Setup from hard disk

You're running into the old copy right problem with Win95a disks.  I know there is a option to copy the cab files from the Win95a cd but I never found how to copy the disk themselves.  There are a few share programs out there the let you do it but I was never able to get them to work.

Good luck. maybe someone has gotten this to work.

From Microsoft:

The files on Disk 2 and later of the Setup program for Microsoft Excel for Windows are stored in cabinet files on DMF-formatted disks. If you need to copy the files from the disks to a network server or other permanent storage drive, you must use the copy switch (/c) with the Extract.exe utility located on Disk 1 to copy the program files to the target location.

Extract.exe allows you to copy the entire cabinet file (*.cab) or extract and decompress individual files contained in the cabinet file. You can also use the Extract utility to search a cabinet file and list its contents.

To obtain a complete list of command options for Extract, insert Disk 1 and switch to the drive containing the disk. For example, type "A:" (without quotation marks) if the disk is in drive A. Type "extract" or "extract /?" (without quotation marks) at the command prompt to obtain a list of commands for Extract.


A cabinet (*.cab) file contains many files stored as a single file. The following are examples that show how to use the Extract command to copy and extract files from a cabinet file and how to locate the files contained in a cabinet file.

Copying an Entire *.Cab File
The following examples demonstrate how to use the Extract command to copy the entire cabinet file to another location.

To copy a cabinet file named Excel2.cab to the current directory, use the following syntax:


   extract /c a:\excel2.cab excel2.cab

To copy a cabinet file named Excel2.cab to the directory C:\Disk2, use the following syntax:

   extract /c a:\excel2.cab c:\disk2\excel2.cab



That is what you need to do to copy those files to your hard drive... After that, you will be all set and the setup will work fine...

I am aware of Extract and I have indeed used it to copy all the disks. While extracting individual files works for selective installation of drivers, etc, it won't work for a full install. A full install always looks for the CAB files by disk name. The problem is that it is not recognizing it. I suspect, it is a bug for 3.5 disk setup. Ktownsend has already confirmed that he couldn't get it to work.

I am looking for an answer where someone found the same problems and found a solution that works.

Thanks,
Sanjay

Did you use the /c switch with the extract command?
If so, can you see the directory and cab file in question from a Dos dir command?
Regards,
Ralph

Please read the history of the question. I have already done all that. I have used Extract exactly as given in the docs. I have read all the documentation. This seems to be bug in setup. Only those who have tried this and found a solution will be able to answer.

Thanks,
Sanjay

skanade,
I read every word in any thread I respond to, and I try to provide assistance if I can.
I simply asked the question because it is possible to overlook such a small error while extracting all those floppy disks.
You still didn't say whether you could list the cab file(s) in question with a DIR command.  This would tell whether or not it was transferred.
If so, I would suggest you see if you can then extract a list of files from that cab file from a Dos prompt.
If that doesn't work, then you might have to do it again. (extract disk4)
Let me know if I'm bothering you.
Regards,
Ralph

1) Back up your registry.

2) Create a file called something.REG containing the following lines:

--- cut here---
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup]
; Put the directory where the CAB files reside here:
"SourcePath"="C:\\WHATEVER\\WIN95\\SETUP\\"
--- cut here---

Make sure that the correct directory is used.

3) Double-click on the file.

4) Try installing again.

Warning: Messing with the registry is dangerous.  Any change has the potential to destroy your system.  Back the registry up before applying any changes.

alexo,
Wouldn't that registry entry be okay already?
If not, how could setup have proceeded through the first three disks?
Ralph

Ralph,

Sorry, I meant the 'Please read' note for MasseyM who posted an answer without reading the history. It was not meant for you. In future, I will address a comment properly.

I don't suspect the CAB files as I am able to do selective installs from them. For example, if I have to reinstall Dial Up Networking and stuff like that, I can point the Setup to that directory and it works.

I again checked and the problem seems to occur as soon as Setup has processed a PRECOPY2.CAB and is going for the regular Win95_??.CAB files. I suspect, it gets a problem even on the first WIN95_02.CAB disk. I was able to confirm that by using another floppy disk from another PC through an Interlnk connection. If I run setup from that other floppy disk, it gets stuck at the end of disk 2 processing. It seems that it keeps looking for further disks from drive A and doesn't give a provision to change that.

Earlier, I wrote disk 4 because I didn't know for sure where it was stopping on the hard disk.

Thanks,
Sanjay

Dear Skanade,
     You do one thing,
copy all setup disks into one directory and then u run the setup program, i've not tried with win95 but i did the same thing with win3.11 & it worked fine.

Dear Manish,

Please read the question and history before answering. I have clearly mentioned that I copied all the disks and am running Setup from there.

