An area under the user's control that limits Windows' ability to open multiple programs and operate for extended lengths of time without crashing is the available DOS Conventional Memory. The more memory available in the DOS 640K area, the better. You can determine how much DOS Conventional Memory you have by exiting Windows (if necessary) and typing MEM while in DOS. Look at the number given for "Largest executable program size". If this number is well above 600K (614,400 bytes), you're in pretty good shape. Windows will also use any available Upper Memory. You can confirm this by typing MEM from the Windows DOS Prompt and comparing the 0K value given for "Largest free upper memory block" with the value displayed when MEM was executed from DOS. Tips for obtaining all possible Upper Memory and maximizing the amount of DOS Conventional Memory will be posted in a DOSTIPS file in the IBM PC area in a few weeks.
I only know of three Windows settings that affect performance and aren't immediately available from a menu (such as the Virtual Memory swap file settings). The first is one I discovered at my new job assignment. The last two below were publicized by InfoWorld.
1. The first concerns DOS memory and a new Windows driver, VSHARE.386.
I found that all their Windows SYSTEMS.INI files had the following line
in the [386Enh] section.
device=vshare.386
The VSHARE.386 file could be found in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
This enabled the entry for SHARE to be removed from the AUTOEXEC.BAT or
CONFIG.SYS file, thus freeing up 16K from Upper Memory or DOS
Conventional Memory, depending on whether it was loaded high or not.
Freeing up Conventional Memory permits loading larger programs (such as
games) in DOS and Windows DOS sessions, and enables Windows to run
better and open more programs (if Resources permit). Windows will also
make use of any free Upper Memory (to prove this, try running MEM /C/P
from a Windows DOS Prompt).
When I got home, I found VSHARE.386 in my \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory and
the appropriate entry in my SYSTEM.INI file. However, the LH
C:\DOS\SHARE entry was still in my AUTOEXEC.BAT file. After I removed
it from my AUTOEXEC, I found that the Windows programs that demanded use
of SHARE, such as Excel and Quattro Pro 5.0 for Windows still ran fine.
I then dialed up Microsoft Product Support Download Service BBS (1-206-
936-6735 or 1-206-637-9009), and after much searching, found the VSHARE
file (named WW1000.EXE with no description except VSHARE!) in the
Windows 3.1 Application Notes file area. This file has been recompressed and can now be found as VSHARE.ZIP in the Windows file area of the Computer Edge BBS.
If you look at the README.TXT file, it states that VSHARE.386 is the
same file distributed with the MS Word 6.0a patch - so that's where I
got it! It gives instructions for installing it and explains that it's
the same as the Windows for Workgroups VSHARE.386, modified for use with
Windows 3.1 and 3.11 Enhanced mode (keep SHARE if you run Windows in
Standard mode).
2. The second is placing the following entry in the [386Enh] section of
SYSTEM.INI.
MaxBPs=768
The Windows Resource Kit states that "This entry specifies the maximum number of break points (a method for transferring control to Windows 386 enhanced mode) that can be used by the VMM. You may need to increase this value if you are using a third-party virtual device driver that requires more break points than the default value. The default is 200."
On page 29 of the January 24, 1994 InfoWorld, Brian Livingston's Window
Manager column titled "Correct most Windows instability with just a
single command" states:
"For years, Windows users have been mystified by strange error
messages. For no apparent reason, you may be confronted with a dialog
box such as 'Out of memory,' 'This application has violated system
integrity and will be closed,' or 'Application error.' A quick check of
the Help About box in any Windows Applet reveals that you have plenty of
memory and Free System Resources. Yet these nonsensical messages appear
after which Windows behaves erratically and must be restarted.
Breakpoints ... are small chunks of memory (approximately 10 bytes
each) that Windows uses to save the state of a Virtual Machine (VM).
All Windows applications run in one VM, and each DOS session that is
launched from Windows runs in another VM. Windows applications may also
spawn VMs for one reason or another ...
Ordinarily, Windows allocates 4KB of RAM for breakpoints. Then the
default value of 200 is rounded upward to fill the entire 4KB. This
means that 358 breakpoints are actually set up. In the process of
running its various modules on startup, Windows itself uses about 200 of
these. That leaves about 158 for your own operations.
