making a priv1 boot disk, i have 98 help!!!

bahumat222

Spaceman
UPDATE:
heres what i have for a boot disk...(((notice theres no sound card because im just trying to get the game running before i troubleshoot that! i installed the game with no sound, no speech.)))


autoexec.bat

@echo off
set path=c:\windows;c:\windows\com

mand
set tmp=c:\windows\temp
set temp=c:\windows\temp
set prompt= $p$g
rem loadhigh=c:\windows\command\ms

cdex.exe /d:mscd000
loadhigh=c:\msmouse\mouse.exe
set comspec=c:\windows\command.com
echo=on
c:


config.sys

devicehigh=himem.sys
devicehigh=emm386.exe 16384 d=64 frame=e000 /i=b000-b7ff ram
dos=high,umb
stacks=18,256
fileshigh=50
buffershigh=35
rem devicehigh=c:\cdrom\oakcdrom.sys /d:mscd000
shell=c:\windows\command.com c:\windows /p
lastdrive=f

ok, im getting a largest executable program size of 598K (612,672bytes) - this should be enough right?? ive already copied the priv.tre and rf.tre to my privater folder and modified my priv.cfg and rf.cfg. i put "rem" infront of the lines that load the cd-rom. when i ran this boot disk, the dos cursor just jumped down one level but did nothing, just blinked and my computer locked up. i have no clue?? so i took away the "rem" and unmodified both cfg files and tried it again... still the same problem! what gives?? ive looked for a dosstart.bat that some threads talk about and i dont have one on my computer. is this bad? please help!
 
U is the man!

I'm a total cadet so please bere with me.
I have been fiddling with my setup under win98se just like he bahumat-man and am tottally lost. Any sujestions would be welcome.
As I work as a consultant for opensource systems, I heard of a downloadabel dos. I have been thinking of creating a deul boot system with freeDOS. I will post back my findings. Meaw!
 
another update...
i took this EXACT boot disk to my friends computer that has the same windows version -98 and i installed the game with no sound, no speech and then tried it and it WORKED! so why wont this boot disk work with my computer?? i understand that we have two different computers but we both have win98 1st edition and we're both using the same boot disk. dosn't make sence. im going to reinstall my windows 98 in hopes that it will work. in the meanwhile im checking this site pretty much every hour. help please!!
 
Re: U is the man!

Originally posted by Spit
I'm a total cadet so please bere with me.
I have been fiddling with my setup under win98se just like he bahumat-man and am tottally lost. Any sujestions would be welcome.
As I work as a consultant for opensource systems, I heard of a downloadabel dos. I have been thinking of creating a deul boot system with freeDOS. I will post back my findings. Meaw!

Prob'ly OpenDOS (I think now known as it's old name, DR DOS) is what yer thinkin' of.

From what I've read, DR DOS is also more mature & more stable. There's even a patch available to let it recognize FAT32 filesystem. The latest (stable) version is 7.02.

Try drdos.com , or www.drdos.org for the download, or one of the links that you find there.
 
back again, yeah i have no life! where are all the commanders, captains, and colonels when you need em? ive just spent at least two hours going through all the privateer threads with still no awnsers. if some dos wizard actually looks at my boot disk setup and cant find anything wrong, please reply and tell me im sane! in my research ive came upon ideas that might be the reason for my computer freezing when i hit enter just after typing priv. for instance, will a Voodoo5 5500 PCI 64mb graphic card be at fault for the freeze? will having fat16 versus fat32 cause a fault? or vice versa? two days ago i had winME on my computer and i ditched it for win98 just to relive the old privateer days. yet still, i cant even get it running and i havnt even got to the point of troubleshooting the sound or joystick.:( -GOING INSANE!! NEED TO BUY A CENTURION! NEED TO TRANSPORT CONTRABAND!!:(
 
Originally posted by bahumat222
two days ago i had winME on my computer and i ditched it for win98 just to relive the old privateer days. yet still, i cant even get it running and i havnt even got to the point of troubleshooting the sound or joystick.:( -GOING INSANE!! NEED TO BUY A CENTURION! NEED TO TRANSPORT CONTRABAND!!:(

Here's a thought: When you play, yer usin' only the bootdisk to boot into DOS, right?... Why don'tcha try booting into Win98, and then exiting to DOS?... It may work; it's worth a try, anyway--check it out...:)
 
AUTOEXEC.BAT
echo off
set prompt=$p$g
set path=c:\windows;c:\windows\command
set tmp=c:\windows\temp
set temp=c:\windows\temp
set ctsyn=c:\windows
set blaster=a220 i5 d1 h5 p330
loadhigh=c:\windows\sbeinit.com
rem loadhigh=mscdex.exe /d:mscd001
loadhigh=mouse.exe
set comspec=command.com
echo=on
c:
CONFIG.SYS
dos=high,umb
devicehigh=himem.sys
devicehigh=emm386.exe 16384 d=64 frame=e000 /i=b000-b7ff ram
stacks=18,256
fileshigh=50
buffershigh=35
rem devicehigh=oakcdrom.sys /d:mscd001 /pi0
shell=c:\windows\command.com c:\windows /p
lastdrive=z

i copied the priv.tre and rf.tre to my privater folder and modified my priv.cfg to "=c:\privater\priv.cfg" and the same for rf.cfg.

