AppleShare PC 2.0: Not Recommended on Single-Drive PC



When installing AppleShare PC on a machine with one 5.25-inch disk remember
that it really has two logical drives, A: and B:. To test this at DOS, issue
this command:

DISKCOPY A: B:

The DOS DISKCOPY program prompts you to switch disks with a message like

"Please insert the diskette for drive A:."

Because I haven't had a chance to use AppleShare PC 2.0, I don't know how the
installer batch file is written. If it asks for drives by drive letter,
I'd try specifying A: and B: and let DOS ask you to do a disk swap.

You are correct that the AppleShare PC 2.0 installer can install from A: to
B:--even when B: is just a logical drive. DOS prompts for each disk as it is
needed. Unfortunately, because of the installer program's design, this might
require swapping disks as many as 100 times--even for print services alone.

This means that we do not recommend installing AppleShare PC 2.0 using a system
that has only one floppy drive and no a hard disk. Booting such a system with
already installed disks works fine. However, unless you enjoy swapping disks,
don't try to install on it.

As a side note, the installer is actually an executable file, not a batch file.
You can write a batch file to do the install by using the xcopy command on
groups of files. This shortens the install process a great deal and allows
installing with a single drive PC. Of course, it also requires manual
preparation of AUTOEXEC.BAT and NET.CFG and selection of the proper REDIR file,
depending on what version of DOS is being used.


Published Date: Feb 18, 2012