Gateway 2000 Hangs When Using BRIEF with MS-DOS 5.0 or later (99242)



The information in this article applies to:
    Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0
    Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0a
    Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.0
    Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.2
    Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.21
    Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.22

This article was previously published under Q99242

SYMPTOMS

You may receive the following error message if you use BRIEF with MS-DOS 6.2 on some Gateway 2000 486 machines:

divide by zero
After BRIEF closes, your computer is left at the MS-DOS command prompt. The next command you issue may cause your system to stop responding (hang).

This problem commonly occurs after you press the NUMLOCK key twice. In addition, if you run BRIEF, exit BRIEF, and then run MS-DOS Editor, pressing the NUMLOCK key may cause the system to hang. If the system does not hang, you may be unable to access drive A or B.

CAUSE

This problem may occur due to the way BRIEF initializes memory. For more information, contact Borland Technical Support or contact Gateway 2000 Technical Support.

RESOLUTION

According to an article in PC Week, a new BIOS is available from Gateway that corrects this problem.

BRIEF is a text editor designed for programmers. BRIEF is manufactured by Borland, a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise regarding this product's performance or reliability.

Modification Type: Major Last Reviewed: 5/12/2003
Keywords: KB99242