Trouble loading a DOS program

I want to install a DOS program on my laptop that does not have a floppy drive.
I copied to program from its floppy to a CD.
It runs perfectly from the CD on my desktop computer.

I cannot run it, copy it, or install it on my laptop.

Error message: D:\ACBLSCOR3.pif
Invalid start up directory. Check your pif file.

Can someone please help me?

 

Errr - does the 'startup directory' in the .pif file point to the location of the app on the hard drive or to someplace else?

 

Rename or delete the PIF file that was copied off of the CD onto the hard drive of the laptop. A new one may be created, when you run the program.

 

Thank you, Newt and Markp62, for responding. I think you need more information from me.

When I insert the CD into the drive on my desktop computer, it pops up with the program icon and I can run the program from the CD by double clicking. (The program is also on that hard drive, though, in case that is making any difference.)

I want to install the program on my laptop. When I insert the CD on my laptop, it pops up with "Files currently on the CD" and one of those little icons that means it's not associated with anything. If I right-click that icon and go to Properties and Advanced, I get Windows PIF Settings, Custom MS-DOS initialization files and Autoexec filename: %SystemRoot%SYSTEM32\autoexec.NT; and Config filename: %SystemRoot%SYSTEM32\Config.NT.

If I try START and RUN, I get D:\ACBLSCORE.pif. If I try to browse, there is nothing else there, and of course it won't install from that.

I'm running XP Home on my desktop and XP Pro on the laptop. Do you need anything else?

Just when I think I'm beginning to reach some sort of intermediate level in this computer stuff, I hit something like this. I'm a bridge player. Computers and bridge are both humbling "games. "

 

By the way, Newt, is that a sheep you're holding in your arms? Are you in New Zealand, by any chance?
Alice

 

Alice - try taking a look at This article that may give you a better feel for dealing with .pif files. More info Here.

Duplicate or rubber or both?

I am holding the only known example of a sheep possessing fins, whiskers, a smooth skin, and a bad disposition.

25lb Channel catfish from the Red River just below the Lockport Dam near Selkirk in Ontario, Canada.

 

LOL about that funny looking sheep! Ok, ok, so I need new glasses.

I did read the two articles you sent me, Newt. Well, actually, the first was a bit beyond me, but I carefully read the second. It tells me to right click on the short cut for the program and go to properties and change or create a pif, but I'm afraid I was at a loss to identify a pif. Is it just something like changing the font? But, this means to change or create it on my hard drive on my desktop computer, right? And yet, the program is running just fine on that computer, so I'm a little reluctant to change anything. And I haven't been able to install it at all on the laptop, so of course I can't do anything there.

Should I just give up on the idea? But, to answer your question about the bridge, it's duplicate. My husband and I do play at clubs and in tournaments, but I want to be able to use the ACBL program at home games for keeping the score.
Thank you for trying. And if you have any other suggestions or clarifications, I'm all ears (but the eyes aren't too good).
Alice

 

Since you have a file named D:\ACBLSCOR3.pif I'm assuming you also have one named d:\acblscor3.exe or d:\acblscor3.com (both are possible names for the program itself). So try the following:

- on a PC with a floppy drive, insert the floppy and open it. Then select everything on the floppy and email it to yourself and open the email on your laptop.
- on the laptop, create a new folder under Program Files and then save all the attachments there.
- delete the ACBLSCOR3.pif from the laptop.
- locate the acbl scoring program itself. Not the pif file but the .exe or .com program file and send it to the desktop as a shortcut. Note: this creates a new pif file that shows up on the desktop as a shortcut with lots of options.

The new shortcut you've made should run the program fine on the laptop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Duplicate for me too but not recently. Divorced, moved, remarried a lady who doesn't play, working 2nd shift and all the dang games are either when I'm at work, on Saturday which is the only day we have off together, or on Sunday when I'm fishing. Been meaning to learn about this online bridge stuff but never seem to get around to it.

If you want, send me an email to nvail@ctc.net and we can discuss.

 

Update - we did some work off line and I wanted to post the results to give some closure to this issue.

Alice emailed me the entire set of files for this DOS app. It is a true 16bit DOS program and has all the quirks we tend to forget about. It hates file/folder names containing spaces and deals very poorly with long file names even using their shortened versions. So Program Files was not a nice place to put the app.

I set it up on my PC by putting a folder under c:\ and named as the program wanted it. Since there were quite a few shortcuts included with the app and a number of places where location was hard coded, this seemed like the simplest solution.

The app then appeared to run fine and I could create new database entries and generally have things run as they should.

The last piece was the very small data entry screen size but that was cured by forcing the shortcut to use command.com (16bit) rather than cmd.exe (32bit). A desktop shortcut now opened the app full screen.

I zipped the slightly reworked files and made a .exe that would create the proper folder in the expected place and emailed all 4.5Mb (compressed) back to Alice with instructions.

As soon as the outbound email (containing her [hopefully] working program) cleared my PC I got one from her saying she had contacted the company that wrote the app and was told what she wanted to do was not possible and that she would either need to buy a floppy drive for the laptop or (their best recommendation) buy an updated version that would load from CD. No program enhancements but just a nice 32bit GUI front end and a substantial chunk of change to buy it.

 

Thank you, Newt. The DOS program is working just great now on both my deaktop and laptop computers.
Alice