MS DOS Emulation

[Castellen]

I've copied the docs for PCx ver 1.1 here if anyone needs them.

PCx serial port emulation seems to work better than PC-Task, I use PCx to run a number of DOS based 2-way radio programming applications, works fine.
A majority of the time I use PC-Task for running a DOS based Motorola 68HC11 embedded C compiler because the Amiga version isn't too flash.
PC-Task has two commands called "copytoa" and "copytoi" which is used to copy files from the emulated PC to the amiga, or from the amiga to the PC.  These are incredibly useful for transfering single files.
I created a DOS script file which copies in the C source code from the Amiga, compiles & assembles them, informs of any compilation errors and copies the target executable back to the Amiga.

Runs faster than on DOSbox on the 3.5GHz windows 2000 box at work.  DOSbox is good as you can adjust the number of emulation cycles done at a time, but it still emulates slower than PC-Task 4.4 on this 060.  With DOSbox emulation running at a usable speed, the windows mouse pointer is very jerky and the rest of the computer nearly grinds to a halt.  Go figure.

It's also worth noting that both PCx and PC-Task can use the same PC hardfile, so depending on what you're doing, you can use either emulator, but only have one hardfile.
Hardfile need to be located in PCx:HardFiles in this case (you need to make an assign "PCx:").

PCx has a good feature of generating a mountfile for the PC hardfile.  This means you can mount it on the Amiga and read/write to it.  I don't think you can have it mounted while the emulator is using the hardfile, for obvious reasons.

[Hodgkinson]

Thanks for the docs and info!

Hodgkinson.

EDIT summary:
Did PCx ever go above V1.1? Was PCxAFS ever fixed? How about updates...
Im trying to get as much info as I can before I start installing stuff...

[Castellen]

I've only ever seen up to version 1.1, so chances are it is the latest public release?

No idea about PCxAFS, the docs don't give much info.  Was it so you could read/write to Amiga partitions from PCx or something?
The emulator works fine using a hardfile in the same way that PC-Task does, so if that's all you need, then just install it and see how it goes.

Apparently you can get better read/write performace from a dedicated PC partition as opposed to using a hardfile.  Never tried that myself.  The hardfile is easier to manage, backup, etc.

[Hodgkinson]

From what I can tell, PCxAFS is a part of PCx that allows MSDOS (Or whatever it is that your trying to run) to see the Amiga partitions/files and allows the Amiga to see the MSDOS partitions/files. It should allow read/write access, but in the version of PCx that I have the PCxAFS has been limited to showing the contents of directories since file access causes problems or somthing.
I was hoping that this might of been fixed by now since I was hoping to be able to use the networking that is set up on the A1200 (AmiTCP, 3C589 3COM card, SMBFS) to try out DOS programs downloaded from the Web (on another machiene) without having to faff around with 720K formatted DD disks.

Regards,
Hodgkinson.

[Castellen]

To copy data into the PC hardfile, you only need to mount it on the AmigaOS side.  There is a feature in PCx which generates a mountfile for you, so all you do is "mount PC_HF0:" or whatever you call it.  You can then copy data to/from the hardfile from the AmigaOS side thanks to mshf.device.  At least I'm fairly sure you can copy data onto it, been a few years since I last had to do such a thing.

You can always use PKZIP and copy everything over in one file using "copytoi" on PC-Task.

[Hodgkinson]

Hmmm. Somewhere I read (Don’t know if this is PCx or PCTask, or even something completely different) that having the hardfile being used at the same time on both the PC Emulation and the Amiga side results in errors if the content of the hardfile is changed due to the cache on one side no longer showing the real contents of the hardfile.

Hodgkinson.

[kvasir]

Been reading this thread for a few minutes, being an extensive user of PC-Task 4.4, I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in... I've been impressed by the speed of the ms-dos emulation, even with graphics. Most messydos stuff doesn't go over 320x200, though. I've also used it to record ms-dos stuff to vhs cassettes. (Nice being able to jack a "vga" machine to my NTSC TV) I most recently found it usefull when I found an old copy of Descent at a thrift shop, and had to use a ms-dos patch to get the files up to the Amiga versions requirements. Then I did a search on Aminet and found an Amiga version of the same patch... Anyway, I have 2 ms-dos partitions set up, one with windows3.1, and windows95 on the other. (3.1 boots alot faster, and all my DOS stuff is in there) The only problems I've had that I can think of are:

Mounting both win3.1 and win95 partitions as C: and D: apparently, windows detects a boot partition installed on D:, and rewrites the RDB. (I'm guessing here) When I do this, the D: drive is no longer bootable.

