errors running DOS program under Wine. Problem?

[jasong]

I got the following errors when trying to run a DOS program under Wine:

Warning: unprotecting memory to allow real-mode calls.
NULL pointer accesses will no longer be caught.

Is this something to be concerned about? Other than these two errors, and the fact that every 60 seconds I get a complaint about a DOS timer not working properly, it seems to work great. Since none of these errors are printed in the status/checkpoint file, I'm willing to tolerate them.

Assuming, of course, that you guys and gals tell me that I don't need to be concerned.

[Brian-E]

If that message comes from the wine layer as I assume it does - rather than from the DOS program itself - it would seem to mean that wine is not going to protect other Microsoft programs which you may be running at the same time on top of the wine from memory accesses from this DOS program outside its allocated memory. The underlying operating system would normally do that and cause the program to crash rather than disrupt other programs. So maybe running that DOS program in conjunction with other programs at the same time is not a good idea.

[jasong]

Originally Posted by Brian-E

If that message comes from the wine layer as I assume it does - rather than from the DOS program itself - it would seem to mean that wine is not going to protect other Microsoft programs which you may be running at the same time on top of the wine from memory accesses from this DOS program outside its allocated memory. The underlying operating system would normally do that and cause the program to crash rather than disrupt other programs. So maybe running that DOS program in conjunction with other programs at the same time is not a good idea.

So, when I'm running this particular program, running other Windows programs could cause problems to those other Windows apps, right? Does the fact that it's just a DC box make that less of a problem, since I could just reinstall everything? Also, if I turn the same computer into a multimedia hub, would the possible damage only happen to the Windows programs, or do I have to worry about other files, to?

[ColdFury]

Its a harmless diagnostic message.

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by jasong

So, when I'm running this particular program, running other Windows programs could cause problems to those other Windows apps, right? Does the fact that it's just a DC box make that less of a problem, since I could just reinstall everything? Also, if I turn the same computer into a multimedia hub, would the possible damage only happen to the Windows programs, or do I have to worry about other files, to?

The message would only apply to the Windows programs running on top of the wine layer. But the question of which files could be affected is obviously more complicated: what files could the programs potentially access? Have you limited that? As administrator of your system you are the best person to judge what risks you are taking because you know what you are running, what precautions you have taken, and the consequences of any data losses. For many purposes simply ensuring that you make frequent backups and can reinstall your software is sufficient.

Originally Posted by ColdFury

Its a harmless diagnostic message.

Oh, then there's nothing to worry about.