The Complete Windows Set/The Complete Windows Set.iso/POWER2/README.TXT

Text File | 1993-02-13 | 9KB | 267 lines

Thank you for trying PowerStrip.
We think it is one of the most attractive
and efficient user-interfaces
for Windows.  It is certainly the
interface that uses up the least
real estate on your screen!

SPECIAL FEATURES

PowerStrip is designed to take up as little
space on your screen as possible--no visible
menus, no scroll bars, no borders--just
a strip of icons. PowerStrip can even be
iconized itself into a single, small pyramid
in the lower right corner of the screen--
leaving your screen clean for your applications.


There are three special icons on the right
side of PowerStrip.

Clicking on the red pyramid icon
displays the PowerStrip Editor.  That's
where you can rearrange your icons,
add or delete applications, add commandlines,
get Help, change the backcolor, specify
whether a single- or double-click launches
a program, specify whether PowerStrip
minimizes itself when you launch a program,
specify working directories, shortcut keys,etc.

(PowerStrip looks best if you select a backcolor
for it which matches your Windows wallpaper
or desktop.)

Context-sensitive help is always available.
When you click on the button labelled
"SHORTCUT KEYS" for example, a description
of what they are and how to assign them
automatically appears in the help box.

Next to the red pyramid on the PowerStrip
is a darkened window icon.  Double-click on
this and Windows shuts down--you're in DOS.
Finally, there is a blue pyramid.  Click
on it and PowerStrip reduces itself to a
single icon in the lower right corner of
the screen.  Click again and PowerStrip
reappears.

PowerStrip observes most of the Windows
conventions:

1. Pressing Ctrl-F4 will exit any open applications.
If only PowerStrip is active, Ctrl-F4 will exit
Windows, just as if you had double-clicked on
the darkened window icon on PowerStrip.

2. Any programs that you have listed in
the WIN.INI file following RUN= or LOAD=
will behave normally.

However, PowerStrip includes a number of
enhancements.  Among them, you can use
ANY icon to represent ANY program on the
PowerStrip.  The PowerStrip Editor
contains a powerful icon viewing facility
which will display both .ICO files on disk
as well as icons embedded in any program
(try PROGMAN.EXE or MORICONS.DLL to see
multiple embedded icons).  Any icon
can be dragged from the icon viewer to
the PowerStrip to represent any program
at all.

Another enhancement is that you can use
ANY key or key combination as a Shortcut
key to automatically launch a program
(without clicking on the PowerStrip).
Program Manager confines to to
Ctrl+Alt+Key combinations as shortcut
keys.  PowerStrip allows anything--including
Function Keys.  (The only forbidden keys
are a few which would make no sense
such as BackSpace.  If you try to use
one of these few, PowerStrip will not allow
it.)


USING POWERSTRIP

PowerStrip works most effectively if
you add PROGMAN.EXE and WINFILE.EXE
to the PowerStrip.  Then you can launch
them as needed, but they don't take
up screen space otherwise.  All your
familiar icons and groups and associations
are available as before, but PowerStrip
contains an icon for PROGMAN and WINFILE
instead of having PROGMAN (or some other
shell) take up space on screen.  Likewise,
if you use Norton or any other shell,
add it to PowerStrip and it is just a click
away.

PowerStrip keeps your preferences and the
names of your programs and icons in a file
called POWER.INI which resides in the directory
where you have PowerStrip.  You could modify
POWER.INI directly, but punctuation is important
and its easier to use the PowerStrip Editor
by clicking on the red pyramid while PowerStrip
is running.  We have supplied a simple
POWER.INI file which contains only PROGMAN,
WINFILE, and NOTEPAD.  Feel free to change the
icons representing these three programs, specify
Working Directorys, ShortCut Keys, etc.  Also,
add your own 20 most-often-used programs to
PowerStrip and try it as your shell for a few
days.  We bet you won't go back to your old
shell.

INSTALLING POWERSTRIP

To try PowerStrip, copy
POWER.EXE, EMPTY.ICO and POWER.INI
to your Windows directory.  Then
copy THREED.DLL and VBRUN200.DLL
to your Windows/System directory.
Then you can just add POWER.EXE to your
Program Manager or whatever
Shell you use.  (Or RUN POWER.EXE
from File Manager or Program Manager.)

(If you prefer, create a subdirectory
called POWER and copy
POWER.EXE and POWER.INI into that
subdirectory.  But leave EMPTY.ICO
in the Windows directory.)

MAKING POWERSTRIP YOUR SHELL

PowerStrip itself is intended to be
used as your Windows "Shell" --
the launchpad for all your
Windows applications.  You can try
PowerStrip out first, by just adding
it to your Program Manager or
Norton/Windows or whatever shell you use.
But, if you like the way PowerStrip works,
try it as your main Shell. (You can still
add Program Manager to PowerStrip
easily and thus have access to all
your familiar icons and groups).

To make PowerStrip your main shell,
make a copy of SYSTEM.INI (call it
SYSTEM.BAK or something), then
open Notepad and load the SYSTEM.INI
file from your Windows directory.
Find the line near the top that says:

Shell=Progman.exe

and change it to say:

Shell=Power.exe

(The ".EXE" is required.)
Then save the SYSTEM.INI file back
to disk.  Now when you restart Windows,
Power will be your Shell.  (Your
Shell= might specify Norton or some other
shell--just change it to read
Shell=Power.exe.  If you have put
POWER.EXE and POWER.INI into a subdirectory
--not in the Windows subdirectory, then
use Shell=c:\power\power.exe.)




UNINSTALLING POWER

If you decide to go back to your original
shell, just reverse the process: change Shell=
to your old shell's name ("PROGMAN.EXE" or
whatever).

REGISTRATION

If you like PowerStrip, please register
it.  Every few times you use it, a reminder
message will appear.  Registering eliminates
these reminders, and also puts you on
our mailing list for PowerStrip 2.0 and our
other Windows programs.

To register, send $14 to:
Richard Mansfield
2703 E. Bessemer Ave.
Greensboro, NC  27405

We will send your registration by return
mail.

If you prefer, you can print out the following:

PowerStrip ORDER and REGISTRATION FORM

Registration                                            $14
North Carolina Residents add 6% sales tax               _____
Canada Shipping & Handling:  add  $1                    _____
Outside of North America:    add  $3                    _____

TOTAL Enclosed                                          _____
No COD orders excepted.  Orders shipped via US Postal Service.
Terms:  Check or Money Order drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. funds.
Purchase orders (net 30) accepted for software from major US
corporations. All licenses are prepaid only.

Name:__________________________________     Date:________

Title:__________________________________________________

Company:________________________________________________

Address:________________________________________________

City:_______________________STATE:____ZIP:________

Daytime Phone Number:_________________________


Make check out to: Richard Mansfield and mail to:

        Richard Mansfield
        2703 E. Bessemer Ave.
        Greensboro, NC  27405


LEGAL NOTICE

Richard Mansfield 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.

Richard Mansfield will not be liable for any special,
incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages due to
loss of data or any other reason, even if Richard Mansfield
or an agent of Richard Mansfield have been advised of the
possibility of such damages.  In no event shall Richard Mansfield's
liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the software,
regardless of the form of the claim.  The person using the software
bears all risk as to the quality an