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(Revised 03/10/89) Manual for SUPER BOOT V5.5 -------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- I. Overall Description II. Copyright Information What is Shareware? Registering your copy of Super Boot Disclaimer III. Getting Started - Setting up your boot disk IV. Super Boot Construction Set Editing Program Parameters Editing Function Keys Configuring "Other" File Selections Changing Colors Showing Auto Files Specifying Disk Drives V. Using Super Boot Startup Welcome Screen Password Date Time Difference Between a Coldboot and a Warmboot File Selection Mode Help Screen Exiting Super Boot VI. Tips & Tricks Extra DESKTOP.INF files Extra ASSIGN.SYS files Using STARTGEM.PRG VII. Registration, Comments, and Questions I. Description ----------- Super Boot is an "all-in-one" type program that does just about everything you could ever want to do each time you boot your computer. It allows you to: o Choose which Accessories to load in o Choose which AUTO programs to run o Choose from a number of DESKTOP.INF files, allowing you to change your resolution, color scheme, etc. on each boot o Choose from a number of ASSIGN.SYS files for GDOS o Choose other data files used by up to 8 different programs o Display a welcome screen from any picture in Degas, Neochrome, or Tinystuffed format, even on systems with both color and mono monitors, and it can rotate colors on color systems o Set the date if you so choose o Set the time if you so choose o Choose whether or not Super Boot will run by holding down a "hot-key", by a time delay feature, or by both o Restrict access to your system by use of a password (mainly useful for hard drive owners) o Set the floppy disk seek rate o Have Write Verify turned off if desired o Select the most used file configurations by simply pressing a function key, with up to 30 function keys supported o Customize Super Boot the way you want it using The Super Boot Construction Set -- a separate, easy to use GEM program. o Auto boot GEM programs much more easily with the help of STARTGEM.PRG o Set a default configuration if Super Boot is bypassed Super Boot works on all Atari ST models, from any boot drive, and on both color and monochrome monitors. On color monitors, it will automatically be displayed in 4-color medium resolution. Super Boot can control up to 151 files at once. Super Boot's file selection functions work by changing filenames and copying files. Inactive accessories and autoboot programs will have an "X" as the last letter of the filename (CONTROL.ACX or GDOS.PRX for example). Since the ST only recognizes .ACC or .PRG files as valid accessories or programs, those files with "X" as the last letter in their name don't load. Super Boot makes it easy to control which of those files are active and which are inactive. It controls the DESKTOP.INF and ASSIGN.SYS files by copying one of several data files chosen by the user to the DESKTOP.INF or ASSIGN.SYS file. Super Boot also supports the data files of other programs, allowing the user to easily activate or inactivate them. In addition Super Boot utilizes the function keys by allowing separate file configurations to be assigned to each one (for 30 different function key combinations). When a function key is pressed, all files specified for that function key will be activated, and the other files not specified for that key will be inactivated. If one of the files which is assigned to a function key is deleted from the boot disk or is renamed, Super Boot will simply ignore it and the other files will be selected as usual. II. Copyright Information --------------------- SUPERBT.PRG, SUPERBTA.PRG, SUPER_CS.PRG, SUPER_CS.RSC, and SUPERBT.DOC are Copyright (c) 1988 by Gordon W. Moore, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Compiled portions of the code are Copyright (c) 1986 by CCD and OSS, Inc. and used with the permission of OSS. STARTGEM.PRG, to the best of my knowledge, is Public Domain and is included for convenience. WHAT IS SHAREWARE? Shareware is a relatively new method of distributing software. The author directly distributes his program via electronic means (by BBS's, information services, magazine disks, etc.) and by doing so eliminates the cost of advertising, packaging, distribution, retail mark-up, and so on. The users of the program are free to try out the software for as long as they need to determine if it will be useful to them. If it is, they are asked to register their copy of the software for a small fee. The user is on his/her honor not to pirate the software (continue using it without paying for it). Super Boot is distributed on a SHAREWARE basis and may be copied or distributed freely as long as all 5 Super Boot files mentioned above are included and unaltered in any way (Startgem is Public Domain and is included for your convenience). I have put a great deal of time and effort into Super Boot, working on it and updating it over a period of more than two years. So if you are pleased with it and find it to be of use, I ask that you send a modest one-time contribution to the address listed below ($15 suggested) to become a registered user. So far the support for the Shareware method of distribution has been very encouraging and I hope the support continues. REGISTRATION When you register your copy, please print out a registration form using the Super Boot Construction Set, or if you don't have a printer please supply the requested information. A copy of the registration form is also included at the end of this document. As a registered user, if you have a special request for something to be added to Super Boot for your specific system, I will try my best to incorporate that feature into the next update, or create a customized version of the software for you. Registered users will also be kept informed of any new updates whenever possible via Compuserve or Genie if the user has an account. If you do not have a modem, updates are available directly from me for registered users. Thanks to the continuing support of users both nationally and internationally who have sent in their fee to become registered users, I have continued to add more and more new features bringing us up to the current version of 5.5. DISCLAIMER Since it was first released Super Boot has proven to be very reliable and I know of no damage ever caused by it. It does not "hack around" with your boot disk and it uses only standard, built-in system calls. However, for legal purposes I must state the following: "I make no warranty with respect to this manual, or the programs it describes, and disclaim any implied or explicit suggestions of usefulness for any particular purpose. Use this program only if you are willing to assume all risks, and damages, if any, arising as a result, even if it is caused by negligence or other fault." III. Setting up your Boot Disk ------------------------- NOTE!!! Please set up your boot disk before attempting to run the programs. 