PCem

Hi there.

I was trying to install Microsoft Memphis build 1351 on my emulated Pentium 66 machine, but it fails with a Blue Screen of Death (exception code 06; invalid opcode) when the setup is trying to install Windows Help. I used PCem version 14 and it works, but on the current version, it does not work anymore. Broken on version 15 onwards. I'm "not" such a old video maker!

HOW TO REPRODUCE:
1. Setup MS-DOS 6.22 with a CD-ROM Extension.
2. Setup Microsoft Memphis build 1351.
3. Finish the setup process.
4. Waiting for Windows Help installing...
5. Blue Screen of Death!
Cheers.
Project Fate.Alicia!

Probably bad cpu emulation, also what board? Disable apm and acpi if needed.

[Socket 4] Intel Premiere/PCI (Batman's Revenge).

Try a, e.g.:, the 430VX socket 7 board.

SA1988 wrote: ↑Tue 05 May, 2020 10:22 pm Try a, e.g.:, the 430VX socket 7 board.

Shuttle HOT-557, socket 7 machine, fails booting MS-DOS 6.22 setup with "PRESS A KEY TO RESET" loading crash after a RAM memory detection.

FIC VA-503+, a Super Socket 7 machine, successfully booting MS-DOS 6.22 setup. Booting to normal mode will crash with same exception code, and invalid VxP notice. And the machine goes black and auto-restart. Safe mode works.

Can't reproduce. No BSODs whatsoever when doing it with a Win95B/Win98 bootdisk on a fresh drive (which would be the most sensible way for installing any Win9x in general IMO)

Also with all prototypes, expect "betas" to be buggy. Installing it on top of DOS 6.22 is likely unsupported given it's an early test version (the Memphis Beta Guide recommends only doing it either as a Win95 upgrade or on a fresh disk using a boot disk). Real-mode device drivers especially makes it panic and I certainly wouldn't blame it on PCem when that happens given it's an unfinished Microsoft product produced in the era when mocking Windows for crashing were commonplace...
Flush out your AUTOEXEC.BAT/CONFIG.SYS files.

Starting Windows 9x setup (be it prototypes or finals) from DOS is normal practice... And no, betas don't suck because they are buggy, they show you the evolution of what was in development, if you say that they suck, you'll likely say that finals suck and don't try them as well.

Tried to fdisk the hard drive with a Windows 98 boot disk, formatted using Windows 95 setup, and it works!!

Glad to see it works

My testing was done on both the P60 Batman Revenge config and a HOT-433 PMMX200 config.

I've only bothered with this issue because i've already had this particular build as a vague "Windows 97" zip on a backup around here... i'm not crazy for windows prototypes, i've only had curiously tried a few them while they were new (98 and Whistler mainly), but don't care enough to run those old timebomby buggy no-longer-public builds again.

There could be a rule about not supporting prototype operating systems given instability factors as witnessed here (and maybe also cover the recent 'trend' of new "editions", "ready to run" images, any other form of shameless repack, etc.)...