Shareware Supreme Volume 6 #1/swsii.zip/swsii/163/QTEC9305.ZIP/PCKWIK.TEC

Text File | 1993-05-10 | 10KB | 178 lines

ID:PK PC-Kwik and Quarterdeck Products
Quarterdeck Technical Note #227                       Filename: PCKWIK.TEC
by Michael Chapman                                  CompuServe: PCKWIK.ZIP
Last revised: 10 May 1993                             Category: SW3


Subject:  PC-Kwik Power Pak Ver. 3.00

     PC-Kwik Corporation's new version of Power Pak includes many utilities
that enhance a computer's speed and efficiency.  They include, from previous
versions, a keyboard accelerator (PCKKEY), a screen accelerator (PCKSCRN), a
Print Spooler (PCKSPL), a benchmark program (BENCHPCK), a keyboard buffer
expander (KEYSAVE), a memory map (PCKMAP) and the disk cache (SUPER.EXE).  New
to this version is a utility called KwikBoot.


PCKKEY (Keyboard Accelerator)

     PCKKEY speeds up the rate at which characters are repeated when a key is
held down on the keyboard.  The Keyboard Accelerator allows the user to
control the speed at which characters repeat and the response time before
repeating.  A feature of the Keyboard Accelerator is the ReDOS Command Editor.
The ReDOS command editor saves commands typed from the DOS prompt, and allows
the user to simply highlight the command to re-execute it.  ReDOS should be
executed in each DV/DVX window the user wishes to run it in.  A limitation is
that ReDOS may only open in two windows at a time.  If a third window is
tried, an error message may appear and ReDOS will fail.  At this point, simply
unload PCKKEY from one of the previous windows to run ReDOS in a subsequent
window.


PCKSCRN (Screen Accelerator)

     PCKSCRN speeds up the output of text to the video screen. The effects of
this program are most noticeable when programs are run that put normal text to
the screen one line at a time, such as the DOS DIR or TYPE command.  The
Screen Accelerator does not improve screen display for programs that write
directly to the screen.

     PCKSCRN contains two features: the Screen Blanker and Review.  Review
allows a user to scan back over directories, listings, or commands that have
already scrolled off the screen.  This feature does not function in DESQview.
It will appear to work at first but when the up-arrow key is pushed the screen
will always go to the command loaded before DESQview was started.  To have
PCKSCRN function correctly in DESQview, you will need to NOT load it
beforehand in the POWERON.BAT file.  Instead, load PCKSCRN in each window.
The only downside to this is that you will have to press the Scroll Lock key
every time you are at the end of the screen.


PCKSPL (Print Spooler)

     PCKSPL intercepts the data normally sent to the printer and makes a copy
of it in memory.  When the data has been saved (spooled), the control returns
to the program, while the spooler runs in the background, sending data to the
printer.  In DESQview, virtualization must be turned off in order for PCKSPL's
pop-up menu to work. This program can be loaded either before DESQview or in
a DESQview window.


KEYSAVE.SYS (Keyboard Buffer Expander)

     KEYSAVE.SYS is not a utility unto itself; it is a keyboard buffer
enhancer for PCKKEY.  This device driver is loaded in the CONFIG.SYS. It
CANNOT BE LOADED HIGH, either with QEMM's LOADHI.SYS or DOS 5/6's DEVICEHIGH.
In order to keep it from loading high, either temporarily REMark it out during
the Optimize procedure, or create a text file called OPTIMIZE.EXC in your QEMM
directory.  In this file, place a line which says C:\PCKWIK\KEYSAVE.SYS
(substitute the appropriate drive letter and directory if your setup is
different.)  This will tell Optimize to ignore this driver and not attempt to
load it high.


GENERAL NOTES ON UTILITIES

     These utilities, as well as the disk cache, are in a batch file in the
PCKWIK directory called POWERON.BAT.  This will load all the utilities the
user has selected during install.  To unload the programs simply use the
POWEROFF.BAT file.  The programs will release the memory they are using.  Even
if the utilities are loaded high by QEMM instead of themselves, POWEROFF.BAT
will work, as long as they are loaded in the same order as POWERON.BAT loads
them and nothing is loaded high after them.

