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Installing SX windows?

Started by H68k, October 08, 2014, 03:56:02 AM

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H68k

Hello

I would like to give SX windows ago, I've found multiple floppy disk images for installing it. but nothing in any way, shape or form of a guide on what the procedure is for installing it.

Has anyone here installed it before and if so.. would they mind telling me what I need to do to install it? and if so, what else I need to configure to change the language from Japanese to English?

eidis

 Hi H68k !

Sorry to disappoint you but you will need translate.google.com, HxD hex editor and many days to change the language from Japanese to English.

Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
X68000 personal computer is called, "X68K" or "no good good" is called, is the PC that are loved by many people today.

SuperDeadite

Installing is fairly easy.  Just Boot the computer from the SX system disks.  Then run format.x off the disks to setup the HDD and partitions.  Then eject the B disk and insert the Extra (or was it the dictionary?) disk, that is where the install program is.  It's fully automatic really.  Only thing to remember is that SX 3.1 was sold as a 5 disk upgrade pack to 3.0 owners, for this reason there is no SX 3.1 Application Disk 3, when promped for App Disk 3, you use the SX 3.0 one.

gentlemagic

#3
Quote from: SuperDeadite on October 08, 2014, 09:01:55 AMThen eject the B disk and insert the Extra (or was it the dictionary?) disk, that is where the install program is.

which disk ? and the name of the install program ?

Can't believe there is no guide to install sx-window anywhere, x68k is so dead.

Here sx-window 3.1 manual but i still cant install https://www.mediafire.com/download/grpissfsj5d491h

spyffe

Quote from: gentlemagic on July 16, 2020, 02:34:16 AMwhich disk ? and the name of the install program ?
Here sx-window 3.1 manual but i still cant install
Hello Gentlemagic!  The installation procedure in section 4-12 of the  SX WINDOW 3.0 manual applies to 3.1 as well.  I've been able to install on an emulated X68000 XVI by:
  • attaching a newly-created 256MB HDS image as a SCSI drive
  • using the HD formatter (HDフォーマット.X) off the SX WINDOW system disk to initialize and format the SCSI drive
  • rebooting when prompted
  • dragging C: from the drive tray (ドライブトレイ, in the right-click menu of the system icon) onto the desktop next to the floppy disk icons
  • dragging A: (the SX WINDOW system disk) onto C: and clicking 実行 in the dialog to copy everything
  • inserting every additional disk in the SX WINDOW distribution into B:, dragging it onto C: as above, and ejecting it afterward
This gets me a bootable hard drive.  Note that the manual talks about editing CONFIG.SYS but that's only if you plan to do Japanese input.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy SX WINDOW soon.

Jehuty

I could install SX Windows with the short tut from Superdeadite in post 2

spyffe

#6
Quote from: Jehuty on July 25, 2020, 01:26:33 AMI could install SX Windows with the short tut from Superdeadite in post 2
Hi Jehuty!

I think I understand the underlying confusion here.  I was using the SX WINDOW 3.1 images that SHARP made public, and I think those are missing the installer as well as the pinball game and the console app.  (That's what retropc.net's summary says anyway.)

To test this hypothesis, I will try installing from the SX WINDOW 3.1 disk set on archive.org instead, and see whether those images have the installer.

spyffe

I tried installing from the archive.org image set.

インストーラ.X is a special executable only found on the "SX WINDOW ver3.1 拡張ディスク" (that is, the 'expansion disk') -- but it has been removed as detailed above from the official images from SHARP.

There are a set of images on archive.org, but their version of this disk is corrupt.  All other images in the set are 1,269KB and the expansion disk alone is 1,254KB.  SX-WINDOW does not show a directory listing for the disk, so it's clear that something's very wrong.

If you've found better images, though, you may be good to go.

tsmvp

Quote from: spyffe on July 25, 2020, 03:56:15 PMI tried installing from the archive.org image set.

インストーラ.X is a special executable only found on the "SX WINDOW ver3.1 拡張ディスク" (that is, the 'expansion disk') -- but it has been removed as detailed above from the official images from SHARP.

There are a set of images on archive.org, but their version of this disk is corrupt.  All other images in the set are 1,269KB and the expansion disk alone is 1,254KB.  SX-WINDOW does not show a directory listing for the disk, so it's clear that something's very wrong.

If you've found better images, though, you may be good to go.

Resurrecting an older thread... Just want to mention that I did manage to get SX Windows 3.0 installed. I will try 3.1 later.
The process is relatively simple but of course not knowing Japanese AND not taking a quick look at the 3.1 manual (the link provided on the thread is still good) makes things complicated LOL. The process is (assuming XM6 here but physical hardware is the same).
1. Create an empty SCSI disk on XM6 (Tools | Image | Make a new SCSI hard disk). Give it a name and click on the arrows to increase its size. I used 256MB.
2. On XM6 under Tools | Options | SCSI tab, make sure the ID0 is the hard disk you created on step #1.
3. Set the first floppy to the SX-Windows 3.0 FIRST disk (the System one) AND the second floppy to the SECOND disk (Application 1) and reset/boot the machine. It will boot from the first one but the B: drive will have the second.
4. On that B: drive is where you will see the HD FORMAT.X file (it is in Japanese). Format ("fuomato") is written in Katakana but the filename does start with 'HD'. Double click that. On the first window that will show up at the bottom left corner, you will see the SCSI0 hard disk. Select it. A second window will appear. This is where it is tricky. In the middle you will see FOUR little selection buttons. The fourth one on the right is the FIRST one you need. That means you will format the hard disk. Select that and then click the button at the right bottom of that window. It will partition the disk quickly. Now you need to select the FIRST little selection button on the LEFT. It will now show you by default the full space available and the volume name. Use all the space and click again on the button in the right bottom corner. That will create the volume and format it. So now that is ready to use, but EMPTY.
5. Close the HD FORMAT app and you should be back to the 'desktop'. What you need to do now is to DRAG and DROP the drive A: to the C: one. To show the C: one on the desktop, right-click the green X (hold the right mouse button) icon on the top left corner and select the third option from the top. That will open the DRIVE TRAY window, showing your floppy drives and the SCSI hard disk. DRAG and DROP the SCSI one to the desktop.
6. Now DRAG and DROP the drive A: to the C: on the desktop. That will open a window about copying the files with two buttons. Click the one on the left. This will copy all files from A: to C:. Problem is, this DOES NOT copy the HUMAN.SYS file. So once this is done, double click the A: drive on the desktop to see its contents. Now you will DRAG and DROP the HUMAN.SYS file to the C: drive. Another window will popup saying that is a system file and if you do want to copy it. Click on the left button. This will now copy the HUMAN.SYS file to the hard disk what is required for the damn thing to boot.
7. Now mount the other disks (Application 1, 2, 4, Data, Jisho) and repeat the DRAG and DROP process so you copy all disks to the hard disk. 
8. Now eject all the floppies and reset the machine. It should boot off the SCSI disk, now with SX-Windows 3.0!

The process for the 3.1 may be different (you can try following the same as explained above). The reason why I mention that is that INSTORA.X (インストーラ.X) file mentioned by spyffe that I cannot see on the 3.1 disks available on the files section here. But it may be worth a try LOL.

Now if SX-Windows is useful or not, not sure. I cannot see many apps developed for it, unless I am wrong. It may be really just a GUI for Human68K so you can launch apps in an easier way but I am not 100% (and as I mentioned, everything being in Japanese does not help LOL).

Hope this helps someone that was on the same boat, trying to get the damn thing installed.

CR