ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 …eeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)/ProfitPress-MegaCDROM2.B6I/UTILITY/4DOS/4DOS401P.ZIP/README.DOC

Text File | 1992-06-08 | 21.4 KB | 465 lines

                                  JP Software

                           4DOS Shareware README.DOC

                         Version 4.01 -- June 8, 1992


   Copyright 1988 - 1992, JP Software Inc., All Rights Reserved.  Published
   by JP Software Inc., P.O. Box 1470, E. Arlington, MA 02174 USA, (617)
   646-3975.


   Greetings, and thanks for trying 4DOS!

   This file contains a variety of information you should read before using
   4DOS, including:

          * Changes in version 4.01
          * Files included with this version
          * Installation instructions
          * Upgrading from a previous version of 4DOS
          * Technical support
          * Bulletin board support

   If you have tried a shareware copy of 4DOS and want to place an order,
   see the product and ordering information in the file ORDERINF.DOC, or
   call us at [phone] (USA only, orders only please!) or (617) 646-
   3975.  The order form is included separately in the file ORDER.FRM.

   For complete installation instructions, see page ?.  These instructions
   cover installation procedures for both new 4DOS users and for those
   upgrading from a previous version of 4DOS.

   The license agreement which governs your use of 4DOS is included
   separately in the file LICENSE.DOC.  Please read it before ordering.
   The text is written in plain English, and clearly explains your rights
   and responsibilities as a user of 4DOS.

   This file is formatted at 58 lines per page, and contains form feeds and
   page footers.  It can be viewed with a file viewer such as the 4DOS LIST
   command, or printed on most PC printers using the command:

            copy readme.doc prn

   Printing it with a program that formats the pages is not likely to work
   due to the formatting included in the file.





                                                               (6/92-4.01A)



   4DOS 4.01  [6-8-92]            README.DOC                         page 1



   Changes in Version 4.01

      Version 4.01 is a maintenance release designed to fix minor bugs and
      address compatibility problems.  There are only a few feature
      changes.  For a list of changes in this version, and a summary of
      changes between versions 3 and 4, see the file UPDAT401.DOC.  If
      you're a new 4DOS user, you can skip UPDAT401.DOC.

      Be sure to read the installation instructions in this file before
      installing 4DOS 4.01.


   Files Included with 4DOS 4.01

      Please note that the way your copy of 4DOS is "packaged" will vary
      depending on the distribution method (5.25" disk, 3.5" disk, or on-
      line).  In general there will be two 5.25", 360K disks, or one 3.5"
      720K disk.  On-line copies will be in two .ZIP files:  one (usually
      4DOS4D.ZIP or 4DOS401D.ZIP) containing 4DOS.DOC and ASCTAB.TXT, and
      one (usually 4DOS4P.ZIP or 4DOS401P.ZIP) containing all other files.
      If you have an on-line copy and have only one .ZIP file, check to be
      sure you are not missing the manual or other files before installing
      4DOS.

      ZIP files distributed by JP Software will display the message
      "Authentic files Verified!   # VHJ325   JP Software Inc." when they
      are unzipped.  If you do not see this message, the ZIP file you are
      using has been modified.  This does not necessarily indicate a
      problem (for example, some BBS sysops "brand" 4DOS with their BBS
      name using software from us; 4DOS ZIP files on these BBSes will not
      show the JP Software verification message).  However it does alert
      you to the fact that the file has been changed since it was created
      by JP Software.

      The following files are included with this version of 4DOS (numbers
      in parentheses refer to notes at the end of the list):

          4DOS.COM            4DOS program file
          4DOS.DOC            Complete 4DOS manual
          4DOS.HLP            4DOS help text
          4DOS.ICO            Icon file for running 4DOS under Windows 3.0
          4DOSM.ICO           Same as 4DOS.ICO but for monochrome systems
          4DOS.PIF            PIF file for running 4DOS under Windows 3.0
          4HELP.EXE           4DOS help program
          ALIASES             Sample aliases
          APPNOTES.DOC        Information on using 4DOS with other products
          ASCTAB.TXT (1)      ASCII table for optional inclusion in the
                              4DOS manual
          BRAND4.BTM (2)      4DOS batch file for branding version 4.01
                              using version 3 BRAND.EXE
          HELPCFG.EXE         Color configuration program for HELP.EXE



