What's That C:\ Doing
On My PC Companion?

PocketDOS lets Handheld and H/PC Pro users run DOS applications on their PC Companion.

BY RICH HALL

Microsoft has been talking about eliminating DOS from their desktop PC Windows operating systems for years. But you can still get to a DOS prompt in Windows 2000 because of pesky "legacy systems." These are ways of doing things inherited, as a legacy, from the previous MIS director, CEO, or whoever. They are systems designed years ago (5 to 15) when DOS was king, and may involve old DOS programs that still do the job. In fact, some of those old DOS programs do the job better than their modern counterparts. That's one of the reasons why MIS guys (and gals) and CEOs don't want to let go of their legacy systems. And that's why you can still get to a DOS prompt in the desktop PC versions of Windows. Unfortunately, that's not the case with Windows CE.

When Windows CE was a brand new operating system three years ago, Microsoft decided that you wouldn't need to access DOS programs. They planned to build in most of the applications you'd need and figured independent software vendors would develop additional programs for the new operating system.

Well, one of the very first and most consistent "suggestions" I read on Windows CE newsgroups was that Microsoft include DOS capability in subsequent releases of Windows CE. They didn't and I was told that because of the design of Windows CE, it was not possible. Tell that to the developers of PocketDOS!

PocketDOS

PocketDOS turns your Windows CE H/PC (or H/PC Pro) into a DOS-compatible computer, letting you run many DOS applications and games on your H/PC. PocketDOS does two things: First, it creates an emulation of an 8086/80186-compatible computer on your H/PC. These were early DOS computers. Then it runs an MS-DOS 6.22-compatible version of DOS within that emulation, on your Microsoft Windows CE H/PC (or Psion/Symbian EPOC32-based Pocket Computer).

Install and run PocketDOS on your H/PC and you get a black screen with a DOS prompt at the bottom. From there you can run most DOS applications designed to run on an Intel 8086 or 80186 compatible processor and display as text or on a CGA monitor. PocketDOS also lets you access devices such as touchscreens, built-in and external modems, IR ports, flash disks, network drives and more from within DOS and DOS programs.

Installing and running PocketDOS

Connect your H/PC to your desktop PC and run the PocketDOS Install routine on your desktop PC. The installation routine senses your hardware specifications and configures PocketDOS for your H/PC. The installation process was simple and worked without any problems on my HP Jornada 680 Handheld PC Pro. It created the necessary directory on my Jornada, copied over the necessary files, and placed the PocketDOS startup icon on my H/PC's desktop screen. It even created the necessary AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files -- remember those? Note that you may have to modify the AUTOEXEC or CONFIG to get some DOS programs to work in PocketDOS. Important: Modify them if you have to, but don't delete or replace the AUTOEXEC or CONFIG files installed by PocketDOS.

Running a DOS game on my H/PC

After installing PocketDOS, copy the DOS programs you want to run to your H/PC. I immediately copied a couple of old DOS games over to the Jornada 680 and opened PocketDOS. I was using the free demo version of PocketDOS, which has an annoying start-up screen that counts to 30 before showing you the DOS prompt. But a DOS window popped up occupying the entire screen (see Screen 1).

Screen1: The Pocket DOS opening screen displays which drive letters are associated with which folders or storage cards (top of screen). It also displays a summary of how you access the F1-F10 keys and other special keys used in DOS. At the very bottom of the screen is the C:\> prompt.

DOS program files end with a .EXE or .COM extension. Sometimes a program is launched by running a batch file, ending with a .BAT extension. After you launch PocketDOS and get to the DOS prompt, type in the name of the program you want to run and press Enter.

The first program I ran was an old DOS version of the popular dice game Yahtzee, developed for HP's 200LX. The program file (a.k.a. executable file) was YAHTZEE. EXE. I had copied this file to the PocketDOS directory on my H/PC, so I didn't have to use the cumbersome DOS Change Directory (CD) command. I typed in yahtzee at the DOS prompt (you don't have to type in the file extension) and hit Enter. Yahtzee popped up in a couple of seconds (see Screen 2).