1) If you don't already have a data file for Super Boot (SUPERBT.STF), run the Super Boot Construction Set (SUPER_CS.PRG) and choose the drive that your computer initially boots from (usually drive A: for floppy disk users, drive C: for self-booting hard disk users, or drive A: for non-self-booting hard disk users). It will inform you that it could not find its data file (SUPERBT.STF) and will proceed to create one. It will also create any folders that it needs which aren't already present (the data file is saved as \AUTO\SUPERBT\SUPERBT.STF). The data file must be created before you can use the Construction Set. You must also choose the menu option which says "SPECIFY DISK DRIVES" (described below) and configure your disk drives before continuing. 2) Place SUPERBT.PRG in the AUTO folder. In order for it to be able to properly choose which programs are automatically run, SUPERBT.PRG should be the first program in the folder. If you already have files in the AUTO folder, the best way to make Super Boot the first file is as follows: A) Run the Construction Set and pick the option from the main menu that says "Show order of AUTO files". When it shows you a list of the files, just note the first file listed. B) Copy the file you noted to another folder and then delete it from the AUTO folder. C) Copy SUPERBT.PRG to the AUTO folder. Do not rename it! D) Move the file that you previously copied to another folder back into the AUTO folder. E) Run the Construction set again to make sure SUPERBT.PRG is the first file in the directory. Remember that looking at the date of a file does not always accurately tell you its actual order in the directory. To check the order always use the Super Boot Construction Set. Also, depending on the hardware and software you are using, there may be some programs which need to be run before Super Boot. If something doesn't work properly, try changing around the order of your files in the directory until you get things working properly. 3) Place all autoboot programs in the AUTO folder. An autoboot program is any program which is placed in the AUTO folder and has ".PRG" as the filename extension. All autoboot programs will be automatically executed at boot time, and the programs are run according to their order in the directory. NOTE: Only programs with .PRG as an extension will run, files with a .TOS extension won't run. (For .TOS programs, simply rename them to .PRG) Also, only non-GEM programs can be autobooted (a GEM program is a program which uses features like windows, the mouse, dialog boxes, pull-down menus, etc.). 4) Copy STARTGEM.PRG to the AUTO directory of your boot disk. Do not rename this file to anything other than STARTGEM.PRG! 5) Copy SUPERBTA.PRG to the AUTO directory. This program should optimally be the last program in the directory. SUPERBTA.PRG is an auxiliary program which works with SUPERBT.PRG so that any auto programs which cause a reboot to make themselves reset-proof (programs such as Shadow and reset-proof ramdisks) will not make Super Boot appear to run twice after the program causes the reboot. This program must be present in order for Super Boot to work correctly. If you can't make this program the very last program in the directory, just be sure it is listed after any auto programs which cause resets. Again use SUPER_CS.PRG to check its directory order. NOTE: If SUPERBTA.PRG is not placed in the AUTO folder, Super Boot will only run when the computer is first turned on; it will not run after a reset or warmboot. 6) All desk accessories must be placed in the root directory (main directory) of the boot disk. (Users of hard disks which do not self-boot should place accessories in the root directory of drive C:, not A:.) 7) Create your DESKTOP.INF files. A great deal of information is stored in those little DESKTOP.INF files. It sets your RS 232 parameters, printer settings, colors (if the Control Panel accessory is installed), sets low or medium resolution for color monitors, automatically opens up directory windows, and more. Super Boot allows you to select from a number of desktop files. To create the desktop files that Super Boot uses, do the following: A) Set up the desktop the way you want it. Be sure to be in the resolution you want, and to set the control panel, printer settings, etc. B) Save the desktop by selecting the "Save Desktop" item from the drop down menu at the top of the desktop screen. C) Rename the DESKTOP.INF file which is created, giving it ".INF" as the extension. Name it so that it reflects what the settings are. For example, a low resolution desktop could be named LOW_REZ.INF, medium resolution could be MED_REZ.INF, special modem settings for Uniterm could be called UNITERM.INF, etc. Copy all .INF files to the SUPERBT folder (\AUTO\SUPERBT). 8) Since different programs may require different ASSIGN.SYS files used by GDOS, Super Boot allows selection of these also. They are done exactly the same as DESKTOP.INF files and should also be placed in \AUTO\SUPERBT. Just rename each ASSIGN.SYS file to something else, giving it ".SYS" as the extension (e.g. "EASYDRAW.SYS" and "DEGELITE.SYS"). 