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On-Call Version 1.02 ( Shareware Version ) READ.ME December 1, 1987 On-Call (C) Copyright 1987 by Forest Hill Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved On-Call is a trademark belonging to Forest Hill Software, Inc. This file contains the latest information about this release of On-Call. You may want to print this file and have it available for reference as you use the On-Call program. Current list of files included on the On-Call distribution diskette: READ.ME - Current information about On-Call (this file) ONCALL.DOC - Master documentation file ONCALL.EXE - The On-Call program OCP.COM - A utility to facilitate switching programs OCA.COM - The On-Call Accessory program OCV.COM - A utility to be used as directed with specific software Known compatibility problems and issues: ---------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 - Types of programs to watch out for 1.1 - Communications programs 1.2 - Programs which are not a single executable file 1.3 - Disk cache programs 1.4 - Programs which use EMS or EEMS memory 2.0 - Specific resident programs 2.1 - Mouse Systems Mouse 2.2 - Borland Sidekick 2.3 - Central Point PC-Tools 2.4 - Persoft Referee 2.5 - PRD+ 3.0 - Other programs 3.1 - DOS version 3.2 and above 3.2 - Enable 3.3 - Software Carousel 3.4 - Deskview 4.0 - What to do if you have a problem 1.0 - Types of programs to watch out for ---------------------------------------- 1.1 - Communications programs On-Call will bypass communications interrupts during the time that it's "popped-up". This protection has been installed to avoid an "Unexpected interrupt" system hang-up. As a result, it is important that you only pop-up On-Call at times when there will be no incoming and outgoing data on the serial communications line. If any characters are received during this time, they will be ignored. There is also a possibility that the interface will be left in a condition which will prevent further communications. To avoid complications ONLY POP-UP On-Call WHEN NO COMMUNICATIONS IS TAKING PLACE. Otherwise, there are no problems inherent with running communications programs while On-Call is loaded. 1.2 - Programs which are not a single executable file A very few resident programs load by executing a series of commands. You may have trouble loading these programs into On-Call, especially if they require execution of a batch file. Sometimes a series of commands are used to load device drivers or install other support programs prior to loading the actual resident program. If you have such a resident program you may be able to load parts of it prior to executing On-Call, then load only the main part of the program into On-Call. At this time, all such programs that we are aware of have been updated by their manufacturers and are compatible with On-Call. If you do come across one, either call the technical support department for that software or the On-Call Customer Service Center. 1.3 - Disk cache programs Disk cache programs are used to speed access to a disk drive and can substantially improve overall performance. They operate by remembering recently or frequently accessed information in RAM and only going to the disk drive when necessary. Loading these programs into On-Call is not recommended unless there is a way to "Flush" the disk caching programs buffers. The act of flushing causes the program to forget any information it presently has loaded and requires it to go to the disk for subsequent access. When using this type of program with On-Call, it is imperative to flush all cache buffers each time the program is activated. If you are not sure about your particular disk cache program, you may contact its authors to determine if there is a way to flush or reset buffers. 1.4 - Programs which use EMS or EEMS memory Resident programs which directly access EMS or EEMS memory will cause errors when using the On-Call auto-reload (/R) option. These programs request blocks of memory from the Expanded Memory Manager (EMM) which in turn assigns them exclusively to the requesting program. Any allocations made by the EMM are only good as long as the system is not rebooted. If you reboot your system and reload On-Call with the auto-reload option, a program which had previously requested memory from the EMM will cause an error when it tries to access it. This is because the EMM thinks the program is trying to access memory not allocated to it and therefore refuses access to it. These programs may only be used after an auto-reload if they can be prevented from making any use of Expanded Memory. Consult the documentation provided with such a program for any switches or configuration options which can prevent EMS access. 2.0 - Specific programs ----------------------- 2.1 - Mouse Systems Mouse (Mouse Systems and Designer Pop-up are trade marks of the Mouse Systems Corporation) Using the MOUSESYS.COM driver and Designer Pop-up menus for the Mouse Systems Mouse has presented a few problems all of which can be corrected by following the procedures below. 1. When you first load the MOUSESYS.COM program into On-Call be sure to use the "/M:xxx" option to set the desired space for any future Pop-Up menus which may be loaded. I have found that 15000 bytes will be adequate for most menus you will encounter. 2. The MOUSESYS program will cease to function if you: a. Reboot your computer b. Move the mouse or otherwise use the serial port it is connected to while the MOUSESYS.COM program is not selected by On-Call. 3. To reactivate the MOUSESYS program: a. Pop-Up On-Call and select the MOUSESYS.COM program b. Enter the following command: ocv c mousesys c. The program should now be functioning properly. If so save it back to the image data file by popping-up On-Call and pressing "Enter". 