Windoware/WINDOWARE_1_6.iso/miscprog/winhlp/winhlp.txt

Text File | 1991-02-06 | 28KB | 674 lines

I note that many questions about Windows 3 appear regularly every
few weeks in threads on different network.  I thought it might be
useful to post a summary for beginners and to refresh the
memories of other more advanced users (and those who forgot to
save the topic!).  This list was originally compiled by Tom
Happenen of the University of Waterloo - to whom we offer thanks.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT WINDOWS


TABLE OF CONTENTS

    1.  Windows newsgroups
    2.  Free Windows applications
    3.  Getting Windows video drivers
    4.  Using a mail server instead of ftp
    5.  Windows memory requirements
    6.  Standard mode vs. 386 enhanced mode
    7.  Running Windows 2.x applications
    8.  DOS in a window
    9.  Environment space in DOS sessions
    10. Lotus 1-2-3 under Windows

    11. QEMM/386 with Windows *
    12. Protected-mode software vs. Windows
    13. Windows, MKS Korn shell and switchar *
    14. Windows network compatability
    15. Using COM3 or COM4 from Windows
    16. Accessing the mouse in DOS sessions
    17. Using TSRs for DOS sessions
    18. 256 colors in Windows
    19. Windows communications programs

    20. Changing an application's icon
    21. Creating new icons
    22. Icon and bitmap directories
    23. Installing new fonts
    24. FaceLift, ATM and TrueType *
    25. Converting a GIF or MS-Paint file to a bitmap
    26. Using a bitmap as wallpaper
    27. Permanent swapfiles and using SUBST
    28. Installation problems with SHARE
    29. Windows and large hard disks

    30. Using Windows as "runtime" only
    31. Windows Terminal and using the keypad
    32. Date/time in Notepad
    33. Using x87 math coprocessors with Windows
    34. Starting up Windows applications in a different directory
    35. Free system resources
    36. Automatically opening applications on Windows startup
    37. Windows opening logo
    38. Using a mouse with DOS applications



1.  Why are there two newsgroups for windows?

     comp.windows.ms.programmer is for discussion about
     developing Windows software. It is not intended for
     discussions about Windows software or for questions about
     the Foobar SVGA drivers. comp.windows.ms is for any Windows
     discussions that do not concern development of Windows
     software.


2. Are there free Windows applications available? How can I get
them?

     Yes, there are quite a few. Of course, there is always
     CompuServe (which has a LOT of them) and your local BBS, but
     for us net.junkies the Windows Heaven is located at
     cica.cica.indiana.edu, and is accessed using a program
     called "ftp". This program is accessible from most Internet
     sites, but is not usable through uucp links. If you do have
     ftp available to you, follow the instructions below to
     connect to cica; do not type in the // comments!

     $ ftp cica.cica.indiana.edu        // make connection
     Connected to ... blah blah blah         // cica responds
     Userid (user@cica): ftp            // enter "ftp" as userid
     Password: real_userid@site         // enter your own userid
     ftp> tenex                    // for binary transfers  ftp>
     cd /pub/pc/win3               // where the goodies are
     ftp> get ls-ltR                    // get the current
     index     ftp> quit                // we're done
     $ _

     Of course, you can get multiple files at a time -- read the
     ftp man page for more information. Please do not access
     cica.cica.indiana.edu between 8am and 6pm EST to prevent
     overloading the system. If your ftp program complains about
     an unknown site, you can substitute the numeric address,
     129.79.20.22, for cica.cica.indiana.edu in the ftp command.

     Remember that shareware is not free: register the software
     you use to encourage the development of more low-cost
     software.


3. Are there Windows drivers available for my Frobozz Super VGA
Turbo X clone display card?

     First, unless the card is one of the major brands (ATI,
     Orchid, Paradise, Video-7) find out which chipset the card
     has, either by looking at the manual or the card itself.
     Then check the /pub/pc/win3/video directory at cica for the
     appropriate driver. The generic SVGA driver will let you use
     800x600x16 on just about any SVGA card as long as you can
     find out the appropriate video mode number. Finally, if you
     get desperate, you could call up your video card
     manufacturer/vendor and ask them why the drivers were not
     included with the card, and to send them to you.


