Installing Ye Olde DOOM on DOS with Ye Olde Floppy Discs

Question

I'm trying to install DOOM (the shareware version) on my old Compaq running Windows 3.11. I've got the files

• deice.exe
• dooms_19.1
• dooms_19.2
• dooms_19.dat
• install.bat

all downloaded and I have a USB floppy drive. However, I'm having trouble installing it, and I think it has something to do with which files I'm loading onto what disk. So far, I've figured out that I need

• deice.exe
• install.bat
• dooms_19.dat

on the first disk I insert. This seems to get the install system up and running. However, there are several more disks that have to be inserted, and so far, my combinations of files and disks have been wrong. I know it's a longshot, but does anyone here know/remember which files go on which disk?

And before anyone asks, yes, I know it can be done on DOSbox, but my laptop's screen resolution is actually too high (from what I've tried) to do a full-screen display of DOOM on DOSbox... so to the Clinton-era machine we go.

Answer 1

As suggested, copy all the files to the same (new) directory on the hard drive, and then run install.bat. It will either install into the same directory, or you can specify another. If it works, you can then delete the install files, or just leave them. Obviously this won't work if you have just enough space on the hard drive to hold the game.

Answer 2

Here is my solution which I have tested with DOSBox SVN daum to mount multiple images at once.

For this solution I'm using the official archived DoomV1.9installersw1995idSoftwareInc.action.zip from archive.org:

1. Copy the following files onto your floppy disk #1:

   • deice.exe
   • dooms_19.2
   • dooms_19.dat
   • install.bat

2. Copy this file onto your floppy disk #2:

   • dooms_19.1

3. Insert disk #1 and run INSTALL.BAT

4. When asked to insert disk #3, insert disk #1 again (installer or DOSBox bug?)

5. After the copying is finished the installer should extract the files. If not, simply run DOOMS_19.EXE

6. After the extraction is finished the installer should delete the DOOMS_19.EXE. If not, simply delete it since you don't need it anymore

7. Run SETUP.EXE to set up the soundcard

8. Run DOOM.EXE to play

Answer 3

First, a couple of corrections:

I think the computer you describe is Bush Sr. era (maybe Reagan era), not Clinton era.

You might really enjoy using newer hardware, and use a non-original version of DOOM to display stuff in higher resolution.

The provided information sounds extremely dubious: splitting a corrupt file and re-joining it is quite likely to result in a corrupt file. Just because Chkdsk didn't notice a problem with the filesystem structure does NOT mean that the data is okay.

Now, I do think I actually remember what goes on the disk. With DOOM's installer, all files would fit on the first floppy except for the larger files: only the first larger file would go on the first floppy. So put all files except dooms_19.2 onto the floppy.

The files could also be copied to a hard drive and run from there.

If memory further serves me correctly, I believe DEICE basically worked by concatenating files, and then renaming the file to end with .exe, because they were self-extracting LZH files. Of course, that's assuming that the data isn't stored on a floppy that isn't working.