This program, once installed, replaces the standard Windows 95 desktop user interface. Instead of a series of icons and/or complex series of menus, this program presents a user configurable pick list of program names. You can run any program on the list by simply double clicking on the name or clicking on the name and then clicking on the Run button. Users who prefer to use the keyboard can select a program using the up and down cursor keys and then pressing the Enter key.
Advantages
This program offers the following advantages over the standard Windows 95 desktop:
1) Convenience: For users who have specific programs that they commonly use, the list box of program names can be easier to use than wading through a series of menus and submenus under the Start button to get to a program that they run frequently. It also reduces the chance of running the wrong program, since only programs configured by the user will appear on the list box.
2) Security: Program Selector Pro includes multiple levels of password protection. Each program on the list box can be given an individual password. Windows itself can be protected by a password, meaning that you cannot run Windows without this password. A higher level password, called a supervisor password, is required to add a program to the pick list, remove a program from the list, or run a program not on the list. This password can be used in place of any lower password, such as the password for an individual program. An even higher level password, called an administrative password, is required to uninstall Program Selector Pro and restore the previous Windows 95 interface.
This password system allows a company's supervisor to control what programs employees can install and use on their computers. It allows parents to control what programs their children use on the family computer. It allows an individual user to protect private files by locking out access to the word processor, spreadsheet program, or similar program.
3) Virus protection: Program Selector Pro includes a moderate level of virus detection. Each time you enter Windows, Program Selector Pro checks to see if certain key files have been altered since Program Selector Pro was installed. These files include, among others, COMMAND.COM, WIN.COM, and Program Selector Pro itself. In addition, when you run any program using Program Selector Pro, it checks that program itself to see if it has been modified.
Note that this virus protection system is not a total protection. It does not detect viruses in your boot sector or FAT. It does not detect viruses that were already in your system before you installed Program Selector Pro, or viruses infecting programs before you added them to the Program Selector Pro pick list. It also does not scan ALL the files on your disk, only certain main files. For example, it does not scan many DLLs. Therefore, you should not consider the virus protection built into Program Selector Pro to be a replacement for periodic virus scans or reasonable care. However, the fact that Program Selector Pro checks certain key files each time you run them provides an easy and transparent way to give you early warning of virus infection. In addition, the fact that Program Selector Pro allows only someone with a supervisor password to add programs or run programs not on the pick list reduces the chances of someone introducing a virus into the computer.
4) Built in Uninstall feature: Program Selector Pro records many changes that occur in your computer when you install a program on your hard disk using Program Selector Pro's "Install new program" function. This includes changes in your WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, AUTOEXEC.BAT, and CONFIG.SYS files, and addition of new files and new directories to your hard disk. If you decide that you do not want a program, you can use the Uninstall function to remove all subdirectories and files added to your hard disk when you installed the program. Program Selector Pro will also reverse the changes made in the above mentioned control files.
Installation
To install Program Selector Pro, start Windows 95 and then insert the installation disk in your floppy drive. Using the Run command under the Start menu, run the SETUPPSP program on the disk. For example, if you inserted the disk in the A drive, you would input A:SETUPPSP as the command in the "Open" box. (Use B: instead of A: if you are using the B: drive.)
When you install Program Selector Pro, it will ask you to input the administrative, supervisor, and user entry passwords. Ideally, Program Selector Pro should be installed by someone with administrator level clearance. This person can then assign the supervisor and user entry passwords, and inform these people what their passwords are. Each password can be changed later by someone who knows the current password. Any password also can be changed by someone who has a higher level password. For example, when changing the entry level password, the Program Selector Pro will ask for the current entry level password. You can input the administrative or supervisor password instead of the entry password at this point. The same applies to changing individual program passwords.
The administrative and supervisor level passwords are required. User entry password is not. If you do not input a user entry password, Program Selector Pro will not ask for a password when you start Windows. Note that you can hide the password you are inputting by checking the conceal password box, in case someone is watching you. This will cause Program Selector Pro to display asterisks in place of letters as you type. When changing the password with the conceal option on, Program Selector Pro will require you to type it twice to insure that you have typed it correctly.
During the initial setup, Program Selector Pro will allow you to select which programs you want displayed on the pick list. (A person with the supervisor or administrator level password will be allowed to add or remove programs from this list in the future.) Follow the simple instructions on screen or in this manual to do this. A Help button is available on most screens with more detailed instructions. After you have selected the programs you want added to the pick list, Program Selector Pro will install itself and replace the current Windows 95 interface. You can restore your original user interface later if you decide you do not like Program Selector Pro. (Administrator password is required to restore original user interface.)
