need help with vintage flight sim

>> I just purchased a copy of Microprose's F117A Nighthawk flight sim on
>> Ebay. It's pretty primitive by today's standards, but it was a
>> favorite of mine more than 10 years ago.
>>
>> I was unable to even get it loaded to my Emachine T2200, so I secured
>> an old 386 from my father-in-law. The machine runs Windows 3.0, and I
>> was able to use the DOS prompt feature to install and run the game.
>> However it isn't running as smoothly as I recall it running in the
>> past.
>>
>> For instance, when banking the plane does not execute the move
>> smoothly. Rather it does so in sharp jerks. I think I need to expand
>> memory, but if I'm correct, I don't have any idea how to do this.
>>
>> Can anyone offer any advice?

F117 was my introduction to flight sims. It did OK on my 33MHz 386
running DOS 5 or 6.x (I didn't switch to Windows 3.1 until I got a 486.)

I don't remember many technical details about Windows 3.x and DOS, but your
best bet would be: (1) to run the sim from the native DOS prompt, not from a
DOS prompt in Windows (to ensure that Windows isn't using any memory), see
www.computerhope.com/issues/chdos.htm, and; (2) to find an old DOS manual in
your local library or on-line tutorial that explains how to customize your
autoexec.bat and config.sys files to load DOS programs into the upper memory
area -- freeing more lower memory for the sim. See, e.g.
www.rnrtech.com/techhelp/DOSfreememory.html . Try googling "DOS" and
extended memory," expanded memory," "emm386.exe," "himem.sys," "loadhigh,"
and "devicehigh" for additional information.

G
 >> Stay informed about: need help with vintage flight sim 

Try booting to DOS and running it that way.

--
Gene "Dauntless" Flannery

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in
a
pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly
used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW--What a ride!!!"
-Stuart Wilde-

"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."
-Bob Dylan-

<chulltx DeleteThis @sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:1135637612.822431.42650@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> I just purchased a copy of Microprose's F117A Nighthawk flight sim on
> Ebay. It's pretty primitive by today's standards, but it was a favorite
> of mine more than 10 years ago.
>
> I was unable to even get it loaded to my Emachine T2200, so I secured
> an old 386 from my father-in-law. The machine runs Windows 3.0, and I
> was able to use the DOS prompt feature to install and run the game.
> However it isn't running as smoothly as I recall it running in the
> past.
>
> For instance, when banking the plane does not execute the move
> smoothly. Rather it does so in sharp jerks. I think I need to expand
> memory, but if I'm correct, I don't have any idea how to do this.
>
> Can anyone offer any advice?
>
 >> Stay informed about: need help with vintage flight sim 

Have you just tried running it with DOSBox and D-Fend on your Emachine?
There hasn't been a game yet that this hasn't worked for me with this.

Brad
 >> Stay informed about: need help with vintage flight sim 

I'm not really much of a PC gamer, so I've never heard of either DOSBox
or D-Fend. Are they freeware? What do they do? Do I need just one?
Both? Thanks for your help.

ch
 >> Stay informed about: need help with vintage flight sim 

Getting those old games from MicroProse to run in Dos can be a bitch. I
stayed up many a night trying to figure out how to move stuff into upper
memory and get enough reg memory to run those old dos game. Once they run
it's great but man it was a real pain to get them running sometimes.

I played MicroProses F15 strike Eagle III and the Fleet Defender Game and
the game F117 as well.

I got them running on a 386 SX machine running Dox 6X.
I didn't get them running on my HP Pavilion 7070 PI CPU which ran at a
whopping 166 MHZ on a Windows 95a machine.

Not sure if Windows XP Home can run those old Dos games. Wish they could as
I would love to play MicroProse's 1942 Pacific Air Wars on my computer.

I would recommend learning to use Himem and Emm386 a few other Dos Commands
to get that game to run in Dos.

<chulltx.TakeThisOut@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:1135809106.206009.110060@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> I'm not really much of a PC gamer, so I've never heard of either DOSBox
> or D-Fend. Are they freeware? What do they do? Do I need just one?
> Both? Thanks for your help.
>
> ch
>
 >> Stay informed about: need help with vintage flight sim