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4DOS README.DOC
Version 3.02, 9/7/90
Copyright 1989, 1990, J.P. Software. All Rights Reserved. Published by
J.P. Software, P.O. Box 1470, E. Arlington, MA 02174 USA, (617)
646-3975.
Greetings, and thanks for trying 4DOS!
This file contains recent changes and other useful information. It also
lists the files distributed with version 3.02; explains how to upgrade
from earlier versions of 4DOS to version 3.02; and describes the 4DOS
Utility Disk.
To order 4DOS, see the ORDER.FRM file or call us at (800) 368-8777
(orders only please!) or (617) 646-3975. If you are upgrading from an
earlier version of 4DOS, be sure to read UPDATE30.DOC for information on
changes between versions!
This file is formatted at 58 lines per page, and contains form feeds and
page footers. It can be printed on most PC printers using the command:
copy readme.doc prn
Printing it with a program that formats the pages is not likely to work
due to the formatting included in the file.
We support 4DOS in our own CompuServe area, section 10 of the PC Vendor
B forum (GO PCVENB). If you are not currently a CompuServe subscriber,
consider a special offer CompuServe has made to 4DOS users: call 1-800-
848-8199 (outside the US and Canada call 614-457-0802) and ask for
operator 178 to receive a free CompuServe introductory membership,
including user ID, password, and a $15 connect time credit.
Official 4DOS Product Support is always available on our support BBS:
Future Technology Multi-Node EMDS (617) 720-3600 / 720-4095
120+ Conferences - 140+ Directories - 1.5 Gigabytes - 9600b below
(617) 227-6260 AX9624c*(617) 227-4170 HST*(617) 720-1330 HAYES V9600
Home of 4DOS Product Support & QModem National Distribution Site
For more information on technical support please see page iv of the
manual. Note that the correct number for the Future Technology BBS is
NOT 617-646-3975 as shown in some versions of the manual!
If you live outside the US and Canada you may want to check the list of
international dealers in the ORDER.FRM file. Purchasing through these
dealers can save you the delay and inconvenience which may be involved
in dealing with currency conversions and international shipping.
4DOS 3.02 [9-7-90] README.DOC page 1
Changes in Version 3.02
-----------------------
Virtually all of the changes in version 3.02 are compatibility
improvements and bug fixes, but a few are new features. Here's a quick
description of some of the more significant changes; there are also many
other smaller additions and bug fixes. For details on these and other
changes see the items marked "3.02" in UPDATE30.DOC.
** The HELP text has been modified in many places. An ANSI table has
been added along with the APPEND, FASTOPEN, GRAPHICS, KEYB, NLSFUNC,
RECOVER, and REPLACE commands. All resident commands now show their
DOS 3.3 resident size.
** We have added one new built-in environment variable, and two new
variable functions:
%_ndp Returns:
0 if no coprocessor is installed
87 for an 8087
287 for an 80287
387 for an 80387
%@upper[string] Returns the string converted to upper case.
%@lower[string] Returns the string converted to lower case.
** A "?" wildcard character now matches zero or more characters like
COMMAND.COM instead of one or more like previous versions of 4DOS.
** The F3 key now works like COMMAND.COM, so you can type part of a
line and hit F3 to get the rest of the previous line.
** The recurring problems with I/O redirection on Novell networks
have been solved by revamping the handling of redirection inside 4DOS
to get around Netware's oddities.
** 3+Open compatibility has also been improved by modifying 4DOS
internally to get around some of 3+Open's oddities.
** Divide by zero handling has been removed from 4DOS, allowing
standard DOS divide by zero handling to take place.
** Problems with missing <cr>s in description files have been solved.
These problems did not cause any trouble within 4DOS, but 3rd-party
description editors were confused by them.
** Problems with occasional out-of-memory errors in DIR have been
resolved.
** When starting a shareware copy of 4DOS, the 3-second delay for
display of the shareware message can now be interrupted by hitting
any key.