How to use Program Selector Pro
Running programs
You can run programs from the pick list by double clicking a program name on the list, or by clicking on the program name and then clicking on the Ok button. IF you prefer to use the keyboard, you can select the program name using the up and down cursor keys and then pressing the Enter (sometimes called RETURN) key.
Adding programs to the pick list
You add programs that are already installed on your hard disk to the pick list by using the "Add Program to pick list" function under the Files menu. This is different from installing a new program on your hard disk, which involves the "Install program" function explained elsewhere. Note that a supervisor level or above password is required to add a program to the pick list after Program Selector Pro is installed.
When you add programs to the pick list, Program Selector Pro will first display a screen allow you to select broad types of files that you do NOT want displayed on the Available list. These are files such as Readme files that as used so seldom you are unlikely to want to have them on your pick list, or files can be accessed from within a program that is running, such as Help files. To allow Program Selector Pro to not display these files on the available list, just click on the Proceed button to proceed. If you do want Program Selector Pro to display a particular type of file on the available list, click on the check box next to that type of file to remove it from the automatic rejection process.
When you are adding files to the pick list, Program Selector Pro will display a list of available programs you currently have in your Windows Start menu and desktop icons. You may select any programs you want to add by clicking on the name in the available list and clicking on the Add button, or simply double clicking on the program name. You also can select programs using the up and down cursor keys and pressing Enter to Add them. Note that for some programs that Program Selector Pro is familiar with, a comment will appear near the bottom of the window tell you a little about the program. Once you add a program to the selected list, the name will move from the Available list to the Selected list. When you are finished, click on the Done button.
The names in the Available list are programs that are already displayed either as icons on your Windows desktop or as programs under your Start menu. There may be some programs on your hard disk that do not have links in either of these places. Normally under Windows, you would have to run these using the Run command under the Start menu. With Program Selector Pro, you can create links to these and add them to your pick list. To do this, click on the Create button. You will then see a screen that displays drives, directories, files, and a blank box where you can input a name. You should first select the drive the program's executable file in on in the drive box. Then move through the directory box to select the directory the executable file is in, and finally select the file name from the file list box. The file you have selected will appear in the box below the directory list box. Once you have selected the actual file, click on the empty Program Name box and type in the name for the program as you want it to appear on the pick list. It is not necessary to get the exact name of the program. This is only for purposes of displaying the name in the pick list. Once you have done this, click on the Done button to add this program to the Selected list.
When you add any program to the pick list, Program Selector Pro will ask you for the password you want to assign to that program. If you do not want to password protect the program, simple press ENTER or click on the Ok button without entering anything in the password box. Program Selector Pro will not ask for a password when you tell it to run these programs. Note that you can hide the password you are inputting by checking the conceal password box, in case someone is watching you. This will cause Program Selector Pro to display asterisks in place of letters as you type. When changing the password with the conceal option on, Program Selector Pro will require you to type it twice to insure that you have typed it correctly.
Removing programs from the pick list
You can remove programs from the pick list using the "Remove program from pick list" function under the Files menu. You would do this if you decide that you use the program too seldom to have it on your pick list. Note that a supervisor level or above password is required to remove a program from the pick list. Note also that this does not actually remove the program from your hard disk. It merely removes the name of the program from the pick list. To totally remove a program from your hard disk, you need to use the Uninstall Program option explained elsewhere. This option only works on programs installed using Program Selector Pro's Install function, also explained elsewhere.
To remove programs, select Remove Programs under the Files menu. You will see a new window containing a pick list of your programs. Simply click on the program you wish to remove and click on the Remove button, or use the up and down cursor keys to select a program and press Enter. When you are finished removing programs, click on the Done button or press Esc.
Installing new program
This option under the Files menu allows you to install a new program on your hard disk. It requires a supervisor or administrator password. When you use this option, Program Selector Pro records the changes made to your hard disk during the installation. This allows you to uninstall the program later.
When you start to install a new program, Program Selector Pro will first ask you if you will be installing the program by running an automatic setup or install program, or will be installing the files manually using Windows Explorer. After you answer this, Program Selector Pro will ask for the name of the program. Type in a name and press ENTER. Program Selector Pro will then ask you which drive you are installing the program on. This will normally be your C drive, but if that drive is nearly full you may need to put the new program on another drive.