9) If you have room on your boot disk, it is probably a good idea (but not required) to copy your other Super Boot related files to \AUTO\SUPERBT so you'll always know where to find them (SUPER_CS.PRG,SUPER_CS.RSC,SUPERBT.DOC). IV. Using The Super Boot Construction Set ------------------------------------- The Super Boot Construction Set (SUPER_CS.PRG) will allow you to configure Super Boot to suit your own preferences. BEFORE you run SUPER_CS.PRG, please set up your boot disk as described above. When you do run the program, you will be asked to select which drive is your initial boot drive. Both the boot disk, and the disk containing SUPER_CS.PRG must be accessible at all times. If you have only one floppy drive and SUPER_CS is on a different disk, select logical drive B as your boot disk and you will be prompted to switch disks as is necessary (the easiest way is to have SUPER_CS.PRG on your boot disk to begin with). After selecting the boot drive you will be presented with the main menu. EDIT PROGRAM PARAMETERS Selecting the "Edit program parameters" option from the main menu allows you to choose the various options available in Super Boot. All of the default menu selections in the configuration menu will be the current settings read from Super Boot's data file. MENU OPTIONS (PAGE 1): Welcome Screen -- Ever since the first TOS on ROM chips came out, I kind of missed the flashy graphics display that used to be shown while TOS loaded in from disk. So, Super Boot now brings that back, only now you can choose any display you want. (Hey, if a Macintosh can show a welcome screen, the ST can too, and twice as well!). Any picture in Degas, Neochrome, or Tiny format can be displayed. Only the old style Degas pictures are supported (.PI#), not the new Degas Elite format (.PC#). What's the difference between the three formats? Well, the Neochrome and Degas files take up more space, but they load in much quicker. The Tinystuffed pictures take up a fraction of the space, but it takes a second or two to uncompress them. From the menu, select ENABLED if you want a welcome screen, or DISABLED if not. Also be sure to pick the format for your welcome screen. For this current version, if you will be using both a monochrome and a color welcome screen, they must both be of the same type (i.e. both Degas, both Neochrome, or both Tiny). There is also another nifty little option, the button marked RANDOMIZER. This option will cause Super Boot to randomly select a different picture from a given directory each time it is run. If you have a hard drive it could select from as many as 400 different pictures on each boot. Make sure RANDOMIZER is selected if you want random selection, or deselected if you want Super Boot to load the same picture each time. NOTE: The Randomizer feature works best on systems which have a battery powered clock/calendar, because the random numbers are generated based on the current time. If you do not have a clock/calendar, you can greatly enhance the randomness by having a large number of pictures to choose from -- the greater the number, the more random the selections each time. Also, if you select the option to show a welcome screen after every reboot (both cold and warmboots), every welcome screen shown during a warmboot will be a purely random selection whether you have a battery-powered clock or not. Also, those users who use both a color and a monochrome monitor MUST keep color and monochrome pictures in separate folders, otherwise the Randomizer may choose a picture of the wrong resolution and cause an inadvertent reboot. Autoboot program sorting -- Super Boot normally puts each type of file it deals with in alphabetical order to allow you to more easily find what you're looking for. However, some autoboot programs have to be run in a certain order to work. This option will allow you to tell Super Boot not to sort the Auto programs but to show them in their actual order of execution in the directory. Show Welcome Screen -- This allows you to show the welcome screen every time you boot the computer, or just once when you first turn the power on. Date -- If you want, you can have Super Boot set the date for you. You can either enable or disable it from this menu. Time -- You can also have Super Boot set the time for you. If you choose to enable this option, you also need to be sure and set the format you want for the time. HH:MM means you enter in only the hour and minutes, HH:MM:SS means you enter in the hour, minutes, and seconds. The reason you have the option not to enter the seconds in is simply to save the time of typing it. Write Verify -- This option tells Super Boot whether or not to turn off Write Verify. Turning Write Verify off will cut in half the time required for all floppy disk writes (note that it remains off until the computer is powered down). With Write Verify on, everything written to disk is immediately read back in to assure accuracy. Most people who leave write verify off never experience any problem at all, but it's up to you. Keyclick -- This option allows you to turn off the default keyclick sound (which I personally find irritating). If you have the Control Panel desk accessory active, the Control Panel will reset the keyclick option based upon the DESKTOP.INF file after Super Boot terminates. MENU OPTIONS (PAGE 2): Floppy Disk Seek Rate -- Since some non-Atari disk drives (IBM style 5 1/4" drives for example) require a different seek rate than the default 3 millisecond rate used for standard Atari ST drives, you can set this at boot time. If you don't have a specific need to change the seek rate, please leave it set at 3 ms. Cursor Actions -- This allows you to define how the cursor acts in file selection mode. One options allows the cursor to "wrap-around" both vertically and horizontally when it reaches the edge of the screen. The other option halts the cursor at screen edges (slightly less confusing, but not as flexible). Program Termination Options -- This allows you to specify how Super Boot should terminate, since some autoboot programs which run after Super Boot might not look right due to the way Super Boot left the screen. If you are using a color monitor you can tell Super Boot to restore the screen to low resolution after exiting, or it can leave it in the default medium resolution. Both color and monochrome users can also have it restore the screens default colors, or leave the colors selected for Super Boot in effect. Note however once it gets to the desktop the colors will change yet again. Password Protection -- Allows you to restrict use of your system to only those people who know your password. This menu option allows you to turn password checking on or off. The password option is only useful on hard drive systems, since if it is used on a floppy one merely has to change the boot disk to get past it. You can also select to make the password visible or invisible as you type it in. MENU OPTIONS (Page 3) This menu allows you to choose how many columns to reserve for each file type. The file types are AUTOBOOTS, ACCESSORIES, and OTHERS. This allows you to custom tailor the file selection screen to your individual needs. Each column holds 19 files, and there are 7 columns total. If you don't want a certain type at all you can choose to reserve 0 columns for it. The total number of columns for the three file types must be equal to seven. (e.g. you can have 2 Autoboots, 4 Accessories, and 1 Other, or 1 