A U T O C O N Version 2.0g March 15, 1992 by Larry Weaver Copyright (c) 1989-92 Larry Weaver P.O. Box 2639 Weaverville CA 96093-2639 Office : (916) 623-5045 BBS : (916) 623-4455 _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER AUTOCON Introduction Definitions: In order to describe AutoCon, I need to establish a couple of definitions. When I use the word "reconfigure", I mean the process of updating the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files on the boot drive, followed by an optional reboot of the system. When I use the word "configuration", I am referring to an AUTOEXEC/CONFIG combination held in a record of AutoCon's database. You will use AutoCon to set up these combinations, and give each of them a familiar name. The ^ symbol denotes the Control key, so ^F3 means hitting the Control and the F3 key at the same time. Alt denotes the Alt key (tricky, huh?), so that AltR means hitting the Alt and the R key at the same time. ENTER (all caps) denotes hitting the Enter key. Description: AutoCon is essentially a database manager for your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. It enables you to keep up to fifty different configurations, and to change easily between those configurations. The first time you run AutoCon, it will create a file named AUTOCON.DAT. That file will contain five configuration records. Each record will contain a copy of the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files from the C: drive. The records are initially named RECORD01 - RECORD05. When you set up a configuration for a specific purpose, you can change the name to reflect that purpose (something like Win3 for a Microsoft Windows configuration, and SDOS for a simple DOS configuration). You can add more records by hitting the F3 key. AutoCon incorporates a full-screen editor to make it easy to change the AUTOEXEC/CONFIG records. The editor uses Turbo IDE/Sidekick/WS-compatible keystrokes. If you are not familiar with these, there is an on-line help file which details all the keystrokes. If you desire, you can change the editor keystrokes. The F6 key will pop up a key editor for this purpose. If you don't like the built-in editor, you can configure AutoCon to use a different one. The ^F6 key combination will pop up a window asking for the name of the editor you wish to run. Since the configurations will eventually be used as AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, the editor must be able to produce pure ASCII files. You can toggle between the internal and external editors with the ^F6 and the ShiftF6 key combinations. After you have established your records and names, you can reconfigure your system by entering the name of the new configuration on the command line. Typing "AutoCon Win3" would cause AutoCon to copy the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG fields of the record named Win3 into the boot drive as AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS and optionally reboot the system. In the interactive mode, you can page through the records and reconfigure (using the current on-screen configuration) with a couple of keystrokes. The AutoCon package also includes a device driver which will allow you to select different configurations during the boot process. Using this method is optional, and you can switch between the two methods with a couple of key strokes. Why AutoCon for Configuration Control: Three programs were initially responsible for the creation of AutoCon: my schematic program, my scanner program, and my programmable logic compiler. Each of these programs require various device drivers, and almost 600k of memory. When the computer is configured to run one of the three, neither of the other two will run; in addition, if the computer is configured the way I like to work with it, _none_ of the three will run. After playing with batch files for a while, I decided to write a program to make it easy to change configurations. The above scenario is responsible for the default of five records in AutoCon. I had a regular configuration, the three special configurations, and one for experimentation. After I had worked with AutoCon for a few days, I told a few of my friends about the program and they wanted to try it. After some very positive feedback, I decided to try the program out in the Shareware community. An unexpected bonus of using AutoCon became evident when I received programs with automatic installation modules -- you know, the ones that like to mess around with your AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files. Since your configurations are stored in a database, a change to the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files doesn't cause a problem. I'll use Windows to demonstrate. When I got Windows, and saw what it was going to do to my system configuration, I used my "Simple" configuration to reconfigure my system. This configuration has only the basic stuff in it (path, prompt, files, and buffers). I then let Windows install itself. After the installation was finished, I called up AutoCon and created a new configuration containing the changes Windows had made. After playing with Windows for a while, I went back to my favorite DOS configuration in a matter of moments. Now, whenever I want to run Windows, I just type "AutoCon Win3" on the command line -- and it's up and running! INSTALLING AUTOCON New Installation: To do a new installation of AutoCon, you need to copy four files (AUTOCON.EXE, AUTOCON.HLP, MENU.CTL, and MENUNUM.COM) to your hard disk. It doesn't really matter which subdirectory you copy them into, as long as it's included in the PATH statement. If you like to have files relating to booting up (such as device drivers) in your root directory, then MENU.CTL and MENUNUM.COM should be placed there, otherwise all four files may be placed in the same subdirectory. When