95,98,Me Prob...drive is 1 letter off

[Ozzyguy]

When installing Win9x, the process goes along fine, until i get an error "Drive not ready".

I know this is because the drive letters are pushed further along by the presence of the ramdrive, but how do i get past the problem.

Ive used findcd and used the tips from here.....but none of the other autoexec and config tips mentioned in here actually work.

This autoexec is what im using...and it gets the furthest along in the install.

@ECHO OFF

set EXPAND=YES

SET DIRCMD=/O:N

set LglDrv=27 * 26 Z 25 Y 24 X 23 W 22 V 21 U 20 T 19 S 18 R 17 Q 16 P 15

set LglDrv=%LglDrv% O 14 N 13 M 12 L 11 K 10 J 9 I 8 H 7 G 6 F 5 E 4 D 3 C

cls

call setramd.bat %LglDrv%

set temp=c:\

set tmp=c:\

path=%RAMD%:\;a:\;%CDROM%:\

copy command.com %RAMD%:\ > NUL

set comspec=%RAMD%:\command.com

copy extract.exe %RAMD%:\ > NUL

copy readme.txt %RAMD%:\ > NUL

:ERROR

IF EXIST ebd.cab GOTO EXT

echo Please insert Windows 98 Startup Disk 2

echo.

pause

GOTO ERROR

:EXT

%RAMD%:\extract /y /e /l %RAMD%: ebd.cab > NUL

echo The diagnostic tools were successfully loaded to drive %RAMD%.

echo.

LH %ramd%:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001 /L:%CDROM%

echo.

cls

echo Now installing Windows 98 SE

echo.

echo Loading...

path=%RAMD%:\;a:\;%CDROM%:\SETUP\98SE\WIN98\

SETUP.EXE

echo.

GOTO QUIT

:QUIT

echo To get help, type HELP and press ENTER.

echo.

rem clean up environment variables

set CDROM=

set LglDrv=

How can i fix the drive not ready error ?

Like i said, i have used the findcd method, but it ends up locking the system.

if i manually change directories to the install drive when the batch finishes...the install proceeds perfectly.

The drive letter prob is what i need to fix.

Any editing tips from the above autoexec ?

Thanks

Ozzy

[jaclaz]

I don't know if this is what you want, but this is how I resolved the problem the "third" way.

I simply put aside M$ own RAMDRIVE.SYS, replacing it with Franck Uberto's XMSDSK.EXE.

(you can find it everywhere on the net as furd19u_i.zip)

The good things are:

1) no 32 Mb limit in Ramdisk size

2) possibility to assign a letter from command line

This way I don't need to find which drive letter, I just map it to R: and go on.

Hope the above helps.

jaclaz

[Ozzyguy]

@Jaclaz

Gday mate.

Any chance you can post your batch file ?

Would save me some hassles as i spend most of my time currently updating my XPE internet dial up PE Boot disk.....and time is hard to come by

Thanks in advance

Ozzy

[jaclaz]

Mine is not a batch file, but rather a state of mind...

You download the file, furd19u_i.zip, extract/copy XMSDSK.exe

and

you just put this line in autoexec.bat:

XMSDSK R: 20000 /Y

Creates a 20mb RAMDISK as Drive R

Then a line:

PATH=R:\;

Sets the PATH to use the RAMDISK.

Than you change all %RAMD% with R

jaclaz

[Alanoll]

just because this is obvious to me, and anyone who EVER declares variables....

where is your CDROM declared? NEVER.

if you had followed the guide on the website, it will work PERFECTLY. /L: should NOT be %CDROM%, as 1. CDROM is not declared, 2. It's stupid. Put it to M or to be safer (if you have more drives) U or something.

Use FINDCD.EXE AS THE WEBSITE SAYS.

[Jito463]

Alanoll:

One problem with findcd (or finddrv for that matter) is they don't work with CDShell. I don't know if that's what he's using, but that's what I've discovered. I've been e-mailing back and forth to Mike about this issue. I haven't heard back from him yet, but what I did finally to fix it (at least temporarily) was put a blank file on my DVD and did IF EXIST statements to find it. Not as clean, but it works.