Mail Archives: opendos/1997/04/21/12:06:25
On Mon, 21 Apr 1997 02:47:41 -0400 (EDT) "Mike A. Harris"
<mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca> writes:
>On Sun, 20 Apr 1997, Bruce Morgen wrote:
>
>> >>After installing with the default configuration (Lite version),
>> >>and rebooting the computer, I get the following message (from my
>> >memory):
>> >>"Bad or missing command interpreter". I get past this by typing:
>> >>"C:\COMMAND.COM". Also, the PATH variable is empty. When I look
>in
>> >>my 4dos directory, 4dos.exe is missing.
>> >
>> >I think you've answered your own question. I assume that you've
>> >installed
>> >4DOS into the CONFIG.SYS such that it gets started up automatically
>on
>> >boot-up (You have SHELL=C:\...\4DOS.COM ... in your CONFIG.SYS).
>> >
>> >Somehow, your 4DOS.COM (It's .COM, not .EXE) has been deleted or
>> >corrupted.
>>
>> "Somehow" my foot, OD's brain-
>> damaged installer did the deed,
>> same thing happened here -- I
>> just replaced C:\4DOS\4DOS.COM
>> from backup and all was well.
>> The previous 4DOS.COM was just
>> deleted, there was no file
>> corruption.
>
>Relax a bit. Since OD's installer can't know the name of EVERY
>command interpreter known to man, then it would be possible for
>them to detect 4DOS, but not ASSDFSGF.COM as a command
>interpreter. Sure, they could put some more smarts into it to
>handle most situations, I don't disagree, but you have to
>understand what is happening.
>
>What has happened is that OD *SAVED* your previous DOS setup by
>renaming system files and hiding them. I had this problem when I
>installed OD too. The problem was that OD renamed
>C:\LOADLIN\LOADLIN.EXE to @COMPROC.OD or something like that and
>hid the file. As a result, I was befuddled as to how LOADLIN
>wouldn't work anymore. The problem is that the installer opens
>CONFIG.SYS and scans it for the *FIRST* "SHELL=" line. This is
>*NORMALLY* your command interpreter, and so it backs up that file
>and then goes on to install itself... Unfortunately, with
>multiconfigs in DOS and with tricks like LOADLIN, the installer
>breaks on custom setups.
>
In my case it failed on two
perfectly ordinary setups,
neither had multiple configs
or more than one "SHELL="
statements. In one case (an
XT-architecture system with
no memory management) it
deleted/hid 4DOS.COM, in
another (a 486 running QEMM
as well as 4DOS) it did the
same to QEMM's LOADHI.COM.
>The solution? CD into your 4DOS/LOADLIN/whatever directory and
>type ATTRIB. You will see a hidden file. Unhide this file and
>rename it to 4DOS.COM/LOADLIN.EXE or whatever. Then edit your
>CONFIG.SYS and change the SHELL= line to whatever you're used to.
>There are other things that you may or may not have to change to
>get 4DOS or other processors working properly under OD, and these
>are covered in the FAQ, and are neither bugs in OD, nor bugs in
>4DOS.
>
I did nothing other than
restoring the missing/hidden/
renamed or whatever files and
(on the QEMM-equipped system)
re-running OPTIMIZE.
>I'm almost positive that a future version of OD will prevent this
>sort of "brain damage" from happening.
>
Yes, if Caldera is aware of
the installer's rude behavior
I'm sure correcting it is
something short of rocket
science -- the way CONFIG.SYS
is analyzed needs to be a tad
more sophisticated, should be
no big deal to fix.
>> >When it boots, it tries to start up 4DOS, but can't. Hence, the
>"Bad
>> >or
>> >missing command interpreter" message. When you type COMMAND.COM,
>you
>> >are
>> >starting it in place of 4DOS. When you start the command
>interpreter
>> >in this way, it doesn't execute the AUTOEXEC.BAT. Hence, your
>empty
>> >PATH. Reinstall 4DOS, and your problem should be solved.
>> >
>> Easier and faster to simply
>> replace the deleted file --
>> you *do* have a recent
>> backup, don't you? :-)
>
>Or, just rename it as I described above.
>
Sure, if you've figured out
what and where the renamed
and hidden file is. :-)
>> >Or, if you can't re-install 4DOS, then you should change the
>"SHELL="
>> >line
>> >in your CONFIG.SYS to read "SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM", which will get
>> >OpenDOS
>> >to start up the command interpreter that actually exists. This
>will
>> >solve your problems, too, if you can stand using COMMAND.COM. ;-)
>> >
>> The only procedures to make
>> a 4DOS user tolerate
>> COMMAND.COM involve harsh
>> controlled substances or
>> lobotomy surgery. :-)
>
>Or acquiring the COMMAND.COM source code and coding 4DOS features
>into it yourself. I would suspect that by the time that OpenDOS
>7.1 or 8.0 or whatever comes out that COMMAND.COM will not only
>be compiled on a FREE compiler, but also may compile on ANY
>compiler, and also will probably double or triple in size.
>(executable size, not resident size).
>
Building up COMMAND.COM into
something resembling a free
4DOS would be quite a project,
but a reasonable 4DOS subset
could be implemented without
too much trouble imho -- sort
of like the ZCPR series of
command processor replacements
for CP/M 2.2, which were no
bigger than the original DRI
CCP but much less annoying to
use.
>> >Also, I'd suggest doing a CHKDSK on your C: drive (or was there
>some
>> >Caldera equivalent to MS SCANDISK? Norton's NDD will work, too).
>If
>> >your 4DOS.COM was corrupted somehow, it's possible other files got
>> >corrupted too; corrupted DOS filesystems should be fixed ASAP.
>> >
>> As I said, no file corruption
>> was involved in my experience
>> of this glitch, but running
>> CHKDSK or SCANDISK is almost
>> never a bad move.
>
>No, I think the problem is no big deal, a lack of foresight on
>the installer's part. No corruption. I even suspected
>corruption at first, but when I figured it out, I ice cream coned
>myself in the forehead. :o)
>
>Take care. TTYL
>
Right back atcha, Mike,
thanks for detailing the
renegade installer's
quirk(s).
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