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Re: MSCDEX question



>>>>> "Stu" == Stuart Friedman <stufried@ix.netcom.com> writes:
In article <4nrcjk$ul@sjx-ixn4.ix.netcom.com> stufried@ix.netcom.com (Stuart Friedman ) writes:


    Stu> In <m0uK1ZL-00027DC@beaut.ardi.com> ctm@ardi.com (Clifford
    Stu> T. Matthews) writes:
    >>  Hi Folks,
    >> 
    >> Our laptop that we used to run Windows '95 and OS/2 on was
    >> stolen a few weeks ago.  We haven't yet had the insurance
    >> settled so of late we've been doing without.  As such, I have a
    >> question:
    >> 
    Stu> Sorry to hear that.  Everyone traveling with a laptop should
    Stu> be particularly careful at airports, there is a scam going
    Stu> around where two crooks go in front of a person in line for
    Stu> security .  #1 has empty pockets; #2 has six pounds of steal.
    Stu> #1 clears and walks away from security with your laptop. #2
    Stu> sets off the metal detector slowing you down.

Well this scam was a little easier.  Thief bashes out car window and
helps himself.  It was very rare for me to leave my big bag of stuff
in my car, but I did so one night a few weeks ago when I brought
take-out food to work.  I was on my way into the building when I
thought "I should get my bag", but then I counter-thought "ah, but it
will be clumsy to carry the bag and my food, besides, I can go down
and get it later in the night -- it will be a good break from
coding/testing/responding to mail and news".  I then forgot about it
until a security officer asked me if I owned a green Camry.  That's
not a question you want to hear at 1 in the morning.

    >>  Right now it's necessary for many people to boot Windows '95
    >> in DOS mode and use MSCDEX in order to access Mac CD-ROMs.
    >> When we do a native Win32 port this won't be necessary, but
    >> we're really concerned that people buying new systems that come
    >> with Windows '95 preinstalled won't have MSCDEX.
    >> 
    Stu> I don't have any answers, but I have a couple of potential
    Stu> "clues" to solving this puzzle.  Corel had an MSCDEX clone as
    Stu> did Novell.  I don't know if there is anything in the public
    Stu> domain, but it is worth mentioning.  Many CDROMs include
    Stu> MSCDEX in their software bundles so for some people this
    Stu> would be a solution.  There are also a variety of utility
    Stu> which are designed into spoofing systems into thinking that a
    Stu> harddisk is a CDROM by faking many of the MSCDEX routines.  I
    Stu> don't know how much this would help, but I would pass it on
    Stu> for what it is worth.  Lastly, has anyone done a thorough
    Stu> search of a Window's '95 disk to make sure that MSCDEX isn't
    Stu> on it someplace?

Windows '95 *does* have MSCDEX on it and people have provided us some
information about version numbers that should make it fairly easy for
us to detect when things are configured in such a way that Mac
formatted CD-ROMs *won't* work.  That way we can print a nice error
message that will point to where the user can get help in adjusting
his/her system so that Mac formatted CD-ROMs will work.

Hooray, and thanks to everyone who responded.

    Stu> Stu

NOTE:  the beta1 CD-ROMs still haven't come back from the duplicator yet.

--Cliff
ctm@ardi.com


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