4. Is it possible to use a mail server instead of ftp?

     There are a number of sites that archive the Usenet sources
     newsgroups and make them available via an email query
     system. You send a message to an automated server saying
     something like "send comp.sources.unix/fbm", and a few hours
     or days later you get the file in the mail.

     There are several sites that will perform general FTP
     retrievals for you in response to a similar mail query. For
     information on using one of them, send a message like this
     to [e-mail] :

     request: info
     topic: help-ftp
     request: end

     (NOTE: this server is currently "down for repairs". No
     estimate on when or if it will return.)

     And for info on another one, send this message to
     [e-mail] :

     help

     Please be considerate, and don't over-use these services. If
     people start using them to retrieve hundreds of megabytes of
     GIF files, they will probably disappear.


5. How much memory do I need to run Windows?

     The more the better! You can run in real mode with 640K
     (assuming you don't have a lot of device drivers or TSRs),
     but many large applications will run *very* slowly. Standard
     mode requires 1 MB, but 2 MB is much better. For 386
     enhanced mode, you need a minimum of 2 MB. However, you
     should really have 3-4 MB available for good 386 enhanced
     mode performance, especially if you wish to run several DOS
     sessions. In addition to the memory above, you might wish to
     have a disk cache (such as SmartDrive, included with
     Windows) to improve Windows performance. Some applications
     (such as WingZ, Excel or Word for Windows) are either
     impossible or impractical to run in real mode due to lack of
     memory.


6. Is there any advantage to running in standard mode instead of
386 enhanced mode?

     Yes -- speed. Windows run substantially faster in standard
     mode than in 386 enhanced mode. You lose virtual memory, but
     if you have sufficient physical memory and don't have a need
     to run DOS applications, you may be happier in standard
     mode. Do remember, though, that some applications require
     386 enhanced mode (wdeb386 is one example).


7. Can I run Windows 2.x applications in 3.0?

     Yes. If you run in real mode, the applications behave just
     like in 2.x, but have somewhat less memory available to
     them. If the applications are "well-behaved", they will also
     run in standard and 386 enhanced modes, but Windows will
     first warn you with a "nag" message that the application
     wasn't written for Windows 3.0. If you run a ill-behaned
     application in standard or 386 enhanced mode, the
     application will likely crash with Unrecoverable Application
     Error.

     If you have a 2.x application that runs well in all modes,
     you can mark it Windows 3.0-compatible using either the
     mark3.exe (?) or the nonag.exe utility. Both are available
     freely by ftp.


8. Can I run DOS in a window?

     Strictly speaking, you're running DOS even when you're in
     Windows. However, you can run a command.com session from
     Windows. In real mode, you are limited to a single session.
     In standard mode, you can have multiple sessions, but they
     must still run full-screen. In 386 enhanced mode, you can
     have multiple sessions, and they can run in a window.

     You can control the starting up in a window vs. full-screen
     by setting up a .pif file for the program (command.com or
     otherwise). You can also switch the state by pressing Alt-
     Enter.


9. Why do I run out of environment space when I run a batch file
in a DOS session?

     When Windows starts up a DOS session, it by default gives it
     an environment of 224 bytes, or the space required to hold
     your current environment, whichever is larger. If you need
     more space, there are two methods of circumventing this. In
     order of desirability:

     1.   Use a .pif file for each DOS application you run. In
     this you can specify the environment size by using the
     /e:nnn option (see your DOS manual). You will need a
     separate DOS file for each program. (You can, however, just
     create a command.pif with a suitable /e:nnn, and then
     specify in the win.ini a line such as
          [Extensions]
          bat=command.pif ^.ksh
     With this, you can create batch file icons freely, and still
     get the options specified in command.pif.

