Ninho

FixWrap.sys, a free bugfix I made for MS-DOS is available. Thanks to MDGx for hosting the download on his site ! Essential DOS Power Toys - Wrapper + FIXWrap Or, from the same site, Direct file URL :FIXWRAP.ZIP File details : Size = 3,812 bytes MD5 check = A304C56B2E55741A5CC6656761F370B4 What is FIXWRAP ? A bug fix designed for MS-DOS 7, 7.1, 8 (the DOSes that MS Win 9x/ME runs over). It restores the ability for DOS "terminate and stay resident" TSR programs to be launched at DEVICE=... time, from CONFIG.SYS. In particular FIXWRAP allows a user to launch TSRs using Phil Gardner's WRAPPER.SYS (shareware, free to try). Without my fix, Wrapper.sys, or similar devices, *will* crash the system in no time, a consequence of a bug introduced by Microsoft with DOS 7.0 and never corrected. Note : The fix is not needed on MS-DOS versions prior to 7 as well as non-MS DOSes. Express instructions : edit CONFIG.SYS, "sandwich" any DEVICE=... lines between FIXWRAP ON & FIXWRAP OFF, like so : _______________________________________________________ DEVICE=path/to/FIXWRAP.SYS ON ; 1st line... DEVICE=path/to/WRAPPER.SYS MY_TSR.EXE ; some TSR launched with WRAPPER ... DEVICE=path/to/FIXWRAP.SYS OFF ; last device line ________________________________________________________ Reboot... Enjoy !

To any that wonders : yes VPC 2007 runs perfectly on Win 2k, only its installation required some sleight of hand. Don't forget to get the additions for DOS virtual machines from the earlier VPC 2004. The VPC 5.1 runs fine on Windows 98. VPC is a solid piece of software, but VMware is superior / more comprehensive and flexible. You can't mount a "raw" hard disk partition in VPC for instance. Also VMware are the champions for all things networking.

= All Firefox 3.5.x stable (x=1..5) have worked on 98 SE with KernelEx :=) The 3.5.5 however was a catastrophe in my books - not related to KEx, it crashed as well on Win 2k. = Now running Firefox 3.6 beta 4, so far so good ! -- Ninho ... Thanks again to the KernelEx author and team for their beautiful efforts !

Ah! Good point thanks, Cluberti. So, we can assume those interface files are directX-version independent, right ? -- Ninho

Firefox 3.5 no go or is it just me ? I've got FF 3.0.14 working (almost) perfectly here. Will 3.5.x still run in 98 SE with KernelEx ? I tried the Firefox Portable 3.5.3 - works as designed in Win 2k (this is a mutliboot system), but shuts itself down immediately in Windows 98. I don't know yet if it's the portable launcher or Firefox itself, in any case no joy! [edit: SOLVED!] Aplogies and kudos to Xeno & all KernelEx contributors! I had an older KernelEx (v 3.5). After updating to the last KernelEx version 4.0-2, FF 3.5 does work with KernelEx indeed :=) Keeping the portable 3.5 in parallel with FF 3.0 for some time in order to check stability, then I'll update the main FF to 3.5. Awsome work, Guys ! -- Ninho

Ah, right ! Blame my old eyes, or ad blocking extensions <G> Has he been away ?

A direct link to the .inf in question (or similar) ? Somehow I can't find it from the page you linked to. Instead the provided link wants to download an exe several megabytes big ! Otherwise : I have my Win 2k updated with MS latest : mayn't I export the branch HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility from there (in old compatible .reg format of course) and merge it to the Win 98 registry ? TY...

Please... How do you guys most conveniently apply the ActiveX Kill Bits update to your windows 9x ? Did someone make a .reg in regedit4 format for it ? I have downloaded the full patcher pack (Windows 2000 version) so I can find the list of kill bits inside of the included update.inf but it's a pain to apply them by hand. I suspect there's a better way ! Cheers !

Belated thanks, Dave-H ! I've just applied the plain copying method with this week's mega-patch and so far everything's rolling, like (the other) Dave said. Note : among the 16 files in your list are some that are related with DirectX rather than IE proper, and I wouldn't just copy those having different versions DX on either OS. Not applicable to this week's update anyway. Just as a warning for everyone interested to be prudent, as always...

Hi, B.W.Cat! You're the champ ! Would that be the fix described at : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/915985 ? I can't see any mention of "v2" there, alright ? [Edited by Ninho] Ah, I see now, that is the fix from YOUR page http://blog.livedoor.jp/blackwingcat/archives/360097.html Now, the MS kb article says their (non-v2) fix is for Win 2k Server. Can we/must we install your fixed ntdll to Win 2k Pro Workstation, too, before installing your Chrome package ?

Hello Modicr! Thank you! There I can see a new version is forthcoming with, maybe, tuned up rules for IPv6. We'll see. What about the free (as beer) PFWs ?

May I bump this subject ? Nobody else doing IPv6 on 2k ? Of the FW I've reviewed, LookandStop - not free - promises to be fully IPv6 aware, but didn't work properly in my tests More ?

