Re: [Freedos-user] program installation (files from floppies)

[Robert Riebisch]

Hi Tomas,

> If I have a PC with Freedos as OS, and a USB drive with a series of
> directories, each containing the files from one floppy of a
> multi-floppy program distribution, so that e.g. there is an
> INSTALL.EXE on the first floppy, and at some point it is going to say
> please insert floppy 2, then is there some way to install this?

10-15 years ago I used the E0X TSR for that:
https://sourceforge.net/p/freedos/mailman/message/36959886/

You can get an UNARJ software from
.

Cheers,
Robert
-- 
  +++ BTTR Software +++
 Home page: https://www.bttr-software.de/
DOS ain't dead: https://www.bttr-software.de/forum/


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Re: [Freedos-user] program installation (files from floppies)

[Tomas By]

On Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:42:29 +0100, ZB wrote:
> It's actually pretty usual if you're trying to install some old software.
> "Back in the day" the world without floppy drives was beyond comprehension,
> it seems


Haha, and you think we live at the zenith of technical evolution?

I 10-20 years time there will not be people saying how silly we were
not to have allowed for 4D mind control or whatever?

/Tomas


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Re: [Freedos-user] program installation (files from floppies)

[Tomas By]

On Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:46:13 +0100, Eric Auer wrote:
> http://help.fdos.org/en/hhstndrd/subst.htm
> (gives a directory a drive letter)

Ah, yes, SUBST.


> However, you might be able to just copy the contents of
> ALL floppies into ONE directory or drive:

Tried that, but unfortunately there were files with the same name (and
different size, so presumably not identical).


> You can also consider using ramdisks to put the files in
> the root directory of a drive without having to rely on
> any extra tools such as swsubst and related.

Hmm, yes, that might be easiest.

/Tomas


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Re: [Freedos-user] program installation (files from floppies)

[Eric Auer]

Hi Tomas,

if you want to use DOS directories to be visible as drives,
if your install program refuses to open subdirectories, you
can indeed explore ASSIGN and its relatives:

http://help.fdos.org/en/index.htm

http://help.fdos.org/en/hhstndrd/assign.htm
(maps drive letters to other drive letters)

http://help.fdos.org/en/hhstndrd/subst.htm
(gives a directory a drive letter)

http://help.fdos.org/en/hhstndrd/join.htm
(I do not remember the use case of that)

http://help.fdos.org/en/hhstndrd/swsubst.htm
(all of the above, with some complex options?)

The most versatile, but also the most confusing, is the
actual swsubst implementation. I am not even sure if the
three others are more than wrappers which call swsubst?

However, you might be able to just copy the contents of
ALL floppies into ONE directory or drive: As long as no
name clashes exist, this lets you ignore all requests to
change disks, because all files already are there in the
same "floppy" :-)

You can also consider using ramdisks to put the files in
the root directory of a drive without having to rely on
any extra tools such as swsubst and related.

Several ramdisks in the FreeDOS distro can be loaded at
the command prompt, which is more convenient than having
to edit config or autoexec or having to use devaload :-)

Regards, Eric

> ... PC with Freedos as OS, and a USB drive with a series of
> directories, each containing the files from one floppy of a
> multi-floppy program distribution, so that e.g. there is an
> INSTALL on the first floppy, and at some point it is going to say
> please insert floppy 2, then is there some way to install this?



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Re: [Freedos-user] program installation (files from floppies)

[ZB]

On Thu, Jan 28, 2021 at 12:31:13AM +0100, Tomas By wrote:

> I can see some other fairly ridiculous possibilities, like installing
> it somewhere else and copying the directory, but is there no way to do
> it directly in Freedos?

It's not FreeDOS' fault; it's programmers' fault. I mean the one, who
created the INSTALL.EXE program -- that instead of asking a question like
"Insert disk B into drive A: or type name of drive/subdirectory containing
that disk('s contents)" assumed that the user will use just single floppy
drive during installation.

It's actually pretty usual if you're trying to install some old software.
"Back in the day" the world without floppy drives was beyond comprehension,
it seems
-- 
regards,
Zbigniew


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[Freedos-user] program installation (files from floppies)

[Tomas By]

Hi all,

If I have a PC with Freedos as OS, and a USB drive with a series of
directories, each containing the files from one floppy of a
multi-floppy program distribution, so that e.g. there is an
INSTALL.EXE on the first floppy, and at some point it is going to say
please insert floppy 2, then is there some way to install this?

I cannot have several USB drives, as it has to be there when booting?

Maybe ASSIGN should work on directories?

I can see some other fairly ridiculous possibilities, like installing
it somewhere else and copying the directory, but is there no way to do
it directly in Freedos?

/Tomas


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