Morse Academy is a based DOS program that operates well under Windows 95/98/ME. With the introduction of Windows 2000 and XP, many PCs had trouble executing MA in the Windows DOS box. With successive sound card developments support for the old ADLIB frequency synthesizer was dropped from newer PCs, making MA unusable only with the PC speaker. Sadly this made MA pretty much unusable with modern PCs.

A group of software engineers interested in DOS compatibility problem have been working to provide better support DOS under several OS platforms, including Windows XP. Recently Bob Creign, WV7W made me aware that DOSBox version 0.65 now supports MA type programs. I've tested it, found it easy to install and that it works well on my 2GHz Windows XP PC.

You can download the DOSBox program from this web site by clicking here. Version 0.65 of DOSBox was released around March 30^th, 2006, which is the version posted on this web site on October 10^th, 2006. If you want to keep up with the improving versions of DOSBox, follow its development at http://dosbox.sourceforge.net

Here are instructions to follow to install DOSBox and operate MA. The instructions assume you have previously put all MA files in the folder C:/MA. Make suitable substitutions in the following, if MA is located elsewhere on your PC.

• Download DOSBox and save the installer file on your HDD, say in folder C:/DOSBox.
• Execute the downloaded installer whose name is DOSBox0.65-win32-installer.exe
• Just take default options in the installer and it will put the program into the folder
  • C:/Program Files/DOSBox-0.65
• After installation, start the DOSBox program
• At the Z: prompt, type:
  • Z:/>Mount   C   C:/MA    [name of the folder containing MA]
  • Z:/>C:
  • C:/>MA
  • The standard MA menu will appear.
  • To select ADLIB sound card emulation just type the MA commands,
    • (O)ptions
    • (T)one
    • (C) Adlib Compatible Music Synthesizer
  • Refer to the MA operating instructions to use MA sessions

To simplify the operation of MA, you can setup DOSBox so that it automatically loads MA every time you start DOSBox,

• Locate the text file dosbox.conf in the folder C:/Program Files/DOSBox-0.65
• Load it into NotePad, or any text editor you use.
• Add three lines to the end of the file
  • Mount   C   C:/MA
  • C:
  • MA
• Store the modified text file (overwrite)
• The next time you start DOSBox it will automatically load MA

By Joe Speroni
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