AutoCon is started, it will first look in the current subdirectory for its Help and data files. If they are not there, then AutoCon (if you are using DOS 3.3+) will search the subdirectory it was started from. If they are not _there_, then AutoCon will search the PATH. As long as the Help and data files are in the PATH (or in the subdirectory AutoCon was started from - DOS 3.3+), AutoCon can be installed in any subdirectory. After you have copied the files, change to the subdirectory AUTOCON.EXE was copied to, and type "AUTOCON" ENTER. You will now be in the interactive mode, pointing to the name of the first configuration. This first configuration is a special one to AutoCon. Several of the default parameters are stored in this configuration. When you make changes to the first record, you will be asked whether you want to copy those changes across all the records. IMPORTANT: If you are currently using a disk cache program that buffers disk writes (PC-KWIK and PCTOOLS are two that I know of), you need to set up AutoCon to flush the cache before it reboots. Hit the F4 key, select "Yes", then enter the command (include the path if necessary) that causes your cache program to flush its buffers. In the case of PC-KWIK, it is the PC-KWIK program name followed by /F. AutoCon will execute this program before reconfiguring. AutoCon is now installed, and ready to use. Update: If your current AutoCon version is below 2.0 then the new capabilities of AutoCon require a change to the AUTOCON.DAT file, so if you are updating to V2.0x of AutoCon from 1.x you have a little more to do: you need to copy the same four files mentioned above to the subdirectory where the older version of AutoCon (which will be overwritten) is installed. There is another new file in the AutoCon package called ACONVERT.EXE. You need to change to the subdirectory where AUTOCON.DAT resides, then run the ACONVERT program. This program will rename AUTOCON.DAT to AUTOCON.SAV, then convert the file structure to work under AutoCon V2.0x. After you run ACONVERT.EXE, you no longer need the ACONVERT.EXE file, so it can be deleted. The editor has a few new capabilities which will not be available until you change the editor keys. Call up AutoCon, then hit the F6 key. If you have never changed the keys, hit AltR, and answer "Yes" to restoring the default keystrokes. If you have changed the keystrokes, page down to the bottom of the key list; you will see that there are some new keys that need to be defined. In either case, after copying the files, you will need to start AutoCon and hit the F2 key. Answer yes to update the files to the new version. MENU.CTL & MENUNUM.COM The addition of these two files to the AutoCon package changes its capabilities so much that I decided to skip versions 1.5 - 1.9 and go directly to version 2.0. MENU.CTL is a device driver which modifies the way a CONFIG.SYS file is processed by DOS. It allows AutoCon to set up a menu selection system which can be activated during the boot process. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this capability; the major advantage is that you can pick the configuration you want to use during the boot process. The major disadvantage is that your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files become quite nonstandard. If you want four choices to be available to you during the boot, then all four configurations must be embedded in the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files. Programs like Optimize (QEMM utility) will get very confused trying to work with these files; most automatic installation programs will not be able to work with them, either. I've designed AutoCon to be able to switch between the boot "menu" mode and the "single" mode with just a couple of keystrokes; this should provide the best of both worlds. When a program like Optimize (or perhaps the Windows installation program) needs to work with your AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files, change to the single configuration mode. After the program is finished, call up AutoCon, save the results in one of your configurations, and go back to the menu mode. MENU.CTL: AutoCon handles all the nitty-gritty details of interfacing to MENU.CTL. The only thing you have to do is make sure that MENU.CTL and MENUNUM.COM are in a subdirectory included in the PATH statement. To set up MENU.CTL, start AutoCon in the interactive mode (just type "AUTOCON" ENTER), then hit the AltM key combination; this will pop up a configuration menu. Select the configurations you want in the boot-up menu by moving the highlite bar over the ones you want, and hit the Enter key. The selected configurations will have a check mark in the first column. When you've finished selecting configurations, hit the Escape key. AutoCon will then ask how many seconds you want to delay (see the following note). Enter a number from 0 to 9. You will now be back in the main interactive screen. Hit the F2 key to reconfigure the system using MENU.CTL (the record on the screen will be made the boot default record -- if it was not one of the selected records, it will be added to the default list). The next time you boot, MENU.CTL will take control of the CONFIG.SYS file. If you hit a key in the default time, you will be able to choose from the configurations you selected. To go back to a single configuration, start AutoCon in the interactive mode, and hit the AltS key combination. Change to the configuration you want to boot with, hit the F2 key, and you're reconfigured, You will always be able to tell which mode AutoCon is in by looking at the bottom line on the screen in the interactive mode. If it says MENU.CTL you are in (boot) Menu mode, and if it says SINGLE you are in Single Mode. Time: When you select Menu mode, you will be asked to select how many seconds to wait during the boot process; you