Windows

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding Synchronet and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

• Why don't DOS programs run on my Windows Vista or Windows 7 system?
• Why don't DOS programs run on my 64-bit Windows system?
• How do I keep external programs from popping up windows and stealing the keyboard/mouse focus?
• Why do external programs that use socket I/O not work on my BBS?
• How do I setup my BBS to support dial-up modems/users?
• Why is the console output of some DOS programs not sent to the remote terminal?

Question:
Why don't DOS programs (e.g. editors, door games) run on my Windows Vista or Windows 7 32-bit system?

Answer:
There are 2 new requirements for 16-bit DOS programs to work under Synchronet-Win32 on Windows Vista and Windows 7 (32-bit):

1. You must have SBBSEXEC.DLL rev 38 or later (this is included in SBBS v3.14a).
2. You must copy SBBSEXEC.DLL to your Windows System32 folder.

Question:
Why won't DOS programs run on my 64-bit computer running a 64-bit version of Windows?

Answer:
Microsoft does not include Virtual DOS Machine (NTVDM) support in their 64-bit operating systems. Synchronet for Windows relies on NTVDM for 16-bit DOS program support, so you need to either run a 32-bit Windows version (e.g. re-install, use dual-boot, or run in a Virtual Machine) or forgo DOS programs on your BBS. Yes, you can run 32-bit Windows versions on a 64-bit (x64) system.

Question:
How do I keep external programs (doors) from popping up windows and stealing the keyboard/mouse focus?

Answer:
Check SBBSCTRL:Telnet→Configure→Minimize Externals or add XTRN_MINIMIZED to the Options key of the [BBS] section of your sbbs.ini file.

Question:
Why do external programs that use socket I/O (e.g. Synchronet Blackjack, Synchronet BBS List, DoorMUD, SEXYZ) not work on my BBS?

Answer:
Some “security” software (e.g. firewall and anti-virus programs) will interfere with the inheritance of socket descriptors between processes. One such program is the ZoneAlarm Security Suite. Another is NOD32. I don't know if this is an intentional security “feature” or a design flaw. If you have this (or similar) software installed, it may need to be disabled or completely un-installed for socket inheritance to work again.

Another potential cause of this Windows problem is malware (viruses, trojans, etc.) which disable the Windows Firewall Service. Even if/when the malware is successfully removed, the damage done to Windows (and specifically the registry) remains. One recent sighting of this problem was rectified with the following steps (found here):

1. In Registry Editor, browse to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess
2. Right-click SharedAccess, and select Permissions…
3. Click Add.
4. In the “Enter the object names to select” field, type “NT SERVICE\mpssvc”. Then click Check Names. The name should change to MpsSvc.
5. Click OK.
6. Check Full Control checkbox in the Allow column.
7. Click OK.

Question:
How do I setup my BBS to support dial-up modems/users?

Answer:
Use the SEXPOTS utility in combination with Synchronet for Windows.

Question:
Why is the console output of some 16-bit DOS programs not intercepted/redirected and sent to the remote user's terminal?

Answer:
Check that your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG.NT file does NOT include Microsoft's ANSI.SYS console driver. Use of this ANSI.SYS driver defeats the interception of console output from some 16-bit console I/O programs.

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