VOGONS


SUBST command

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First post, by Kaspur

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I've been trying to get Capitalism to work, now it asks for a CD-ROM and some programs have been added to make it run without a CD-ROM in the drive.
This batch-file uses the SUBST command, but every time it tries to run from DB, DB crashes. Anyone know what the solution is (or has another way of getting rid of the problem)?

Reply 1 of 24, by guilly18

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It is quite difficult to say without the Batch file code (because it is a .bat isn't it?).

However, just in case you don't know, the SUBST command makes a drive out of a directory under MS-DOS. DosBox built in DOS does not support it, but if you wish you may get Freedos or a similiar DOS operating system and install it into DosBox.

Anyway, my advice is that you edit the batch file, get rid of the SUBST command, create a virtual CD-ROM drive via the MOUNT command and copy the contents of the directory referred byt the subst command there, making sure that you choose the same drive letter specified by SUBST, of course. Of course, this is pure speculation without seeing the batch file itself.

Reply 2 of 24, by mirekluza

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SUBST should work. More details are needed (I mean the precise sequence of commands which crashes DOSBOX - put here a short example of this behaviour so that it is possible for developers to reproduce the problem).

Mirek

Reply 3 of 24, by guilly18

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Yer right. SUBST is a supportted command. My mistake. Sorry. Anyhow, the workaround I recommended is still a possibility (I believe 😜 )

Reply 4 of 24, by Guest

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I've already tried to MOUNT a directory as a CD-ROM drive, that doesn't work. I'm not completely sure what happens when SUBST is run though, seeing DB crashes. The subst command is as follows:

SUBST a: /D (I've changed the drivename sometimes, but it seems it really wants the A to be CD-ROM)
SUBST a: J:\GAMES\CAP

It is run from a networkdrive on an AMD Athlon 1200.

Reply 5 of 24, by Qbix

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remove the first subst line
and be sure that j:\games\cabs directory exists when you are inside dosbox.
(this I highly doubt.)

Water flows down the stream
How to ask questions the smart way!

Reply 6 of 24, by robertmo

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which dosbox version do you use? subst crashed in older versions

Reply 7 of 24, by Guest

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0.62. I thought I had the newest, I'll download it right away. I'll try some other things now.

I still don't get it to run. It keeps asking for the CD-ROM. I'll try a bit harder and thanks for all the help

Reply 8 of 24, by Guest

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Does subst work for a directory in a network, too?
I need a local "Y:" in Dosbox (for a legacy application), to mount from \\Computer_1\c1 in my Windows-Network.
If this should work, I could buy the Mac-mini 😉

Thanks!

M.

Reply 9 of 24, by mirekluza

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You misunderstood how SUBST and MOUNT work:
- MOUNT mounts things from outside to DOSBOX
- SUBST work with already mounted drives in DOSBOX (so there is no point talking about mounting a network drive here)

So you should try MOUNT. Try it. i think it should work.

Mirek

Reply 10 of 24, by Guest

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Mirek,

thanks for your fast reply.
One more question. 😉
My DOS-Software reads the Windows-name of the computer (e. g. Computer_n) and interprets it as the work place number (No. n), which is important for blocking sets in the database to other work places if in use by one.
I don`t know, how my Dos-Software is doing this. I assume, it`s a standard DOS-function which has survived in Windows. Do you think this might work in the DOSBox, too?

Thanks!

M. (Michael, www.logies.de)

Reply 11 of 24, by mirekluza

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No. Mounted disc in DOSBOX is just a mounted disc (program in DOSBOX cannot know whether it is in reality a local path/network/ramdisc/whatever).

Mirek

Reply 12 of 24, by Guest

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Mirek,

to be more precise:
My Windows-Computer (Win XP Professional) has a name (PC_5), set within Windows. Somehow the name of the computer can be read by my DOS-program when running within cmd.exe (=Dos within Win XP).
My question: Can I set the name of the computer as a parameter within DOSBox so that it can be read accordingly?

I have searched with google: For cmd.exe "net config workstation" shows the name of the computer. But I don`t know, whether this is the method, my DOS program is using, because it uses the Windows-name of the computer at least since Win 3.11.

Thanks!

M.

Reply 13 of 24, by mirekluza

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I do not know about how computer name is stored/read in Windows. And I do not think that DOSBOX can do anything about it. So the answer is no.

Mirek

Reply 14 of 24, by Guest

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In the meantime I have found out, that there is a DOS environment variable for "computername", which is available since Win95-Win XP. I have no good idea, what an "environment variable" is, but perhaps it can be set within DOSBox?:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rlively/MANUALS/EN … IN/COMPUTER.HTM

And with the command "hostname" the name of the computer can be asked for - but only since Win NT, so that cannot be the method my DOS program is using:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rlively/MANUALS/CO … /H/HOSTNAME.HTM

Any better ideas how to fake my DOS program about the name of the computer it is running on?

Thanks

M.

Reply 15 of 24, by mirekluza

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If it is just an environment variable, then it is no problem in DOSBOX - you can specify it for example in [autoexec] section of DOSBOX.CONF (it is a DOS command SET <name> = <value>). Your program can then read it.

Mirek

Reply 17 of 24, by OptimalDesigns

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I'm having problems with the SUBST cmd in DOSbox (SVN-Daum version). My ABC program tries to write output to the G: drive, so how does one make one? I have tried the following:
Outside DOSbox:
1. Subst g: e:\tools.vb\temp
2. run DOSbox
3. ABC program runs ... creating write stmts. to G-drv.
DOSbox freezes.

Inside DOSbox:
1. Mount f e:\tools.vb
2. f:
3. Mount g \temp
DOSbox says illegal Mount, ideas how to get my G-drive?

Phil

Reply 18 of 24, by emendelson

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mount g e:\tools\vb\temp

But you really shouldn't use DOSBox with anything except games. Search for vDos by Jos Schaars.

Reply 19 of 24, by kolano

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emendelson wrote:

mount g e:\tools\vb\temp

But you really shouldn't use DOSBox with anything except games. Search for vDos by Jos Schaars.

Hrm, are any of the vDOS patches ported back over to any of the alternate DOSBox builds (DOSBox-X, Ykhwongs, etc.)? I understand the devs "games only" position, but would like to see more comprehensive DOS emulation, since it seems like vDOS strips out much of the hardware support provided by DOSBox.

Eyecandy: Turn your computer into an expensive lava lamp.