This file contains the latest information relating to SoftWindows, Version 2.0
1. Contents
==========
• What's New in SoftWindows
• Memory settings - for best performance
• More Performance Tips - Getting the best out of SoftWindows
• Other Tips
• SoftNode - Networking Support for SoftWindows
• CD-ROM Support
• External floppy drive support
• Miscellaneous
• Acknowledgements
• Your Comments Please
2. What's New in SoftWindows
===========================
2.1 Version 2.0
--------------
SoftWindows 2.0 for Power Macintosh offers these key features introduced:
• 486 compatibility
- SoftWindows now provides emulation of the 486 processor, allowing you to run all of the current generation of Windows applications that require Enhanced mode.
• Windows sound support
- SoftWindows now allows you to record and play back digital samples in the standard Windows waveform format. For example, you can use the Windows Sound control panel to choose a high quality digitized sound to identify key events, such as when an error occurs.
• Scriptability
- SoftWindows can now be controlled using AppleScript. For example, you can write a script to run SoftWindows, run an MS-DOS application, and then read information displayed by that application.
• Apple Guide
- SoftWindows now includes Apple Guide Help, a step-by-step guide to using each of the main features of SoftWindows. Note that you need System 7.5 or later to use Apple Guide.
• Automatic Upgrading
- SoftWindows will now automatically update a hard disk file created by an earlier version of SoftWindows or SoftPC, and build a new hard disk file containing your existing Windows and MS-DOS applications and files.
• Improved Graphics Support
- SoftWindows now supports SVGA graphics, the standard adopted by the majority of MS-DOS and Windows applications.
3. Memory settings - for best performance
======================================
The amount of memory that you dedicate to SoftWindows is set up by the SoftWindows installer, depending on the amount of free memory available on your Macintosh and the options you select during installation.
This determines three key features:
i) The maximum amount of PC memory available to your PC applications
ii) The maximum size and depth you may specify for the Windows desktop
iii) The performance of SoftWindows.
Stated simply, the more memory you give to SoftWindows, the faster it will be, and the more PC applications you will be able to run. However, devoting a large portion of your Macintosh memory to running SoftWindows will limit your ability to run other Macintosh applications simultaneously.
If you want to dedicate more memory to SoftWindows:
• Make sure SoftWindows is not running: Quit SoftWindows if it is.
• Select SoftWindows in the Finder by clicking its icon once.
• Select "Get Info" from the Finder's File Menu
• Enter a higher number in both the Minimum and Preferred Size boxes.
• Click the close box for the dialog.
If you have given too much memory to SoftWindows, go through the above procedure typing a smaller number into the Minimum and Preferred Size boxes.
It can often be better just to increase the Preferred Size figure, in which case SoftWindows will use the extra memory if it is available and use the minimum value if it is not.
To see the effect of your changes, select PC Memory… from the SoftWindows Setup menu. The size of the "Available DeltaCache" (which controls the SoftWindows performance - bigger is better) is displayed in the top right hand corner of the dialog. This should be between 0k (slowest) and 8Mb. Additional DeltaCache beyond 8Mb will have little effect on SoftWindows performance.
Please note, if you change the size of the SoftWindows application memory, you will also need to increase the extended memory setting within SoftWindows, to make more memory available for Windows applications.
4. More Performance Tips - Getting the best out of SoftWindows
• Make sure that SoftWindows is set up to use at least 3Mb of PC Extended memory, by using the PC Memory… command from the SoftWindows Setup menu. Windows runs much better with 3Mb rather than the minimum 1Mb of extended memory - even on a hardware PC. If you are running large Windows applications try using more than 3Mb of PC Extended Memory.
• Ensure that you have a good "balance" of PC Extended Memory and DeltaCache. For example 7Mb of PC Extended Memory and 2Mb of Delta Cache will give better performance than 8Mb of PC Extended Memory and 1Mb of Delta Cache.
• Make sure the setting in your Macintosh "Monitors" Control Panel matches the number of colors you have selected for the Windows Desktop. This is displayed by selecting the Windows Desktop… command from the SoftWindows Setup menu.
• Make sure the Windows Desktop is entirely on one monitor and that the corners of the Desktop are not cut-off by the rounded corners of your Macintosh screen.
• Make sure the Windows Desktop is unobscured by other windows. Press Command-B to select the best Windows Desktop position for your screen.
(Note that when the Windows desktop is in an optimal position, the title bar will have a check mark (√) appended. If there is no title bar then holding down Command and option keys will display a hand icon with a dot in the middle).
• Try boosting the DeltaCache as described above.
• Try turning File Sharing off, it can slow down your applications on the Power Macintosh.
