www.virtualacorn.co.uk/forum

If anyone has been able to run Datapower2 on VirtualAcorn I would be most grateful if they could give me a clue how to go about it. I have the software transferred over to the PC but I think there must be some software protection stopping me from running the program.

colinharmon@tiscali.co.uk

DataPower2 is, indeed, copy protected. Simply copying the installed files from one disc to another (or even from one folder to another on the same disc) will usually not result in a working application. DP2 needs to be properly installed from the original discs into it's working folder and then updated with downloads from the Iota web site. Iota Software's copy protection is extremely robust.

Until VA5000 can read native Acorn floppy discs, and one has an original set of installation discs with a valid licence key, I fear that getting DP2 to run on VA5000 is not viable. Client-server versions of DP2 as supplied for network use require a working network stack on the Acorn computer and, usually, a DP2 service installed on a server on the network to validate the use of the copy of DP2.

There is an excellent Windows (and an MacOS) version of DP2 available (or was available) from Iota, and now, I believe, there is Viewpoint from Longman which is a re-packaged DP2. Datafiles are interchangeable between all versions. It means buying the product again but it will enable you to use your existing datafiles on a PC....

Sorry to have to be so negative...

DataPower2 has been taken over by R-Comp and they have remove the protection. I have just loaded it and it seems to be OK. I think I paid ??25 for the upgrade, worth it as they are planning further work on it. www.rcomp.co.uk

Hope this makes you
Colin

The copy protection was removed by Iota (the original developers) several years ago - just download the latest Iota upgrade and you'll be fine (2.19, IIRC).

Eh? VirtualA5000 has been able to read Acorn format floppy
discs on Win2000 and XP for almost a year now.