     2. Specify a dummy variable such as DUMMY1=xxxxx.... before
     starting  up Windows. Then, as the first thing in each DOS
     session, do set DUMMY1=  to reclaim the space used by DUMMY1
     for other environment variables.


10. Does Lotus 1-2-3 work under Windows?

     Versions 1.x, 2.x and 3.1 run in all modes, but do not
     support any of the features of the Windows environment. For
     all intents and purposes, version 3.0 doesn't run under
     Windows. [Buy Excel or WingZ instead! --ed.]


11. Can I use DesqView/386 or QEMM/386 with Windows?

     You can use versions 5.0 of QEMM/386 and below with real-
     mode Windows only. QEMM/386 version 5.1 provides XMS
     services for Windows, thus allowing Windows to run in all
     modes under QEMM/386, plus providing compatability with VCPI
     applications (see below). Windows will run in standard and
     real modes as a DesqView/386 task.


12. Why won't my protected-mode software run under Windows?

     Most protected-mode applications currently on the market use
     an extended-memory interface called VCPI (Virtual Control
     Program Interface), which is incompatible with Windows' DPMI
     (DOS Protected Mode Interface (?)). Microsoft went against
     an established standard in choosing DPMI, but there are
     valid technical reasons why VCPI was not chosen for Windows.
     At this point, you have three choices:

     1.   Run your protected-mode software under DOS. This means
     that you must NOT use Windows or SmartDrive before running
     your VCPI software, and may require you to have two
     different config.sys files.

     2.   Plead with your software developer to develop a
     Windows-compatible version. They should already be working
     on it anyway, given the momentum that Windows 3.0 has.

     3.   Buy QEMM/386, which provides VCPI. You'll be able to
     run your  protected-mode software as well as Windows 3.0.


13. Why can't I use Windows from the MKS Korn shell?

     There are two possible problems. First, with versions up to
     and including 3.1c of the MKS Toolkit, the use of login.exe
     precludes the use of Windows 3.0 in any but the real mode.
     To avoid this, have your machine boot directly into the Korn
     shell or command.com.

     Second, somebody at Microsoft had a brain fade, and Windows
     gets confused if it is started with a forward slash path.
     Thus, if you simply type "win" in Korn shell, the shell
     invokes Windows with something like
     "c:/usr/windows/win.com"
     and Windows doesn't know where to find itself! To cure this,
     specify an alias for Windows: I use
     alias -x win='c:\\usr\\windows\\win.com'
     Note that the double backslashes are necessary for the Korn
     shell, even inside the single quotes.

     The newer versions of MKS Toolkit allow (standard and 386
     enhanced mode) Windows to run directly from the login:
     prompt; but they still won't let you run standard/386
     enhanced Windows from the shell (if you used login). An
     updated version of init.exe is available from MKS for users
     of older versions of the MKS Toolkit.


14. Which networks are compatible with Windows 3.0?

     The following are known to work; see also networks.txt in
     your Windows directory
     Network        earliest version
     -------------- ----------------
     3Com 3 Plus    1.0
     3Com 3+Open    1.0
     Banyan Vines   4.0
     BW NFS         ?.?
     IBM PC LAN     1.1  [except server]
     LAN Manager    1.0
     LANtastic 2.57 [server can not use enhanced mode]
     Novell Netware 2.15 [shell & utilities must be version 3.01]
     Sun PC-NFS     ?.?

15. How can I use COM3 or COM4 from a Windows communication
package?

     This is a generally a problem only in 386 enhanced mode. To
     use these ports, you will need to tell Windows where they
     are located; the instructions for doing this can be found in
     the Windows readme file sysini2.txt, which should be located
     in your Windows directory. In summary, what you need to do
     is tell Windows what memory addresses and interrupts (IRQs)
     your COM3 and COM4 ports use. This should work, but is not
     guaranteed to: COM3 and Com4 are not standardized, and this
     is one of the most difficult things to get working with
     Windows. If possible, move your devices to COM1 or COM2.


