Software of the Month Club 1996 August/Software of the Month Club 1996 August.iso/pc/os2/serv21/service.hlp

OS/2 Help File | 1996-04-08 | 12.7 KB | 186 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Service Centre is designed to keep all your maintenance utilities under one
roof. Starting backups, virus scans, defrags etc. from a single panel not only
saves icon space on your desktop. It also serves to discipline well-meaning,
but essentially lazy users (like all of us). Evoke Service Centre and run all
those tools in one session, giving your system a thorough cleanup. The date
next to each button is a gentle reminder - telling you when a maintenance task
was last performed.

 Primarily for people new to OS/2 and the wealth of utilities available, I have
provided some tips on applications I've tested myself. Access them by pressing
the ? buttons on the right hand side of the main panel. But allow me to preach
for a moment now; if a program is distributed as shareware, it is not free.
Shareware authors grant you an evaluation period during which you can decide
whether you wish to use an application permanently or not. Should you wish to
keep the program, you are required to pay a (usually modest) registration fee.
Ignoring this is not only illegal - you're also denying the author
encouragement and support vital to the continuation of his work. So please
register such utilities (especially mine!!!).  Most of the applications I've
mentioned are widely accessible via online and BBS services.

 I've added several internal tools to Service Center There's a process killer
labeled Kill Process and a utility called FreeMem. The latter forces OS/2 to
reorganize ram distribution, often freeing up large quantities of physical
memory. Whether or not this translates into an overall performance improvement
is a matter of trial and error.

 Service Center now also includes an installation monitor called InstWatch.
Call it up before installing a new program and it will keep track of
alterations to your system files, optionally recording these to a log file.
Another useful tool for people who frequently install shareware is the Object
Wizard. Simply drag an .exe file onto it and a program object (icon) will be
placed on your desktop. This bears the default name of the exe file itself -
but you can rename it using direct editing (press < Alt> and click the icon to
type in a new name).

 There's also a button for information on your system. Usage is
self-explanatory. Finally, the program includes a frontend for chkdsk (with the
parameters visible on the buttons, '' standing for no parameters).

 NOTE: Help for the configuration panel (you must configure the program before
use) is accessible from that panel's menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Backup ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 OS/2 Warp includes its own backup facility called backup.exe - a text mode
program normally run from a command line window. Using Service Center, you can
configure this utility to start with your chosen parameters (see Warp's online
reference files), which will spare you some typing when later evoking it. But
share- or freeware front ends for backup.exe are also available. These provide
a graphical interface for the program. One I've tried myself is BaR by Paul H.
Caron. I can't find any fault with it, though I generally use a command line
myself - for reasons I find hard to explain!

 Of course, alternative backup utilities abound. You may find it more
convenient to run one of them, especially if it was bundled with hardware you
use, such as a streamer.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. AntiVirus ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

First of all, don't panic! Specific viruses for OS/2 are few and far between.
However, if you use DOS or Windows applications, you still run a certain risk
of catching bugs written for those platforms. That's why OS/2 virus scanners
actually concentrate on little DOS creatures - the OS/2 bit in their names
largely only refering to the operating system the scanner was coded for.

 Possibly the most widespread antivirus software is Mcafee's VirusScan.
Evaluation copies are available almost everywhere. If you run this utility from
Service Centre, you may wish to add the parameters /adl after its .exe name in
the configuration window. That way, VirusScan will check all your disk
partitions and report the results without further ado every time you press the
AntiVirus button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Defrag ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 OS/2's HPFS file system is less susceptible to fragmentation than DOS's FAT
partitions. That said, there are two good reasons to use defragmentation
software with OS/2 anyway. One, HPFS isn't totally invincible. And two, you've
probably still got a FAT partition or two on your hard disk, if only to
accomodate Windows. Several packages such as the commercially marketed
GammaTech Utilities include optimization tools for both partition types.
Personally, I use the ones provided with M. Kimes' very reasonably priced
shareware application FM/2. This program is distributed as a file manager, but
in reality it's far more than that. Sometimes titled a 'Swiss army knife' for
OS/2, the software contains utilities for all sorts of speakable and
unspeakable situations. It's available in the Compuserve forum OS2BVEN, where
you should also look out for Kimes' very frequent updates.

