FORD factory CD rom Service manual

[55trucker]

Have a question.

does anyone know how to alter the default ini file within the *pubs/programs* folder to change the program interface to NOT look for the cd rom as the location for the manual information but rather to a selected folder that I have transferred all of the information from the cd to?

When one installs the service manual the program will install the PUBS folder to anywhere you decide to put it. The manuals program (I believe it is within *view16.exe*) defaults to looking for the manual on the cd disc (there is an entry in the ini file that states....*=REMOVEABLE,*,any CD-ROM Drive....). I want to just change that to look for the info in the folder on the hard drive where I have copied everything to so I no longer have keep using the disc.

My attempts at re-writing the ini keep failing.

 

[Mark_88]

What OS are you using?

After Windows ME you need to edit the registry entry...but be careful and make sure you create a backup of the registry that you can restore things in case you mess up...save the registry to a backup file your desktop and have a poke around for the entry...you can search the registry as needed...

There is also an ini section in the MSCONFIG window that might lead you to an answer...never played with that much but I didn't try to override basic setup in most cases...

 

[55trucker]

Both Win7 & XP SP3 alongside each other....the program will run in both op/sys,

oddly enough I can't find a registry entry for the service manual..(sounds odd, you'd think that there must be something there) but looking for a reference for Ford finds nothing.

 

[RocketRod]

Why not make a "virtual CD" using Magic Disk. Video's out on the web for doing it. search virtual dvd

 

[fastpakr]

One other possibility is that it simply stores the install location as the relative path for the manuals. If that's the case, you could simply copy the CD into a convenient location on the hard drive, then eject the CD and install from the new location. Once that's done, you can carefully remove any redundancies in file storage between the installation package location and the folder you installed to.

 

[55trucker]

^ That's what I have done so far,

copied the entire disc info into a folder within the same folder as the install exe puts the program. There is an INI file in the there that the exe uses to *find* the needed info on the disc for the various vehicles, if one alters the *ini* file to not point to the cd-rom the exe can't find the folder that is now pointed to.

This has me somewhat puzzled, so much for my Windows DOS experience.

 

[55trucker]

Why not make a "virtual CD" using Magic Disk. Video's out on the web for doing it. search virtual dvd

I suppose that this would be the next move assuming I can't get past the *ini* file alteration.

 

[RocketRod]

I suppose that this would be the next move assuming I can't get past the *ini* file alteration.

By doing a virtual cd/dvd there is no need to even mess with the ini file. Your computer thinks the cd is already in the virtual cd drive.

 

[55trucker]

Well, that worked,

the virtual drive appears in *My Computer* all the time, seems I can dismount & mount the iso when I need it.

This IS much better than pulling the disc from my library folder, loading it into the rom drive , unloading it, as needed.


Thx for the insight, much appreciated.


Steve

 

[Mark_88]

Thanks for following that up because I forgot about it and wanted to know the solution. Not that it will help me but my DVD drive is not supported by XP right now and I've been thinking of upgrading to a newer OS.

In searching for this answer I found that Win 7 has the same issue but Win 8 has a fix built in that recognizes ISO files without any need to download or upgrade...

Nice to know since I've been out of the loop for a while...

 

[55trucker]

In searching for this answer I found that Win 7 has the same issue but Win 8 has a fix built in that recognizes ISO files without any need to download or upgrade...

Nice to know since I've been out of the loop for a while...

Not ever having used *8*......that op/sys does have a built in iso image program, something that *7* was not blessed with.