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Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - bug issue Solved!

Posted By: cruise02

Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - bug issue Solved! - 01/04/12 10:19 PM

this game only plays after it is first installed, and any subsequent attempt to run the game (by, in DOSbox, typing
"cd sosgame <enter> go") gives a "Error Program bug". This happens after quitting the game from the main menu.

How do I fix this?



Thanks in advance.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/16/12 02:12 PM

<Backstory - what I found out>

Since I found that Sign of the Sun plays better (after first being installed) in the Windows XP Command Prompt, in fact I didn't have this problem with the game running only 1 time only (mentioned in my original post) after installing it at the command prompt. But none of my screenshot takers (FRAPS/XnView) will capture screenshots of the gameplay when I'm running the game at the command prompt.

So yesterday I dug out my XP Home VMWare guest which I had saved as a .zip file, unzipped it, ran it in VMWare Player on the Acer, put a command prompt shortcut on the VM XP guest's desktop, insterted the Sign of the Sun CD into the host's optical drive, tried to install the game at the cmd prompt of the guest, but I got a DOS/4gw (2001) runtime error at the cmd prompt. I googled for a fix, fix told me do system restore, which I did, nada, fix then told me to d/l PC cleaner pro, which I did into the guest, scanned, but when I clicked the "fix all errors" button, it took to the registration page where I had to enter a unique number which I didn't have. This led me to give them my name & email, which I attempted twice, and it appears I have to buy this piece of junk (maybe) just to fix the errors it found.

I wouldn't be surprised if PC cleaner Pro offers to fix the Dos/4gw error for a price after it scans (and inserts in the scanning process) all kinds of junk on the guest OS?

So anyway something seems to be corrupted in the guest OS that's not allowing the game to install at the cmd prompt - how do I fix this?

Do I have to make a new XP guest and get rid of the current XP guest?

Did the compressing corrupt something after I first created the guest back on 9/11/11?

The whole reason I want to run the game at the guest's cmd prompt is so the screenshot taker in the host will capture the gameplay screenshots successully, as it did when I ran other games in other VMware guests.
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/16/12 03:24 PM

Originally Posted By: cruise02
So anyway something seems to be corrupted in the guest OS that's not allowing the game to install at the cmd prompt - how do I fix this?

Create a new guest (or restore one from a backup). The one you have may have the "inserted stuff" you mention and who knows what it all is. Don't ever install software you're not sure about. Fortunately you only did it inside a VM guest, which is easily replaced. You did make a backup before using it, didn't you?

Originally Posted By: cruise02
Did the compressing corrupt something after I first created the guest back on 9/11/11?

More likely a problem with the game running on DOS in VMware.

Keep in mind that VMware and VirtualPC weren't designed to play DOS games, and may not emulate all the hardware on a DOS computer correctly. You may encounter sound card errors or other mysterious problems when running DOS games on them. DOSBox was designed for DOS games, but Sign of the Sun doesn't seem to have been tested on it.

Back to VMware,
you "might" find a solution to the DOS/4GW error if you follow the suggestions on this page (It's a Help file for a different DOS game -- or at least one that can be played in DOS) with a DOS/4GW error.
http://advsys.net/ken/buildsrc/
To find the post on that webpage, do a Ctrl-F to start a Find and use it to search for the word:
error

I'll quote it below for the benefit of anyone else who might be using this thread, but if you, Cruise02, intend to be a tech, you need to learn to do your own searches. Being able to find usable (and safe) solutions on the Internet is a very important part of being a tech. Anyway, here's the section you should be looking for:
Quote:
I was trying to run your GAME.EXE and it gave me the following error message. What's wrong?

Stub exec failed:
dos4gw.exe
No such file or directory


...

If you insist on using DOS, then... You need DOS4GW.EXE in the path or in the same directory. You might already have it if you look through the directories of some old DOS games. If you can't find it, then download it from the bottom of my ***Utilities page*** Also, if you get a DOS4GW syntax error when trying to run the game, then try typing "DOS4GW GAME" at the DOS prompt.

So check your game folder and make sure it has that file. If it doesn't, you can look for the file in one of your other DOS games or download it from Ken Silverman's Utility page (link included in my quote).

