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- EXPLOSIV USER MANUAL
-
-
- Explosiv Screen Saver is copyright (c) Reidar Gresseth & Chris Hook 1989-1994
-
-
- DISCLAIMER: Explosiv is offered on an as-is-basis without any
- guarantee as to the correct functioning or fitness for specific
- purpose. The authors believe this program to work as described but
- the program is used at your own risk. The authors will not be
- responsible for any hardware or software damage, loss of data, or
- incidental or consequential damage that may result from its use,
- whether or not such use is in accordance with the instructions.
-
-
- Explosiv is distributed as shareware and is not free. This means that
- you may freely distribute Explosiv to others provided you do not charge
- for the software, that you distribute the package unaltered and that
- you clearly state that Explosiv is shareware. You may use this software
- for a limited period not to exceed 30 days after which timer you must
- register the program. Also, you must purchase a separate licence for
- each terminal or workstation on which you wish to use this software.
-
-
- If, after the trial period, you decide that you wish to continue using
- Explosiv it is strongly recommended that you register the program. Besides
- being illegal to use this software after the trial period, there are many
- advantages to registration. You will receive:
-
-
- - the latest version of the program
-
- - eight additional displays
-
- - a 16 page printed manual
-
- - Image Maker support for 256 color GIF images
-
- - Create Explosiv for Windows displays from BMP images
-
- - create screen savers from text messages
-
- - notification of future updates
-
- - special upgrade offers
-
- - technical support
-
-
- Please see the file "order.frm" for details. See "products" for
- information about other products offered by H&G Software.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
-
-
- PART 1) BASICS AND INSTALLATION
-
- 1. About Explosiv
- 2. Getting Started
- 3. Explosiv Summary
-
-
- PART 2) EXPLOSIV FOR DOS
-
- 4. Using Explosiv For DOS
- 5. Configuration Options
- 6. Display Librarian
- 7. Image Maker
-
-
- PART 3) EXPLOSIV FOR WINDOWS
-
- 8. Using Explosiv For Windows
- 9. Setup Dialog Box
- 10. Password Protection
- 11. Windows Explosiv Logo
-
-
- PART 4) APPENDIX
-
- 12. Running Explosiv On A network
- 13. Command Line Arguments
- 14. Trouble Shooting
- 15. About H&G Software
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- PART 1 BASICS AND INSTALLATION
-
-
-
- Chapter 1) ABOUT EXPLOSIV
-
-
- Explosiv is a DOS and Windows screen saver that offers a safe reliable
- means of preventing monitor burn-in with a library of several exciting
- and imaginative displays. Unique fractal modules can run hours
- without any repetition in the displayed pattern. In addition,
- Explosiv can dynamically create new displays from color images or
- using typed in messages. Among its many features, Explosiv includes:
-
- - A DOS and Windows screen saver with 16 displays
- - The ability to take GIF files and turn them into Explosiv displays
- ( EGA and VGA only ). The shareware version only supports 16 colors.
- - Turn any DOS program into a Windows screen saver.
- - Add, change or delete displays from Explosiv.
- - A source code template for writing your own displays.
-
-
-
- Chapter 2) GETTING STARTED
-
-
- Before Installing Explosiv
-
- Check that your computer satisfies the minimum software and hardware
- recommendations listed below:
-
- Explosiv for DOS
-
- - DOS 3.1 or later
- - VGA, EGA, MCGA, CGA, HERC or MDA monitor
- - Mouse ( optional )
- - Hard Disk ( optional )
-
- Explosiv for Windows
-
- - 386 processor
- - Windows 3.0 or later
- - A Windows compatible mouse
- - color VGA video card ( optional )
-
- If your computer does not satisfy all of the above then this does not
- necessarily mean that Explosiv will not work on your system, many
- aspects may still work. Specifically, if you have NOT installed
- Windows on your computer then you will not be able to access Explosiv
- for Windows even though the DOS version will work fine.
-
- Also, make sure that you are familiar with the basic workings of your
- computer operating system. In particular, PART 3 assumes that you are
- acquainted with Microsoft Windows.