may enter from 0 (the default) to 9. If you select 0, when you see the MENU.CTL box pop up, you will have about a second to hit a key. If you do hit a key in this time, the menu selection will be placed on the screen. If not, the boot will continue with the default record. If you select any number except 0, you will see the following messages on the screen during the boot process: Press Esc to select -- the default record name will be here -- Press any other key to select a different configuration. Time = with a decrementing number (starting with the time chosen from AutoCon) following the = sign. When the time goes to 0, or the Esc key is hit, the default record will be used to continue the boot. In either case, if a key is hit, the menu choices will be placed on the screen and you will be able to choose the one you want with the arrow keys. The one the arrow is pointing to when the ENTER key is hit will be the configuration used for the boot process. Colors: If you don't like the colors that MENU.CTL uses when it takes control of the boot process, you can change them using the pull down menu in AutoCon. Start AutoCon, and hit the AltB combination. The four colors used by AutoCon can be changed with this menu. Select the colors you would like MENU.CTL to use, then write out the new configuration (usually with the F2 key). XMAEM.SYS: I don't have DOS 4.0, so I don't really have experience with this device driver. From reading PC Magazine, I know that DOS processes this device driver out of sequence in the CONFIG.SYS file. As a consequence, MENU.CTL will not be able to control it. MSDOS 5.0's High and UMB flags: Microsoft added a couple of capabilities to DOS 5.0 that pose a special problem for MENU.CTL. These are the DOS=HIGH/LOW and DOS=UMB/NOUMB flags. DOS processes these flags out of sequence, so that by the time MENU.CTL has taken over, it has already set itself up for their use. DOS decides how to set the flags by parsing the entire CONFIG.SYS file, and using the state of the last occurrence of the DOS= statement to set the flags. AutoCon is still able to control these flags though the method is a little unorthodox. When you are using Menu mode and MSDOS 5.0, AutoCon will place the statement DOS=HIGH,NOUMB as the last line in the CONFIG.SYS file. As a consequence, DOS will attempt to always load HIGH, and have NOUMB control. When you select a configuration via MENU.CTL, if that configuration has a DOS=LOW command in it (and no other program in the configuration has taken it), MENU.CTL will take the HMA and force DOS Low. The HMA will be released by MENUNUM runs (as soon as the AUTOEXEC.BAT file starts executing). If the selected configuration has a DOS=UMB command, then MENU.CTL will tell DOS to control the UMBs. If all of this makes no sense to you, then don't worry about it. If you are using MSDOS 5.0 and the Menu mode, just place the appropriate DOS=HIGH/LOW and DOS=UMB/NOUMB commands in each of your configurations, and AutoCon will do the rest. DRDOS: As of this release MENU.CTL (Version 1.4 or higher) if fully DRDOS compatible. CONFIG: When you switch to the Menu mode, AutoCon will do all of the work for you. It will take your selected configurations (up to 8) and create the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files that will allow you to choose during the boot process. If you look at the CONFIG.SYS file that has been set up for a boot menu, you will see all the selected CONFIG fields embedded in the files with DEVICE=MENU.CTL at the beginning of the file. When MENU.CTL is processed by DOS, it will take over and allow you to choose the configuration you want. After you choose, MENU.CTL will leave the chosen configuration intact and disable the rest. If you are using DOS 4.0+, MENU.CTL disables by changing the CONFIG.SYS commands to remarks. If you are using DOS 3.3 or below, it will disable the commands by turning them into BREAK=OFF commands. As a consequence, if you are using a DOS below 4.0, you will need to make a couple of changes to your CONFIG commands. In order to have the room to convert the LASTDRIVE, FILES, and BUFFERS commands, you will need to make the lines longer. I do this by adding an * at the end of the line, as follows: LASTDRIVE=M: * BUFFERS=10 * FILES=50 * If you don't do this, these commands will be disabled by making them unrecognized. This doesn't cause a problem: you will just see a lot of "Unrecognized command in CONFIG.SYS" lines coming out during the boot process. Note: AutoCon will also change "Unrecognized" commands to BREAK=OFF commands if there is room. This will allow you to freely place REM statements in your CONFIG.SYS file (as long as you use MENU mode). If you want BREAK=ON, you will have to add it to your AUTOEXEC fields. AUTOEXEC: The AUTOEXEC.BAT file will also contain all the selected configurations AUTOEXEC fields. At the beginning of the file will be MENUNUM.COM. This program will interrogate MENU.CTL and find which configuration was chosen. MENUNUM will set ERRORLEVEL to match the chosen menu, and an "If" statement will cause the associated AUTOEXEC to be chosen. UNRECOGNIZED COMMANDS - DOS 3.3: CONFIG.SYS files have a potential problem. If you enter the following two lines in your CONFIG.SYS file REM DEVICE=ANSI.SYS ANSI.SYS will not get loaded. Both lines will be turned into an "Unrecognized command". This is just something that DOS does, and there is nothing an outside program can do about it. Do not end a CONFIG field with an Unrecognized command. If you do, the following command will also be Unrecognized, and will definitely mess up the processing of the CONFIG.SYS file. CAUTION: When you start playing around with the Menu mode, be very careful when updating or creating a configuration. If you read in an AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file which has been set up for MENU mode, it will