Hello and a question

[Rogare]

Hey all,

I am pretty new to ASM. I am originally a higher-level programmer (PHP, .NET etc.) but as I was forced to learn C in one of the computers' science courses I decided to try going even lower.
I got few books on online tutorials, but when I tried assembling the programs I found and wrote I found out it is more complicated than I thought.
I posted some topic on the general forum and then I found out about the huge difference between 16-bit and 32-bit.
I am now trying to run my programs with 16-bit. I downloaded and installed Masm32 (earlier) and was told that link16 might help me.

This is GOTO.ASM:

Code Select Expand

.MODEL SMALL
.STACK 100h
.data
x DB 2Ah
.CODE

start:
mov ax,@data
mov ds,ax

mov ah,02h
mov dl,x
int 21h

mov ah,08h
int 21h
mov x,al

mov ax,4C00h
int 21h
END start

This is command line output:

Code Select Expand

D:\masm32\bin>ml /Bl link16.exe D:\GOTO.ASM
Microsoft (R) Macro Assembler Version 6.14.8444
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp 1981-1997.  All rights reserved.

Assembling: D:\GOTO.ASM

Microsoft (R) Segmented Executable Linker  Version 5.60.339 Dec  5 1994
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp 1984-1993.  All rights reserved.

Object Modules [.obj]: GOTO.obj
Run File [GOTO.exe]: "GOTO.exe"
List File [nul.map]: NUL
Libraries [.lib]:
Definitions File [nul.def]:

When double-clicking on the GOTO.exe the black command line windows appears and disappears without waiting for anything.

Thanks in advance,
Rogare

[dedndave]

it probably works fine
you can either open a console window and run it from the command line
or
put a "press any key" at the end of the program so it does not exit until you press a key

[Rogare]

Ran it via command line - the asterisk isn't there and it isn't waiting for my key (as far as I know 21h-02 is print and 21h-08 is read key).

[dedndave]

it ran fine here
here is a 16-bit assembly batch file, as well as goto16.asm and exe

[Rogare]

The .exe really works. The code is same.
How do I work with the .bat file?

[dedndave]

place a16.bat in the masm32\bin folder
(that folder should be listed in the PATH environment variable)
then, at the command prompt type:
a16 goto16

if the x:\masm32\bin folder is not in the PATH
open My Computer - Properties - Advanced tab - Environment Variables button
and add it to the system environment PATH list (with a semicolon)

[Rogare]

Did all that (even changed the script to work with d:\masm32\bin instead of c:\...).
That is command line output:

Code Select Expand

D:\>a16 goto
Microsoft (R) Macro Assembler Version 6.14.8444
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp 1981-1997.  All rights reserved.

Assembling: goto.asm

PKSFX (R)   FAST!   Self Extract Utility   Version 2.04g  02-01-93
Copr. 1989-1993 PKWARE Inc. All Rights Reserved. Shareware version
PKSFX Reg. U.S. Pat. and Tm. Off.

Searching EXE: D:/MASM32/BIN/LINK563.EXE
Volume in drive D has no label.
Volume Serial Number is 00B2-CF12

Directory of D:\

09/30/2009  10:32 PM               200 GOTO.ASM
               1 File(s)            200 bytes
               0 Dir(s)  58,181,939,200 bytes free

I didn't see any thing in there (except the interesting fact that when it lists files in D:\ it shows only GOTO.ASM and not other files (there are other .ASM files in there).
I looked in D:\ and in D:\masm32\bin but the goto.exe isn't there.

[dedndave]

make sure that the 16-bit linker exe filename in the batch file matches the one you have in the masm32\bin folder

[Rogare]

Same. I tried removing from the batch the line that deletes the .obj file and seen it is there.

Here is the batch file I have:

Code Select Expand

@echo off
if "x%1"=="x" goto ascusage
if exist %1.asm goto ascasm
:ascusage
echo Usage: asc asmfile
echo "asmfile" = asmfile.asm
goto batchexit
:ascasm
if exist %1.obj del %1.obj
d:\masm32\bin\ml /c %1.asm >d:\masm32\bin\asmbl.txt
if errorlevel 1 goto showtxt
if exist %1.exe del %1.exe
d:\masm32\bin\Link563 %1.obj; >>d:\masm32\bin\asmbl.txt
:showtxt
if exist %1.obj del %1.obj
type d:\masm32\bin\asmbl.txt
:batchexit
dir %1.*

Here is the result of dir function in masm32/bin:

Code Select Expand

D:\masm32\bin>dir
Volume in drive D has no label.
Volume Serial Number is 00B2-CF12

