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1986-03-16
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SKIPDOS - HARD DISK ORGANIZER
FRONT END MENU PROGRAM
Copyright (c) 1986
Automated Data Systems, Inc.
version 1.4
SKIPDOS is the property of Automated Data Systems, Inc., but
is hereby released to the Public Domain. It may be freely copied
and distributed but under no circumstances may a fee be charged
for such copying or distribution. SKIPDOS represents many hours
of work. If you feel that this program is of value to you, you
are requested to send a $10 donation to:
William C. Rigney
AUTOMATED DATA SYSTEMS, INC.
661 Bermuda Road
West Babylon, NY 11704
516 669 0522
OVERVIEW
SKIPDOS was written for those who prefer to see a menu at
bootup, rather than be left at the DOS prompt. The program will
create the necessary batch files in order to accomplish this
task. SKIPDOS consists of the following files:
SKIPINST.EXE
SKIPDOS.DOC
In order for the program to run properly, several steps must
be taken. I suggest that you take a few moments to read this
documentation before running the program.
PUTTING THINGS IN THE RIGHT PLACE
To create the environment under which SKIPDOS will correctly
operate, you must first create a subdirectory which will hold the
files created by SKIPDOS. This subdirectory should be on the
logical drive where most of your applications are located. (All
examples assume that you are using drive C: - If you are using a
different drive the responses will of course be different.) If
you have only one logical hard drive, then this is where it must
be. I suggest that this directory be created from the root. In
order to be sure that you are at the root directory, type the
drive name and a colon: (e.g.; c:), then press <RETURN>. Then,
from the prompt, type:
cd\
To see that you are in the root, now type cd and press <RETURN>.
The response should be:
C:\
Now create the subdirectory. From the C> prompt, type:
MD <directory name>
At the prompt, now go to the new subdirectory by typing:
CD\<directory name>
To be sure you're there, type CD. The response should be:
C:\<directory name>
Now copy the SKIPINST.EXE file into this directory. If you don't
know how to do this, consult your DOS manual.
IMPORTANT: THE NAME OF YOUR SUBDIRECTORY WILL ALSO BE THE NAME OF
THE MAIN BATCH FILE CREATED BY SKIPDOS - I SUGGEST THAT YOU USE
SKIPDOS, BUT IN ANY CASE, BE SURE THAT THERE IS NO CONFLICT WITH
OTHER PROGRAMS OR SUBDIRECTORIES WHEN NAMING YOUR SUBDIRECTORY.
SETTING THE PATH
After you have created the subdirectory where the SKIPDOS
programs are to be located, you must set the DOS path so that
SKIPDOS can find the proper place to write its files. If you
currently have a path set, add the drive:\subdirectory where the
SKIPDOS files are to reside. If you do not have a path set and/or
are unfamiliar with the command, do the following to set it now.
From the DOS prompt, type:
PATH=dr:\subdirectory
More information on the path command can be found in INVOKING
SKIPDOS and in the DOS manual.
GETTING THINGS IN ORDER
Before installing SKIPDOS, you must take an inventory of the
applications that you have on your fixed disk(s), and make note
of those that you wish to be able to access from the boot-up
menu. While most applications lend themselves to this type of
access, care should be taken that in cases where more than one
program must be run, that you don't tell SKIPDOS to take you back
to the menu after running the first. (This would be true for
something like a compiler where after compiling a program, you
must stay in the compiler subdirectory in order perhaps to run a
linker). Note the number of fixed LOGICAL drives in your system,
the subdirectories and the names of the applications within those
subdirectories. An easy way to do this is to use the DOS command
TREE and route the output to your printer.
O.K. - now that you've looked over your system, and know what
you want to put on your main menu, you're ready to install
SKIPDOS.
INSTALLING SKIPDOS
Type SKIPINST at the C> prompt in the proper subdirectory.
After the opening screen, you are asked to specify the number of
LOGICAL fixed drives in your system. Since PCDOS (MSDOS) allows a
maximum of 26 drives, that is what the program allows. However, I
don't think there are too many people with more than 5 or 6
logical hard drives. If you are running an XT or compatible with
an internal drive, you have one (1) logical fixed drive. If you
have an external drive which has more than one partition, you may
have more than one LOGICAL drive. In any event, the number of
logical drives that you have is determined by the letter
designations of your first through last FIXED drives. If your
fixed drives are C:,D:, and E:, answer the question with 3.
