I still use some TDS programs and keep an XP laptop on the desk so I can quickly download from my ancient Leica type 3 card or my data collector via 9 pin plug. Perfect solution to all problems but it is old, and will eventually go the way of all ancient electronic equipment.
Everything from Vista onward has been a no go for running Foresight or Survey Link, and finding a type 3 to USB adapter that actually works a no go as well.
I also have a laptop running 8.1 and will upgrade to 10 when it hits the streets, am running Carlson 2015 on it with no issues. At present, I have to email files to myself or use a thumbdrive to transfer between machines, again no problem.
At the end of the day, my question is, what is the best OS for being able to use 8 bit software in a 64 bit world?
Wow. That's a tough question pardner!!
My first inclination is to get with the 21st century.
Almost 20 years ago when I was an ActiveX object builder/engineer I would get a call for support from a 16 bit programmer trying to use my 32 bit components. Sometimes (usually) they played nice. Many times not so at all. However, since my fax component had to talk to device drivers (still 16 bit) my software had to know "who" it was talking to and how - not easy.
8 bit vs. 64 bit would be several magnitudes more difficult.
With that said, I wonder if W10 will have the old DOS command window available. That might be your only hope lest you keep on the way you are doing.
I have been using DOSBOX on a Win7 64bit to run a few dos programs from the early 1980s.
BigE, post: 325771, member: 435 wrote: Wow. That's a tough question pardner!!
My first inclination is to get with the 21st century.
Almost 20 years ago when I was an ActiveX object builder/engineer I would get a call for support from a 16 bit programmer trying to use my 32 bit components. Sometimes (usually) they played nice. Many times not so at all. However, since my fax component had to talk to device drivers (still 16 bit) my software had to know "who" it was talking to and how - not easy.
8 bit vs. 64 bit would be several magnitudes more difficult.
With that said, I wonder if W10 will have the old DOS command window available. That might be your only hope lest you keep on the way you are doing.
I guess what has me so puzzled about this is, we are talking simple code, done from much slower processors and utilizing much less memory than is the norm today. Today's stuff should be able to handle this in it's sleep, so why is it so difficult to run on today's hardware?
I think the big difference is that, for security and standardization reasons, modern operating systems put more layers between the user program and the hardware. Back in DOS and Win3 days, the simple program could access the hardware addresses directly to put its own interrupt handlers in the interrupt addresses, write to video, read serial ports, etc. Now you have to call the operating system utilities to do those functions and are not permitted the direct access.
Vmware workstation might be the answer depending on what this 9 pin plug is like. is it a serial connector?
First off do not put any old program in the Program Files folder which activates all kinds of restrictions.
For instance place TDS in a TDS folder directly on the C: drive. You may have to start it from the command line. Go to command line, change directory to C:TDS, pick the .exe file. You can usually create a shortcut to do this.
Best bet is to have a computer tech install an actual COM port. I have a hardware COM and an LPT1 port on this Windoze 7 computer.
I run SMI and several NGS DOS based programs from the command line. The NGS programs use batch.bat files. Problem is if I click on a project point.ASCII file Windoze 7 does not want to use SMI as the default to open it. So I have to start SMI and then pick the file I want to open. If I am just looking at my coordinates, Notepad is OK.
Sometimes it is only necessary to put the outputs in a folder that is not a sub-folder of a program in the Program Files. Carlson Survey 2004 and Win 7 are happy to work this way. Newer versions of Carlson automatically use a Carlson Projects folder and not the Work subfolder under Carlson. Otherwise you will have "Compatibility Files" issues. Windoze instead puts new files in a separate place, that you can find by clicking "Compatibility Files" in the folder header. If you want you can copy files from the compatibility files folder wherever that is to the standard project folders if you have admin privileges. Good luck with that if you work in any office with an IT department.
Years ago I had contracted out to use my computer and my software to help an overloaded office. All files were on a server, but my GPS software needed admin privileges to automatically overwrite certain files. I got permission from the boss and then contacted their IT rep. When the bill came for that, they handed it to me. I handed it back, not a part of what I had agreed to do.
Paul in PA
You might try Hayes Instruments for a serial to USB adapter that works. I tried several before I bought one from them that finally worked with Vista. I use it on my Windows 8.1 laptop without any trouble.
I do miss the "old days" of programming directly to the hardware.
Forget all these device drivers and interfaces and layers.
Just give me access to the interrupt controller and I'm all in.
Back then for those tasks I was programming in native machine code or assembly or lucky enough on some machines it was PLM-86.
That was all back with the old Z80, and then 8080, then the 8086 and later 80186 CPUs.
Banging on the iron. I have retired friends who maintain legacy systems in IBM assembler.