     All the Power Pak utilities require that the disk cache be loaded in
order to function.  If SUPER.EXE is not loaded, the utility will display an
error message to the effect that the disk cache is not loaded, and
consequently, the utility in question will not load.


SUPER PC-KWIK

     The actual disk cache (SUPER.EXE) is automatically configured to allocate
all available memory, utilizing expanded memory (if expanded memory is present
on the machine) and dynamically allocate (lend) the memory (exPanded or
exTended) to other programs.  The default is to determine the amount of memory
available to the cache, subtract the memory needed for the RAM disk, and lend
75% of the remaining amount, although this is a configurable option, using
/Lendpercent=nnnn.  If this amount is set to 0, the lending feature is
disabled.

     Super PC-Kwik cannot detect DPMI (DOS Protected Mode Interface) calls,
so programs that require this type of memory, whether provided via
Quarterdeck's DPMI host, QDPMI.SYS, or another DPMI host, will ultimately fail
if Super PC-Kwik is allowed to allocate all available memory.  Thus, if you
have a program that requires DPMI memory (examples are Microsoft C++ 7.0,
Borland C++ 3.0), you will want to limit the cache size, using the parameter
/CacheSize=nnnn, and disable lending using the parameter /LendAmount=0.

     Windows 3.x will not start in Enhanced Mode if the cache is loaded using
Expanded memory.  If Windows detects the presence of the cache using expanded
memory it will give an error message telling the user to start the cache using
extended memory before dropping to the DOS prompt.  The cache can be
configured to use extended memory with dual lending features simply by using
the parameter /ExtendedMemory=yes which is the default in the PCKWIK.INI file.

     DESQview/X requires this parameter as well.  By contrast, DESQview works
fine whether the cache is using eXpanded or eXtended memory.  If a user
insists on using expanded memory for their cache, one solution would be to
limit the amount of the cache size to all but about 4 megs of memory.  Once
DESQview/X starts, the lending feature seems to work for applications inside
of it. Running with an extended cache will probably be the preferred way of
running.  Our experience has shown that it is best to specify the actual cache
size, and to make it as small as possible for your particular needs, using
/Cachesize=nnnn when using either DV or DVX.

     Loading DESQview automatically disables Advanced Support, Power Write
support, the DOS hit indicator and the DOS measurement popup. These features
are not available in DV and are restored upon exiting DV.

     A most important change in this release is the parameter names.  All the
parameter names are now easier to remember and use.  The old parameters will
no longer work with this new version.  PC-Kwik provides a utility called
"convert" which will convert calls to old parameters to new ones
automatically.  Users may use the /parameters switch to get a thorough listing
of parameters available to each utility.  Below is the /parameters dump for
the disk cache.  In addition, parameters must be preceded with a "/" and can
be any case: upper, lower or mixed.


/FDSupport          Standard support of diskette transfers.
/HDSupport          Advanced read/write support for hard disks.
/BatchRequests      Perform batch copies to/from cache.
/ReadWritePriority  Optional algorithm for advanced support.
/QuickPrompt        Return DOS prompt normally.
/TrackReads         Track buffering using a 17-sector buffer.
/VolumeDetection    Use volume change hardware.
/UniqueWrites       Do not check write requests for redundancy.
/BusmasterDMA       Normal Track buffer placement
/LoadHigh           Cache is loaded in high memory.
/LendAmount         Amount of memory reserved for lending.
/ExtendedMemory     Cache is using extended memory.
/ExpandedMemory     Cache is using expanded memory.


     There are two ways to use these parameters.  Either type them from the
command line as parameters to the program being loaded, or put them in the
appropriate place in the configuration file, PCKWIK.INI.  Users may have
multiple configuration files with no name limitations.  To make a utility read
from a new file simply add the parameter /name_of_file to the command line.


TROUBLESHOOTING

     PC-Kwik Corporation has a technical support department which stands ready
to assist you with any difficulties you may encounter with Power Pak 3.0.  In
your Super PC-Kwik guide, in Section 4, you will find a comprehensive list of
items that PC-Kwik tech support will want you to have handy when you call
them.  PC-Kwik Tech Support can be contacted by telephone at [phone],
or via FAX at [phone].

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  *          Copyright (C) 1993 by Quarterdeck Office Systems            *
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