Once your BPs are exhausted, the mysterious error messages come
fast. Starting a DOS session, for example, causes an 'Application
error' dialog box, saying 'WINOLDAP caused a General Protection Fault in
WINOA386.MOD.' [I've seen plenty of those! - HH]
Any MaxBPs setting of 369 to 768 gives you about 410 more
breakpoints, at a cost of 4KB of RAM (well worth it.)"
3. Third, if you are the recipient of unexplained error messages and
system crashes while running Windows for Workgroups with 32-Bit File
Access (not 32-Bit Disk Access) turned on, disable the 32-Bit File
Access and change the SmartDrive line in AUTOEXEC.BAT to read just
C:\DOS\SMARTDRV or C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV instead of the usual SMARTDRV
2048 128. If Windows for Workgroups reliability improves, leave these
changes in effect. We found this greatly increased the time between
crashes on computers running WFW on a Novell NetWare 3.12 network. The
explanation that I found for this effect is quoted below.
On page 28 of the August 1, 1994 InfoWorld, Brian Livingston's Window
Manager column titled "Discovering virtual disk drive problems in 32-Bit
File Access" states:
"I recently got my hands on a printout of other anomalies from
Microsoft's Product Support Services (PSS). These are real
incompatibilities with VFAT.386 (the virtual disk driver used for 32-Bit
File Access) that are unrelated to the problems with earlier DOS disk
utilities.
Windows for Workgroups hangs when you start it if 32-Bit File
Access is enabled and you are using some versions of Hewlett-Packard
Co.'s driver for its HP JetDirect card. This driver, HPVNPD.386,
redirects Print Manager output across a network to a printer with a Jet
Direct card installed.
You may receive the following message when you try to read files on
a LAN Manager, LANtastic, or OS/2 LAN Server network server (from File
Manager of a DOS prompt): 'An Error Occurred Reading Drive N:' where N:
is the network drive.
You cannot use 32-Bit File Access on Stac Electronics Inc.s Stacker
4.0 compressed drive. Use the SmartDrive command line mentioned above
as a disk cache instead.
Running the Sun Microsystems Inc. PC-NFS (Network File System) 5.0
may result in the following error message when you exit Windows for
Workgroups 3.11: 'Invalid COMMAND.COM.' You must disable 32-Bit File
Access, because this combination is incompatible."
On page 32 of the July 11, 1994 InfoWorld, Brian Livingston's Window
Manager column titled "Dissecting Windows for Workgroups' 32-Bit File
Access bugs" states:
"32-Bit File Access is a protected-mode disk cache that runs under
Windows for Workgroups to improve disk performance. ...This should not
be confused with 32-Bit DISK Access, which is configured through the
same dialog box.
The problem is demonstrated by a virtual device driver (VxD)
developed by [Michael] Maurice [of Wilsonville, Ore.-based Firefly
Software Systems Corp. (CompuServe: 71171,47)] called Test32F. When the
VxD is loaded via SYSTEM.INI, DOS sessions started under Windows for
WorkGroups prompt the error 'This Application Has Violated System
Integrity.'
This VxD causes this error merely by opening, reading and closing a
file ... [by] doing a protected-mode INT 21 call
If the read operation is left out of the code, no error occurs.
Also, if 32-Bit File Access is turned off, no error occurs."
On page 25 of the July 4, 1994 InfoWorld, Brian Livingston's Window
Manager column titled "32-Bit File Access stirs up trouble with some DOS
applications" states:
"The issue seems to arise when a user starts a DOS session or
application under Windows. In some cases, if 32-Bit File Access is
enabled, the DOS session crashes with the message 'This Application Has
Violated System Integrity'."
On page 28 of the July 25, 1994 InfoWorld, Brian Livingston's Window
Manager column titled "Readers offer some tips in the continuing 32-Bit
File Access saga" states:
"Reader Eric Brewer writes, '... use a DOS directory utility ...
three levels down in the tree causes a crash, while being two levels
down does not.' ... Two readers [report] 'The program 1dir+ [a DOS
file manager program] from Bourbaki Inc. crashes when 32-Bit File Access
is turned on.'
