Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

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Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby JTimling on Thu Sep 27, 2018 2:00 pm

Hello everyone,

My name is Joe. I would very much like to get my hands on a computer that could be use to run Word Perfect 6.0 - here is a YouTube video on the software I want to use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCVGRePLrCA

I would like an old PC that just boots, has just two things on it - Word Perfect 6.0 and DOS (in order to make Word Perfect work etc.) - that is, I turn it on, type a command into does, and it works. I also need to have the ability to remove files from it, and put them into another PC - removing the files is the main problem. Hence a 5/14 floppy drive would not work for me but a 3.5 inch drive would, because I could get a drive to read the disks for a modern PC

So cut a long story short, I am looking for a computer - all it needs to be able to do is run Word Perfect 6.0 / have a good keyboard, mouse - Word Perfect 6.0 has mouse functionality -

Does anyone know of any companies in NZ that deal with selling old PCs? Does anyone here have one they wish to sell? I surf TradeMe vintage every day and am still looking through there. I have a budget of $300 depending on what is out there -

Thanks a lot!

Joe
JTimling
 
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Re: Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby Patrick on Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:59 pm

Hello Joe,
Before finding your PC, what do you think about using an emulator to run WP? DOSbox or PCEm could help you.
Good luck for your search.
Patrick
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Re: Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby JTimling on Fri Sep 28, 2018 9:39 am

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for this. It would be a good idea - but I have already looked into this. I.e., I have been messing around with emulators for a while like VDos, DosBox and VdosWP (which is a VDos version just for World Perfect), but am at the point, i'm just where I just want to get an old computer edit the autoexec.bat file, and have it just boot straight into a Word Perfect 6.0 - I don't know alot about computers, but in my newbie research I am learning about how to just get it to boot straight into Word Perfect 6.0 by editing the autoexec.bat file - that is probably obvious to everyone else here, but not to me.I have owned a lot of computers but never really thought about how they worked, apart from sometimes installing another HD back in the days. So I know next to nothing about what I am trying to do - but I am determined to make this happen.

Right now I am in talks with a gentleman, who may or may not be able to give me what I need, hardware wise. I will update if I get this quest accomplished.

Here is the dream:

Dos machine with nothing on it but Word Perfect 6.0
Boots straight into Word Perfect 6.0 from PC being turn on
Good old keyboard. Nice keys. Tick and sturdy.
No trace of Microsoft apart from MS Dos - nothing else installed on the machine but Word Perfect and MS Dos
Good old monitor - really like an old green or color monitor - there was just something about the old CRT - text really popped on the screen
Mouse support for Word Perfect 6.0 - that has mouse support in the program
Nothing else

You maybe wondering why I wanted to go to an old PC for writing things on, instead of a modern PC. Well, after decades of writing text on windows PCs on MS Word, and other word processing programs - being exposed btw to millions of times when the margins just adjusted "mid-sentence" and all the text changed - there were just too many straws on this camels back. The last one being - I had uninstalled ""bubble witch"" for the one millionth time on windows 10, and other bloatware, shaking my head when I was doing it - then after that was done, I sat down to work on a short story I was writing (my hobby) - when windows 10 restarted my computer in order to install updates - midway through a sentence! I could not even understand what that meant? At first I thought the power had gone out or something - it took 40mins before I was back into windows 10. The update was insane - by that time I was back I had lost track of what I was writing. Then I go to the start menu, and what is there??? Bubble Witch! Windows had reinstalled it again!! Along with everything I had uninstalled - or removed from the menus! I could not even talk. It was like I was inside some kind of absurd sitcom.

That is when I knew, I had to get this thing out of my life. As much as possible. And I could certainly never use it to do my writing hobby. That was what broke the camels back.

I had enough. Don't want to use modern PCs for any longer than it takes to check email, and a few websites I like to look at. And that is it. Certainly not for my hobby anyway.

Thanks Patrick,

Joe
JTimling
 
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Re: Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby tezza on Fri Sep 28, 2018 11:06 am

Hi Joe,

Gosh, a few years ago machines as you described were being dumped as e-waste. Nowdays, they as becoming uncommon, especially working ones with mono screens and appropriate keyboards.

Good luck with the search!
Tez (Terry Stewart) (Administrator)
Collection: https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/co ... /index.htm
Projects and Articles: https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/index.htm
Twitter: @classiccomputNZ | YouTube: Terry Stewart
Trade Me: tezza5
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Re: Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby JTimling on Fri Sep 28, 2018 8:18 pm

Thanks for the reply!

I have just got a computer guy in the last few hours to put word perfect 6.0 on an older computer with word perfect booting to dos on it - it will do in the meantime; downside is it still runs window 98 - but that is for USB support, and it boots to dos! I have to boot to windows 98 to transfer files via USB - I am still looking or an old machine though of course, because that is my real goal. I have talked to some people - and I will keep my eyes open, on trademe etc.,

If I get everything setup with an old computer in the future, I will post a link to an image or the image on here, so you can see it.

joe
JTimling
 
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Re: Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby tezza on Fri Sep 28, 2018 8:29 pm

Great,

If you can find a low capacity USB stick that can be formatted in FAT16, you can use USB straight from DOS. See my article here Jim
https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/bl ... -Win98.htm
Tez (Terry Stewart) (Administrator)
Collection: https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/co ... /index.htm
Projects and Articles: https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/index.htm
Twitter: @classiccomputNZ | YouTube: Terry Stewart
Trade Me: tezza5
tezza
Site Admin
 
Posts: 2382
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 pm
Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand

Re: Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby JTimling on Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:55 am

Awesome, thanks heaps! I will check that out today and once I get the machine try this! I don't get it until midway next week though, so will be a few days - but that would save them - if that works, I am going to delete windows 98 because I just don't want windows anywhere near me! If I could get to the USB through Dos that would be the best thing ever!

Thanks heaps!

Joe
JTimling
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2018 9:29 am

Re: Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby acsi on Sat Sep 29, 2018 12:02 pm

I use a CF card with my XT. I got the ISA card off eBay and use a 2GB CF card with it (DOS6.22 can recognise it).

Makes it easy to transfer files as I can just use a card reader on a modern machine to copy them over.

Looks like the seller has updated the device but here it is

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bootable-EXTERNAL-XT-CF-ECO-LITE-XTIDE-Lite-8-bit-ISA-2GB-SSD-Hard-Drive/123386608069
'acsi' on trademe
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Re: Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby JTimling on Sun Sep 30, 2018 10:04 am

Thanks for this info - this is what I want to do. I am looking to replace some things in my PC which I will get this week delivered - but am still looking for an old computer also. I saw some good ones listed on Trademe today. But they need fixing which is beyond my skill level although I have trying to learn how. I think the drive you mentioned would be the thing I am after - thanks for that, am going to have a search around on trademe - thanks for the ebay link also! :D
JTimling
 
Posts: 6
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Re: Need old computer to run World Perfect for DOS

Postby JTimling on Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:07 am

Hi everyone, I wanted to include this amazing resource - for people searching for how to get Word Perfect 6.0 for Dos working on modern machines - now, I had bought an old machine to do this - but still for other people this could be useful - since my post is on Word Perfect 6.0 - I already knew about this because I had been researching for a long time - but none the less, for people who wish to know all about why Word Perfect for Dos is so cherished and can be run on a modern PC with an emulator check out this site: http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/

I cannot wait until I get my word perfect machine this week. I will post a photo - although not a vintage computer, it is still old enough to have no problems running Word Perfect from the Dos prompt -

Joe
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Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2018 9:29 am


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