4. If you try to load a Pop-Up menu into the MOUSESYS program you will receive a message indicating that it could not locate the MOUSESYS program. To successfully load a Pop-Up menu: a. Pop-Up On-Call and select the MOUSESYS.COM program b. Enter the following command where "<menu>" should be replaced with the name of the Pop-Up menu (i.e. "ocv c M_PLAIN"): ocv c <menu> c. The Pop-Up menu should now be loaded. Save the MOUSESYS.COM program back into the image data file with this Pop-Up menu by Popping-Up On-Call and pressing "Enter". WARNING:Do not attempt to pop On-Call while the OCV.COM program is running. To minimize problems with the MOUSESYS program, be sure not to move the mouse unless the MOUSESYS.COM program is selected by On-Call. If you accidentally do move the mouse and it does not function when the MOUSESYS.COM program is again selected, you will have to return to DOS and perform procedure #3 above. 2.2 - Borland Sidekick (Sidekick is a trademark of Borland International) Sidekick is a particularly difficult program when it comes to existing along with other resident software. This is because it attempts to maintain preemptive access to the keyboard. As a result, Sidekick must normally be loaded last, after all other resident programs have been loaded. With On-Call you may load resident programs in any order, and that includes Sidekick. Unfortunately there are two other limitations when running Sidekick with On-Call. 1. Sidekick must be loaded within On-Call. You may not load Sidekick before or after loading On-Call. 2. On-Call will deselect Sidekick whenever you run a new program. This is necessary so that On-Call can keep track of Sidekick's antics. Once you are within a program, you may pop-up On-Call and reactivate Sidekick. Sidekick may also be deselected when a program executes a subprogram or overlay. This behavior is normal and a message window will inform you when it happens. 2.3 - Central Point PC-Tools (PC-Tools is a trademark of Central Point Software) PC-Tools will automatically create overlay information in Expanded memory if it is available. If you intend to use the On-Call Auto-Reload (/R) option, you must direct PC-Tools to create the overlay file on a disk drive. You can do that by including the /O option when starting PC-Tools as shown below. PCTOOLS /R95K/OC The above command installs PC-Tools so that it will use 95K of RAM and create the overlay file on drive C:. You may substitute a different drive if appropriate (i.e. /OD). According to Central Point Software, specifying a drive with the /O option will prevent direct use of Expanded Memory. It is also our understanding that specifying at lease 138K of memory with the present version of PC-Tools will avoid the need to create an overlay file. For more information refer to section 1.4 above. 2.4 - Persoft Referee DO NOT RUN REFEREE WITH ON-CALL! This warning is not simply because Referee is perceived by some as a competitive product. Actually, Referee and On-Call can not coexist because they both monitor interrupts. Attempting to load a resident program into On-Call while Referee is loaded will result in an "Incompatible Program (01)" error message. If you receive this message and do not have Referee loaded you should consult with the On-Call Customer Service Department. 2.5 - PRD+ Our current information on PRD+ is that PMENU is not capable of locating the resident copy of PRD+ when it is loaded into On-Call. If you wish to use PMENU, try the following: 1. Pop up On-Call and select PRD+ 2. Change to the directory you would normally be in when running PMENU 3. Execute the OCV.COM program (distributed with On-Call) as follows: <d:path>OCV 16 PMENU Note:The optional parameter <d:path> is to specify the drive and path where DOS can locate the OCV.COM program. If you already have that path specified in your PATH= statement, you will not require it here. If you are running a DOS version earlier than 3.0, you can not enter anything prior to OCV and may want to temporarily copy OCV.COM to the directory containing PMENU. 4. Use PMENU as normal 5. Exit PMENU WARNING:Do not attempt to pop-up On-Call while running the PMENU program! The information we have at this time on PRD+ is from current users of On-Call and has not yet been tested in-house. If you have any difficulty with the above procedure or otherwise with PRD+, please call On-Call technical support. 3.0 - Other programs -------------------- 3.1 - DOS Version 3.2 and above Certain utilities supplied with DOS version 3.2 utilize interrupt vector 19 (HEX). As On-Call is distributed the setting for this vector is "0", meaning that On-Call does not handle that vector. Attempting to load one of these utilities into On-Call will result in the message "* Incompatible program * (19)" being displayed in the Options field. If you would like to load any of these utilities into On-Call you will have to set vector # 25 (the OCA program requires entry of vector numbers in Decimal) to type "1" using the On-Call Accessories program. For a description of how to use the Accessories program refer to that section of the On-Call User's Manual. Please note that this will cause a conflict with ENABLE as described in the section below. 