces. This is also important when picking an existing folder to put your games in. I forgot this (probably over a decade since I last used MS DOS) and not only created a folder called "classic_games", but put it in Window's "program files" folder, so doubly confused DosBox when it tried to find the exe file.

Oh, and for those who have DosBox, check out https://www.freegameempire.com for loads of free games to download. However they remove games where the copyright holder is still selling the game, and it can get bloody annoying when you keep finding games you love and remember, only to see that the game has been deleted.

[Riki]

I haven't really got time for those games, but I've only got a week left of school and then a month or more before I start my internship, so I might have time then.  I need a better computer too.  This one, I cheaped out on.  I wanted it specifically for school work, and it does ok for that, but it doesn't have the hard drive space for the operating system, let alone the programs I need for schoolwork.  I don't even have the room to save my schoolwork.  I'm using an SD card for that.

[Paul]

I need a better computer too.  This one, I cheaped out on.  I wanted it specifically for school work, and it does ok for that, but it doesn't have the hard drive space for the operating system, let alone the programs I need for schoolwork.  I don't even have the room to save my schoolwork.  I'm using an SD card for that.

That is the beauty of DosBox, the programs it runs are so old they are low spec and so small that they don't take up too much hard drive space. However if the only problem with your computer is hard drive space, you can simply buy a bigger hard drive and add that to it (all computers can take two hard drives, and most can take up to five drives in total (the five limit includes DVD/CD/Floppy/etc drives, the two limit is exclusively hard drives). However if you are having difficulty fitting the OS on the existing drive, you might be better installing the OS on the new (bigger) drive then deleting it from the old drive (having two OSs on the same computer can confuse the computer unless you are tech savvy enough to go into BIOS and mess with the priority settings).

[Riki]

I need a better computer too.  This one, I cheaped out on.  I wanted it specifically for school work, and it does ok for that, but it doesn't have the hard drive space for the operating system, let alone the programs I need for schoolwork.  I don't even have the room to save my schoolwork.  I'm using an SD card for that.

That is the beauty of DosBox, the programs it runs are so old they are low spec and so small that they don't take up too much hard drive space. However if the only problem with your computer is hard drive space, you can simply buy a bigger hard drive and add that to it (all computers can take two hard drives, and most can take up to five drives in total (the five limit includes DVD/CD/Floppy/etc drives, the two limit is exclusively hard drives). However if you are having difficulty fitting the OS on the existing drive, you might be better installing the OS on the new (bigger) drive then deleting it from the old drive (having two OSs on the same computer can confuse the computer unless you are tech savvy enough to go into BIOS and mess with the priority settings).

It's a laptop, so I doubt it has any space for additional drives

btw, when I was younger and much techier (is that a word? *L*) I did have a computer with two drives, one running windows xp and the other running windows 2000.  I worked for Microsoft tech support at the time, so creating a computer with 2 operating systems, and being able to switch between the two at will was a bit of a game for me

[Paul]

It's a laptop, so I doubt it has any space for additional drives

If it has USB ports, you could add an external drive.

Although yeah, if it is your main computer and it is a laptop, get a desktop to replace it. Laptops are great for working on the move (or taking to dialysis), but if your main computer is a laptop then, even if you paid over a thousand dollars for it, your main computer is not up to the job.

[Charlie B53]

Even I have two sets of external drive adaptors with power bricks so I can check out other drives, copy whole drives, etc..

I don't consider myself a 'geek' but I was sorta 'nerdly' in high school in the very early 70's. Which was quite confusing for some as I was the Varsity Fullback/Linebacker.

I did have a pocket protector.

And I still have my slide rule.

[lulu836]

If you do have a laptop or even if you don't, USB hubs are very handy for keeping 3 or 4 USB devices going.  They can be stand-alone or they can be network drives.

[Paul]

Even I have two sets of external drive adaptors with power bricks so I can check out other drives, copy whole drives, etc..