The next question asks the designations of your drives. Answer
with the letter (NO COLON - the program adds that) of each fixed
drive. DO NOT PRESS <RETURN> AFTER DRIVE DESIGNATIONS ARE
ENTERED.
You are then asked for the TOTAL number of applications that
you want to list on the menu. I suggest that in addition to the
applications you found when you did your inventory, that you add
one more called "Escape to DOS." The program allows no more than
fifteen (15) applications to be listed. (Future versions of
SKIPDOS will allow more).
SKIPDOS will then prompt you for the drive and subdirectory on
which you want the SKIPDOS files written. ENTER the DRIVE letter
and the SUBDIRECTORY name which you just created. THE NAME THAT
YOU SPECIFY HERE BECOMES THE NAME OF THE MASTER BATCH FILE FOR
THE SKIPDOS PROGRAM. If you enter a subdirectory which doesn't
exist, or one for which the PATH has not been set, you will be
returned to the instruction screen for that module. At that
point, you have the opportunity to escape to DOS, to create the
subdirectory, or to set the PATH.
BUILDING THE MENU AND APPLICATIONS BATCH FILES
For each application specified above, SKIPINST then asks a
series of questions. The questions are the same for each. They
should be answered as follows:
NAME AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT ON THE MENU: Anything goes -
up to 18 characters - This is a text entry and has no influence
on RUNTIME.
LOGICAL DRIVE WHERE APPLICATION LOCATED: - Answer with ONLY
the letter designation of the logical drive (NO COLON) - Only
drives which were specified in the number of fixed drives module
are acceptable.
SUBDIRECTORY OF APPLICATION: - Enter the name(s) of the
subdirectory where the application is located. OMIT THE FIRST
BACKSLASH., However, if the application is deeper than one
subdirectory, place a BACKSLASH (\) between the subdirectory
names. If the application is located in the ROOT directory, press
<RETURN> with no entry.
DOS FILENAME OF APPLICATION: - Enter the DOS filename of the
application with NO extension (Only executable files, i.e.; files
with COM, EXE, or BAT extensions may be entered here). If you do
not wish to run a program, such as in an ESCAPE to DOS, press
<RETURN> with no entry.
(NOTE: In the entries for Subdirectory and DOS filename, the
program will accept ONLY valid DOS filenames. NO MORE than 8
characters, and ONLY the characters specified in the DOS manual
as valid for filenames).
DO YOU WISH TO RETURN TO THE MENU AFTER APPLICATION: Answer
(Y)es or (N)o depending upon whether return to the menu is
appropriate from that application.
After you have completed the questions for the last
application, the text file which draws the screen will be written
to disk, and SKIPDOS is installed. Read INVOKING SKIPDOS for
information on the necessary entries in AUTOEXEC.BAT.
ERROR MESSAGES
There are no error messages per se, in the program. However,
unacceptable responses are rejected. If you enter a response
which is erroneous, a BEEP will be sounded, and the cursor will
return to the point of the error. Moreover, at the completion of
each module, you are prompted as to whether the information
entered was correct. If not, answer (N)o and the program will
return to the beginning of that module.
If after running the entire program, you find that changes
must be made, run SKIPINST again - Current batch and text files
will be overwritten, and new ones created (Future versions will
allow for the correction of individual entries).
INVOKING SKIPDOS
In order to invoke SKIPDOS at boot-up, you must have a file on
your BOOT directory (usually C:\ on XT's) called AUTOEXEC.BAT.
This file must contain the following entries for SKIPDOS to work
properly:
PATH=drivename:\subdirectory
drivename:
cd\subdirectory
filename (same as subdirectory name)
where drivename is the logical fixed drive where the SKIPDOS
subdirectory is located, \subdirectory refers to the subdirectory
where the SKIPDOS files are located, and filename is the master
BATCH file which invokes the procedures to use SKIPDOS.
If you already have an AUTOEXEC.BAT program, these commands
must be added. If you do not have such a program, you must create
one - See AUTOEXEC.BAT and PATH in your DOS manual.
I also suggest that if you are not familiar with the
hierarchial structure of subdirectories, you consult your DOS
manual under Creating (MKDIR), Changing (CHDIR), removing (RMDIR)
subdirectories, and PATH.
DISCLAIMER
This is the (fourth) prototype version of this program (The
first three didn't work right). Although it has been tested, it
is impossible to foresee every possible set of circumstances. If
you find any bugs or problems, please report them to the address
above.