For more about DOS/4GW errors, here's a more technical page that gets more into the nuts and bolts about what's causing it:
http://www.tenberry.com/dos4g/faq/err2001.html
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/16/12 04:39 PM

Jenny, how did you find Ken's site? I kept trying in vain last night trying to fix the error - in the google search bar, I typed "dos 4gw error 2001" but I was led way off base, to that PC cleaner Pro. Why is this?

EDIT - Just checked the game's CD. Yes, it has the DOS4GW file, but it's kind of buried in E:\S_o_s\Sosdata. Does this tell you anything, Jenny? The only thing it tells me is that maybe it's buried too deep, it should be in the main directory - S_o_s? Or am I completely wrong about this?

I wonder how many student computer techs try in vain to fix a game/computer problem and have to be led by the hand like I do?
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/16/12 05:00 PM

A search for
DOS4GW error
produces a lot of links with nothing to do with DOS games.

So search for
DOS/4GW game error

and one of the links you see is the Ken Silverman page.

You could try copying the DOS4GW from the E:\S_o_s\Sosdata the E:\S_o_s folder so it's in both locations.
Posted By: InlandAZ

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/16/12 06:34 PM

Just as an FYI - nowhere is the game listed as being compatible with DOSBox.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/17/12 12:57 AM

Just deleted the old XP VM from VMWare Player and created a new XP guest, with VMWare Tools installed and activated the guest. Tried with the XP cmd prompt to go into D drive and install Sign of the Sun. Got the same error (crash) that I got last nite.

Just created a DOS 6.2 VM guest in VMWare Player (but I have to create this first) on my Acer.

Posted By: InlandAZ

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/17/12 01:27 AM

Originally Posted By: cruise02
Just deleted the old XP VM from VMWare Player and created a new XP guest, with VMWare Tools installed and activated the guest. Tried with the XP cmd prompt to go into D drive and install Sign of the Sun. Got the same error (crash) that I got last nite.

Am now going to try installing the game in Virtual PC's DOS 6.2 guest (but I have to create this first) on my Acer.

I tried that this morning, same results - let me know how it goes for you.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/17/12 02:16 AM

So far, my config.sys has these files:

--Device=c:\dos\setver.exe
--device=c:\dos\himem.sys
--dos=high
--files=30;

and the autoexec.bat has:

--c:\dos\smartdrv.exe /x
--@echo off
--prompt $p$g
--path c:\dos
--set temp=c:\dostype command
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/17/12 02:20 AM

MSCDEX.EXE should be in your C:\DOS folder after you install DOS 6.2.

There are different versions of MSCDEX for DOS and Windows 95/93, so it's better to use the one that came with your version of DOS.

You'll probably also need EMM386.EXE loaded, which should also be in your C:\DOS folder.

Have you checked the Gameboomers DOS FAQ at
http://www.gameboomers.com/Members/DOS.htm

Highlight "My DOS game needs more memory" on that page and you should see more info about how to load things in autoexec.bat and config.sys in DOS.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/17/12 02:23 AM


so where do I d/l the MSCDEX cdrom drive from? I could google - I did google and found these **this**, which tells what to get & how to put it into DOS,

and **this from microsoft, posted in VOGONS forum as a link**

This is on the Acer, I checked its device manager's DVD drive listing but it didn't list what type of drive it is except a slimtype DVD A DS8A4SH optical drive. Don't know if it's IDE (or other) or not, but I found these listings **here** that list this drive either as an ATA device or an IDE1 device.This tells me, I think, that DOS mscdex v2.23 driver likely won't work on this type of optical drive?
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/17/12 02:25 AM

Quote:
so where do I d/l the MSCDEX cdrom drive from?

You don't download it at all.
After you install DOS it should already be in your C:\DOS folder.
You are installing DOS from floppies onto a Virtual Machine aren't you?
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/17/12 02:49 AM

Originally Posted By: Jenny100
Quote:
so where do I d/l the MSCDEX cdrom drive from?

You don't download it at all.


I didn't know this. I thought you had to d/l it. My mistake.

Originally Posted By: Jenny100
[quoteAfter you install DOS it should already be in your C:\DOS folder.


the only files thar're in my c:\dos directory are:

--attrib.exe
--chkdsk.exe
--country.sys
--country.txt
--debug.exe
--dossetup.ini
--drvspace.bin
--edit.com
--expand.exe
--fdisk.exe
--format.com
--keyb.com
--kryboard.sys
--mem.exe
--nlsfunc.exe
--readme.txt
--networks.txt
--qbasic.exe
--re....