The best explanation submitted so far is by a technician in a
respected testing lab who writes, 'If I'm correct, the problem might be
that 32-Bit File Access doesn't reflect all INT 21 requests through the
chain. TSRs that expect a coherent picture of INT 21 requests, such as
those for monitoring access to specific files, won't get it under 32-Bit
4. The Windows Resources consist of three 64K heaps; GDI, User, and User Menu. The GDI and User Resources are reported by Windows Program
Manager Help, About and by other utilities, and are usually the limiting factor on how many applications can be opened at one time. Unfortunately, when you exit many programs, they don't completely free up the Resources they use. Eventually, when enough programs are opened and closed, there aren't enough Resources available to perform any useful work. Therefore, when the Resources drop to an unacceptable level, its time to close everything, exit Windows, and then restart Windows again.
Here are a couple of problem descriptions that were Resource related.
PROBLEM: User couldn't open any more programs or print when Ami Pro, MS
Word, and MS Excel were all open. Cause was insufficient Windows
Resources - they were down to 26% when all three programs were open.
Further investigation revealed culprit was Excel. It was taking 38%
Resources! Reinstalling Excel resulted in a program that only required
a more normal 16% Resources.
PROBLEM: User couldn't open any more programs or print when Ami Pro,
Lotus 123, and WordPerfect for Windows 5.2 were all open. This time,
WPWin was taking 25% Resources. I noticed she had the WPWin add-on
program Button Cube present. When she said she seldom used it, I
removed it and WPWin required Resources dropped back to a normal 15%.
These problems, plus questions regarding screen savers and bit
maps, made me curious about typical program Resource and Memory
requirements. I therefore tried opening and closing a number of
programs to see how much they required and how much was never returned
to Windows after closing. These values were obtained from FREEMEM
(available in the Computer Edge Bulletin Board Windows file area as FREEMEM.ZIP) with memory compacting turned on to more accurately show the amount of unreturned memory. The results are presented below for just opening and closing the program. The Resources and Memory used will increase when a file is opened with the amount varying according to the file size, complexity, and included graphics.
Many of you are probably aware of these, but in my work, I've found the
majority of users could benefit from these recommendations.
5. Tired of having your carefully positioned icons and groups getting
moved?
a. On the Program Manager menu, click on Options, then select Auto
Arrange. This causes Windows to continuously arrange the icons
automatically. If you accidentally move an icon slightly, it snaps back
into position when you release the mouse button. You no longer have to
click on Windows, Arrange Icons to get even icon spacing.
b. To automatically arrange the Group icons at the lower portion of
your Windows Desktop, drag a Group to a slightly different position.
This leaves the Group icon highlighted as the active icon. Now click on
Windows, Arrange Icons and the Groups will snap to even spacings.
c. Now go back to the Options menu again and uncheck Save Settings on
Exit. If you accidentally move a Group window or icon from its
carefully arranged position, the unwanted position will not be saved
when you exit Windows. In order to save the Desktop arrangement after
you've made a change, click on File, then HOLD DOWN THE SHIFT KEY while
clicking on Exit. Instead of exiting Windows, you'll see the hourglass
come on momentarily while the new Desktop settings are saved. Don't
forget to repeat this procedure whenever you rearrange the Desktop or
add a new program!
6. Want to get more icons on your Desktop?
a. Of course, you can run Program Manager Maximized. I like to set it
to run in a window, then drag the left and right borders to the far
left and right, the top border to the uppermost position, and the bottom
border to within 0.25-0.5 inches from the bottom. This lets me get
almost as much Desktop area as Maximized mode, while still letting any
full screen program show a portion at the bottom. When I get done using
Program Manager, I can return to that program by simply clicking on the
visible portion of the maximized program at the bottom of the screen.
b. Whether you use Program Manager Maximized or windowed to some
position, you can still display more icons by changing the icon spacing.
