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BOOTCON version 2.0c 5/17/93 ---[ Contents ]------------------------------------------------------[1.0]-- 1.0 Contents 2.0 Getting Started 3.0 Compatibility Notes DR-DOS Disk Compression Software Configuration Optimization Programs Anti-Virus Programs 4.0 Converting to BOOTCON 2 Converting from BOOTCON 1.x Converting from DOS 6 MultiConfig Converting from KwikBoot Converting from Easy Boot Converting from Boot Floppies 5.0 Documentation Corrections and Additions Miscellaneous Corrections The CoEdit Function The Shell to DOS Key Installing New Software Deleting Configurations Using Includes Using Alternate Files The /NDSC Command Line Option Installing BOOTCON on a Floppy Disk Using Monochrome Mode with VGA Customizing the Video Mode Editing Configurations Outside BCSETUP Moving the BOOTCON Installation Restoring Trashed Root Directory Files 6.0 Using BOOTCON with DOS 6 7.0 Advanced Techniques 8.0 Known Problems (Undocumented Features) Include Consistency Hotkey Choices REM Statements Under Old DOS Versions 9.0 Technical Support ---[ Getting Started ]-----------------------------------------------[2.0]-- Before running BCSETUP you should copy all the files on the BOOTCON distribution disk to a directory on your hard disk as documented in the Installation section of the BOOTCON manual. Do not run BCSETUP directly from the distribution disk. If you are converting from BOOTCON version 1.x, KwikBoot, or the DOS 6 configuration manager, be sure to read Appendix A in the BOOTCON manual and Section 4 in this README file. The file WHATSNEW lists the new features in BOOTCON 2.0. OS2DOS is a supplemental utility for switching between DOS and OS/2 during the boot. It functions independently from BOOTCON. For more information about using this utility see the file OS2DOS.DOC in the OS2DOS subdirectory on the BOOTCON distribu- tion disk. ---[ Compatibility Notes ]-------------------------------------------[3.0]-- --- DR-DOS --- This version of BOOTCON was specifically designed for MS-DOS and PC-DOS versions 3.1 through 5.0, MS-DOS 6.0, or DR-DOS 6.0. If you are using another version of DOS, please contact Modular Software Systems. --- Disk Compression Software --- If you are using disk compression software, be sure to read the Installation section of the BOOTCON manual and correctly answer the disk compression related questions in the BCSETUP Options screen. Note that the DOS 6 DoubleSpace program is transparent to BOOTCON and if this is the only disk compression program being used, you should answer NO to the Options question about using disk compression software. When using DoubleSpace, a drive with a high drive letter is created. This may be compressed or uncompressed depending how you tell DoubleSpace to create a new disk or to compress an existing disk. If BOOTCON is installed on this "high" lettered drive, you must load the CONFIG.SYS driver DBLSPACE.SYS in the COMMON configuration. If BOOTCON is installed on any lower lettered drive, the CONFIG.SYS statement to load DBLSPACE.SYS can go anywhere in the CONFIG.SYS according to your requirements. If your disk compression software (other than DoubleSpace) swaps your boot drive, BOOTCON will automatically ensure that your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files match on the two drives. If they are different, the one that has the latest date will be used to replace the other. Also, note Appendix D in the BOOTCON manual concerning Stacker's /sync+ option. --- Configuration Optimization Programs --- When running programs such as QEMM Optimize, 386MAX Maximize, or DOS 6 MemMaker, you should first install the configuration that you wish to optimize as a "standalone" configuration (see page 19 in the BOOTCON manual). Do not try to run optimization programs while BOOTCON's Bootup Menu is active. Once you have set up the standalone configuration that you want to optimize, run the program and let it reboot as many times as needed to optimize the configuration. Once it has completed, run BCSETUP. The Consistency Check will catch any changes made to your configuration and allow you to keep or discard them. --- Anti-Virus Programs --- Certain configuration information is stored within the BOOTCON.EXE file. This information may be read and written any time BCSETUP is run. If you are using an anti-virus program that is designed to detect when executable programs have been modified, you should configure it to allow BOOTCON.EXE to be modified. The following are some additional notes concerning several anti-virus programs: 1. Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2.10 Early revisions of Norton AntiVirus version 2.10 are incompatible with BCSETUP. Specifically, using the NAV&.SYS program will prevent BCSETUP from being able to execute your editor. If you are using Norton AntiVirus 2.10 with files dated prior to 10-3-92 you should contact Symantec Technical Support. Note that the date on NAV&.SYS is changed during the install- ation process so use the date of NAVSETUP.EXE instead. As an alternative, you could use NAV_.SYS instead of NAV&.SYS. 2. Central Point Software VSAFE.COM The VSAFE programs supplied with PC Tools for Windows and with DOS 6 will forcefully attempt to keep interrupt 0x21 pointing to themselves when the /N command line switch is used. This is a risky technique that may cause the system to become unstable. The BOOTCON Setup program will report an "Unexpected Error" 0xD740 upon exit because it detects that another program has modified int 0x21 after