To: ttoyooka AT verisim DOT com
Cc: ksinner AT solaria DOT sol DOT net, opendos AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: Installation Problems
Message-ID: <19970420.192322.9599.0.editor@juno.com>
References: <3 DOT 0 DOT 1 DOT 16 DOT 19970420181030 DOT 3eaff160 AT pop DOT verisim DOT com>
From: editor AT juno DOT com (Bruce Morgen)
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 1997 19:24:12 EDT
Precedence: bulk


On Sun, 20 Apr 1997 18:10:30 -0400 Takashi Toyooka <ttoyooka AT verisim DOT com>
writes:
>At 16:00 1997/04/20 CDT, Kenton E. Sinner 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.

>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, 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.  :-)

>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 back move.