Copytoa and Copytoi commands don't like windows 95

pctcdrom.sys (for installing cd-roms on the emulator) is MS-Dos based, and some win95 cds won't work right. Plus my old scsi cd-rom used with a dataflyer scsi card (known bug with the dataflyer) didn't work. Fixed the latter with an IDE drive and a 4xeide card on my 1200.

pctmouse.exe mouse driver doesn't like some stuff, but works with MOST dos apps. (Windows chokes with it, if I recall... it likes its own mouse driver, which works, except I would like to use the amiga mouse pointer rather than windows, as the software controlled sprite running on emulated hardware slows things down quite a bit on my AGA system)

Trying to use nullser.devive (Reassigning the comm port to nullser.device,0, and using nullser.device,1 in MIAMI) to establish a crude LAN with the amiga has proven too troublesome to really work.

Can't install my copy of Amiga Explorer for use in the previous setup because of aforementioned cd-rom problem

Writing to the ms-dos partitions while running pc-task DOES scramble the partition pretty badly.

Other than all this, I've done some curious things with PC-Task. Mostly use it to rip windows icons that I like, and transfer them to the Amiga. Also used a term program to test communicating with the Amiga OS and Shapeshifter Macintosh OS with nullser.device. Worked pretty well, too. I've used it to cross-compile some Amiga programs I wrote for some windows friends of mine, too. Most serious work like that typically requires preparing all the files on the Amiga, saving as a pc-ascii file to the pc partition, running pc-task and letting the thing compile when I go to bed, wake up, and see what errors I got.... I've never had problems with serial/parallel port access (other than the usual ones associated with the operating systems the thing runs), and got a few classic games running on it. (alternate reality the city is my favorite of these) Anyway, I'm just rambling here, so I'll quit now...

Screenshot here, more pics here

[orange]

I remember trying PCTask on 1Mb A500; running MSDOS 'Prince of Persia' and 'Lemmings'. you'd get few seconds per frame!
 :roll:

[kvasir]

ouch... that makes my head hurt. I thought prince of persia was available for amiga, though? And of course, lemmings.

[Hodgkinson]

Just to update the thread (I've been ofline for a while...) i've managed to finially get DOS6.22 from the 3x 1.44MB floppy disk set onto my A1200 with PCx.
The main two things that I had to do was to install DOS from the floppies onto a old blank PC and gradually copy the system off of the old PC onto my work PC via floppies (Yawn...) to create a usable "System" that can be transferred straight over my network and into the hardfile on the amiga; and the other thing is that I had to make a bootable 720K floppy from the DOS 6.22 system on the PC in order to allow me to do all the usual fdisk...format...then importantly use SYS C: to make the partition in PCx bootable (Then copied all the above mentioned DOS system files into the partition) and yey, it works! Also got the mouse to work using some DOS bus mouse driver from driverguide (Never thought i'd be using stuff from driverguide on a amiga...).

Unfortunatly, the serial port doesn't seem to be working correctly with PCx and a communications program I am looking to use within PCx, so i'll have to give PCTask a try one day.

Hodgkinson.

[cybernoid]

I tried also install freedos (to me the best DOS ever) in a partition, then tried to run with PC-Task. Made a dir, put there bin files, copy command.com to that dir, tell pc-task dir location and... nothing.
I remember using PC-Task in 1990-1991(?) with amiga 500. It really worked, but i have to say that even in those times PC was crap, compared to the low end 500. For example amigabasic was miles ahead from quickbasic (interface, compiled code size, stability (!)) and the only thing that i really need PCTask was DBaseIII (my best fave db yet) that ran very well, sometimes almost as the speed of a real pc those times...
Nowadays, I still use DOS in the office (they say it's emulated by xp... but im not quite sure). DOS is great for DBase/Clipper applications, just because it works and the interface is clear, special if i stay 4 hours working non-stop.
If you don't need DOS, i say to forget Windows and try Debian or other linux OS - I like Xubuntu. If you want computer art and superb games, try AMIGA (there's no competion in those areas - Amiga is still "miles ahead"). If you want a new 64/128 bits commercial stuff I would go to the new nintendo - seems pretty original and fun.
So, to finish: go buy a P II and a monitor/keyboard switcher and install freedos... And if you're tired of DOS don't throw away the computer! There's small kick-ass linux distros. My P II 300mhz runs firefox, etc and plays all sort of mp3, ape, ogg, etc ... and even better: plays mod xm & sid! (hmmm maybe one day i'll try AROS - didnt try yet cause i dont have gentoo linux installed)

[derringer3]

Yeasterday, when i gave up my search after civ2 for mac, i install my pc-task 4.4 again, to give him another shot. So i decided to put only win3.1 and not win95 and try civilization 2.
 
What can i say. I run these on 68040/33. Win 3.1 always want a native screen (AGA). (Normal dos mode is running on the voodoo 640*480, as it had been set on the pc-task configuration.)
Anyway the emulation was slow. I managed to run civ2 on pc-task, but it takes seconds to to move my settler unit to another square. (to set up a new game and play it takes 10-12 minute!)

While civ2demo on shapeshifter and os7.5.5 running at ok speed.