If you allow me the question, why do you need to download the game from here if you still got the original CD? The version hosted on Abandonia is a floppy version for space reasons, which, aside of lacking the speech and other advantages of a CD version should also be an older version with more problems than the CD version has.
But to return to your troubles, try using the following commands to mount the folder with the game:

mount c c:\
c:
cd (folder where you got the game placed)

Also when you select the soundcard and music card in the setup / install, keep in mind that DosBox's default IRQ for Soundblaster is 7, which you should set it to. These settings are default and should be without problems - Soundblaster Pro, Port 220, IRQ 7, DMA 1. Setting them any different might be the problem with the character selection screen (not sure, since I never had that problem with my CD version).
Might also be that the install program doesn't ask for the values above, aside of selecting a card, it's a while since I played the game.

practically, the whole previous page of this game discussion talks about this problem and solves it :) check it out

Well, I feel like an ass. Thanks for telling me where I could find the solution. I do appreciate it.

Edit: And for the record, I did end up installing from the cd. It intially gave me an error that it couldn't create the folder. But, after creating it in windows and then telling the installer the path, I had no problems.

yes, the problem is that applications in win7 can only modify files in the "users" directory without permission, unless you run it as admin

I have read the last several pages here and am having trouble understanding how I can make the game install from a cd and have it accept my install path.

Here is what strangedays said - " And for the record, I did end up installing from the cd. It intially gave me an error that it couldn't create the folder. But, after creating it in windows and then telling the installer the path, I had no problems."

But I still don't understand how it was done. I have the same problem w/ Win 7 system.

OS related read-write restrictions.
To avoid those:
[Echo]
http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showthread.php?t=22241
[/Echo]

Thanks, but I have done all you suggested and here is the message I get when I try to run the install from the disc is this:

"could not make the destination directory"

Here is what I do
mount e e:\ -t cdrom (as e is where the disc is)
then - e:
then - install

The install program comes up with e as the folder for the game, c as the install folder, and asks for a destination name. I have tried the default destination, made up my own, gave it the oldgames destination - everything. It then asks for yes or no, and I type y. This is when I get the "could not make destination directory" error

I have also created a folder for the games in c "c\users\andy\oldgames" as suggested

Bottom line: I want to play the game with the speech enabled. If there is an easier way I will gladly try it. If I have the disc, can I somehow take them from there and use them with the Abandonia install? If so, what are they called? Can I just copy and paste them? Thanks for any help

Check the permissions on the target directory. Or try to create the directory yourself before running the installer.

When I get to the install screen, it says

Source disc - E (which is correct)

Destination disc - C (I want this to be D, but it won't let me change it. Either way, it won't install to C either. It says they are invalid drive directories.)

I have created a destination folder before the install is run. How can I check the permissions on the target directory?