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Explosiv 2.0TM
The DOS and Windows
Graphic Screen Saver
SHAREWARE VERSION
AS THIS IS SHAREWARE AND NOT FREEWARE, A PAYMENT OF $20.00 U.S.
IS REQUIRED IF YOU USE EXPLOSIV PAST AN INITIAL TRIAL PERIOD
(NOT TO EXCEED 30 CALENDAR DAYS). SEE THE FILE ORDER.FRM FOR
DETAILS.
THIS VERSION OF EXPLOSIV IS A TRIAL VERSION. IT WILL ONLY FUNCTION
A LIMITED NUMBER OF TIMES BEFORE IT HAS TO BE RELOADED INTO MEMORY.
YOU MUST REGISTER TO GET THE UNRESTRICTED VERSION. THE FULL
VERSION FEATURES EXPLOSIV FOR DOS AND WINDOWS WITH 16 BEAUTIFUL
DISPLAYS.
Explosiv copyright (c) Reidar Gresseth & Chris Hook 1990, 1991.
1992. This product may be distributed freely to users. It may not
be or packaged, either individually, or as part of any other
product without the express written consent of the authors. All
financial remunerations must be paid to the authors. This product
may not be changed or altered and then distributed without the
express written consent of the authors.
DISCLAIMER: Explosiv is offered on an as-is-basis without any
guarantee as to the correct functioning or fitness for specific
purpose. The authors believe this program to work as described
but the program is used at your own risk. The authors
will not be responsible for any hardware or software damage, loss
of data, or incidental or consequential damage that may result
from its use, whether or not such use is in accordance with
the instructions.
All payments and/or enquiries regarding this program should be
send to ( see the file order.frm for details ) :
Hook and Gresseth
P.O. Box #3013
Vancouver, B.C. Canada
V6B 3X5
INTRODUCING EXPLOSIV 2.0
Explosiv 2.0 is the one screen saver that addresses all your
DOS(R) and Microsoft(R) WindowsTM computing needs. You will
find Explosiv 2.0 both entertaining and practical as
beautiful displays save your computer screen from harmful
burn-in. Compatible on machines running DOS 3.x and up,
Windows 3.x and up, and PC networks, Explosiv 2.0 is designed
to take care of your monitor without getting in the way of the
work you need to do.
The DOS version of Explosiv 2.0 is a TSR (Terminate and Stay
Resident) program that loads into memory when you like (for
example, automatically at boot up time) and stays out of
your way until you want it to come on. Occupying from 1 to
16 KB of memory (which can be loaded above the 640KB limit),
the DOS version of Explosiv 2.0 renders beautifully animated
displays. In fact, if you like, you can invoke the full
screen user interface and just point and click on the displays
you want to see. Just sit back and watch the show!
The Windows version is a full-fledged Windows 3.0 application
that perform the same functionality as its DOS counter
part; that is, to give the user beautiful and animated
displays while adding an important level of protection to
your computer equipment. In addition to a highly intuitive
MS Windows 3.0 standard user interface - complete with
operation and demonstration modes - Explosiv 2.0 for Windows
also includes the additional feature of password protection
- an important security feature for users on stand-alone and
networked PCs who need a level of confidentiality when not
attending their machine.
INSTALLATION
Installation of Explosiv 2.0 for DOS and Windows is quick
and easy. Simply insert your diskette and type install.
You will then be greeted by a full screen menu that will
request information about the type of installation you would
like best.
The options are:
1. To install Explosiv for DOS and Windows
2. Install Explosiv for DOS only
3. Install Explosiv for Windows only
4. Reconfigure the DOS version of Explosiv
(This is especially useful if you find
Explosiv 2.0 for DOS conflicting with
another TSR. In that case, try changing
either/or the Multiplex value or the Hot
Key assignments).
5. Exit to DOS ( chose this option to NOT
install Explosiv 2.0 )
Assuming that you selected one of the install choices 1 - 3,
install then asks a second level of questions:
1. Which directory on your disk would you
like to install Explosiv into (if no
directory of the given name exists, the
install program will create it).
2. The directory that is on your named path
(as defined in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file)
that the executable DOS file EXPLOSIV.COM
will be installed into.
3. The directory where Windows 3.x resides.
NOTE: At all times help is available in the box displayed at
the bottom of the screen. Also, the ESC key may be pressed
at any time to terminate the install process.
Install will now create a custom version of Explosiv 2.0 for
DOS and place it in the directory you have named. If you
selected the Windows version of Explosiv 2.0 to be installed,
Windows will be invoked, a new Windows Group will be created
and Explosiv 2.0 for Windows will be placed in it. When this
is done, windows will exit and you will be returned to the
DOS command line prompt. Installation of Explosiv 2.0 will
now be complete.
If any part of the installation fails, a notice will be
displayed as to what went wrong. You must then remedy the
problem and re-install (from the distribution diskette) the
sections of Explosiv 2.0 you wish.