Open up the Windows Control Panel (in the Main Group) and double-click
the Desktop icon. About two-thirds of the way down on the right, you'll
see the Icons settings. Make sure the Wrap Title box has an X. If not,
check this box. You'll also see the icon horizontal Spacing set to the
default value of 75 pixels. Change it to 69 pixels. Adjust the right
border of each group to the narrowest position that does not cause the
icons to snap to one more row. (Make sure Auto Arrange is selected as
described in 5. above.) If necessary, drag the group bottom border down
so that all icons are displayed without having a group vertical scroll
bar. (In my opinion, scroll bars just take up valuable Desktop area.)
You can make the initial adjustments in large increments and the final
adjustments one pixel at a time. This takes a steady hand and a bit of
trying, but is well worth it.
c. You can move the groups so they just touch without overlapping by
dragging on the group title bar. Position the leftmost and topmost
groups so that they are as close as possible to the Program Manager
borders without creating Program Manager scroll bars. For the usual 640
x 480 VGA resolution, this will let you have two groups side-by-side
with 4 icons in one group and 5 icons in the other when the Desktop is
set to its maximum horizontal extent with a horizontal Spacing of 69 pixels. This 69 pixel setting also lets you have an extra column of icons with an 800 x 600 SVGA display. For my 800 x 600 display, I set this value to 64 to get still another column of icons for a total of 12 icons horizontally in three groups.
d. You can also change the vertical spacing to get more rows of icons.
Unfortunately, this cannot be accomplished via a Windows control.
Instead it requires editing the WIN.INI file in the \WINDOWS directory.
Using a TEXT editor (not a word processor) such as DOS EDIT, the Windows
Notepad in the Accessories Group, or Windows SYSEDIT (we'll describe how
to obtain access to this program in the next section), open up the
\WINDOWS\WIN.INI file. Scroll down to the [Desktop] section and insert
an empty line by hitting <Enter> at the beginning or end of a line. Now
type in:
IconVerticalSpacing=nn
where nn= a number less than the default value of 75. Try an initial
value of 64 to 69 and then readjust your Desktop Groups to just
encompass the bottom row of icons without creating a vertical scroll bar
at the right edge of the group. You'll find that if you highlight an
icon having a title that extends farthest down, you can then drag the
group bottom border upwards so that there is one pixel spacing (a thin
white area) between the group border and the icon title highlight. This
is the closest spacing you can achieve without creating a vertical
scroll bar. On my SVGA windowed display, I can get 7 rows of icons
using IconVerticalSpacing=61.
e. If you have program icons with three title rows, you can change them
to display only one or two title rows. Click the icon once to highlight
the title and make that icon the active object. Now click on File on
the Program Manager menu bar. Click on Properties. The first line,
Description, contains the icon title. Change this to a shorter title of
your choice and click the OK box. If the icon title is still three
lines, go back and repeat this procedure. You can also insert a space
between long words to change the title line wrapping.
7. Want more Windows Programs?
Of course, you can buy more programs to accomplish this. However,
Windows and MS-DOS 6.x come with Windows utilities that are often not
already installed.
a. Perhaps the most useful of these is the Windows System Configuration
Editor (SYSEDIT) mentioned earlier. First, click on the group (such as
Main) where you want the Sysedit icon to appear. To install an icon
that lets you invoke SYSEDIT, click on File on the Program Manager menu
bar. Click on the already highlighted New. Click on the OK button for
the already selected Program Item. Now click on the Browse button.
You'll see that the Windows directory folder is already open. If
necessary, scroll down until you see the System directory folder.
Double-click this folder or click once and then click the OK button. On
the left, you'll now see the files in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
Scroll down this listing until you see sysedit.exe. Double-click this
item, or click once and then click the OK button. Now click OK on the
Program Item Properties menu. You'll now see the Sysedit icon available
for use.
Double-clicking this icon brings up four overlapping edit windows
arranged with AUTOEXEC.BAT in front, then CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, and
SYSTEM.INI at the back. Clicking on any visible portion of an edit
window brings that window to the front where you can edit that file.
When you're done, click on File on the menu bar and click on Save or
Exit. One of the benefits (or drawbacks, depending on your expertise
and preferences) is that Sysedit first renames the old version of the
edited file(s) with a .SYD extension. Therefore, if you decide you
don't want the changes you've just made (or find that you can't start
Windows any more!), just delete the new version of the file and rename
the .SYD file with it's proper extension; i.e.,
REN \WINDOWS\SYSTEM.SYD SYSTEM.INI.
b. You probably already know that you can check SmartDrive's caching
performance by typing SMARTDRV /S at the DOS prompt. How can you check
these statistics from Windows? One way would be to double-click the DOS
Prompt icon and type the command. Another way would be to create a PIF
file with the command and parameter.