   4DOS 4.01  [6-8-92]            README.DOC                         page 2


          KSTACK.COM          Memory-resident program used by the 4DOS
                              KEYSTACK command
          LICENSE.DOC         The 4DOS shareware license agreement.
          ORDER.FRM           4DOS shareware and upgrade order forms
          ORDERINF.DOC        Ordering and product information
          README.DOC          This file
          SAMPLES.BTM         Sample 4DOS batch files (all samples are
                              included in one file)
          SUPPORT.BBS         Information on Channel 1, the independent BBS
                              used for 4DOS support
          SYSOP.DOC           4DOS information for BBS sysops
          TOUR1.BTM           Batch file used for the 4DOS "tour" (see
            and TOUR2.BTM       chapter 3 of the manual)
          UPDAT401.DOC        Information on changes in 4DOS 4.01
          VENDOR.DOC          4DOS information for shareware disk vendors


      (1) ASCTAB.TXT contains a complete ASCII table for pages 336 and 337
      of the 4DOS ASCII manual in 4DOS.DOC.  See the installation
      instructions below for details.

      (2) Included only with electronic copies of 4DOS.  Shareware copies
      on diskette are sold for new customers only and are not used for
      upgrading previous versions, so this file is not required with
      diskette copies.


   Installation and Upgrade Instructions

      (These instructions do not cover diskette installation, because when
      4DOS is installed from diskette this file is not visible until after
      installation is complete.)

      Whether or not you presently have 4DOS installed, create a new
      directory for 4DOS 4.01 (do not install it in the same directory as a
      previous version of 4DOS).  Decompress your downloaded 4DOS 4.01
      files into this directory.  You can print the manual, or any 4DOS
      documentation file (including this one), by copying it to the printer
      with a command like this:

            copy 4dos.doc prn

      The documentation files are formatted at 58 lines or less per page,
      and contain form feeds and page footers.  Printing them with a
      program that formats the pages is not likely to work due to the
      formatting already included in each file.

      Please note that the manual is quite long (over 360 pages!).  If you
      don't want to print it it can be viewed on-screen with a file viewer
      such as the 4DOS LIST command or LIST.COM.  Much of what's in the
      manual is also available in the 4DOS HELP system.  However the HELP
      system is organized primarily for quick reference, and may not be the



   4DOS 4.01  [6-8-92]            README.DOC                         page 3


      best way to get an overview of 4DOS's features or to learn about a
      topic in depth.

      The ASCTAB.TXT file is separate from 4DOS.DOC because many printers
      can't handle the control codes it contains.  If you wish you can
      print ASCTAB.TXT on your printer if possible, and paste it into the
      manual.  However you should be aware that the control codes in this
      file may not print properly, so the output may not be intelligible at
      all!  As an alternative, there is a complete ASCII table in the on-
      line 4DOS HELP system.

      To test drive your copy of 4DOS see the instructions in Chapter 3 of
      the manual (the "Tour").  To install it completely, follow the manual
      installation instructions in Chapter 2, disregarding the discussion
      of extracting files from the diskettes.

      BE SURE YOU HAVE A BOOTABLE DOS FLOPPY DISK (as described at the
      beginning of Chapter 2) before installing 4DOS on your system.  This
      is not because 4DOS is likely to cause trouble.  It's because a
      mistake in the system startup files (CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT), or
      a power failure or other disturbance during installation, could
      prevent your system from booting properly.  While such problems are
      rare, any time you modify CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT you should have
      a bootable floppy disk handy so you can recover if necessary.

      If you are upgrading from a previous version of 4DOS, note that 4DOS
      4.01 can be run in "test drive" mode over 4DOS versions 3 and 4.0, so
      you can test the new version before fully installing it.  4DOS 4.01
      should always be installed in a different directory (or if you have a
      floppy-disk system, on a different disk) than any earlier version of
      4DOS.  Installing in the same directory as your old version will
      overwrite old 4DOS files with new ones.  Since these files are used
      when your system boots, overwriting them can cause trouble if you
      make a mistake, or if you are upgrading from version 3 and have not
      changed CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT for new 4DOS version 4 options.


   Upgrading from 4DOS Version 4.0 to Version 4.01

      If you have 4DOS version 4.0, read the notes below before installing
      version 4.01.  If you are upgrading from 4DOS version 3, see the next
      section.

      Be sure to go over the changes in version 4.01, in the file
      UPDAT401.DOC, before you start using it.

      To upgrade from 4DOS 4.0 to 4.01, make the following changes in your
      system configuration:

          * Modify the SHELL= line in CONFIG.SYS to reflect the new
            directory where 4DOS.COM is stored.  Make a similar




   4DOS 4.01  [6-8-92]            README.DOC                         page 4


            modification to any SET COMSPEC statements you have in
            AUTOEXEC.BAT or other batch files.

