The "How to install, the license, and manual" post provides a solution for running Stars! on newer versions of the windows operating system by running it within the Window 3.1.1 operating system (Win 3.1) which is running in the DosBox emulator. It
works very well on my Windows 10 PC. However, since Win 3.1 is only being launched to play Stars!, it would be nice to have Win 3.1 automatically open Stars! when Win 3.1 starts and automatically shutdown the 3.1 operating system when when the user
closes Stars! program.
Here's my solution:
Steven Henk Don created a program called RunExit.exe that exits Win 3.11 after a program has stopped running. Here's a link to the program:
https://www.shdon.com/blog/2013/05/25/update-to-runexit-tool
A copy of the RUNEXIT.EXE program will need to reside somewhere in the Win 3.11 virtual "C:" drive. I placed it in the "C:\WIN31App\" directory.
Note: I use the "D-Fend Reloaded" program as a front-end to DosBox to simplify the configuration and selection of the many games I'm running under DosBox. If you're not using this front-end, the following may need to be changed.
Since I want to start Win 3.11 with the specific task of auto starting the Stars! program and also want, at other times, to start Win 3.11 to launch other games, I moved the DosBox settings for the Win 3.1 operating system into a batch file for each type
of Win 3.11 launch I want to perform. I named the Stars! batch file "Stars.bat". If everything is setup correctly, running the batch file from within a DosBox's DOS window will launch Win 3.1 and then it will launch the Stars! program. When the user
closes the Stars! program, the RunExit program detects it has been closed and it directs the Win 3.1 operating system to shut down.
My batch file for Stars! is shown below. The last entry in the batch file launches Win 3.1 which then automatically launches the RUNEXIT.EXE file which then launches the Stars! executable using the Win 3.1 file path provide. All entries prior to the
last entry exist to configure the DosBox emulation of the DOS environment that is required for the Win 3.1 operating system to run. Your DOS configuration commands should be similar if not exactly the same.
@c:\windows\smartdrv.exe
@SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\WINDOWS;
@SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
@lh devlod C:\SB16\DRV\CSP.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220
@lh devlod C:\SB16\DRV\CTMMSYS.SYS
@SET SOUND=C:\SB16
@SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 H5 P330 T6
@SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E
@C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q
@C:\WINDOWS\win /b C:WIN32App\RUNEXIT.EXE C:\WIN32App\Stars\stars!.exe
Note again!!! The batch file is not referencing files on you computer's main "C:" drive. Instead, all "C:" drive references in the batch file refer to the virtual C: drive in the DosBox emulator except for the last line which refers to the virtual C:
drive in the Win 3.1 operating system.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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