- 1 -Step One: Installation OS/2 Warp, Applications, Drivers by Jim Gillig Before you can use it, you have to install it -- whether it's an application, an operating system, or a device driver. If OS/2 comes pre-loaded on a new computer, it has already been installed and tested for that system configuration by the computer manufacturer or distributor and is ready to run. If you are purchasing a new computer, ask your dealer for pre-installed OS/2 computer systems. Otherwise, ask for the OS/2 Warp product at your software dealer and install it yourself. This article explains how. Easy Installation The simplest way to install OS/2 is through the Easy Installation option. This option, along with the Advanced Installation option, appears on the OS/2 Welcome screen that is displayed after inserting the OS/2 Warp Install diskette into the A: drive and restarting your computer. Easy Installation will install all of OS/2 onto C:, or the hard disk you specify, with a single pushbutton. The installation process prompts you for the installation diskettes or for the single CD-ROM disk, if your computer has a CD-ROM drive, as it proceeds. Installation is easy for the user because the OS/2 Warp installation program automatically detects most installed hardware devices. It then displays the System Configuration allowing you to confirm or change the setup. The setup options include: Country and keyboard choices for your locale (like United States or France) Type of mouse and type of video display Devices attached to your system (e.g. Printers, CD-ROM, Multimedia, modems, etc.) To confirm the setup, select the OK pushbutton. Then you will be prompted to insert and switch the remaining installation diskettes, or just the single CD-ROM disk, until the installation process completes. In just a few steps your OS/2 operating system is installed. The system then contains the complete OS/2 operating system including the required system device drivers and WIN-OS/2 for running Windows applications if you installed the fullpack version of OS/2 Warp. When you restart your computer, OS/2 comes up running the Workplace Shell as the Desktop. The Desktop provides drag and drop control, making it easy to run applications, create and print documents, communicate with other users and online services. To acquaint yourself with the system, one of the first OS/2 applications you can run is the tutorial. This is a words-and-pictures illustration of most system features that lets you learn by doing. Also right after installation is a good time to send in your OS/2 registration for user information and IBM support. Advanced Installation Some users may want to use the Advanced Installation option. For example, a user can create multiple partitions so he can run multiple operating systems or versions. Another user may want to set up different logical drives for organizing and protecting his applications and files. The advanced installation process takes you through the steps to choose these and other options. Advanced Installation displays the OS/2 Setup And Installation panel. This panel allows you to select additional features for your system. These advanced features (see below) require additional memory and that's why they are options. The memory required for each feature is displayed on the OS/2 Setup and Installation panel. It also shows the total memory required for the selected features and your total available memory. Documentation (OS/2 tutorial, commands and information) Fonts (additional system video fonts) Optional System Utilities (disk, file, and program utilities) Tools and Games (includes enhanced editor, chess, etc.) OS/2 DOS Support (runs DOS applications) WIN-OS/2 Support (runs Windows applications) Multimedia Software Support (includes motion video & system sounds) High Performance File System (for improved program and file access) Serviceability & Diagnostic Aids (information collection for servicing) Optional Bit Maps (additional desktop background pictures) Anything you don't install at this time can be installed later and anything you do install can later be uninstalled. (See the Up and Running Section.) Up And Running After the OS/2 system is up and running, you can make configuration changes by choosing the Selective Install object. This action brings up the same System Configuration screen you saw at the beginning of installation. You can then see and change the current configuration information. It also brings up the same OS/2 Setup And Installation screen you saw in Advanced Installation. You can then select and install any of the optional features you saw in Advanced Installation. If later you decide you don't need some of the optional features you installed, you can uninstall them. To display the OS/2 Setup And Installation screen again for deselecting and uninstalling features, choose the Selective Uninstall object. With Selective Install and Uninstall, OS/2 is flexible to accommodate system changes and growth. To find the Selective Install and Selective Uninstall objects on the Desktop, move the mouse pointer to the OS/2 System object and open it. Once inside the System Setup object go to the System Setup folder and