Run sierra.exe or install.exe. Don't run a .BAT file to install these games.

When I try to run .EXE files, it says:

This program requires Microsoft Windows

What is this "Space Quest Collection"? Is it the one that just came out or an old one?

It's the 15th Anniversary Collector's Edition from 1994.

Wait...there's one that just came out?

dosbox is for DOS games. Just think a bit about the name DOSBox,
maybe that sheds some light on the error message you get.

Aren't there more .exe or .com files?

Dude, don't be an ass. I'm running the dos versions of the games. And no, knowing that does not shed any light on my problem. Can you help or not?

Here are the .EXE and .COM files in the main directory:

MMTEST.EXE
SETUP.EXE
WHAT.EXE

In the "INSTALL" folder, there's another file called SETUP.EXE

But since this is DOS, it only runs .BAT files.

Actually, it's from 1996.

> I'm running the dos versions of the games.

Obviously you're running some windows installer of that compilation,
i think that message is quite self-explaining.

I don't know how that cd is structured, but either they have the
games in separate directories with a dos setup each (then just
copy that stuff out) or there's only one installer (windows only
as you might have noticed) and some big files that contain all
the data to be extracted. In the latter case you won't get anywhere
with dosbox unless you extracted/installed that stuff.

Unless my computer and my brain are both stupid, .EXE files are only executable by Windows, and .BAT files are executable by DOS. Right?

Anyway, the problem is not that the setup program won't run; it's that once it runs it doesn't run properly.

> Right?

No, both systems can execute .exe, .com and .bat. But there are two types
of .exe, ones that run under dos (and under windows), and those that
only run under windows (triggering the message you got).

About that out of env space problem: try to run loadfix before starting
that batch file, if nothing changes please attach that file here (or maybe
look through it yourself to see what programs it calls).

1) I'm not running the windows installer, because the windows installer won't run, because I don't have windows. I'm running the dos installer.

2) There are installers in some of the folders for the original games, but they don't work, either.

3) There is both a Windows and DOS installer.

4) How do I extract/install that other stuff?

What is loadfix?

That "error creating configuration file" is probably caused by you either running the setup program on CD-ROM or if you have a "Read-Only" attribute set on the file it's trying to write to.

I'd say just copy the game files to your hard drive, check the file attributes and make sure you have write access to them and then try running setup.

Loadfix is a command in DosBox that "eats up" 64kb of memory by default and can use higher values. This needs to be run if programs do not like the high amount of conventional memory that DosBox offers.

Ok. I copied all the files from the SQ1 folder onto my hard drive and ran the install program, which seemed to work, but then when I tried to run the program, I got the following message:

I meant SQ4, not SQ1.

Is that file present? In that directory or on the cd? If it is,
see if it is accessible (read-only flags, file permissions etc.)
If it isn't, did the installer create some new file?

No, no, and no.

I copied the whole friggin' CD to my hard drive and it still won't work.

I guess I just need to get a MacBook so I can install windows on my computer.

Okay. Let's take this from the top; assuming nothing.

Get the latest version of DOSBOX for Mac from their site.

Second start DOSBOX and make sure to mount both CD drive and harddrive

Example from WINDOWS DOSBOX :
mount d d:\ -t cdrom
mount c c:\

Once you have done this, go to D: (assuming that is your CD drive).

Run "install.bat"

If this does not work, you need to show us your DOSBOX.CONF. That may be the problem.

Done, done, done. I had already done all of those things before I posted the first message.

See above for a copy of my config file.