Screen2: The first program I ran from PocketDOS (on my Jornada 680) was and old version of the popular dice game, Yahtzee.

Yahtzee and many other DOS programs use Function Keys to activate features. Desktop PC keyboards still have F1 through F10 keys on the top row of the keyboard. But H/PCs don't. Fortunately, PocketDOS simulates Function Keys. Hold down the Windows key (bottom row between Ctrl and Alt) and press the corresponding number key. For example, (WinKey)+(1) = F1, (WinKey)+(2) = F2, (WinKey)+(0) = F10. There is not F11 or F12. Again, a list of these key combinations is displayed every time you start PocketDOS or every time you type KEYHELP from the DOS prompt.

Getting WordPerfect for DOS
to run on the Jornada 680

Yahtzee and a number of other DOS games I tested ran fine in PocketDOS. I also had no problems running LapLink III, a DOS split-window file manager. But I did have some trouble getting WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS to work in PocketDOS. When I tried to start WordPerfect, I got an error message telling me that I didn't have enough "File Handles." The message (from the WordPerfect application) told me that I needed at least 25 File Handles. Fortunately, I'd worked with DOS before and knew what needed to be done. I quit PocketDOS, found the CONFIG.SYS file in the Program Files/PocketDOS folder, and opened it in Pocket Word. Then I modified it, adding the following two lines:

Files=30

Buffers=25

I saved it as a text file, making sure the file name was CONFIG.SYS (Pocket Word tried to change it to CONFIG.TXT). Then I re-started PocketDOS and tried to start WordPerfect again.

This time I got to WordPerfect's opening screen, but when I tried to go beyond that screen, WordPerfect kept asking me to change the directory it was using. When I attempted to type in a new directory address, it never accepted it. I consulted the documentation I have for WordPerfect, but could not find a solution. So I e-mailed PocketDOS technical support (demo@pocketdos.com) and described the problem to them. They responded immediately and requested further information about WordPerfect. As I sent the Mar/Apr issue to the printer, they were trying to replicate the problem and come up with a solution.

Traveling back in time

When you open up PocketDOS, you're leaving the relatively comfortable world of Windows CE and traveling back in time to an era when computers were more textual and less visual. In most cases you have to type in commands to get PocketDOS to do things. If you've used DOS before, this won't bother you much.

You shouldn't have any problems with the smaller, simpler DOS programs, as long as they will work on an Intel 8086/80186-compatible processor and display as text or on a CGA monitor. The program should be compatible with DOS 6.22 or previous versions of DOS.

I don't blame PocketDOS for the difficulty involved with the WordPerfect installation. The problems were DOS configuration issues and the way WordPerfect accesses its working directory. You'll run into similar situations installing other DOS programs, especially programs that involve multiple files and sophisticated installation procedures. In some cases you'll need the program's original documentation, or even the help of someone familiar with the ins and outs of DOS.

I am particularly impressed with PocketDOS technical support. They support both registered users and users evaluating the product. They answered my questions promptly and even volunteered to figure out the problem I was having with WordPerfect. And while they haven't yet come up with the solution, they are still trying.

The demo version of PocketDOS will give you a good feel for the program. If you like it, you'll definitely want to pay the registration fee of $40. The registered version gives you an unlock code which removes restrictions on the program, including the annoying delay in the start-up screen. You also get a replacement for the PocketDOS system file (PocketDOS.SYS) which contains a full set of DOS utilities as well as XModem and ZModem file transfer utilities and a terminal emulation program. Finally, you get a printable PocketDOS user's manual in PDF format.

According to the PocketDOS Web site (www.pocketdos.com) there is a version of PocketDOS in development for the Palm-size PC. With DOS dependence on text entry of commands, it will be interesting to see just how functional a P/PC version will be.

PocketDOS opens up a world of new (actually old) possibilities for Handheld PC users. I'm conservative about using the term "must have." But I'm keeping PocketDOS on my H/PC Pro. To download PocketDOS, go to www.pocketdos.com.