It looks like there's a separate install batch file already set up for installing from floppy to hard drive - back then "XT" meant a PC XT or clone (i.e. hard drive system). perhaps try INSTALLXT.BAT (which calls I0XT.BAT). you may have to tweak the batch file to get it to work but perhaps not... - Glenn
-----Original Message----- From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists.vcfed.org> On Behalf Of Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Monday, May 13, 2019 7:30 PM To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> Cc: Evan Koblentz <evan@vcfed.org> Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] Help with installing 1980s DOS program
Someone posted on my local Facebook town page in need of ordinary PC support. I replied because that stuff is usually quite easy to fix -- easy/quick cash on the side, or so I thought!!
Turns out it's an elderly attorney running a mid-1980s DOS version of Leading Edge Word Processor installed on Windows XP. Seriously?????
The problem was it keeps giving him an error message about unable to read drive a: (3.5") even when he's not trying to use that drive. The error pops up randomly and prevents him from continuing to use the program. I confirmed that the drive reads/writes fine.
Rather than trying to chase down an inconsistent bug, he asked me if he can dump Windows and just run the program under straight DOS. Okay, sure. I figured it would be fun to do this even if the guy wasn't paying me. After all, if I don't promote semi-vintage computing then who will? :)
I downloaded DOS 6.22 at home and put the image files onto disks via a USB floppy drive. Went to install that on an old PC that I happened to have, and it gave errors about lack of memory space when I ran setup, which is bizarre but whatever .... I downloaded version 5.0 instead and that installed without any trouble (not counting one damaged disk; I used another disk and it worked that time).
So now I've got a bare-metal DOS 5.0 installation on an older PC for this guy. His son pointed me to the word processor program at an abandonware site (I put a copy of the files at http://snarc.net/lewp/ if anybody wants to play along at home). I copied the files onto a disk via DOSbox (thanks to Dean for the tip to use emulation there!). The files read/write fine on the DOS computer.
Currently I'm stumped at how to install this program on the computer. I copied them all into the same directory structure on the DOS computer. The install.bat file requires a second floppy drive, which I don't have but I am getting one tomorrow. (Local FB marketplace seller has another external USB floppy drive for eight bucks.)
I have two questions:
1. Is there a way around needing a second drive?
2. If the second drive is required, is it even the correct procedure to just run the install.bat or must I do something else to install the program?