Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!sci34hub!eng3!felton From: felton@eng3.UUCP (Ed Felton | Sci Systems | Huntsville, AL, USA, Planet Earth, Sol System) Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops Subject: Re: copy protection and laptops without floppies Summary: Lotus "Magic" Files Just a Thought... Message-ID: <490@eng3.UUCP> Date: 24 Jul 90 14:50:47 GMT References: Lines: 41 In article , portuesi@tweezers.esd.sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) writes: > > I have just inherited a legal copy of Lotus 1-2-3 version 2.01, along > with documentation and original system disks. > > I would like to use this software on a Toshiba T1000XE, a machine with > a hard disk but with no floppy drive. Even if it did have a floppy > drive, the software is distributed on 5" disks. > > According to the documentation, > > "When you start 1-2-3, the program looks for protected files > that contain a special code. The only way to copy these > protected files onto your hard disk is through the Install > program. If you do not use the Install program to copy these > files onto your hard disk, you *must* insert the System Disk > in Drive A each time you start 1-2-3." > > \/ Michael Portuesi Silicon Graphics, Inc. portuesi@sgi.com Mike, I know this may sound rather strange, but the XE does have an external floppy port... See if the dealer (assuming local) or another user (again local) has an appropriate drive, and use it to do the install to the laptop... remove the drive when you are done, and -- Presto, installed 1-2-3.. Ok, Now for the down side: I am not sure that the external floppy drive for the XE is a 5 1/4 inch drive, or if you can use one there... but, if you can that would sound like a winner to me. Also, let me know how it works, as I am considering a Tosh and am in a toss-up between the SE and XE. If you can't put real software (I know, Iknow) on to it without pain and suffering, the XE might get knocked down a peg or 2. BTW, This does not circumvent Lotus's copy-protection, and requires no "insert a floppy into drive A:" ... Where's Drive A:?!?!?!?!?! problems later on. Good Luck with it. -- Ed Felton | When you wish to produce a result by means of an uunet!sci34hub!eng3!felton | instrument, do not allow yourself to complicate it | -- Leonardo da Vinci Disclaimer: Even if I had opinions, who would want them???