Oh! I found it! The mscdex.exe file! Ok, how do I get it to recognize the Acer's optical drive (since I have to let you know it wasn't Virtual PC that I created this DOS VM in, it was VMWare Player v3)?



Originally Posted By: Jenny100
You are installing DOS from floppies onto a Virtual Machine aren't you?


Yes, I bought a set of 4 DOS 6.2 floppy 3.5 diskettes from ebay back in Oct, transposed each floppy to a image file using WinImage and created the VM from these on the Acer.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/17/12 04:50 AM

I've decided to create a MS DOS 6.22 VM in Virtual Box, have made the floppy diskette images as *.iso images, yet I cannot get it to boot up - I've been trying in vain for about an hour or more.

Here is info on creating a DOS 6.22 VM in Virtual Box **here**

Just found this - explains more about creating a MS DOS VM in VB **here**
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/17/12 06:31 PM

Floppy disc images should be .img files, not .isos.
CD images are .isos.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/18/12 11:31 PM

I just created a MS-DOS VM in Virtual Box, now I have to wait until 8 PM tonight to get parts 2, etc, to set up DOS in VB, also all the parts to the how to's on creating a Windows 98 VM in Virtual Box as well (if these exist on that particular site), save them as pdf's and synch them to my ipad.

The site where I found the instructions that I linked to (the second link) is protesting the bill to cut off the internet by blocking their content today from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M, if you link to their site, it'll tell you so (if you link between the hrs of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, that is).
Posted By: Draclvr

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/19/12 12:39 AM

cruise, there is no bill to cut off the internet.
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/19/12 01:49 AM

She's talking about the PIPA and SOPA bills that Google and many other websites are protesting today. They might not "cut off" the whole Internet, but because of the way they're written, they give the Entertainment industry excessive power over what is posted on websites and restrict freedom of information. This doesn't just affect pirate sites.

Anyway, the ***VM using VirtualBox*** site Cruise02 was talking about is back to normal-looking. They still have a page that describe the problems with SOPA though -- and why it amounts to censorship of the Internet.
http://www.mightorindustries.net/?s=SOPA
Posted By: Draclvr

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/19/12 03:14 AM

I know - we've already had the conversation about the SOPA and PIPA issues and Cruise using inflammatory and incorrect language to describe this complicated issue.
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/19/12 02:05 PM

Sorry. This is the first I've heard of that conversation.
Posted By: Draclvr

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/19/12 03:52 PM

I know... I apologize and should have been more specific.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/19/12 07:21 PM

Er, shall we change the subject, please? Could we talk about Virtual Box, et al now?

Anyway I've found some tuts on how to install Windows 3.11 and 98SE on Virtual Box, which I saved as pdf's on my mac and synched to my ipad. Will let you guys know how it goes - in the hopes of running Sign of the Sun (and certain other games) on these VM's.
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/19/12 08:50 PM

I guess you don't need us then.
Have fun.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/19/12 10:10 PM

Originally Posted By: Jenny100
I guess you don't need us then.
Have fun.


Oh, please don't say that, Jenny. If I run into trouble or cannot figure something out, then I'll sure be needing you.

And thanks for telling me to have fun - yes, I sure will!
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/19/12 11:03 PM

Ok, I could use your help now, Jenny - currently I'm in the process of transferring files (in 3 - 4 GB folders) from the M1530 to the Asus netbook via 2 flash drives - one flash drive is a 16 GB HP - file format NTFS, and the other is an 8 GB Lexar - file format FAT16 (AFAIK), and the Lexar transfers roughly the same size of folders faster than the HP flash drive, so is FAT file transfer faster than NTFS as far as flash drives go?

EDIT - after I reformatted the HP flash drive from NTFS to FAT32, these folder transfers went much faster - I didn't have to wait (and waste) several hours transferring one folder.
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/20/12 04:16 AM

Originally Posted By: cruise02
EDIT - after I reformatted the HP flash drive from NTFS to FAT32, these folder transfers went much faster - I didn't have to wait (and waste) several hours transferring one folder.

Maybe something was wrong with the NTFS formatting on that particular drive. It isn't usually slow like that. If the NTFS formatting is damaged, it can be slow or give out altogether. You lose the information that was on the drive, but you can usually fix the drive's problem by reformatting.

