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- SYSINFO2.PRG -- (C) 1994 Toad Computers -- Version 2.10
- =======================================================
-
- NOTE -- This is version 2.10 of this program. This adds new features
- to version 2.00. Changes include:
-
- - Now parses STraight FAX! Preference File when
- the new 'STFax Setup' Button Is Selected
- - Makes 'flags' for file listings more unix-like
- - Compatible with even more modems
-
- Enhancements made in version 2.00 over v1.60:
-
- - New Interface Dialog
- - Ability to select specific test sections,
- so as to shunt those that your computer
- finds distasteful
- - Proper Detection of Mag!x (MagiC) Multitasking
- - Works with GVC Rockwell/Exar Modems
- - Fix of User Info Dialog Bug
- - Periodic Flush of Test File - Helps Track Down Crashes
- - Detection of Atari Clipboard
- - Works on quiet, non-verbose modems
- - Capture of AT&V Modem Profile
- - Easier to Dance to
-
- Enhancements made in version 1.60 over version 1.51:
-
- - Compatible with Newer Supra Modems
- - Includes Dialog for Storage of User Info in Output File
- - Detects Caller ID on Practical Periph. Modems
-
- Enhancements in version 1.51 over version 1.05:
-
- - Change of name to SYSINFO.PRG (from MODEMTST.PRG)
- - Addition of System Testing Capability
- - Works with Intel Class 2 Modems
- - Works with USR Sportster Modems
- - "Active" Status Bar Tells You What's Happening
- - Addition of Digital Sound Effects in About Box (oh boy!)
-
- Enhancements in version 1.05 over version 1.02:
-
- - No Crashes with EXAR based FAX modems (TKR)
- - Tests for buffer size and flow control
- (This information may be saved to disk
- or printed using the PRINT button, but
- will not be displayed in the dialog box.)
- - Addition of HOLIDAY FESTIVAL '93 announcement
- at end of program. Includes mention of the
- release of STRAIGHT FAX 2.1 at that event.
-
- Enhancements in version 1.02 over version 1.0:
-
- - Support for SendFAX Modems
- - Support for ZOOM Class 2 Only Modems
- - Support for Best Data Products "Smart One" Modems
- - Improved Support for US Robotics Modems
- - Improved Support for Voice-Mail Modems
- - Ability to save modem features in an ASCII file
- - Probably some other things I can't remember
- But Aren't Really Important
-
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- WHY THIS PROGRAM IS CALLED SYSINFO
-
- This program started out as a modem tester, to give you (and
- us) more information about your modem. We realized that this in itself
- was not only interesting information, but could also be very
- instrumental in helping us to diagnose and solve compatibility
- problems between certain modems and STraight FAX!
-
- We decided that we could then add another dimension to this
- program by allowing it to inspect and report on your entire system
- configuration -- everything from your TOS version to your GDOS version
- to your AUTO folder, and much more! So we put together a set of
- routines that would do this testing.
-
- The tests are quite comprehensive. We even test for many
- rather obscure TSR's and cookies (in the cookie jar). We renamed the
- program to SYSINFO.PRG so that people would realize that this is now a
- SYSTEM INSPECTOR rather than just a modem tester. Of course, the modem
- test function still remains and is more compatible than ever!
-
- So now, this program will produce a readable ASCII text file
- (usually under 10K long, called SYSINFO.TXT) that will give us, and
- you, comprehensive information about your system. By allowing us to
- look at this wide-angle snapshot of your system, we will be able to do
- an even better job of diagnosing any incompatibilities you may
- encounter. And between the two of us, we may be able to eliminate
- incompatibilities as we know them!
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- RUNNING THE PROGRAM
-
- This program is a freebie for all current and prospective owners of
- STraight FAX!. It will test your modem to see what features it has,
- how fast it can go, and where its firmware came from. You can print
- out this information. It will then proceed to inspect your system
- configuration, and will save its findings (along with results from the
- modem test section) to the readable ASCII text file SYSINFO.TXT.
-
- It works on all ST/TT/Falcon computers and has been tested on a Mega
- STE, 1040STE, 1040STF, TT030, Falcon030 and Gemulator.
-
- It has an attractive 3D interface when used on the Falcon030 or under
- MultiTOS/Geneva. (Oooh... Excitement!) It works best in a 640 x 400 or
- better graphics mode (ST High, TT Medium, Falcon, etc.), but it
- will also work in medium resolution.
-
- To run this program, simply double click on it. You must run it from
- an 80 column graphics mode.
