How to install diskette-based software in a laptop without a diskette drive?

[vsanchez52]

I have an old, legal version (set of original 3 diskettes, purchased by me) of MathCad, which I would like to install in a laptop (running the Vista OS). I copied the diskettes onto an USB drive, and from that onto the hard disk on the laptop. However, when I run the setup program, it interrupts asking for the next diskette. How can I get around that?

[Salmon Trout]

The trouble with some floppy disk install sets is that the install program may look on the disks to verify each disk volume name or serial number. Unless this changes, it will not believe you have changed the disk. I presume you have access to another PC which has a floppy drive. On this computer, using suitable software such as WinImage*, make a floppy image of each disk in turn.  On the target machine install a "virtual floppy" image mounting program such as IMDisk** or Virtual Floppy Drive (VFD)***. Place the 3 floppy image files on a flash disk. Plug this into the target machine. Either copy the floppy images to a folder on the target machine or leave them on the flash disk. Using VFD, mount the first floppy image as a virtual drive. The target machine will see this as drive A: with the first disk of the set in it. Run the installer program on the virtual floppy and when it asks for the next disk, unmount disk 1 and mount disk 2 and then make the installer proceed by clicking OK or whatever. Repeat for disk 3.
I have used this method to install software such as MS-DOS, Word Perfect, QuickBasic, etc, to VMWare virtual machines and to computers without floppy drives.


*   http://www.winimage.com/download.htm

**  http://www.ltr-data.se/opencode.html/#ImDisk

*** http://vfd.sourceforge.net/ (32 bit only!)


... or buy a USB external floppy drive.