Q I obtained the game Lemmings and could not get it to work so contacted the makers and got the following reply: "Lemmings 2 should only be run in MS-DOS mode. You should create an MS-DOS boot disk that sets up your EMS memory (emm386.exe RAM) so the game can run."

A We miss the old games, don't we? They managed to pack a lot of ingenuity and challenge into very limited resources. Many of them, like Lemmings, did it by demanding more work from your head and less from your computer.

You don't need to set up an MS-DOS boot disk. You can set up a PIF file to launch Lemmings 2 from Windows 95.

Create a Shortcut to the Lemmings program, l2.exe. Just right-click on the icon in a Windows Explorer folder, drag it to another place, and select Create Shortcut(s) Here from the pop-up menu. Right-click on the Shortcut and in the pop-up menu select Properties. Click the Advanced button. In the Advanced Program Settings dialogue box, make sure that MS-DOS mode and Warn before entering MS-DOS mode are both checked and then select Specify a new MS-DOS configuration. Complete the config.sys and autoexec.bat text boxes as follows:

AUTOEXEC.BAT for MS-DOS mode:
SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET PROMPT=$p$g
SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;
Rem - Sound card settings - alter to suit your configuration
SET SOUND=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\CTSND
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
Rem - Mouse settings - alter to suit your configuration
SET MSINPUT=C:\MSINPUT
c:\msinput\mouse\mouse.exe

These autoexec.bat settings are for my system, and the details for setting up the sound card and mouse no doubt differ on your system. The SET TMP, SET TEMP and SET PROMPT values are not terribly relevant. You may be able to get clues for what your autoexec.bat should be by looking for the autoexec.bat and config.sys on your current disk, or by finding old system startup disks with backups of your configuration.

To run Lemmings, just launch the Shortcut you have created from within Windows. It closes down your other applications, reboots in MS-DOS mode and launches Lemmings. When you finish, the system reboots and restarts Windows 95.

If you want to create an MS-DOS boot disk, it's not too hard. Insert a floppy disk in the drive, open an MS-DOS session (Start-Programs-MS-DOS Prompt) and type:

This formats the disk and copies the system files to it, including io.sys, msdos.sys, and command.com.

Now create your versions of the above config.sys and autoexec.bat files on the MS-DOS boot disk. The config.sys file should have the himem.sys and emm386.exe lines shown above. The autoexec.bat file needs settings appropriate to your system.