16. Why doesn't my mouse work in a DOS window?

     If you are running a DOS application in a window, Windows
     will retain control of the mouse for cutting and pasting.
     You can use a mouse in a full-screen DOS session if you
     install a mouse driver by running mouse.com (either before
     starting Windows, or inside the DOS session), or by
     including 'device=mouse.sys' in your config.sys file.

     If you're running WordPerfect 5.1 inside Windows,
     WordPerfect must be *started* full-screen in order to detect
     the mouse. Once it has started, you can use Alt-Enter to run
     in a window, if you wish.


17. Why don't my TSRs work in DOS sessions?

     Some TSR programs will not work if you install them before
     running Windows. Some of them will not work if you install
     them inside a DOS session. Generally the best idea is to
     avoid TSRs completely unless you really need them. See also
     the description of winstart.bat in the Windows .txt files.


18. Can I use 256 colors in Windows?

     Yes, given two caveats: First, your display card and its
     driver must support 256 colors. Second, your application
     must know about 256 colors, as this requires palette
     switching and some additional programming. Most applications
     currently on the market only support 16 colors. In order to
     get 256 colors, your video card will need at least 320K (for
     640x480), 512K (for 800x600) or 768K (for 1024x768) of RAM.
     256-color drivers are also much slower than 16-color
     drivers.


19. Are there any good communication programs for Windows?

     Well, maybe. There is not yet a consensus about any of the
     current products. There are a number of free or shareware
     ones: Terminal (included with Windows), WinQVT, Unicom and
     WinKermit, but all have their problems and lack in some
     features. All of them are also available on cica. Commercial
     packages include DynaComm ("big brother" of Terminal),
     MicroPhone, CrossTalk for Windows and Wincomm. Again, none
     of them stands out as the perfect choice, although several
     have shown promise.



20. How do I change the icon for a program?

     Choose the item in Program Manager, and then select File
     Properties. Click on "Icon...", and then enter the name of
     the file containing the new icon. If the icon file is a DLL
     or EXE containing multiple icons, you can cycle through the
     icons by clicking "Next Icon". Click "OK", and then "OK"
     again. You can also use icons from other programs by the
     same method: just specify the name of the .exe file instead
     of an icon or DLL file.

     The icon that is displayed by the application when it is
     minimized is controlled by the application. It is not
     possible to change that.


21. Can I create my own icons?

     Yes. You can use either IconDraw (shareware) or SDKPaint (a
     part of the Windows SDK). Simply draw your icon, and save it
     as an ".ico" file.


22. Do I have to keep my icons and wallpaper bitmaps in the
Windows directory?

     Wallpaper bitmaps have to be kept in the Windows directory
     (unless you use a utility such as PaperBoy for changing the
     wallpaper). Icons may be kept anywhere; it may be convenient
     to create an ICON subdirectory under the Windows directory.


23. I installed some more fonts using Control Panel. Why can't I
access them in Word for Windows (or another application)?

     Word for Windows shows in its font menu the fonts currently
     available for the selected *output* device, not the
     *display* device. You can still use, say, vector fonts that
     you installed, by typing the name of the font in the edit
     box. Windows will draw vector fonts on the output device
     without problems -- you may or may not like the results.
     Screen fonts are also used for printing on dot-matrix
     printers.

     In some cases, you may also need to force the application to
     refresh its output device font list. The easiest way to do
     this is to do File Printer Setup, click Setup, then click
     OK, and finally OK again.