• Make sure you do not have the MacsBug debugger installed - it slows down the entire Power Macintosh.
5. Other Tips
============
5.1 Loading DOS High
-------------------
In order to maximize the amount of available conventional memory to PC applications, you may load DOS high by adding the line:
DOS=high
to the CONFIG.SYS file. Certain applications, such as NetWare 4, may require DOS to be set HIGH before they will run correctly.
Please note that making this change will slightly reduce the speed of SoftWindows.
5.2 Freeing Additional Conventional Memory
---------------------------------------
Some applications such as LAN Manager (with more than the minimal set of protocols and options installed), use up a large amount of conventional memory, and can therefore cause memory problems for other applications which require conventional memory.
Besides loading DOS high, additional conventional memory can be freed by using the DOS program EMM386 to load drivers into high memory. To do this, add the following lines immediately after the line DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM.OFF at the start of the CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.exe /noems
DOS=high, umb
then change each of the lines in your CONFIG.SYS file, except for the two lines above, which begin with "device=c:" to begin with "devicehigh=c:".
You will then need to restart SoftWindows for these changes to take effect.
Please note that making this change will slightly reduce the speed of SoftWindows.
5.3 Virtual Memory
-----------------
If you find that you run out of memory on your Macintosh while running SoftWindows, and have increased the application memory size to the maximum available, the best option is to purchase more physical RAM. However you can also use Macintosh or Microsoft Windows Virtual memory to increase the amount of memory available to SoftWindows and Windows applications running under SoftWindows respectively.
To change the Virtual Memory settings on your Macintosh, open the Memory Control Panel and adjust the Virtual Memory settings as necessary.
To change the Virtual Memory settings within Microsoft Windows, double-click on the Control Panel icon in the Main Program Manager group, then double-click on the 386 Extended icon in the Control Panel group, click on the Virtual Memory button, and adjust the settings as necessary.
Although changing either of these settings will make more memory available to Windows applications running under SoftWindows, Macintosh virtual memory will greatly reduce the overall performance of your Macintosh.
Please note, if you change the size of the SoftWindows application memory, you will also need to increase the extended memory setting within SoftWindows, to make more memory available for Windows applications.
6. SoftNode - Networking Support for SoftWindows
==============================================
6.1 Power Macintosh 9500
------------------------
If you received one of the first Power Macintosh 9500s you may not have a piece of system software that SoftWindows requires. If this is the case you will get the following error: “Fatal: Could not find host ethernet board”.
To obtain the missing piece of software please contact your Apple Support Center and ask for a version of Open Transport that includes the Ethernet “shim”.
6.2 Ethernet card compatibility
----------------------------
SoftNode is compatible with the on-board Ethernet fitted in all Power Macintoshes and virtually all Macintosh Ethernet cards.
If you are using third party Ethernet solutions, please check with the manufacturer to make sure that you have the latest version of the driver software.
The Apple Ethernet NB card has had a number of problems in the past. These are all believed to be addressed in version 1.4.2 and later of Apple's Network Software Installer disk.
SCSI based Ethernet - A number of SCSI Ethernet adapters have drivers which pad out the packets of the Ethernet II frame type. This causes illegal instructions in PC applications using this frame type, although other frame types work well. If it is not possible to use a different frame type, this problem may be solved by connecting via a SoftNode Ethernet Gateway for IPX protocols. This applies to the Focus Nuvo-Link SC and to Dayna's DaynaPORT SCSI/Link products.
6.3 Token Ring card compatibility
------------------------------
SoftNode is compatible with Token Ring cards which support the Apple .TOKN standard. These include cards from DCA, Asanté and CableTron (which work in SoftPC and SoftWindows 1.0.2 on today's 68k Macintoshes). Please contact the relevant manufacturers to check that you have the latest version of the driver software required for their cards in Power Macintoshes.
You will need version 1.4.5 of Apple's Network Software Installer if you need to use the Token Ring 802.2 frame type with Apple Token Ring cards.
You can use SoftNode in an environment where other cards are installed by:
- installing a supported card in one Macintosh
- installing a SoftNode Token Ring Gateway on that Macintosh
- using the SoftNode ATALK.BAT batch file from other Macs to access the Novell file server via the SoftNode Gateway
6.4 DECnet protocol support in PATHWORKS
---------------------------------------
The DECnet protocol requires the Ethernet card you use in your Macintosh to have a particular address based on the "area" and "node" you have been assigned in your DECnet network by the system administrator. To override the default address, a small utility is provided to install this new address.