And I still have my slide rule.

I have a desktop computer with plenty of space for all the software /files I need, but I also have an external hard drive which I use to back up everything. It has saved my ass a couple of times when a main hard drive died with no warning.

I also still have my school slide rule. I don't use it because a calculator is so much easier. But if an enemy power sets off an EMP, destroying all of Britain's electronic devices, I still have a slide rule to help me do difficult sums!

[Riki]

I don't have room in my apartment for a desktop, or I'd probably have one.  I miss my Sims game *L*  I bought my school laptop because I wanted something light, and this computer had a bigger screen than the tablet I had been using.  If I hadn't have been in such a hurry, I would have taken a closer look at the specs, and realized that the hard drive space (or lack thereof) was the reason it was so cheap.  It runs Windows 10, which is good because that's what all the lab computers at school use, so what we're taught looks the same as what I have, but the hard drive just isn't big enough for it.  Whenever I use that computer for anything, I get notifications telling me that there are updates that need to be installed, and when I try to install them, I get another message saying that space is needed, and that drive just doesn't have it.  I could remove Microsoft Office from it, which is all I've added to it, but that kind of defeats the purpose of having the computer in the first place.  I'm not sure what else to do, but to ignore the notifications, but I did have trouble using internet explorer the other day.  I was told that the version I was using was no longer compatible with the site I was on, and I was on Twitter, trying to update my profile picture

[lulu836]

Do a deep reorg on the hard drive.
Delete all cookies
Clean all caches
There is another file and my personal, physical memory is so bad I cant remember the name of it, that keeps the startup of any program you have ever executed ready to go instantly if it is ever called again.  Hopefully someone else can remember the name of it.  Anyhow, every file that resides in that folder can be deleted with no harm at all.
Find the free edition of MalwareBytes and execute it.  That should take care of junk you have picked up.
Norton used to have a registry cleaner that was good but it may not exist any more.

Try some of those things if you feel safe doing them.

[Paul]

I don't have room in my apartment for a desktop

Not true. I have an old desktop and it's footprint on my desk is only a few square inches more than my laptop. And as I said it is an old one, newer desktops are smaller, so would not even take up those few extra inches. What people usually mean when they say "I don't have room in my apartment for a desktop" is "If I bought a desktop I would also buy an unnecessarily large screen, and a really big keyboard, neither of which are necessary, but take up lots of space." Choose your desktop wisely, and you need less space than you would for a laptop.

I was always amused by my last boss who bought an Apple Air laptop to conserve space (this would be the same if he got a Microsoft Surface or similar). He claimed that he and his partner used Air laptops for personal use because they took up less space (no idea why he needed this because he had an enormous apartment). However Air, Surface, and similar laptops come without many necessary components, such as a DVD/CD drive, and with all the add ons/plug ins, his computer set up took up more space than two "normal" computers. Plus he had to spend about ten minutes setting everything up before he could even switch the darn thing on.

[Paul]

There is another file and my personal, physical memory is so bad I cant remember the name of it, that keeps the startup of any program you have ever executed ready to go instantly if it is ever called again.  Hopefully someone else can remember the name of it.

I think that is called "Windows".

[lulu836]

There is another file and my personal, physical memory is so bad I cant remember the name of it, that keeps the startup of any program you have ever executed ready to go instantly if it is ever called again.  Hopefully someone else can remember the name of it.

I think that is called "Windows".

Hahahahahahahaha aren't you the clever one.........NOT.

Found it.      c:\windows\Prefetch       Delete everything IN the folder but not the folder.  If you aren't comfortable deleting the files just rename the folder.

[Paul]

A few things to note if you try this:

1) On some versions of Windows it is called "Superfetch", no idea why.

2) In most cases doing this will slow down your computer (the reason for doing it is to get more room on your hard drive but you pay for the space in a poor performance from your computer, or an even worse performance if your computer's performance is already poor).

