First post, by EdmondDantes
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This is a document I wrote to, well, document some things I learned how to do in the years I've owned an old-school gaming rig (its a Windows 98 computer, but most of the stuff here involves DOS). Please excuse me if a lot of this info is redundant or is already common knowledge, I simply wanted to place this somewhere where I would never lose it and where other people who might want it can see it.
I'm assuming that most people reading this actually have a fair amount of computer knowledge, so I won't explain basics (if requested, I can make a more newbie-friendly version). What I will explain, is:
-How to make your computer boot into DOS by default
-How to configure DOS to give you a boot menu at startup
-How to run almost all CD-ROM games without the CD, IN MS-DOS
-The recurring factors that are behind nearly every MS-DOS game that doesn't work right. (Coming soon)
But first I'll start off my describing some essential tools:
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1. BOOT INTO DOS BY DEFAULT (On a Win98 Machine)
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You basically just have to edit the msdos.sys file so that the line "bootgui=1" instead reads "bootgui=0" You have to disable its read-only, hidden, and system file status (very easy to do), make the edit, then re-enable those statuses. Easy.
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2. MAKE A BOOT OPTIONS MENU IN DOS
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Pull out an editor, any editor (I prefer Norton Commander).
First, add these lines to the AUTOEXEC.BAT:
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goto %config%
:noopts
goto end
:someopts
echo There'd be some options here if you added any!
goto end
:end
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Now add these lines to your CONFIG.SYS:
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[menu]
menucolor=7,0
menuitem=noopts,Insert Colorful Description Here
menuitem=someopts,The Programmer Is a Smartass
menudefault=noopts,25
[noopts]
[someopts]
Device=C:\DOS\Himem.sys
Files=90
----
Now restart your computer and see what happens.
Congratulations, you've gotten the general idea.
The main points to keep in mind are:
For AUTOEXEC.BAT:
Configs are designated with that double-dot thing ( :likethis ) and the last line should ALWAYS be "goto end." :end of course is empty. That tells autoexec that its done. :end should always be at the bottom.
For CONFIG.SYS:
Configs are always designated with [brackets] and are always correlated to the autoexec of the same name (except for [menu]). There must be one [this] for every :this that the autoexec.bat has. Under [menu] there must be one menuitem=this,Description for every :this.
I don't believe there's an upper limit on how many :this and [that] you can have. On my own comp, I have eight different configs, including :noopts which is my "I don't want this computer to accidentally fire my death ray just because I got a phone call at boot-up" option.
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3. RUNNING CD-ROM GAMES WITHOUT THE CD (in MS-DOS)
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This requires that SHSUCD package. Get this at: http://adoxa.110mb.com/shsucdx/
Unzip it to C:\CDROM
Also, a caveat: This method is no good for games that have CD audio tracks, or games with multiple CDs (or at least, I haven't found a way to work it yet). For those, you're better off just using the actual disks.
First, fish out a CD-ROM game.
The SHSUCD package should include a program called OMI. This simply creates an ISO of the CD. In all honesty, I love it so much that its the main reason I use Dosbox on my laptop. But enough gushing. All you have to do is run it and it'll create the ISO and automatically generate a name (based on the CD label, so you might have to rename it).
I like to put the resulting ISO in my C:\GAMES directory. Take the actual game out of the drive and tuck it safely away.
Now for the next step: NORMALLY to make your CD-ROM drive work in DOS, you need to have lines like this:
AUTOEXEC.BAT
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LH=C:\CDROM\SHSUCDX.COM /D:MSCD001
CONFIG.SYS
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Device=C:\DOS\himem.sys
Devicehigh=C:\CDROM\vide-cdd.sys /D:MSCD001
For what we're going to do, you'll need to create an alternate boot with the Autoexec.bat line removed (the config.sys should be left unchanged). Yes, you're loading DOS with your CD-ROM drive only half-loaded.
For this example, let's assume that the ISO is called daggerfa.iso (remember, eight-character MS-DOS limit) and that its in C:\GAMES. What you need to do now is go to C:\CDROM and create a batch file. Let's call it "daggerfa.bat" (the filenames don't have to match, it just makes it easier to remember).
The batch file will read like this:
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shsucdhd /F:C:\GAMES\daggerfa.iso
LH=C:\CDROM\SHSUCDX.COM /D:SHSU-CDH
Now run it.
Afterwards, try going to your D: drive. Earlier I instructed you to remove all CDs from the drives, but clearly you are now exploring a CD. Actually, you're exploring the ISO, but your computer THINKS its a CD, and it functions exactly like a CD (save in one way: It is much, MUCH faster). All thanks to the magic of some piece of freeware on the internet.
In my own game library, I own "The Elder Scrolls: Arena" and "The Dig," two games that actually don't have an "install to hard drive" option and thus almost require you to do this. Even for games that merely do a CD-check though (like Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition) it is very useful.
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I'm still working on the "things to look for if your game doesn't work" section. I'll post it soon!