-
-
- Installing Explosiv
-
- To install the software follow these steps:
-
- 1. Turn on your computer and insert the Explosiv diskette. If you are
- installing Explosiv from more than one disk then insert disk one and
- replace diskettes when prompted. For simplicity, assume that the
- software is being installed from drive A. From this drive run the
- Explosiv Install program:
-
- A:\> install
-
- 2. Install asks whether it is being run from a DOS session in Windows.
- Explosiv cannot be installed properly from Windows. You must
- terminate Install, exit Windows and restart the installation. If you
- are not running Windows select YES to continue ( i.e., click on YES ).
-
- 3. If you are running version 2.0 of Explosiv then it is important
- that you delete any copies of Explosiv.com that may in your path.
- Install searches for this file and prompts to see whether it should
- erase this file or not. If you select NO then you should make sure
- that you delete the file manually.
-
- 4. If you are running version 3.0 or greater of Explosiv then you may
- not wish to upgrade to the latest version of Explosiv for DOS. If you
- do upgrade then this will overwrite the Explosiv for DOS display
- library, you will lose any new displays you have made or any changes
- you have made to the library.
-
- 5. For optimal performance, Explosiv should be copied onto a hard
- drive. The default directory that Explosiv will be installed to is
- C:\EXPLOSIV. At the prompt select INSTALL if the default is okay. If
- you wish to install Explosiv in another directory enter the new name
- then click INSTALL.
-
- 6. To properly access Explosiv for DOS from any directory on your
- computer you should copy the file explosiv.bat to your path. Install
- offers to copy this file to your path for you. Install will display a
- list of path directories, select the one you wish to copy explosiv.bat
- to or select CANCEL to bypass this feature.
-
- 7. Explosiv for DOS may be run automatically whenever you boot your
- computer by appending the line:
-
- C:\EXPLOSIV\EXPLOSIV -
-
- at the end of your autoexec.bat. Install will optionally do this for
- you if you wish. If you select YES then Install will scan the
- contents of your autoexec.bat to see if Explosiv is already being run
- from start-up. If not, a call to Explosiv is appended to the end of
- the file.
-
- 8. Explosiv for Windows may be run automatically whenever you start
- Windows by including the line
-
- LOAD=C:\EXPLOSIV\WX.EXE
-
- in your win.ini file. Install will optionally do this for you if you
- wish, select YES at Install s prompt.
-
- 9. Install will start Windows so that it may create the Program
- Manager icons. Once done, installation will be complete. To run
- Explosiv for DOS type:
-
- C:\> EXPLOSIV
-
- and to run Explosiv for Windows run:
-
- C:\EXPLOSIV> win WX.EXE
-
-
- Manually Installing Explosiv
-
- You may prefer to install Explosiv manually instead of using the
- Install program. In this case, you must create the directory
- C:\EXPLOSIV, copy the Explosiv files to this directory, copy knife.vbx
- to your Windows system directory ( Explosiv Deluxe only ), modify
- autoexec.bat and win.ini to start Explosiv automatically, and finally,
- run win wxinst to create the Explosiv icons in the Program Manager.
-
-
- Possible Problems
-
- If for any reason Explosiv fails to run when you boot your computer
- you should check the autoexec.bat file to make sure that the EXPLOSIV
- line was correctly appended and that you are not running a menu system
- or .bat file without the CALL prefix before you run Explosiv. If you
- are, you must manually edit the start-up file to ensure that Explosiv
- is being run ( for example, move the Explosiv line higher up in the
- file ).
-
- Other possible errors may occur if your distribution files are
- incomplete ( check readme for details ), if the Program Manager could
- not be updated, or if knife.vbx could not be copied into your Windows
- system directory ( Explosiv Deluxe only ).
-
-
-
- Chapter 3) EXPLOSIV SUMMARY
-
-
- This chapter gives a brief summary of the operation of the Explosiv
- Screen Saver. It is advised that you familiarize yourself with the
- contents of this chapter before using Explosiv so that you can make
- the best use of the screen saver. The information given here is
- described in more detail in the remaining sections of this manual.
