SoftWindows and SoftWindows 95 - ReadMe information
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This file contains the latest information relating to SoftWindows Version 3.0 and SoftWindows 95.
1. Contents
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• 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
• External floppy drive support
• Miscellaneous
• Acknowledgements
• Your Comments Please
2. What's New in SoftWindows
===========================
This section lists the new features and enhancements in SoftWindows 3.0 and SoftWindows 95:
2.1 SoftWindows 3.0
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• 35% faster than SoftWindows 2.0.
• Windows 95 ready - just upgrade when you’re ready.
2.2 SoftWindows 95
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• Windows 95 pre-installed.
• Windows 95 TurboStart™ - launches Windows 95 instantly. Faster than on a real PC. (Also available when you upgrade SoftWindows 3.0 to Windows 95)
2.3 SoftWindows 95 and SoftWindows 3.0
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• SCSI support
- Access all your SCSI devices from PC software running under SoftWindows, including scanners, tape backup devices, Zip, Jaz, SyQuest drives, CD ROM drives and more.
• Improved Sound
- SoftWindows now gives the full functionality of a SoundBlaster card when running Windows applications through the addition of:
- MIDI support (MIDI sound files can either be played through the Macintosh sound system, using QuickTime, or output to an external MIDI device, using the serial port).
- Mixer driver
- ADPCM compressed wave file support
• Improved Printing From Windows
- SoftWindows includes a special Windows printer driver to provide access to all the features of your Macintosh printers from SoftWindows. This allows you to print in color to color printers from Windows, or take advantage of additional features provided by non-PostScript printers.
• Improved Network Support
- SoftWindows takes advantage of Open Transport™, which is installed by default on the latest PCI-based Macintosh computers. This gives increased network throughput and also enables simultaneous usage of the TCP/IP protocol in both Macintosh and Windows applications.
- SoftWindows also includes built in support for both Novell NetWare 4 and Microsoft LAN Manager, and with Windows 95 you can network directly from SoftWindows to other copies of Windows 95 on the same network.
3. Memory settings - for best performance
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The amount of memory that you dedicate to SoftWindows is set up by the SoftWindows installer, depending on 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 number of colors 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 the Preferred Size box.
• 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 Preferred Size box.
By only increasing the Preferred Size figure, SoftWindows will use extra memory up to the Preferred Size 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) is displayed in the top right hand corner of the dialog. This should be between 2Mb and 3Mb. Additional DeltaCache beyond 3Mb 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 PC 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. It should be noted that Extended Memory should be set to at least 2Mb to enable Enhanced mode in Windows, and that Windows 95 requires a minimum of 3Mb of Extended Memory.
• Make sure the setting in your Macintosh "Monitors" Control Panel matches the number of colors you have selected for the Windows Desktop, and that this is 256 or 16. 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. If necessary reduce the Windows Desktop size by selecting the Windows Desktop… command from the SoftWindows Setup menu.
• 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 increasing the DeltaCache as described above.
• Try turning File Sharing off, it can slow down your applications on the Power Macintosh.
• From time to time run an application such as Norton Speed Disk to defragment your Macintosh hard disk.
• If you do not have a CD drive or do not use CD-ROMs comment out the line CALL C:\INSIGNIA\USECD.BAT from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
• If you do not need to use the copy and paste utility SmartCopy closing it will improve performance. However, you should note that SmartCopy is required by the Insignia TurboStart feature, and to redraw the screen correctly.
• If you are using a NetWare client with VLM's, then network throughput performance can be tuned with the "MAX IPG" setting
near the bottom of the C:\NOVELL\NET.CFG text file. A setting of 10 is optimal, but if you experience problems on busy networks then you may want to increase it to 100, although above this figure throughput could be significantly reduced.
• In Windows 95 disable the Volume Control from the taskbar, using the Multimedia Control Panel.
5. Other Tips
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5.1 Loading DOS High
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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
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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 reduce the speed of SoftWindows.
5.3 Virtual Memory
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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 3.11 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.
6. SoftNode - Networking Support for SoftWindows
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6.1 Ethernet card compatibility
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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.