SOUND
i moved my sbeinit.com to the windows directory because of the long path that it made (it was throwing the ~ in the path)this just makes it easier - i think? i dont think that the sound part is right but that dosnt matter because the game wont even start. i have a sound blaster live card that does have dos drivers as i know this because when installing i had the this option. i noticed that when i try the boot disk, it says something about dos4gw.exe and it wasnt loaded or something. my path to my dos drivers is as follows... c:\program files\creative\sblive\dosdrv and these files are in that last folder...dos4gw.exe, sbecfg.exe, sbego.exe, sbeload.exe, sbemixer.exe,sbeset.exe, sbeinit.com, psbeg.bin, sbecore.bin, sbecfg.cfg, and a sbeset.txt that is a Reasource Configuration Program for Sound Blaster 16 Emulation. dont really understand that. well i hope all of that is enough info for getting the correct sound lines for my boot disk.

i have a largest executable program size of 598k (612,672bytes) which i now know is enough. i looked for a dosstart file on my computer and i dont have one. also, ive ran scan disk and defrag, uninstalled my Voodoo5 and used the onboard video controller for graphics, tried to exit windows and restart in ms-dos, tried to use a desktop privateer shortcut , and formatted my hard drive just to reinstall win98. sadly, all of this didnt change a thing!! i still get a blinking dos cursor when trying to enter the game. come on guys... this is only win98, not winME! this shouldn't be kicking my a**! i thought that with win98 it was just a matter of making a simple boot disk? im a freckin professional at making boot disks now! im not giving up damm it!:mad: i will continue to troubleshoot and post replys untill im kicking some retro's hide! i just dont think my computer likes win98 too much considering it came with winME.

i know i can go and spend $100 on a 486 computer that will most likely run this game but im a army guy stationed in Germany and with all these terrorist attacks, they aren't shipping any packages over like 1.5 pounds to us here in Baumholder. i would rather pay someone that money that gives me the solution to my problem. ;) anyone have paypal thats interested in taking a couple of hours out of their day for my troubles?? im getting desperate here!!
 
It's the sound card?

I did the same things, and I think it's that stupid sblive sound card. Under the dosdrv directory is a program called sbego, which is a diagnostic. It tells me that it cannot verify my sound card. If I run the install and shut off the sound cards for speech and music (and run in DOS), my Win98 runs Privateer every time - but the joystick, also connected to the card, doesn't work.

FYI, there is an INI file called CTSYN.INI under c:\windows. I've found that that is where all the configs are stored. I've also found that it cannot be the same directory where sbeinit is called from - don't ask me why. If you're getting an error that sbeinit did not load, that's why.

If you have your sbelive install disc, i'd suggest reinstalling the whole works and allowing windows to choose its settings, then copy over the autoexec.bat and config.sys to your boot disk. Boot up, then try running that sbego to see what hapens.
 
to tmo11:
i dont think that my problem is the sound or sound related because ive tried to get privateer just to run without sound and with sound card even in my computer and it gives me the same blinking cursor that i get when im playing around with sound drivers now. you can at least run your game without sound. i would most likely be content with that if that is all i could get. post your autoexec and config and ill see what you have that i dont?!?!
 
:) :D
ok im like 90% done in all of this. i have the game running, just not with sound. i have soundblaster live. the dos drives are located at c:\creative\sblive\dosdrv\ i just need to know what is wrong with my boot disk...

autoexec.bat
@echo off rem lh a:\mscdex.exe /d:mscd001 path=c:\windows\command
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:F MODE:0
set BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
SET CTSYN=C:\creative\sblive\dosdrv;c:\creative
lh C:\creative\sblive\dosdrv\SBEINIT.COM
lh a:\smartdrv.exe 2048 lh a:\mouse.exe set comspec=a:\command.com
c:

config.sys
devicehigh a:\himem.sys
devicehigh a:\emm386.exe 16384 D=64 /I=B000-B7FF RAM dos=high, umb
stacks=18,256
fileshigh=30
buffershigh=30
LASTDRIVE=Z
rem DEVICEhigh=oakcdrom.sys /d:mscd001

when the boot disk is used, it says...
config file is incomplete
sbport
creative sb16 emulation driver NOT loaded

or sometimes this...
error: file not found
"c:\creative\sblive\dosdrv\dos4gw.exe"
but this dos4gw.exe is in this folder! ????
 
bahumat,

remove the echo off line in the autoexec.bat. sometimes there is a useful piece of info in the error that pops up that is *sometimes* hidden by that command. probably won't help, but you never know...

the only thing that looks off with your boot disk (at first glance) is that there is no "=" sign between "devicehigh" and the himem and emm386 lines. this is what i mean, since the above is probably nonsensical:

you have: devicehigh a:\himem.sys

shouldn't it be: devicehigh=a:\himem.sys ???

unless that's just a copy error......
 
thanks for responding so quick. yeah ive been troubleshooting like crazy and i guess i left those = out the last time.
someone with sound knowledge please help!!
 
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