AMSTRAD SERIES 5 PC SYSTEM DISK + PATCH
& COUNTERPOINT 2.5
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Collected by Banjo
banjo.media@hotmail.com
 10/09/2018
 Patch v1.0
for Banjo's Mods
https://banjosmods.wordpress.com/
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ABOUT:
* This is the System Disk and Counterpoint disk that were bundled with the Amstrad PC Series 5 computers in the 1990's.
* All disks are the English versions, branded by Amstrad.
* These images were created from the original disks included with my own personal PC5286.
* The patch will enable retro computer enthusiasts and those with nostalgia for Amstrad's PCs in the 1980's to 1990's
  to install the System Disks from the Amstrad "Series 5" software on a non-Amstrad retro PC, or on a virtual machine via
  an emulator like PCem or VirtualBox, or even via DOSBox.
* This patch is necessary for real non-Amstrad PCs and virtual machines, since the original installer required real
  Amstrad hardware to fully install.
* It is necessary for DOSBox in order to skip the initial hard drive setup and bios checks, so you can just install the
  software files without the system formatting.


BEFORE YOU START:
* The Amstrad Series 5 System Disk contain little more than MS-DOS 3.30 with a custom installer. Apart from the novelty of
  the installer program, there are honestly much better versions of MS-DOS (3.30 or otherwise) to install on your retro or
  virtual machine. The only real reason to use this System Disk nowadays is either nostalgia or curiosity, recreating a
  period-accurate virtual Amstrad Series 5 machine, or restoring a real one.
* However, if you still want to install MS-DOS 3.30 via Amstrad's Series 5 System Disk, read on.
* Counterpoint is a DOS shell that functions like a very basic version of early Windows, allowing you to click on icons rather
  than type DOS commands to run games, programs, etc. It's pretty cool, actually, and works well in DOSBox too.


PATCHING INSTRUCTIONS:
0) Skip these steps if you want to use the pre-patched floppy image included in this package.
1) Make sure your System Disk is for the Amstrad PC5086, PC5286 or PC5386. This is a single disk marked "Series 5".
2) Make a backup of your physical System Disk or create disk image of it using a program such as WinImage,
   saving the image as an IMA or IMG file.
3) Copy all the files in the PATCH folder of this archive to the root of the System Disk (either your backup or
   disk image), overwriting any files if asked.
4) Follow the instructions below, depending on what kind of machine you are installing to.


INSTALLATION ON A REAL PC:
* If you want to install the software on a real (retro) PC, such as a non-Amstrad XT or AT, insert the patched
  System Disk in the machine's floppy drive and boot it up. It should begin installation automatically. So long as your
  hard drive is detected (the original AT machines shipped with drives in the 20-80mb range), it will be partitioned and
  formatted during the installation process before the software is installed.
* If installing on a real Amstrad PC, you probably can use the unpatched disk, but this has only been tested on a PC5286.


INSTALLATION ON A VIRTUAL PC:
* If you want to install the software on a virtual machine emulator, such as PCem (recommended) or VirtualBox,
  first create a period-approriate virtual machine (either a 286, 386 or 486 processor, 1-16mb of RAM, 20-100mb
  hard drive).
* If using PCem, I recommend the "Award 286 Clone" profile (286/16 CPU) or the "Amstrad MegaPC", and 1-4mb of RAM, as this
  is very similar to the original machines this software was designed for. I also recommend a Type 17 40mb hard drive be
  created.
* Make sure the floppy image of your patched System Disk is inserted in your virtual floppy A drive, then start the 
  virtual machine.
* Software installation should begin automatically on boot, as long as you have set up the virtual machine correctly. The
  software will partition and format your virtual hard drive automatically.
* If for some reason the installation process doesn't begin automatically, run "autoexec.bat" from the System Disk in A drive.
* Note that if you are using PCem to emulate a PC5286 via the "[286] Award 286 Clone" profile and have assigned 1024kb (1mb) of
  memory, you will need to change the BIOS settings to disable Shadow RAM; this is currently the only way to get the full 1mb of
  RAM the original PC5286 had.


INSTALLATION THROUGH DOSBOX:
* If you want to install the software for use in DOSBox (though keep in mind most of the DOS utilities won't work,
  as DOSBox uses it's own FreeDOS utilities instead), create or edit your DOSBox config to emulate a period-appropriate
  machine (an example conf file is included in the "Extras" folder) and make sure it has a C drive (either a virtual
  hard drive or empty folder) and an A drive (either a physical floppy drive or a virtual floppy drive).
* Start DOSBox with that configuration, making sure your patched System Disk is in drive A (real or virtual).
* In DOSBox, change to drive A at the prompt and then type "dosbox" (or "dosbox.bat").
* Installation of the software should begin.
* Swap floppy disks or images when prompted, then press enter to continue installation.
* When installation is complete, you will be "stuck" at the "Installation Complete" screen. Pressing enter will do nothing,
  so just quit DOSBox or reboot it.
* You should now have a "DOS" folder on your virtual C drive, along with some system files.
* Note that for the most part, DOSBox will not make use of those system files.


CLOSING NOTES:
* When fully instlled, the Amstrad Series 5 System Disk will give you the following:
  - Microsoft MS-DOS 3.30 ("C:\DOS")
  - Counterpoint 2.5 ("C:\CP")


CREDITS:
* Amstrad - now known mostly by retro gamers for their CPC console, their IBM-compatible PCs of the 1980's and 1990's -
  such as the PC1512, PC4386SX, PC5286 and Mega-PC (a PC-Sega Megadrive hybrid!) where the first home computers of many people.
* Cliff Lawson - Amstrad engineer and designer, and maintainer of the best Amstrad resource website.
  http://www.freetimeweb.nl/home/computer/alt/lawsons-amstrad-computer_site/web.ukonline.co.uk/cliff.lawson/index.htm
* FreeDOS - creators of the included new version of "xcopy", that works on modern PCs and DOSBox.
  http://www.freedos.org
* VOGONS - the best place for advice and discussion on old games, programs and machines, and making them work today.
  https://www.vogons.org
* DOSBox - the best way to run DOS games and programs on modern computers.
  https://www.dosbox.com/
* PCem - a virtual machine emulator for recreating early PCs. Highly recommended.
  https://pcem-emulator.co.uk/
