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<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta name="Template" content="C:\PROGRAM FILES\MICROSOFT OFFICE\OFFICE\html.dot"> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 3.0"> <title>WinLoader 4.02</title> </head> <body link="#0000FF" vlink="#800080"> WinLoader 4.02 Programmed By Lee Kin Chung <a href="mailto:kinchung@cyberway.com.sg">kinchung@cyberway.com.sg</a> <a href="mailto:kinchunglee@hotmail.com">kinchunglee@hotmail.com</a> <a href="mailto:winloader@hotmail.com">winloader@hotmail.com</a> PLEASE READ THIS README FILE, ESPECIALLY FOR SECTION 3. MANY USERS HAVE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS AS THEY BYPASSED THE README AND RUN SETUP. AS A RESULT, SOME OF THEM EVEN DID NOT CONFIGURE THE SCRIPT. :( <a name="contents">Contents:</a> 1. <a href="#usage">Usage</a> 2. <a href="#sys">System Requirements</a> 3. <a href="#inst">Installation</a> 3.1 <a href="#put">Putting the files in the right places</a> 3.2 <a href="#config">Configuring the script for the first time</a> 4. <a href="#detail">Detailed Scripting</a> 4.1 <a href="#nondis">Non-displaying comments</a> 4.2 <a href="#dis">Displaying comments</a> 4.3 <a href="#load">More about LOAD</a> 4.4 <a href="#wait">WAIT</a> 4.5 <a href="#prompt">PROMPT</a> 4.6 <a href="#sound">SOUND</a> 4.7 <a href="#chdir">CHDIR</a> 4.8 <a href="#switch">SWITCH</a> 4.9 <a href="#integrator">Line Editor</a> 5. <a href="#uninstall">Uninstall</a> 6. <a href="#incomp">Incompabilities</a> 7. <a href="#disc">Disclaimer</a> <a name="usage">1. Usage</a> ZDnet's Hotfiles review of WinLoader 4.00 - 5 star rating. WinLoader is a slick little program that gives you more control over the way Windows loads. You edit a script file that it reads to load programs at startup. You can designate how to load programs, by specifying an area in your Registry or your Startup folder or by utilizing the load and run values of your Win.ini file. WinLoader provides the opportunity to consolidate these entries into a single format, giving you much greater control over the process. The script design is simple and allows you to assign a specific order in which the programs are loaded. You can establish pauses between the programs to avoid possible conflicts, assign starting folders, and even generate message boxes that display when Windows loads. You can also add a sound event to your startup and add comments to the file. What WinLoader doesn't do is provide a means of gathering your startup program information. You must do this manually, which requires at least nominal familiarity with the Windows Registry. WinLoader does provide an easy-to-use editor for building the script file, with tool buttons that add the appropriate commands. It's very easy to use and puts you in control of your Windows startup. Reviewed on Nov 11 1998. WinLoader boasts a function that can play a sound right in the middle of startup and has a new basic line editor to edit the script. This version also provides detailed info on further enhancing startup by the means of editing the Windows Registry. The main use of WinLoader and WinLoader-related programs are to facilitate the startup of Windows 95, which can be very taxing to the computer. Thus, these programs put pauses between the loading of the programs to prevent hang-ups. Furthermore, it allows the programs to run in the order you want them to, not in alphabetical order. For example, you might want to run a hard-disk imaging program last in order to keep the latest changes. I've personally seen many similar programs, but they all lag out in the way that the scripts have to be compiled first, and that they take up hard disk space. WinLoader takes up only a mere 2MB and can be easily installed and downloaded. Furthermore, it does not tweak with the registry and put things that they don't clear up during uninstall. WinLoader also plays a sound at the end of the load, no matter how long and no matter MIDI or Wave. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="sys">2. System Requirements</a> Computer running Windows 95/98 2MB free hard disk space Windows-compatible sound card for sound <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="inst">3. Installation</a> <a name="put">3.1 Putting the files in the right places</a> If you have older versions of WinLoader, you must make a copy of WinLoad.txt then UNINSTALL it. Then, you will have to install Visual Basic 5 Runtime if your computer has not already have a program created by Visual Basic 5. Lastly, run the SETUP program. If you had just uninstalled WinLoader, restore your WinLoad.txt file. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="config">3.2 Configuring the script for the first time</a> Open the file WinLoad.txt using WinLoader Line Editor and remove all the example lines that start with "LOAD". Then, type, with separate entries in separate lines, "LOAD" followed by a space and the programs you have to run during startup. You can do this by selecting the shortcuts in Windows\Start Meun\Programs\Startup using Browse. The actual filename for the files will appear. It is recommended to type in the full path if you do it manually. E.g. To run C:\Program Files\WinMystery.exe LOAD C:\Program Files\WinMystery.exe After that, move (not copy) all your existing shortcuts to a backup folder, except for WinLoader itself. your script. For experienced Windows 95 users only: Run REGEDIT and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. Then, enter all the values of each string value as a LOAD command in the script. Then, run WinLoader from the Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder and remove all statements that cause error messages. Then, delete all the registry values that are accounted for in the script. Restart the computer and go back to the same directory in REGEDIT. Remove the LOAD commands that are accounted for in the registry. It is recommended that the LOAD statements you create from the registry are put in the beginning of the script. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="detail">4. Detailed Scripting</a> <a name="nondis">4.1 Non-displaying comments</a> Non-displaying commands are like the REM statements in batch files. They allow text in the WinLoad.txt file that will not interfere or affect the running of the script in any way. This method can be used to disable lines of script. These lines start with an apostrophe ('). E.g. 'This line is not executed 'LOAD C:\Program Files\Ammensia\Ammensia.exe <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="dis">4.2 Displaying comments</a> Displaying commands are shown in the main window, together with the list of files executed. They are typed in directly in the file. However, these comments should never start with the names of any other commands. If they do, please prefix the comment by "DIS" and a space. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="load">4.3 More about LOAD</a> Before LOAD runs the program, it searches for the path, excluding the filename. Then, it changes directory to the path where the program is in, then it executes the program. This is sometimes necessary in some programs. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="wait">4.4 WAIT</a> The WAIT command allows WinLoader to pause for a specified number of seconds, from 0.1 to 99. Type "WAIT" followed by a space and the number of seconds to wait. However, the number should be only a maximum of two digits. WAIT statements with value above 99 will cause an error message. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="prompt">4.5 PROMPT</a> To put a message in a message box, type "PROMPT" followed by a space and your message. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="sound">4.6 SOUND</a> To play a MIDI or Wave sound after startup has completed, type "SOUND" followed by the full path of the sound file. A maximum of 100 sounds can be used. The sounds will play in order. Invalid files (wrong filename, wrong extension, wrong type) will be ignored. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="chdir">4.7 CHDIR</a> Some programs have their target directory in a different place from the actual program itself. To prevent problems, put a "CHDIR" line before the "LOAD" line and type a space followed by the target directory. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="switch">4.8 SWITCH</a> This command has two parameters, namely the script path and filename, then the prompt you want the user to see. These parameters are separated by a semicolon(;). The first one will be considered. The prompt will allow the user to choose whether he wants to switch to the script. This command is useful if there are multiple users for the computer and different startup configurations are necessary. e.g. SWITCH C:\SCRIPT2.TXT ; Do you want to switch to the next script? <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="integrator">4.9 Line Editor</a> Line Editor is a text editor optimized for editing your script. However, it is possible, and sometimes even recommended, that you use your own text editor. However, Line Editor allows you to configure which drive the script Winload.txt is located. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="uninstall">5. Uninstalling</a> Uninstalling is relatively simple. Just restore the shortcuts that you have removed during install. After that, go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs and uninstall Winloader. After that, remove the directory you installed WinLoader in, including the one (or two) .DAT files. If you are not satisfied with WinLoader, please express your thoughts by email. (use one of the addresses at the top of this readme.) <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="incomp">6. Incompatibilities</a> Norton Crashguard: Please do not use "Kill Task" or "Antifreeze" on WinLoader. Various undesirable outcomes might happen, including the system freezing up or sound drivers being disabled. COMCTL32.OCX, TABCTL32.OCX, MCI32.OCX: Different programs use different versions of this file. Please ensure that future setups do not replace this file with an OLDER version. These files are of Visual Basic 5 SP2 equivalent. Visual Baisc 5 users must install Service Pack 2 or above to prevent problems with Application Setup Wizard. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> <a name="disc">7. Disclaimer</a> Although maximal effort has been put in to make this program error-free, I, Lee Kin Chung, will not take any responsibility for damage or loss to the user or user's property whatsoever, either direct or indirect. <a href="#Contents">Home</a> </body> </html>