If you have MS-DOS 6.x, there's an easier way to do this. MS-DOS 6.0
and later comes with a Windows program called SMARTMON.EXE. To make
this immediately available for Windows, we'll repeat the procedure
performed above for Sysedit.
First, click the group where you want Smartmon installed. If you already
have an MS Tools group, this is a good place to put it. Then click on
Program Manager, File, New and then click on the OK and Browse buttons.
Double-click on the open C:\ directory folder. This takes you up to the
root (top level) directory of C:. Now scroll down until you see the dos
directory and double-click on it (or click once on it and then click the
OK button). On the left, you'll see the files in the c:\DOS directory. Scroll down until you see smartmon.exe. Double-click on smartmon.exe (or click once and click OK). Click the OK button in the Program Item Properties menu box. You'll now have a Smartmon icon.
Double click this icon to start the SmartDrive Monitor program. I'll
leave it up to you to click the Help button and read the Help File for
instructions on using it. Whether you run it minimized or maximized, I
think you'll find it mildly interesting for a short period of time. I
haven't found any long term use for this program, although it might be
useful to someone developing a program that interacts with or uses the
SmartDrive disk cache.
c. Did you know that MS-DOS 6.x comes with Windows versions of the MS
Backup, MS Undelete, and MS Anti-Virus programs? These are
automatically installed in a MS Tools Group if an MS-DOS 6 upgrade is
performed on a computer that already has Windows installed. (This is
the default for an upgrade when Windows has been previously installed.
If you want both the Windows and DOS versions of these programs
installed during an upgrade, you have to select Custom and then
specifically select the Windows and DOS installation instead of Windows
only.)
A new computer, however, will have MS-DOS 6.x installed first, then
Windows 3.1/3.11 or Windows for Workgroups 3.1/3.11. Unless the
vendor's technicians then go back and install these DOS 6.x Windows
programs, you won't have them on your new computer.
If you have MS-DOS 6.x upgrade disks (the $49 full upgrade version, not
the $10 MS-DOS 6.0 to 6.20/6.22 Step Up version), you can easily install the Windows versions of these programs. Go to a DOS prompt, put the first disk in your floppy drive, and:
A: (or B:, depending on the floppy drive)
SETUP /E
The /E switch instructs Setup to install only the missing programs.
(This is documented in the \DOS\README.TXT file.) If you have an OEM
original version of MS-DOS, you'll have to install the files one at a
time. Go to a DOS prompt, put the first disk in your floppy drive, and
then:
CD \DOS
DIR A:\MW*.*
Note the file listing; they'll end with a _. Now, type
EXPAND A:MWxxxxxx.xx_ C:MWxxxxxx.xxx
where the x's above correspond to the remainder of the Name and
Extension. You'll have to repeat this procedure for each one of the
installation diskettes. The individual instructions will include the
following file names, although they are not necessarily on the
installation disks in the sequence shown below.
EXPAND A:MWAV.EX_ C:MWAV.EXE
EXPAND A:MWAV.HL_ C:MWAV.HLP
EXPAND A:MWAVABSI.DL_ C:MWAVABSI.DLL
EXPAND A:MWAVDLG.DL_ C:MWAVDLG.DLL
EXPAND A:MWAVDOSL.DL_ C:MWAVDOSL.DLL
EXPAND A:MWAVDRVL.DL_ C:MWAVDRVL.DLL
EXPAND A:MWAVMGR.DL_ C:MWAVMGR.DLL
EXPAND A:MWAVSCAN.DL_ C:MWAVSCAN.DLL
EXPAND A:MWAVSOS.DL_ C:MWAVSOS.DLL
EXPAND A:MWAVTSR.EX_ C:MWAVTSR.EXE
EXPAND A:MWBACKF.DL_ C:MWBACKF.DLL
EXPAND A:MWBACKR.DL_ C:MWBACKR.DLL
EXPAND A:MWBACKR.EX_ C:MWBACKR.EXE
EXPAND A:MWBACKUP.EX_ C:MWBACKUP.EXE
EXPAND A:MWBACKUP.HL_ C:MWBACKUP.HLP
EXPAND A:MWGRAFIC.DL_ C:MWGRAFIC.DLL
EXPAND A:MWUNDEL.EX_ C:MWUNDEL.EXE
EXPAND A:MWUNDEL.HL_ C:MWUNDEL.HLP
Note that files ending in .EX_ get expanded to names that end in .EXE,
.DL_ to .DLL, and .HL_ to .HLP.
