i have 4 dos 6.22 disks. i insert the first and turn on the computer and it starts to load. finaly i get to the setup. i set the time and press enter. it looks as though it is starting setup but it asks for setup disk 1. its allready in so i press enter, nothing, remove then put back, nothing. i tried puting in disk 2 and nothing. but you knew that allready. so what to do and where to get whatever i can use?

The disks need to be labelled (volume label) correctly - see this post

Bleat at me no longer.

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

would the same thing go for windows 3.1 disks?

I don't believe so - those disks contain a small file identifying the volume (Disk1 etc.)

Bleat at me no longer.

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

i labled them as DISK 1 and it still dont start. it asks for disk 1 still. could they be upgrades?

Well, if you've followed the labelling format, and you've labelled the correct disks (I think that there are only 3 that are part of the installation set, the fourth is a supplemental or 'extra') then I don't know what else to suggest.

Bleat at me no longer.

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

Have a look at this thread for more info:

http://www.computing.net/dos/wwwboard/forum/12608.html

---------------
Long Live DOS!

Did you label them

DISK 1
DISK 2
DISK 3
DISK 4?

That's DISK followed by 6 spaces, then the number.

Without the 6 spaces, setup will return the message that you're receiving.

HTH

Dave

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet soup?

If the disk set has images, then I don't recall having to set the time before running the setup program. Perhaps it's a cutomized version.

Frankly, I think doing the label bit is a waste of time since you can install DOS from the hard drive itself.

If your disk set is an upgrade, then boot with the floppy, press F3 for the command prompt, type format c: /q, type sys c: to transfer the system files to the hard drive, and reboot using disk 1.

Repeat the above to get to the command prompt, change drives to C:, make a temp directory, and copy the contents of each disk into that temp directory (copy a:\*.* c:\temp). Reboot using C: this time, change dirs to temp, and run setup.

You will likely need a floppy for an un-install disk, and you'll have a directory created on C: for the old dos version, which is why you want to start with a clean drive.

yes i went through each one, twice to make sure. "DISK......1". six spaces between DISK and 1. i would format each disk with windows and write the images to a disk with winimage. i noticed that the first disk image has 41 items in it. then i check after writing is complete and theres only 37 or so. should it do that?

also i read in a forum here to download the bootdisk from powerload.com which i did. and then copy those files onto the setup disk 1. or vice versa? i tried that but there wasnt enough disk space.

You may have some floppies with bad sectors cutting down your full 1.44 meg capacity? A simple DOS format with /u /c switches will give you an info blurb on the health of each floppy.

Ronin1 - I beg to differ. It is a feature of the MS-DOS 6x Setup Disk Sets that they must be correctly labeled, as SETUP.EXE looks for the label.

You cannot copy all 3 disks onto a harddrive or CD-ROM and run setup since it will never get past Disk 1!

Format is

DISK        1
Thats DISK >followed by 6 Spaces then< 1

Do the same with Disks 2 and 3 changing the number.

Disk 4 need not be labeled and has its own setup.   

PowerLoad Home Page
Please reply with a message to let us all know we are on the right track with you

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

superdupernova81, DOS does not need to be "installed" in the sense that windoze would - you do not need to run setup at all, nor do you need every file in the disk set to get the OS running.

What you do need are the system files, which you can get from the first disk, or a boot disk of the version you plan to use that has either format or sys on it. I tend to use sys. There is a utility on the first disk called expand or perhaps extract that you can use to create any or all files from the disk sets.

Mick C, what you say may be true in your experience, but it has worked for me on the countless systems that I've dealt with throughout the last decade. I haven't posted on a regular basis in this forum since 2000 or 2001 when all of my buds left, but I see little has changed since then... I have no desire to be here anymore myself.

Cheers.

Yes, it's true - that's pretty much my method, just 'sys' the drive and dump the external files from a pre-existing installation (and create autoexec etc, of course)

And, yes, you can use 'extract' to decompress the files - it's quite a tedious process, and not one that I'd recommend to someone who seems to have only the most casual acquaintance with DOS.

Setup automates the process, which has to be the best option for the 'DOS novice'

Whatever the problem is with super's install (and it could be almost anything, from user error to bad disks), best course of action to pursue would be to let the setup do its job.

I don't believe your advice here has been all that helpful or accurate. If you don't wish to participate in the forum, maybe that's for the best.

Bleat at me no longer.

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

"You cannot copy all 3 disks onto a harddrive or CD-ROM and run setup since it will never get past Disk 1!"

I know I found a way around this before my "house fire" but I cant remember--read on.

Mick I know you are an expert here, but you may be mistaken, and if you can step me through this, I'll be glad to "supply" you with the following files.

I have a factory original IBM CD evidently meant for a laptop, that will install PC DOS 7 and Windows3x from the CD. I made a CDRW bootable CD and now have a bootable cd that will install these two softwares to a generic computer.

In addition, I have an old Packard Bell "restore disc" that I have just got done generating a "rough draft" of a cd that will install MS-DOS 6.20 either from the cd, or from a hd. It also has Windows 3.11 and this will install (with a couple of errors) from the CD--I did this when booted from the "bootable" cd which its not meant to do. Likewise, if you copy the setup files to the hd and install windows, no errors.

I just got done installing DOS62 and Whendox311 on an AMD k6-200, it took all of about 5 minutes!!!!!!!!

I now have high speed (cable) so if you want any of this, post back and we'll get together.

I did not say it was impossible to install DOS from a CD-ROM or a Harddrive for that matter.

