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  • PKZIP and dosemu

    From Netsurge@77:1/100 to All on Sat Jun 29 19:24:16 2019
    PKZIP and dosemu don't play very well, especially if you are using a 64bit linux os.

    There is a way to disable DPMI (which causes the issue) via command line, but that really doesn't help if the zip and unzip routines are hardcoded into software, like interlord.

    Alas, after a shit load of research I have found a work around.

    First you will need pkzip 2.04g (google for pkz204g.exe or ask me to drop it
    in your inbound).

    Create a directory via dosemu to house pkzip and pkunzip (I created one in my doors dir called pkzip).

    Copy and run pkz204g.exe, it should uncompress all the pk stuff into doors/pkzip.

    Create a file in your pkzip dir called pkzip.cfg and add the following to
    that file:

    DPMI=Disabled

    Next you need to set the path for your pkzip folder and disable dpmi for pkunzip via your autoexec.bat. Edit autoexec.bat and add the following to
    your path statement:

    d:\doors\pkzip (where ever your created your pkzip folder)

    so my path statement looks like this now:

    path z:\bin;z:\gnu;z:\dosemu;d:\doors\pkzip

    you also need to add the following to your autoexec.bat file right after your last lredir statement:

    SET PKUNZIP=-)

    Now exit out of dosemu and head back into it so that your new autoexec.bat takes effect.

    You should now be able to run pkzip.exe and pkunzip.exe from any directory without getting the dreaded DPMI error.

    If you want to run InterLORD via dosemu and are getting the DPMI error when running pkzip you must do this to join the game and compress/uncompress game packets.

    If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

    |15frank |08// |15netsurge
    |07disksh0p|08!|07bbs |08% |07bbs.diskshop.ca |08% |07mystic goodness |11SciNet |03ftn hq |08% |07https://diskshop.ca/scinet

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/02 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: % disksh0p!bbs % bbs.diskshop.ca % SciNet ftn hq % (77:1/100)
  • From Atreyu@77:1/103 to Netsurge on Sat Jun 29 19:59:16 2019
    On 29 Jun 19 19:24:16, Netsurge said the following to All:

    PKZIP and dosemu don't play very well, especially if you are using a 64bit linux os.

    There is a way to disable DPMI (which causes the issue) via command line, bu that really doesn't help if the zip and unzip routines are hardcoded into software, like interlord.

    I'm confused... and possibly from a sixpack of beer, PKZIP has command-line options to force it to disable "everything", ie. XMS, EMS, DPMI and all that shit. So that is not working?

    Atreyu

    --- Renegade vY2Ka2
    * Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (77:1/103)
  • From Dan Clough@77:1/114 to Netsurge on Sat Jun 29 19:13:00 2019
    Netsurge wrote to All <=-

    PKZIP and dosemu don't play very well, especially if you are
    using a 64bit linux os.

    There is a way to disable DPMI (which causes the issue) via
    command line, but that really doesn't help if the zip and unzip
    routines are hardcoded into software, like interlord.

    Alas, after a shit load of research I have found a work around.

    <SNIP>

    That's freakin awesome. Haven't tried it yet but am going to.

    Would you be OK with sharing this message across some other
    message networks? Will be sure to make it clear as to whom credit
    is due...


    ... Pros are those who do their jobs well, even when they don't feel like it. === MultiMail/Linux v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.07-Linux
    * Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (77:1/114)
  • From Netsurge@77:1/100 to Atreyu on Sat Jun 29 20:29:36 2019
    I'm confused... and possibly from a sixpack of beer, PKZIP has command-line options to force it to disable "everything", ie. XMS, EMS, DPMI and all that shit. So that is not working?

    It is working (i'm on only beer 3, i think that is why I figured it out), the issue is something else.

    InterLORD, the LORD interbbs addon, requires pkzip and pkunzip to compress
    and uncompress game packets. The routines that it uses to zip and unzip
    packets is hardcoded in the software, so there is no way to append, in this case, -) to disable DPMI.

    Everytime I ran it to process packets it would fail because of the DPMI
    issue. I ended up reading an article in PC World from the 90s talking about forcing options on PKZIP all the time, instead of doing it from the command line.

    Creating the cfg file for PKZIP and setting the environment variable for PKUNZIP in autoexec.bat forces it to disable DPMI every if you don't, or in this case, can't disable it from the command line.

    Why the fuck the have a config file for PKZIP and an environment variable for PKUNZIP is beyond me. It would make sense to do either or for both. Then
    again, this is the 90's, a confusing time for all.

    Whatever the case, this band-aid works.

    |15frank |08// |15netsurge
    |07disksh0p|08!|07bbs |08% |07bbs.diskshop.ca |08% |07mystic goodness |11SciNet |03ftn hq |08% |07https://diskshop.ca/scinet

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/02 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: % disksh0p!bbs % bbs.diskshop.ca % SciNet ftn hq % (77:1/100)
  • From Netsurge@77:1/100 to Dan Clough on Sat Jun 29 20:30:50 2019
    Would you be OK with sharing this message across some other
    message networks? Will be sure to make it clear as to whom credit
    is due...

    Have at it. I did just cross post it in the fsxNet and Fidonet Mystic echos though.

    |15frank |08// |15netsurge
    |07disksh0p|08!|07bbs |08% |07bbs.diskshop.ca |08% |07mystic goodness |11SciNet |03ftn hq |08% |07https://diskshop.ca/scinet

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/02 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: % disksh0p!bbs % bbs.diskshop.ca % SciNet ftn hq % (77:1/100)