Autoboot, 6 Accessories, and 0 Others, etc.). MENU OPTIONS (Page 4) Options for Bypassing Super Boot -- Since you most likely won't need Super Boot every time you boot up your system, there are several options available for bypassing it. There are two main ways of bypassing Super Boot, the "hot-key" method and the time-delay method. The time-delay method will wait for a user-specified number of seconds, and if no keypress was made within that time, Super Boot will be bypassed. The hot-key method checks to see if you are holding down a certain specified key (a hot-key), and based on this Super Boot will or will not be bypassed. [A] "Do not run Super Boot unless hot-key pressed" - this means that unless you hold down a hot-key until Super Boot starts to run, it will not be executed. [B] "Run Super Boot always except when hot-key pressed" - this option is probably the most useful and is my personal favorite. This means that Super Boot will always execute every time you boot your system, unless you hold down a hot-key to bypass it. [C] "Run Super Boot always, but abort if preset time delay passes while in: [WELCOME SCREEN] [FILE SELECTION SCREEN] [BOTH]" - this is the time-delay option. You must select one of the above three buttons to tell it to check for a keypress in the Welcome Screen, the File Selection Screen, or Both. The best button to select is BOTH. The BOTH button will check for a keypress in the welcome screen only if the screen is shown. If one isn't shown, it will check on the file selection screen. So actually it doesn't really check for a keypress two separate times, it's more of an EITHER/OR button rather than a BOTH button. [D] "Use options B & C above" - this lets you use both the hot-key and the time-delay method. If you're in a hurry, you can bypass Super Boot by holding down a hot-key, if you're busy doing something else while your system powers up the time-delay feature will bypass it for you. Hot-keys -- There are five different keys which may be used as hot-keys: ALTERNATE, CONTROL, CAPS LOCK, and the two SHIFT keys. Any number of these keys may be selected, but you actually only need to hold down one of them. The CAPS LOCK key is a bit of an exception however. It needs only to be pressed once to be selected, it doesn't have to be held down. Pressing it a second time will deselect it. In other words, if CAPS LOCK is on, it is the same as constantly holding down another key, like the CONTROL key. NOTE: Hard drive owners using Atari's boot software cannot use ALTERNATE as a hot-key, since that key is used by Atari's software to bypass the hard drive and boot from the floppy. Likewise, Supra users can't hold down ALTERNATE, CONTROL, and SHIFT all at once otherwise it will bypass their hard drive. Default Configuration -- If Super Boot is bypassed by one of the methods mentioned above, you can have it set a default configuration. If bypassed, it will simply look at the configuration for function key F1 for color monitors, or ALT-F1 for monochrome monitors, and set the configuration accordingly. If you do choose to use this option, be sure that you have set up F1 (or ALT-F1) the way you want it. If F1 (or ALT-F1) has no configuration (is blank) and Default Configuration is used, all your files will be inactivated. MENU OPTIONS (Page 5) 1) Current Year -- Super Boot requires that you update the current year in the configuration program, so that when it asks you to enter in the date you only have to enter the month and day, not the year. You will need to update the year every January 1st, since Super Boot does not do that automatically. 2) Password -- This is where you specify your password if you enabled password protection. Be sure to press the ESC key first to erase the old password, and then type your new password. WARNING!!! Be very careful not to forget your password, it is YOUR responsibility. If you are using a hard drive and forget the password, you might have some major problems. 3) Seconds to display Welcome Screen -- Enter in the maximum number of seconds you want the Welcome Screen to be displayed. Enter in 0 if you do not want a time limit at all. If you have opted for Super Boot to use the time-delay bypass method during the Welcome Screen, you must press a key during the Welcome Screen before the number of seconds you specified has expired. Do not enter in 0 if you are using this method! 4) Welcome Screen Pathname(s) -- What you enter here depends on whether or not you selected the RANDOMIZER feature on page 1. If you did not select RANDOMIZER, enter in the the full path and filenames for the pictures you wish to use. For those people who own both color and monochrome monitors, be sure to enter in two different filenames, one for each resolution. If you own both monitors but want only one welcome screen displayed when a certain monitor is used (e.g. only show a welcome screen when using the color monitor) then leave the filename blank for the monitor you don't want the picture displayed on. Examples: "C:\PICTURES\ATARI.TNY" or "A:\HELLO.NEO". If you did select RANDOMIZER, you need to enter in the directory that Super Boot will search to randomly select a welcome screen. Be sure to pick two different search paths for color and monochrome pictures if you're using both types of monitors. Make sure the path you type in ends in a "\" character, and be sure the path you choose has the same type of pictures you selected on page 1 (Neochrome, Tiny, or Degas). Examples: "D:\DEGAS\PICTURES\" would search for all .PI1 and .PI2 pictures (or .PI3 for monochrome) in the PICTURES folder of the DEGAS folder on drive D:. Or "C:\" would search for all pictures of a certain type in the main directory of drive C:. 5) Number of seconds to wait for keypress before bypassing -- This is the number of seconds Super Boot will wait for a keypress while in the file selection screen. This is only important if you're using the time-delay bypass feature. 