Were there any attempts at implementing file and folder security on FAT volumes in NT derivatives, similar in spirit to the FAT Security for Windows 9x project discussed in : <http://www.msfn.org/board/fatsec-security-driver-2004-project-t109794-pid-725107.html#entry725107> ? The latter seems stalled BTW, any news ?

Looking for an adequate software firewall for IPv6 on Windows 2000 wit the MS technological preview TCPIPv6 stack. An adequate FW would be rule-based, non obtrusive and either trap both v6 and v4 packets, or play nicely with a conventional IPv4 FW like Kerio 2.1. Any recommendations, please ? Oh, free or very low cost would be "adequate", too ;=)

Curious... where is a list of "the usual 16 files" one would copy from the Windows 2000 installation ? Do you refresh IE by just copying, or do you have to re-register some DLLs ? Is there a write-up of the process you refer to, on this site maybe ? TY

Well, myself being not so sure any more I didn't misremember or misread something back at MDGx's home site. Good idea, my friend. I didn't think of PMs, which is to say I make a suboptimal use of these great fora and facilities. Dunnit now. Thank you!

Hi Dencorso ! Google is my friend, but you didn't read my question accurately didya ? That Google quote is about the basic, documented, configuration [MENU] which I've been using since DOS 6.0 ! What I need is different (and undocumented, but been mentionned by Axel216/MDGx somewhere) : how to pass the information about the (so-called) HARDWARE CONFIGURATION to IO.SYS for use in CONFIG.SYS menus ?

I have Windows 98 set up to select between 2 different "hardware profiles" at boot time ("vmware" vs "native"). I seem to remember there is some way to pass the information of which was selected on to Config.sys in order to select one or another block accordingly in a config.sys [MENU]. Surely I heard of that undocumented possibility on MDGx's site but can't find it again. It would be great if someone could help with details !

How does this MS voice recogniser engine fare in comparison to IBM's ViaVoice ? - I /bought/ the latter for my old Aptiva (Windows 98 Se), and not unike Herbalist recounted above, never used it after 8 days of installing/training/playing with the damned thing. I did not even install it again when I rebuilt the system. Yes, it is working technology, but useful ?... maybe!

Try and install° fixed VNETBIOS.VXD from <http://www.mdgx.com/files/Q272991.EXE> Worked beautifully here : running Win 2k in Connectix VPC 5.1 under Win 98 SE, networking fully functional Edited : ° to the HOST, of course.

You shouldn't have to blush, must be me /snippage.../ Ahem, there's "du pain sur ma planche" - a lot on my plate... Thanks again, shall call back later -- Ninho

Yes I know I'm flogging dead horses, so to say. But this is an experiment, in your own words. Please bear with me a little more ;=) That's a fine idea, but we want to use the original, read only, CD (did I forgot to state it ?) Nonetheless I'll be trying your method using an ISO for CD in a VM that exhibits the flaw Some trouble for sure ! Oh, by the way it's not necessarily 15 heads. Thank you very much Jaclaz !

@ Jaclaz : thx for the quotes, which may eventually help in doing the F6 diskette. The additional, specific, problem here, is that Windows won't honour [F6]-inserted drivers for standard IDE controllers, silently choosing the built-in ones instead (albeit buggy) ! I'm sure I saw a discussion and way to circumvent that stupid behaviour, way back while I wasn't concerned enough to make a note at the time. But the standard IDE drivers don't come so packaged - mainly for the reason stated above. MS never thought you'd want to replace them. Now for what I wish to achieve : devise a process for using the original (=buggy) 2k pro CD, such as for install or repair, on motherboards which do trigger the kb254769 bug. There seems to be no other way out than to replace the built-in IDE drivers during the text-based phase of setup (or recovery console) and of course later too. Regards

Dear fellow citizen You are absolutely right, of course, and in actual deed I made such a slipstreamed W2k w/ SP4 CD long ago :=) Probably so. But take notice, s'il vous plaît : I want to learn how to make an F6 diskette with IDE controllers. This is the whole point of this thread ! Could you point me to a how-to ?

Hi ! Not a remnant, it's a bug in Windows 2000 original, all versions (corrected in SP1). It's awful because it strikes under ill defined conditions (the kb article is neither precise nor correct in this respect) - affects a probably small but really impossible to evaluate proportion of systems. As it happens, VMware virtual machines may be affected too. IMHO opinion that bug is comparable to the infamous disaster with MS DOS 4.0 randomly trashing disks due to a coding error in the FAT handler. Will MS ever change ? One or several of those. I am asking if it's possible to replace them on the fly when booting from a CD, and how. Indeed I'm sure I read sometime you can do it and it might be tricky, wasn't especially interested then... I saw that one too. Shall have a peek at your other links ... P.S : I'm not especially after a way to circumvent the bug - I only mentionned it as a motivation, and because the kb article is important and was nuked by the Redmond police This question is how do you change IDE drivers at boot time, bug or no bug :=) -- Ninho