UMMMMMMM type install or Dossetup or winwetup at dos command promp.

Welcome to the coop.

Jason9 wrote on 2021-10-31, 07:11:

Hi […]
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Hi

Glad I found this forum. I have a disc image of software I need to install, and I'm no expert, but I assume that it is a Windows 3 program. There's a reference to DOS. I have attached a screenshot of the disc image below. Compatibility mode within Windows 10 only goes back to Windows 95, and it won't run it, unsurprising given the file creation dates. Given that I'm not a tech guy, I'd really appreciate guidance on what I need to do to be able to run this from within Windows 10 and Linux Mint. If you need more information or more screenshots of any description, just let me know.

What would be the steps I would need to follow to make this launchable whenever I need it from my PC?

Many thanks for any help you can offer. It is probably a simple answer, so forgive me....

Due to Microsoft's failure to provide consumers with easy VM access to old operating systems, it's unfortunately not a simple answer at all.

But regardless there are various ways to peel this walnut.

I'd try this first : http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/otvdm.html

Second option: set up software called DOSBox, which emulates an old DOS PC in a window on your modern PC. In that software, you could run the DOS version of your software, or you could install Windows 3.x and then the Windows version of your software - all within the DOSBox environment. (I've hastily chosen a couple of user-friendly-looking links there, as examples of what you'd be aiming towards)

The old MS Virtual Machine worked well in XPPro with only 512megs of ram with OS2v4, Red Hat Linux 5.x and a Dox VM running a the same time.

Thank you both for your suggestions - looks like there's 2 or 3 ways to go. I will try them over the next couple of days and let you know what worked best.

Really appreciate your responses. I will post my results back here soon. Thanks.

Jason9 wrote on 2021-10-31, 20:35:

Thank you both for your suggestions - looks like there's 2 or 3 ways to go. I will try them over the next couple of days and let you know what worked best.

Really appreciate your responses. I will post my results back here soon. Thanks.

As an aside, it would probably actually run on the 32-bit version of Windows 10, if you have the NTVDM/WoW installed. Part of the reason why MS kept making 32-bit versions so long, I think.

jakethompson1 wrote on 2021-10-31, 20:52:

As an aside, it would probably actually run on the 32-bit version of Windows 10, if you have the NTVDM/WoW installed. Part of the reason why MS kept making 32-bit versions so long, I think.

Thanks for letting me know. Yeah, I'm looking at all the options and just trying to figure out the easiest, and I don't yet know which one that will be. I am hoping to find a way to just set it up initially so that thereafter I can just click on an icon as per 'usual' and run this program on W10 Pro and Linux Mint whenever I need to, without having to run commands and mount disks and go through a window-within-a-window process each time. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it... I'm not great with this stuff.

Hi all - I went straight to DOSbox, and had some success. Fluked my way through mounting part of a drive (by copying ISO contents into my PC C drive , but in the end the program obviously failed to run because it didn't recognize the drive specifically as a DVD drive (ie. the contents were copied the C:, not mounted),

On my physical PC (Windows 10), I have mounted the ISO to G: drive. The problem seems to be that DOS box doesn't recognize my Windows 10 G:/ drive. However, that is where the ISO gets mounted to.

The program did launch, no problem - it's just that since the data was copied in a standard folder in C:\ instead of being mounted, it didn't get very far. I doubt the helpline number from 1993 is still connected....🤣.

I'm also hoping that there's a way for DOSbox to remember the installation so I don't need to re-install it every time. Is this possible?

Any possible insight would be much appreciated. Thanks.

try a \ / is a *nix thing

Caluser2000 wrote on 2021-11-02, 00:54:

try a \ / is a *nix thing

Thanks. That seems to have helped me get further.

I've hit a roadblock, probably simple to solve but I have no idea what to do:

I followed these steps in DOSbox:

1mount c g:\
2C:
3INSTALL
4
5- Program menu, I select option 1 (Install DOS VERSION)
6- Next screen, I select 'e' for Easy Installation.

Then I get an error:

1I can't find your CONFIG.SYS file.
2Please make sure that the FILES= statement in your CONFIG.SYS file equals at least 30 or more, or the program will not run.