6) Auto Startgem Program -- If you choose to, you can have Super Boot automatically run a GEM program when it reaches the desktop every time it is run. This is an extremely useful option. For example, you could have it run NEODESK after your system boots (Neodesk is a replacement for the regular desktop environment). Or you could have it run one of the various menu programs which let you run a program with a single keypress. When running Super Boot, this option can be modified in two ways: A) Each function key has an individual Startgem program which can be assigned to it. If you select a function key which has a Startgem program specified, it will be selected instead of the Auto Startgem Program. B) You can cancel the Startgem feature all together by pressing HELP then pressing F3 (Cancel Startgem) from the HELP menu. EDIT FUNCTION KEYS Super Boot provides a powerful way of selecting a commonly used set of files by allowing you to assign different file configurations to each function key. This saves you from having to select and deselect the individual files one at a time. From the main menu of The Super Boot Construction Set, you can edit the function keys by choosing the option that says "Edit function keys". You will be presented with a menu showing the current function key descriptions, buttons for F1-F10, buttons for the set of function keys to edit (NORMAL, ALTERNATE, and CONTROL), an option to Copy/Erase function keys, and an option to Save or to Exit Without Saving. Just press the button for any function key that you want to edit, and you will be presented with a menu screen almost identical to the one you see when using Super Boot, with the current file configuration for that key already shown. To set a function key, first select all the files you want to have as active (just as you would when running Super Boot). If you want this function key to have a GEM program automatically execute from the desktop, press INSERT and you will be asked to enter the full path and filename (e.g. E:\DEGAS\DEGAS.PRG). Remember that if you assign a GEM program to a function key, the GEM program assigned to the function key will be run instead of the Auto Startgem program. The function keys have a higher priority than the Auto Startgem assignment. AFTER you have everything set up, press the ESC key. At the top of the screen, you will be prompted to type in a description for this function key (it can be from 1 to 11 characters in length). After entering the description, you will be returned to the previous menu. Each function key can contain a maximum of 40 active files (most configurations use less than 10 so this is not much of a restriction). If you try to select more than 40 active files, you will be notified that you exceeded the limit and any excess files will be ignored. When you have set all the function keys to your liking press SAVE to save them, or to abort without saving press the EXIT WITHOUT SAVING button. COPY/ERASE KEY(S) Selecting the "Copy/Erase Key(s)" button from the function key menu will present another large menu. There are three major functions in this menu: Erase -- If you wish to erase a function key, or a group of function keys, select the keys you wish to erase in the box marked "Key(s) to COPY to or ERASE". If desired, you can select all of the keys by pressing the button that say "All keys", or you can deselect all of the keys by pressing the button that says "No keys". After selecting the keys to erase, press the ERASE button. Copy -- You can copy one function key to another function key, or you can copy one function key to a whole group of other function keys. In the box on the left which says "Copy From:", select the source function key along with the group it belongs in (Normal, Alternate, or Control). In the box that says "When copying, also copy: [Key Name] [Startgem]", you can select how much information you want copied. With neither button selected, all that will be copied is the information about which files are active or inactive. Selecting the KEY NAME button will also copy the name of the function key to the target key, and selecting the STARTGEM button will also copy the startgem selection from the source key to the target key. If you use the same basic files but different Startgem programs for several keys, these options are very useful. In the box on the right that says "Key(s) to COPY to or ERASE", select the target keys you want the source key copied to. The "All keys" and "No keys" buttons can also be used here. Finally, press the COPY button to complete the operation. Exit -- Pressing the EXIT button will return you to the function key menu. CONFIGURE "OTHER" FILE SELECTIONS The "OTHER" columns on the file selection screen are reserved for data files not presently supported (i.e. files other than DESKTOP.INF, ASSIGN.SYS, AUTOBOOT PROGRAMS, and ACCESSORIES). For example, if you have an autoboot program named RAMDISK.PRG, and it uses a file called RAMDISK.INF which contains the size of the ramdisk, you would be able to select from several files each containing different sizes, like RAM_64K.INF, RAM_128K.INF, and RAM_256K.INF. Or if you use a program called PLAYSND.PRG that plays any digitized sound file with a .SND extension, you could select from among several, keeping the active ones with .SND as an extension and the inactive ones with .SNX as an extension. To configure the OTHER file selection criteria, first choose the appropriate option from the main menu of The Super Boot Construction Set program. You will be presented with a menu with room for 8 different types of files. File Extender -- This is the three letter extension of the files to search for. It must be three letters in length. If it is less than three letters, the extension will be changed to .ERR indicating an error has occurred. In the previous examples, the extension for the ramdisk data file would be .INF, and the extension for the sound files would be .SND. File Kind -- There are two types of files: Type 1 or Type 2. Type 1 files are dealt with similar to the way the accessory files are. Inactive files will have the last letter of their extension changed to an X, while active files will have the normal extension. In the above examples, the sound files would be a type 1 file since we only want to make some active and make others inactive. Type 2 files are like the DESKTOP.INF and ASSIGN.SYS files. Only one file is allowed to be active at once, and that active file is copied to another file. Data files of any size are supported. The ramdisk program mentioned above is an example of a type 2 file. For example, if RAM_128K.INF was active, Super Boot would copy RAM_128K.INF to RAMDISK.INF. Source -- This is the pathname where all the data files are located. For example, if your boot drive is drive A: and you wanted to keep all the RAMDISK.INF files in a folder called OTHER inside the auto folder of the boot drive, the source path would be "A:\AUTO\OTHER\", if you wanted to keep them in the root directory, the source path would be "A:\". Be sure the pathname ends with a "\" character. IMPORTANT: You could not keep