6.2 Token Ring card compatibility
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SoftNode is compatible with the following Apple Token Ring cards:
- Apple 4/16 Card
- Apple NBc card
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
6.3 NETBEUI Documentation Error
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Pages 160 and 172 of some versions of the SoftWindows Installation and User’s Guide give the NET.CFG Protocol line for NETBEUI as:
“Protocol NETBIOS80 ETHERNET_802.2”
This should read:
“Protocol NETBIOS f0 ETHERNET_802.2”
6.4 LAN Manager
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6.4.1 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.
6.4.2 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.
6.5 Windows Sockets DLL Implementation
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It should be noted that Insignia's Windows Sockets DLL does not support the use of RAW_SOCKETS or 32-bit applications.
If you have upgraded your hard disk to Windows 95, or have installed an application which has its own WINSOCK.DLL file, ensure you copy the Insignia WINSOCK.DLL from the C:\INSIGNIA directory to the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory before using WINSOCK applications with SoftWindows.
6.6 Novell NetWare RPRINTER.EXE
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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.
6.7 Windows for WorkGroups 3.11
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If you have installed Windows for WorkGroups 3.11 and want to run it on an Ethernet network over TCP/IP you will need the file wfwt32.exe. This file is only available from Microsoft, and can be downloaded from their ftp server.
If you have problems with the speed of response in a DOS box when using Windows for WorkGroups, you should obtain the file, WIN386.EXE, which has been specifically modified for Windows for WorkGroups, by contacting Insignia Technical Support.
6.8 MacTCP TCP/IP and non-Open Transport Macintosh
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If you have a non-Open Transport Macintosh on which you want to use a PC TCP stack, you must first disable MacTCP by removing it from the control panel folder and rebooting your Macintosh.
7. External floppy drive support
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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.
8. Miscellaneous
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8.1 How to get Ziff-Davis’ Winstone 95 to work in Windows 95
i) Add the line “spooler=yes” to the [windows] section of C:\WINDOWS\WIN.INI and reboot Windows 95.
ii) Add the HP LaserJet Series II printer and direct its output to a file.
iii) In the taskbar settings turn “Always on Top” off.
iv) Ensure that you have set SoftWindows performance to the optimum by reading the information in sections 3, 4 and 5 of this ReadMe.
8.2 No SCSI support on PowerBooks
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SoftWindows 3.0 and SoftWindows 95 do not support SCSI devices attached to PowerBooks. In order to access a CD-ROM drive attached to a PowerBook replace the following line in your C:\CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=C:\INSIGNIA\ASPICD.SYS /D:CDROM$$$ /norst
with:
DEVICE=C:\INSIGNIA\CDROM.SYS
Note that once you have made this change you will receive an error if your CD-ROM drive is not attached when you start SoftWindows.
8.3 Windows Desktop Size
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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.
8.4 WORD 6 (DOS) Clashes With SoftWindows Help
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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.
8.5 487 Co-processor
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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 or in the case of Lotus 1-2-3R4 for DOS, the Quickstart tutorial will display incorrect graphics. In such cases the 487 co-processor should be disabled.
This is due to the difference in floating point accuracy between a PC (80 bit) and a Macintosh (64 bit).
8.6 After Dark 3.0 for Macintosh
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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.
8.7 Application Requires a VGA Display
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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.
8.8 Mouse Emulation
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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.
8.9 SoftWindows Guide
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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.
When running the SoftWindows Guide it should also be noted that if a Guide dialog overlays a SoftWindows dialog which is subsequently highlighted with a red circle, the Guide dialog may not be redrawn correctly. To redraw the dialog, simply click on it.
8.10 SmartDrive and DriveSpace (SoftWindows 3.0)
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By default SoftWindows 3.0 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.
8.11 Video 7 VESA Drivers
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It should be noted that SoftWindows does not support Video 7 VESA drivers.
8.12 SoftWindows Sound Driver
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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.
8.13 Upgrading and Expanding Hard Disks
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Before upgrading or expanding an existing SoftWindows hard disk, ensure that any anti-virus software running on the hard disk is disabled, as they may interrupt the upgrade process.
8.14 SmartCopy and Screen Redrawing
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To ensure correct redrawing of the SoftWindows screen when you are running Windows, you must have the SmartCopy application running.
8.15 PostScript Printing
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When printing using the DOS or Windows PostScript driver 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.