contain a lot of commands which will cause problems if you use it in a reconfiguration. It would be much better to copy one of the other configurations and not update from the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files. If you have managed to read and save such a configurations, you will need to edit and remove the extra statements inserted by AutoCon. If it is not obvious to you by looking at the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG fields which statements these are, then do not attempt to edit the field, simply copy one of the other configurations. Magazine Article: Just as a side note, during the development of MENU.CTL I created a simpler device driver and decided it would make a good subject for a magazine article (similar to PC Magazine's CONFIG.CTL device driver). I wrote it up, and it was published in the Sept. 1991 issue of Tech Specialist. NAVIGATING AUTOCON Okay, now you have AutoCon installed; how do you use it? Starting with version 2.0, the interactive front screen of AutoCon can be navigated with a pull-down menu. If you need to do something and can't remember the keystroke combination to get there, use the menu to find it. On the right of each menu entry is the shortcut key combination to perform the same operation. I am going to define the navigation keys in the form of the pull-down menu. DataBase Maintenance (Records AltR) Previous/Next, browse records: PgUp/PgDn allows you to page through the records one at a time. pIck Record: F10 pops up a pick-list of all the configurations, and allows you to choose one and make it current. Create Record: F3 creates a new record, and copies the control structure from record 1 and the data from the current AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files. Delete Record: ^F3 deletes the current configuration record. Note that you cannot delete record number 1, nor can you delete below the default 5 records. Read Files: F7 will cause the current record to be updated with the contents of the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files. Read file into AUTOEXEC (rd Auto ^F8): ^F8 will pop up a window asking for a file name to read into the AUTOEXEC field. In you enter wildcards, a list of file names will be popped up to choose from. The AUTOEXEC field of the current record will be replaced by the contents of the chosen file. Read file into CONFIG (rd confiG ^F9): ^F9 will pop up a window asking for a file name to read into the CONFIG field. In you enter wildcards, a list of file names will be popped up to choose from. The CONFIG field of the current record will be replaced by the contents of the chosen file. Configure and continue: ^K^D will cause all current changes to be saved. In other words, it will rewrite the AUTOCON.DAT file, the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and the CONFIG.SYS file. Change BAT drive: F8 will pop up a window to allow you to change the file the AUTOEXEC field of a configuration is written too. The default name is C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT. Change SYS drive: F8 will pop up a window to allow you to change the file the CONFIG field of a configuration is written to. The default name is C:\CONFIG.SYS. cOmpare: Alt= will compare the current configuration with the contents of the current AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files. It should be noted that, if you are using the MENU.CTL device driver option, this comparison will probably not be applicable. boot Type: F5 will pop up a window to allow you to change the boot type associated with a configuration. The choices are Warm, Cold, None, and External. Flush: F4 will pop up a window that will allow you to associate a cache Flush command with the current configuration record. This is necessary when the cache used in the configuration does a write cache operation (PC-KWIK and PCTOOLS both default to this configuration). cLone: AltC will allow you to clone (or copy) the contents/control of one of the other configurations to the current configuration. It will pop up a pick list of all of the existing configurations, and allow you to pick the one to copy from. If you are using the AutoCon environment variable, you will need to edit the AUTOEXEC file, and make sure the correct name is used. Update: ^K^S will save all current record changes to the AUTOCON.DAT database file. Note that it will not update the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG Files. You must use ^K^D for that. rEstore: ^K^R will abandon all changes you have made (since the last AUTOCON.DAT save) and reload the database records from the AUTOCON.DAT file. Boot Operation (Boot AltB): Single: AltS configures AUTOCON to use only the current record for reconfiguration purposes. Menu: AltM configures AutoCon to use MENU.CTL in conjunction with MENUNUM.COM to set up a selection menu to be used during the boot process. A pick list of the current configurations will be popped up, and you will be able to choose up to eight default configurations to be included. After you have chosen the eight, you will be asked how many seconds to delay during the boot process. If a number other than 0 is entered, a message will be placed on the screen during the boot process, and MENU.CTL will wait that many seconds for a key to be hit. Boot Frame: When booting under menu mode, MENU.CTL pops up some windows and this selection allows you to change the color of the window frames of those pop up windows. Boot Text: When booting under menu mode, MENU.CTL pops up some windows and this selection allows you to change the color of the text in those pop up windows. Boot Attention: When booting under menu mode, MENU.CTL pops up some windows and this selection allows you to change the color of the text used to draw your attention. This is the color of the decrementing time variable, and the color