3) A few programs need these, removing them will stop those programs working.

4) Some of the better written programs that fall under point (3) will overcome this problem by recreating that file as soon as you run them again, so you will have gained nothing.

5) Unless you have a ridiculously large number of programs, this folder is very small, so you gain very little. One average sized program will take up a lot more space (or about ten photos).

6) On most (possibly all) versions of Windows it is locked, you will need to know how to get round this if you want to delete these files. (I'm not going to give instructions here because if you already know it would be a waste of time, and if you don't already know you probably have too little computer knowledge for it to be safe for you to be able to override Windows' safety features - they are there for a reason.)

Hahahahahahahaha aren't you the clever one.........NOT.

Touchy, touchy!

[Paul]

I've never actually tried this trick (the prefetch one) I only know about it from some lecture somewhen (which is where the information I posted came from).  But after having posted the above I went to look at the folder on my computer. Most of the files relate to Windows programs, and if point (3) in my last post applies to any of those, removing them may knacker Windows (which could be the reason it is a locked folder). I would suggest you do not try this unless everything is backed up to either an external hard drive or your cloud storage, and you have a disk of Windows and all important software ready to re-install if everything goes belly up.

[Charlie B53]

So I should plug in those external hards I have 'cloned' and saved, update them since I'm sure I've made changes since my last 'back-ups'.

I have Win 10 on one of my laptops, can't say I really like it is not being able to start in DOS and make changes like we could in the old 98 was somethings a great thing.

I still like all my XP machines, I've tweaked them HARD. My Registry is nowhere near original. Well, parts of it anyway.

I 'think' I have prefetch disabled, but maybe should look again.

You could send me a PM instead of posting directions.  If I hose it I'll just swap a drive and be back to normal in minutes.

Most all of the improvements I have made are listed at tweakhound.com

If there is another better list of improvements I don't know of it yet.

I'm not into 'languages'.  I did well with Basic when the Apple first came out. Played a little with Visual Basic.  That's about all.  Never had a need.

[Paul]

So I should plug in those external hards I have 'cloned' and saved, update them since I'm sure I've made changes since my last 'back-ups'.

Oh yes, regularly and often!

I have Win 10 on one of my laptops, can't say I really like it is not being able to start in DOS and make changes like we could in the old 98 was somethings a great thing.

I have never tried Windows 10 but I'm told by those that have that the best way to tweak it is to get a disk of an older version of Windows (preferably your favourite version), put it in the drive and use the command "Format: C/"

Probably not a good idea to use a disk of Windows 8.

[Charlie B53]

BIG LOL!

I have most every install disk of each Win version.  Not that I've owned every version but family and neighbors brings me their screwed up machines, most of the time I can save it, but there are a couple of times I have had to wipe it out and re-install.

I don't think I would want to do this for a living, although I have to admit that I can get into the challenge.  I am an educated mechanic.  Should have gone ahead and become a nuclear physicist but life, and a couple of children happened first, so I dropped and started turning wrenches.  I get along very well with machines, they don't ask for anything, just lay there until I get them running.

Most importantly they don't bitch and moan.  Some can seems quite demanding, requiring a lot of new parts. A lot depends on how badly the operator treated them.

I've never met a 'Bad' machine.

Owners?  That's a whole different story.

Qualification testing should be required before anyone can buy anything that uses fuel or electricity.

[Paul]

Qualification testing should be required before anyone can buy anything that uses fuel or electricity.

Oh I second that. Human beings are mostly idiots, give them anything more complicated than two sticks to rub together and you are going to have trouble (and even with just two sticks, many people will bring back one stick and say it is faulty).

[lulu836]

Touchy, touchy!

OK @Paul........you asked for this so here it is:
I tried my best to pass information on to you by using the simplest words and phrases possible.  You know.....expressions and sentences that 99.9% of any population can understand.  I am so sorry I overestimated!