8.16 Printing The Registration Form
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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.
8.17 MEMMAKER
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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.
8.18 CD-ROM Autorun in Windows 95
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SoftWindows does not support the Windows 95 CD-ROM Autorun feature.
8.19 “Empty” CD-ROM Drive in Windows 95
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If you try to display the contents of your CD-ROM drive in Windows 95 when there is no CD in the drive, a window showing no files will be displayed, unlike a real PC where an error message is displayed. This is a known difference between SoftWindows and a real PC.
8.20 Color Cursors not Supported in Windows 95
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The SoftWindows Display Driver does not support Color Cursors in Windows 95. Therefore, applications which use color animated cursors may appear to be monochrome and unanimated.
8.21 Windows 3.11 MSBACKUP not Supported
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Due to floppy formatting problems on Macintoshes, SoftWindows does not support Windows 3.11 MSBACKUP.
8.22 Improving Performance on PowerBook 5300s
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If performance of SoftWindows is unacceptably slow on your PowerBook 5300, you need to turn off Processor Cycling. To do this, open the PowerBook control panel and then hold down the Option/Alt key while changing the Easy/Custom switch control to Custom. The processor cycling check box will then appear in the expanded dialog box and you should turn this off. (Note: the Insignia utilities ~Rest and ~Don't Rest are unnecessary on the PowerBook 5300).
8.23 Windows 95 Filenames Floppy Disk Display Problems
If you copy a Windows 95 file, with a long filename, onto a PC format floppy disk, the name of the floppy disk and the file may be corrupted when displayed using MacOS.
8.24 Apparent Hang of Winsock Applications
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Some Winsock applications, such as Netscape and Mosaic may appear to hang your Macintosh on initial start-up. If you wait for 2-3 minutes the application should resume.
8.25 Windows 3.11 Virtual Memory Error with Locked Hard Disks
If you start SoftWindows with a locked Hard Disk, and then run Windows, you may get an error saying that your Swap file is corrupted. This is because Windows cannot write to your Swap file as it is locked. To solve this problem use an unlocked Hard Disk.
8.26 Slow CD-ROM Access Using FWB CD-ROM Toolkit
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If you use the FWB CD-ROM Toolkit (version 1.5.7) on your Macintosh, when accessing CD-ROMs from SoftWindows you may find a reduction in performance. This is due to the way the CD-ROM Toolkit handles caching. To solve this problem turn off the acceleration of the CD-ROM drive in the CD-ROM Toolkit control panel.
8.27 Saving Files on a Locked Hard Disk
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You cannot save files to a Locked SoftWindows Hard Disk. Even if it appears that a file has been saved, it has only been saved into disk cache, and not onto the hard disk.
8.28 Mouse Driver Not Recognised By Windows 95
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Certain Windows 95 utilities, such as the Device Manager, may not recognise the Insignia Mouse Driver. This does not affect the Mouse performance or usability.
8.29 Error Using NETWARE.DRV Version 3.03
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If you receive the following message, "The parameter setting for FileSysChange in SYSTEM.INI is invalid for NetWare. Do you want to reset it, after which you must restart?" when running Winstone 96 or you have problems with PageMaker licensing, you need to comment out the line NETWORK.DRV=NETWARE.DRV in your SYSTEM.INI file to get the application to work correctly.
8.30 Floppy Disk Formatting and Backup Tracking
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Due to the difference between the way SoftWindows and a real PC formats floppy disks, errors can arise when trying to backup software. To solve the problem try reformatting the floppy disk.
8.31 Upgrading to Windows 95 with Banyan Vines installed
If you upgrade a SoftWindows Hard Disk containing Windows 3.11 to Windows 95, you may receive an “Incorrect DOS version” error when attempting to run MS-DOS. To solve this problem remove Banyan Vines from your Hard Disk before upgrading, and then reinstall.
9. Acknowledgements
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9.1 WinPost
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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.
9.2 DEVLOD
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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.
9.3 DOS for Dummies/ Windows for Dummies
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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.
9.4 Microsoft LAN Manager
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The LAN Manager client software from Microsoft Corporation is included with SoftWindows for your convenience. Please note that you are bound by the terms of the Microsoft Licence Agreement included with the LAN Manager server software.
10. Your Comments Please
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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
