WC SM1/2: Where can I get the DOS versions?

C

Corvus Corax

Spaceman
Recently I decided to replay the original DOS versions of WC and WC2 (via DosBox). I had WC2, the Speech Pack, and SO1/2 backed-up on 3.5 diskettes, which, wonders never cease, were still good after 15 years or so. No problem there.

Not so lucky, however, with WC and SM1/2. For some reason, I hadn't backed up my Wing Commander Deluxe Edition's 5.25 diskettes. My last 5.25 drive (on an old 386SX) crapped out while I was trying to copy them to 3.5 diskettes to transfer them to my current pc. Fortunately, I had another copy of DOS WC on an old Origin gamepack CD......but no copies of SM1 and 2.

Does anyone know where I can download DOS SM1 and 2? I can find basic DOS WC with no problem, and, of course, the Win95 KS versions of SM1/2 are available right here....but I can't find any copies of DOS SM1/2.

Thanks for any help.
 
You can't download the original DOS versions of WC1, SM1, or SM2 legally. Your best bet would probably be eBay.
 
That's what I was afraid of. :(

Today, I took my 5.25 SM1/2 diskettes to a local pc store because they informed me they had a 5.25 drive in one of their tech bench pc's. When I got there, they told me it would cost $99 to....attempt.....to retrieve the files. No guarantee the diskettes are still readable. I mean we're talking 2 megs worth of data here!
 
$99?! - Wow I guess I should start to consider offering one of my 5.25 drives on e-bay...
At that rate it would have to go for more then a new PC ;-)
 
Wasn't there a CD version that had all the add-ons? I hate to admit it but when I got WC, I had a really hard time finding the add-ons, and wound up downloading them. I like to think that buying Kilrathi Saga helped make up for that but I still feel kind of bad about it.
 
Just about all your CD versions with WC1 will come with the addons.

Has anyone ever seen a USB 5.25 drive?
 
ChrisReid said:
Just about all your CD versions with WC1 will come with the addons.

Has anyone ever seen a USB 5.25 drive?
Click to expand...

Not the CD I have....unfortunately. I got it at a pc show back in the mid-'90's for a few bucks. It contains Ultima VI and Wing Commander, but no expansions. It came with zero documentation, but the Wing Commander game on it requires passwords from hardcopy sources, just like the original game. So unless you already had the documentation (as I do, from my Wing Commander Deluxe Edition) or knew how to hex edit the passwords out, the game was unplayable as sold.
 
PROBLEM SOLVED! Found another, working 5.25 floppy drive on a dead 486 in my garage (the "pc graveyard"), which I installed in an old P3.

Second miracle of the day: the 15-year old WC Deluxe Edition floppies were still readable. I quickly copied them all to the HD, then copied them off onto 3.5 floppies, transferred them to my main pc........and successfully installed SM and SM2. SM/SM2 both run fine.

There's a lesson here somewhere, that's for sure. Henceforth, all my WC stuff is going to be stored in multiple accessible places (portable HD, floppies, CD's) and I'll make sure to upgrade media storage as old types become obsolete. I think the 3.5 floppies are already pretty much obsolete and I guess the CD's will be next.
 
Corvus Corax said:
PROBLEM SOLVED! Found another, working 5.25 floppy drive on a dead 486 in my garage (the "pc graveyard"), which I installed in an old P3.

Second miracle of the day: the 15-year old WC Deluxe Edition floppies were still readable. I quickly copied them all to the HD, then copied them off onto 3.5 floppies, transferred them to my main pc........and successfully installed SM and SM2. SM/SM2 both run fine.

There's a lesson here somewhere, that's for sure. Henceforth, all my WC stuff is going to be stored in multiple accessible places (portable HD, floppies, CD's) and I'll make sure to upgrade media storage as old types become obsolete. I think the 3.5 floppies are already pretty much obsolete and I guess the CD's will be next.
Click to expand...

Congrats!

An excellent idea, by the way. One of these days I'm going to have to back everything up.
 
Not only have stored the disk data, but I've also stored the installed games on my portable HD. These games are tiny by today's "2-gig installed" standard, but I remember when WC took up most of a 20 meg HD. Ah, progress! :)
 
It is suprising about those good old 5''25 that they were are far more reliable than today's CD/DVD. On my second PC(486DX2) I still have an over 20 year old drive for these and a plenty of disks that are all working even today.

Who have thought that 5''25 are so expensive nowadays! :eek:
Too bad I had one more of those and gave it to someone for FREE. :rolleyes:
 
Surprised the hell out of me that the floppies are still good. I'd been reading for years that floppies (both kinds) go bad after 5-7 years (depending on how they're stored). And those 5.25 floppies seem so fragile compared to 3.5's.
 
cff said:
$99?! - Wow I guess I should start to consider offering one of my 5.25 drives on e-bay...
At that rate it would have to go for more then a new PC ;-)
Click to expand...

Yeah... I would have just shelled out an extra $30 and bought TKS on amazon.
 
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