that will be used for warning messages. Boot Hi_Lite: When booting under menu mode, MENU.CTL pops up some windows and this selection allows you to change the color of the moving selection hi-lite bar used to select a boot configuration. Editor options (Editor AltE): Internal: ShiftF6 configures the current configuration to use the internal editor. External: ^F6 configures the current configuration to use an external editor. A window will pop up asking for the editor's name. You may include a path in the name, but you must include the extension (e.g., WORD.EXE or C:\WORD\WORD.EXE). The next time you edit the AUTOEXEC or CONFIG field for this record, if the external editor can be found it will be used. If it can't be found, AutoCon will switch back to the internal editor. After the external editor has been installed, it will be used to edit the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG fields from the main screen. When you move the cursor to the AUTOEXEC or CONFIG field and press enter, AutoCon will copy the current record to the current subdirectory as XYZXYZZ.XYZ (the current subdirectory must contain at least 4k of disk space). AutoCon then shells to DOS with the editor name and filename on the command line (e.g., WS.EXE XYZXYZZ.XYZ). When you exit your editor, AutoCon should restart. It will copy the XYZXYZZ.XYZ file into the AUTOEXEC field of the current record and delete the XYZXYZZ.XYZ file from the subdirectory. CAUTION!! Just to make sure there is no problem with your editor, create a new record and work with it first, before taking the chance of harming one of your current records. You may want to make a copy of your AUTOCON.DAT file and store it in a safe place until you've verified the operation of the new release. In fact, you should always keep a backup copy of AUTOEXEC.DAT. Install Keys: F6 will pop up a window that will allow you to change the keystrokes used in the internal editor. F6 may also be used while in the internal editor to see exactly which key performs which function. Save Keys: This function is really added for future action (though it is fully functional in this release). If you have modified the keystrokes to emulate your favorite work processor, how about saving them, then upload them to my BBS. Get Keys: This function will allow you to change AutoCon's editor keystrokes quickly by reading in a keystroke file. coLors AltL: Frame: AltF1 pops up a color pick window which allows you to change the color of the frames drawn around the windows on the main interactive screen. Frame Text: AltF2 pops up a color pick window which allows you to change the color of the text in the windows on the main screen. Background: AltF3 pops up a color pick window which allows you to change the color of the text and/or background of the main screen. Field: AltF4 pops up a color pick window which allows you to change the color of the fields that get updated on the screen, the configuration name, the date and time, the record number, and the select boxes. Prompt: AltF5 pops up a color pick window which allows you to change the color of the current select box. This is the color of the main screen select item that the cursor is positioned to. Edit Text: AltF6 pops up a color pick window which allows you to change the color of the text used in the editor. Marked Text: AltF7 pops up a color pick window which allows you to change the color of the text used to show marked blocks in the editor. Ctrl Text: AltF8 pops up a color pick window which allows you to change the color used to show control characters (value < 20 hex) in the edit text. Menu Frame: This menu item allows you to change the color of the frame around the pulldown menus. Note that there is no hotkey. Menu Text: This menu item allows you to change the color of menu items in the pulldown menus. Note that there is no hotkey. Menu Select: This menu item allows you to change the color of the currently selected item in the pulldown menus. Note that there is no hotkey. Menu Hi-lite: This menu item allows you to change the color of the Hi-lited select character in the pulldown menus. Note that there is no hotkey. Help fRame: This menu item allows you to change the color of the Frame drawn around the Help Window (also changes the color of one of the basic Help Hi-Lite color). Help tExt: This menu item allows you to change the color of the text in the Help Window. Help heAder: This menu item allows you to change the color of the Header on the Help window. It will also be the default color of the Help menu select color. Default: AltF10 pops up a color pick window which allows you to change all configurable colors back to the defaults. If your screen goes black, hit AltF10 followed by the Y key, and you may be able to see the screen again. Quit AltQ : Configure: F2 reconfigures the system. It will save any record changes in the database file, and create new AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files. It will then perform the requested reboot. Reboot: This menu item will cause any record changes to be saved in the database file, and force the default reboot action. Note that there is no hotkey. Exit: This menu item will save any record changes in the database file and exit without any reboot action -- a rough equivalent to hitting the ESC key. Abandon/Exit: ^K^Q will cause any current record changes to be abandoned, and AutoCon will exit without any reboot action. Restore Screen?: This function can only be reached through the pull down menu. If you set this to "NO", then AutoCon will not attempt to restore the original screen on exit. Some video combinations seem to have a problem with the restoration, so you can turn it off. Keys not in the Menu: AltV : This key combination will show you the DOS screen as it was when AutoCon was activated. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS Environment: For AutoCon to work correctly with the command-line commands, it will need to know which configuration was used for the last boot- up. There is only one sure way for AutoCon to get this information: if you are using the Menu mode, MENU.CTL will be able to tell AutoCon which configuration was chosen. If you are using the Single mode, to make sure that AutoCon knows which configuration was used to boot, you need to add a line to your AUTOEXEC fields. The line is as follows: SET AUTOCON= in which "configuration name" is the name that shows up on the front screen in the interactive mode. To make it very easy, a new key-stroke command was added to the editor. The default key is AltE. Place your cursor at the position in the AUTOEXEC field where your other SET commands are located, and press the AltE combination. AutoCon will insert the proper line in the file. Reconfigure: To reconfigure from the command line, type AUTOCON ENTER [e.g., AUTOCON WIN3 ENTER] on the command line. As long as AUTOCON.EXE and AUTOCON.DAT are in the path, the configuration will be updated, and your system will be rebooted (depending on the current boot choice). Alternatively (if you don't want to type the update name), if you type AUTOCON / ENTER AutoCon will pop up a pick list of your configurations, and you can use the arrow keys to pick a reboot configuration. If the update name is the same as the last boot name (see note above), you will be asked if you really want to do the update. Configuration Inquiry: Typing AUTOCON /? will cause AutoCon to display the name it thinks is the current configuration. This will be most accurate if Menu mode is active. It should also be quite accurate if each AUTOEXEC field has the correct "SET AUTOCON=" command in it. If neither of the above applies, it will tell you which command was last used to configure the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files, which may not be the configuration that was used for the last boot. Specific Update: Typing AUTOCON / ENTER [e.g., AUTOCON /WIN3 ENTER] will cause the named configuration to be updated from the current C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT and C:\CONFIG.SYS files (or your selected BAT and SYS filenames). If MENU.CTL is in use, you will be asked if this is really what you want to do. Generic Update: For those of you who like to live dangerously (all of us from time to time?), typing "AUTOCON /*" will update the current configuration (the last one used to reconfigure) from the current C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT and C:\CONFIG.SYS files (or your selected filenames). This command will be ignored if the system was booted with MENU.CTL. Equal Check: Typing "AUTOCON /=" will report on whether or not the current configuration record is equal to the current record in the database. Batch File Errorlevel Check: Typing "AUTOCON/@" will set the Errorlevel to 1 if "" was the one used to boot the system. This function will set the errorlevel only: there will be nothing shown on the screen. For full accuracy, see the Environment note above. NOTES AND HINTS Editor Keys: I will be enhancing the editor in the next release, so I'm not going to expend a lot of energy on the Editor Help function in this one. To find which key does what when you are in the editor, hit F6 and you will see each action the editor is capable of and the key assigned to that action. You may also change the default keys while in this mode. The next release will add pulldown menus and a much better Help section to the editor. If you are unable to call up the Edit Key function while in the editor, go back to the main screen, hit F6 to pop up the key editor, hit END, and you will see a function called Install Editor Keys. Assign the default F6 key to this function -- or any other key you like. If you assign another key, the F6 key will still call up the editor from the main screen, and the assigned key will work inside the editor. Boot Notes: Versions of AutoCon before 2.0 allowed one boot choice for all configurations. From this version on, you will be able to select a boot choice for each configuration. AutoCon is initially configured with a warm (or soft) reboot. Some machines have a problem with the warm boot (usually those with a large hard disk, and a large hard-disk partition manager) and need a cold boot instead. If you have a reboot problem, hit F5 and change to a cold boot. This change will be saved in the AUTOCON.DAT file, and AutoCon will perform a cold boot (you'll see the memory being checked) in the future. Some hardware is so strange (or the software has put the CPU into such a strange state -- Windows 3 386Enhanced mode) that even a software cold boot doesn't suffice. If this is the case, then hit F5 and change to no boot. This last will require hitting ^AltDel after AutoCon is finished. A couple of add-in processor cards (plugging a 286 expansion card into an XT) come with their own reboot program, and some people have developed their own reboot utilities to handle special hardware and/or software needs. For these people, there is another choice for rebooting. They will need to hit F5 and change to an External Boot. You will need to enter the program name that performs your reboot. BAT and SYS Files: AutoCon is initially configured to copy the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG fields to the C drive. For various reasons, some people do their real boot from a drive other than C. The F8 key will allow you to change the designated drive (and file name) the AUTOEXEC field is copied too. The F9 key performs the same function for the CONFIG field. The new destination files will be saved to the AUTOCON.DAT file, and used in all future configurations until you change them again. Starting with this version, the BAT and SYS files will be set with each configuration. Until I