BCSETUP had chained into it. If this occurs, you can safely instruct BCSETUP to "Attempt to Continue" and the program will exit normally. This behavior only occurs when the /N command line switch is used. 3. MS-DOS 6.0 VSAFE.COM See point 2 above. ---[ Converting to BOOTCON 2 ]---------------------------------------[4.0]-- --- Converting from BOOTCON 1.x --- After converting from an old version of BOOTCON 1.x, double- check to see if all your configuration information converted successfully by examining the backup files CONFIG.BCK and AUTOEXEC.BCK and comparing the various configurations with your new BOOTCON 2 configurations. In your CONFIG.SYS, if you had statements in between config- urations or after the last configuration, these statements will all be placed in the COMMON configuration. This may or may not be correct for your system. Use your editor to re-arrange them as needed. In your AUTOEXEC.BAT, your configurations will be successfully converted into the new format only if you used the method of differentiating configurations that was recommended in the BOOTCON 1.x manual. If you used a different method, or have statements that are between configurations or after the last configuration, these statements will not be converted to the new format. Any statements that are not placed into a config- uration will go into the COMMON configuration. This may or may not be correct for your system. Use your editor to re-arrange them as needed. The BCVARCHK, BCBOOT, and BCSYNTAX utilities that came with BOOTCON 1.x are obsolete and not needed with BOOTCON 2. See the command line parameters for BCSETUP if you were previously using BCBOOT. When upgrading from an older version of BOOTCON, any passwords in use will not be preserved. Be sure to read Appendix A in the BOOTCON manual. This README takes precedence over Appendix A where information conflicts. --- Converting from DOS 6 MultiConfig --- When converting from the DOS 6 configuration manager to BOOTCON, any CONFIG.SYS statements that appear before the first config- uration block, and all [common] blocks will be placed into BOOTCON's COMMON configuration. If you had multiple [common] blocks in the DOS 6 CONFIG.SYS, BOOTCON's COMMON configuration will contain the block headings (remarked out). BOOTCON will correctly convert the DOS 6 AUTOEXEC.BAT to the new format only if you followed the DOS 6 documentation exactly when configuring the file. Any statements that could not be determined to be in a particular configuration will be placed in the COMMON configuration. This may or may not be correct for your system. Use your editor to rearrange them as needed. --- Converting from KwikBoot --- When converting from PC-Kwik's KwikBoot product, BOOTCON will automatically convert the default Include database INCLUDE.IDB to the BOOTCON format. Any supplemental Include databases need to be manually converted. To do this conversion, use your editor and change all lines that begin with "REM KB INCLUDE" to "REM BC INCLUDE". --- Converting from Easy Boot --- Install BOOTCON following the normal installation procedure documented in the manual. Once installed, use the "Import Configuration" function in BCSETUP to convert your Easy Boot configurations to BOOTCON. --- Converting from Boot Floppies Install BOOTCON following the normal installation procedure documented in the manual. On each boot floppy, rename the CONFIG.SYS and/or AUTOEXEC.BAT files so that they have the same extension. For example, you could rename the AUTOEXEC.BAT to AUTOEXEC.SYS. Once this is done, start BCSETUP and execute the "Import Configuration" function specifying the floppy drive as the location to scan. The Import Configuration function will find any CONFIG and AUTOEXEC files with matching extensions and give you to choice of importing them as a configuration, or ignoring them. When the matching pair you created are found, choose to add them. You will be prompted for a configuration name and description to use. Perform the Import Configuration function as many time as you have boot floppies. Once your configurations are imported, you must Inspec each configuration an ensure that any references to files and directories on the boot floppy are changed appropriately now that you are booting from your hard disk. ---[ Documentation Corrections and Additions ]-----------------------[5.0]-- --- Miscellaneous Corrections --- Page 17 - The "Load Existing Files" function has been renamed to "Import Configuration". Page 48 - The default name for the Include database is INCLUDE.IDB, not STDINC.IDB. Page 56 - Additional error code 0xD740. This code means that an interrupt vector was changed by an unknown program. This was probably done by a TSR or device driver. Usually the best course of action is to "Attempt to Continue" if this occurs. --- The CoEdit Function --- The Inspect Configuration screen has a new option named CoEdit. This function allows you to simultaneously edit the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT portions of all your configurations. This is convenient when you want to compare configurations, or you need to cut and paste statements between configurations. To use this function, simply go to the Inspect Configuration screen for any configuration, highlight the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files, and press the CoEdit button. --- The Shell to DOS Key --- When running BCSETUP the F9 key can be used at any time (except while in your editor) to shell to DOS. Once shelled out, be sure to type "EXIT" to return to BCSETUP rather