Member Avatar for mrwhy

I have discovered what Gates did (Nov 2004, his fix called SP2) to stop all applications like QBASIC working.

What he did is deleted

Replace it and those DOS programs he sabotaged now work fine again, and it is so easy to do:

What you put in it hardly matters. What matters is SOMETNG is there, and he deleted it!

So do this:
Launch Notepad (or Wordpad) and on the screen it provides, type in

@ECHO OFF

followed by pressing Enter (carriage return)

Then save this as file c:\windows\system32\autoexec.nt.

On Notepad you may need to put the filename in quotes – or it may save your @ECHO OFF as a file called Autoexec.nt.txt


If you do this and it still does not work, reopen and add the following lines:

1h %SystemRoot%\system32\mscdexnt.exe
1h %SystemRoot%\system32\redir
1h %SystemRoot%\system32\dosx
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 P330 T3

  • 3 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 183 Views
  • 4 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by mrwhy

Dani AI

Generated

correctly picked up that a missing or damaged DOS-configuration file can stop older programs from running, and and are right to check whether the file actually exists first. A few clarifications will help: Windows XP itself provides a 16‑bit compatibility layer that reads small plain‑text configuration files to set up the DOS environment. Service Pack 2 did not have a routine that systematically “deleted” those files; when they go missing or become unreadable the usual culprits are file corruption, a mistaken edit/save (wrong text encoding), a cleanup/antivirus tool, or being on an OS build that simply doesn’t support 16‑bit code.

Useful troubleshooting steps that add to the thread replies:

  • Confirm you are running a 32‑bit edition of Windows XP (64‑bit editions cannot run 16‑bit DOS programs natively).
  • Check the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for NTVDM or DOS-subsystem errors to see if Windows is reporting why the program fails.
  • Restore protected system files with the System File Checker (sfc), or roll back with System Restore / a repair install if SFC doesn’t help. If restoring from another machine, match the same XP build and service pack level.
  • If the file is present but the DOS programs still fail, verify the file is plain ANSI/ASCII text (not Unicode/UTF‑8 with BOM) because the DOS loader expects a simple text file.

If the goal is stable, long‑term use of QBASIC or other DOS utilities, consider running them inside DOSBox or a small virtual machine — both preserve the DOS environment reliably and avoid touching system files. Finally, avoid copying configuration text from random web posts; restore the original system files when possible and back up before editing.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for dearlymom

There is already a file named that. Do you mean to replace the file?

Member Avatar for mrwhy

There is already a file named that. Do you mean to replace the file?

If there is already a file called in the location I gave then you have not yet installed the Gates "fix" that stops QBAS and DOS working.

On my computer there WAS a file named but it was not a text file and was located in a folder that made it look like Gates was remembering it (in some other code) in case he changed his mind

Let me know (best to email me ) if you are still stuck
If your is NOT located where I said, do NOT replace it.
If it IS, replacing it will do no harm

Member Avatar for caperjack

I have discovered what Gates did (Nov 2004, his fix called SP2) to stop all applications like QBASIC working.

What he did is deleted

Replace it and those DOS programs he sabotaged now work fine again, and it is so easy to do:

What you put in it hardly matters. What matters is SOMETNG is there, and he deleted it!

So do this:
Launch Notepad (or Wordpad) and on the screen it provides, type in

@ECHO OFF

followed by pressing Enter (carriage return)

Then save this as file c:\windows\system32\autoexec.nt.

On Notepad you may need to put the filename in quotes – or it may save your @ECHO OFF as a file called Autoexec.nt.txt


If you do this and it still does not work, reopen and add the following lines:

1h %SystemRoot%\system32\mscdexnt.exe
1h %SystemRoot%\system32\redir
1h %SystemRoot%\system32\dosx
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 P330 T3

Hi, I don't use those programs but do have all of Bills updates there are ,and that file is where it belongs ,so maybe someone beside Bill took yours !:)

Member Avatar for mrwhy

Hi, I don't use those programs but do have all of Bills updates there are ,and that file is where it belongs ,so maybe someone beside Bill took yours !:)

Very interesting
He took it mid November last as his fix SP2 or whatever

Not just from my computer but other people too

So maybe he only deletes (moves it and makes it text-unreadable) depending on your setup.

In any case the GOOD NEWS is "If QBAS does not work, reinstall your " and if you do not recall what was on it just put ECHO OFF on it!

So if we "round up the usual suspects" for larceny not just from me, who else but Bill?

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.