the data files in the "A:\AUTO\" directory, since the actual file that the program uses (RAMDISK.INF) has the same extension as the data files and is in the AUTO folder. You would end up with a RAMDISK.INX file instead. Also, you could not place these files in A:\AUTO\SUPERBT\, since the RAMDISK.INF files would conflict with the DESKTOP.INF files, causing problems. So, as a general rule, the Source directory must be a different directory from the Destination directory, and there should be no conflicting file extensions. Dest -- This is the destination filename for Type 2 files. In other words this is the path and filename that you want to copy the data file to. This field is ignored for Type 1 files. In the ramdisk example, the destination filename would be "A:\AUTO\RAMDISK.INF". The following are exact replicas of the configuration screen for the above 2 examples: File Extender: .SND File Kind: 1 Source: A:\AUTO\______________ Dest: ________________________ File Extender: .INF File Kind: 2 Source: A:\AUTO\OTHER\________ Dest: A:\AUTO\RAMDISK.DAT_____ As a further example (don't actually do this), if you were to configure Accessories and DESKTOP.INF files as OTHER files, this is what it would look like: File Extender: .ACC File Kind: 1 Source: A:\___________________ Dest: ________________________ File Extender: .INF File Kind: 2 Source: A:\AUTO\SUPERBT\______ Dest: A:\DESKTOP.INF__________ COLOR SELECTION If you're running the configuration program on a color monitor you will be asked to set the screen colors which will be used in Super Boot. A sample menu screen will be shown, and color values will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Move the mouse to a number and press the LEFT button to increase the number and the RIGHT button to decrease it (values range from 0 to 7). Above the numbers are descriptions of what they represent, "R" stands for Red, "G" stands for Green, and "B" stands for Blue. Once all the colors are set the way you like them, click the LEFT mouse button on the word "SAVE" to save the changes or "CANCEL" to cancel the changes. If you're running the program on a monochrome monitor, you'll be asked if you want Super Boot to show black text on a white background, or white text on a black background. SHOW ORDER OF AUTO FILES Selecting this option from the main menu allows you to view the true order of files in the auto directory. You can choose to show just programs, or show all files in the directory, and you can send the output to either the screen or printer. This option is better than looking at the order of the files with SUPERBT.PRG, because SUPERBT.PRG will not show itself or STARTGEM.PRG as an auto program. Usually viewing just the program files is all you need to do, however if data files in the directory are deleted and then programs copied over them, the directory order could change unexpectedly and in that case showing all files would be better. If output is sent to the screen and there are more files in the directory than can fit on the screen, the extra files will not be shown. If you have more programs than can be shown on one screen (175 programs), then chances are you have too many auto programs to begin with! If you're viewing the files on the screen, press any key when done to exit back to the menu. SPECIFY DISK DRIVES This menu item tells Super Boot on which drive(s) to look for the various files that it needs. It allows you to specify where the Desk Accessories and Auto Programs are located, and also where it needs to write the DESKTOP.INF file. If you do not have a hard drive, this is the configuration you must use: Disk drive for AUTO programs: A Disk drive for Desk Accessories: A Disk drive for DESKTOP.INF: A If you do have a hard drive, your configuration depends upon whether the hard drive is self-booting or not. "Self-booting" means that the hard drive can operate regardless of if there is a disk in drive A: or not. If the hard drive is not self-booting, a special program (supplied with the hard drive) has to be present in the AUTO folder of drive A: or else the hard drive can't be accessed. If you have a self-booting hard drive, your configuration is PROBABLY this: Disk drive for AUTO programs: C Disk drive for Desk Accessories: C Disk drive for DESKTOP.INF: C If you have a hard drive which is not self-booting, your configuration will PROBABLY be this: Disk drive for AUTO programs: A Disk drive for Desk Accessories: C Disk drive for DESKTOP.INF: C Note that AUTO programs are read from A: while Desk Accessories are read from C: for non-self-booting hard drives. Also, from experimentation it appears that the DESKTOP.INF file can be written either to A: or C: on non-self-booting drives. The ST looks for it on A: first, and then looks to C: if it wasn't on A:. The ST will boot slightly faster if you specify C: for the DESKTOP.INF file, however if a DESKTOP.INF file is unexpectedly present in A: the one on C: will be overridden. Because some hard drives may be atypical in their boot software, if the configurations listed above do not work you may need to experiment a little to get it right. In most cases however, the above configurations will work. V. Using Super Boot ---------------- STARTUP: Depending on the way you configured Super Boot, the first things checked are the hot-keys. Whether or not you should hold one down depends upon the bypass method you selected. If Super Boot determines you wish to bypass it (depending on the hot-keys) the program will immediately halt (but it does go ahead and set the Write Verify and Keyclick options before halting). The only exception to this is if the password option is enabled. If so, it will first get the password before halting. Also, if you configured Super Boot to set a default configuration if bypassed the default will be set at this time. NOTE: The hot-key feature may not work properly on the new Mega ST's. I have been told that if you wait until you see your floppy drive light come on, and THEN press the hot-key, it will work on a MEGA. WELCOME SCREEN: If enabled, the welcome screen will be displayed for the amount of time you specified when using SUPER_CS.PRG. Super Boot does support color rotation for Neochrome and Tinystuffed pictures. You can prematurely exit from the Welcome Screen by pressing any key. If you selected one of the time-delay bypass methods for the welcome screen, you must press a key or Super Boot will halt after showing the welcome screen. If for some reason the picture file can't be read, no "file not