This utility may be installed by a new custom option in the SoftWindows installer, called DECnet Address Override Utility. This places the utility in the Utilities folder within the SoftWindows folder. Double-click the utility, then:
• click "Change Address…"
• specify the area and node given to you by the system administrator
• click Generate
• click OK
• restart your Macintosh to use the new address
Note: If your copy of SoftWindows is bound to an Ethernet card, with an Apple Bundle license, it will read the ethernet address and if not recognised will run in
demo mode.
To solve this problem, simply re-install the software, or click the relicense button, and enter the serial number from the front of the first installation disk or the back of the installation CD-ROM case. This applies to any Macintosh application which uses the Ethernet as part of its licensing mechanism.
6.5 LAN Manager
--------------
6.5.1 DNR
If you select the "Use DNR for hostname resolution" option from the advanced TCP/IP settings when setting up LAN Manager for use with SoftWindows, and you subsequently run the SoftWindows LAN Manager batch file, you need to add the line DNR, after the line LOAD TCP in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, to make the DNR feature function correctly.
6.5.2 NetWare Connectivity
The Install... option, from the Connectivity menu, in the LAN Manager Set-up application, which is used to provide NetWare access, requires you to insert a disk. As SoftWindows provides its own NetWare connectivity solution, this software is not provided.
6.6 Microsoft Windows for WorkGroups 3.11
---------------------------------------
The SoftWindows Installation and User's Guide details how to upgrade the version of Microsoft Windows provided with SoftWindows 2.0 to Microsoft Windows for WorkGroups 3.11.
The documented process enables Windows for WorkGroups to run under SoftWindows. To provide the best interaction between the two products, you should replace the Windows file VTD.386 with Insignia's own version of this file. To do this:
It should be noted that Insignia's Windows Sockets DLL does not support the use of RAW_SOCKETS.
6.8 Novell NetWare RPRINTER.EXE
-----------------------------
If you experience problems using the Novell NetWare utility Rprinter with SoftWindows, obtain the NetWare patch ps3x01.exe from Novell. This patch provides a new version of RPRINTER.EXE, which supports a "polled" mode to solve this problem.
7. CD-ROM Support
================
Audio CD-ROM support is much improved over SoftWindows 1.0.2. In addition, it is now possible to use CD-ROMs that have both a Macintosh (HFS) partition and a PC (ISO 9660) partition. Use of these hybrid CDs requires that you have a CD-ROM driver that is capable of accessing both partitions. The Apple CD-ROM driver is not one of these, but Insignia's RapidCD product will replace the Apple CD driver to enable this functionality. FWB's CD-ROM Toolkit is also compatible.
8. External floppy drive support
============================
At the time of writing, the only diskette drive that may be set up as SoftWindows A: or B: drive is the internal FDHD drive (also known as the "SuperDrive") in the Power Macintosh. Other diskette drives supplied by third party manufacturers work with SoftPC and SoftWindows 1.0.2 on 68k Macintoshes and are expected to work as soon as the drivers for these devices are fixed to work on Power Macintoshes.
9. Miscellaneous
===============
9.1 Windows Printer Driver
------------------------
In certain circumstances the "Apple LaserWriter on LPT1" Windows Printer driver recommended in the Installation and User's Guide may cause printing problems. It is therefore recommended that you use the "Postscript Printer on LPT1:" driver instead.
9.2 Windows Desktop Size
-----------------------
Note that changing monitors, or monitor resolutions, between launches of Windows, can lead to a Windows Desktop which is larger than the current monitor size. This may be fixed by manually resizing the Windows desktop from the SoftWindows Setup menu. The changes will take effect the next time Windows is run.
9.3 WORD 6 (DOS) Clashes Quick-keys With SoftWindows
The shortcut for pasting an object in WORD 6.0 for DOS is Shift-Insert. This
same key combination also opens the SoftWindows Help file (Mac System 7.5). It is therefore suggested that when using WORD 6.0 for DOS, you paste an object using the relevant menu options.
9.4 1822 Banking Software
------------------------
When using the DOS software 1822 Banking Software with SoftWindows, you may find that the graphics do not work correctly. To solve this problem, type the following before running the software:
SET no87=YES
Alternatively you can add one of these lines to your autoexec.bat file.
9.5 487 Co-processor
-------------------
Due to the differences in precision of the floating point unit, some programs may not function in the same way as on a PC when the 487 co-processor is enabled. For example rounding of decimal numbers may be incorrect. In such cases the 487 co-processor should be disabled. An example of such a product is Lotus 123.
This is due to the difference in floating point accuracy between a PC (80 bit) and a Macintosh (64 bit).