make some large changes in the next version, this will allow you to edit (and keep a database of) files other than the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG. LCD Users: If you have a computer with an LCD screen, set your mode to BW80 (this is mode 2 for you technical people) before starting AutoCon; that should make the screen show up better. If you prefer, you can start in color mode, and edit the colors to something you find suitable. Screen Information: When you are in the data-entry mode, you have some information on the screen. The top line has the current date and time, as well as the name and version of the program. The second line has the information on the current record, specifically the record number, and the date and time it was last changed. The middle of the screen has an area for notes, so that you can keep track of what this particular record is used for. The bottom two lines contain help information for the current mode. The % on the bottom line of the note frame and of the edit frame indicates the how full the field is. An empty note field is 0% full. As you add note characters, the percentage will increase. (I've had some people ask.) The bottom line has some status information about the current defaults. The first word on the line will be MENU.CTL or SINGLE. This indicates whether you are using the device driver to select a configuration during the boot, or whether only a single configuration is available. The second word is either Internal or External; that indicates whether the internal or the external editor is to be used for this configuration. The next term is either Flush or No Flush; that indicates whether or not a Cache Flush command will be performed for this configuration. The Next word tells what type of boot will be performed for this configuration; the word will be either Warm, Cold, None, or External. There may or may not be a last word. If this record will be one of the default records used with MENU.CTL, then "Selected" will be written on the screen. Old Configurations: If you want to use some configurations you have already defined, and you are using the internal editor, you may read them in directly. While in the AUTOEXEC or CONFIG edit mode, if you hit F5 it will erase the contents of this field, but it checks with you first. If you then hit ^K ENTER, you will be given a chance to enter a file name to read into the field. If you use wildcard notation, AutoCon will pop up a file list for you to choose from. The selected file name will then be read into the current field. Do one of the standard exit commands (AltX, ^K X) and the field now contains the file. Do this for each of your current configurations, and you will now have the convenience of AutoCon with all your standard configurations. Alternately -- especially for those of you using an External editor -- you may read in a file from the main screen. The ^F8 key combination will allow you to specify a file name to copy into the current AUTOEXEC field, and ^F9 performs the same function for the CONFIG field. LZEXE: A new program from France has shown up on the scene; it is called LZEXE. If you use it on AUTOCON.EXE, it will reduce the size about fifty percent. I am distributing the AUTOCON.EXE file in the LZEXE format. If you have an XT compatible machine, then AutoCon may run too slow for you in this format. If this is the case, you can use the program UNLZEXE to restore it to its uncompressed format. Both LZEXE and UNLZEXE are included as a bonus on the registered disk. PKLITE: Phil Katz has also written a program which will reduce the size of program files. It is also completely compatible with AutoCon. DIET: There is also a Japanese file compressor called DIET. AutoCon has also been tested and found compatible with DIET. CONTACT If you have a problem getting AutoCon set up, or if you find a bug please let me know immediately. The primary ways to contact me are to call my office at (916) 623 5045 or (if you have a modem) my 24 hour BBS at (916) 623 4455. The modem on the BBS is a 9600 BAUD CompuCom Speedmodem Star. It supports CSP, V32, and V42 protocols. You may also contact me on CompuServe at 72460,3072 or on GEnie as L.WEAVER1. I check them both at least once a week, and I'm quite often on CompuServe two or three times a week. I'm also open to suggestions for improving AutoCon. A lot of the current features have been the result of requests made by my users. FUTURE I think that AutoCon is maturing as a program, and that its direction is becoming clear. It has changed so much from the original release that I doubt anyone running version 1.0 would recognize it as the same program. Where is AutoCon going in the future? Well, I have several ideas in mind for enhancements. You will also have a hand in the future directions. I have discovered that I can't anticipate all of your needs. You will have to tell me what changes and enhancements you would most like to see. The biggest set of enhancements I have in mind will concern the editor. I had a lot of ideas for this release which did not pan out; you can check the Changes file for the reasons why. I will add a pulldown menu system to the editor, and give it split-screen capability. I hope to reduce the size as well. Now that AutoCon is approaching its final form, I can start to optimize a lot of the code in it. LICENSE This version of AutoCon is NOT public-domain nor free software, but is being distributed as shareware. AUTOCON is copyright (c) 1989-92 by Larry Weaver. Non-registered users of this software are granted a limited license to make an evaluation copy for trial use on a private, noncommercial basis, for the express purpose of determining whether AutoCon is suitable for their needs. At the end of this trial period, you should either register your copy or discontinue using AutoCon. What does all this really mean? If