found" message will be displayed, it will simply go on to the next function. If your welcome screen shows up as garbage, or if the ST reboots when it should display the welcome screen, it probably means that you forgot to correctly specify the picture type (i.e. Neochrome, Degas, or Tiny). PASSWORD: If enabled, Super Boot will ask for a password. Super Boot will not ask for the password if it recognizes the system was warm booted. If the password is entered incorrectly, you will be asked to re-enter it. If it is incorrectly entered 3 times the system will shut down and the computer will have to be reset or rebooted. DATE: If enabled, Super Boot will prompt you to enter in the current date. If Super Boot recognizes that the system was warm booted, it will not ask for the date. Pressing RETURN on a blank date will leave the date as it is. You must enter the date as a 4 digit number, 2 digits for the month, 2 for the day. Examples: March 28 would be "0328", December 8 would be "1208". If you enter an invalid date, the invalid date will be erased and you will be prompted to enter the date again. NOTE: Super Boot checks only to make sure that the date is within reasonable bounds. It does not, for example, check to see if Feb. 29 is valid, or June 31. Any date between 1 and 31 is accepted as valid. TIME: If enabled, you will next be prompted to enter in the current time. As with the date, pressing RETURN on a blank time will leave the time alone. You must enter in the time as military time. Military time is like ordinary time, except that if the time is PM, you add 12 to the hour (except for midnight and noon, where 12:00 AM = 00:00, and 12:00 PM = 12:00). Examples of conversion to military time: 12:30 PM = 12:30, 4:15 PM = 16:15, 8:00 AM = 08:00, 12:45 AM = 00:45. To enter the time in on Super Boot, you enter either a 4 or 6 digit number (depending on if you set the configuration to ask for seconds). Examples: 4:15:37 PM = "1615" without entering the seconds, or "161537" with entering the seconds. 1:22:03 AM = "0122" or "012203" depending on whether or not seconds are entered. IMPORTANT NOTE ON TIME AND DATE: Since Atari first released TOS on disk along with DESK1.ACC and DESK2.ACC, they have put out 2 new versions of the control panel. The new versions are both named CONTROL.ACC. The old DESK1.ACC does not accept time changes made through Super Boot, so you need to use the newest one. Another side effect of using the old control panel is that it loses the date and time when you switch resolutions, and the new control panels correct that. The first revision of the control panel fixed most of the time problems, except that it reset the seconds to 0. The latest version of CONTROL.ACC corrects the problem with the seconds. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COLDBOOT AND A WARMBOOT: A coldboot is when the power to the computer is first physically turned on, while a warmboot is when the computer is rebooted either by pressing the reset button or through software. Super Boot can tell the difference between a warmboot and a coldboot, and can even tell if a program in the AUTO folder performed a software reboot. If Super Boot detects a warmboot: - It will not show the welcome screen again, since you already saw it at power up (unless you configured Super Boot to always show the welcome screen). - It will not ask for the password again since it was entered at power up. - It will not ask for the time and date again, since they would have been already set at power up. If Super Boot detects that a program in the AUTO folder performed a reboot (some Auto Programs perform a reboot to install themselves), Super Boot will not run at all and the other Auto Programs will be executed. By doing this Super Boot will not run more than once during a single boot. NOTE: Occasionally the ST may perform a reboot just before reaching the desktop; this can occur whether you use Super Boot or not. If it does occur, Super Boot will run again (and hence appear to run more than once) since SUPERBTA.PRG would have already run before the reboot. FILE SELECTION MODE: If there are no accessory, desktop, GDOS, autoboot, or "other" files present, Super Boot will skip the file selection mode and exit, otherwise it will display all available files to choose from. If there is more of one type of file than is allowed (for example 14 .INF files instead of the maximum of 9) then the excess files will not be displayed. All active files are displayed in inverse (highlighted) characters, all inactive files are shown as regular text. ACTIVE KEYS: HOME - moves cursor to the top, left corner of the screen SHIFT HOME - moves cursor to the bottom, right corner of the screen LEFT ARROW - moves left RIGHT ARROW - moves right UP ARROW - moves up DOWN ARROW - moves down SHIFT LEFT ARROW - moves to the far left edge of the screen SHIFT RIGHT ARROW - moves to the far right edge of the screen SHIFT UP ARROW - moves to the top of the screen SHIFT DOWN ARROW - moves to the bottom of the screen SPACE BAR - select or deselect files HELP - show help screen and other options UNDO - exit Super Boot with no changes made ESC - exit Super Boot and make changes DELETE - deselect all files FUNCTION KEY - selects a predefined file configuration and exits program ALT or CONTROL - selects a new set of function keys SHIFT + FUNCTION KEY - selects a predefined file configuration but does not exit the program To select or deselect a file, simply move the ">" cursor with any of the four arrow keys to the filename and press the space bar. Super Boot allows only one DESKTOP.INF file to be selected at a time, only one ASSIGN.SYS file to be selected at a time, and any number of accessory or autoboot files to be selected. However, please note that the ST can currently have a MAXIMUM of 6 accessories active at once, and some files (like CONTROL.ACC and EMULATOR.ACC) count as 2 accessories each. Hold down the ALT or CONTROL key to show a different set of function keys at the bottom of the screen. "AL" will appear to the left of the function key names indicating the ALT set, or "CN" will appear indicating the CONTROL set of function keys. Holding down the SHIFT key while pressing a function key will change the files according to that key but will not exit, allowing you to temporarily alter a predefined file configuration. SUPERBT.PRG, SUPERBTA.PRG, and STARTGEM.PRG will not be shown as AUTO programs on the file selection screen. These programs should NEVER be inactive and are therefore not selectable. Make