Can anyone think of a reason why a program will run if and only if it is loaded using floppy disks? We loaded all the diskettes onto a CD and tried that way (since my work computer doesn't have an A:\ drive). It will load up, but when you try to run the software you get an error saying the database is already open. The IT guy and I tried to solve this for a half a day before giving up.

 

It is bugging me because it doesn't make sense. Why should the media the program is being loaded onto my PC from make any difference?

Can anyone think of a reason why a program will run if and only if it is loaded using floppy disks? We loaded all the diskettes onto a CD and tried that way (since my work computer doesn't have an A:\ drive). It will load up, but when you try to run the software you get an error saying the database is already open. The IT guy and I tried to solve this for a half a day before giving up.

 

It is bugging me because it doesn't make sense. Why should the media the program is being loaded onto my PC from make any difference?

 

At some point is the program trying to read the "A" drive? If the program makes a call to a non existent drive, it may shut down as an error. Try renaming the CD drive.

 

Off the top of my head, it is the only thing I can think of.

 

OK not the only thing. Could it be that when switching from one floppy to the other the install programs closes that database? perhaps putting them on separate cds and renaming the drive may work.

 

OK, more than two. You have checked that the program and floppy disks are good? Isolate all variables so you are working with :known to be good" stuff.

 

Why do I feel stupid telling this to an engineer who is far smarter than I?

It shouldn't. We are loading this on an older computer where it will run. We load it from the A:\ to the computer. After that the diskettes are put to the side and not used again. After that point, we run through the setup and then run the program.

 

That is why this is so confusing to me - why will it run when we save the files directly from the diskettes and then run setup but not if we save the diskettes to a shared drive, copy them to our local drive and then try to run the setup file on them?

Edited April 30, 200718 yr by Queen Prawn

It shouldn't. We are loading this on an older computer where it will run. We load it from the A:\ to the computer. After that the diskettes are put to the side and not used again. After that point, we run through the setup and then run the program.

 

That is why this is so confusing to me - why will it run when we save the files directly from the diskettes and then run setup but not if we save the diskettes to a shared drive, copy them to our local drive and then try to run the setup file on them?

 

It's been so long since I loaded a program from disks. Is this a DOS based program?

 

Let me see if I understand the way this installs. All the disks are written to a directory and then you install? or is there an install shell which sequentially calls for them?

It sounds to me like something in the coding itself is mapped incorrectly. Maybe that's too much of a "brilliant" observation.

 

Seriously, sometimes when things are mapped in VB, it's not written to a:\ but \\shared\file\savetome.db - and if that's set up wrong, it can't figure out where to save it so it terminates the program.

Floppy disks use a different method for installing, and normally you will run into problems when you try to just copy the contents of them to a cd or other storage device.

 

They will install, but the program will not run properly. Where are the files being installed to? If the program is self-contained (not installing to any of the windows directories), you may be able to copy the entire installed progam from the original comp to a usb drive, then to the second comp.