you use this program, then you should pay for your copy. That way I'll be able to provide you support and updates, and stay in business. An AutoCon registration entitles you to use the program on any and all computers available to you. All users are granted a limited license to copy AutoCon only for the trial use of others and subject to the above limitations. This license does NOT include distribution or copying of this software package (a.) in connection with any other product or service, (b.) for general use within a company or institution, or (c.) for distribution in modified form, i.e., the file containing this license information MUST be included, along with the full AutoCon documentation. Operators of electronic bulletin board systems (Sysops) are encouraged to post AutoCon for downloading by their users, as long as the above conditions are met. If you are the distributor of a public-domain or user-supported software library, you may be eligible to distribute copies of AutoCon. You must meet all the above conditions and acquire written permission from Larry Weaver before doing so, however. Please telephone or write for details. ASP Requirement The program author, Larry Weaver, is an active member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). The ASP wants to make sure that the Shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a Shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting that member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but he does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon MI 49442, or send a CompuServe message via EASYPLEX to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. DISCLAIMER Larry Weaver hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this product, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Larry Weaver cannot and will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect, or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if Larry Weaver or an authorized Larry Weaver agent has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall the liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to use this software, regardless of the form and/or extent of the claim. The user of this program bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software. Use of this program acknowledges this disclaimer of warranty. ORDERING INFORMATION An AutoCon registration licenses you to use the product on a regular basis. Users need register only one version of AutoCon; registration includes licensed use of all upgrades. Registered users can always get the current version of the program at a nominal fee ($8.00 as of this writing) by calling or writing Larry Weaver. Individual registrations for AutoCon cost only $15. CORPORATE SITE LICENSES AND QUANTITY PURCHASES All corporate, business, government, or other commercial users of AutoCon must be registered. A site license is available for a one-time charge of $120.00 for the first one hundred (or fewer) users/machines fewer) and $100 for each additional one hundred (or fewer) users/machines. Note: with a site license (if you also purchase the upgrade), only one copy of the program will be sent. You will be responsible for distributing additional copies. ALL PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. Please use the enclosed order form when placing an order, or print out the file REGISTER.PRN. Even if you don't register, how about some feedback? You can reach me as 72460,3072 on CompuServe, or as L.WEAVER1 on GEnie, (916) 623-4455 -- Support BBS. ------------------- REGISTRATION ---------------------- Please support AutoCon! Thank you for your support. Remit To: Larry Weaver P.O. Box 2639 Weaverville CA 96093-2639 --------------------------- You must check one registration option, and one disk option! --------------------------- _ |_| AutoCon Standard registration ($15.00 -- no disk sent) $______ _ |_| AutoCon Site License and Registration (no disk sent) $120.00 for the first 100 (or fewer) users or machines 100.00 for each additional 100 (or fewer) users or machines $______ --------------------------- _ |_| AutoCon Upgrade to the newest version ($8.00; $10.00 foreign) $______ Registered users only _ |_| Subscription plan for REGISTERED users ($21.00; $26.00 foreign) $______ (Receive the next three updates of AutoCon, as they become available. This fee is in addition to the $15.00 or $120.00 registration.) --------------------------- _ |_| Printed Manual ($8.00) $______ If you desire, I will print out the AUTOCON.DOC file and send it to you. You can achieve the same results by printing it out yourself, but several people seem to want this. --------------------------- "Foreign" means outside the USA and Canada; the extra charge covers postage. _ _ Payment by: |_| Check or |_| Money Order enclosed. TOTAL in USA Funds. $______ Foreign checks are acceptable if they have the US Federal Reserve Routing Number on them, use the current exchange rate. _ _ Disk Type: |_| 5 1/4" (normally sent); |_| 3 1/2" required Name ___________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Day Phone: _________________________ Eve: ______________________ Compuserve ID: _____________________ _ Invoice Required |_| P. O. Number: ______________________ ------------------------ User comments ------------------------- I acquired AutoCon V2.0g from [ ] - Friend [ ] - Software product [ ] - Computer Club [ ] - Computer Store [ ] - Data Base Service [ ] - Support BBS [ ] - Electronic BBS - Please give phone no. _____________ [ ] - Other (please specify) ___________________________ I would also appreciate any input you would care to provide concerning AutoCon. If you have any ideas or comments which would make AutoCon a better program, please let me know. I value your comments! Comments and/or suggestions: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________