sure you do not rename these programs to anything else! HELP SCREEN: Pressing the HELP key will display a summary of key commands, and some current statistics: date, time, write verify, and current Startgem program. There are also function key commands to change the date, time, or write verify status. One function key is set up to cancel the Startgem program if desired. Pressing F10 exits back to the file selection screen. UNDO and ESC are also active and behave just as in the file selection screen. UNDO cancels any changes to the files and then exits the program and ESC makes any necessary changes to the files and then exits. EXITING: When you have set the files the way you want them, press the ESC key, or you can press a function key to select a predefined configuration. If you don't want Super Boot to revise any of the files, just hit the UNDO key and the program will immediately terminate. While the message "Revising files....." is displayed, you should never interrupt the disk drive, either by removing the disk or by turning the drive or computer off. As soon as you see the "Now revising files....." message disappear, it means that the Super Boot program has ended. VI. Tips & Tricks ------------- EXTRA DESKTOP.INF FILES Depending on how you use Super Boot, you may find yourself needing to use more than the maximum of 9 DESKTOP.INF files, for example if you decide to use a different file for each function key. You can extend the number of Desktop files in the following manner: 1) Select your 9 most used Desktop files, and treat them normally as specified above. 2) Create a new folder in the AUTO folder called "MOREDESK" (\AUTO\MOREDESK\). 3) Copy any Desktop files which you did not have room for into the MOREDESK folder. 4) Run the Super Boot Construction Set and select the menu option "Configure "Other" files". 5) Set up a new entry as follows: File Extender: .INF File Kind: 2 Source: C:\AUTO\MOREDESK\ Dest: C:\DESKTOP.INF (Of course if you don't have a hard drive, substitute drive A: for drive C: in the Source and Dest. fields) 6) When you run Super Boot, you'll have 2 areas from which to choose DESKTOP.INF files from. This does create one slight problem however; with this setup it is now possible to have 2 active DESKTOP.INF files when there should never be more than 1 active. It won't hurt anything if 2 are active, but you may not get the file you intended. If 2 are active, the "Other" file has the highest priority and will be used instead of the normal "Desktop" file. EXTRA ASSIGN.SYS FILES More ASSIGN.SYS files can be added in the same way as more DESKTOP.INF files are added. Just follow the general procedure above, except use a different folder (\AUTO\MOREGDOS\ perhaps), and use the following "other" configuration: File Extender: .SYS File Kind: 2 Source: C:\AUTO\MOREGDOS\ Dest: C:\ASSIGN.SYS USING STARTGEM.PRG Startgem works with almost any GEM program, however there may be one or two which will not work with it. By the way, GEM programs are those which use such elements as windows, variable sized text, the mouse, dialog boxes, buttons, etc., and TOS programs generally only use text output and seldom use graphics. The reason Startgem has to be used to run GEM programs is that only TOS programs can be automatically run via the AUTO folder. GEM programs in the AUTO folder usually result in an immediate system crash. If you set up a program to run with Startgem but nothing happens when you reach the desktop, there are several things you should check. First of all, check to make sure the correct path and filename are present in STARTGEM.INF (which is located in the root directory of the initial boot drive). If it is not, it was either typed in incorrectly when using the Super Boot Construction Set, the function key was not saved when it was edited, or there was no room left on the disk to create the STARTGEM.INF file. If the path and filename is correct in STARTGEM.INF, make sure STARTGEM.PRG is present on the initial boot disk (in the AUTO folder), and make sure the filename is exactly "STARTGEM.PRG". If the above suggestions still do not help, it has been found that some programs which use data files sometimes get lost when run by Startgem; the program thinks it is in the wrong directory. To prevent this, you should use a DESKTOP.INF file which was saved with a window open to the folder containing the program you are trying to run. Also, the window has to be the top window (in other words, the active window). VII. Registration, Comments, and Questions ------------------------------------- Please send any comments, questions, bug reports, or registration forms to the following address: Gordon W. Moore 2300 Beech St. Ashland, KY 41101 (USA) Please make out checks or money orders to Gordon W. Moore, and please convert foreign currency to U.S. currency before sending if possible. Receipt of all registration forms will be acknowledged via mail or E-mail. I can also be reached through E-mail on the following services: Compuserve: 73647,2735 Genie : G.W.MOORE Genie : Super Boot topic in category 2 of the BBS on the ST roundtable ---------------------------------------------------------------------- REGISTRATION/UPDATE FORM FOR SUPER BOOT (circle the option or options that apply) A -- Please register me as a new Super Boot user. I am enclosing $_________ for registration. NOTE: $15.00 is the suggested registration fee. If you feel that it is worth more or less, you may send in the amount that you feel is appropriate. B -- I have an older version of Super Boot. Please send me the most current available version. I am enclosing $4.00 to cover the cost of the disk, postage, and handling (Foreign orders please add $1.00 extra.) C -- I already have the most current version of Super Boot. Please send me the next major revision when it is available. I am enclosing $4.00 to cover the cost of the disk, postage, and handling. (Foreign orders please add $1.00 extra.) PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: Name: ____________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Phone Number (including area code): ___________________________ Genie Mail Address: ______________________ Compuserve Mail Address: _______________________ Current version of Super Boot you are using: __________________ Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ____________ Please list any changes or new features you would like to see added to Super Boot or any comments you might have. Also please indicate any possible bugs you may have found: