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QBasic on WINDOWS 98 or XP
#1
Have just discovered QBasic forum, despite having been using QBasic for about 15 years, firstly on WINDOWS 3.1, then on WINDOWS 98. I have built up a number of programs which I use regularly, of length up to about 500 lines.

Under WINDOWS98, results on the output screen display are often corrupted after switching temporarily (F4) back to the program listing screen. Also I have the impression (no proof) that QBasic may corrupt other operations in WINDOWS98. I understand that DOS based software is not supported in WINDOWS98. I need to buy a new computer (op system XP (or VISTA?)) and fear QBasic may perhaps corrupt the new system.

Does anyone have experience or advice on how to run QBasic on wINDOWS XP and how to ringfence it so that no interference occurs between QBasic and other activities?
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#2
XP automatically does that for you. It sets up a box for QB to run in without bothering anyone else.
In the beginning, there is darkness – the emptiness of a matrix waiting for the light. Then a single photon flares into existence. Then another. Soon, thousands more. Optronic pathways connect, subroutines emerge from the chaos, and a holographic consciousness is born." -The Doctor
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#3
First of all, welcome to the QuickBASIC News Forums!

With regard to your post, and, so as not to have to repeat what I use, I show it in my "signature", below.

To keep things as clear as possible, please note that QBasic and QuickBASIC are NOT the same. It sometimes helps if one uses the correct name. Of course, we frequently first say QuickBASIC, then cotinue to use the easier to write QB, and that is O.K.

I have been using BASIC since 1979, and QuickBASIC since it came out. In Windows 98, I don't remember having had any problems running QuickBASIC programs.

When I upgraded my computer in 2003 or 2004, which now came with Windows XP, I didn't notice any problem. But, when I upgraded again, in 2006, again with Windows XP, perhaps with a different version and different Service Pack, I ran into problems. I eventually was able to find that my problem stemmed, not from XP, but from a scanning program that ran in the background, which I managed to isolate. Since then, I'm running fine.

Note, however, that the SOUND and PLAY statements do very poorly in XP, and only through the computer's internal speaker, as far as I know.

For the different screens, colors, math, etc., programs, I have had good success using QB with XP.

Good luck. But, if you run into problems, there are many well-versed folk here that usually are able to solve the problems people run into, with pleasure to be of help.

And, if you have great need of using a more versatile type of BASIC, this forum supports a very good and free (no charge) compiler for the FreeBASIC, or fb, language, for which there is also a pretty good GUI. Fb is almost the same as QB, but improved in many areas, and totally compatible with XP's 32-bit use.
Ralph, using QuickBASIC 4.5 and Windows XP Home Edition and Service Pack 2, with HP LaserJet 4L printer.
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#4
Many thanks to Skyler and Ralph for your reply to my query. How would I access QBasic in XP? When I last upgraded my computer ( Windows 3.1 to 98), I inserted the old hard drive as a secondary, copied the DOS folder into the new C: primary and worked with that. Can I access DOS or QBasic directly in XP?

Meanwhile I have been giving Freebasic a tryout and have made reasonable progress wiyh a few simple programs I use. Maybe I will go for that in the end, since I am not very skilled at discovering what's causing interference between different applications (such as Ralph's scanning program).
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#5
Many thanks to Skyler and Ralph for your reply to my query. How would I access QBasic in XP? When I last upgraded my computer ( Windows 3.1 to 98), I inserted the old hard drive as a secondary, copied the DOS folder into the new C: primary and worked with that. Can I access DOS or QBasic directly in XP?

Meanwhile I have been giving Freebasic a tryout and have made reasonable progress wiyh a few simple programs I use. Maybe I will go for that in the end, since I am not very skilled at discovering what's causing interference between different applications (such as Ralph's scanning program). Why has a smiley appeared in my firt submit?
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#6
Because you typed an 8 and a ). That makes this: 8)
I would advise you to use FreeBasic. It's faster than QBasic, and any program you write- as long as it doesn't use any OS-specific functions- can run on a number of different operating systems- DOS, Windows, Linux, etc.
In the beginning, there is darkness – the emptiness of a matrix waiting for the light. Then a single photon flares into existence. Then another. Soon, thousands more. Optronic pathways connect, subroutines emerge from the chaos, and a holographic consciousness is born." -The Doctor
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#7
To try to answer to PatB's question,
Quote:How would I access QBasic in XP?
All the programs that I know that can "run" in DOS or Windows (have never used Linux, but, I suspect the same is true there), have an extension of .com, .exe (an "executable" file), or .bat (called a "batch" file), The great majority are of the .exe type. In order to run any program, one must tell the computer its path and name. So, if you type in only the program's name (for QuickBASIC, the name is qb, or qb.exe) in the command line (in Wndows, Start, Run gets you there) , and it runs, you either have a .bat file, or short cut file, or the actual .exe file in that directory. If it doesn't run, you will have to find the directory (called "folder" in Windows) that it is in. Use Start, Search, For files or Folders, and enter the program's name (if you have no idea of its name, you might try entering just the extension, .exe, which will find all files ending in .exe, in which you can look for the program you need). For QBasic, I believe the name to use is QB. If that doesn't work, try Q by itself (you will probably find a whole bunch of such files, though). Once you locate where the proper executable (.exe) file resides, you can either make a shortcut to it by doing a right click on the program's icon and selecting Make a Shortcut, or you can go to that folder, and double click on the icon to run the program.

I know, extremely lengthy, and, probably, you "knew that" already. But, since you apparently have not made a proper search for QBasic, I have to assume you don't know how...

Tell us if you found it. However, if you still want to use QBasic, may I suggest that you download QuickBASIC, which is a superior and the most popular BASIC-type program in use, with freebasic, in my opinion, catching up in leaps and bounds? So, I would suggest that you either decide to use fb, or download QuickBASIC and give up on QBasic.
Ralph, using QuickBASIC 4.5 and Windows XP Home Edition and Service Pack 2, with HP LaserJet 4L printer.
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#8
Duh... I forgot about that question...

Find the QB file, like Ralph said. Right-click on it and navigate to "Send.../To Desktop(Create Shortcut)". A shortcut will appear on your desktop.

And Ralph, Linux doesn't depend on extensions like Windows. It automatically detects what kind of file you are opening and acts accordingly.
In the beginning, there is darkness – the emptiness of a matrix waiting for the light. Then a single photon flares into existence. Then another. Soon, thousands more. Optronic pathways connect, subroutines emerge from the chaos, and a holographic consciousness is born." -The Doctor
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#9
Just curious, but not too much interested in this, Skyler. Can Linux, with a name only for a file, know how to run it? Say I have a text file named "Sky.txt", another file names "Sky.doc", which is coded in the MicroSoft Word for Windows 98 code, another one called "Sky.exe", which is an executale, and, fianally, one called "Sky.bat", which is just that, a batch file. Further, say I also have two files, saved as 'QuickBASIC fast load and save', called "Sky.bas" and "Sky.txt", and all the above files are in the same directory. If one enters "Sky" in a Linux-run machine, what in the world will Linux think? As I said before, just curious, not really serious about this, since I have no intention of using Linux.
Ralph, using QuickBASIC 4.5 and Windows XP Home Edition and Service Pack 2, with HP LaserJet 4L printer.
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#10
Quote:bash: sky: command not found
In the beginning, there is darkness – the emptiness of a matrix waiting for the light. Then a single photon flares into existence. Then another. Soon, thousands more. Optronic pathways connect, subroutines emerge from the chaos, and a holographic consciousness is born." -The Doctor
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