What I wrote was:

It is a feature of the MS-DOS 6x Setup Floppy Disk Sets that they must be correctly labeled, as SETUP.EXE looks for the label

I have heard of the MS-DOS 6.2 (I think there may also be a 6.22 version) OEM CD-ROM with both MS-DOS & Windows 3.1 on it. But I think you still need to Boot via a provided bbootdisk with CD-ROM Drivers? Since it was issued in the days before self-booting CD-ROMs? I would think that the IBM PC-DOS was originally issued in the same way?

Creating a 'Bootable' CD with bypass that problem!

As far as I can see it will be the file SETUP.EXE that controls whether the files will extract from Floppy or otherwise?

I made a 6.22/3.11 Bootable CD/R a few years ago by installing 6.22/3.11 to a clean harddrive, Creating a SETUP.BAT to transfer files back to a harddrive, then burning all the files and directories onto a Bootable CD/R. After a few tweaks it worked fine. Some older PC's still needed a bootdisk with CD-ROM Drivers, which I always carried.

Expert is a fountain of all knowledge,
Which I am not!
But I try to help in areas I know.

PowerLoad Home Page
Please reply with a message to let us all know we are on the right track with you

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

"What I wrote was:"

After I posted, I figured I misinterpreted what you meant.

"But I think you still need to Boot via a provided bbootdisk with CD-ROM Drivers"

That's right. In the case of the PCDOS cd, I made a bootdisk, don't remember may have downloaded it somewhere, played 'til I got CD drivers to work, and used that floppy for the boot area of the CDRW.

Same is true of the Parward Belch CD. I HAVE that orignial boot disk, but it only wants to load the weird soundcard drivers. I used that floppy to "sys" another floppy, and that gave me a 6.20 bootdisk on which I could build cdrom drivers, and then of course used that last floppy for the bootable CD. It's AMAZING how fast dos and windows 311 installs this way.

"As far as I can see it will be the file SETUP.EXE that controls whether the files will extract from Floppy or otherwise? "

I'm sure you're correct, I'm no programmer.

On that same line, tho, and on "naming" the discs, or installing from a hd, I may be confused. I THOUGHT I'd worked a way around this by putting the discs into named folders, but I may be thinking of some other software.

Anyhow, sounds like you, as usual, are way ahead of some of the rest of us on this.

And I quote, "Ronin1 - I beg to differ. It is a feature of the MS-DOS 6x Setup Disk Sets that they must be correctly labeled, as SETUP.EXE looks for the label.

You cannot copy all 3 disks onto a harddrive or CD-ROM and run setup since it will never get past Disk 1! "

But now it's suddenly, "I did not say it was impossible to install DOS from a CD-ROM or a Harddrive for that matter."

It just amazes me the way people recant their positions once someone calls them on it. Setup can be implemented as described.

I don't believe your advice here has been all that helpful or accurate.

That is a pretty bold statement coming from someone that failed to resolve the problem after three tries. Likewise, you failed to point out my inaccuracies, so that I could refute each and every one of your claims. Rather than grasp at straws or deflect problems to other forums because of my inability to come up solutions, I chose to think of alternative ways to rectify the problem, and if you understood anything at all about troubleshooting, then you'd realize that.

If you don't wish to participate in the forum, maybe that's for the best.

I don't want to participate anymore because of people like you - those far too preoccupied with how others choose to reply when it is none of their business. It is up to the OP to decide if information provided has helped, and not the likes of you.

Fine, I won't bother trying to help out around here anymore.

"Frankly, I think doing the label bit is a waste of time since you can install DOS from the hard drive itself."

Well, only some versions of DOS, like MS-DOS 6x, require the correctly labelled install disk sets. Newer versions of DOS, or most other types of DOS usually don't.

For most people, installing DOS from DOS Setup is much simpler and user-friendly than your way (sys), especially for starters. DOS Setup can control the files needed to be copied according to the user's system configuration and options, and write the correct content to the system configuration files (such as CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT and sometimes MSDOS.SYS). Unlike your way (sys c:), the installer for some version of DOS could also make dual-boot between DOS and another OS automatically. Therefore, it's highly recommanded for users to install DOS normally, just like what they do when they install Windows and other applications. There could be more problems if people really do in your way.

"Fine, I won't bother trying to help out around here anymore."

As described above, I don't think your way is that helpful for most people either. True, you don't have to participate -- that's your choice.

---------------
Long Live DOS!

Ronin1, although your method may work well for you, the average PC user who is only interested in installing DOS on their one PC probably doesn't want (or need to learn an alternative method of installation. He/she only wishes to learn the "normal" method or learn the solution to their current problem. By just copying the DSO files onto their HD, we can almost certainly expect to see a new post from them about how to write their Autoexec.bat & Config.sys files. As previously mentioned, DOS Setup will take care of this.

Similarly, if a user posts a question about reinstalling Windows, I wouldn't launch into a dissertation on how to use Nero to create a disk image/recovery CD. Though this would certainly work, it really isn't helpful to the poster's current situation.

Dave

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet soup?

Ronin1, I repeat what I wrote again:

I did not say it was impossible to install DOS from a CD-ROM or a Harddrive for that matter. (With earlier versions of MS-DOS and other DOS's this is indeed possible)

What I wrote was:

It is a feature of the MS-DOS 6x Setup Floppy Disk Sets that they must be correctly labelled, as SETUP.EXE looks for the label

Which is the problem original posted.

Considering superdupernova81 original post on installing MS-DOS 6.22 and not trying to score points nor recant my position. I am answering his NOT Your problem!

READ THE ORIGINAL QUERY AGAIN

THEN READ MY ANSWER ...

PowerLoad Home Page
Please reply with a message to let us all know we are on the right track with you

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal