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1994-01-16
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I.C.B.M.
Version 1.01
January, 1994
Copyright (c) 1994, KnowWare Computer Products
All Rights Reserved
Published by:
KnowWare Computer Products
26 Ralph Street,
Clontarf Qld 4019
Phone: 61-07-284-6757
Table of Contents
Table of Contents....................................................1
Introduction.........................................................2
Features.............................................................3
License Agreement and Warranty Disclaimer............................4
Definition of Shareware..............................................6
Registration Information.............................................7
Full Registration...............................................7
Lite Registration...............................................7
Site Registration...............................................7
Installation of ICBM.................................................8
Operation............................................................9
Summary of Parameters..........................................10
/?- Display Help...............................................10
/C- Command_Path...............................................10
/O- Command_Options............................................10
/S- Countdown_seconds..........................................10
/M- Bootup_Message.............................................10
Configuration file..................................................11
Main Screen.........................................................12
Caveats.............................................................13
Acknowledgments.....................................................14
Appendix A - Known Problems.........................................15
Appendix B - Future Releases........................................16
Page 1
Introduction
Have you ever crashed *OS/2 and because it "automatically" remembers all the
objects that were running at the time, had it restart them all on the next
boot. Including the one that crashed it in the first place! Putting you in
an endless loop until you either manage to break the bad process or boot off
a floppy.
Tired of rumaging through your disk collection looking for that elusive
boot disk ?
Tired of dragging out your installation diskettes just to boot to an *OS/2
session to perform a maintenance task ?
Tired of trying to beat the computer and interrupt the boot-up process
with the CTRL-BREAK or the LEFT-CTRL LEFT SHIFT F1 keys only to have not
timed it right and have the computer boot-up anyhow with all the wrong
settings in place ?
How many times have you asked yourself "there's got to be an easier way".
Well STOP look no more, ICBM is here to solve this problem. Putting *OS/2 in
"maintenance mode" is now just as simple as hitting a key on bootup.
But wait there's more! Just look at some of the amazing features ICBM has
to offer you!
Page 2
Features
- Provides ability to interrupt *OS/2 boot-up and start an *OS/2 session.
- Minimum overhead to provide this facility.
- Highly configurable by use of a configuration file.
- Highly optimized code means it's quick to run; no speed deficiency.
- Ability to define the boot-up time delay.
- Ability to set a message to be displayed upon re-starting boot-up.
- Free set of GINZO steak knives with each copy (just kidding folks!)
ICBM has been designed and tested with *OS/2 2.0 GA and above in
mind and as such is not guaranteed to work with any previous releases.
ICBM is Shareware. It is provided free of charge for a period of
30 days from the date you obtained a copy of it so that you may
evaluate it for your own use. It is not "CrippleWare" or "DemoWare".
The copy you have is 100% functional and has no expiry date so it
will not stop working no matter how many times you use it. If,
however, you decide to continue using it, you must pay for it.
Page 3
License Agreement and Warranty Disclaimer
Please read the following terms and conditions. Use of this software
constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions, and your agreement
to abide by them. If you do not agree with them, do not use the software.
You are hereby licensed, at no obligation, to use the Shareware Version of
ICBM for a 30 day evaluation period. Please make as many copies of the
Shareware Version of this software and documentation as you wish. Give exact
copies of the original Shareware Version to anyone and distribute the Shareware
Version of ICBM and documentation in its unmodified form via electronic means
provided there is no charge for any of the above.
You may use a different compression tool to re-package the unmodified ICBM
files before distribution.
You are specifically prohibited from adding files and/or comments to the ICBM
package/archive. If you add an ARC/ZIP/ZOO/LZH/PAK, etc "comment" to the ICBM
package, you are in violation of this license agreement.
You are specifically prohibited from charging, or requesting donations, for
any copies, however made, and from distributing the software and/or
documentation in connection with any other product, service or "value added"
package, without prior written permission from KnowWare Computer Products.
This software is covered by Australian Copyright law and international treaty
conventions. For the Registration price you are granted a license to use the
product subject to the following terms and conditions:
1. The registered version of ICBM will only be used by a single person
who uses the software on one or more computers or to a single workstation
used by multiple people.
2. A separate "site license" and fee is required if the registered version of
ICBM is to be run on more than one machine by more than one person and/or
distributed for general use within a company or institution.
Accessing the registered version of ICBM through a Local Area Network
(or similar artifact) by multiple people on multiple machines, also
requires a "site license".
3. The programs and other files contained with the registered version of
ICBM may not be duplicated or copied except for archival purposes,
installation on the operational machines as outlined above, or to replace
defective media.
4. Any copies must bear the copyright notices contained in the original
product.
5. No copies of the registered version of ICBM may be produced for sale
to third parties or for any purpose other than given above. The registered
version of ICBM software may not be placed on any bulletin board or
other electronic systems where others can download the software program.
Page 4
6. This license may be transferred to a third party, provided the third party
agrees to all the terms of this licensing agreement, and all copies are
transferred to the new licensee or destroyed by the original licensee. We
reserve the right to assess a small charge to process the change in
registration.
7. Registering of ICBM does not transfer any right, title, or interest in
ICBM or the associated programs, except as specifically set forth in
this agreement.
8. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws
of the state of Queensland. Any action taken by either party relating to this
agreement shall be brought only in a court in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
9. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid, or unenforceable,
it will not affect the validity of the balance of the Agreement.
10. This software is provided "AS IS" without any warranty of any kind either
expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties
of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk is
assumed by the purchaser.
In no event shall KnowWare Computer Products be liable for any damages,
either direct or consequential, caused by the use, or inability to use,
this program, even if KnowWare Computer Products has been advised of the
possibility of such damages.
Electronic Bulletin Board operators are encouraged to post ICBM for downloading
by their users, provided that all of the above conditions are met.
Page 5
Definition of Shareware
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it.
If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to
register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration
while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration,
you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an
updated program with printed manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and Commercial Software, and the
copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated
below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial
authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are
good programs and bad ones.) The main difference is in the method of
distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute
the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group, as long as the
conditions of the licence agreement are abided by. For example, some authors
require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their
Shareware.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find
software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's Commercial or
Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you
can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also.
Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the
product, you don't pay for it.
You are encouraged to pass a copy of the unregistered version of ICBM
along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their
copy if they find that they can use it.
Page 6
Registration Information
ICBM is Shareware. You are allowed to try ICBM for a period not to
exceed 30 days. After such time if you decided you like ICBM, you must
register your copy. ICBM registration comes in three different forms.
Please see the file Register.frm for a complete list of registration prices.
Full Registration
A full registration of ICBM is available for thirty dollars ($30) in
$AU Funds. For the registration price you will receive:
a) A disk containing the latest registered version of ICBM. This
registered version does not contain any Shareware Registration
information. Therefore the registered version of ICBM will be
somewhat smaller and faster.
b) A printed users manual for ICBM.
c) Update notification of ICBM for one year from date of registration.
d) Free technical support by phone, mail and Internet mail.
Lite Registration
A lite registration of ICBM is also available for twenty five dollars ($25)
in $AU Funds. For the registration price you will receive:
a) A disk containing the latest registered version of ICBM. This
registered version does not contain any Shareware Registration
information. Therefore the registered version of ICBM will be
somewhat smaller and faster.
b) Update notification of ICBM for one year from date of registration.
c) Free technical support by phone, mail and Internet mail.
Site Registration
If ICBM is to be utilized on more than one machine by more than one person
or accessed on a Local Area Network (or similar artifact) by multiple people on
multiple machines, a "site license" is required.
Please see the file ICBM.REG for pricing on "site licensing" for ICBM.
For a site registration of ICBM you will receive:
a) A disk containing the latest registered version of ICBM. This
registered version does not contain any Shareware Registration
information. Therefore the registered version of ICBM will be
somewhat smaller and faster.
b) A printed users manual for ICBM. (Extra program disks and manuals are
available at additional cost).
c) Update notification of ICBM for one year from date of registration.
d) Free technical support by phone, mail and Internet mail.
Page 7
Installation
ICBM consists of the following files:-
ICBM.DOC - Details how to use ICBM. (The file you are reading).
ICBM.HIS - ICBM Revision history.
ICBM.REG - ICBM Registration details and order form.
ICBM.EXE - This file should be located in your LIBPATH. You may wish
to place it in your compilers library directory, so that
it is always accessible.
ICBM.INI - ICBM will create it's own INI file at first invocation.
This file contains configuration information for ICBM and
as such should be kept in the root directory of your *OS/2
boot drive.
See the OPERATION section of this document for details.
After unarchiving, scan all the files for viruses. It was checked when
it was first archived but we cannot guarantee it hasn't been re-archived
by others. Particularly since most BBS's these days do this automatically
upon receiving a file.
There are two methods of installation:
a) run the install.cmd script in an *OS/2 session and answer it's questions
b) follow these instructions:-
To install for use simply copy the ICBM.EXE to a suitable location.
When satisfied its clean run the ICBM.EXE program in an *OS/2 session.
This will create an additional file called ICBM.INI which is the default
configuration file. This file should be copied to the root directory of
the *OS/2 boot drive.
This file contains user configurable parameters which are read by ICBM
as it starts up. To modify this simply use any ASCII text editor to edit the
file, this file serves as an example of the available configuration options.
If this file becomes too corrupted simply remove this and ICBM will re-create
a 'default' version the next time it is run.
Next edit your CONFIG.SYS file and add the following line to the end of it:-
CALL=C:\OS2\CMD.EXE /C "D:\OS2\APPS\ICBM.EXE" & EXIT
ICBM may also be called with optional arguments for a complete list of these
please read the section called Summary of Parameters.
Thats all there is to it, we hope you enjoy using ICBM and look forward to
receiving your registration.
Page 8
Operation
If you followed the installation procedures correctly the next time you re-boot
your machine the ICBM countdown screen should appear before the Presentation
Manager (PM) has been started but after all device drivers have loaded.
Pressing any key at this point will "interrupt" the boot process, and place
you in an *OS/2 session. At this point you are free to modify your boot-up
configuration files and have full access to all files and utilities normally
available to you when PM is running except for PM programs of course.
For example you may wish to:-
- make backup copies or restore your *OS/2 .INI files
- modify the startup.cmd file
- edit your config.sys file
Now your on your own running in an *OS/2 session, but heed the warnings and
make backup copies of any file you intend to modify.
When you are ready to resume the boot, type EXIT to continue.
System startup will then be completed.
If you do not wish to wait for the countdown and have no need to interrupt
the system Boot-up process at this time you can press the ESC key which will
exit ICBM immediately and resume the Boot-up.
Page 9
Summary of Parameters
ICBM may also be called with optional arguments:-
ICBM /options
Where options may be one or more of the following:
/? Help
This provides a help screen detailing ICBM's usage and optional arguments.
/Cxxx Command_Path
Where 'xxx' represents the fully qualified path to command
interpreter enclosed in double quotes. ie. /C"C:\OS2\CMD.EXE"
/Oxxx Command_Options
Where 'xxx' represents the arguments to give the command
interpreter enclosed in double quotes. ie. /O"/K"
/Snnn Countdown_seconds
Where 'nnn' equals the number of seconds to count down from
before resuming boot-up.
ie. /S30
or
CALL=C:\OS2\CMD.EXE /C "D:\OS2\APPS\ICBM.EXE /S30" & EXIT
This can be any value greater than 0 up to a maximum of 9999 seconds.
Thats a heck of a long time, so please be patient if you set it that
high (grin).
You may also specify the countdown value in the ICBM.INI file.
ICBM defaults to a 10 second countdown.
/Mxxx Bootup_message
Where 'xxx' is the message to display upon resuming boot-up
enclosed in double quotes.
ie. /M"OS/2 Rulz Ok"
Page 10
Configuration file
Options may also be specified in the ICBM.INI file located in the
root directory of the OS/2 boot drive.
This is a straight ASCII file and as such may be edited with any text
editor capable of producing ASCII output.
The default ICBM.INI file looks like this:-
; -----------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; ICBM - Interactive Configuration Boot-up Modifier
; Copyright (c) 1993, KnowWare Computer Products. All rights reserved.
;
; -----------------------------------------------------------------------
; Command line settings:
; -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Command_Path C:\OS2\CMD.EXE
Command_Options /K
; -----------------------------------------------------------------------
; Seconds to countdown from before boot-up:
; -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Countdown_seconds 10
; -----------------------------------------------------------------------
; Message to display as boot-up resumes:
; -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Boot_Message Resuming boot-up...
Note any line beginning with a ';' character is treated as a comment and is
ignored by ICBM.
Options and their values may be separated by a space, tab or an equals (=)
sign.
Page 11
Main Screen
The unregistered version of ICBM will display a single screen upon execution:-
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ICBM - Interactive Configuration Boot-up Modifier V 1.01 │
│ *** UNREGISTERED 30 DAY EVALUATION VERSION *** │
│ [xxxx] │
│ │
│ Press any key to interrupt system boot-up │
│ ESC to continue booting │
│ │
│ Copyright (C) 1993, KnowWare Computer Products. All Rights Reserved │
│ Use of this software after the evaluation period is illegal! │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Where 'xxxx' represents the countdown timer.
The registered version of ICBM will display the following screen:-
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ICBM - Interactive Configuration Boot-up Modifier V 1.01 │
│ │
│ [ ] │
│ │
│ Press any key to interrupt system boot-up │
│ ESC to continue booting │
│ │
│ Copyright (C) 1993, KnowWare Computer Products. All Rights Reserved │
│ Registered to: KnowWare Computer Products Registration # 000001 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This displays the registered user's name and registration number.
Page 12
Caveats
As ICBM is a normal ring-3 application it can NOT stop your systems device
drivers from starting up before it interrupts the boot process. In order to
do this the program itself would have to be a device driver. This is planned
for a later release.
But for now if the process giving you trouble on boot-up is a device driver
and it doesn't let you boot OS/2 then you will have to boot-up off floppy
diskette in the usual manner and make your changes that way.
Please be careful of the changes you make while in ICBM's *OS/2 session as
this mode of operation gives unrestricted access to *OS/2 configuration files.
If you make the wrong changes you may make your system un-bootable, if not for
this boot perhaps the next.
So please make backups of all files you plan to modify before doing the
modifications and read the disclaimer that follows.
We provide you with the ability to make the changes to your boot-up but we
don't make those changes for you, thats your doing and as such your problem.
Page 13
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank his business partner Paul Leaver for
testing ICBM, and for providing numerous idea's many of which have
been incorporated into the final product.
The author would also like to thank all those users who have made
comment on or suggestions of new features for ICBM. We do aim to please,
and will take all suggestions into consideration. If you think its
a good feature somebody else must do also! So don't be bashful, be verbose.
*IBM and OS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation.
Page 14
Appendix A - Known Problems
a) On some systems it appears the "& EXIT" statment on the CALL is not taking
effect and the user is required to press the ENTER key to continue after
they type EXIT to resume the boot-up from the OS/2 session.
For now the installation program does not add this to the config.sys as the
command interpreter should exit after it finishes executing the program
anyhow.
We will continue to investigate this minor anoyance.
b) Installation program does not update the ICBM.INI file with your details.
You are required to edit the ICBM.INI file and update it by hand, most
people seem to prefer this anyhow.
Page 15
Appendix B - Future Releases
The following features/enhancements are planned for future releases:-
- re-coding to a device driver
- password protection
- usage logging
ICBM is Copyright (c) 1994 KnowWare Computer Products. All rights reserved.
KnowWare Computer Products is dedicated to the creation of quality *OS/2
shareware.
KnowWare Computer Products
26 Ralph Street,
Clontarf 4019.
Queensland, Australia.
To contact us on Fidonet, please write to:
Grant Cause or Paul Leaver at 3:640/830
Or E-mail: Josephm@mhs.oz.au
The most recent version of ICBM will always be posted for downloading on:-
Proteus/2 BBS (Brisbane, Australia)
+61-7-344-6012 (V32Bis and under)
24hrs - Home of Joe's OS/2 Tips
SysOp: Joseph McKinnon
TEAM OS/2 MEMBER
Internet: josephm@mhs.oz.au
WorldNet node: 61:6700/1
Page 16