british_soldier wrote:

I recently bought the game that sucked away so many hours from my childhood: Crusader No Regret. However, I am becoming frustrated at not being able to get it going.

I've been forced to learn alot about DOSBox in a short space of time, I think I'm starting to get it but every time I take a step forward, I take another back, my latest setback comes with the installation.

The game did not come with an installation manual and when I try and install the game from D:\ into C:\ in DOSBox 0.70 the commands: 'install' and 'setup' are "illegal commands". If you know the actual command to install this game please respond. Many regards.

DOS requires the user to *think* and not be a parrot that does everything by manual. Installing and running DOS games, especially ones you download, means you'll have to use that brain you were born with 😉

The first thing you always have to do is search for executables. These are programs that end with .exe .com or .bat

There will very often be a "install.bat" or similar for installing a game. The commands you type HAVE TO BE in the folder where those files are though. So if you type "install" in the Z: station where Dosbox starts, it will give that "illegal command" error BECAUSE THERE ARE NO SUCH FILES THERE.

So make sure to mount the C drive and the D cdrom drive first. Then switch to the D drive and check for those exe/com/bat files :

dir *.exe
dir *.bat
dir *.com

If you find any that sound like "install" or "setup", use run them.

And you *did* read the many guides on how to use DOSBox?

british_soldier wrote:

The game did not come with an installation manual and when I try and install the game from D:\ into C:\ in DOSBox 0.70 the commands: 'install' and 'setup' are "illegal commands". If you know the actual command to install this game please respond. Many regards.

Neither 'install' and 'setup' are legal DOS commands regardless you're using DOSBox or the real MS-DOS; the reason you type those words is to call DOS executable of the same name. A DOS executable is always ended with .bat, .exe, or .com suffix. Thus, the reason you type 'install' is actually to call an executable named 'install.bat', 'install.exe', or 'install.com' whose function is to install the game.

Now I don't quite remember what's the name of the executable to install Crusader: No Regret, neither I remember whether the file is stored in the CD's root folder (D:\) or in a particular folder (for example D:\setup\). The first step to identify the executables is by executing the 'dir' command, as shown on the following examples:
D:\> dir *.bat
D:\> dir *.exe
D:\> dir *.com

(note that D:\> is a prompt and you don't have to type it).

If the 'dir' command yields nothing, then the installation executable does not reside on the root folder. You may want to look all folders on the game's CD with this following command:
D:\> dir

If the result shows folder names like 'SETUP' or 'INSTALL', then go to those folder (by executing 'cd setup' or 'cd install') and check whether the installation executables reside in the said folder.

And by the way, "Crusader - No Regret/Remorse" DID have an extra installation manual and reference card - as most of the Origin games did.
Maybe you're copy is incomplete (Ebay?).

*** Moving to DOSBox Games/Apps as he/she will probably need it to run this game ***

DOS requires the user to *think* and not be a parrot that does everything by manual. Installing and running DOS games, especially ones you download, means you'll have to use that brain you were born with

A slightly patronizing answer; I'm not trying to be a DOSBox genius, or even any good at it, I just want to play a game. I have other commitments that are of far more significance than learning about this, in 2 days I've learnt alot, I was simply asking if anyone had the installation manual as I don't.

And by the way, "Crusader - No Regret/Remorse" DID have an extra installation manual and reference card - as most of the Origin games did.
Maybe you're copy is incomplete (Ebay?).

I wouldn't say that I don't have the installation manual, if I had the installation manual. Yes, it was Ebay. Congratualtions on your productive input, now go away.

Kreshna: A big thankyou for actually providing the information needed and for doing so in a friendly and productive manner as should be done on a forum designed to help people who want to learn, not mock those who struggle to.

On your instructions the following appears:

Directory of D:\.
CONTENTS <DIR> 02-05-2005 18:25
RECYCLER <DIR> 05-05-2005 23:27
SYSTEM~1 <DIR> 23-03-2005 21:50
VAIOEN~1 <DIR> 02-05-2005 18:25
0 File(s) 0 Bytes
4 Dir(s) 0 Bytes free

Neither 'install' and 'setup' are legal DOS commands regardless you're using DOSBox or the real MS-DOS; the reason you type thos […]
Show full quote

Neither 'install' and 'setup' are legal DOS commands regardless you're using DOSBox or the real MS-DOS; the reason you type those words is to call DOS executable of the same name. A DOS executable is always ended with .bat, .exe, or .com suffix. Thus, the reason you type 'install' is actually to call an executable named 'install.bat', 'install.exe', or 'install.com' whose function is to install the game.

Now I don't quite remember what's the name of the executable to install Crusader: No Regret, neither I remember whether the file is stored in the CD's root folder (D:\) or in a particular folder (for example D:\setup\). The first step to identify the executables is by executing the 'dir' command, as shown on the following examples:
D:\> dir *.bat
D:\> dir *.exe
D:\> dir *.com

(note that D:\> is a prompt and you don't have to type it).