The steps needed to manually install Explosiv 2.0 are:
a) Create a directory on your hard drive
where you wish to install the program
files. Assume that this directory is
C:\EXPLOSIV.
b) Copy all the files from the Explosiv
disk(s) into that directory.
c) Configure Explosiv for DOS so that it
knows where to find the screen saver
modules. This is done with the INSTALL
command followed by the location of
EXPLOSIV.COM and finally followed by the
directory where the screen saver modules
have been placed. In our example the
command will be:
C:\EXPLOSIV> INSTALL EXPLOSIV.COM C:\EXPLOSIV
d) Copy EXPLOSIV.COM to a directory in your
path.
e) If you want Explosiv to run automatically
when you boot your machine insert the line
"EXPLOSIV -" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
f) If you want Explosiv to run automatically
when you run windows then append
"C:\EXPLOSIV\WX.EXE" to your load line in
WIN.INI.
g) Start Windows and create the Explosiv
Program Group using the Windows Program
Manager.
USING EXPLOSIV 2.0
THE DOS VERSION
Explosiv 2.0 consists of two different products. First there
is Explosiv 2.0 for DOS, a modular TSR screen saver with a
full screen interface. To invoke the DOS version of Explosiv
simply go to the DOS command line prompt and type:
C:\> EXPLOSIV
and the full screen interface will be invoked. Or alternatively,
to invoke Explosiv 2.0 for DOS WITHOUT invoking the menu system,
simply enter:
C:\> EXPLOSIV -
If the full screen method of starting Explosiv 2.0 for DOS
is used, then a combination of mouse and/or keyboard strokes
will allow you to move about the menu and make the desired
choices. The choices to be made are:
1. Which display you want to select as the
active screen saver.
2. How many things you want Explosiv 2.0
for DOS to save for you once it becomes
active as a screen saver.
NOTE: Most of the selections in this box
will be set for you automatically. If,
for example, you find that you are exper-
iencing certain restoration problems,
such as a loss of special fonts or mouse
pointers after returning from Explosiv,
then set the "font" option. As a side
effect, Explosiv will become larger in
memory.
3. Determine what display parameters you
want to set. Explosiv sets reasonable
parameters by default, but you can make
some of the displays faster, slower,
denser, or sparser by modifying these
controls.
4. Determine at what time you wish Explosiv
to be invoked (i.e., after what period
of inactivity).
5. Save the new settings, or Cancel and
leave the settings unchanged.
The full screen interface for Explosiv 2.0 for DOS can also
be used as a module demonstrator if you wish. Simply invoke
Explosiv and select a particular display by clicking the
mouse on the display name, or by hitting the RETURN key once
the cursor is on top of the desired display. A demonstration
of the display will be shown (in full screen mode) until you
hit a mouse button or keyboard key.
THE WINDOWS VERSION
To start the Windows version of Explosiv 2.0, do one of the
following:
1. Choose Explosiv 2.0 For Windows to be
activated during the install procedure.
2. Modify you WIN.INI file (usually found
in your WINDOWS directory) with an ASCII
editor (such as EDIT.COM as provided
with MS-DOS 5.0) and append the name
WX.EXE at the end of the load = line.
For example, if you installed Explosiv
2.0 into the Hard Disk directory
C:\EXPLOSIV, you would then append
C:\EXPLOSIV\WX.EXE at the end of the
WIN.INI file line that starts with the
keyword load = .
3. Invoke Explosiv 2.0 for Windows by double
clicking on the icon within the Explosiv
group in the Windows Program Manager.
This will run Explosiv 2.0 for the current
Windows session ONLY.
Once started, you can set, modify, and view all parameters
through the Explosiv Icon menu-driven Dialog Boxes.
There are two important menu choices to be made after clicking
on the Explosiv Icon:
1. The Explosiv Setup Icon Menu Choice:
This leads to a group of three Dialog
Boxes; the Main Box (displayed after
clicking on the Icon Menu choice), the
Display Options Box (displayed after
clicking on the Options... button in the
Main Dialog Box), and the Password Box
(displayed after clicking on the
Password... button).
2. The About Explosiv Icon Menu Choice:
This displays a simple box that gives
reference to Date and Authors of Explosiv 2.0.
The Setup Dialog Box controls are similar in functionality
to those from the DOS version of Explosiv 2.0. To begin
with, the Select Display: Box contains a scrollable list of
display choices. Clicking the mouse on a choice makes that
choice the active display. The Select Time: Box contains a
scrollable list of times, ranging from 1 to 30 minutes.
Clicking on a value causes that time to be the time to
activation for Explosiv. The Screen Saver On: Box indicates
whether or not Explosiv will come on as a Screen Saver at
the Activation Time. Clicking on this Box toggles the Screen
Saver On and Off. The Demo Button lets you get a preview of
any of the selected displays. This button should be clicked
On SLOWLY.