open it. There you will see these objects (icons): Selective Install object Device Driver Install object Add Programs object Selective Uninstall object This shows how easy it is to use OS/2's Workplace Shell to perform installation and configuration tasks in OS/2 Warp. Device Driver Install and Add Programs will be covered in following sections. BonusPak Installation The BonusPak is a collection of innovative and useful OS/2 applications that come with OS/2 Warp. Installation of the BonusPak is optional and is done after you are up and running with OS/2. The BonusPak is installed from its own set of diskettes or from its single CD-ROM disk. The BonusPak Installation Utility is used to install any combination of the following BonusPak applications: IBM Works (productivity applications like a word processor, spreadsheet, database, time mangement system and more) IBM Internet Connection for OS/2 (for access to the Internet) IBM Multimedia Viewer (organize and manage image, audio, video data) IBM Person to Person for OS/2 (for desktop conferencing) System Information Tool (for system configuration information) CompuServe Information Manager for OS/2 (for access to CompuServe) FaxWorks for OS/2 (create, send, receive, print faxes) HyperACCESS Lite for OS/2 (for managing a modem and file transfer) Video IN for OS/2 (record digital video for OS/2 multimedia playback) The BonusPak applications also demonstrate the wide variety of technology that the OS/2 operating system supports such as multimedia, fax, Internet access and conferencing. Application Installation OS/2 Warp makes installing and running new applications easy. To install an OS/2 application on your computer, just follow these steps: 1. Insert its install diskette into drive A: 2. Find the Desktop object for drive A: and point to it with the mouse 3. Double mouse-click drive A: object to open it and show diskette contents 4. From its contents, select and double click on the application's install object. This starts installing the OS/2 application and copying its files to the computer's hard disk. It should result in creation of a program object (icon) you can easily use to start the application from the Desktop. Just point at the icon and double click it with the mouse. To install a DOS application open a DOS Command Prompt and follow the application's install instructions. To install a Windows application open a WIN-OS/2 Command Prompt and follow the application's install instructions. Some applications may not place a program object in a folder or on the Desktop during their installation. Without the program object, you cannot use the easy point and click characteristics of the Workplace Shell to start the program. To correct this situation just do the following steps. From the System Setup folder within the OS/2 System folder: 1. Select and open the Add Programs (or the Migrate Applications) object 2. Select Add new programs 3. Select OK to complete creation of program objects. OS/2 Warp two convenient ways to start applications. If you want an application to automatically start every time you start your computer, you can drag and drop its application program object onto the Startup folder on the Desktop. To quickly start applications from the Desktop with a single mouse click, you can drag and drop application program objects (icons) onto the Desktop's LaunchPad where it will always be visible. For Developers As a separate product, IBM offers the Software Installer that can be used by a developer to create an application's installation program for both OS/2 and Windows applications. It saves development time by providing a consistent set of installation tools. The Software Installer is available from IBM on The Developer Connection for OS/2 Volume 7 CD-ROM disk. For information, see The Developer Connection for OS/2 Common Questions and Answers on CompuServe. Type GO OS2DF2 and see file dpromo.txt in library 17, IBM files. (See the Warped, Etc. section of this newsletter to see how to subscribe to The Developer Connection for OS/2.) Application Migration OS/2, DOS, and Windows applications that were already installed on the computer disk for use with another operating system or earlier version of OS/2 will automatically be migrated for running with OS/2 Warp after it is installed and started for the first time. OS/2 Warp accomplishes this with its migration database (DATABASE.DAT file) that contains the DOS and Windows settings and OS/2 parameters for hundreds of applications and games that have been tested for running well with OS/2 Warp. See the Add Programs object and its on-line help information. Device Driver Installation OS/2 Warp comes with hundreds of tested device and printer drivers. OS/2 determines and installs what's needed for your computer configuration. If OS/2 does not include a device driver that you need, you can easily install it yourself. Many devices that attach to a computer such as a CD-ROM, fax, or mouse come with a device driver diskette. The device driver diskette contains the program needed by OS/2 to operate the device. To install a device driver follow these steps: 1. Select and open the Device Driver Install object from