will create a list of the files that were installed on your system by an application.
This gives you the ability to know exactly what files the application installed and
where they are. IMP will also delete these files from your system if you wish to
remove the application.
Main Menu
Main Menu
Use the choices on the Main Menu to
Quit
Exits the program.
Locator
Set IMP to the Locator option.
Remover
Set IMP to the Remover option.
Editor
Opens the Editor dialog box.
Help Index
Displays the Help Index.
Shareware Info
Displays the Shareware Information dialog box.
Product Info
Displays the Product Information dialog box.
Locator
This option is responsible for finding the files that were installed by an application and creating the IMP data file which lists these files. The following steps describe the procedure to create a data file.
Install the application that a data file is to be created for.
If you attempt to run IMP after you have been using the
application, the time/date stamps of the files will be too far apart for a reliable data file to
be created.
Run IMP. The Locator option will be selected as the default window configuration.
Push the Source File... button. You will be presented with a file dialog box
with which to select an application file as the source file. This source file will be used by
the Locator to obtain a time/date stamp.
The Locator will now fill in the save file and search path entry fields with default values. The
directory that IMP is run from is used to store the data file while the folder which contains
the source file is used as the search path. If you wish to change these values, follow steps
4 and 5. If these are correct, skip to step 6.
Push the Save File... button. You will be presented with a file dialog box with which to select a save file. You may also type in a name of your own choosing. The extension of .IMP is the default, but is not required.
Push the Search Path button if you are unsure of the proper format of the
search path. You will be presented with a dialog box which shows the required format.
The search path may contain multiple entries with each path followed by a semi-colon(;).
Ensure that you do not reverse the semi-colon(;) and the colon(&colon.). This will
create a valid path for the default directory and will not give you a valid search in your desired path.
Set the Time Margin spin button. This value should be greater than the amount
of time that was required for the application to install. (i.e. If it took 20 minutes to complete
the install, set the time margin for over 20 minutes.)
Push the Locate button. You will be presented with the Time/Date Stamp dialog box.
Choose the Time/Date Stamp to be used. These selections are explained below.
Last Access This is the most reliable time/date stamp. When the files are first
installed, they will all have approximately the same time and date for this stamp. This is the default setting.
Last Write This is the second most reliable time/date stamp. When the files are first installed, they will all have approximately the same time and date for this stamp. As the application files are updated (i.e. INI and CFG) these times will begin to differ.
Creation This is the least reliable time/date stamp. This time and date are
set when the file was first created. If the application took longer than a few hours to
write, all the files could have time differences of months or even years.
The Locator will now open the progress dialog and use the search path, time/date stamp,
and time margin to find files that match the source file's time/date stamp. As each file is tested, the
folder and file name data is updated in the progress dialog box. You may push the Cancel button
at any time if you wish to stop the search for some reason. After the search is complete, the progress
dialog will close and IMP will display a message to inform you of the results of the search.
Upon successful completion of the file search, you may edit your newly created data file by selecting
the Editor from the main menu or delete the files listed in the data file
by selecting the Remover from the main menu.
Your IMP data file is now finished. If you wish to create a data file for another
application, please wait a short amount of time. This will ensure that the time/date stamps
of the two applications are not within the time margin of the new search.
If your search path is restrictive enough, (i.e. different drives or a
search in different folders) then you do not have to wait to install the next application.
Remover
This option is responsible for deleting the folders/files that are contained in the
IMP data file. The following steps describe the procedure to remove an
application from your system.
Ensure that you are not using any of the files from the application that is to be deleted.
One example of where this could occur is if you desired to remove your screen saver
while it was running. This will cause an error in the removal process.
Run IMP. The Locator option will be selected as the default window configuration.
Select Remover from the main menu. This will configure IMP to the Remover
option.
Push the Data File... button. This will present you with a file dialog to select
the applications data file. Choose the data file of the application you wish to remove.
The remover will now show you the data file you selected in the entry field.
Push the Remove button. This will present you with a message box that will
confirm or cancel this action.
Warning: Do not start the removal process unless you are sure you
want to delete all the entries in the data file.
The Remover will now open the progress dialog box. The Remover then sorts the
folders into order by length so that deeply nested folders and files are deleted first. You
may not see this message depending on your system speed and the size of the data file.