Program Selector Pro will then do take a "snapshot" of the disk before you begin the installation process. This may take some time, but is necessary for Program Selector Pro to be able to uninstall the program later.
When Program Selector Pro has finished with this, it will either run Explorer to allow you to copy files manually or display a Program Selector Pro window to allow you to select the installation file used to install the program. If you chose to use Explorer to copy files manually, simply copy the files and then exit Explorer when you are finished.
If you are installing a new program by running the program's Install or Setup program, Program Selector Pro will display the standard file selection window. This will allow you to select the drive and directory on that drive where the setup program is located. Click on the down arrow on the Drive box to display a list of available drives. Double click on the directory you want to open in the directory box to choose the directory. Once you have selected the correct drive and directory, you can click on the proper setup program and then on the Ok button to run the setup program.
During the installation process, Program Selector Pro will display a window with a "Done" button and a caption that reads, "Click Done button when finished installing program." As the caption suggests, you should click on this button only when you have finished copying files using Explorer or the installation program has finished installing the program.
Many installation programs automatically create one or more links to the program being installed. If the installer creates exactly one link to the newly installed program, Program Selector Pro will automatically add that link to the pick list of programs that you can run using Program Selector Pro.
If the installer adds more than one link, Program Selector Pro will display a list of the links added by the install program and allow you to select which one to add to the pick list. Just select the link you want you want to add to the pick list and click on the Ok button. Program Selector Pro will only allow you to select one link from this list. If you want to add more than one of these links to your pick list, select the main one now. You can use the "Add program to pick list" option under the Files menu to add the others later.
If the installation program did not add any links to the Windows Start menu or desktop, Program Selector Pro will allow you to create the link manually. It will display a window that will allow you to select the executable file that you want to link to in the pick list. It will attempt to automatically select the most likely drive, directory, and executable file as the default. If Program Selector Pro has not correctly identified the executable file you want to link to, you can change the file and even the directory. Once you have selected the proper file, click on the Ok button to add it to the pick list.
Uninstalling a program
This option under the Files menu allows you to uninstall a program on your hard disk. It requires a supervisor or administrator password. When you use this option, Program Selector Pro totally removes the program from your hard disk. This is different from simply removing a program name from the pick list.
Note that this function only works on programs you installed using Program Selector Pro's Install function. It will not work on programs you already had on your hard drive before you installed Program Selector Pro. To uninstall those programs, use the uninstall program that came with them, if there was one.
When you select the Uninstall program function, Program Selector Pro will display a list of files that you can uninstall using this function. Select one and click on the Ok button. If any files were installed in preexisting directories (as opposed to directories that the program created itself when it was installed), Program Selector Pro will ask if you want to confirm deletion of these files. If you select Yes, Program Selector Pro will ask for permission to delete each file from any preexisting subdirectories. This can be useful if you think the program installed some files that will be useful for other programs. For example, Program Selector Pro itself installs the file VB40032.DLL, which is used by many other programs.
Run program manually
This option under the Files menu allows you to run a program that is not on the pick list. You might use this to run a one-time program. This option requires a supervisor or administrator password.
Program Selector Pro will display a file selection window that will display the executable files in the root directory of your hard disk. You can change the drive and directory using the displayed list boxes. The currently selected file is displayed in a box at the bottom of the window. When you have selected the file you want to run, click on the Ok box or press ENTER.
Run Windows Explorer
This option under the Files menu allows you to run the Windows Explorer. Because this program allows you to run any program on your disk and to make extensive changes in your disk structure, it requires a supervisor or administrator password.
Uninstalling Program Selector Pro
If you decide that you want to go back to your old user interface, you can select the Uninstall Program Selector Pro option under the Files menu. This does not actually remove the Program Selector Pro files from your hard drive. It merely restores your original user interface as the one Windows uses. You can restore Program Selector Pro as your user interface later by selecting Run under the Start menu and inputting "progselp /R" (without the quotes) as the run command. All settings, such as your pick list, will be restored. This allows you to go back to your original user interface temporarily if it has some feature you want to use. You can then restore Program Selector Pro when you are finished. If you decide you never want to use Program Selector Pro again, uninstall it by selecting the "Uninstall Program Selector Pro" option under the Files menu. Once you are running your old user interface, use Explorer to drag PROGSELP.EXE and PROGSELP.TXT to the recycle bin.
Exiting Windows 95
You can exit Windows 95 by using the Exit Windows option under the Files menu, or by clicking on the X button in the upper right corner of the Program Selector Pro main Window.
