Originally posted by gimm When I run the program from VDMS (by right-clicking a shortcut to the .bat file and selecting "run wi […]
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Originally posted by gimm
When I run the program from VDMS (by right-clicking a shortcut to the .bat file and selecting "run with VDMS", any other option results in an error), the thing seems to proceed well, until I get the following message in the DOS screen:
"Please install MSCDEX v2.1 or above"
and leaves me the option to either play the game without music or quit.

*sigh*
Did you install the updates and the GUI launcher as described here?

If so, after you start the game/program for the first time it will create a "VDMSound Shortcut". You will see that it has created a .VLP shortcut in the same directory as the game/program(the .VLP part of the filename may or may not be visible). It will have a "Command Prompt" icon and if your Explorer is displaying files in detailed mode, it will identify it's "Type" as "VDMSound Shortcut".

Right-click the VLP file and choose Properties, click the box by Enable low-level CD-ROM support (MSCDEX). Click OK.

If it still doesn't work, you might need SAPUCDEX.

Hi there

Thanks for your response, been on vacation for the last week so only now I could try things.

SO -
I installed v2.1.0 as suggested, ran the program first to create the VLP file, and ticked the "Enable low-level CD-ROM support (MSCDEX)" box. Unfortunatelly this did not help at all - with this option ticked the program delivers the same error messages as it did before I installed VDMS at all, essentially saying "corrupted CD-ROM driver (MSCDEX)" - see the attached picture.

If I try to de-tick the said option and run the program I can again run it but without music and sounds.

After trying a couple times more, including after restrating the PC (though VDMS did not ask me to), I went to see if I can use your clue about SAPUCDEX. I installed VDMS again now with the option set to install SAPUCDEX, and tried running again - but there was no difference in behavior. Do I need to do something to activate SAPUCDEX (whatever this is)?

A few notes if I may:
* The error message about the corrupted driver is strange, there should not be anything corrupted in the PC as it has a 3-week old XP SP1 on it, with nothing too harmful installed over. Yet, if there is a way to check this point (if relevant) I'll be glad to give it a try.
* The way I ran the program with VDMS is simply thruright-clicking it and choosing "run with VDMS", I'm not aware of another way to try things.
* The original installation of the game put a batch file in C:, through which the game can be started. The only way I can experiment VDMS with this game is through a shortcut to this batch file (i.e., this what I right click). I created a shortcut to the actual DOS program in the CD, and even to the autorun.exe in the CD, but in both cases right-clicking these shortcuts does not bring the "run with VDMS" option (neither does right-clicking the actual executables in the CD).

BTW, is there a user manual or some documentation to VDMS which I can look at to try to figure out things myself? I couldn't find anything besiede the very lame readme.rtf file and the FAQ page in http://ntvdm.cjb.net/ which is also very thin.

Again, help will be most welcome...

Thx,
- gimm

I can see that the picture did not come up - trying again

You must put SAPUCDEX in the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" box in the Launchpad and UNcheck "Enable low-level CD-ROM support"

Thx for your help, but WHAT IS the "launchpad"? How do I access it to find an "autoexec.bat box" there?
And where am I to uncheck "Enable low-level CD-ROM support" - is it in the VDM file I was told of before or is there another thing in the launchpad that you mention now?

As said I see no helpful documentation with VDMSound installation so the only way I figure out to use VDMS is by choosing "open with VDMS" when right clicking a program, and even this thing is not available in most cases.

Is there a tutorial somewhere to guide a newbie on how to use VDMS?

TIA...

Originally posted by gimm If I try to de-tick the said option and run the program I can again run it but without music and sounds.

Be glad for that, some versions of Rayman won't run in XP...at all.

A few notes if I may:
* The error message about the corrupted driver is strange, there should not be anything corrupted in the PC as it has a 3-week old XP SP1 on it, with nothing too harmful installed over.

Not really that strange. The game was made for DOS or Windows 95 (which has DOS built-in). You are running it in XP, which has no DOS and uses a different kind MSCDEX than DOS or Windows95.

The reason it says "corrupted" is because it found something different than what it expected.

* The way I ran the program with VDMS is simply thru right-clicking it and choosing "run with VDMS", I'm not aware of another way to try things.

Usually, you run VDMSound with whatever COM, BAT, or EXE was usually used to start the game...

* The original installation of the game put a batch file in C:, through which the game can be started. The only way I can experiment VDMS with this game is through a shortcut to this batch file (i.e., this what I right click).

...but sometimes you may have to edit a BAT file or create your own. This varies from game-to-game.

I couldn't find anything beside the very lame readme.rtf file and the FAQ page in http://ntvdm.cjb.net/ which is also very thin.

*heh*
The basics are pretty easy, but sometimes certain games need "special attention". Some good examples are the Problem Children.

Originally posted by gimm WHAT IS the "launchpad"?

The Launchpad is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.

Oh...wait. Wrong script. Just a moment...
*shuffles through documentation*
Ok, that thing you went to...to enable the "low-level CD-ROM support"? THAT is the launchpad. It's simply the graphic interface that was added onto VDMSound (now built into v2.10).

To use SAPUCDEX, you must DISABLE "low-level CD-ROM support" (to stop using MSCDEX), then click the "Advanced" button, click the "DOS Environment" tab, go to the box below AUTOEXEC.BAT (make sure the "Additional options" box is checked) and type in SAPUCDEX. Click OK, then click OK again.

Is there a tutorial somewhere to guide a newbie on how to use VDMS?

We're thinking of making one, but honestly what works for one game may not work for another. Remember, these are DOS programs, each has it's own special needs and settings.

An example guide for Silent hunter is here. Now imagine a guide like that for each of the thousands of DOS games out there...

Hey, I'm playing Rayman, and I've got a few problem's I'd like to kick for good:

1. When I run it with a controller (always), the first config screen will occasionally (just at random) come up with outrageous values for the axes, such as 3 to 3456 or something (as opposed to the usual rounded off 0-24). This is not that big of an issue, but I'd like to know if I could make it go away.

2. I've tried disabling screen saver on both the RAYMAN and Launchpad programs, but it still pops up (I don't remember it doing that after I did this last time). How do I keep the screensaver from appearing during my game (not by disabling it in properties beforehand, thank you)?