When you get done, go back into Windows, and if desired, create a new
group for these programs. (You can install them into an existing group
if you'd rather.) Click on File, New, Program Group, OK. Then type in
MS Tools or the name of your choice. With the desired group
highlighted, perform the following actions.
Click on File, New, OK and <Tab> to the command Line box.
Type C:\DOS\MWAV.EXE and click OK.
Click on File, New, OK and <Tab> to the command Line box.
Type C:\DOS\MWBACKUP.EXE and click OK.
Click on File, New, OK and <Tab> to the command Line box.
Type C:\DOS\MWUNDEL.EXE and click OK.
You now have program icons for running Microsoft Windows Anti-Virus,
Backup, and Undelete.
8. What can you do to increase Windows performance and reliability?
In addition to the actions described earlier in this text file, there are several other things that will help Windows load and run a little faster and go longer between GPFs and crashes.
a. Make sure you have a Permanent Swap File set up. Double-click on
the Control Panel icon, then double-click the 386 Enhanced icon. Click
the Virtual Memory button and the Change>> button. In the New Settings
area, if the Type is Temporary or None, click the arrow at the right and
click on Permanent. if you have more than one drive available, select
the desired drive (preferably the highest performance drive). If you
use a disk compression program such as DoubleSpace or Stacker, MAKE SURE
THE SELECTED DRIVE IS THE UNCOMPRESSED HOST DRIVE for a Permanent Swap
file! Otherwise, you'll get a "Corrupted Swap File" message every time
you start Windows.
The New Size box will show a number that is based on the Recommended
Size of 3 times the RAM or 50% of the available disk space, whichever is
less. I generally recommend a size of at least 10 MB, but not more than
20 MB, depending primarily on the available disk space. If you have
several hundred Megabytes of disk space available, a 20 MB Swap File
won't keep you from installing new programs. On the other hand, if you
only have 15 MB of disk space left, taking half of that and leaving you
with only 7.5 MB will very soon cramp your ability to install new
programs and save data files. I would recommend in this case a 5 MB
Swap File (and purchase of an additional hard drive ASAP).
If the Use 32-Bit Disk Access box is present, make sure it is checked.
This will have little if any effect on Windows and Windows program disk
performance, but it will decrease the time it takes to initiate a DOS
program session and switch between multiple DOS sessions.
After making the desired changes, click the OK and Yes buttons to exit
these menus and select Restart Now when that prompt appears. Windows
will exit and then restart with the new swap file settings.
Oddly enough, the less RAM you have, the larger your swap file should
be. It makes sense, though, when you think about it. If you have 4 MB
of RAM and like to open several programs at a time that require (with
Windows) a total of 14 MB of memory for operation, you'll need at least
a 10 MB swap file. For this configuration, a 12 MB (maximum of 3 times
the RAM) swap file would provide you with 16 MB, the largest possible
amount of combined RAM and Virtual memory. A system with 8 MB of RAM
could have an additional 20 MB swap file for a total of 28 MB. This
system would probably run out of Resources (described previously) long before running out of swap file space. My 16 MB system with a 10 MB swap file will also run out of Resources with many Megabytes of RAM and Virtual memory remaining. I know, because I've seen it! The only situation where I can imagine needing very large swap files is if you work with extremely large data bases or spreadsheets - 10 MB or more in size.
