The predecessor for MS-DOS was QDOS (Quick and Dirty Disk Operating System), and it is only fitting that finding that QBasic will run smoothly on Windows NT machines - Windows 2000/XP. You can download a full copy of Quick Basic at the following URL: http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread36804.html. Create a new Folder on your computer and open the downloaded file inside of the folder (not in C:\Windows\System\System32) using a DOS Prompt window. Here is a screen snapshot that directs you once you have completed the download:

Type on a 'y' in response to the program's inquiry and you will see the files briefly after which time you will see the opened file folder:

Locate the HELP icon (right column) and click the icon to open the MS-DOS (?) Help window:

To make the QBasic utility accessible, I added it to MY WORLD so that I could have quick access at the click of my mouse:

From the Taskbar on my Medion Windows XP Professional computer I opened QBasic in a Command Prompt window and studied the GUI (Graphical User Interface):

Pressing ENTER (per GUI Instruction) brought up the following view:

Clicking FILE and then clicking the menu option EXIT closed the Command Prompt window and returned me to my Windows Desktop.

A QBasic exercise can be downloaded from http://westcompsci.pima.edu/cis100/ch_07/reverse3.bas and you will find that the Internet is rich with worksheets which will make you a quick hand with QBasic. Use the Google Mirror Site at www.theplaceforitall.com/googlex and I made that URL my Home Page to keep it handy for research. Here is the syntax for a Random Number Generator (RNG) of sorts. Actually, this is more of a number-scrambler - after you type in a 3-digit number, the routine will scramble the 3 digits and return a result:

GETNUM:
PRINT "Input a Three-Digit Number";
INPUT NUM
IF NUM - INT(NUM) <> 0 THEN GOTO GETNUM
IF NUM < 100 THEN GOTO GETNUM
IF NUM > 999 THEN GOTO GETNUM
LET QUOTIENT = NUM / 100
LET DIG3 = FIX(QUOTIENT)
LET NUM = NUM - 100 * DIG3
LET QUOTIENT = NUM / 10
LET DIG2 = FIX(QUOTIENT)
LET NUM = NUM - 10 * DIG2
PRINT NUM; DIG2; DIG3
PRINT DIG3 + 10 * DIG2 + 100 * NUM
END

The syntax must be followed exactly as it is shown above. Open QBasic and type in the syntax - click Run and then click START - hi-lited below:

The QBasic program executes the syntax lines and returns the following to a black and white screen. Take note that I have typed in 235 as a test 3-digit number:

Pressing the ENTER key executes the code and the selected 3 digits are scrambled and the results returned:

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Since the QBasic code input produces the planned results, you now know that Windows NT (2000/XP) not only runs the version of BASIC that Microsoft purchased from the Seattle company and used to create MS-DOS - but will also run GWBasic!

You need to join me in suggesting that PC World add MS-DOS as a regular Community Forum topic! I am going to send Private Messages to Steve Bass, Lincoln Spector, and Kellie.

Rabbit

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