3.2 - ENABLE (ENABLE is a registered trademark of THE SOFTWARE GROUP) PROBLEM #1 ---------- To run any version of Enable you will have to make sure that the setting for vector 25 (the OCA program requires entry of vector numbers in Decimal) is "0". This will cause a conflict with DOS version 3.2 which uses these vectors in certain utilities. The conflict arises only if you intend to load those utilities into On-Call. In any event the setting for vector 25 must be "0" to run Enable (this is the default condition when you receive On-Call). The DOS 3.2 utilities which are known to use this vector are: PRINT.COM, MODE.COM, GRAPHICS.COM There may be other programs which will not be compatible with On-Call when it is configured to run with Enable. If you try to load one of those programs you will be presented with the message "* Incompatible program *" followed by "(19)". If the parenthesized number is not 19 then you have a conflict with a different vector number and should continue reading this file or call the On-Call Customer Service Line. For information on how to change the setting for this vector, read the User's Manual section about the On-Call Accessory program. PROBLEM #2 ---------- The Enable Telecom functions, especially Capture, may conflict with On-Call. Problems experienced to date are: 1. Occasional "Hang" during capture 3. Occasional "Hang" upon exit of Telecom At this time there is no explanation for the problems with Telecom. Enable employs certain "shortcuts" which do not conform to the DOS standard. They are difficult to identify and hard to compensate for. On-Call has a good track record with several other communications programs (see exception in item #1) indicating that problems are not inherent with that type of software. 3.3 - Software Carousel (Software Carousel is a trademark of SoftLogic Solutions) ---Notice--- The first release of On-Call was fully functional with Software Carousel. Unfortunately, some problems have shown up in the current release which may prevent you from loading On-Call prior to loading Software Carousel. To the best of our knowledge, there is no problem with loading On-Call into a partition within Software Carousel. This problem may be dependent on the version of Software Carousel you have and we therefore have kept the following information in this file. This problem should be fixed in the next version. ------------ On-Call and Software Carousel compliment each other by making a large number of resident programs available within each partition. There are two possible approaches which may be used when implementing this combination. a. Load On-Call prior to starting Carousel. By loading On-Call before starting Software Carousel you will make the same copy of On-Call available from all partitions. This means that if you use On-Call to select a particular resident program while in one partition, that when you change to another partition, the exact same resident program will be available. A disadvantage of loading On-Call prior to starting Software Carousel is that the memory used by On-Call will be lost to all partitions. Even if you do not require the use of On-Call from within a particular partition, your available memory will be reduced by the space required for On-Call and the largest resident program it has loaded (plus the memory used by Carousel). b. Load On-Call from within Carousel partitions using separate image data files. If you have not loaded On-Call prior to starting Software Carousel, you may load On-Call within the particular partitions where you would like to have it available. Loading On-Call into one partition does not make it available within another partition, nor does it waste memory in a partition where it is not needed. When loading On-Call, specify a data file name (using the "/D=" option) which will be unique for that particular partition. By doing this you may have a set of resident programs which is custom tailored to the needs of that partition and other sets more appropriate for other partitions. Using a separate image data file for each partition also ensures that the information you have in the resident programs will not be affected by use of that program in another partition. Please remember that if you intend to use the auto-reload option ("/R") of On-Call, that it must reload to exactly the same memory location as when the image data file was first created. This requires that all steps taken prior to loading Software Carousel, and after entering the partition where On-Call will be reloaded, must be the same (or result in exactly the same memory consumption) each time the image data file is used. However, each partition may be different as long as for any one particular partition the conditions are the same as when On-Call was last loaded into that partition. A disadvantage of this method is the relatively large amount of disk space that will be required. A typical image data file requires any where from several hundred kilobytes to well over one Megabyte of disk space. If separate image data files are used for each partition, the total disk usage by On-Call could easily run into several Megabytes. c. Load On-Call from within Carousel partitions using the same image data file. If you have not loaded On-Call prior to starting Software Carousel, you may, as described above, load On-Call within each partition where you would like to have it available. The difference with this configuration is that all copies of On-Call will be using a single image data file regardless of what partition they are in. There are two major advantages to this approach. Using only one image data file can save a considerable amount of disk space over method b. More importantly though, a resident program may be used in one partition, saved to the image data file and then called up in another partition. When the resident program is activated in the latter partition, it contains exactly the same information and is set to the same status as when it was saved elsewhere. This provides a degree of communications between partitions. Several important points need be made about this type of operation. 