Once you learn how to network your computers, you can put the files you want to copy in a shared folder and transfer directly from one computer to the other. If you're interested in trying this, eHow has ***instructions***.
Posted By: InlandAZ

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/20/12 04:23 AM

Here's an interesting approach -

Howto: Fix Slow USB 2.0 file transfer on Windows XP
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/20/12 03:32 PM

Originally Posted By: InlandAZ
Here's an interesting approach -

Howto: Fix Slow USB 2.0 file transfer on Windows XP

I've never heard of optimizing a flash drive for "quick removal" before. Considering how much it apparently slows things down, I'm not surprised it isn't used very often.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/21/12 08:28 PM

ok, shall we go back to the Virtual Box discussion now?

Currently I'm working on creating two VM's in virtual box on the Acer: a ms-dos 6.22 VM (which I've put aside for now) and a windows 98se VM (which I'm currently working on), the Win 98SE boot floppy didn't execute b/c the VM in VB took up 50 % of the host system resources and execution of the "start computer with CD-Rom support" command wouldn't complete, so it was back to preparing this VM with Ms-DOS with CD-Rom support in which I had to install a file called "dosidle" which is described in part 2 of that tut on how to make a ms-dos VM in VB, **here**

and now I'm trying to get the CD drive to work by entering the commands correctly in config.sys and autoexec.bat. So far I got this info about my c:\dos\mscdex.exe here:

In My C:\dos\mscdex, it's listed as:

usage: mscdex [/e/k/s/v] [d:<driver> ...] [/L:<letter>]
[/m:<buffers>]

type mscdex.exe generates computer lanuage plus "cdrom cd001 $+: \newell.dan \.

What does this mean and how do I get them to work properly for me?
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/21/12 08:56 PM

Originally Posted By: cruise02
the Win 98SE boot floppy didn't execute b/c the VM in VB took up 50 % of the host system resources and execution of the "start computer with CD-Rom support" command wouldn't complete,

I never had that problem in Virtual PC. Which instructions are you using and how much RAM have you allotted to the Windows 98 VM?

Originally Posted By: cruise02
so it was back to preparing this VM with Ms-DOS with CD-Rom support

If you want CD access, you need this line in your autoexec.bat

C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001

and this line in your config.sys

DEVICE=C:\CDROM\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001
_________

Alternatively, if you want to load them into upper memory, which is necessary for many DOS games, you use this line in autoexec.bat

LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001

and this in config.sys

DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001
_________

You don't have to use MSCD001. You could use BANANA or almost any other word so long as it isn't a DOS command. But you have to use it in both places. For example, in autoexec.bat

LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:BANANA

and in config.sys

DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:BANANA

Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/21/12 10:25 PM

Thanks, Jenny, I'll try these. As for how much RAM etc, I'm allocating to the VM, I'll look these up later and report back to you. But for now, this is the latest status of this VM:

Latest status of Virtual Box VM - DOS boot disk

Note - what I mean about DOS boot disk is I'm treating the MS-Dos installation as a Windows 98SE boot floppy before I try to install Win 98SE - and then again, I haven't registered on the Virtual Box forums yet, am thinking maybe I should become a member on their forums so I can ask for help there, maybe, especially when it comes to using screenshot takers when playing games on Virtual Box VM's?
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/21/12 11:59 PM

Jenny, Inland, I decided to put this Virtual Box VM's aside for now, I've just created an MS-DOS 6.22 VM in Virtual PC and I got the CDROM driver installed successfully - look:

CDROM driver successfully installed in VPC VM

I think I'm beginning to understand how to key in the CDROM/mscdex commands in DOS now. So now do I have to install the Virtual Machine Additiuons now as this isn't yet installed since I just created this VM a few minutes ago?

EDIT - Got Sign of the Sun installed in the new DOS 6.22 VM in Virtual PC, and wanted to test to see how well the game runs. Installation was successful, but on the game's menu which has Start New Game, Load, Quit, etc, this is bounceing back and forth from left to right, right to left, left to right repeatedly. How do I make it stay still in order to test the game?

Note: The Sun's red/yellow coronea shows up nicely on this menu, in all my other attempts at installing/playing the game since Christmas the sun's coronea never showd up except when I tried the game by installing/playing it from the XP cmd prompt on the M1530 about a week/10 days ago (in the host rather than in a XP VMWare guest).

Note 2: I have the game configured to have no midi, no audio, these aren't as inportant to me as is the text dialogue.