I guess you are new to the Experts Exchange. I'd suggest that if you post an answer which you are not sure is the definite answer, please post it as comment so that rejections can be avoided. That's the norm followed in the Experts Exchange.

Thanks.

Sanjay,
Please see the last paragraph:
=================================================================
You may have bad Setup disks.
Disks 2-13 are Distribution Media Format (DMF) disks rather than standard MS-DOS-formatted disks. DMF disks can store more information than standard MS-DOS-formatted disks. However, some computers may have trouble reading DMF disks. If you have a computer that does not read DMF disks properly, Setup may not work properly.

You can use the following steps to troubleshoot DMF disk issues:

1. Copy the Extract.exe file from disk 1 to the root folder of drive C. To do so, type the following line at the command prompt:

         copy a:\extract.exe c:\

   2. Create a temporary folder on your hard disk by typing the
      following line at the command prompt:

         md c:\win95tmp

   3. With disk 2 in drive A, extract the Precopy2.cab and Win95_02.cab files to the folder you created in step 2. To do so, type the following commands:

         extract /e a:\precopy2.cab /l c:\win95tmp
         extract /e a:\win95_02.cab /l c:\win95tmp

NOTE: You must use the Extract command with all disks (except disk1) because they are DMF disks.

For additional information about using the Extract command, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

         ARTICLE-ID: Q129605
         TITLE     : How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files

   If you cannot extract these files from disk 2, try to extract a different .cab file from a different disk. If you cannot extract any .cab file, your computer hardware may not be functioning correctly, or  your computer may be infected with a computer virus.

   You should run current virus detection software to determine if your computer is infected with a virus. If a virus is detected, remove the virus from the computer, and then try to extract the files again.

   NOTE: If a virus has infected a Setup disk, the disk cannot be used.  You will need replacement disks.

   If you are still unable to extract the files after verifying that your computer is not infected with a virus, try extracting the files using another computer. If you are able to extract the files using another computer, you should contact your hardware manufacturer for assistance with properly configuring or replacing your malfunctioning computer hardware.

   If you encounter problems only when you try to extract certain .cab files but you can extract other .cab files, you may need replacement disks.  Please call (800) 207-7766 or Microsoft Technical Support for replacement disks.
=================================================================

Let me know how it goes.
Regards,
Ralph

skanade, did you try my sugestion?
Another thing you may do is copy the setup directory from a windows CDROM.

skanade,

Why don't you just fix the floppy disk.  It seems to me that that is much easier and less expensive than all of the grief you are going through to get an answer to this.  You can get a new floppy for less that $20.  Why spend hours of your time trying to fix this problem when you can fix the hardware with much less effort.


Tom

Tom,

It's not my main PC. So, there is no grief even if I can't reinstall:)  It otherwise works fine except that I am not able to install TCP/IP on it. Besides, this brand of notebook is not available here, and there are no authorized service centers. I'm afraid, my notebook may stop working if some untrained person tries to open it. I don't really need the floppy. I can transfer files easily by cable.

Thanks.

Alexo,

> did you try my sugestion?

I didn't because I am running setup from the beginning DOS prompt. Where does the registry come into picture then?

I assume that to run setup to reinstall the current Win95, I can't run it from within the existing Windows 95. It won't be able to replace files which are already open.

Thanks.

THANKS FOLKS!

I AM CLOSING THIS QUESTION SO AS NOT TO WASTE YOUR TIME. I'LL DO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

1) Try to install TCP/IP for Windows 3.1. (The main reason, I wanted to reinstall was to get TCP/IP in Win95. A selective install is not working for some strange reason. I posted another question on that with no real results.)

or

2) Get Windows 98 upgrade and hope that it works.

Regards,
Sanjay

Sanjay,
I think you will find that Windows98 doesn't repair anything.

If you get a good copy of the files from those install floppys, there should be no reason not to get Win95 installed on your notebook.

Browse that article in my last comment again, and see the reason for trying another transfer again.  Possibly the computer that you're transferring the files from has difficulty reading the disks.

Anyway, I'm sorry we couldn't help.  Don't worry about wasting my time though....  that's why I'm here. (to spend time)

If you want, you can go to Customer Service topic area and post a zero-points question there, asking to have this one removed.

Good luck,
Ralph

Skanade,

I didn't mean to make you think that you are wasting everybodies time on this.  I just thought that putting in a new floppy would be easier on you.  There are a few options that you can try.  If you can successfully install Win95 without TCP/IP then you can try downloading all of the new TCP/IP updates from MS and see if one of them will go in cleanly.

Tom

>> I am running setup from the beginning DOS prompt. Where does the registry come into picture then?
If the windows install process thinks that it has found a previous installation it can use previous registry settings.  If you reformatted, forget what I said.