1. To use the auto-reload option with the same image data file requires that On-Call be loaded into exactly the same memory location in each partition. Fortunately Software Carousel has been written so that the active partition starts at the same memory location as another partition would when it is active, regardless of the size of the partition. When loading On-Call into each partition, ensure that the SET parameters (in the Environment) are exactly the same or add up to exactly the same number of characters. If this is not the case, On-Call will refuse to use the image data file and give you the option of leaving it unchanged. NOTE..Please note that the names of partitions are added to the PROMPT parameter by Software Carousel. The length of these names will effect the size of the Environment. Make sure that all partition names are EXACTLY THE SAME LENGTH. You may pad the partition names with periods or hyphens to make them the same length. 2. You must consider the implications of the On-Call program selection options when running in different partitions using the same image data file. a. Pressing ENTER with a resident program highlighted in On-Call's program selection window will cause the current resident program to be saved to the image data file. If the same resident program is saved from within one partition, it will overwrite what may have just been saved from another partition. b. Pressing ENTER with the currently selected resident program highlighted will save that resident program in it's present state to the common image data file. This allows you to switch partitions and pick up that resident program in the exact condition as it was in the previous partition. c. Using CTRL-ENTER to select a resident program will prevent On-Call from saving the current resident program before selecting the new one. Use this method if you do not need to pass resident programs and their data between partitions and you do not need to save the status of the currently selected resident program. d. Using CTRL-ENTER while the currently selected resident program is highlighted will pick up the latest copy of that resident program from the common image data file. Please take time to play with On-Call and Software Carousel together before you get back to serious work. Passing resident program images between partitions can be a powerful tool but it does require some familiarity to be used properly. 3.4 - Deskview -------------- On-Call and Deskview are now somewhat compatible. On-Call may be loaded either prior to Deskview or from within Deskview. However, the number of ways that Deskview can be configured and the number of ways in which programs can run under Deskview leaves some chance for conflict. We therefore suggest that you be thoroughly familiar with Deskview before attempting to run it with On-Call. If you would like to try combining On-Call and Deskview, you should follow these suggestions and warnings. 1. If you are using a serial mouse with Deskview. On-Call comes configured to manage resident programs which use the serial communications support provided by hardware BIOS. If your mouse is connected to a serial port, you will have to configure On-Call not to manage the BIOS serial communications services. Failure to do this will cause the system to "hang" if the mouse is moved while On-Call is on the display. To do this configuration perform the following: A. If On-Call is currently loaded into memory, remove it or reboot. B. Change to the directory containing ONCALL.EXE and OCA.COM. C. Run OCA.COM. D. Select "Configure On-Call" by pressing "C". E. Select "Interrupts" by pressing "I". F. For "Interrupt #" enter "11" then press the Enter key. G. For "Type [0/1/2]" enter "0" then press the Enter key. H. Press "Y" to confirm the change. I. Perform steps E through H again using "12" for "Interrupt #". J. Return to the main menu by pressing the Esc key. K. Exit the OCA program by pressing "Q" twice. If you have loaded any resident programs into On-Call which use the BIOS serial communications services or are not sure if you have, you should delete the ONCALL.DAT file and run On-Call starting from scratch. If you subsequently attempt to load a resident program that uses those services into On-Call it will display one of the following messages: "Incompatible program (0B)" or "Incompatible program (0C)" If either of these messages occur, you will not be able to load that resident program into On-Call while it is configured for Deskview. 2. Loading On-Call prior to running Deskview. Loading On-Call prior to running Deskview will allow you to access On-Call, and any of the programs it has loaded, from within any Deskview window or application running under Deskview. It will also reduce the amount of conventional memory available to Deskview or applications loaded from Deskview. This may cause Deskview to refuse to load large programs due to lack of memory or may not leave Deskview with enough memory to perform multitasking with smaller applications. Certain resident programs can not be loaded prior to Deskview. On-Call may not be able to solve such limitations and you should test any resident programs you intend to load this way before relying on them. 3. Loading On-Call from within Deskview. On-Call may be loaded from within Deskview and is itself compatible with doing so. Unfortunately, many of the programs which can be loaded into On-Call are not so well behaved. Any limitations on running those programs must be considered when filling in the Deskview "Change a Program" configuration screens. For example, many resident program write directly to the display hardware buffer and therefore can not run within a Deskview window. Others may require use of the math coprocessor or have keyboard conflicts when run under