Directory of D:\masm32\bin

10/01/2009  10:06 AM    <DIR>          .
10/01/2009  10:06 AM    <DIR>          ..
10/01/2009  12:09 PM               444 a16.bat
10/01/2009  12:08 PM               240 asmbl.txt
08/01/2007  10:49 AM               193 assmbl.bat
01/01/2007  02:01 PM               643 bldall.bat
01/01/2007  02:01 PM               643 bldallc.bat
01/01/2007  02:01 PM                88 bres.bat
01/01/2007  02:01 PM               542 build.bat
01/01/2007  02:01 PM               530 buildc.bat
01/20/1998  09:15 PM            15,632 cvtres.exe
01/01/2007  02:01 PM               408 dasm.bat
01/01/2007  02:01 PM               408 dasmd.bat
09/15/2002  11:58 PM            13,312 dbgwin.exe
03/29/2002  05:43 PM             2,048 dumpbin.exe
02/07/1999  08:24 AM           163,840 dumppe.exe
02/07/1999  08:24 AM             9,510 dumppe.txt
03/29/2002  05:43 PM             2,048 editbin.exe
09/27/2006  04:17 PM            44,984 imagedit.exe
10/17/1994  03:29 PM            82,134 imagedit.hlp
03/29/2002  05:43 PM             2,048 lib.exe
03/19/1998  08:28 AM           462,899 link.exe
01/13/1995  06:10 AM           364,544 link16.exe
09/30/2009  11:29 PM           281,082 Link563.exe
08/01/2007  10:50 AM               341 lnk.bat
08/01/2007  10:50 AM               341 lnkc.bat
07/21/2001  09:31 PM             9,687 ml.err
03/29/1999  09:45 AM           372,736 ml.exe
09/19/1998  01:30 PM           117,520 msdis100.dll
03/19/1998  05:50 PM           164,112 msdis109.dll
06/09/1998  10:50 PM           157,456 mspdb50.dll
06/12/2007  04:01 AM             4,633 pelle.txt
05/31/2008  01:09 AM           653,488 poasm.exe
03/24/2008  05:30 PM            88,240 polib.exe
03/24/2008  05:30 PM           164,528 polink.exe
03/24/2008  06:41 PM           146,096 porc.dll
03/24/2008  06:41 PM            30,208 porc.exe
06/09/1998  10:50 PM             4,880 rc.exe
06/27/1995  08:03 AM           136,161 rc.hlp
06/09/1998  10:50 PM           105,744 rcdll.dll
09/27/2006  04:18 PM            19,188 zoomin.exe
              39 File(s)      3,623,579 bytes
               2 Dir(s)  58,189,529,088 bytes free

[MichaelW]

I'm guessing here, but the file LNK563.EXE, from the MASM32 Forum Web Site under Microsoft Tools \ 16-bit Microsoft Linker, is not a 16-bit linker, it is a self-extracting archive that contains the files CVPACK.EXE, LINK.EXE, and README.TXT. When it is executed it displays this header:

PKSFX (R) FAST! Self Extract Utility Version 2.04g 02-01-93
Copr. 1989-1993 PKWARE Inc. All Rights Reserved. Shareware version
PKSFX Reg. U.S. Pat. and Tm. Off.

The LINK.EXE from the archive (364544 bytes, modified Thursday, January 12, 1995, 10:10:00 PM) is the 16-bit linker, and since it has the same name as the 32-bit linker, to allow it to coexist with the 32-bit linker and to prevent confusion it is frequently renamed to LINK16.EXE. For MASM32 v10, the LINK16.EXE in the \bin directory is this file.

[Rogare]

Great guess!
Now I got the real Link563.
Here is the output of the batch:

Code Select Expand

D:\>a16 goto
Microsoft (R) Macro Assembler Version 6.14.8444
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp 1981-1997.  All rights reserved.

Assembling: goto.asm

Microsoft (R) Segmented Executable Linker  Version 5.60.339 Dec  5 1994
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp 1984-1993.  All rights reserved.

Volume in drive D has no label.
Volume Serial Number is 00B2-CF12

Directory of D:\

09/30/2009  10:32 PM               200 GOTO.ASM
10/01/2009  12:56 PM               539 goto.exe
               2 File(s)            739 bytes
               0 Dir(s)  58,188,984,320 bytes free

D:\>goto

D:\>

I tried also double-clicking goto.exe - just disappears. I also noticed it is the same size as the EXE you made (yours works).
Got another great guess?

[MichaelW]

The EXE disappears because it is coded to run and exit. To see the output you can run it from a command prompt, or do what I normally do and add a call to the BIOS Get Keystroke function. When the function is called it will wait for a keystroke to be placed in the keyboard buffer before it returns to the caller.

Code Select Expand


. . .
mov ah,08h
int 21h
mov x,al

mov ah,0
int 16h

mov ax,4C00h
int 21h
. . .


[Rogare]

Code Select Expand

.MODEL SMALL
.STACK 100h
.data
x DB 2Ah
.CODE

start:
mov ax,@data
mov ds,ax

mov ah,02h
mov dl,x
int 21h

mov ah,08h
int 21h
mov x,al

mov ax,4C00h
int 21h
END start

int 21h-08 reads a character.
And I did open via command line (you can see at my last post in command line output) and nothing was seen.
Could you upload a .zip file with the real Link563, maybe I did something wrong?

[dedndave]

can't believe you caught Michael off-guard - hard to do - lol
find out which of these files you have in the masm32\bin folder:
link16.exe
lnk563.exe
link563.exe
edit the a16.bat file to match that linker name and it should work for you

[Rogare]

Well, I got Link563.exe and link16.exe. Tried working with both - always the same emptiness of the .exe.