The Options... Button opens up a new Dialog Box, which contains
more customized controls, if the user so wishes.
The Display Options Dialog Box contains two Mouse Corner
groups. Clicking on any one corner will make the corresponding
corner on the screen either :
1. The corner in which the screen saver is
INSTANTLY activated from (the group to
the left indicates this action).
2. The corner in which, if the mouse is so
placed, the screen saver will NEVER come
on, even at the activation time.
Next are two scrollable boxes that allow:
1. The rate of Delay to be set. If you find
a particular display too fast to your
liking, increase the Delay Rate from between
0 to 3.
2. The Number of Objects. This is not active
in all displays, but the displays that do
use this control will increase the number
of displayed objects as the number value
selected increases (ranging from 1 to 9).
NOTE: For many of the displays, selecting
a value GREATER THAN 6 will give you a
randomly varying display. This is especially
effective in the GYRO display.
Finally, there is the Detect Mouse Movement Box. Toggling
this On or Off (by clicking on it with the Mouse) either
Enables or Disables the screen saver to turn off via a
movement of the mouse. This is especially useful for unstable
situations, such as laptop computing. Also, some Graphics
Co-Processor boards work better when the Mouse Movement
Detection is turned off.
The Password Dialog Box, the last of the Dialog Boxes, is
opened up by clicking on the Password... Button. To enter a
BRAND NEW password, type in your new password in the Enter
Password: Box, then repeat it in the Confirm Password: Box.
Finally, Click on the Accept button to permanently set your
new password. If you made a mistake in either your original
or confirmation entries, a failure sign will show up on the
Accept button. Just start all over again. If your password
was successfully entered, the Accept button will display a
Success message.
NOTE: Passwords can be up to 9 characters in length, and can
be any combination of ASCII characters, including numbers
and symbols. Also, upper and lower case of the same letter
are seen as two different values to the password program.
To change a password, first enter your old password in the
Old Password: Box, and then proceed as outlined above for
entering a FIRST TIME new password. If any error is made
(i.e., the Accept button indicates a Failure), just start
the entire process over again.
After you have successfully entered (or changed) a password,
the Password On: Button is enabled. If this button is selected,
then a Password Box will pop up and ask you for your password
every time an activated screen saver display is halted (eg., by
a mouse movement, button click, or keyboard key press). At
that time, you enter your password and then click on the
Accept button, or click on the Cancel button to immediately
start the screen saver display again. If nothing happen, the
Password Prompting box disappears after 8 seconds, and the
screen saver display resumes activity.
SPECIAL THINGS TO WATCH FOR
Some special things to be aware of include:
a. When a DOS program is running in graphics
mode, Explosiv 2.0 for DOS WILL NOT display
the currently selected module, but rather
will simply blank the screen. This insures
the best possible restoration of any given
graphics state (this may occur even in text
mode if Explosiv cannot reliably determine
the systems' graphic state).
b. Explosiv 2.0 for Windows DOES NOT WORK
in Real Mode (with or without expanded
memory) in Windows 3.0. It is to be used
in Standard or Enhanced Modes only. If
you try to start Explosiv 2.0 for
Windows in Real Mode, Explosiv will
simply terminate itself with a
explanitory message.
c. Explosiv 2.0 for Windows may cause a
problem when returning from a DOS Prompt
session on some machines running Windows 3.0
in STANDARD MODE (this restriction does NOT
apply to 386 or Enhanced mode Windows).
To avoid this situation, close Explosiv 2.0
before you click on the DOS Prompt icon.
After returning from the DOS Prompt session
under Windows Standard mode, simply
click on the Program Manager's Icon of
Explosiv 2.0 and Explosiv will pick up
immediately where you last left off.
d. Explosiv 2.0 for DOS will NOT ACTIVATE
when Windows 3.0 is running unless Windows
is running in Real Mode. To disable
this (as it could produce undesirable
side effects), enter the line:
EXPLOSIV OFF
before you start up windows in Real Mode
(i.e., win /r), and then enter:
EXPLOSIV ON
after exiting the Windows Real Mode
session. This could easily be made into
a batch file if need be.
e. If you are doing large file transfers
over a serial communication line in
Windows, it is advised that you use the
CLOCK display.
This display will not impede your file
transfers to any noticeable degree. The
discus display may slow the transfers
down to some degree.
f. If you are using a Hercules monochrome
display and are unsure as to whether or
not your program is in graphics mode,
set Explosiv off before starting the
program to give maximum compatibility
with the underlying program
(alternatively, you can try the +on and
-on option as well).
g. Explosiv 2.0 for DOS has certain Hot Key
assignments that are very important.
They are:
1. Ctrl-Alt-Shift. This key combination
starts Explosiv 2.0 immediately.
2. Ctrl-Alt-E. This key combination
temporarily disables Explosiv 2.0 for
DOS.
3. Ctrl-Alt_B. This key combination
Enables Explosiv 2.0 for DOS after it
had been previously disabled.