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why foxpro running slowly in xp ?

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15 replies

by suni_u786

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dear frnds,
i have pentium4 512 mb ram winxp system. my probl is when i open foxpro program(old version)cpu usage goes to 100%.then system is slow.
help me plz...

15 replies

by seanferd

First, you have Foxpro which is probably running in fake-DOS on XP, plus you have barely enough RAM to run XP with any apps at all.

All I can suggest is: More RAM or stop any other applications from running while you are using Foxpro.

by suni_u786

hai,
these two suggestions i tried already..format my pc increase ram 1 gb then without install any other program i tried to work on foxpro i feel the same effect as before.
cpu usage showing 100%.my doubt is why this foxpro becomes slower in modern computers...also i try to work on tamedos ,same... wht to do?

by seanferd

This is because such old apps do not run normally in modern Windows. A DOS environment must be emulated, which not only uses considerable resources in some cases, but also artificially limits resources in the emulated DOS environment.

TameDOS is still another emulator running under XP. It may or may not work better than XP's native method, but it will never be like running it under a real DOS environment.

Be aware also that you might run into unfixable problems at any time, and you'll lose all your un-saved work. I've seen this happen many times.

If you really plan on using this a lot, I'd load a DOS (or Win 95, 98) onto another system which DOS can handle.

by wompai

Try to set the priority of foxpro to "low" in the taskmanager:
-press CTRL+ALT+DEL
-select the foxpro program and right click it. Than click "go to process" (or anything like that)(the option at the bottom of the options-menu)
-right click on that process and set the priority to low

note: this will make sure that the processor doesn't spend all the resources on foxpro, it might increase performance of other programs but slows down the performance of foxpro.

Tip: Increase your RAM memory. As Seanferd said: 512MB is barely enough to run windows and all kinds of apps. Memory ships aren't that expansive, a good $20,- or so.

Good luck

by robo_dev

Firefox and Foxpro are not the same thing, last time I checked [forehead slap]

[original correct yet misguided response below]
Are you using a lot of plugins with Firefox?

Do you have good virus and spyware protection?

Clear your browser cache, cookies, and everything.

Try launching Firefox in safe mode.
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Safe%20Mode

Shut off plugin-container...it's a memory hog.
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1930253

Read this guide:
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Firefox%20consumes%20a%20lot%20of%20CPU%20resources

by seanferd

I believe the OP means the way outdated FoxPro (Fox & MS) programming environment. But I now see there are other things called Foxpro as well, so...

by montanasman

Visual Fox is fast on any machine. You need to upgrade. Yes, it means rewriting code. Otherwise you will have to live with slow. FoxPro's data engine is faster than anything around and is free with the software purchase, no need for database managers. It is the best tool for small business RAD and twice as fast to develop than any dot net.

by vinod.dhall

Ahh!!!.... Good OLD DOS Apps..

We generally use the following in Config.sys file in DOS for FoxPro Applications.

dos=high, umb
device=Himem.sys
files=20
Buffers=128,256

You can try the same in Config.nt file. This file must exist at SystemRoot%\System32 :

dos=high, umb
device=%SystemRoot%\System32\Himem.sys
files=20

Please take proper backup before applying these settings and do a restart after applying of these settings.

Hope it should help.

Vinod Dhall

by who am i really

config.nt and autoexec.nt
called by "Command.com"

try running the application after starting Command.com
rather than cmd.exe

start > run
c:\windows\system32\command.com

command.com is a more DOS program compatible DOS shell than cmd.exe is

see this short writeup:
http://www.chami.com/tips/windows/122096W.html

by dartemov

The problem is that FP DOS uses keyboard interceptor and it is this component that loads CPU not FP itself.
Many many years ago there was a program called dpakbd that mitigated the issue to some point.
Below is the piece of readme.txt. Ping me at dmartemov@gmail.com if you want to try it.
DPAKBD is a TSR that attempts to put errant DOS application
that poll the keyboard incessantly to sleep thus enabling
the CPU to service the rest of its process queue. It must be
executed in the same NTVDM as the application but before
the application is executed.

by webczar

If you are using the original FoxPro (i.e. 2.6 or earlier) then you should move up to VFP.

Visual FoxPro 3.0 thru 9.0 will run fine on XP. Certain screen updates on Windows 7 (i.e. VFP command window) can be slow due to the 'Aero' interface and DirectX 9 translation.

If you are using non-visual FoxPro, get VFP 6, 7, or 9 and migrate your app interfaces.

Yeah, I know... legacy apps, but if you're still using FoxPro 2.6 why not just run Win 3.1?

by spitfire_sysop

If you have to rewrite, you might as well use a real database. You can get a free version of SQL with Visual Studio Express (Also free) and it would be better than FoxPro.

You could waste a bunch of time upgrading your computer and making the proper software environment but your problem is FoxPro itself.

by montanasman

I would bet you have never used VFP. It's development environment will run circles around VS for developing small to medium business solutions. It is much more flexible and not half the learning curve. You are right, fox 2.?? is slow on the new since win95. Why would you suggest to a person to change environments when the man is use to an environment. He needs to update to a newer version. All VFP later versions are backward compatible. Quit bashing Fox when you do not know the software.

by suni_u786

hai,frnds,
thanks for ur comments...im on veccation soorry 4 delay
I solved ths by throw old pc buy new one win7 system
now everything is ok

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