I have no idea what you're trying to do.

Follow the 60 Seconds Guide.
60 seconds guide to getting your game to run in DOSBox

Specifically, take note that you should mount the same folder as drive C both when you install the game and when you want to run the game after installing it.

Also, if you downloaded this game illegally, there might very well be other problems with it. The game is available on both GOG and Steam in a form that will work with no fuss whatsoever.

It seems as though you're running a batch file (PQ1.BAT) to start the game. Try running the executable (either a .EXE or .COM file) directly. It looks like it may be named PQ.EXE or PQ.COM, so try just running "PQ" from the prompt. If that doesn't work, doing a "DIR PQ*.*" and/or "DIR *.EXE" may help discover the executable that you need to run. On the chance that there's a PQ1.EXE and a PQ1.BAT, then you need to type out "PQ1.EXE" at the prompt to run that, since just doing "PQ1" will always run PQ1.BAT, instead.

Madeleine wrote:

I downloaded and installed Police Quest, but can't figure out how to run it. When I try to run PQ1, this is what always happens […]
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I downloaded and installed Police Quest, but can't figure out how to run it. When I try to run PQ1, this is what always happens:

C:\POLIC>PQ1
C:\POLICE>cd C:\SIERRA\POLICE

C:\SIERRA\POLICE\C:

C:\SIERRA\POLICE>cd \pq1
Unable to change to: \pq1.

C:\SIERRA\POLICE>pq
Illegal command: pq.

C:\SIERRA\POLICE>cd \

C:\>C:

C:\>cd . .

C:\>

I tried moving it around to different folders, mounting those, and running it from there, with the same results. Does anyone know what might be wrong?

Downloaded from where?
I can't tell if you're doing this in DOSBOX or pure DOS. But either way Police Quest 1 original version can work under XP Command Prompt since it didn't have any special requirements nor the original PC version support sound cards. I think they released a VGA update later that did but I preferred the original. I believe from memory the file you are looking for is probably Sierra.com which should launch the game otherwise it would be PQ1.com. If you use the filename with extension it will differentiate from running the batch file if such exists under the same name.

95DosBox wrote:

But either way Police Quest 1 original version can work under XP Command Prompt since it didn't have any special requirements nor the original PC version support sound cards.

I don't know anything about Police Quest 1, but original Larry 1 and KingsQuest III do have their issues running from XP command line..
Not so much because of the interpreter itself, but some built-in safety measure. They both try to read a bad track from the original floppy. If this succeeds, the games won't run.
Again, that's just something related to the original releases from '87. Don't know about re-releases (CD-ROM) or other platforms, though.
Anyway, original second-hand copies bought from flea markets and other places should work once they are patched.
Sierra Unprotect (SUP) did this, for example. It asked for the original media, checked it for authenticity, and patched the game.
Re: Sierra's Thexder

Using an alternate Interpreter, like Sarien, is also an alternative..
https://www.zophar.net/agi/sarien.html

Jo22 wrote:

I don't know anything about Police Quest 1, but original Larry 1 and KingsQuest III do have their issues running from XP command […]
Show full quote

95DosBox wrote:

But either way Police Quest 1 original version can work under XP Command Prompt since it didn't have any special requirements nor the original PC version support sound cards.

I don't know anything about Police Quest 1, but original Larry 1 and KingsQuest III do have their issues running from XP command line..
Not so much because of the interpreter itself, but some built-in safety measure. They both try to read a bad track from the original floppy. If this succeeds, the games won't run.
Again, that's just something related to the original releases from '87. Don't know about re-releases (CD-ROM) or other platforms, though.
Anyway, original second-hand copies bought from flea markets and other places should work once they are patched.
Sierra Unprotect (SUP) did this, for example. It asked for the original media, checked it for authenticity, and patched the game.
Re: Sierra's Thexder

Using an alternate Interpreter, like Sarien, is also an alternative..
https://www.zophar.net/agi/sarien.html

PQ1 if I recall was one of the rare ones that was not copy protected but you still needed to use the in game maps and stuff to navigate and complete the game. PQ2 had a manual copy protection at the start. The KQ3 would need to be unprotected first and then you can copy to your hard drive and run it. But KQ3 and LSL1 I would think after the copy protection is removed should run under the XP Command Prompt. Most of my older games such as these I patched a long time ago and put them on 1.44MB floppy disks. Most were usually on 360KB diskettes so 4 of them fit on a 1.44MB floppy disk making them very convenient. But either way if it didn't work in the XP Command Prompt thanks to DOSBOX this should not be an issue anymore but it had no sound card support so DOSBOX wouldn't really be needed. This game would definitely be better experienced on probably the Apple IIGS, Atari ST, or Amiga version. I can't imagine any other systems with possibly better sound. I'm not sure if the Tandy 1000 enhanced this game music or not. But the LSL1 Pink Box original release with Napkin version also didn't have any special sound effects on a regular IBM PC. But you got to love the Pink Box and the original Lefty's Napkin. Plus the Box was as racy as you could get back in the day. I miss the art of computer game boxes and feelies lacking in most game boxes today. Then there was Softporn Adventure before that. 😈

There is most certainly a problem with running AGI games on a machine running in XP' NTVDM. While the graphics will display properly, there is still the font issue with graphics cards new enough for XP, rendering the text illegible. This is easily solved with DOSBox. Another advantage with using DOSBox is for Tandy sound with its three voice +noise channel. There is no reason to not use DOSBox with PC AGI games short of wanting to run it on a real DOS PC. It can even run the booter versions.

PQ2 was an SCI0 game and CPC was never used for SCI. KQ3 was not CPC protected. It had a manual check protection. One thing to keep in mind is that SUP will not work on an NT based Windows PC. A more modern solution that will work on modern Windows is AGI "DiskFree" Decryptor.

collector wrote:

KQ3 was not CPC protected

KQ3 has both keydisk and manual protection. At least the original floppy disk releases all do.

collector wrote:

There is most certainly a problem with running AGI games on a machine running in XP' NTVDM. While the graphics will display properly, there is still the font issue with graphics cards new enough for XP, rendering the text illegible. This is easily solved with DOSBox. Another advantage with using DOSBox is for Tandy sound with its three voice +noise channel. There is no reason to not use DOSBox with PC AGI games short of wanting to run it on a real DOS PC. It can even run the booter versions.

PQ2 was an SCI0 game and CPC was never used for SCI. KQ3 was not CPC protected. It had a manual check protection. One thing to keep in mind is that SUP will not work on an NT based Windows PC. A more modern solution that will work on modern Windows is AGI "DiskFree" Decryptor.

I bought the Grey Box version of KQ3. It was one of the first to support EGA 16 colors. It definitely had Copy protection. I had to use CopyIIPC to either duplicate the disk keeping the protection or remove it. However I do have the King's Quest Collection which did not have the key disk copy protection on it.

Yes the 3 Voice Tandy would have been better than the PC internal beeper. Most people did not experience this version unless they had a Tandy 1000, 2000. The IBM PCjr might have been able to run it if you added the memory side carts. Also the KQ3 music was still not bad using just that 1 channel speaker. A bit of nostalgia ensues from the intro music despite its single note glory. At the time I did not own a Tandy but the Apple IIGS, Atari ST, and Amiga versions would have superior sound than the Tandy version when revisiting this game.