 NOTE: I don't recommend using the FM/2 optimizers (or any other text mode
optimizers) straight from Service Center. It's safer to configure the program
to call up the entire FM/2 package. You can easily defrag from there. The
reason: this particular button (and this one only) does not happily cooperate
with utilities lacking a PM mode graphical interface.

 ALSO NOTE: Most authors of defragmentation tools advise you to backup your
data before using them. I've yet to experience any calamities - but the warning stands.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. IniEdit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 OS/2 applications tend to share an irritating trait common in their Windows
cousins - when you erase them, they leave traces all over the place. Warp's ini
files are amongst their preferred stomping grounds, so it pays to have a look
there every so often (to remove those cobwebs manually). The snag is that
ordinary editors cannot read these files - you need a specialised tool.
Unimaint appears to be many people's favourite here, though I must admit I've
never tried it. Once again, I use a utility provided with M. Kimes' FM/2 file
manager. It's called ini.exe and can be run separately from its mother program.
You can simply type its path and name in the appropriate fields in Service
Center's configuration window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. ConfigEdit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Another file which often gets burdened with the relicts of long ditched
applications is OS/2's config.sys. Check out path entries, especially. You'll
frequently get reminded of forgotten acquaintances! This is the only button
I've pre-configured, so that Warp's system editor will run by default. However,
it's hardly the utility best suited to the job. Try Rick Meigs' freeware
Config.sys Information Center (cnfg. info.exe). The program is more than a
specialised editor - it also provides a wealth of config.sys related tips and
information, which can lead to a marked improvement in your system's
performance.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. ClassEdit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Classes are extremely useful. An object belonging to a certain class knows
just how to behave when you click it. In a nutshell, classes belong to the very
essence of an object oriented OS. Really, the only time they ever constitute a
letdown is when they're totally redundant. I refer once again to those horrid
traces left by apps we long ago erased from our system's hard disk memory and
our own. Many programs register their own classes when installed or run for the
first time - but unfortunately, those classes don't get deregistered when you
dump the applications which required them. Special tools like Harald Wilhelm's
SOM/WPS Class Browser perform this chore for you. Yet another source of
cluttering up vanquished!


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Configuring Service Center ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 To configure Service Center, you need to enter an application for each of the
tasks you wish to be able to perform. As an example, I've pre-configured
ConfigEdit to run the system editor e.exe with the parameter c;\config.sys. The
path and parameter specification may be wrong (depending on whether you've
actually installed OS/2 on your C drive or elsewhere), but it gives you an idea
of the syntax -i.e., if you're using parameters, leave a space after the .exe
file name before entering them, just as you would on the command line.

 Press Check, if you're not so sure whether your entry is correct. Path and
filenames will then be scrutinized for you. Press Done when you're ready. Your
changes will take immediate effect.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Using FreeMem ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 FreeMem forces OS/2 to reorganize its use of ram. The effect is often a marked
increase in the amount of free physical memory. However, this does not always
lead to an improvement of your system's performance. I've even found that it
can slow things down if used too often in one session. Correct use is therefore
a matter of trial and error! FreeMen may be most useful if you're multitasking
heavily and want to free up ram for the application running in the foreground.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Using the Process Killer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Sometimes, a process will 'hang' so badly that its window cannot be closed. The
Process Killer can close such an application. Simply mark its name in the list
and press Kill - but be careful! Some processes on the list aren't really
separate applications, but part of the WPS. Shoot them down, and you knock your
desktop cold as well!


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Using InstWatch ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

InstWatch will only work if you prime it directly before installing a program
and check the results immediately afterwards. By default, it will write these
to a log file, so that you have a record of alterations made by programs you've
installed (should you wish to deinstall one).