> mount my c drive, Mount c c:\dosgames\psycho

I think this is the problem.

Delete the Psycho folder, and read/follow my 60 Seconds Guide to DOSBox but use C:\dosgames when you mount the C-drive.

psycho pinball wants to be in a subdirectory. else it doesn't work (bug in the game. debugged it once)

Are we talking about the same game? OP said it was Psycho Killer, not Psycho Pinball.

so i should delete the psycho folder, keep the psycho.bat file in c:\dosgames, and run the file with C:\>cd psycho?

Did you read what MiniMax wrote?

i can't figure out how this could work!

i've tried installing it right to c! (C:\>psycho.bat)
and it doesn't work.

i am almost positive it doesn't have anything to do with how i mount the drives, or if i mount the install directory, because the readme says i can run the game without installation, just pop the cd in, mount the cd drive, type RUN and you're good to go. not for me however. all i get is ECHO OFF

ECHO OFF!

Did you read what MiniMax wrote?

Of course I read what MiniMax wrote.
That's the first thing I did when I saw his response.
I have read it many times, and it has done me well, but this time, things seem to be difficult.
He is telling me that after i install the game as C:\dosgames\psycho\psycho.bat
, I should mount the drive like this:
Mount d j:\ -t cdrom
Mount c c:\dosgames
z:\>c:
c:\>cd psycho
c:\psycho\>dir /w
c:\psycho\>psycho
and it should run. if THAT'S what i have to do, then it's not working. i keep getting the echo off message.

Any help would be appreciated.

Keep that installation and post the content of psycho.bat along with
the output of dir/w .

there is only one file in the output of c:\psycho\>dir /w, and that file is psycho.bat.

here are the contents:

ECHO OFF
D:
CD \KILLER
DTVPLAY -CD -c
C:

i tried changing the echo off line to echo on, but i just got another error message, it flashes on and off the screen so fast i can't see it, but it looks like this:

C:\Psycho>D:

D:\KILLER>cd \KILLER

D:\KILLER>DTVPLAY -CD -C

do i have to name the install folder "KILLER"?

Try executing the lines from the batch file manually and see where it gets wrong.
Like check if there is a KILLER directory on d: and see if the executable dtvplay
is present there.

yes, there is a directory on the cd called "killer" and the file "dtvplay.exe" is in there.

And if you do the

D:
CD \KILLER
DTVPLAY -CD -c

commands, what then?

the screen flashes for a second and then goes back to d:\killer\>.

Sorry to raise an old topic from the dead, but I'm able to confirm that this issue continues with v.74

A fix was recently committed for Town With No Name that also applies to Psycho Killer. Both games appear to be developed and/or published by the same company, and they both have the same issue where many files on the CD do not conform to the 8.3 filename restriction of DOS. The problem is that DOSBox does not clip the filenames to 8.3 (as real MSCDEX does) for IMGMOUNT, and it converts the filenames to short form (with tilde: ~) for MOUNT, so the files are not found by the games.

Filenames are clipped to 8.3 in current source, but only for IMGMOUNT; the issue remains for MOUNT. The Psycho Killer disc has a couple of audio tracks, so to get the game running and hear the CD audio, mount a CUE/BIN image in a recent SVN build of DOSBox.