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C O N f i g u r a t i o n
E D i t o r
VER 2.0
April 28, 1990
Copyright (c) 1990
All Rights Reserved
Ira T. Ashkenes
10288 Abbott Rd
Manassas, VA 22110
ConEd.DOC April 28, 1990 Page 2
Purpose:
CONfiguration EDitor allows a user to boot their PC/MS-DOS
Computer with any AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS that they have
predefined, or interrupt the boot process and create a new one. Up to
10 different configurations can be stored and utilized.
WHY?
Some history. As a Software Engineer, I have the need to use
many different language compilers. Each compiler has its own set of
commands in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, such as:
@echo off
prompt $p$g
PATH=C:\MSC\BIN;C:\;C:\DOS;C:\EDT;C:\ARC;C:\QMODEM;C:\MASM\BIN SET
LIB=C:\MSC\LIB
SET INCLUDE=C:\MSC\INCLUDE
SET TEMP=G:\
and for another compiler I use:
@echo off prompt $p$g
PATH=C:\TC\;C:\TD;C:\TASM;C:\;C:\DOS;C:\EDT;C:\ARC;C:\QMODEM
SET LIB=C:\TC\LIB
SET INCLUDE=C:\TC\INCLUDE
SET TEMP=G:\
To really complicate matters, when I am on a PC connected to a
network, I need to incorporate the network configuration files into
both my AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. Things were really becoming
cumbersome there for a while. I had a number of batch files I wrote
which would copy a temporary AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS file to my
root directory, then I would issue the famous <CTRL>-<ALT>-<DEL>
command to reboot my PC.
Searching through the local bulletin boards, I was able to find
two good programs that allow a user to select a predefined boot
configuration, however, each program boasted an internal editor. I had
to learn a new set of editor commands if I wanted revise an
AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS from within the program. This was not
acceptable, as when I needed an 'on - the - fly' configuration, I usually
needed it in a hurry. Additionally, I found the user interface to be a
little clumsy for the novice end-user. Thus, the development of ConEd.
With ConEd, you have the ability to boot up a machine and select
from several different configurations. You can choose to invoke a
Network/LAN, or choose a particular library to use, or free up as much
memory for DOS as possible by NOT loading some TSRs'. The options are
almost endless. If you are in need of more than one configuration,
ConEd is for you.
ConEd.DOC April 28, 1990 Page 3
SHAREWARE
ConEd is distributed under the "shareware" concept, also known as
"user-supported software". Under this concept, you save the high cost of
packaging and distribution while still receiving high quality software.
You are free, and in fact encouraged, to distribute this software to your
friends, to BBS's and to user groups. Companies that provide software
duplication services may include ConEd in their catalog and provide
copies for a reasonable duplication fee. All copies must include the
files "CONED.EXE", and "CONED.DOC". You are not allowed to modify the
files in any way, and this shareware notice must be kept intact.
The author, Ira T. Ashkenes retains all other rights to the program.
Under the shareware concept you are encouraged to purchase ConEd if it is
used for more than 30 days. With registration, you receive full support
from the author, as well as the right to use all subsequent versions, if
they be updates, or new releases of ConEd.
I'd be happy to hear of any improvements you'd like to see, as well as
any bug reports.
When registering, or writing for any reason, please include the following:
1. ConEd version number
2. where you obtained your copy from
3. a description of your system
4. your full name and address
If you have any suggestions or discover any problems with the program you
can reach me thru the INFO*SHARE BBS system (300/1200/2400, 8N1) at
703-440-1100 or 703-440-1189. Leave e-mail for Ira. INFO*SHARE is an 8
line, multi-user BBS with an on-line teleconference. INFO*SHARE is the
official support BBS for all my software and the latest versions are always
available for downloading there.
If you have an account on GEnie, I can be reached there as IASHKENES, and
I usually call there every 2 - 3 days to check on mail.
ConEd was developed using Microsoft C 5.1, and the C Extended
Library (CXL) version 5.2 by Mike Smedley.
Support Shareware
To register this product send $10.00 to:
Ira T. Ashkenes
10288 Abbott Road
Manassas, Virginia 22110
TRADEMARKS:
MICROSOFT is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation
CXL is a registered trademark of Mike Smedley
GEnie is a registered trademark of GE Information Services
IBM is a registed trademark of International Business Machines
ConEd.DOC April 28, 1990 Page 4
INSTALLATION
Please read these instruction prior to actual installation, as
you may think of an easier method to suit your particular environment,
and perhaps get some idea of how you want your configuration naming
convention to be.
Anywhere you see <RTN>, this is my way of telling you to
please strike the return or enter key.
1. From the root directory of your boot disk, create a
subdirectory named CONED (i.e. MD CONED <RTN>). Change to that
directory (i.e. CD\CONED <RTN>). Copy CONED.EXE into that directory
using the DOS COPY command.
2. Simply execute ConEd by typing CONED <RTN> from the DOS
prompt.
