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I downloaded a copy of DataEase 4.5 database. Once I expanded the download, it had five .IMG files representing the original five 3.5" floppy disks.

I wish to install the software so it can run with DOSBox-X on my Windows 10 laptop. How would I go about doing the installation?

I have extracted and stored all the .IMG files in one directory and tried the install but it didn't succeed.

2 Answers 2

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The following DOSBox command:

imgmount a 1.img 2.img 3.img 4.img 5.img -t floppy

loads five floppy images for use as the emulated A: drive. If the disk images are not in the current working directory when DOSBox is started, you may have to specify their relative or full absolute paths. It's easier to prepare that command in a batch file (using Notepad) in your host OS and then run the batch file in your DOSBox, instead of typing out long pathnames in the DOSBox shell.

One disk is inserted at a time, starting with the first. While mounted in this manner Ctrl-F4 cycles the currently inserted disk through the list.

Use these commands to insert disk 1, then follow the standard installation procedure for your software, swapping disks when prompted.

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  • Interesting, I wasn't aware of CTRL-F4 but are you sure it actually works? I can't get it to swap disks and I'm not sure how it would know to do so given that there may be multiple sequences mounted (drive A and B for example). UPDATE: Actually, looking at the doco, CTRL-F4 seems to be tied to ISO optical disk images rather than floppies. That may explain why it's not working.
    – paxdiablo
    Jan 29 at 8:51
  • Hmm, I'm hoping this isn't one of the (relatively) more recent features that's only present on certain point versions or svn. It's certainly the -intended- interface for mounting a sequence of imgs.
    – knol
    Jan 29 at 16:19
  • Regarding the batch file: If those files are the only IMG files in the folder imgmount a *.img is enough. The -t floppy is implied by the drive letter a.
    – BlackJack
    Jan 29 at 17:58
  • The asterisk is less convenient if the disks have odd names (Install, Data1, Data2, Tools) etc and you want control over the insertion order :) I've learned to always specify the type since dosbox will sometimes complain about (seemingly) obvious CD images.
    – knol
    Jan 29 at 17:59
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    The issue here presumably is that both the OP and @paxdiablo are using DOSBox-X, which changes most shortcuts from what they are in plain DOSBox. F11 + O (on Windows) or F12 + O (elsewhere) should work for swapping floppies.
    – duplode
    Jan 30 at 23:13
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At least in DOSBox-X version 2022.09.0(1), you can mount a sequence of disk images to drive A: simply by mounting from the drive menu:

enter image description here

You should probably first select the Option: Mount images read-only option so as not to allow changes to the image files.

If you load a sequence of images, you use Swap disk to cycle through the drives one by one, then finally Unmount drive to unmount the entire sequence when you're done.

This can also be done using the CLI tools imgmount and imgswap, but I prefer the menu-based method myself. However, should you prefer the CLI tools, you can run them with the /? flag to describe how to use them. Just keep in mind you're unlikely to be able to run CLI tools if you're in the middle of installing an application in DOS (the installer will be in control rather than command.com.


(1) This is the version I'm currently running, having not yet upgraded to the latest (at time of answer) 2022.12.26, That's due to the fact that the Windows installers were not actually built for that release.

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