[Coladam] Workaround solution for Hitech_c + Windows 2000, XP, Vista...

[Daniel Bienvenu]

Dear (future) Coleco Hitech_C programmers,

You cannot use 22nice + Hitech_C under the reccent
Windows versions (2000,XP,Vista...).

These OS do not have a proper DOS emulation. The
result is "Fmt err" messages when compiling and errors
when linking (and do not link at all).

Note: When compiling, the "Fmt err" messages have no
effect on the resulting obj files. However, these
messages tell you that your Windows do not run 22nice
and Hitech_c properly.

The (workaround) solution is compiling without
worrying about the "Fmt err" messages and try linking
by using a DOS emulation and the one I tried with
success is DOSBox v0.65. I will not gives you here a
course on how to install and use DOSBox.

What I suggest here is simply doing the link part
under DOSBox after doing a couple of manipulations.
There is no way to ask my Compiler front-end CCI.EXE
to start the link under DOSBox, and there is no way to
do a "paste" command to a DOSBox. But, I give you here
a way to link without using CCI.

1 - Use CCI normally to compile each file seperatly or
in one shot.

2 - Ask to Link but do not "paste" into the DOS
window. Open a notepad, do exactly 6 spaces with the
space bar and then paste (CTRL+V) the options line
right after them. Replace "-oo" by "-oresult.rom" and
"-mm" by "-mmap.txt". Also, add (if missing)
"libcv.lib" in the options right before "libc.lib".
Save as "options.txt" in your project folder. Do
CTRL+Break to stop LINK> in the DOS window opened by
CCI. Don't forget to close the DOS window.

3 - Rename "l.bat" (created by CCI) to "link.bat".
Note : Renaming this file is just a security to avoid
overwriting all your changes by doing again "LINK" by
mistake with CCI.

4 - There is a lot of things to change in "link.bat"
to make it run properly under DOSBox.
Note: In the following steps, replace the word spacetr
with the name of your project folder. And remember
that your project folder must have less than 9
characters, no accent, no reserved symbols.

4.1 - Open link.bat with notepad.

4.2 - Right after the "@echo off" line, change all the
copy commands to erase the folder part and leave only
the OBJ filenames like this: copy filename.obj ..

4.3 - Add a copy command for the options : copy
options.txt ..

4.4 - Erase the two folling lines : 
C:
cd "..."\

4.5 - Keep this : ..\22nice\22nice.com

4.6 - Keep this : cd ..

4.7 - Erase the 2 following lines :
cls
echo DO PASTE HERE!

4.8 - Change "link" for : link <options.txt

4.9 - Replace "copy o ..." by : copy result.rom
spacetr

4.10 - Change "del o" for : del result.rom

4.11 - Replace "copy m ..." by : copy map.txt spacetr

4.12 - Change "del m" for : del map.txt

4.13 - Replace the last line "pause" with these two
lines
del options.txt
cd spacetr

4.14 - Save the modifications.

5 - Open DOSBox. Type "mount c c:\" to access to your
C:\ harddrive under DOSBox. I personnaly prefer to
type "mount c c:\z80" to set my folder "z80" as the
root folder C:\ in DOSBox.

6 - Type "c:" then use "cd" (if needed) to go to your
hitech_c compiler folder that is usualy named z80.

7 - Use again "cd" command to go to your project
folder. For my example here, the folder is named
"spacetr" (Space Trainer)

8 - DOSBox may run faster if you do a couple of
CTRL+F12, but, do not abuse of it or your computer
will slowdown drasticly.

9 - Type link (and enter).  Watch your project being
compiled normaly.

10 - Read DOSBox manuals and forums to create a
shortcut on your desktop to run automaticaly the
"mount" , "c:" , "cd folder" and "link" commands
without any effort.

Have Fun!


	
 p4.vert.ukl.yahoo.com uncompressed/chunked Thu Aug 24 23:13:35 GMT 2006 
	
		
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