-
-
- THE MAIN TEST SCREEN
-
- Upon loading the program, you will be presented with a dialog box,
- consisting of several buttons. They are as follows:
-
- Test: Modem --> Select Port
- TOS
- GDOS
- Auto Folder
- Desk ACCs Select All
- STFax Setup Select None
- CPX Files
-
- Begin Testing Exit About
-
-
- Select Modem: To Run Modem Tests.
- TOS: To Run ROM / System Related Tests.
- GDOS: To Run GDOS Related Tests.
- Auto Folder: To List AUTO Folder Files.
- Desk ACCs: To List Desk Accessories.
- STFax Setup: To List the contents of your STraight FAX!
- preferences file. Only run this if you have
- STraight FAX! installed on your system!!
- CPX Files: To List Your CPX Files.
-
- Select Port: Allows selection of alternate serial ports
- on machines that have them. This button
- does not appear on machines with only
- one serial port.
-
- Select All: Selects ALL Test Sections.
- Select None: Deselects ALL Tests Sections.
-
- Begin Testing: Starts the tests you have selected.
-
- Exit: Leaves the program without testing.
-
- About: Takes you to the exciting about screen
- with the digital sound effects. <grin>
-
-
- THE MODEM INFORMATION SCREEN
-
- If you select the modem test, you will see your modem information
- after the tests are completed. This is the same screen we've had in
- previous versions of this program and it gives you a quick look at
- your modem's properties. For a fuller description, including the
- complete AT&V profile, look in the SYSINFO.TXT file.
-
- When you're done ogling this screen, click on "Continue Testing," or
- if you want to retest the modem, click on "Retest Modem." Simple
- enough, eh?
-
- After clicking on "Continue Testing," if you have selected any other
- tests, a status bar indicating thier progress will appear on the
- screen. Again, the results of the tests are written into the
- SYSINFO.TXT file.
-
- A dialog box will appear which will allow you to enter your name,
- address, and other vital statistics into the program for inclusion in
- SYSINFO.TXT. This is helpful if you wish to send the file to us (via
- FAX or e-mail) for technical support. You may either fill out this
- form and select "OK" or select "SKIP" to skip this section.
-
- The program will then take you through a couple of more "ad" dialogs
- and will exit the program, returning you to your desktop. The
- SYSINFO.TXT file is created in the same directory from which you ran
- SYSINFO2.PRG and can be printed, FAXed, e-mailed, edited, fried or
- boiled at your discretion.
-
-
- MODEM Test Results -- WHAT DO THEY MEAN?
- ========================================
-
- This program tests several characteristics of your modem. They are:
-
- CLASS: What class is your modem?
-
- Class 0 (Data) -- All modems are Class 0. This means that
- they are capable of data communication.
-
- Class 1 (FAX) -- If your modem has only Class 1 FAX
- compatibility, it will work only with
- STraight FAX! 2.0. Previous versions of
- STraight FAX! do not work with Class 1
- only modems.
-
- Class 2 (FAX) -- If your modem has Class 2 capability, it
- is compatible with older versions of
- STraight FAX! as well as the new
- STraight FAX! 2.0.
-
- Class 8 (Voice)- Some new modems are capable of processing
- voice sound data and sending it to your
- computer. This will be used in a future
- Voice Mail program from NewSTar Technology
- Management and Toad Computers. ZOOM VFDX
- and some ZyXel modems will test as Class 8.
-
-
- CALLER ID: Do you have it or not?
-
- Some FAX modems based on the Rockwell chipset, as well as
- some others, support Caller ID service by reporting the
- caller's phone number to the computer immediately after
- the first ring. Of course, you must have Caller ID
- service for this feature to work.
-
- Modems that are likely to have this are the Supra 144LC,
- Supra v.32 bis, Supra v.32, ZOOM VFDX, etc.
-
-
- FAX SPEED: How fast can you fax?
-
- Class 2 FAX modems typically can send and receive at the
- same baud rate. Class 1 only modems, however, sometimes
- have different speeds for send and receive. On Class 2
- modems, this program will report one rate for both
- send and receive. (Example: 14,400 Send / Receive)
-
- On Class 1 only modems, it will report two rates, even
- if they are the same. (Example: 14,400 Send / 14,400 Receive
- or 9600 Send / 4800 Receive)
-
- This parameter cannot be tested on SendFAX or data modems.
-
-
- SILENT ANSWER: Do you have it or not?
-
- Some FAX modems support a feature called Silent Answer which
- allows you to share a phone line for both FAX and voice calls.
- Note that this feature does require you to have an answering
- machine on the line, and you should consult your modem manual
- or your manual for STraight FAX! to properly use this rather
- complex (and oft misunderstood) feature.
-
- Most Supra 14,400 FAX modems have this feature.
-
-
- CHIPSET: Who's it made by?