Note 3: Tried to install VIrtual Machine Additions but nothing happenred - the setup program never ran even after I tried opening the CD ROM inside of the VM, pressing R Alt + I. Also it turns out that this version of Virtual PC is VPC 2007 rather than v2004, what's the difference between the two, does v2007 run on x64 PC's and v2004 doesn't? This is all on the Acer, an x64 system running Windows 7 Home Premium.
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 02:30 AM

Originally Posted By: cruise02
Thanks, Jenny, I'll try these. As for how much RAM etc, I'm allocating to the VM, I'll look these up later and report back to you. But for now, this is the latest status of this VM:

Latest status of Virtual Box VM - DOS boot disk

I can't read that. The command Window is too small. Since you've got Windows 7 there, why don't you use the snipping tool to take pictures of parts of your screen. Click the Start button in the lower left of your Windows 7 screen and start typing
snipping
in the Start Search and it should appear. The tool lets you outline a portion of your screen to save.

Quote:
Note - what I mean about DOS boot disk is I'm treating the MS-Dos installation as a Windows 98SE boot floppy before I try to install Win 98SE

That's not a boot floppy at all. Windows 98SE uses a 32-bit version of DOS (sometimes called DOS 7.x) while DOS 6.2 and earlier use a 16-bit version of DOS. It's no wonder you're having problems. MSCDEX in DOS 6.2 is a different version from MSDEX in Windows 98. You need to get a proper image of a Windows 95 or 98 boot floppy, like the one linked to in Metzo's (Steve's) explanation.


Quote:
and then again, I haven't registered on the Virtual Box forums yet, am thinking maybe I should become a member on their forums so I can ask for help there, maybe, especially when it comes to using screenshot takers when playing games on Virtual Box VM's?

That's up to you. But considering how lousy support for Windows 95/98 is in VirtualBox, I doubt it would be much different for DOS.

Originally Posted By: cruise02
I think I'm beginning to understand how to key in the CDROM/mscdex commands in DOS now. So now do I have to install the Virtual Machine Additiuons now as this isn't yet installed since I just created this VM a few minutes ago?

I wouldn't bother. I'm not even sure if it's possible for DOS.

Quote:
EDIT - Got Sign of the Sun installed in the new DOS 6.22 VM in Virtual PC, and wanted to test to see how well the game runs. Installation was successful, but on the game's menu which has Start New Game, Load, Quit, etc, this is bounceing back and forth from left to right, right to left, left to right repeatedly. How do I make it stay still in order to test the game?

Make what stay still? Do you mean the menu itself is "bouncing?"


Quote:
Also it turns out that this version of Virtual PC is VPC 2007 rather than v2004, what's the difference between the two, does v2007 run on x64 PC's and v2004 doesn't?

I think the main difference is that VPC 2007 is supposed to run on Vista and Windows 7.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 03:16 AM

Originally Posted By: Jenny100
Quote:
EDIT - Got Sign of the Sun installed in the new DOS 6.22 VM in Virtual PC, and wanted to test to see how well the game runs. Installation was successful, but on the game's menu which has Start New Game, Load, Quit, etc, this is bounceing back and forth from left to right, right to left, left to right repeatedly. How do I make it stay still in order to test the game?

Make what stay still? Do you mean the menu itself is "bouncing?"



Yes, the game's menu keeps jumping back and forth from L to R, R to L, and back again. I'd like to test the game in Virtual PC 2007's MS-DOS 6.22 VM, if I can play it ok that way, then so far real good.

EDIT - Tried entering commands into the W98SE's config.sys & autoexec.bat fils from the cmd prompt while running in ms-dos mode, but still I get an "invalid drive" when typing d: or e:, also f: thru i: googling doesn't seem to help any for "accessing d: drive in Windowsd 98 dos mode" in the google search box - I recall Inland installed a DOS game "emergency room" into dos thru Virtual PC, wasn't it in DOS-mode? How did Inland get the Dos mode to access d: drive in the first place?
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 03:14 PM

Please list the contents of your autoexec.bat and your config.sys.

Also list the contents of your C:\Windows\dosstart.bat file if you have one. You may have to create one, because I noticed dosstart.bat does not exist on either my Windows 95 or 98 VM's in VirtualPC, though I always had a dosstart.bat on my real Windows 95 and 98 computers. When you use "shut down and restart in DOS mode on a Windows 95 or 98 computer, it uses C:\Windows\dosstart.bat instead of C:\autoexec.bat. However if you create a shortcut to command.com you can put in a custom autoexec.bat and config.sys.