3. The first screen to appear on the initial use of ConEd is
the configuration menu. You are first prompted for your boot drive.
Enter that letter here.
4. Next, you are prompted for the path of your editor.
C:\DOS\ is the default. If you do not own a full screen editor, or
cannot use a product which saves files in ASCII format, there is always
EDLIN which comes supplied with DOS. If your editor is stored in
another subdirectory, type in that path (i.e. C:\EDITOR\ <RTN>).
5. You are now prompted for your editors name and extension.
For those users who do not have a full screen editor, EDLIN (yuk!) is
the default. If you do own another editor, simply type the editors
name and extension in here. (i.e. Q.EXE <RTN>)
6. The next prompt is for a description of a configuration.
ConEd defaults to "Your Current Configuration" for the first entry
during your initail setup. You should change this textual description
to what ever you desire. ConEd allows for a textual description of
EACH of the configurations you are creating. So if you are going to
have a configuration for your Network, you may want to type in something
like:
Network Configuration <RTN>
You have up to 50 characters per description field.
7. Next, you must assign an extension for each description
entered. Personally, I use text extensions such as NET for network, or
LAN for Local Area Network. You can, however, use extensions such as
001, 002, etc. The idea is to make it as convenient as possible for
you to associate the textual description with the associated extension.
Simply type in the extension you desire to be assigned to the
corresponding AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files (which will be renamed
AUTOEXEC.xxx and CONFIG.xxx, where xxx represents the extension you
have assigned.
ConEd.DOC April 28, 1990 Page 5
INSTALLATION (continued)
8. After you have completed steps six and seven for each
configuration you wish to set up, press the F10 function key to save
this configuration. If an AUTOEXEC.xxx and CONFIG.xxx do not already
exist, ConEd will create them for you for each configuration you have
entered in the setup menu. The configuration that is created is very
small and basic, you will need to edit it to suit your needs.
9. The program now brings up the main menu, which is what you
will see each time you execute ConEd from now on. You now see a
highlighted cursor bar, your textual descriptions, as well as a set of
Function Key commands.
10. You have completed the installation instructions.
Now that you have read the installation instructions, here are
some suggestions/ideas to think about prior to actually running the
program for the first time:
A. Think about what configurations you want to have
predefined, and what extensions you will assign them.
B. If you dont want the AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files that
ConEd creates for you from the Configuration menu, by using the DOS COPY
command, copy your current AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS to your CONED
subdirectory, redirecting the file extension to an extension you will
define for each configuration. ConEd will create these configuraiton
files if they do not alread exist in the current directory.
i.e. copy c:\autoexec.bat c:\coned\autoexec.xxx
copy c:\config.sys c:\coned\config.xxx
where xxx represents the extesion you assign it.
Do this for each configuration you are going to select
during the installation process.
After installation, you can use ConEd to edit each configuration
to do what you want it to do.
The first configuration you choose should be the CURRENT
configuration (i.e. Your current AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS), as
ConEd will copy your current setup and assign it the extension that
corresponds with the first entry you made into the configuration menu,
if an AUTOEXEC.xxx and CONFIG.xxx do not already exist in the current
directory.
It is recommended that you invoke ConEd at the beginning of
EACH and every AUTOEXEC file so that ConEd will be called prior to any
other calls from the AUTOEXEC. This allows you to select immediately
upon system boot which configuration you wish to invoke for the
particular PC session.
ConEd.DOC April 28, 1990 Page 6
Using ConEd
To invoke ConEd, simply type CONED from the ConEd directory, or
in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, have the following:
cd\coned
coned
cd\
This will allow your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to invoke ConEd every time you
boot up so you will be able to choose which configuration you want to
use.
I have also included a file called coned.bat which contains the following:
c:
cd\coned
coned %1
By placing coned.bat in any directory which is included in your
PATH, such as \DOS, ConEd can be called from anywhere, no matter
which directory or drive you are currently in. The example above
assumes the ConEd,exe and ConEd.cfg files to be located on drive c:
in the \coned directory. You may change this to suit your own
needs. The %1, allows you to be able to pass in a variable (a list
of which is located in the next paragraph). If you desire to be
able to pass in more that one variable add a %2 %3 etc....
The following command line parameters can be used:
-c for CGA Video cards and monitors
-b for bios video support
-d to start the current configuration after 20
seconds has elapsed. This is useful for
operations such as running a BBS. If the power
fails, and then restarts, ConEd will select the
current configuration after a 20 second duration.
If the cursor bar is moved, the delay will be
canceled.
-m to force MONO mode
-s allows you to start any configuration with out going
thru the ConEd menu. An example would be, if you
have a configuration with an extension .LAN (for
Local Area Network) and you type "coned -slan" ,
coned will reboot your system with the LAN
configuration files, by-passing the ConEd menu.
