## EMUfailure.txt

Uwe Bonnes, bon@elektron.ikp.physik.th-darmstadt.de
May 30, 1997 for dosemu 0.66.5 (and possibly earlier versions)

This file list programs and groups of programms not running or running only partial under dosemu. The most up-to-date version of this file may be found on: ftp.mathematik.th-darmstadt.de:/pub/linux/bonnes/. Please report about possible additions to linux-msdos@vger.rutgers.edu. Perhaps it can be made going with the help others. Have a look at the dosemu-howto how to do so.

## Fundamental problem

Programs that don't work under the MSDOS Emulator and probably won't ever work, because of fundamental problem. Some of these fundamental problems result in these programs not being runnable on Win3.x/Win95/WinNT in a Dosbox and under OS/2 either. These programs are characterized by using any of these features:

### Virtual Control Program Interface (VCPI)

VCPI allows programs to run in ring 0. This is kernel mode in Linux and not sensible.

Example: sim2181.exe from Analog Devices DSP Kit

### Programs using older Versions of the Pharlap Extender

The Pharlap Extender in it's older versions needed ring 0 access too, so it can't me made working in the emulator.

Example:Autocad Version 12c1 For DOS

### MSDOS enhanced mode Windows kernel krnl386.exe

krnl386.exe needs Ring 0 access too.

### Windows programs using Win32s

Win32s needs Ring 0 access too.

### Does my failing program belong to these groups?

Check with "strings <program.exe> | less" if the programm contains some of these keywords vcpi, pharlap and win32s. Newer Pharlap programs may work.

## Known bugs

### Things YOU may help changing

This is a list of currently known bugs in Dosemu0.53pl58, currently in the process of adaptation to 0.66.5

- Some documentation is known to be well out of date.

- Sound Card emulation does not work yet

- Some video BIOS will start very slowly with the serial ports enabled.

- If you are having troubles with EMS, try moving your page frame or disabling umb_max if it is set to 'on'.

- Programs (like MFT.EXE from QEMM) may crash due to inadequate timer resolution. A fast machine will have less problems

- Quattro Pro for DOS is rumored not to work (anyone with a copy willing to look into why?)

- Windows 3.1 will not run very well. We do NOT recommend running it.

- There may be periodic "internal stack overflows" using the mouse, especially under Windows (correct, all?)

### Problems probably solved

Here reported problems with older versions are listed. The current version should have solved them, but this has to be validated. Please report if you had problems in the listed areas and these problems are now solved.

- If you seem to be getting corrupt files, try switching away from Linux v1.1.50-v1.1.65, since there are known disk access bugs.

- DPMI emulation is known to be somewhat buggy.

- There are known problems with xdos (e.g. it may not work at all for you.)

- xdos sessions accessed from remote, non-Linux X-sessions (e.g. SUN stations and others) may not work correctly.

- The internal mouse driver is known to have problems.

- Running a protected mode 'make' and a protected mode compiler (e.g. Borland's) may not work. Try switching to a real mode make.

## Programs not working yet

Here are programs listed, where someone has reported that it does not work.

### dd2demo.exe

This is a game found at

    http://www.psygnosis.com/

Reported by Hans Lermen, it kills dosemu, giving an output like:

    general protection at 0x1fba: a7
    ERROR: SIGSEGV, protected insn...exiting!

The crash happens in DMPI Call 0x0302 At least DMPI Call 0x0506 is not yet implemented.

### bae.exe

This is a demo version of an Electronic CAD programm, found at

    http://www.bartels.de/

Reported by Uwe Bonnes, it stops dosemu with a blank screen in an unusable state. You have to do a remote login to kill dosemu, or hit reset with all it's possible fatal result. The possible reason is the missing implementation of DMPI Call 0x0800, as Uwe Bonnes reported it once working on the console with some hack.

### tasmx.exe

Reported by vignani@mail.tin.it (Alberto Vignani): Protected-mode version of the Borland Turbo Assembler. It crashes with "out of memory" at startup. I traced it at the assembly level, no result until now. Maybe a DPMI problem (97/03/04).

### xaos.exe

Reported by vignani@mail.tin.it (Alberto Vignani): Mandelbrot zoomer, version 2.2 under djgpp, using Allegro 2.1 library. Can be found on any simtelnet mirror (xaos22b.exe?) Any mouse movement (in console mode with a button pressed) crashes it (97/03/04).

### QIC tape programs

Reported by vignani@mail.tin.it (Alberto Vignani): Tape is not supported. Worse, if you use a floppy under dosemu, you have sometimes to remove/reinstall the ftape module.

### Any program using SCSI

Reported by vignani@mail.tin.it (Alberto Vignani):

No ASPI support until now(97/03/04).