Many thanks to all who helped. For the record, this
is what works in XP:

1. Copy the data-xxx, vali-xxx and conv-xxx files onto
a clean new floppy [xxx is the FR makers ID, lxn in
my case] in drive A.

2. To open a DOS window, select RUN, type in 'cmd'
and 'enter'.

3. Connect the FR.

4. In the DOS window, type 'cd:A\'

5. In the DOS window, type 'data-xxx.exe'. You will
get a download of the available files from the FR.


6. Select the flight you want [with arrow keys] and
hit 'enter'. Flight file will download onto floppy.
Probably you will get both an igc and an xxx file.
Note the igc filename.

7. In the DOS window, type 'A:\vali-xxx.exe A:\igcfilename'.

8. Vali will run and a one-line response that ends
up by saying integrity check is OK will appear. Now
you can breathe again.

In Windows 95, there are several ways to open the DOS
window but RUN cmd is not one of them. Starting from
a DOS window, the data and vali files would run, but
refused to show any results except to say 'finished'!
So I went from 'my computer', double clicked 'floppy
A', double-clicked 'data-xxx.exe and went from there.
[This straightforward approach did not work in XP].

I think these sequences are repeatable, but bitter
experience tells me that the software combinations
are only marginally stable.

Once the files are safely on the floppy, they can be
copied for permanent storage onto your hard drive.
I suspect that the validation errors I was encountering
originated by downloading first to hard drive and then
copying the files from hard drive to floppy.

Thanks again,

Ian




At 04:30 04 December 2004, Steve Pawling wrote:
To supplement my previous response -- at the DOS prompt,
change to the
directory containing the vali and flight files before
typing in the
vali command.
SP