Installing MS-DOS 6.22 from a CD

[Mithrandir]

Hello

I'm trying to include the traditional MS-DOS 6.22 installation in a
multiboot CD, with a big disk image regrouping all the necessary files. This
image is loaded by bcdw via CD Shell.
I used the original bootsector from the install disk #1 for the image; no
problem it's booting.

INSTALL opens, but it shows an error right after the message "Please wait /
Install checks your system's config." : "Insert the floppy in drive A:
Install disk #1 Then press ENTER" (it's a translation of the French
messages but it must be something like this in English)

Does anyone know how to solve this problem ? I think INSTALL checks
something particular, but I don't know what...

thank you for your answers

[thinman]

Mithrandir....

Wild guess (!!!), but what about the SUBST or JOIN commands ?

Post by Mithrandir
Hello
I'm trying to include the traditional MS-DOS 6.22 installation in a
multiboot CD, with a big disk image regrouping all the necessary files. This
image is loaded by bcdw via CD Shell.
I used the original bootsector from the install disk #1 for the image; no
problem it's booting.
INSTALL opens, but it shows an error right after the message "Please wait /
Install disk #1 Then press ENTER" (it's a translation of the French
messages but it must be something like this in English)
Does anyone know how to solve this problem ? I think INSTALL checks
something particular, but I don't know what...
thank you for your answers
--
Mithrandir
(my english is perhaps bad but I think you will understand it)

[Your email]

.. error right after the message "Please wait /
"Insert the floppy in drive A: Install disk #1 Then press ENTER"

Maybe it checks the volume name or volume serial number. You can probably
set the CD volume name (disk label) to be identical to the volume name of
the diskette, but I don't know how to set the volume serial number on a CD.

--

[Mithrandir]

|
| Maybe it checks the volume name or volume serial number. You can
| probably set the CD volume name (disk label) to be identical to the
| volume name of the diskette, but I don't know how to set the volume
| serial number on a CD.
|

I set the the DISK IMAGE (not the CD, see my answer to thinman for more
info) volume name and serial number to be identical to the orignal diskette,
but another thing seems to be missing...

[Mike Duffy]

Post by Mithrandir
|
| Maybe it checks the volume name or volume serial number. You can
| probably set the CD volume name (disk label) to be identical to the
| volume name of the diskette, but I don't know how to set the volume
| serial number on a CD.
|
I set the the DISK IMAGE (not the CD, see my answer to thinman for more
info) volume name and serial number to be identical to the orignal
diskette, but another thing seems to be missing...

You must also take care to ensure that the sequence of files put into the
file structure is the same. I think that "IO.SYS" must be the first FAT
entry. I don't think this causes your problem, because you would not even
be able to boot at all. (I am mentioning it only in case it helps you solve
your problem.)

Also, Could you explain how you fit 3 * 1.44 Mb into a (presumably) 2.88 Mb
diskette image?

And what happens if you make a 1.44 Mb disk boot image from just diskette
#1? Presumably the install will fail later on when you will not be able to
"Put in diskette number 2", but I am curious to know if it fixes the other
problem.

--

[Mithrandir]

Mike Duffy said...
|
| You must also take care to ensure that the sequence of files put into
| the file structure is the same. I think that "IO.SYS" must be the
| first FAT entry. I don't think this causes your problem, because you
| would not even be able to boot at all. (I am mentioning it only in
| case it helps you solve your problem.)
|
| Also, Could you explain how you fit 3 * 1.44 Mb into a (presumably)
| 2.88 Mb diskette image?
|
| And what happens if you make a 1.44 Mb disk boot image from just
| diskette #1? Presumably the install will fail later on when you will
| not be able to "Put in diskette number 2", but I am curious to know
| if it fixes the other problem.

The first file I put in the image was IO.SYS, then MSDOS.SYS, COMMAND.COM
and the rest of the 3 diskettes.
So the diskette is bootable, no problem.

I don't use a 2.88 Mb image; I use a non-standard 5.76 Mb image (4*1.44)
from http://bootcd.narod.ru/images_e.htm

The image of the original diskette #1 boots properly and INSTALL works; but
of course I can't put in diskette #2 when prompted.
I also tried a 2.88 Mb image made from the expanded diskette #1 image, with
diskette #2 files added.... -> "Insert the diskette in drive A: ....." (same
error)

Thank you for your help
other ideas ?