Help
You can display the complete Help file by selecting Instructions under the Help menu.
Password protection
Most of the functions of Program Selector Pro can be password protected. This allows authorized users to prevent unauthorized users from accessing programs or even Windows itself. When you try to use a password protected function, Program Selector Pro will display an Input Password window. This window contains a text box where you input the password and then either press the ENTER key or click on the Ok button.
To prevent other people from seeing your password as you type it, Program Selector Pro allows you to conceal the password in the text box. If you check the "Conceal Password" box by clicking on it, the text in the password text box will appear as asterisks, regardless of what you type.
You can change any password by selecting the password you wish to change under the Security menu at the top of the main screen. You do need to know the current password (if one has been assigned) in order to change it to a new password, or else know a higher level password than the one you are changing. For example, to change the User Entry password you must know either the current user entry password or the supervisor or administrator password.
You have the option of concealing the new password you input when creating or changing a password. If you conceal the text when you are setting a password, Program Selector Pro requires you to type the same password in two separate text boxes. This is to insure that you have typed the password correctly. Obviously, the results would be very unpleasant if you typed the new password incorrectly because you could not see it, and then you did not know what password you had typed.
If you select the option under the Security menu to change a password for an individual program on the pick list, Program Selector Pro will display a list of these programs. Select the one you want to change from the list and click on the Select button. After you have changed the password for that program, Program Selector Pro will show you the list again. You may change as many individual program passwords as you like. When you have changed all the program passwords you want to, click on the Done button.
You can remove password protection from any program, including the Windows entry password, by setting the password to null. That is, click on the Ok button without putting in a password when Program Selector Pro asks you for the new password. When no password is assigned to a program or the user entry password, the Program Selector Pro will run the program or enter Windows without asking for a password. Note that you MUST provide an administrative and a supervisor level password. You cannot set these to null.
If you input an incorrect password while trying to access any function, the function immediately ends. You can try again to access that program from the beginning if that happens. The only exception to this is the entry password for starting Windows. If you fail to provide the correct password for this, Windows totally shuts down. Because of the inconvenience of this, you get three tries to input the entry password before this function (running Windows) ends.
If you are having trouble with any password, remember that a higher level password can always be used in place of a password. For example, if you forget the password for a program, you can use the supervisor or administrator password in place of the program password. If you forget a password, you should use a higher password to access the change password function under the Security menu and then change the password to one you know.
Virus protection
When you first install Program Selector Pro, it scans certain key files and records data on these files. In addition, when you add a program to the pick list, it records the same data on these program files. When you enter Windows or run a program from the pick list, Program Selector Pro repeats this scan. If it finds that the file has changed, it warns you.
Changes to a program may occur if you update to a new version of the program. Changes also may occur if you run certain anti virus programs that add checksum data to files to guard against infection later. Also, changes will occur if an anti virus program removes viruses from a program. If you have done one of these functions recently, you should instruct Program Selector Pro to proceed to run the program, and also to change the saved parameters on the program.
If, however, you have not updated your program version or taken anti virus steps recently, the change in your files may indicate a virus infection. In that case, if the warning occurred when you were running a program from the pick list, you should tell Program Selector Pro not the run the program. You should then do a thorough virus scan before running it if possible. This is because running an infected program can spread the virus to other files. If the program is Windows or Program Selector Pro itself (i.e., if the warning comes up when you first run Windows), this obviously becomes more complicated, since you need the run Windows to run many anti virus programs. The best course in this case is to allow Program Selector Pro to continue running Windows, but immediately run an anti virus program.
Support
If you are having problems with Program Selector Pro and you cannot find the necessary information in this manual, you can send email to Leithauser@aol.com. In emergencies, you can call Leithauser Research at (904) 423-0705 between 11 AM and 5 PM EST.
Distribution of Program Selector Pro
Program Selector Pro is being provided on a trial basis. This means that the program will run for a one month trial period before you have to pay the registration fee. At the end of the month, it will stop working. Program Selector Pro will run, but you will no longer be able to run the programs on the pick list using Program Selector Pro until you pay for it. Once you pay for it, you will receive an unlock code number that will cause the program to work normally again. Once you have input this number, Program Selector Pro will permanently work normally (it is not necessary to repeat inputting the number) and will stop asking you for money.
For more information on paying for Program Selector Pro, select Register from the top menu of the main screen. If you decide you do not want to continue using Program Selector Pro, you should uninstall it using the Uninstall function under the Files menu.