There's a short explanation of the function of the C:\Windows\dosstart.bat here
http://aumha.org/a/loads.php
Quote:
NOTE ON RESTARTING IN MS-DOS MODE: Though somewhat outside the scope of this article (which primarily deals with Windows startup program loading), some mention should be made of the DOSSTART.BAT file. If you use the option, from within Windows 95/98, to “Restart in MS-DOS Mode,“ different startup execution files are run depending on certain options you select when shutting down to DOS. Under most circumstances, the DOSSTART.BAT file in the C:\Windows folder is executed much like AUTOEXEC.BAT (except that it will not execute SET commands). However, if you create a shortcut for shutting down to DOS and select the option to specify a new MS-DOS configuration (thereby creating custom AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files), DOSSTART.BAT is not executed, but your custom AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files are executed instead. A more detailed explanation of what happens in these situations is given in MS Knowledge Base Article 138996, Description of Restarting Computer in MS-DOS Mode.
Posted By: InlandAZ

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 03:54 PM

Quote:
Yes, the game's menu keeps jumping back and forth from L to R, R to L, and back again. I'd like to test the game in Virtual PC 2007's MS-DOS 6.22 VM, if I can play it ok that way, then so far real good.


Download and run UNIVBE from SciTech (the freeware version) -

Old freeware UNIVBE

You'll either have to load the driver in your autoexec.bat, or remember to run it each time you start the VM.

BTW - You do want to install the VM Additions, it provides folder sharing. If you can't locate them (on the 2004 version) I can send you a copy.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 05:20 PM

Will do. But Inland, how exactly did you install that Emergency Room game (a DOS game) into Virtual PC using DOS mode, considering if you did it that way, since like Sign of the Sun, Emergency Room is on a CD?
Posted By: InlandAZ

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 05:26 PM

Originally Posted By: cruise02
Will do. But Inland, how exactly did you install that Emergency Room game (a DOS game) into Virtual PC using DOS mode, considering if you did it that way, since like Sign of the Sun, Emergency Room is on a CD?


I used a DOS VM and mounted the physical (CD) drive. There is no DOS mode, it's always DOS.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 06:12 PM

Originally Posted By: InlandAZ

You'll either have to load the driver in your autoexec.bat, or remember to run it each time you start the VM.

BTW - You do want to install the VM Additions, it provides folder sharing. If you can't locate them (on the 2004 version) I can send you a copy.


Ok, I d/l the Univbe, I tried to install VM Additions on this MS DOS VM (this is in Virtual PC 2007 on the Acer) last night but the Additions setup program never ran. How am I going to get this Univbe folder (directory in DOS) into my DOS VM?

Originally Posted By: InlandAZ
Originally Posted By: cruise02
Will do. But Inland, how exactly did you install that Emergency Room game (a DOS game) into Virtual PC using DOS mode, considering if you did it that way, since like Sign of the Sun, Emergency Room is on a CD?


I used a DOS VM and mounted the physical (CD) drive. There is no DOS mode, it's always DOS.


You mean you made a MS-DOS VM in Virtual PC and installed Emergency Room that way just like I did last night when I created an MS-DOS 6.22 VM in Virtual PC 2007 and installed Sign of the Sun onto this VM?
Posted By: InlandAZ

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 06:16 PM

Originally Posted By: cruise02
Originally Posted By: InlandAZ

You'll either have to load the driver in your autoexec.bat, or remember to run it each time you start the VM.

BTW - You do want to install the VM Additions, it provides folder sharing. If you can't locate them (on the 2004 version) I can send you a copy.


Ok, I d/l the Univbe, I tried to install VM Additions on this MS DOS VM (this is in Virtual PC 2007 on the Acer) last night but the Additions setup program never ran. How am I going to get this Univbe folder (directory in DOS) into my DOS VM?

You can copy the unzipped folder to a jump drive - CD, or install folder sharing from VM Additions.

Check your email -

Edit - another trick is to add the DOS vhd to another VM (like Windows 9x) - you'll be able to copy and paste between the hard drives.
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 07:19 PM

Originally Posted By: InlandAZ
Edit - another trick is to add the DOS vhd to another VM (like Windows 9x) - you'll be able to copy and paste between the hard drives.


