DOS Games Discussion

i just got the game "Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri" (released1996)on cd rom and i can't install it!!!!!
it is for MS-DOS only.....

i have Windows 98-Second Edition, and MS-DOS version 6.22 from what i gather.i have plenty of hard drive space and memory.

1)i try installing it by choosing the cd drive in MY COMPUTER , it takes me to the game menu and i hit install, it then says that it can't run the game in Win95 natively and asks if i want to restart in MS-DOS mode. i hit yes and then my computer restarts but won't go into MS-DOS.

2) i tried restarting the computer into MS-DOS mode from the START menu. once in MS-DOS
at the c: prompt i press d: and it does not go to d: drive and i'm stuck there.

3)i started MS-DOS from the Start Menu and Program files and repeated the same process..
it took me to the d drive and i hit install. it seems like its about to load and asks if i want to install univibe( a graphic enhancer) i press no and then i hear the cd drive working but nothing happens from there.if i press yes it's do the same thing, nothing happens and the game does not install

should i install a newer version of MS-DOS and try again? can anyone please help me.......................please!!!! i've been up all nite trying to get this damn game to work.........

i'm not sure about this, as i'm new to this dos games thing.

But what i did instead was to make a bootdisk from windows and boot up in that, i also d/led a bootdisk from bootdisk.com and that works better.

try it u never know.

i dont totally get what you're sayin, but go

<b>
Start

shut down

shut down in ms dos mode

</b>

then when you are in dos

<b>

d:\

install.exe </b> or whatever the install file is

go thru the installing and whatnot

then go

<b>

cd\

c:\<i>wherever the file was installed</i>
<b>
then type in the running file
</b>


its kinda confusing, but it should work
Richard

Hi,

I used to play Terra Nova a lot. It's a great game and well worth the effort of getting it to run.

As you have surmised, to get the game to work you need to get Windows 98 to exit and then run the game in Full DOS mode.

Your problem, when you choose to "Restart in MS-DOS Mode", is that you don't have a suitable DOS CD-ROM driver loaded.

Forgive me if I just copy and paste most of the following from a similar thread I gave similar advice in. I'm a fast typist but this'll save me time!

Windows 9x was written to provide single-click access to any number of unique full DOS environments. It is a brilliant system whereby Windows reboots the machine into DOS and then, when you quit the program or game, Windows reboots again back to the desktop.

You would right-click the game's executable and select "Create Shortcut". You then drag the shortcut to the desktop or Start Menu or wherever you want it. You now right-click the shortcut and select "Properties". Click on Program and then Advanced.

Here you can set exactly how you want Windows to run the program. Notice that if you elect to shut down and restart in MS-DOS mode you get to configure your own config.sys and autoexec.bat files?

Doing it this way you would have to find three things. A CD-ROM driver (download vide-cdd.sys from http://www.bgdf.com/darkehorse/PC/DOS/D ... ndex.shtml and put a copy in your Windows folder), a mouse driver (there's a good one in my sig but use version 1.9 because you don't need the mouse wheel support) and the necessary DOS drivers for your sound card (you'd have to go to the manufacturer's site if you don't have them on disk). So, if you copied ctmouse.exe to your Windows folder too, you'd have the following as possible config.sys and autoexec.bat files with the exception of the sound driver which I'll have to leave blank.

Config.sys-
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS I=B000-B7FF
DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\VIDE-CDD.SYS /E /D:MYCDROM

Autoexec.bat-
SET PROMPT=$p$g
SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4
LOADHIGH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MYCDROM /M:15
C:\WINDOWS\CTMOUSE.EXE
***ADD THE COMMANDS FOR YOUR SOUND CARD HERE***

To install Terra Nova in the first place go to your Windows folder and right click the shortcut there called "Exit to DOS". Edit the autoexec.bat and config.sys there. This then creates the environment you get when you click on Start, Shut Down, Restart in MS-DOS Mode.

After you have successfully installed the game then reboot to Windows and go to the folder you installed the game to and right-click that and create a shortcut. Edit this shortcut's autoexec.bat and config.sys and use this to start the game.

The above set up would provide extended memory (XMS) which is the type Terra Nova will want. The method will work with other DOS games but if you get a memory error message simply substitute the letters "RAM" for "NOEMS" in the EMM386 line in the config.sys. This would give you expanded memory (EMS) which is what many older DOS games go for.

Notice that if the game crashes or there's some other problem it's possible to get stuck outside of Windows with this method. If that happens just type the following at the DOS prompt and hit enter-

win /w

Hope this helps.