Right, it is not possible to make BIOS calls from a 32-bit app. VC6 can only make 32-bit apps. You need a 16-bit compiler if you want to make DOS apps.

Apps are prevented from making BIOS calls for a large number of reasons. BIOS calls are not reentrant so a multithreaded/multiprocessing OS can''t use them. BIOS calls are not safe they generally violate protected-mode semantics. BIOS calls as you understand them don''t even exist on non x86-based PC architectures. etc, etc.

-Mike

Thanks Mike and Eraserhead, I had a feeling it was a protected mode problem, I just hate to lose all that power...

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Original post by Eraserhead

At this point it overwrites the old Interrupt Descriptor Table (IDT), and you are not able to use the BIOS interrupts anymore.

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Actually, that''s not entirely true. In real mode the x86 doesn''t use interrupt descriptors. I guess I should have been more precise.