-
- On a Class 2 FAX modem this program will ask your modem who
- made its chipset. Class 1 FAX modems don't understand this
- question, so we ask it another question which may give us
- a clue about the manufacturer of the modem. So, your
- results for this will vary from modem to modem, and from
- Class 1 to Class 2.
-
- Likely answers will be along the lines of:
-
- ROCKWELL: V.32AC (Class 2)
- or (C) 1992, 93 Supra Corporation (Class 1)
- or Sierra V4.01 -09/28/1990 (SendFAX)
-
-
-
- FIRMWARE INFO: What are the numbers?
-
- Every modem has "firmware" which is essentially a computer
- program that tells it what to do and when. This firmware
- is often a socketed ROM or EPROM which manufacturers may
- change from time to time as they encounter incompatibilities
- and add features. Sometimes the revisions from one firmware
- version to another are minor. Sometimes they are major
- (such as adding Caller ID & Silent Answer). This will tell
- you what version of firmware you have, and you may be
- able to use this information when you're tracking down
- bugs or wondering why certain features are missing.
-
- It is sometimes possible to buy upgrades to newer versions
- of firmware from manufacturers, but you wouldn't want to
- do this unless you knew you had to. This will give you
- specific firmware information that you can use when you
- call a manufacturer, requesting information about
- upgrades.
-
- This information may also sometimes be useful for
- STraight FAX users who are requesting technical
- support from Toad Computers. We may be able to trace
- certain problems back to certain firmware revisions
- with this information.
-
- The answer I get with a Supra 144LC (10/19/93) is:
-
- V1.80-02c TR14-JXXX-001 216
-
- Your results, of course, may vary considerably.
-
-
- TESTED ON: When are you doing this?
-
- Provided your system clock is set right, this field
- will tell you when (what day & time) you conducted
- the test. This is helpful if you send a printout
- to Toad Computers for STraight FAX! tech support
- because it will give us an idea of when you actually
- tested your modem.
-
- This field does not appear on screen -- it only
- appears on the test printout.
-
-
- IS IT COMPATIBLE WITH STraight FAX!?:
-
- If it's compatible with STraight FAX, it will tell you.
-
- In short:
-
- Class 1 only is compatible ONLY with STraight FAX! 2
- Class 2 is compatible with all versions of STraight FAX!
- SendFAX modems are compatible with all versions of STraight
- FAX!, for sending FAXes only.
-
-
- BUFFER SIZE:
-
- Most FAX modems have a certain amount of RAM internally
- which are used to buffer data input and output. The
- amount of buffer your modem has an effect on how well
- your modem will operate in situations where timing
- is critical and processor time is at a premium.
-
- Knowing the buffer size on your modem may help us to
- better diagnose any problems you encounter when using
- STraight FAX!
-
- This field is not displayed in the main test dialog,
- but is saved or printed when you use the PRINT button
- from the main dialog.
-
-
- FLOW CONTROL:
-
- Most FAX modems support hardware flow control of some kind.
- This allows for error-free communication with your computer,
- and is sometimes referred to as RTS/CTS handshaking.
-
- Again, knowing whether or not your modem supports flow
- control will give us more information when diagnosing
- technical problems with specific modems.
-
- This field is not displayed in the main test dialog,
- but is saved or printed when you use the PRINT button
- from the main dialog.
-
-
- PROFILE:
-
- When your modem operates, it uses a "stored profile" as
- the basis for all its settings. When you type ATZ to
- reset the modem, this profile is what is loaded into its
- brain. By looking at this profile, we can see how your
- modem is configured by default. To change your stored
- profile, use (in most cases) the AT&W0 or AT&W1 commands,
- depending on whether you want to write to profile 0 or 1.
-
- ======================================================================
-
- GROUP: Qu'est que c'est?
-
- Many people get CLASS confused with GROUP when referring
- to FAX devices. They are different. GROUP refers to the
- standard which is used to determine the arrangement of
- data in a FAX transmission.
-
- CLASS refers to the standard that describes the set of
- modem commands (and the amount of work the computer must
- do) when sending a FAX.
-
- As we have seen, FAX Class can be 1 or 2 (or both).
- A new Class standard will be out next year called Class 2.0
- and is an extension of Class 2. STraight FAX! is
- not compatible with Class 2.0 at this time, (nor is this
- program), but we intend to make that part of a future upgrade.
-
- GROUP is at this time ONLY 3 (sometimes written III). If you
- are talking about FAXes (on _this_ planet) then right now
- you're talking Group III. Future group standards may define
- things like color FAXes, etc.
-
- Right now, though, Group is a non-issue. They're all
- Group III.
-
-
- ======================================================================
-
- SYSTEM Test Results: What exactly is tested?