than running BCSETUP a second time. The Shell to DOS function uses the SWAPXEC driver in the same manner as when your editor is run. --- Installing New Software --- Whenever you are installing a new piece of software that is likely to make changes to the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, (escpecially if you are running QEMM Optimize, 386MAX Maximize, or MemMaker) you should first put BOOTCON into standalone mode. Once you are done with the install, use BCSETUP to return BOOTCON to using the Bootup Menu (see page 19 in the BOOTCON manual). This not only ensures that the installation will not interfere with BOOTCON, it allows you more opportunity to see what was changed and gives you a chance to back the changes out. --- Deleting Configurations --- When you delete a configuration in the Configuration List, it is not actually deleted until you press the Configuration List's OK button. This means that you cannot immediately create a new configuration with the same name as the just deleted config- uration until you exit the Configuration List and re-enter it. --- Using Includes --- When placing an Include in a configuration, do not put an "@" sign at the beginning of the line. This will prevent BOOTCON from recognizing that the statement is an Include. Whenever you rename or delete an Include you must ensure that any configurations that use the Include are modified accordingly. --- Using Alternate Files --- Within any given configuration, you may not have more than one Alternate file with the same name, even if they have different destination directories. Alternate files should not be placed on compressed drives unless the disk compression software is loaded in the COMMON section, or loads prior to CONFIG.SYS processing like DoubleSpace. If you do place Alternate files on compressed drives, BCSETUP will be able to manipulate the files as usual, regardless how your disk compression software is loaded. However, during the boot, BOOTCON will not be able to build the files or perform Consistency Checks on them unless the disk compression software is loaded before BOOTCON's bootup menu comes up. --- The /NDSC Command Line Option --- Every time BCSETUP starts, it performs a disk space check to ensure that there is at least 512KB of free disk space. A warning message will be displayed if there is not. The /NDSC option (No Disk Space Check) will disable this feature. --- Installing BOOTCON on a Floppy Disk --- When running BOOTCON on a floppy disk you will most likely want to use the /NDSC command line option described above. Also it is recommended that you either use the /NOSWAP command line option described in the manual, or set the TEMP environment variable to a temporary directory on a drive other than the same floppy disk. Note that this is only important if you do not have XMS memory to swap to. See the documentation on the SWAPXEC driver for more information. --- Using Monochrome Mode with VGA --- The Bootup Menu Options screen has the ability to instruct BOOTCON to use a monochrome mode. If you are using a 386 or better computer with a VGA adapter, you should only use the monochrome mode if your memory manager is not using the monochrome video memory buffer for high memory. If the command line to load your memory manager contains an address that includes the area B000-B7FF then it is using the monochrome video adapter memory as high memory. You can safely use the "grayscale" video options without this concern. --- Customizing the Video Mode --- BOOTCON has the ability in the Bootup Menu Options screen to customize the video mode for different color schemes and the number of lines on the screen. When the mode is changed from the default (usually 25 line color or monochrome) it is not restored. The system will boot using whatever mode is selected. This can lead to some interesting effects such as Windows running in monochrome VGA mode instead of color. If you do not want to use the new video mode permanently, use the DOS MODE command to set the video mode to whatever mode you wish to use. For example, at the beginning of the COMMON configuration in the AUTOEXEC.BAT you could add the command: C:\DOS\MODE CO80,25 to set the system into a 25 line color mode. --- Editing Configurations Outside BCSETUP --- If you directly edit your root directory configuration files outside BCSETUP, be sure not to delete or re-arrange any lines that begin with "REM BC" or "REM INC_...". If you directly edit your configuration files in their respect- ive directories (configname.CFG) you should, after completion, run BCSETUP, press the "Select Configuration" button, select MENU, and exit. This will cause the configuration files in the root directory to be re-generated with the new information. --- Moving the BOOTCON Installation --- BOOTCON can easily be moved to another location on the same or different hard disks by using the DOS XCOPY command. For example, to copy the BOOTCON installation from the C: drive do the D: drive, you could use the following command: xcopy c:\bootcon d:\bootcon /s/e The /s and /e parameters tell XCOPY to copy the subdirectories also. Once the files have been moved, go to the new location and run BCSETUP. Go to the "Select Configuration" screen, select MENU, and press [Enter]. Then exit BCSETUP. This will cause the configuration files in the root directory to be regenerated referencing the new BOOTCON location. Reboot and make sure that everything still works properly during the bootup. Once you are satisfied that everything is working fine, you can delete