Any idea what this means? Thanks for helping - getting this program to run is super important to me.

try:

g:
press enter
then
INSTALL at the g:\ prompt

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I get an error:

1Drive G does not exist!
2You must mount it first. Type intro or intro mount for more information.

The thing is, the very first thing I do is mount it.

When I boot up DOSbox, I type:

1mount c g:\

I get confirmation:

1Drive C is mounted as local directory g:\

But then it regards G as non existent thereafter.

Perhaps I have a character wrong or something round the wrong way.

Might be a DOSBox limitation for this type of program (non-game). I'm going to try Win 3.1 in Virtual box or DOSBox - will update outcome here.

Jason9 wrote on 2021-11-02, 02:49:

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I get an error: […]
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Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I get an error:

Copy code to clipboard

1Drive G does not exist!
2You must mount it first. Type intro or intro mount for more information.

The thing is, the very first thing I do is mount it.

When I boot up DOSbox, I type:

Copy code to clipboard

1mount c g:\

I get confirmation:

Copy code to clipboard

1Drive C is mounted as local directory g:\

But then it regards G as non existent thereafter.

Perhaps I have a character wrong or something round the wrong way.

You need to mount two drives in Dosbox.

The first mount: use the MOUNT command, to mount a specific folder (a new empty folder created by you in advance, the first time - somewhere on your physical hard drive - to be kept and re-used in future), as C. This will act as DOSBox's persistent storage, it's own internal version of a C: drive. To install programs onto, for example.

The second mount: use the IMGMOUNT command, to mount your ISO file, as D. Use the "-t iso" (meaning "type = ISO") suffix with the command.

Then, navigate to your newly-mounted D drive in DOSBox, with command "D:", followed by the command "DIR/W" (=show me the directory contents of this location, displayed as Wide view), you should see the contents of the ISO.

Then run your program's installation command. I believe (iirc) yours is "dossetup". In my example image below, it was "install".

--

Point the installation procedure to install to a location on your "C" drive.

Then in future when you run DOSBox, mount your C as the same location, and your installed program should persistently remain. (and will have it's own set of commands to invoke, which we can help you with, should you reach that stage)

I hope these instructions are specific enough. It is difficult to know what another person's sticking points will be.

Shreddoc wrote on 2021-11-02, 03:44:

You need to mount two drives in Dosbox. […]
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Jason9 wrote on 2021-11-02, 02:49:

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I get an error: […]
Show full quote

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I get an error:

Copy code to clipboard

1Drive G does not exist!
2You must mount it first. Type intro or intro mount for more information.

The thing is, the very first thing I do is mount it.

When I boot up DOSbox, I type:

Copy code to clipboard

1mount c g:\

I get confirmation:

Copy code to clipboard

1Drive C is mounted as local directory g:\

But then it regards G as non existent thereafter.

Perhaps I have a character wrong or something round the wrong way.

You need to mount two drives in Dosbox.

The first mount: use the MOUNT command, to mount a specific folder (a new empty folder created by you in advance, the first time - somewhere on your physical hard drive - to be kept and re-used in future), as C. This will act as DOSBox's persistent storage, it's own internal version of a C: drive. To install programs onto, for example.

The second mount: use the IMGMOUNT command, to mount your ISO file, as D. Use the "-t iso" (meaning "type = ISO") suffix with the command.

Then, navigate to your newly-mounted D drive in DOSBox, with command "D:", followed by the command "DIR/W" (=show me the directory contents of this location, displayed as Wide view), you should see the contents of the ISO.

Then run your program's installation command. I believe (iirc) yours is "dossetup". In my example image below, it was "install".

DOSBOX.PNG

--

Point the installation procedure to install to a location on your "C" drive.

Then in future when you run DOSBox, mount your C as the same location, and your installed program should persistently remain. (and will have it's own set of commands to invoke, which we can help you with, should you reach that stage)

I hope these instructions are specific enough. It is difficult to know what another person's sticking points will be.

Thanks - this is great. I will try this soon and let you know. Very good of you to help me out.