4DOS 3.02 [9-7-90] README.DOC page 2
Files Included with 4DOS
------------------------
The following files are included with 4DOS version 3.02 (numbers in
parentheses refer to notes at the end of the list):
4DOS.DOC Complete 4DOS manual
4DOS.COM 4DOS loader for EMS or disk swapping
4DOS.PIF (3) PIF file for running 4DOS under Windows 3.0
4DOS.ICO (3) Icon file for running 4DOS under Windows 3.0
4DOSM.ICO (3) Same as 4DOS.ICO but for monochrome systems
4DOS88.EXE 4DOS program file for any PC-compatible
system
4DOS286.EXE (2) 4DOS program file for 186/286/386/486 systems
ALIASES Sample aliases
COMPAT.DOC Information on using 4DOS with other products
DOS.HLP 4DOS help text
HELP.EXE 4DOS help program
HELPCFG.EXE Color configuration program for HELP.EXE
INSTALL.BAT (1) Startup installation batch file
INSTALL.BTM (1) Additional installation batch file
KEYSTACK.SYS 4DOS KEYSTACK driver
ORDER.FRM 4DOS license agreement, order form, and
upgrade order form
PKUNZIP.EXE (1,4) Unzip (decompression) program for 4DOS
README.1ST (1) Shareware disk README file and startup
instructions
README.DOC This file
SHELL2E.COM Program to allow software using INT 2E for
command execution to work with 4DOS
SHELL2E.DOC Documentation for SHELL2E.COM
SUPPORT.BBS Information on Future Technology, the
independent BBS used for 4DOS support
SYSOP.DOC 4DOS information for BBS sysops
UPDATE30.DOC Information on changes in versions 3.01 and
3.02; manual corrections
VENDOR.DOC 4DOS information for shareware disk vendors
(1) Included only with diskette copies of 4DOS. The INSTALL files
are not included with electronically distributed copies because
they will only work properly when 4DOS is stored on diskette in
its usual distribution format.
(2) The 4DOS286.EXE file is not included with shareware copies sold
on 5.25", 360K disks because it does not fit on such disks. If
you have a registered copy of 4DOS on 5.25" disks, 4DOS286.EXE is
in the file 4DOS2.ZIP on your registered disk. This file is
provided for convenience only and makes no noticeable difference
in the use or behavior of 4DOS, so its absence on 5.25" shareware
disks should not affect your evaluation of a shareware copy. See
below for more information on what 4DOS286 is and how to obtain a
copy if you feel you must evaluate it before purchasing 4DOS.
4DOS 3.02 [9-7-90] README.DOC page 3
(3) For information on using the Windows files see the Windows 3.0
information on page 24 of COMPAT.DOC.
(4) PKUNZIP is part of the shareware PKZIP file compression package
distributed by PKWare, 7545 North Port Washington Road, Suite
205, Glendale, WI 53217. It is Copyright 1989 PKWare Inc., and
is distributed under license to J.P. Software. PKUNZIP is a
trademark of PKWare Inc. Shareware copies of the full PKZIP
package are available on many bulletin boards and on-line
services. The copy of PKUNZIP distributed with 4DOS has been
reduced in size with an EXE file compression program in order to
save space on the distribution disks, but is fully functional.
4DOS286
-------
4DOS286 is a version of 4DOS compiled specifically for 186, 286, 386,
and 486 systems. It no longer fits on 5.25" shareware disks; the
information here is provided only so you know what isn't there if you
have such a disk. 4DOS286 is always included with registered copies
of 4DOS, upgrades for registered users, and shareware copies of 4DOS
distributed electronically or on 3.5" disks.
4DOS286 provides a marginal (and usually undetectable) performance
improvement, but is otherwise EXACTLY equivalent to the 4DOS88.EXE
file on the standard shareware disk. 4DOS will work properly on any
PC system using 4DOS88; 4DOS286 is not needed for proper operation,
and is provided for convenience only. In the next major release of
4DOS, the separate "286" executable file will be eliminated entirely.
If you have a single 5.25" 4DOS shareware disk and feel that you must
try 4DOS286.EXE before purchasing 4DOS, check with your shareware
disk vendor to see if they carry the supplementary disk containing
this file. You can also obtain this supplementary disk from J.P.
Software by sending a check, money order, or cash (via registered
mail please) for $2 ($4 outside the U.S.). Or, you can download a
copy of 4DOS from an electronic bulletin board or on-line service.
4DOS 3.02 [9-7-90] README.DOC page 4
Installing Version 3.02
-----------------------
If you do not presently have 4DOS installed, follow the instructions
in README.1ST for automatic installation. For manual installation
see pages 12 - 13 of the 4DOS reference manual for "quick start", or
pages 14 - 27 for full details. If you have 5.25" disks with a
registered copy of 4DOS, when doing a manual installation please note
that the 4DOS286.EXE file is now on the second disk, in the file
4DOS2.ZIP.
Upgrading an Earlier Version of 4DOS to Version 3.02
----------------------------------------------------
If you already have an earlier version of 4DOS, use the procedure
below to upgrade to version 3.02.
Version 3.02 of 4DOS is a maintenance release. If you are a
registered owner of version 3.0 or 3.01 and are entitled to a free
major upgrade, version 3.02 does NOT count as that upgrade. The
BRAND program you used to brand version 3.0 or 3.01 will also brand
version 3.02.
If you need to order a paid upgrade, a new copy of the printed and
bound 4DOS version 3 manual, or a utility disk, see the upgrade order
form in the ORDER.FRM file. The printed manual has not been revised
for version 3.02.
All users with 4DOS presently installed can use the following upgrade
procedure:
1) Be sure you have a bootable DOS floppy handy in case you have
a boot problem.