9.6 1.6MB DMF Microsoft Diskettes
-------------------------------
Microsoft currently ships some of its software, for example Microsoft Office 4.3, on 1.6MB DMF format diskettes. You cannot read these diskettes on a Macintosh and should contact Microsoft to obtain the software on non-DMF format diskettes.
9.7 After Dark 3.0 for Macintosh
-----------------------------
If you are running After Dark 3.0 on your Macintosh, it will not work while you have SoftWindows running Microsoft Windows. If you want After Dark to run while you are running SoftWindows you must exit from Microsoft Windows.
9.8 Application Requires a VGA Display
-----------------------------------
If you try to run some Windows applications after a default installation, you may get the message "application requires a VGA display". To solve this problem, use the Windows Setup dialog to change your desktop to a size of 640 x 480. An example of such an application is Microsoft Dinosaurs.
9.9 Overwritten Instruction Cache
-------------------------------
Some MS-DOS programs, for example ri.exe, rely on the behaviour of the x86 instruction cache where overwritten instructions are not invalidated in the cache until a transfer of control occurs. This feature is not supported by SoftWindows.
9.10 Mouse Emulation
------------------
Certain MS-DOS applications, such as DOSSHELL, may run slowly, or have problems with mouse usage under SoftWindows. You may find that such programs work better if the Insignia mouse driver is disabled.
To disable the mouse driver, edit the file C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT, and add the word REM to the front of the line C:\INSIGNIA\MOUSE.COM. Please note that this will disable the use of the mouse for all your MS-DOS applications.
9.11 HP DeskWriter
-----------------
If you have an HP Deskwriter printer, you should print to it using the LQ2500 printer emulation, by selecting PC Printer Port... from the SoftWindows Setup menu, and selecting the printer in the Chooser. To use the Chooser the printer must be on an AppleTalk network (LocalTalk or EtherTalk).
9.12 386Max
-----------
When using 386Max with SoftWindows, you need to prevent it from moving the VGA ROM and attempting to find "unused" portions of the BIOS ROM. To do this, before installing 386Max, type the following commands at the C:\> prompt:
MKDIR \386MAX
CD \386MAX
EDIT MAXIMIZE.CFG
Add the following two lines to the file MAXIMIZE.CFG and save and exit the file:
NOVGASWAP
NOROMSRCH
Then proceed with the normal 386Max installation.
9.13 Rebel Assault
-----------------
To run the Rebel Assault application under SoftWindows, instead of typing "rebel" to start the application, you should type "assault".
For optimum performance, you may want to try using various command line arguments with assault, for example; ASSAULT /C0 /X1 /F350 /T20.
9.14 Microsoft Windows Version 3.11
---------------------------------
The version of Microsoft Windows shipped with SoftWindows 2.0 is 3.11. To verify the version select Help > About Program Manager from the Windows Program Manager desktop. Typing WINVER at the MS-DOS prompt gives an incorrect version.
9.15 SoftWindows Guide
----------------------
If you run the SoftWindows Guide when you have SoftWindows running without the menu displayed, for example with the Windows Desktop set to the size of your full screen, and the Guide asks you to select a menu option, only half a red circle is displayed where the menu should be.
To select the menu option requested simply hold down the command key.
9.16 SmartDrive and DriveSpace
-----------------------------
By default SoftWindows runs version 4.0 of the MS-DOS Utility SmartDrive on startup, located in the C:\WINDOWS, which is incompatible with the MS-DOS utility DriveSpace. If you wish to use SmartDrive and DriveSpace concurrently, you should use SmartDrive version 5, which is located in C:\DOS.
9.17 Video 7 VESA Drivers
------------------------
It should be noted that SoftWindows does not support Video 7 VESA drivers.
9.18 Printing From a PowerBook
-----------------------------
If you are using a PowerBook to print from SoftWindows to a printer attached to the PowerBook's Printer port, you must ensure that the SoftWindows Serial Port is set to Modem Port not Printer Port. See the Installation and User's Guide for details of how to setup the serial port.
This is because the PowerBook uses the same port for both printers and modems.
9.19 Windows Mouse Pointer Size
------------------------------
To improve performance, the Windows mouse pointer is slightly reduced in size. Where Windows, or a Windows application, such as Aldus PageMaker 5 or Action! 3.0, uses a larger than average pointer, part of the pointer may be cut off.
To display the full size mouse pointer select Emulate PC Mouse from the Setup menu.
9.20 SoftWindows Sound Driver
----------------------------
Due to the large amount of memory required when playing certain sounds in Windows, some sounds may be truncated. If this problem occurs, simply assign more memory to SoftWindows as documented in the Installation and User's Guide.
