install the game

well thats the thing, I did. I actually got it installed using just dosbox without a front end, and I can see this install.dat file in my mounted directory, but dosbox does not. I the game ran once right after I installed it but without midi and everything was sluggish. I exited and could not get it to run after that. another odd thing, for which i have no explanation, is that the .dat file shows up on my cd and hard drive as autocad file. I might attaempt to change this, if i only knew what it should appear as.

Please post your mounting and the exact way you installed it.
Most likely you changed the mounting after the installation,
or didn't mount some drive as c: so the swap file can't be created.

it seems the way around the install.dat error is to start the install program, then exit without installing it. if I do that I do not get that dat error. before i was using a directory on my c drive as the mounting location then running the game from E drive(cdrom mount) at ther moment i have started the game three times this way, but the game has a tendency to crash between missions, and the briefing screen is blacked out at first. when I move the mouse the cursor acts like a wiper and whatever I move the cursor across becomes visible

Read my 60 Seconds Guide to DOSBox (and don't just read it - follow it too).

If that doesn't help, come back with details on how you mounted your C and D drives, how you did the install, how you configured sound, music etc.

I'm having the same problem!! This game is driving me nuts, at first I just wanted to re play it now I just want to get the #@(%*_#$ game to run!! Okay, I admit I'm a novice with emulators so here's what I'm doing:

I'm using DosBox and have it the game installed under c:\shock. Here's the command I use:

mount d c:\shock -t cdrom -label tfs

Ive also tried it this way

mount c c:\shock (THEN using)
mount d c:\shock -t cdrom -label tfs

For the love of God, PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!!!

P.S. - Ive also tried using VDMsound, it gets past the loader but then just hangs..
😵

Why are you mounting the installed directory as a CDROM?

You should mount the installed directory as c and the CDROM drive where the original game exists (where you installed it from) as d.

As a rule, it's much smarter to mount the folders in DOSBox prior to installing a game and install the game using DOSBox, so any detection routines (sound, display, input) that run as part of the install process will work properly.

What is it with people these days? Can't they read? Can they only watch MTV videos?

MiniMax wrote:

Read my 60 Seconds Guide to DOSBox (and don't just read it - follow it too).

If that doesn't help, come back with details on how you mounted your C and D drives, how you did the install, how you configured sound, music etc.

Ok, here's the deal. I'm not playing the game from a CD, it's a zip file from one of the abandon ware sites. Thats why I had the cdrom command mount from the game directory as theres no where else to mount it from. There is no "installation" per se, just a setup command for sound (which I did run under dosbox).

Maybe I'm missing something painfully obvious to those familiar with DosBox or maybe its a bad version of the game. As I said in my first post I'm a novice at this and could easily be missing some easy, yet crucial command.

As for the "60 Seconds Guide to DOSBox" it assumes your using a CD to begin with. I had it read to me 4 times by my GF when MTV was on commercial break. 😒

Yes, that's because most of us here use legitimate software. Stolen software purloined as abandonware is generally frowned on around these parts.

Ahh, first I'm an idiot and now I'm a thief. I've deleted the software involved. No way to prove that of course but it's not like I can use it anyway. Thanks for all the "help". If it is a "pirate" version then I'm plainly in the wrong and I admit it (thus the deletion of it.)

However, if it was "legit" abandonware, I can only hope that when someday you people ask for help you get the same treatment you gave out. Karma's a bitch. 😈

Nobody called you either an idiot or a thief. MiniMax pointed to his guide, you asked why it assumed a real CD ROM and I explained why. I'm well aware of Karma, seen my avatar? Nobody mistreated you.

There is no legit abandonware. Closed.