If the 'dir' command yields nothing, then the installation executable does not reside on the root folder. You may want to look all folders on the game's CD with this following command:
D:\> dir

If the result shows folder names like 'SETUP' or 'INSTALL', then go to those folder (by executing 'cd setup' or 'cd install') and check whether the installation executables reside in the said folder

Describe exactly what you do in DOSBOX
Those are *NOT* the CD contents (unless you got ripped off)
Crusader was not created at 2005...

Kreshna meant you should type "dir" on your cdrom, which is
D: in most cases but not for you obviously. Look at My Computer
what the cdrom letter is for you and re-do the dir stuff.

british_soldier wrote:

DOS requires the user to *think* and not be a parrot that does everything by manual. Installing and running DOS games, especially ones you download, means you'll have to use that brain you were born with

A slightly patronizing answer; I'm not trying to be a DOSBox genius, or even any good at it, I just want to play a game. I have other commitments that are of far more significance than learning about this, in 2 days I've learnt alot, I was simply asking if anyone had the installation manual as I don't.

It's not about being a DOSBox genius. I was basically telling you that there's no simple solution we can give you because DOS doesn't work like that. That's why I gave you the commands you should try because it's only step by step that you can come to the solution.

Every program and game may have a different name for their main program, and even several different names for the install (install.exe setup.exe go.exe inst.exe menu.exe etc. etc.). A manual might help but only for one game but it's much easier and better to just try to see the (pretty easy) way of thinking behind DOS and then you can install and run any program you can think of. Hell, following manuals only makes it harder even because it only takes one little typing mistake to completely be off track.

Also, DOS was never that hard to get the idea of. Two days sounds like a hell of a lot of time for something which is pretty simple. There's only 4 commands you need to know besides mounting.

To put it simple: give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he can eat for a life time.

What if he doesn't know how to eat? 😉

british_soldier wrote:

And by the way, "Crusader - No Regret/Remorse" DID have an extra installation manual and reference card - as most of the Origin games did.
Maybe you're copy is incomplete (Ebay?).

I wouldn't say that I don't have the installation manual, if I had the installation manual. Yes, it was Ebay. Congratualtions on your productive input, now go away.

No need for being rude. My post was just an objective and correct observation.
If you treat all other posters like this, for example

A slightly patronizing answer;

etc. etc. than I wish you good luck in finding real help. You want to be treated friendly - do it yourself first! 😉

red_avatar wrote:

To put it simple: give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he can eat for a life time.

Wise words, but I fear in this case it is in vain... 😖

>Wise words, but I fear in this case it is in vain...

And there are less and less fish left on this planet...

british_soldier wrote:

Kreshna: A big thankyou for actually providing the information needed and for doing so in a friendly and productive manner as sh […]
Show full quote

Kreshna: A big thankyou for actually providing the information needed and for doing so in a friendly and productive manner as should be done on a forum designed to help people who want to learn, not mock those who struggle to.

On your instructions the following appears:

Directory of D:\.
CONTENTS <DIR> 02-05-2005 18:25
RECYCLER <DIR> 05-05-2005 23:27
SYSTEM~1 <DIR> 23-03-2005 21:50
VAIOEN~1 <DIR> 02-05-2005 18:25
0 File(s) 0 Bytes
4 Dir(s) 0 Bytes free

Frankly, you still need to know more about the basics of DOS and DOSBox in general. See, from your post above, it seems that you think that the drive D is your CD-ROM drive, which is NOT the case (evident from the fact that your drive D contains folders like RECYCLER, which only exists on hard drives).

However, since you have successfully performed a "dir" command on drive D, then I assume you already know how to mount a drive in DOSBox, am I correct?

The next thing you should do is mount your CD ROM in DOSBox correctly, and mind you, the CD drive is not always the drive D:! For instance, let's suppose your CD drive is drive E:, and you want to mount it in DOSBox as drive G:, so you should type the following command in DOSBox.

mount G E:\ -t cdrom

It's the command to tell DOSBox to recognize your E: CD drive as G in DOSBox. Then, in DOSBox, you should dir the drive G to look for the installation files ("setup" or "install").

Here is the basic of DOSBox, by the way. Now learn to fish, goddammit! 😉

I can't believe I used to do tech-support this game.

And now I can't remember a damn thing about it. 😜

Sorry I cannot be more helpful. 😁

But I do have one thing you can try... if you own a legitimate copy of the game, call the westwood/origin/ea tech support number listed in the game doc during California business hours and offload the problem onto them. That should be kinda fun. You will either get someone who really knows DOS on the line or you will get someone who has no idea what a C: prompt is and is simply reading the lines of the solutions database (called SCOPE-US by the way, if you want to freek the guy out and refer to it by name).

-Don't tell them you are using Dosbox or they won't support you.
-They will ask you for your name and stuff. Don't worry, but you don't have to give them your real email. On the other hand, you can tell them to email you all of their scopus solutions for Crusader and then you've got tons of info to work with.
-Call them back a few times if you can't get it going. All tech support reps are not created equal.
-They might have moved the department to India again, in which case... um... sorry. They keep moving it back and forth in response to complaints versus attempts to save money. You might have a good or bad experience either way.
-Tell them you are trying to play "The Sims with an assault rifle".

Have fun!

I missed something somewhere......"What operating system are we trying to do this in"? ..............If memory serves me I believe I had this game running in a Win98 environment.