2) Install 4DOS version 3.02 using either the manual or automatic
procedure described in the documentation. Install it in a
directory which is NOT the same as the directory containing your
old 4DOS files, and do not modify your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT
files (yet). If you purchased your upgrade on 5.25" disks, when
doing a manual installation note that 4DOS286.EXE is now on the
second disk, in the file 4DOS2.ZIP. If you received a free
upgrade on 5.25" disks, 4DOS286.EXE is on the second
(supplementary) disk and must be copied manually to your boot
disk.
3) If you are a registered user be sure to brand your new version
of 4DOS to convert it to a registered copy. (If you are not a
registered user, how long have you been using 4DOS? Maybe it's
time to register!) Branding is included in the automatic
installation procedure, and described in the manual (page 12,
step 3) if you are installing 4DOS manually. If the branding
4DOS 3.02 [9-7-90] README.DOC page 5
operation fails with a "brand installation error", check that you
entered the serial number correctly. If so and you are upgrading
from an older version to a new major release (for example, from
version 2.21 to version 3.02), you probably are not entitled to
the current upgrade; see the last page of ORDER.FRM to order an
upgrade, or contact J.P. Software.
4) To "test drive" 4DOS version 3.02, run the EXE file
(4DOS88.EXE for any PC system, or 4DOS286.EXE for 186/286/386/486
systems; use 4DOS88.EXE if you aren't sure). Don't run 4DOS.COM
(i.e. do not use the "4DOS" command) as described in the "Test
Driving 4DOS" section of the manual -- it isn't compatible with
the earlier version of 4DOS already installed on your system and
will simply generate an error message.
5) Read through UPDATE30.DOC, and figure out any changes you need
to make in your normal use of 4DOS, and in CONFIG.SYS,
AUTOEXEC.BAT, 4START, your aliases file, and any other 4DOS-
related files. Pay particular attention to the items marked
"-->". If you are upgrading from version 3.01 or 3.01a to 3.02,
you only need to examine the items marked "3.02". Note that
changes between versions 2 and 3 are no longer included in
UPDATE30.DOC; contact J.P. Software if you need a detailed list
of these changes.
6) Once you are familiar with the changes in this new version,
modify CONFIG.SYS and any other files accordingly, copy the 4DOS
system files (4DOS.COM, 4DOS88.EXE or 4DOS286.EXE, and
KEYSTACK.SYS) to your boot directory, and reboot your system. If
you keep all 4DOS files in their own directory, you can simply
modify CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT to adjust for the new
directory name and reboot, without doing any copying. If you do
this be sure to modify the shell name in SHELL=, any places where
you use 4DOS's /L: command line switch, any SET COMSPEC command,
and your PATH.
7) A note for those upgrading from version 3.01 (or 3.01a) to
3.02: once you've ensured that the correct files are being
referenced for the new version, you probably won't need to make
any other changes in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC files for
version 3.02 to work correctly. The changes from 3.01 to 3.02
are very unlikely to require changes to your 4DOS configuration
or the system startup commands in AUTOEXEC.
4DOS 3.02 [9-7-90] README.DOC page 6
The 4DOS Utility Disk
---------------------
J.P. Software offers an add-on product for registered 4DOS users
only, the 4DOS Utility Disk, priced at $10 plus shipping.
All products on the utility disk except 4MAKE are either shareware or
freeware, and are available on many BBSes and on-line services. We
provide them on the utility disk as a service to those customers who
do not have modems or who prefer to obtain these programs on
diskette.
The utility disk includes:
* J.P. Software's help file compiler 4MAKE, and a copy of the
ASCII 4DOS help text. With 4MAKE and the help text you can
customize 4DOS's HELP by adding, deleting, or modifying commands
or command descriptions in the help file.
* TSRCOM, TurboPower Software's powerful package of TSR and
memory management utilities. The TSRCOM package allows you to
remove unruly TSRs from memory in several ways, and also includes
a memory map program and several other useful utilities.
* Shareware copies of Iram Weinstein's 4EDIT, a 4DOS full-screen
file description editor; and 4ZIP, a shell for PKZIP / PKUNZIP
allowing 4DOS file descriptions to be stored in and retrieved
from .ZIP files.
* Shareware copies of Innovative Data Concepts' SWAPDOS, a
utility to swap applications out of memory when you shell to DOS;
and SWAPSH, a swapper for the PC Tools Deluxe PCSHELL program
which allows it to run applications from the 4DOS prompt.
(4EDIT, 4ZIP, SWAPDOS, and SWAPSH are shareware products; like all
shareware you must register with the author if you continue to use
the product after a trial period.)
To order the 4DOS Utility Disk, see the upgrade order form in the
ORDER.FRM file.
4DOS 3.02 [9-7-90] README.DOC page 7