won't accept programs from floppy

I have an old"er" machine that I just cleaned the hard drive and put a fresh install 98se, works fine BUT! I tried to install some programs that I have in my main machine via floppy, everthing I try to install comes up as a shortcut and will not install as it "doesn't have the files". I tried to install a zip program via floppy: I get the same message, The programs are runnig fine in my main machine. On the floppy they look as the program should and will run from the floppy in my main machine. any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thankx, <'(((><...johnnie...<'(((><

It sounds like you only copied the program shortcut .exe files.
Did you copy the files onto the floppy by right clicking the program icon and selecting "send to floppy" ?

You need to install the relevant complete programs onto your old machine first.

I copied the full programs (small) onto the floppy also tried the small version of the zip program, they all run off the floppy into my main machine but will not run on the old machine, they come up as shortcuts. I copied Belarc Advisor onto the floppy and it runs perfect into the old machine off the floppy?? I get this message "the drive or network connection that the shortcut refers to is unavalable"??
Thankx <'(((><...johnnie<'(((><

If the programs are quite small to fit in a floppy (1.4mb or less) then I suggest re-downloading them onto your hard drive and installing from there.

In Windows, when trying to execute a program, why do I receive the message "Drive or network connection that the shortcut refers to is unavailable"?
In Windows, when trying to execute a program, the error message "Drive or network connection that the shortcut refers to is unavailable" can occur for a couple of reasons:

You may be attempting to execute a program from a network server. Make sure you have logged in correctly, and that the server you want to access is currently functioning.


The application may have been moved or a shortcut may have been changed to point to the wrong location. To check this, follow these steps:


Right-click the icon you attempted to run the program from, and then click Properties.
Select the Shortcut tab. Take note of the line listed in the "Target:" field and, if applicable, in the "Start in:" field.
From the Start menu, choose Find or Search, then Files or Folders... .
In the "Named" field, enter the name of the application listed in the "Target:" field (from step 2).
In the "Look in:" field, select My Computer. Click Find Now. For example, if the "Target:" field listed C:\Corel\Suite8\Programs\WPWIN8.EXE, you would enter:
WPWIN8.EXE
If your system can't find the application, it has most likely been deleted, and you will need to reinstall it.
If you find the application in a folder other than the one listed in the "Target:" field (from step 2), you can correct the shortcut to point to the application by editing that line. Do this by repeating step 2 above, and making the appropriate changes to the "Target:" field and, if applicable, the "Start in:" field

The above is all I could find regarding this matter. One thing, have you tried right clicking the executable and select copy, then paste it to your desktop, or
have you tried moving it from the floppy drive, over to the desktop, or
have you tried cutting it from the floppy and pasting it to the desktop?

Another thing, can you move images, like Jpgs over? Does it work or do you get the same thing?

IS your PC connected to a network where you have to log in? Have you tried relogging in right before you copy the program over?

Some ideas, keep us updated.
BB