          * Modify any line in AUTOEXEC.BAT which loads KSTACK.COM to
            reflect the new directory where KSTACK.COM is stored.

          * If you keep any 4DOS startup or exit files (4DOS.INI, 4START,
            or 4EXIT) in your 4DOS directory, be sure to move or copy the
            old files into the directory where 4DOS 4.01 is stored.  (If
            the files are in the root directory of the boot drive they do
            not need to be moved.)  Also be sure to modify any path
            information in these files to reflect the new directory for
            4DOS (for example, if you have a HelpPath directive in 4DOS.INI
            you may need to change it to point to the new directory for the
            4DOS 4.01 copy of the 4HELP program).

          * If you use OS/2 2.0, be sure that any DOS_SHELL settings you
            have explicitly set to 4DOS in your DOS session icons are
            modified to reflect the new directory where 4DOS.COM is stored.
            The DOS_SHELL setting is accessible from the "DOS Settings"
            button on the Session page of the Settings notebook for the
            icon.

          * Use your BRAND program to brand your new copy of 4DOS 4.01 with
            your name and serial number.  If you have the version 4.0 brand
            program and a brand ID card from JP Software, simply copy
            BRAND.EXE to your 4DOS 4.01 directory, run it, and enter the
            information from the card.  If you have an older version 3
            BRAND program, see the section below on "Branding with the
            Version 3 BRAND Program".

      Once you've made these changes, you can reboot your system and you'll
      be running 4DOS 4.01.


   Upgrading from 4DOS Version 3 to Version 4.01

      Be sure to read the summary of changes since version 3, in the file
      UPDAT401.DOC, before you start using this new version.

      We have made some changes to command syntax and switches in version
      4, both for DOS 5 compatibility and in the course of implementing new
      features.  You should learn about these changes as some commands may
      not work exactly the way you're used to.  The change summary in
      UPDAT401.DOC should give you the information you need.

      To upgrade from 4DOS version 3 to version 4.01, you'll need to make
      all of the following changes:

          * Remove any old SHELL= line from CONFIG.SYS and replace it with
            a new SHELL= line, following the instructions in chapter 2 of
            the manual.  Be sure you change the path on the SHELL= line to



   4DOS 4.01  [6-8-92]            README.DOC                         page 5


            point to your 4DOS 4.01 files!  Note that most of the
            parameters that used to be set on the SHELL= line are now set
            in 4DOS.INI.

          * Remove any DEVICE=KEYSTACK.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS.  Instead,
            include a line in AUTOEXEC.BAT to load the new memory-resident
            program KSTACK.COM, which replaces the old KEYSTACK.SYS.  You
            may load KSTACK high using any memory manager with a load high
            capability, and you may load it from CONFIG.SYS with INSTALL=
            if you are familiar with this method of loading TSRs.

          * Be sure to remove any line(s) in AUTOEXEC which SET the COMSPEC
            to point to the old version of 4DOS.  This is very important
            because if these lines are left in you may end up running a
            copy of version 3.03 as a secondary shell with version 4.01 as
            a primary shell, which will NOT work (see note above).  You
            probably don't need to replace the old SETs with corresponding
            SETs for version 4.01, because version 4.01 sets the COMSPEC
            automatically.

          * If you need to change the 4DOS configuration defaults, create a
            4DOS.INI file in the same directory where 4DOS.COM is stored.
            See Chapter 6 of the manual for complete details on the wide
            variety of configuration options available in 4DOS 4.01.  We do
            recommend that you get your system up and running under version
            4.01 with only the necessary items in 4DOS.INI (for example,
            increased alias or environment size, or a change in the default
            swapping type) before trying out new configuration options.

      If you now run 4DOS version 3, then version 4.01 is a major upgrade.
      If you purchased version 3 with a printed manual and are entitled to
      a free or low-cost upgrade to version 4, the BRAND program you used
      to brand your old copy will also brand version 4.01, converting your
      downloaded copy from a shareware to a registered copy (see below for
      detailed instructions).  If you do not have a copy of BRAND, you
      purchased 4DOS from a publisher outside the US with a different
      upgrade policy.  Contact the publisher or your dealer for upgrade
      information.

      If you are not entitled to the upgrade, see the upgrade order form at
      the end of the ORDER.FRM file.  Order one of the "standard upgrade"
      items from that form to obtain your upgrade, including a new copy of
      BRAND.  Once you've ordered the upgrade, you can continue to use this
      shareware copy until your order arrives.


