[Floppertalk] Re: MS-DOS MODE?

floppertalk@oldskool.org floppertalk@oldskool.org
Thu, 26 May 2005 15:01:33 -0500


I'll be trying out MESS with bigtop over the extended weekend here and
I'll let you know if I can get it to work.
I know I've booted up other disk images, so I don't see why bigtop
should be any different.  We'll see.


I am a bit concerned that you said you purchased Bigtop, yet you only
downloaded a file.  
What website did you purchase it from?  You actually paid money to
download the file?   


Back to your other questions, an .IMG file is a diskette image file.  It
contains all the data that is normally stored on a floppy disk, but it's
now just a file that flopper and MESS can use to pretend it is reading
from the floppy drive.

As Bill here pointed out, you can take utilities such as winImage which
can read the .IMG file and write the data back onto a diskette.  Flopper
and MESS don't need the actual floppy disk, just the .IMG file, but it's
nice to know that you can always convert an .IMG file back to a real
diskette and use it in an actual old PC. (if you can find one)


-jeff!
 

________________________________

From: floppertalk-admin@oldskool.org
[mailto:floppertalk-admin@oldskool.org] On Behalf Of MOY, WILLIAM
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 9:29 AM
To: floppertalk@oldskool.org; Joe Musleh 
Subject: RE: [Floppertalk] Re: MS-DOS MODE?


Ah Hah!  the .img file is an image file that Winimage will need to
convert to another floppy disk, recreating the original disk's file(s).
It will be best to do this through a PC's hard drive with a blank floppy
disk handy.  --best of luck!!  --Bill
 
 
 -----Original Message-----
From: Joe Musleh [mailto:writejoe@email.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 7:44 AM
To: floppertalk@oldskool.org
Subject: Re: [Floppertalk] Re: MS-DOS MODE?


Below are answers to your questions:
 
Did MESS do anything?
When I double click on the MESS icon (messgui.exe), the application
opens just fine.
When I double click on BigTop that's under the system IBM PC (I tried
all three of them), I receive this error message: "MESS ENCOUNTERED A
FATAL ERROR: INITIALIZATION ERROR".
 
I mean, did you get a screen that looks like an old computer booting up?
No old computer booting up.
 
Did it try to load your disk image?
Does the question mean: Did MESS try to read bigtop.img?  Yes!
All you have to do is double click on the file.
What did you mean by load?  Does it mean "try to read"?
 
Did you make your own disk image from your floppy disk that you
purchased?  It may be copy protected or corrupt.
I didn't purchase a floppy disk.  I just downloaded the file bigtop.zip
from the website.
What do you mean by disk image?  Is it a 3.5 floppy disk that contains
bigtop.img?
 
You can find an image that is known to work with flopper (and should
therefor work with MESS) here:
 
http://retrograde.trustno1.org/index.html
 
I only have XP at work, and I probably shouldn't be playing games here!
;)
I'll try MESS with the image from the above link on my win2k machine at
home when I get a chance in the next couple days.
I use "MESS GUI", not the "command line"
 
 
Please reply at your convenience.
Thanks again Jeff.
 
-Joe. 
 
---------
Morning Jeff,
 
It still did not work.  I wish it did.
I bought BigTop on the 14th and still can not play the game.
I read and followed commands and read and downloaded stuff and read and
.... uh with no luck!
 
Jeff, do you have win xp?  Will you be willing to try the game for me on
your PC?
May be there's something I'm missing that an expert can only find.
 
Or if not, do you know somebody who has win XP who will be willing to
load the game on their PC.
Warning!  The game is highly addictive!  Jeff, I can't thank you enough
for your time.
 
-Joe.
 
 
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