OS/2 System Setup object 2. Insert the device driver install diskette into A: 3. Select the Install pushbutton 4. Select the OK pushbutton to complete installation of the device driver. Printer device drivers are installed just as easily. To install a printer driver for an existing printer object follow these steps: 1. Select and open the printer object from the Desktop 2. Select the Settings of the printer object 3. Select the Printer Driver tab (New Printer Driver window appears) 4. Select Other OS/2 printer driver for a driver diskette that didn't come with OS/2 5. Insert the printer driver diskette 6. Select Refresh pushbutton to display the printer drivers that are on the diskette 7. Select the printer driver you need 8. Select OK pushbutton to complete printer driver installation. Printer objects exist to simplify and tie together the functional relationships among a printer device, a printer driver, and its printer properties. A printer object can represent a local desktop printer or a remote network printer. OS/2 Warp also makes it easy to create additional printer objects for multiple printers, to change the OS/2 printer driver used by a printer object, and install a printer driver for Windows applications in a WIN-OS/2 session. For information on how to do these tasks, see the chapter on Setting Up Printers in the OS/2 Warp User's Guide. Troubleshooting Following the Easy or Advanced Installation process for OS/2 should result in a smooth install. If not, see the User's Guide to OS/2 Warp for the chapter on Solving Installation Problems. It explains actions to take for error messages if any occur during installation, provides solutions to some common hardware problems like video or CD-ROM, and explains how to get Service and Support from IBM. (See the Getting Started article in the Warped, Etc. section of the newsletter.) OS/2 comes with many tested CD-ROM device drivers. However, new CD-ROM drives become available all the time. If you cannot access your CD-ROM when trying to install from the OS/2 compact disk, the User's Guide provides directions for adding a new CD-ROM manufacturer supplied device driver to OS/2 diskette 1. (Two starter diskettes accompany the OS/2 CD-ROM disk.) There are also instructions for creating a complete set of OS/2 installation diskettes from the OS/2 compact disk if you can access the CD-ROM drive using DOS. Any device with a device driver not currently included with OS/2 can be installed by following the instructions in the OS/2 User's Guide. The device driver code may be obtained from the manufacturer or from a bulletin board service. Ask IBM (See the list of IBM phone numbers for your country in the Warped, Etc. Section of this newsletter), your computer manufacturer, device manufacturer, or dealer for more information about OS/2 device drivers. Hardware Configuration OS/2 is continually being tested across the broad spectrum of computer and peripheral device manufacturers. Yet the most frequently reported problem when installing OS/2 is with hardware configurations and devices. What's the reason for this? Your system hardware configuration includes the processor and memory, diskette, hard disk , and CD-ROM drives, video, printers, other peripheral devices and adapter cards. All these components and their subparts may come from many manufacturers around the world. Hardware specifications may vary and new hardware is continually and rapidly being introduced. Manufacturers, distributors, and end users combine hardware in a multitude of configurations. As a consequence of all this dynamic activity, a new device may not be correctly detected, a device driver may not be readily available, or a particular hardware configuration may have escaped testing with software. When buying new equipment, ask for OS/2-supported hardware. Also call or write your computer manufacturer, device manufacturer and distributor to request pre-installed and OS/2-tested computer systems and devices. IBM continually tests and updates OS/2 for computers and devices through new releases of OS/2 and through IBM Service and Support for OS/2. Getting Started You now know all about installing OS/2 Warp, applications and device drivers. After installing OS/2 Warp, use its on-line help, documentation, and tutorial to learn more about OS/2. To discover the full power of OS/2 Warp, navigate the OS/2 Workplace Shell desktop, explore the different folders and the options within folders. The OS/2 operating system is rich with function and the intuitive user interface makes discovering its capabilities easy and rewarding. The more familiar you get with it, the more productive you will become. Trademarks Trademarks of IBM Corp. in the United States or other countries used in this paper are: IBM, IBM Works, IBM Person to Person for OS/2, Multimedia Viewer, OS/2, OS/2 Warp, Software Installer, The Developer Connection for OS/2, VideoIN for OS/2, WIN-OS/2, Workplace Shell. Trademarks of other companies and owners are: CompuServe by CompuServe Inc., FaxWorks by SofNet Inc., HyperACCESS Lite by Hilgraeve Inc., Intel by Intel Inc., PCMCIA by Personal Computer Memory Card International, Windows by Microsoft Corp.