# qbasic **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 9, 1999, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884 "1999-10-09T10:19:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 1999, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/1 "1999-10-09T10:19:00Z")
- - - I have an OEM version of win98 and I can’t find it. Anybody know where it is normally placed, and/or what the file name is? Alternately, anybody know where to download a free safe interpreter?(I dunno if I can use the compiler for the class I’m in) There’s a downloadable interpreter on the school’s network, but I have no password and homework due Wednesday. - Thanks so much - MC ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 1999, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/2 "1999-10-09T12:57:00Z")
I saw a thread regarding this a while back and I think the advice was to get an older copy of DOS and extract the Qbasic exe file from the disc. You might also try going to the Microsoft web site - maybe a developer section? - and search there. It’s probably available for download from them. ---
**Author:** ![Louie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Louie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 1999, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/3 "1999-10-09T22:13:00Z")
Search the CD for a file called “oldmsdos”. QBasic should be in the same folder as oldmsdos.exe ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 1999, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/4 "1999-10-11T22:11:00Z")
Yep, it’s on the CD in the directory OLDMSDOS. If you want to pirate higher versions of QB (shh!) go [here](http://gameprog.ampleworks.com/qbasic/Features/compilers.html). It **should** work. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 1999, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/5 "1999-10-12T13:27:00Z")
- - - Neither of my system CDs has any directory named oldmsdos, or any file named qbasic.exe. - I dunno if it’s really pirating because it’s supposed to be on MS’s website but they move it around every few months. I don’t know what all that crap they have there is; I have never found anything I needed on their site, except info on ordering stuff. - MC ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 1999, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/6 "1999-10-12T13:57:00Z")
On Windows 98 Qbasic is built into the editor. I believe the file is called Edit.exe or [Edit.com](http://Edit.com). In older versions of the OS’s Edit was a shell that would call on Qbasic, and too many times people would delete one and not be able to use the other, so with Win98 the combined them. You can still use Edit to create .bas files. * * * Just add water, it makes it’s own sauce! ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 1999, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/7 "1999-10-13T10:19:00Z")
- - - _Damn_ you’re good - I downloaded it but couldn’t figure out how to call it from the command line - one other question: where can I put qb4.5 and vis.b.3, that they’ll work and not interfere with anything else? Can I just put them in the c:/ and call them from DOS? I once put a C compiler on my computer and from then on my computer ran like a cat walks with tape stuck on its feet. - MC ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 1999, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/8 "1999-10-13T14:08:00Z")
I’d suggest you make a subdirectory for them and call them from DOS, or place Edit and those two files in the same sub dir. * * * Just add water, it makes it’s own sauce! ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 1999, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/9 "1999-10-13T14:20:00Z")
- - - Or maybe not. Forget the other two. - - - - Edit and qbasic aren’t the same thing; edit doesn’t have the immedtate window or the same menu items. In the msdos window, edit can be called from root or windows directory - qbasic (named “qb” can only be called from c:\progra~1 directory. - This is WIN98, not 95, where it’s in the root directory and named “qbasic”.(I think, , ,) - - But now I accidentally moved the aoatapi.sys file from the dosdrvrs folder and don’t know where it goes. Could somebody go Exploring and see where it goes? - - Does Fisher-Price make computers? - MC ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 1999, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/10 "1999-10-13T14:22:00Z")
- - - I’m gettin’ better! Now I can usually figure out what I screwed up! (When I unzipped the qbasic, it unzipped into the same folder as aoatapi.sys, I’m fairly sure-) - MC ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 1999, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/11 "1999-10-13T14:39:00Z")
Is it possible to run a .bas program on a web page? ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 1999, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qbasic/3884/12 "1999-10-13T15:17:00Z")
I know they’re not the same thing. As I said Edit used the Qbasic engine, now they are incorporated. Edit can be used to write qbasic apps, but you’ll have the edit shell. * * * Just add water, it makes it’s own sauce!