Ok, I put my MS-DOS .vhd temporarily into my Windows 98SE VM and now have the "univbe" folder sitting on my Win 98's guest's desktop (this guest is running now) so how exactly do I copy and paste the univbe folder onto my MS-DOS.vhd (a new trick for me to learn since I want to be a tech)?

I mean, the Win 98 guest doesn't see the MS-DOS hdd as a second hdd in my computer - why?
Posted By: InlandAZ

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 09:21 PM

Originally Posted By: cruise02
Originally Posted By: InlandAZ
Edit - another trick is to add the DOS vhd to another VM (like Windows 9x) - you'll be able to copy and paste between the hard drives.


Ok, I put my MS-DOS .vhd temporarily into my Windows 98SE VM and now have the "univbe" folder sitting on my Win 98's guest's desktop (this guest is running now) so how exactly do I copy and paste the univbe folder onto my MS-DOS.vhd (a new trick for me to learn since I want to be a tech)?

I mean, the Win 98 guest doesn't see the MS-DOS hdd as a second hdd in my computer - why?


Start Windows Explorer and peruse to your D drive - is it not there?

Edit -

Before you start the 98 VM, highlight it and press Settings - did you add it as a second Hard Drive?
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/22/12 10:14 PM

Originally Posted By: InlandAZ
Before you start the 98 VM, highlight it and press Settings - did you add it as a second Hard Drive?


Ok, I did this, Now I started the Win 98 VM, Checked in the Win 98 My Computer, and sure enough, the MS-Dos 6 .vhd is seen by the Win 98 guest as Drive D:, while the CD-Rom drive is seen as Drive E:

So now how exactly do I copy and paste this univbe folder onto drive D: - just select it (its sitting on Win 98 desktop) choose Copy, Click on Drive D: with the mouse, and when Drive D: opens up, choose Paste? .....Ok, I just did this, now I'm going to close the W98VM, detach the MS DOS .vhd, and do a cut and paste it back into my MS DOS 6.22 VM folder, etc - correct?

Well, I just answered my own questions - I'm now running the MS DOS VM now, did a C:\dir /p <enter>
and yep, that Univbe directory is there, all right, in the root driectory of the DOS C:\ drive, ok, now, am checking inside of the Univbe directory, there's 2 files - a Univbe.doc and a Univbe.exe. What am I supposed to do at this point? And what exactly is this "Univbe" file, and what is it for, what does it do (curious)?

Ok, I loaded the Univbe driver into my autoexec.bat, rebooted the VM, now it tells me that the Univbe is a VESA videio BIOS extenstion and I think it's for installing a S3 SuperVGA (kind of like getting a SVGA color monitor for your PC in the old days of MS DOS 6) onto your DOS VM, right?

EDIT - just tried the game in the drive now, and I get a message that says "could not read CD. Please clean and try again." Yet the CD and the CD drive worked OK before.

EDIT 2 Ok, I fixed it. The VCD drive had the VM Additions iso in it, which isd why it wasn't reading the game disc. Game is now at the menus - Start Game, Load Game, Intro, etc.

Just wanted to tell ya game menu no longer bounces, now it stays still like it's supposed to. and the Sun's cornea is showing up nicely in the menu. Also just noticed (for first time since having it about 11 months so far) that my Acer laptop does have a numberpad added to the keyboard as this game requires that commands be issued from the numberpad.

.
Posted By: InlandAZ

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/23/12 01:02 AM

There is mouse support in the VM additions too, but as long as you've got it working all is well - thumbsup
Posted By: cruise02

Re: Sign of the Sun DOSbox 0.74 - need help, please - 01/23/12 01:06 AM

Originally Posted By: InlandAZ
There is mouse support in the VM additions too, but as long as you've got it working all is well - thumbsup


Tried the game, found my mouse didn't work in MS DOS, so I googled, and found this **DOS Mouse driver** d/l it, followed their example of how to edit my DOS VM's autoexec.bat file accordingly, after getting the mouse driver folder into the MS DOS .vhd, rebooted, and now my mouse works ok in the game.

started the game, let enemies kill main character, quit the gamw & started the game doing this several times (just as a test) and that DOSbox bug issue/crash never happened once in the new MS-DOS 6.22 VM in Virtual PC 2007 - so I think we (Inland/Jenny/me) worked together like on an Away Team Quasar Command planetary mission, and we've now beamed back up to the ship
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