The Remover will display the folder and file names as it attempts to delete them. If the
Remover encounters any errors or is unable to delete an entry, you will receive a message
box informing you of the condition. Any files or folders that could not be deleted will remain in
the data file. If you stop the removal, the files and folders that were not deleted will also
remain in the data file.
Depending on your system speed and the data file size, it may take a short period of time
for the Remover to return control back to IMP. This only occurs with unusually large data files
of roughly 200 or more individual folders with their own files.
If the Remover deletes files from your system folders, (i.e. a DLL in your OS/2 DLL folder) OS/2
will not allow it to delete the folder due to the folder still containing files. This is normal and
does not interfere with the removal process. When the Remover finishes, go to the editor and
confirm that all files were removed and only system folders remain. You may then manually delete
the folder entry from the data file to complete the removal of the application from your
system.
Upon successful deletion of all the files and folders, the Remover will notify you with a
message box and delete the empty data file from your system.
Shareware Information
IMP was started in December of 94' and took around 6 months to write in my spare
time. The idea was born from the labors of numerous system formats and reinstalls to
get rid of old programs. It was also a way to get my feet wet in programming for OS/2
with Borland C++.
This is a fully operational version of IMP and is not 'disabled' while I wait on your check. I
always found that annoying in the shareware that I was currently trying. The shareware
concept is pretty easy to understand. If you like the program, contribute to the author. If you
don't like it, don't use it. This way you get the satisfaction of knowing what a program is going
to do without hearing 'you opened the box, you can't return it even if it doesn't do what it
advertised'.
Anyway, I hope that you find this program as useful as I do and if you have any questions,
comments, or contributions, feel free to contact me through the information in the shareware
dialog box.
Product Information
This is version 1.0 of IMP. If you would like to contribute to future
releases, feel free to contact me through the information in the
shareware dialog box.
Warning and Disclaimer
This application is a file locating and removing utility. This means that after you
create a list of files and then remove them, they are deleted from your system.
Before you run IMP, be sure that you have read and understand the following
sections in the help file:
Editor
Locator
Remover
Requirements and Limitations
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES&colon.
This application is provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind. The author
shall not be held liable for any damages arising out of the use of this program, even
if he has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Requirements and Limitations
Requirements and Limitations
Before you run this application, you should read the following
notes concerning the execution of IMP.
Files
The following files comprise the entire IMP application. IMP should be
installed into its own folder, but can be run from anywhere.
IMP.EXE (Main program)
IMP.HLP (Help file)
IMP.ICO (Icon file)
Folders in Folders (".IMP.Folder.Holder.")
If the Locator finds a folder in the search path that contains only folders, it will place
the statement ".IMP.Folder.Holder." in the place of the file name. This allows the Locator to
keep track of folders which match the search criteria but do not contain any files.
If the Remover cannot remove a folder it will also place the statement ".IMP.Folder.Holder."
in the place of the file name.
HPFS
The Locator requires the last access, creation, and last write time/date stamps to be
available for each file it tests. This means that IMP will only work with the High
Performance File System and will not work correctly with the FAT File System.
It is possible to create a simple list of files from a FAT directory if you concentrate the
search path to only that folder belonging to the application and select either last
access or last write since these values default to the same time and date when viewed
from OS/2. You would get the same results if you simply deleted the folder using your
OS/2 desktop.
Limits on Data File Size
The maximum number of folders that can be stored in a IMP data file is 32767. This is due
to using listboxes for display and editing. This limit also applies to the number of files in each
folder. This is normally not a problem for most users but is included for use on networks.
Locator and Remover
Be sure to double check the file list that the Locator creates. If the install program of
the source file uses a OS/2 file during its execution, this file could be added to the list.
One example of where this would occur is if you specify a drive wide search (i.e. search
path=C&colon.\;) on the drive containing OS/2. Another example is where the install
program updates your CONFIG.SYS file. If this file is deleted, it will take considerable
effort to recover from this mistake.
Networks
IMP has been successfully run over the IBM Peer Network included with OS/2 Warp
Connect. This enables Network Administrators to remove an application from an entire
Network rather than from one machine at a time.
Definitions
This is an alphabetical list of all the definitions and terms used in this application.
Creation
This is a time/date stamp which gives the time and date of when a file was first
created.
Data File
This is the file that the Locator creates to list all the files which belong to an application.
This is also the file that the Remover uses to delete an application from your system.
Editor
This dialog box enables you to edit the data files that you create. It also allows you
to convert a data file to an ASCII text file.
Last Access
This is a time/date stamp which gives the most recent time and date that a file was
queried for information, written to, or copied.
Last Write
This is a time/date stamp which gives the most recent time and date that a file was written to.
Locator
This option will create a data file which contains a list of files that were installed on your system by an application.
Remover
This option will remove the files that are contained in an applications data file from
your system.
Save File
This is the data file that the Locator creates to store the list of files that an
application has installed on your system.
Search Path
This is the directory path that the Locator will search when it looks for files that
match the time/date stamp of the source file.
Source File
This is the file that is used by the Locator to get a time/date stamp to compare with other files that are in the search path.
Time Margin
This is time period in minutes which the Locator uses to compare the time/date stamps of
the source file and the files in the search path. If the difference between the two stamps is
less than the Time Margin, then the two files are considered to have been installed at the
same time.
Time/Date Stamp
This is a time and date that are assigned to every file on your system. You can view
the three types (creation, last access, last write) by opening a drive or folder in the
'details' mode.
Author's Comments
The ideal system that IMP prefers is one which just had OS/2 installed onto an empty hard
drive. This enables IMP to create a data file of all the files that belong to OS/2. Then,
when you installed a new application, you could compare the two data files to determine
the owner of any questionable files. These 'questionable' files would most likely be a DLL
that was added to your OS/2's DLL folder or an application's help file added to your OS/2's
HELP folder. This OS/2 data file would allow you to create and accurately edit data files
for the applications that you install.
This is not a very realistic scenario for most users. So, until you find yourself back at
square one with an empty hard drive and a stack of install disks, be very certain of the
files you tell IMP to remove from your system.
Once again, if you have any questions, comments, or contributions, feel free to contact
me through the information in the shareware dialog box.
Be sure to check out my Free Advertising help panel.
Editor
This dialog box allows you to edit your data files or translate your data files into ASCII.
The following steps describe the procedure to edit your data files.
Run IMP.
Select the Editor from the main menu. The Editor dialog box will open and you will
be presented with a file dialog box with which to select the data file you wish to edit.
The Editor will now read the data file and display the folders in the 'Folders&colon.' listbox. The Editor will also display any files contained in the selected folder in the 'Files&colon.'
listbox. The status box shows what operation the Editor is currently performing.
If a folder is empty of files the "Files&colon.' listbox will contain the entry ".IMP.Folder.Holder.".
You may review the folder and file entries by selecting a folder. The Editor will update the files for each folder you select.
Depending on your system speed and the data file size, it may take a short period of
time for the Editor to update the folder and file information when you make a selection or
deletion. This only occurs with unusually large data files of roughly 200 or more individual
folders with their own files.
You may remove a folder (and all the files associated with that folder) or a file from your
data file by 'double clicking' on the desired entry. You are then presented with a message box
to either confirm or cancel your choice.
You may turn off these prompts by deselecting the checkmark at the bottom of the dialog box.
You should read the Requirements and Limitations section for details on which files you should remove from your data file.
When you are finished editing your data file you may push the Data --> ASCII
button to convert the IMP data file into an ASCII file. The source file extension is changed to
'txt' and is used as the ASCII output file. IMP will sort this ASCII text by folder and then by file
to aid in finding an entry quickly. This allows you to print a list of the folders/files
found by the Locator or review the folders/files with a text editor of your choice.
Depending on your system speed and the data file size, it is a good idea to create the
ASCII file to use as a guide when editing the data file. This would save time by eliminating the need to scan through the data file by allowing you to jump to the entries that need deleting.
After you have finished editing your data file, simply push the Data File... button to edit another data file or push the Close button to return to the IMP main menu.
Free Advertising
Here is a list of all the shareware programs that I have written as of when this program was
released.
CLIP is a Command Line Interface Program that
will organize your command line programs. It allows you to create a 'library' of entries
which list the command line program, arguments for that program, and any required switches
that are needed. It also allows you to create entries for normal programs. You may then select
an entry and run it with the touch of a button.
Available as clip.zip
STRIP is a command line program that will remove the formatting codes from
various types of ASCII data files such as *.ipf for help files and *.html for World
Wide Web home pages. This enables you to read the text without trying to decipher
the formatting codes and also enables you to use your wordprocessor to spell check