If the Recommended Size for a Permanent Swap File is considerably
smaller than that given for a Temporary Swap File or if it shows only a few MB when you know you have many Megabytes of available disk space, you need to defragment your hard drive. Change the Type to Temporary, and exit back out as described above to save your settings. Exit Windows and run your defragmenting program. If you only have the DEFRAG program that comes with MS-DOS 6.x, use it. If you have access to a commercial defragmenting program such as the ones that come with Norton Utilities (SPEEDISK or SD) or PC Tools (COMPRESS), they have more options for arranging files and SPEEDISK, at least, seems to defragment faster than DEGRAG.
b. Monitor the Windows Resources. You can do this by clicking on
Program Manager's Help, About to see the Resource % and the remaining
memory (combined RAM and hard drive Virtual Memory in the Windows Swap
File). Windows starts running into problems and you start getting GPFs
when the Resources drop below 20 to 30%. Therefore, it's probably time
to start closing applications when the resources start getting much
below 40%.
It gets to be quite time consuming to click on Program Manager, Help,
About at frequent intervals. Fortunately, there are some utilities that
continuously display the Resources and memory. One is the System
Resource Monitor that comes with the Microsoft Windows Resource Kit
(also available for downloading from the Microsoft Download Service).
The one I prefer is Metz Software's FREEMEM which is available for
downloading from the Windows file area of the ComputerEdge BBS as
9. There are two ways to select fonts for icons. If you are using a SVGA driver, Windows or OEM, they usually can be selected with a choice of small fonts (typical) or large fonts. You can also edit WIN.INI to select the font and size of your choice. Under [desktop], add (or edit):
IconTitleFaceName=
IconTitleSize=
For the Name, you can enter any valid font name (double-click the Fonts
icon in Control Panel to get a list of installed font names) such as "MS
Sans Serif" which is the default. For the Size, enter the desired point
size (the default is 8).
10. It's happened again. No sooner do I become interested in a question, than I receive a magazine that has the answer. I just received the January 10, 1995 issue of PC Magazine today. On page 268 in the PC Solutions section, Neil J. Rubenking answers a question about Windows display fonts. For icon titles, in addition to the two WIN.INI
[Desktop] entries that are described above, he describes a third, undocumented entry.
IconTitleStyle=1
Where =1 for bold and =0 for normal.
11. He also tells how to change the system font, which is used for menu
items and window titles, by creating the entry below in the [Windows]
section:
SystemFont=
and inserting the name of any raster font in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM
directory with the extension .FON. He goes on to say that the raster
fonts are the ones in the [Fonts] section of WIN.INI that include "(VGA
Res)". In my WIN.INI, I found:
MS Sans Serif 8,10,12,14,18,24 (VGA res)=SSERIFE.FON
MS Serif 8,10,12,14,18,24 (VGA res)=SERIFE.FON
Symbol 8,10,12,14,18,24 (VGA res)=SYMBOLE.FON
Small Fonts (VGA res)=SMALLE.FON
Therefore, I could change the system font by using:
SystemFont=SSERIFE.FON
or SystemFont=SMALLE.FON
My Windows Resource Kit doesn't mention the SystemFont= entry (some of
the "Undocumented Windows Secrets" I assume), but it does talk a bit
about the raster fonts. It defines the last letter in the file name
(before the period) as A=CGA, B=EGA, E=VGA, and F=8514/a. Therefore the
fonts above are VGA fonts, i.e., SSERIFE; while the same font name for
EGA would be SSERIFB. As you might deduce from the font descriptions,
they are bitmap fonts with specific sizes. The SMALLx.FON is designed
to provide a readable display for font sizes under 6 points.
The default system screen font is System. Another default font is
Terminal, "a fixed-width font used to display the OEM text in the
Windows Clipboard Viewer. The OEM font also provides an OEM character
set used by some Windows applications." I also found both these in the
[Fonts] section. These are for an ATI graphics board operating in 800 x
600 resolution. Yours may differ, i.e., =VGASYS.FON.
System (Set #6)=8514SYS.FON
Terminal (US) (Set #6)=VGAOEM.FON
Now you can go ahead and experiment with different menu and title
appearances. You can preview the raster fonts by going into Control
Panel and double-clicking on the Fonts icon. Highlighting the font name
provides a window that shows what the font looks like. After trying
this, I can imagine the double takes you'd get if you changed the System