- --------------------------------------------
-
- As of this version (2.00), the following tests and inspections
- are performed on your system:
-
-
- Under the TOS Section:
- TOS Version
- TOS Country
- TOS Date
- TOS Start Address
- GEMDOS Version
- AES Version
- Number of Tasks Supported
- GDOS Version
- Machine Type
- FPU Present
- Blitter
- Available ST RAM
- Available TT RAM
- Boot Drive
- Installed Drives
- Number of Floppies
- Screen Resolution
- No. Of Serial Ports
-
- MiNT Version
- Geneva
- NeoDesk
- Atari Hard Disk Driver Information
-
- Snapshot of CPU registers at time
- of last bus error, if one is detected
-
- Cookie Jar Contents
- Environment Variables
- Listing of all Serial Port Information
- Atari Clipboard Information
-
- TSR's:
- Serial Fix
- GEM ENV
- Universal Item Selector
- STraight FAX! Manager
- Atari Mouse Accelerator
- PowerDOS
- NVDI
- JARxxx Cookie Jar Manager
- Selectric File Selector
-
- Under the GDOS Section:
- GDOS Printer Driver Information
- GDOS Path
- GDOS Character Bitmap Cache Size
- GDOS Data Structure Cache Size
-
- Under the AUTO Section:
- Auto Folder Contents
-
- Under the Desk Accessory Section:
- Desk Accessory Folder Contents
-
- Under the CPX Section:
- CPX Folder Contents
- Installed CPX Modules
-
- WHY WE BROKE THIS DOWN INTO SECTIONS THAT YOU CAN TURN ON AND OFF:
-
- We found that certain software / hardware combinations caused
- some of our tests to crash some of the time. Now, if the program is
- giving you trouble, turn off suspect test sections and try again. If
- you cause the crash to go away, then we know where the problem is.
-
- We suggest running with all tests enabled. Scale back only
- when this seems not to work.
-
- ======================================================================
-
- CAVEAT FOR USERS OF MiNT / MULTITOS:
-
- This program has been tested with version 1.04 of MultiTOS and
- has been found to function properly. However, when running MultiTOS,
- if you also have STalker loaded as a desk accessory, the OS Bconout()
- call breaks and crashes the system. To fix this problem, you must
- rename STalker (to .ACX) and reboot. I found this out the hard way.
-
- I thought there was actually something wrong with my program
- until I took the time to write another small program that did nothing
- but send a character out via Bconout. Boy was I surprised when _that_
- trashed the system. So I tracked it down... This does not happen under
- regular TOS -- even if STalker is fully enabled. I dunno, kids...
-
- ======================================================================
-
- As I said, this program is a freebie from Toad Computers. Report any
- incompatibilities, bugs, suggestions, or questions you find or have
- to:
-
- TOAD on GEnie or call our
- support BBS at (410) 544-6999.
-
- And remember, STraight FAX may be ordered online (by sending e-mail
- to the above address) or on the phone at (800) 448-8623 (orders only).
- For technical information regarding STraight FAX, call (410) 544-6943.
-
- You may order STraight FAX! 2.2 from Toad Computers for $79.95.
-
- The Suggested U.S. Retail Price is $109.95. __Save $30 TOADAY!!__
-
- ======================================================================
-
- SYSINFO.PRG -- WRITTEN BY DAVID TROY with CERTAIN PORTIONS (C) 1994
- NewSTar Technology Management -- (C) 1994 TOAD COMPUTERS
-
- THIS PROGRAM MAY BE FREELY DISTRIBUTED AS LONG AS IT IS UNMODIFIED AND
- IS ACCOMPANIED BY THIS TEXT FILE. THANKS!
-
- TOAD COMPUTERS - 570 RITCHIE HIGHWAY - SEVERNA PARK, MD 21146-2925
-
- AMERICA'S ATARI SOURCE! CALL FOR OUR NEW CATALOG!
-
- (800) 448-8623 Orders Only
- (410) 544-6943 Information
- (410) 544-1329 FAX
- (410) 544-6999 BBS
- (410) 544-0098 TOADFAX Fax-Back Service
-
-
- *** Where can you find Gribnif, Oregon Research, ICD, Anodyne
- Software, Current Notes, Steinberg Jones, Binary Sounds, MajicSoft,
- STraight FAX! and a host of other Atari developers -- not to mention
- the entire friendly staff of Toad Computers?
-
- YOU GUESSED IT! --- Toad Computers Holiday Festival '94!
- December 3 & 4 1994 at Toad Computers!
- Don't miss out on the biggest Atari event of '94!
-
- Call (410) 544-6943 for more information! Thanks!
-
- ======================================================================
-