Deskview. If your resident programs have these limitations, be sure to make the appropriate changes under "Change a Program" for loading On-Call. The "Memory Size" value is determined by the size of the resident programs loaded into On-Call. Typically, On-Call requires from 80k to 160K of memory for itself and normal resident programs. If you start with a value of 150K and find that you are unable to load certain large resident programs into On-Call, you may increase this value to make additional room. You may also want to make this value much larger to accommodate other applications as described in the next paragraph. The following is a quick review of the information required by the Deskview "Change a Program" option. Use this list as a guide for getting started, but keep in mind that certain resident programs loaded into On-Call may impose additional limitations and require changes in this information. Change a Program Program Name............: (as desired) Keys to Use on Open Menu: (as desired) Memory Size (in K): 150 Program...: C:\OC\ONCALL.EXE (change as required) Parameters: /R (you may not be able to use /R, see below) (/D=xxxxx.dat may be required, see below) Directory.: C:\OC (change as desired) Options: Writes directly to screen.......: [Y] (Most resident programs do although On-Call doesn't) Displays Graphics information...: [N] (use Y if you load a graphics program into On-Call) Can be swapped out of memory....: [Y] (certain resident programs may require N) Requires floppy Diskette........: [N] (unless one of the resident programs does) Change a Program Advanced Options All options on this page are dependent on the resident programs load into On-Call or the conventional applications you run after it with the exception of: Options: Close on exit to DOS.........: [N] Allow Close Window Command...: [N] (we are not sure about the Close Window command yet) When you load On-Call from within Deskview you will end up at the DOS prompt after the On-Call summary screen has been displayed. If you have set the "Memory Size" in the "Change a Program" screen to a large enough value, you will be able to load conventional "non-resident" software from that prompt. Resident programs loaded into On-Call can be used with programs loaded in this way (only if loaded into the same Deskview window). Unfortunately, the total memory available may not be enough to load large application software. Loading On-Call from within Deskview will leave more memory available for other applications running under Deskview. Unfortunately this means the resident programs selected by On-Call will not be available from within other windows. If you load On-Call more than once from within Deskview, be sure that each copy of On-Call uses a separate data file. This is required to prevent corruption of On-Call's data file and to ensure that each copy will load and execute properly. Also, since Deskview may load On-Call into different memory locations at different times, it may not be possible to reuse a data file with the "/R" option (this limitation is dependent on your configuration). To select a different data file name for each copy of On-Call, use the "/D=" option when starting On-Call. There is not yet a large base of resident programs which have been tested running under On-Call along with Deskview. Since there are so many possible combinations and configurations related to Deskview, it is virtually impossible for us to test them all. You are therefore encouraged to use caution while testing your particular configuration, including having adequate backup of your disk data. Use the above information as a guide, then if you have any additional questions regarding the use of On-Call with Deskview or if you find an interesting application for this combination, call the On-Call Customer Support Department. 4.0 - What to do if you have a problem -------------------------------------- If you have a problem which only occurs when On-Call is loaded, you should follow these steps. 1. Rename your CONFIG.SYS file to CONFIG.XXX 2. Rename your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to AUTOEXEC.XXX 3. Reboot your computer. If your computer will not boot, try booting on a copy of your original DOS distribution diskette. 4. Insert your working copy of On-Call or change to the directory containing the On-Call program. 5. Start On-Call and load only one resident program then use the "Esc" key to exit. 6. Pop up On-Call using the OCP command and select the resident program you just loaded. 7. Test the selected resident program to see if it works as expected. Repeat steps 3 through 7 for each resident program you want to load into On-Call. If you have any problems, first check the rest of this READ.ME file for information on that resident program or Call Customer Service. Repeat steps 3 through 7 loading the resident programs in different combinations and finally all together. 8. Rename the CONFIG.XXX file back to CONFIG.SYS. 9. Perform steps 3 through 7 as before. If you have problems at this point, use a text editor (i.e. EDLIN) to remove each item in the CONFIG.SYS file until the item causing problems is located. 10. Rename the AUTOEXEC.XXX file back to AUTOEXEC.BAT. 11. Perform steps 3 through 7 as before. If you have problems at this point, use a text editor (i.e. EDLIN) to remove each item in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file until the item causing problems is located. If performing the above procedure reveals a problem with a program not listed in this READ.ME file or which you are not able to correct, contact the On-Call Customer Support Department. We will make every effort to locate and provide a solution for any incompatibility. ( End of READ.ME file )