DOS apps and XP (was: Now *that* was strange...)

[Kenneth Brody]

Quoting Fairlight (Sat, 21 Oct 2006 23:14:52 -0400):

> At Sat, Oct 21, 2006 at 11:08:51PM -0400 or thereabouts,
[...]
> > It includes cmd.exe *and* command.com, and I'm pretty sure they're
> > different programs.
>
> They are.  command.com is 16bit DOS and cmd.com is 32bit.  But Ken said
> there's an actual emulator involved that is neither of these.  I have
> yet to have time away from other research and sundry to check and see
> what he's talking about or how to get into it, but it sounds interesting.

You "get into it" by running a 16-bit DOS app.  Windows will automatically
load the emulator (ntvdm.exe) and run the program using it.

To demonstrate:

    start / run / cmd.exe

Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to bring up the task manager.  Sort the list by image
name for ease of searching.  Note that there is no ntvdm.exe listed. (At
least there should be, unless you have a command window open which has
run a 16-bit DOS app.)  Now, type "command.com".  Note that ntvdm.exe is
now listed.  Type "exit" to leave command.com.  (The ntvdm.exe should
still be listed.)  Type "exit" to leave cmd.exe.  Note that both the
cmd.exe and ntvdm.exe items disappear.

--
KenBrody at BestWeb dot net        spamtrap: <g8ymh8uf001 at sneakemail.com>
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