Help needed, Connect Software Ltd Money Manager PC.

[tim290480]

Hi there,

Please bear with me as I'm a complete noob with this.

I have managed to get my first application up and running using vDos and it is working incredibly well (Q&A5 from Symantec).

I am now having issues with the second application (Money Manager PC from Connect Software Ltd).

This is a very simple application with over 30 years of data taking up 1.40 MB of disk space.

The main issue occurs when either opening, saving and generally accessing the data files associated with the application.

The program creates temporary files which stay in it's folder after it has been used.

If I delete the temporary files and then start the application I can access the data files.

But When I come to save the data file I get - Loading ****** data file from disc in drive C: ...
                                                                 Runtime error 005 at 1738:1722.


If I don't clear the data files, start the application and try to access the data files I immediately get -  Loading ****** data file from disc in drive C: ...
                                                                                                                                                   Runtime error 005 at 1738:1722.

I did try with vDosPlus and it was producing the same result but with error code 032.


This application is still running on a 32bit Windows 7 PC and can also run using dosbox.

I have also attached the latest vDos.log.

Can anyone help me to understand what's happening within the vDos environment?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and any further details would be willingly supplied.

Thanks for the time you've taken to read this post.

Regards

Tim Cooper

Attachments:

vDos.log (601 B)

[Jos]

The one line in the log file that stands out:
OpenFile failed: MONEY\FRED.BOL(2) => C:\MONEY\FRED.BOL(2)

The DOS and Windows error codes are the same: 2 - File not found.

MM tries to open MONEY\FRED.BOL. No drive is specified, the DOS current work directory (C:\) is added to get the full path: C:\MONEY\FRED.BOL.
No such file/path in vDos/DOS and Windows (DOS C: is Windows C:).

I guess that file is located in (Windows) C:\MONEY\D\ (DOS D:).
If you cannot set the path for the data files in MM, copy the contents of (Windows) C:\MONEY\D\ to C:\MONEY?

Jos

[tim290480]

Thanks for the reply Jos.



I can't understand why it's calling for a file called FRED.BOL. As far as I know this file has never existed.



I have created a dummy file called FRED.BOL after which FRED.BOL no longer appears in the log.



I have directed MM to go back to creating its temp files back in C:MONEY as it did before I started playing around.



I still think this has something to do with the temporary files that MM creates.



When I look back at the logs that I will attach it now says that it can't find the temp files that are clearly in the directory.



If you would like to try a blank copy of the application I can easily supply.

Regards

Tim

Attachments:

vDos with existing temp files.log (495 B)

vDos without temp files.log (2.01 KB)

[Jos]

FRED.BOL could be some configuration file, perhaps just a joke of the original programmer (Fred Bol?).

If the MM Runtime error code conforms to the DOS error code, 005 would be “Access denied”.

You could send me a blank copy, eventual with instructions how to get the runtime error.

Jos

[tim290480]

Hi Jos.

I have tried running with DOSBOX-X-APP by Edward Mendelson from columbia.edu.

I have now noticed that from within MM running in vDos it can't see any of the files within the directory from the application. With DOSBOX-X-APP it can (and also allows the program to be used normally).

I'm going to send you a link for wetransfer of the folder with instructions on how to replicate the error.

I really would prefer to use vDos for the ease of use (I can see that DOSBOX-X-APP has to many things that other people can break).

Thanks for your help and time.

Regards

Tim Cooper