the original BOOTCON directory structure. --- Restoring Trashed Root Directory Files --- If your CONFIG.SYS and/or AUTOEXEC.BAT files in the root directory are corrupted, deleted, or modified, you can restore the originals by running BCSETUP. If you get a Consistency Check, simply press "Restore the Original" as many times as necessary until the main menu comes up. If you do not get a Consistency Check, from the main menu, press the "Select Configuration" button, and choose MENU. Exit BCSETUP. Your root directory configuration files will be rebuilt. ---[ Using BOOTCON with DOS 6 ]--------------------------------------[6.0]-- BOOTCON 2 is fully compatible with MS-DOS 6.0. DOS 6 contains a limited configuration manager called MultiConfig that can be used in combination with BOOTCON if desired. When you are using DOS 6, the Options screen in BCSETUP will contain an additional question about using DOS 6 MultiConfig instead of BOOTCON. If you answer YES to this question, BOOTCON will generate CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files that will use DOS 6 to make the boot selection instead of the BOOTCON Bootup Menu. When using the DOS 6 configuration manager, only the first nine configurations will be available. Using this feature disables BOOTCON's ability to use customizable hotkeys and Configuration Passwords. Also Alternate files are not supported. When using the DOS 6 configuration manager in combination with BOOTCON, you should not modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT file outside of BCSETUP as it will not be Consistency Checked and any changes will likely be lost the next time BCSETUP is run. Be sure to read the "Compatibility Notes" section of this README file concerning disk compression software if you are using the DOS 6 DoubleSpace utility. ---[ Advanced Techniques ]-------------------------------------------[7.0]-- Certain statements may be placed in your CONFIG.SYS multiple times and DOS will use the last occurrence of the statement. In particular, this may be done with the FILES and BUFFERS state- ments. This is useful for setting default values that will be used unless they are overridden in the particular BOOTCON config- uration that is chosen. For example, you may choose to put the statement BUFFERS=30 in your COMMON configuration. Then you would only need to put additional BUFFERS statements in those particular configurations where you wanted to use a different value. This eliminates the need to put a BUFFERS statement in every configuration. This technique should not be used with DEVICE= and DOS= statements. ---[ Known Problems (Undocumented Features) ]------------------------[8.0]-- --- Include Consistency --- When the Consistency Check discovers that an Include has been changed and you instruct BOOTCON to keep the new Include using the same name, as the Consistency Check continues it will claim that any additional occurrences of the same Include have changed when in fact they are the same as the original. For example, suppose you have an Include that is used by two configurations in the CONFIG.SYS. Outside BCSETUP you use your editor to modify the first occurrence of the Include, but not the second. The next time you run BOOTCON or BCSETUP you will get a Consistency Check rightly claiming that the Include has been changed and you tell BOOTCON to keep the new Include code using the same name. BOOTCON immediately replaces the old Include statements with the new statements. As the Consistency Check continues, the second occurrence of the Include (the one that was unchanged) is found not to match the original (when in fact it is the original original). Several things can be done to avoid this inconsistency in the Consistency Check with Includes. First, don't edit your Includes outside of BCSETUP if possible. Second, if you do edit your Includes outside of BCSETUP, make the same changes to all the Includes, not just some of them. Third, when choosing to "Keep the New" Include during a Consistency Check, give the Include a new name if the changed Include is not to be used globally. --- Hotkey Choices --- The "S", "O", and "H" keys should not be used as hotkeys because they are currently used for the buttons "Select", "Options", and "Help" on the Bootup Menu. --- REM Statements Under Old DOS Versions --- When using a version of dos prior to 4.0, you will receive a DOS error message "Invalid statement in CONFIG.SYS" during each boot. This is due to the checksum line at the beginning of the CONFIG.SYS file. This statement causes an error because older versions of DOS do not support the REM statement in CONFIG.SYS files. There are no detrimental affects from this message. It can be ignored. ---[ Technical Support ]---------------------------------------------[9.0]-- For technical support you should first contact the dealer where you purchased the program. If they cannot help you, please feel free to contact us. When calling for technical support, please have the following information available: The BOOTCON version and serial number The DOS vendor and version number Details and any TSRs and device drivers in use The hardware configuration: Brand and model of computer Video type Amount of memory Hard and floppy drive configuration We can be reached at: Modular Software Systems 25825 - 104th Ave. SE, Suite 208 Kent, WA 98031 Phone: (206) 631-5781 Fax: (206) 631-5779 Toll Free: (800) 438-3930 We can also be reached on CompuServe Mail at user-ID 73367,176 ---[ End of README ]--------------------------------------------------------