Re: Have you used the HardDrive.Install program successfuly?

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Sandy writes ...
> 
> I just want to point out that Test Drive II is listed in the instructions
> as being installable, and it is used as an example in fact.
>

     Perhaps Olivier should have mentioned that your hard disk copy
should come from deprotected diskettes. At the time he came up with his
process, it was generally assumed that 'everybody knows that practically
all commercial GS games are copy-protected'. 

     Anyway, the originals of Test Drive II/gs, Zany Golf, and Dungeon
Master are copy-protected; I don't know about Rocket Ranger.

     Being able to copy a game to hard disk does not guarantee that it
is free of copy protection. Some protection schemes permit copying the
disk or, even, the individual files; but, the copied stuff does not work
or, at the least, you will be required to insert the original diskette
(sometimes called the "master" or "key" disk) at some point.  
 

> I can't understand the sample Disk Directory that the instructions show,
> and although the instructions I was able to find (sent to me by Mathieu
> Chenard) were better than other translations I have found, they are still
> not in fully understandable engish  (at least they arent to me)
>

     Me neither. The basic approach seems to be to circumvent problems
with system compatibility by running under the system installed on the
game diskette. This would explain the "SYSP16" folder which includes
P16, a DRIVERS/ folder, etc..

     The file named "NEWPRO" may just be the root directory file
normally named "PRODOS" which has been patched to get you into the new
system (i.e. the stuff in SYSP16/) and running a game. It appears that
NEWPRO needs to be custom-patched for each game installation. 

     Unfortunately, the English becomes badly fragmented when Olivier
seems to be describing the patches which are supposed to produce
"NEWPRO". His ending comment about what seems to be a patch-- "(not
simple, need to be worked on!)"-- may indicate a difficulty substituting
some names in block 3 of PRODOS.

     We do, at least, have the basic outline for what's going on. As
Olivier says later on, it does look like a way to run many games from
hard disk. Maybe, with a bit of experimentation, we can make it work.



Rubywand