DOS Games Discussion

I've been trying to get daggerfall to work, so a suggested solution was a dos startup disk. I can get into the game fine, but i have no mouse. they said to load mouse drivers for dos on the disk and to use commands for dos to use them.

How do I do all of that?

Try the generic file 'MOUSE.COM', if that wont work, CuteMouse.

Just make a line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file on your boot floppy that's just like the line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file in the root directory of your C: drive that refers to the mouse driver that's normally loaded.

You don't actually need to copy the mouse driver file to the boot floppy, since the AUTOEXEC.BAT will just refer to the mouse driver where ever it is on your hard disk (as in C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM for example) as long as the drive is available (and it should be).

If you're using MS-DOS v6.x, you might also try making a DOS configuration menu. It's a lot less hassle than keeping track of a bunch of boot floppies...

Exactly how would I go about modifying the autoexec.bat file?

Sorry but i'm a complete noob at this stuff.

Open it in Notepad. Mouse.com is either in c:\windows\command or c:\dos.

now thats screwed up. both autoexec.bats on c: and on the floppy are 0kb and there's nothing in either.

Forget what I posted earlier. I thought you were running pure MS-DOS, not Windows.

If you're running Windows, it's perfectly normal for the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to be empty. Everything MS-DOS used the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files for, Windows now keeps in it's registry file. They're obsolete in Windows, and only there for backward compatibility.

This is why trying to run these old DOS games under Winblows is a royal pain in the keister. It would help to know what version of Winblows you are using. If you're running Windows 9x/ME, try this:

1. Go to "Add/Remove Programs" in the "Control Panel" and create a "Windows Start-Up Disk".

2. Go download a generic DOS-based Mouse driver from somewhere. Try DriverGuide.com to start.

3. Copy the mouse driver file onto the floppy if it will fit. Otherwise, put it in the root folder of your "C" drive.

4. Edit the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file on the floppy disk. Don't change anything else, just add the mouse driver, at the very end of the file, thusly:

A:\MOUSE.COM or C:\MOUSE.COM

Substitute "MOUSE.COM for the driver file name if neccessary.

5. Re-boot your computer with the floppy disk in the A: drive.

That should work. But the Windows Start-up Disk loads a lot of TSRs that might not leave enough free conventional memory to run your game.[/url]

I have xp pro, and it seems to look like add/remove programs doesn't have that in xp.

on a side note: If those are there for backwards compatability, why do so many old games not work properly.

File format, memory, sound card, processor, Win itself, etc...

Um, could you explain that a little more?

NTFS isn't full DOS-compatible, DOS-games recuires Conventional, XMS and EMS, Windows doesn't use 'em, games doesn't support modern souncards, todays processors are far too fast and uses different technology than older and Windows XP's hostile. That's why there's lot o' problems with it.

Thats why I'm trying to run my game(daggerfall, I had an old thread trying to get help. help elsewhere said to make a dos startup disk)

In dos i could get in fine but I can't do anything because i don't have any mouse drivers loaded.

I had found a bunch of dos boot disks with mouse drivers on them, but they are old versions of dos. I'm pretty sure i have 7 and the latest they have are 6.22 and they weren't recognizing my c: drive.

Does anybody know where i can get a dos 7 boot disk with mouse drivers on them? or how to load the mouse drivers onto the dos startup disk in xp my mouse works in dos?

Nevermind I got it to work.

I edited the empty autoexec.bat and added a line for the mouse.com file i put on the disk and it worked!

Thanks for all the help

Glad to hear that it finally works... much playing-pleasure