Other
Examples: CONED -m This will force mono mode
CONED -b -d Uses bios video support for ConEd
and will start the current configuration
after a 20 seconds have elapsed.
ConEd.DOC April 28, 1990 Page 7
When you execute ConEd you will be in the main menu. By using
your arrow keys (UP and DOWN) you will move from one selection to the
next. ConEd always starts with the cursor bar on the CURRENT
configuration. If you wish to choose this configuration, simply press
the <RTN> key. If you opt for another configuration, use your arrow
keys to highlight the particular configuration you want, strike the
<RTN> key, and your computer will reboot your machine with the selected
configuration.
When selecting the current configuration, ConEd compares the
file length of the current AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files with the
AUTOEXEC.xxx and CONFIG.xxx files to ensure they are the same file.
If your AUTOEXEC or CONFIG files have been modified, ConEd will present
a menu that will allow you to continue to exit, implementing the current
configuration; copy the AUTOEXEC.xxx and/or CONFIG.xxx file to the boot
directory; or copy the boot directory AUTOEXEC.BAT and/or CONFIG.SYS
to the ConEd directory with an extension that matches the current
configurations extension. This is useful when installation of a new
program modifies the existing CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, and
you wish to either retain those files with the current extension already
in use, or assign a new extension to them.
If you have a mouse driver installed prior to invoking ConEd,
mouse support is provided for selecting configurations.
ConEd.DOC April 28, 1990 Page 8
FUNCTION KEYS:
F1 - Brief online help to instruct the user of the
functionality of the program.
F2 - Gives the user the opportunity to view the DOS
text screen as it was before ConEd was invoked. This is useful when
attempting to ensure that all of the drivers that the CONFIG.SYS calls
were correctly installed.
F3 - Invokes the editor you have selected to edit the
highlighted configurations' AUTOEXEC.BAT file. As you move your cursor
bar up and down, the extensions of the AUTOEXEC. will change to
correspond to whatever textual description you are on. To return to
ConEd, simply exit your editor as you would at any other time.
F4 - Invokes the editor you have selected to edit the
highlighted configurations' CONFIG.SYS file. As you move your cursor
bar up and down, the extensions of the CONFIG. will change to
correspond to whatever textual description you are on. To return to
ConEd, simply exit your editor as you would at any other time.
F5 - Invokes the Configuration Input Menu. This allows
you to change, add, or delete any of the configuration option that had
been previously selected. When altering the setup, press the F10
function key to save the changes or the ESC key to abort changes. In
either case, you are returned to the ConEd main menu.
F6 - Presents you with an information screen which
tells you what development tools were used in creating ConEd, and how
to get in touch with the author.
F7 - Allows the user to reboot their computer without
exiting to DOS or issuing a <CTRL>-<ALT>-<DEL> command. A user may
wish to perform this operation if they realize that a particular function
in the CONFIG.SYS file was not invoked properly. An example would be
if you are connected to a LAN, and one of the drivers that the
CONFIG.SYS calls was not correctly installed or failed.
F8 - Permits the user to view the current environment
variables. These variables include: COMPSPEC, PATH, PROMPT, LIB, TEMP,
INCLUDE, LASTDRIVE, and FILES.
F9 - Ends the ConEd program, resumes the configuration
in process.
ConEd.DOC April 28, 1990 Page 9
DISCLAIMER
Unfortunately, these are necessary, so I will make this as
short and to the point as possible.
Ira T. Ashkenes hereby disclaims all warranties relating to
this software, whether express or implied, including without
limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness
for a particular purpose. Ira T. Ashkenes will not be liable for
any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages
due to loss of data or any other reason, even if Ira T. Ashkenes or
an agent of Ira T. Ashkenes has been advised of the possibility of
such damages. In no event shall Ira T. Ashkenes's liability for
any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to use
software, regardless of the form of the claim. The person using
the software bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the
software.
ConEd.DOC April 28, 1990 Page 10
ConEd version 2.0 Registration Form
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Make checks payable to:
Ira Ashkenes
10288 Abbott Road
Manassas, Virginia 22110
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Quan Item Price Total
___ CONfiguration EDitor Ver 2.0...... @ $10 $________
(see below for Site License)
Subtotal $________
Virginia State residents add 4.5% sales tax. Tax $________
Total $________
Checks or money orders accepted.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Name_______________________________________________________
Company_______________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Phone_________________________ Bus.________________________
Where did you obtain ConEd?
_______________________________________________________
Comments/Suggestions :
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
SITE LICENSE Pricing:
1 to 10 computers ..... at $10 each # computers ___x 10.00 ______
11 to 20 computers ..... at $9.00 each # computers ___x 9.00 ______
21 to 49 computers ..... at $7.00 each # computers ___x 7.00 ______
50 to 99 computers ..... at $6.00 each # computers ___x 6.00 ______
100 or more computers .. $500 one time fee ______
Personalized Copies (with Corporate and Personal Logos, etc) available,
please send information along with licensing fee.