24. Do Bitstream FaceLift, Adobe Type Manager (ATM) and TrueType
really work? Are they worth the money?

     Yes, they work -- except for TrueType, which is not yet
     available. Both ATM and FaceLift also have some problems
     with Ami Professional, which does strange things with its
     screen fonts. On the whole, FaceLift will support more
     applications and output devices than ATM, but the difference
     may not be significant. FaceLift also lets you generate soft
     fonts for the LaserJet series (for faster printing); ATM
     does not give you that option. Finally, FaceLift is somewhat
     more flexible than ATM, and uses less memory. However, ATM
     can use the numerous free Adobe Type 1 fonts available free
     from places like cica.cica.indiana.edu. Both provide high-
     quality fonts and much better WYSIWYG at the cost of
     somewhat slower screen updates and slightly slower printing.

     And at street prices not much above $50, yes, both of them
     are worth the money you'll pay for them. They are
     compatible, so you can run both of them on the same system.


25. How can I convert a GIF or MS-Paint file to a .bmp to use it
as a wallpaper in Windows?

     You can save a .msp file as a .bmp from Windows Paint. You
     can convert a .gif file to a .bmp using the gif2bmp utility
     from cica. wingif 0.90 will also do a good conversion,
     including dithering 256-color images to 16 colors (rescale
     before dithering!).


26. Why won't my .bmp wallpaper display correctly?

     Well, it could be a number of reasons. The most likely are:
     1. Your .bmp file is corrupted. Try reading it into
     Paintbrush to verify that it is readable.
     2. You are trying to display 256 colors with a 16-color
     video driver.
     3. You have insufficient memory to display the bitmap. A
     800x600x16 bitmap requires 256K of memory; 1024x768x256
     would require 768K! For 256-to-16 color dithering, you may
     wish to try using PicLab 1.82 with the help of wincnv.zip
     (available from cica).


27. I can't create a permanent swapfile. What could be the cause?

     First of all, you must be running in real mode to be able to
     create a permanent swapfile. Second, You must not have any
     SUBSTed drives or Windows won't create the swapfile. Once
     the swapfile has been created, you can re-SUBST your drives.

     You also can't create a permanent swapfile on a drive
     partitioned with third-party software such as SpeedStor (see
     question 30). If you are installing on a Novell client, you
     must first disable the "receive network messages" feature
     (using the network icon in the Control Panel) and reboot.
     Once you have installed the swapfile, turn messages back on
     again.


28. Why do I get floppy drive errors installing Windows or
Windows apps?

     If you have SHARE installed, you must rename share.exe (to,
     something like noshare.exe) and reboot. Once you have
     completed the installation, you can rename share.exe back to
     its original name.


29. Are there problems with using Windows 3.0 on large hard
disks?

     Yes, but only in rare cases. Your system is at risk IF:
     - You are using 3rd-party partitioning software, such as:
          - Disk Manager (dmdrv.bin)
          - InnerSpace (edvr.sys)
          - SpeedStor (sstor.sys or hardrive.sys)
          - Vfeatures Deluxe (fixt_drv.sys)
     *AND* you are using SmartDrive as your disk cache
     *AND* your hard disk has more than 1023 cylinders

     If your hard disk has fewer than 1024 cylinders, you may
     still be at risk if the first two conditions hold true, you
     are using DOS 3.30 or later, *AND* your hard disk is not
     supported by your BIOS.

     To avoid problems, you can either stop using SmartDrive, or
     reformat your disk using the DOS FDISK utility.

     Note that in 386 enhanced mode, Windows 3.0 supports only
     ST-506, ESDI and IDE disk controllers. If you have a SCSI
     controller, you need to load SmartDrive in order to allow
     Windows to recognize your hard disk. As an alternative, you
     may insert the following line in your system.ini file, in
     the [386ENH] section:
     VirtualHDIRQ=off

     If you are still having problems, call Microsoft Tech
     Support at [phone].

     There are no problems with large partitions created by the
     FDISK program included with MS-DOS 4.0 and some versions of
     MS-DOS 3.3.


30. How can I make Windows 3.0 act like the runtime versions of
2.x, which exit Windows when you exit your application?

     You can do this as follows (the example is for Excel; others
     are similar):

     1. Create a new directory called c:\excel (it doesn't have
     to be distinct; it could be your normal Excel directory, as
     long as it's not the main Windows 3 directory).