   Branding with the Version 3 BRAND Program

      Your version 3 BRAND.EXE will not work directly with version 4.01,
      because it is designed for the version 3 file names (4DOS88.EXE and
      4DOS286.EXE), whereas the file to be branded for version 4.01 is
      4DOS.COM.  If you order an upgrade to version 4.01 (with or without a



   4DOS 4.01  [6-8-92]            README.DOC                         page 6


      printed manual) from JP Software, it will come with a newer copy of
      BRAND which can be used instead of your old copy.  In the meantime,
      the following procedure explains how to use your old BRAND so that it
      will work on this shareware copy of version 4.01.  This procedure
      assumes you are working from a downloaded copy of 4DOS and have the
      BRAND4.BTM file, rather than using a shareware diskette which does
      not have this file (shareware disks generally are not used for
      upgrades).  If you are using a shareware disk to upgrade your copy of
      4DOS, follow the manual BRANDing instructions below and ignore the
      references to BRAND4.BTM.

          (1)  Change to the directory where your 4DOS version 4.01 files
               are stored.

          (2)  Find your old 4DOS registered disk and copy BRAND.EXE from
               that disk to the directory where your 4DOS 4.01 files are
               stored.

          (3)  To BRAND version 4.01 automatically, enter the command:

                    BRAND4

               to run the BRAND4.BTM file which comes with shareware copies
               of 4DOS and follow the instructions on the screen.
               BRAND4.BTM will only work if it is run from 4DOS -- it
               cannot be used from COMMAND.COM.

          (4)  To BRAND version 4.01 manually, rename 4DOS.COM to
               4DOS286.EXE, run BRAND and enter the serial number from the
               label on your old registered disk, and then rename
               4DOS286.EXE back to 4DOS.COM.  (This procedure will work
               even if you have an 8088-based system).

          (5)  When you run BRAND (either automatically or manually) you
               should see two messages:

                    Cannot brand 4DOS88.EXE -- file not found
                    4DOS286.EXE branded successfully

               If you see a message indicating a "brand installation
               error", you probably are not entitled to brand this upgrade.
               You can order an upgrade from JP Software


   Technical Support

      We support 4DOS in our own CompuServe area, section 10 of the PC
      Vendor B forum (GO PCVENB), and in the ibm.vendors/4dos conference on
      Bix.  If you are not currently a CompuServe subscriber, consider a
      special offer CompuServe has made to 4DOS users:  call 1-800-848-8199
      (outside the US and Canada call 614-457-0802) and ask for operator




   4DOS 4.01  [6-8-92]            README.DOC                         page 7


      178 to receive a free CompuServe introductory membership, including
      user ID, password, and a $15 connect time credit.

      Our CompuServe ID for direct access to our technical support
      personnel is 75300,1215.  Use this ID for technical support issues
      only.  If you have direct CompuServe access please use the PCVENB
      forum (as opposed to Mail) whenever possible.  For technical support
      via BixMail send your mail to "jpsoft"; on the Internet send mail to
      [e-mail].

      Support is also available by phone [phone]), fax (617-646-
      0904), and mail (JP Software, PO Box 1470, E. Arlington, MA 02174).
      Telephone support hours and availability may vary depending on our
      current staffing pattern and workload; there may not always be a
      support representative available when you call, in which case we will
      take a message and call you back.  We return calls as soon as
      possible, and our policy is to return all calls within at most 24
      hours (weekends and holidays excepted).


   Bulletin Board Support for 4DOS

      4DOS product support is always available on our support BBS, Channel
      1 in Boston.  Channel 1 is an independent BBS (not operated by JP
      Software) which has generously offered to provide a home for 4DOS BBS
      support.  Phone [phone] to access Channel 1 at 2400 baud; other
      phone numbers are available once you sign up.  To download 4DOS files
      join conference 5 and then download the file you need.  The file
      names for the latest version of 4DOS are 4DOSxxD.ZIP (the manual),
      and 4DOSxxP.ZIP (all other files), where "xx" is the version (e.g.
      4DOS40P.ZIP).  You will be able to download 4DOS files even if they
      appear to be too large for your remaining time on the board.

      If you have access to a local bulletin board which is a member of any
      of the major BBS networks (RIME / PC Relay, InterLink, SmartNet, or
      FidoNet), you can obtain support by leaving messages in the network's
      4DOS conference.

      4DOS is distributed directly to over 150 bulletin boards worldwide by
      JP Software, and is uploaded to many more.  It is impossible for us
      to list the enormous number of boards that have the latest version of
      4DOS, but we encourage you to check your favorite BBS, or use Channel
      1.  If you are a BBS sysop, see SYSOP.DOC for information on
      obtaining a copy of 4DOS for your BBS.











   4DOS 4.01  [6-8-92]            README.DOC                         page 8