[Ham-Computers] The NET USE Construct

[Ron Youvan]

   Robert Downs  wrote:

> When my company was bought out many years ago, I inherited the dBase for DOS
> commercial accounting package that I had bought for the company to use.  It
> has been extensively modified and optimized to keep up with the vintage US
> military radios that were my hobby and then my business after the new owner
> laid off me and most of my people.  I have literally hundreds of hours
> invested in customizing it and no wish to get by with anything commercially
> available.  Under or in Windows NT up through XP I used the Net Use
> construct to reassign the DOS LPT1 and LPT2 printer outputs (recognized by
> the dBase software) to a USB printer for checks and a network printer for
> everything else.  And we all lived happily for 19 years.  Then either the
> system board or the CPU failed in my last XP machine and I was forced to
> bite the bullet and buy a Windows 10 machine.  Fortunately, knowing that
> this was going to happen someday, I already had a DOS Virtual Machine
> optimized for dBase For DOS  on hand.  However, I had never until now needed
> to use it and it does not seem to have been written to handle two (or more)
> network printers.

> I never knew (and it didn't matter before) whether the NET USE functions
> were a part of the Windows OS or part of the MSDOS subsystem.  But in any
> case, the commands don't appear to work with the new system, which I think
> calls the start-up batch file after the Virtual Machine  starts.  And the VM
> doesn't know what to do with them.

> So can anyone tell me whether or not the function still exists in WIN 10 or
> not?  It apparently doesn't exist in the VM.


   No, but "Open Office" and or "Libre Office" are both freeware programs
that MAY import dBase files.  (and save them in the new format/s)

   Used computers with M$ XP and even older versions of that one M$
product are for sale everyday at amazon.com and your local computer
repair stores.  Used DOS CDR-disks may be available that might work on
these older computers should be available if you look around.
   google.com can be your friend.
-- 
   Ron  KA4INM - Youvan's corollary:
                 Every action results in unwanted side effects.