     2. Copy the following to the new directory from the Windows
     directory:
     win.com
     win.ini
     system.ini

     3. In the new directory modify the [boot] section of
     'system.ini' by changing the shell= line to point to the
     one-and-only program you want to run. The original line
     should read:
       shell=progman.exe
     and the modified line should be something like:
       shell=c:\excel\excel.exe
     Remember to type the complete fileid of the program to be
     executed, including the '.exe' suffix.

     4. To execute the dedicated Windows session just put the new
     directory ahead of the normal Windows directory in your path
     and issue the 'win' command, or start Windows with the
     command 'c:\excel\win'.

     What we're doing here is making Windows think it's running
     on a network where the actual executable files etc. are on a
     network server, and only the basic control files (and
     win.com) are on the user's local disk.

     Note that this technique isolates any changes in WIN.INI and
     SYSTEM.INI made in the dedicated task from any changes made
     in normal Windows; this may or may not be desirable. If you
     need to keep the two flavors of Windows in sync you'll have
     to provide an outboard copy function to refresh the files.


31. How do I use the keypad in Windows Terminal?

     Press ScrollLock to toggle the keypad between local and
     remote mode. Default is local mode.


32. Why does F5 in Notepad insert only a date and not the time as
well?

     It's a bug. Maybe Windows 3.1 will fix it...


33. Does Windows take advantage of an 80x87 math coprocessor? And
what is this WIN87EM.DLL file in my Windows directory?

     Windows itself does not take advantage of a math chip.
     Windows apps, on the other hand, may or may not, depending
     on the application: Excel will, Word for Windows won't. In
     general, an 80x87 gives the greates speedup for trig/log
     type of calculations, and does not improve graphics speed in
     most cases.

     The WIN87EM.DLL is a dynamic link library which provides
     floating-point emulation for Windows applications. Any
     application which is capable of using an 80x87 will need
     this library on a machine without an 80x87.


34. How do I start up Excel or Word for Windows in a different
directory?

     To start up a Windows application in a default directory
     other than the Windows directory, you have two choices:

     i) Create a auto-execute macro for that application, which
     will change your directory upon startup.

     ii) Specify your application's path in Program Manager as
     something like "d:\u\personal\letters\winword.exe". As long
     as the application is on your path, it will be started as
     usual, but with the default directory being the one you
     specified in Program Manager.


35. What are "free system resources"? How do they differ from
free memory?

     Free system resources are things such as window handles and
     global memory block handles. You can't increase them by just
     adding more memory; the only real solution is to close some
     applications if you are running low.

     Windows 3.1 is reputed to have higher limits, and a later
     version will do away with the limits altogether.


36. How can I automatically open applications when I start up
Windows, with predefined window sizes and positions?

     You can load applications automatically in two ways:
     i. By specifying them on the load= line in win.ini. This
     will load the specified applications as icons.

     ii. By specifying them on the run= line in win.ini. This
     will load the applications with their default window sizes.
     If you need specific window sizes or positions, you will
     need to use another utility, either shareware (such as
     Layout, Command Post or Aporia) or commercial (Batchworks,
     Bridge or NewWave).


37. How do I get rid of the Windows opening logo?

     Start Windows with the command line such as "win : ". Be
     warned, however, that some people have had problems with
     this.  [A work-around has also been posted elsewhere (which
     involves substituting a logo of your choice using the WINGIF
     program to save it in RLE format - NG]


38. Why doesn't my mouse work when I run WordPerfect (or another
application) inside Windows?

     To use a mouse with a DOS application, you need to install a
     mouse driver (such as mouse.sys or mouse.com). Further, the
     mouse will not work if you are running the DOS application
     in a window, as Windows will retain the control of the
     mouse. Finally, some applications (such as WordPerfect) will
     only detect the mouse if the application starts in full-
     screen mode.