Did you use the -ioctl option when mounting the CD?

Yes, I did, think I tried it all by now.

What I do is this:

Install EWJ2 from CDROM-Drive G: to C:\EWJ

Open Dosbox.

mount c c:\EWJ
mount d g:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0 -ioctl
c:

Then I start the "ewj2.exe", the Cdrom-Drive opens and I get the message, that Dosbox is unable to read the cdrom in drive d and that I shall insert the CD. But when I change to directory d, I have full access to the cdrom (for example I can use dir on the cd and also start the ewj2.exe from cd).

Anything I did wrong? I'm using dosbox the first time.

Thanks for all your help!

I don't get it. If you are installing from drive G:, why are you forcing that drive to be D: inside DOSBox?

I think it's a good idea to match drive letters. So if you install, from G:, make the cdrom drive to be G: under DOSBox too. Or, better still, install it under DOSBox, using always the same drive letter.

Best go back to basics:

1. Create a directory for your game, e.g. "C:\DOSBox stuff\EWJ2".
2. Insert CD in drive.
3. Start DOSBox.
4. In DOSBox, mount up DOSBox's drive C: and D:
   
   Z:>mount C "C:\DOSBox stuff\EWJ2"
   Z:>mount D "G:\" -t cdrom -ioctl
   
   (assuming that "G:\" is your real CD/DVD drive)
5. Install the game from D: to C:
   
   Z:>D:
   D:>install
   
   (or setup, or whatever the installation program is called)
6. Configure sound, configure graphics, ...
   
   (when you configure sound and are asked about stuff like IO/IRQ/DMA/High DMA addresses, please verify that you use the same values as listed in "C:\Programs\DOSBox\dosbox.conf")
7. Start game.

Hey, thank you for your help, but -- still doesn't work!

Installed the game in dosbox, just like you told me to do. Installation from cdrom is working perfectly, but when I try to start the game, the drive opens and the message tells me, dosbox is unable to read the cdrom.

Other games are working (Rayman).

Changed the cdrom-letter to g, too. Doesn't work.

The game probably checks the genuinity of the CD in a way which is not supported by DOSBOX. Finding out (wrongly) that it is not a genuine CD, it opens the drive asking you for the genuine CD...
If you tried all things possible in DOSBOX (ioctl, setting CD label, making image from CD and mounting it by IMGMOUNT ... - see README/WIKI/search forum), then there is nothing much to do. Just to hope thet it will be better in a future version or use a crack (but do not ask here where to get it!).

Mirek

O.K., thanks a lot, DosBox is still a real great program!

I have had the same problem. What I did,
open DOSBox 0.63
- mount the C:\EWJ
- mount the CD-ROM with -aspi settings
- start the game through the auto-run window (if i start the game through DOSBox, the cd-rom drive will just open & give me an error)

So, the game starts (a bit slower than usual), the music works fine, but here I have an other problem. I pressed every button on my keybord (& mouse), but I can't move JIM in any direction...
Any idea how I can slove this keybord-problem?

~ KnifeFace

I have earthworm jim 1 and 2 discs I found from a while back. Ive used dosbox before to play other old-skool games, so i figured it wouldnt be a problem getting EWJ working...
I'm having the same symptoms others have mentioned. The system ejects the cd drive, asking me to insert the EWJ cd, even tho it of course is already in the drive...
I've tried mounting the the cdrom drive the 4 different ways the FAQ suggests. I've tried 0.63, 0.62, and 0.60 of dosbox on win2k, and 0.63 on linux. I've created an iso and tried mounting it that way. I tried the suggestion Knifeface made, to mount the game dir and cd drive using dosbox, but then launch the game directly from windows. All of these methods have resulted in the same problem, saying a cdrom is found, but unable to be read, asks me to insert the EWJ cd, and the disk is ejected.
As mentioned, this seems like an issue with validating the CD...ironic how all these anti-piracy steps taken by companies really just becomes a pain for paying customers.
Anyway, DOSBox is still cool, and if anyone has any ideas for getting EWJ working, I'd love to try them.
thanks

>>yosef

You might try looking for a crack or patch that eases or removes the copy-protection. Don't ask - I don't know where to get one (although I can say that I go to patches-scrolls.de for patches)

Always speaking a little too soon...I had been testing with EWJ1 primarily. When I followed the steps knifeface listed, it did work for EWJ2, but only when I disable sound [maybe I need to configure the sound settings differently]. Still doesnt seem to work at all for 1. And once Im in game, Im not able to control Jim at all, seems teh keyboard responsive. But at least I made a little progress 😀
HunterZ, thanks for the quick reply, I'll have to check out my options with the patches.
>>yosef

If you find anything that works Yosef, don't forget to post it here! 😀

HunterZ, i looked on patches-scrolls.de, but no EWJ patch there 😒
I've looked on countless other sites, but since EWJ(2) is such an old game, I can't find a NOCD patch anywhere...

~ KnifeFace

Hi, I have a problem playing EWJ2 on DOSBox. I don't think it has to do with the cd-rom. So when I run it all it says is the regular stuff and cracked by Abacus/Prestige 96. Yes, I have the cracked version and it was working perfectly with Win ME without DOSBox. The problem is that I can't get the game to run even with the mount commands. I don't get the ejecting or anything. I have the cracked version so all I have to do is put any old CD into my drive and the game would run in ME but now I'm using DOSBox and running XP so it's completely different. Are there other users that have a cracked version of EWJ2 and know how to solve it?

I tried the cracked version too, but like Joeyxp2 said, it doesn't work
all I see is a window with jim's head in the middle, but that's it, the window crashes/freezes after that ...

I also tried the to mount the cracked version as <b>c</b>drive, the genuine CD as <b>d</b> drive, but it resolves again in ejecting the CD-ROM

so, I'm out of ideas here 😒

~ Knife

Hi, did everything MiniMax wrote. After that, still in bosbox I've started the game and had the same problem... CD drive opened...
Then I've stopped dosbox, went to my computer and started the ewj2 program in C:\dosbox\ewj2 and the game worked fin.

Greetz Frank

Hi folks

I'm very sorry to say that I've had THE SAME PROBLEM you all ha d while trying to run Mechwarrior 2 and Carmen Sandiego Deluxe from an original CD in Dosbox: The CD IS in the drive but I've got a message saying that the program can't find it. I have used different settings in the dosbox config - aspi, ioctl - and nothing happens... I was hoping that the dosbox forums could help, but it seems that I'm a little bit out of hope now. If anyone can help, i'd really appreciate that: Seems that a lot of us have the same problem.
But, as to games that run directly from the HD, I have no problem - even some that are marginally run I can play. Thanks a lot

For Mechwarrior 2 and Carmen Sandiego

You MUST mount these games using IMGMOUNT to mount the CD, you CANNOT USE MOUNT UNLESS YOU USE A GAME CRACK!

Also for Mechwarrior 2, verify that your CD has the audio tracks, otherwise the game will not work unless you use a crack.

Hi guys. Rather than make my own topic, I thought I'd echo JoeyXP's sentiments. I got the cracked version from the-underdogs.org, but can't get it to work. I've turned the sound off, I've downloaded a frontend for DOSBox, I've got VDMSound (and have tried using it)... I'm at a loss. It just displays the "Cracked by Abacus/Prestige '96" message and halts.

I'm on WinXP Pro SP2, and can provide more system info on request.

Sorry for digging up such an old thread, but has anything happened with the release of the new versions. It says the game is supported with .70, however I can't get it to work (I'm talking about EWJ2 original CD-version). I'm desperate to play this again, any help is appreciated!