Help with an old laptop

Brian D

Hey there,

Listen you lot on your super-computers, can you cast your mind back to 25mhz computers.
I've found me ol' laptop and I'm wondering can somebody help me round this problem:

Windows (workgroups) isn't on it properly anymore...just DOS. So I thought I'd re-install windows and after I insert Disc2 (of around 3 million!) half way through the installation stops because it says theres a .vga file being currently used, etc. and can't go ahead until you stop it being used.
NOw there's **** all on this computer - theres no games and the only thing left on it I can see that doesn't have to be there is XTree or somthing. All that is is a program to let you view all folders/files a bit faster than in dos - same format as explorer I suppose.

Anyone got any suggestions for how to find out what's hoggin the poor little vga file and then let me install windows. I need this soon! to transfer a few large text files around.

Help really appreciated - slags about ol' machines not.

Cheers.

Bri.
(ex. Helg)

amp

hmmm you say WFW isn't on it properly anymore. Is the windows folder there? If so try renaming or deleting it.

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Lunacy Abounds! Play GLminesweeper!

SantaHoe

Well let's see, "currently in use"...
Check your startup files (autoexec.bat and config.sys) make sure there are no lines that are loading any kind of display drivers, infact remove any dod*** items from starting up, although you may need some memory managers (himem.sys or emm386.exe) to be loaded in order for windows installer to run.
Just make sure you have backups of autoexec.bat and config.sys before you go editing them.

Brian D

Thanks for the info.

Where'll I get those files ?

And yes the windows dir are still there. If I go around deleating them will it not cause me more hassle!?

SantaHoe

Hmm... *stokes his stubbly chin*

Well if you know your way around DOS, you should have no problems finding the MSDOS-Editor (edit.com), which you can use to edit your startup files (c:\autoexec.bat)(c:\config.sys).

Once you have opened the file(s) you can just put an "REM" infront of any lines you want the system to ignore.
eg. REM LH C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE -h
Although you probably won't want to do that to the emm386 line, it's just an example.

If I go around deleating them will it not cause me more hassle!?

No, all you need for the Windows installer is DOS. (assuming this is a full version and not just a 3.11 upgrade from 3.1)
It should be fine to delete the windows folder, unless the windows folder contains important DOS sub-folders (which it shouldn't).
So all you'll realy need is the C:\DOS folder (and various other system files in the root directory (C:\*.*) for the system to run at a dos command line.

If you don't feel like doing all this, you might try booting off a boot-disk before running the installer.
It depends on when you made the boot disk, and what OS the boot disk is from and so forth, but it might work and save you the bother.

Realy it's easier to do than to explain.

Ah the joys of DOS and Win 3.x

Brian D

Thanks again. I havn't tried it but will do soon and I should be able to get around it easily enough.

Happy Easter!