[Mike Duffy]

Post by Mithrandir
The image of the original diskette #1 boots properly and INSTALL works;
but of course I can't put in diskette #2 when prompted.
I also tried a 2.88 Mb image made from the expanded diskette #1 image,
....." (same error)

Maybe INSTALL reads the FAT directly, instead of using the OS. Try putting
ALL the files from diskette #1 into the diskette image in the same order as
the they appear originally. Continue your list that starts with IO.SYS,
MSDOS.SYS, and COMMAND.COM. A directory listing from DOS should show all
the files in the same order as they were entered into the FAT.

--

[Mithrandir]

Mike Duffy said:
|
| Maybe INSTALL reads the FAT directly, instead of using the OS. Try
| putting ALL the files from diskette #1 into the diskette image in the
| same order as the they appear originally. Continue your list that
| starts with IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, and COMMAND.COM. A directory listing
| from DOS should show all the files in the same order as they were
| entered into the FAT.
|

good idea, but it still doesn't work...
did anyone try installing DOS from a NETWORK drive ? if it's possible to do
that it must be possible to install from a CD...

thanks for your help

[Menno Hershberger]

Post by Your email

.. error right after the message "Please wait /
"Insert the floppy in drive A: Install disk #1 Then press ENTER"

Maybe it checks the volume name or volume serial number. You can
probably set the CD volume name (disk label) to be identical to the
volume name of the diskette, but I don't know how to set the volume
serial number on a CD.

You are on the right track. If you notice on the three original 6.2
diskettes, the volume labels are:
DISK 1
DISK 2
DISK 3
There are 6 spaces in between.
If you make copies of the disks and DO NOT label them precisely that way,
they will not work. Only up to the point you described....

[Mithrandir]

Menno Hershberger said :
|
| You are on the right track. If you notice on the three original 6.2
| diskettes, the volume labels are:
| DISK 1
| DISK 2
| DISK 3
| There are 6 spaces in between.
| If you make copies of the disks and DO NOT label them precisely that
| way, they will not work. Only up to the point you described....

I correctly named the disk image "DISQUETTE 1" (one space in French)
nothing works...

[Joe Batch]

Post by Mithrandir
| You are on the right track. If you notice on the three original 6.2
| DISK 1
| DISK 2
| DISK 3
| There are 6 spaces in between.
| If you make copies of the disks and DO NOT label them precisely that
| way, they will not work. Only up to the point you described....
I correctly named the disk image "DISQUETTE 1" (one space in French)
nothing works...

You have been advised to discard the install program and install
with a batch instead. If you followed this advice, you would have
already solved your problem.

[Mithrandir]

thinman said :
| Mithrandir....
|
| Wild guess (!!!), but what about the SUBST or JOIN commands ?
|

Hi

I tried subst D: X:\dos
X: is the CD-Rom letter
It returns an error, "SUBST impossible sur un lecteur réseau" =
(approximately) "SUBST impossible from a network drive"

I don't see how the JOIN command can help me...


I will describe more precisely how the multiboot CD works:
- the user selects an option (here: "Install MS-DOS 6.22")
- bcdw loads a disk image in a virtual A:\ drive, and the real drive becomes
B:\
- the virtual disk (which contains the 3 DOS install disks) is booting with
the original boot sector from disk #1, original volume name AND original
volume serial number
- INSTALL opens, and shows the error "insert the floppy in drive A:
........"

Install is launched from A:\, like in the real disks; MSCDEX is not loaded.
All is done like the orignal install disk #1; but one thing is different in
the disk image I made and I can't find what

Do you have any idea ?

[Joe Batch]

Post by Mithrandir
Hello
I'm trying to include the traditional MS-DOS 6.22 installation in a
multiboot CD, with a big disk image regrouping all the necessary files. This
image is loaded by bcdw via CD Shell.
I used the original bootsector from the install disk #1 for the image; no
problem it's booting.
INSTALL opens, but it shows an error right after the message "Please wait /
Install disk #1 Then press ENTER" (it's a translation of the French
messages but it must be something like this in English)
Does anyone know how to solve this problem ? I think INSTALL checks
something particular, but I don't know what...

My advice is to ditch the install.exe program and use a batch program
instead. Easiest (since there ought to be plenty of space on a CD)
is to copy all the files correctly named in expanded form onto the
CD. All you need then is to use sys to install system files and copy
the rest normally. If installed to an empty disk, sys can be dispensed
with.