Posted 16 years ago on 4/24/2008 and updated 2/24/2009
Take Away:
For maximum compatibility, use compatibility mode and adjust settings (640x480, and run in a Window, etc.).
KB101006
[Updated 5/24/2008, I'll update as I discover or are told things.]
You can run Paradox for DOS in most versions of Windows. For the 32-bit version of Vista, you have two choices. You can use the built-in DOS support which is probably the quickest to get up and running or you can install an emulator. The benefit of the various emulators is their claim of greater compatibility.
Note: This article applies to the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista only because 16-bit programs are not supported on 64-bit versions of Windows Vista. Getting Paradox for DOS running on the 64-bit version of Vista is beyond the scope of this article because work-arounds have to rely on emulators so if you're okay with an emulator, you could go that route. For example, you could install VirtualPC. Also there are non-Microsoft emulators like DOSBox you can try.
Although you can probably use a variety of compatibility modes and options within Vista's DOS properties dialog, the following quick steps will get you running your Paradox for DOS application within minutes.
1. Copy Files Locally
Copy the folder to your local drive. It can probably work on the network but I haven't tried it yet.
2. NUpdate Quick Steps
NUpdate (Network Updater) is used to adjust Paradox's network settings. If needed, use NUpdate. You should be able to just double-click it but if it doesn't work, you can setup a shortcut and use compatibility mode.
Browse to the folder and right click on NUpdate.exe and select Properties.
On the Compatibility tab, select Win 95 (may work on others), Run in 640x480 screen resolution, and Run in 256 colors:
On the Screen tab, select Window within the Usage panel.
Adjust other settings as desired and press OK.
Run either NUPDATE.EXE or the Shortcut we just created (the shortcut is used either way).
The following screen shots show the first and third screens (press F2 to continue). Specify the network folder and type on the third screen.
3. Running Paradox.exe
Use the above steps to setup and run Paradox for DOS. The following is the Keys help from the Help menu:
Limitations...
No Full screen Mode Vista does not directly support full screen mode for DOS programs. So, if you like running DOS programs in full screen mode, then you'll have to try one of the various workarounds available but none of them seemed like a good solution to me. My recommendation, get used to looking at Paradox for DOS in a Window. It's not that bad after you get used to it.
I took a quick look at the full screen DOS apps in Vista issue today and there doesn't appear to be a good work-around. Here is a good summary of this issue with 3 work-arounds:
It seems it's better just to get used to looking at Paradox for DOS in a Window. The default font size for DOS apps is pretty small and you get a small Window on most monitors because monitors these days have much higher resolution. Increasing it to 10x18 on my Vista notebook made for a nice Paradox for DOS experience.
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