9.21 Upgrading and Expanding Hard Disks
------------------------------------
Before upgrading or expanding an existing SoftWindows hard disk, ensure that any anti-virus software running on the hard disk is disabled.
9.22 SmartCopy and Screen Redrawing
----------------------------------
To ensure correct redrawing of the SoftWindows screen when you are running Windows, you must have the SmartCopy application running.
9.23 PostScript Printing
----------------------
When printing to a PostScript printer ensure that you use the Windows or DOS Page Set-up options and not the Macintosh Page Setup options, as the Macintosh options will be ignored by SoftWindows.
9.24 Printing The Registration Form
--------------------------------
If you have problems printing the on-line registration form to an Apple LaserWriter printer, try upgrading the printer driver on your Macintosh to version 8.
9.25 QEMM 7.04
--------------
SoftWindows 2.0 does not support either of the two Stealth ROM features of QEMM. Attempting to enable either mapping method or frame method is likely to produce random illegal instruction errors.
To obtain the maximum available high memory, add the following to the QEMM386.SYS line in the file C:\CONFIG.SYS:
INCLUDE=F700-FDFF
This will add another 28Kb to the available high memory.
9.26 LQ2500 Emulation Paper Size
-------------------------------
When printing using SoftWindows' Epson LQ2500 emulation, to avoid incorrect page breaks, ensure that the page size in the page setup on your Macintosh, and the page size in the page setup on your Windows/DOS application is identical.
9.27 Windows 95
---------------
If you install Windows 95 with SoftWindows you should use the Windows and Mouse drivers supplied with Windows 95, and not those supplied with SoftWindows.
9.28 MEMMAKER
--------------
When running a Custom Setup of the DOS utility MEMMAKER, ensure that the Advanced Option "Use Monochrome Region (B000-B7FF) for running programs" is always set to No.
9.29 PC Xware 2.0
----------------
Due to a discrepancy in PC Xware's use of the Winsock protocol, when running under SoftWindows it believes that you are running an unauthorised version of the product. You will therefore be restricted from using areas of PC Xware's application suite, such as telnet.
9.30 Norton Utilities 8.0 : NDIAGS
------------------------------
The NDIAGS program will show some failures when executing the 'System Board' test. These failures are caused by the very precise nature of the results expected by the diagnostic program. Normal applications should not be affected by the variations which cause these failures:
NPU Arithmetic Test:
This test requires floating point accuracy to 80-bits, beyond the 64-bit precision available on the Power Macintosh.
Miscellaneous: Interrupt Controller IRQ not received from: Timer timers: FAILED.
SoftWindows does not guarantee to provide the time accuracy required by these tests over very short time periods.
Real Time Clock: RTC Alarm & DOS Clock Test: NOT AVAILABLE.
NDIAGS tries to make changes to the emulated real time clock that are not supported as the SoftWindows Real Time Clock is closely tied to the Power Macintosh system clock.
Note that other diagnostic programs run to test the system board will show no failures.
10. Acknowledgements
====================
10.1 WinPost
------------
The tutorial Windows application supplied with SoftWindows is WinPost, by Eastern Mountain Software. Please note that this is a shareware version of WinPost: if you decide to continue using it, please send the registration fee of $30 (USA/Canada/Mexico) or $35 (all other countries) to
Eastern Mountain Software, P.O. Box 6394, Bellevue, WA 98008-0394, USA. Telephone: (206) 391-3483.
10.2 DEVLOD
-----------
SoftWindows is supplied with a version of DEVLOD.COM from "Undocumented DOS" by Schulman et al. (Addison-Wesley, 1993). Copyright (c) 1993 Andrew Schulman, Ralf Brown, Jim Kyle, David Maxey, Ray Michels.
10.3 DOS for Dummies/ Windows for Dummies
-----------------------------------------
The SoftWindows User Guide is not intended to be a reference guide for using DOS and Windows. If you need a DOS or Windows reference, we recommend DOS for Dummies by Dan Gookin and Windows for Dummies by Andy Rathbone, both by IDG books. These excellent books are used and recommended by the Insignia Technical Support specialists who are certainly not "dummies"!
10.4 Microsoft LAN Manager
-------------------------
The LAN Manager client software from Microsoft Corporation is included with SoftWindows for your convenience. Please note that you are bound by the terns of the Microsoft Licence Agreement included with the LAN Manager server software.
11. Your Comments Please
=======================
The SoftWindows User Guide has details of how to contact Insignia's Technical Support or Customer Service departments. Please contact these departments if you have any problems with the software or wish to get further product information.
If you have any comments about the SoftWindows software or documentation, please send them by letter or fax to:
Insignia Product Marketing or Insignia Product Marketing