-
-
- Installing Explosiv for DOS
-
- You may either run Explosiv as a memory resident screen saver or
- simply demo the displays through the full screen interface. To have
- Explosiv become resident run the command:
-
- C:\> EXPLOSIV -
-
- When the program is resident you may activate it immediately by
- pressing Ctrl-Alt-Shift, disable it using Ctrl-Alt-E and re-enable it
- using Ctrl-Alt-B.
-
- Once in memory the program may be manipulated in many ways. Most
- importantly are the commands:
-
- C:\> EXPLOSIV REMOVE - Remove Explosiv from memory
- C:\> EXPLOSIV OFF - Deactivate Explosiv
- C:\> EXPLOSIV ON - Activate Explosiv
-
-
- Running Explosiv for DOS
-
- To run the full screen interface simply enter "EXPLOSIV" at the
- command line with no arguments. The program will list the available
- displays and their individual settings. To demo a display move the
- cursor to the display name and press ENTER or click on the name with
- the mouse. Once you have set Explosiv to the desired configuration
- exit the program. The program gives two options for doing this,
- either exit normally or stay resident ( that is, become a screen
- saver ).
-
-
- Installing Explosiv For Windows
-
- To run Explosiv for Windows click on the Explosiv icon in the Program
- Manager. The icon should appear at the bottom of the screen. If you
- move the mouse to the top left corner of the screen Explosiv will
- activate immediately.
-
-
- Configuring Explosiv For Windows
-
- To configure the program, double click on the icon name ( while it is
- running ) and select Setup Explosiv . Choose the settings that you
- prefer and click OKAY. If you select the Multipak display then
- Explosiv will allow you to select those displays that you wish the
- screen saver to cycle through.
-
-
- About Explosiv Deluxe
-
- If you have purchased Explosiv Deluxe then Explosiv also includes a
- complete Windows image processing program. View a variety of image
- formats, do image conversions, set your Windows background or make an
- image into a Windows screen saver with this program.
-
-
-
- PART 2 EXPLOSIV FOR DOS
-
-
-
- Chapter 4) USING EXPLOSIV FOR DOS
-
-
- The DOS version of Explosiv is a Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR)
- program that loads into memory when you like ( for example,
- automatically at boot up time ) and stays out of your way until you
- want it to become active. Occupying from 1 to 47 KB of memory, the DOS
- version of Explosiv ( which can be loaded above the 640KB limit ) renders
- several beautifully animated displays. In fact, if you prefer, you can
- invoke the full screen user interface and just point and click on the
- displays you want to see. Just sit back and watch the show!
-
-
- Running Explosiv
-
- To invoke the DOS version of Explosiv simply go to the DOS command
- line prompt and type:
-
- C:\> EXPLOSIV
-
- and the full screen interface will appear. Alternatively, Explosiv
- accepts a full range of command line options ( which are discussed in
- detail in the appendix ). For example, to install Explosiv as a
- memory resident screen saver, simply enter:
-
- C:\> EXPLOSIV -
-
- The above command would also be the recommended way of running
- Explosiv directly from your autoexec.bat file on bootup. Once
- resident the screen saver will start a display if you are in text mode
- and blank the screen if you are in a graphics mode.
-
-
- Running Displays Using The Hotkey
-
- To activate Explosiv immediately without waiting press and release the
- Ctrl-Alt-Shift keys combination at the same time. The display can
- then be deactivated by pressing any key or by clicking on the mouse
- button. Note that some programs grab the keyboard in such a way that
- Explosiv does not detect key presses, in many cases pressing the mouse
- button will still work to deactivate Explosiv and return you to your
- work.
-
-
- Disabling and Enabling Explosiv
-
- If you want to temporarily turn the screen saver off you can press
- Ctrl-Alt-E ( and then Ctrl-Alt-B to turn the screen saver on again ).
- You can also run EXPLOSIV OFF on the command line to turn the screen
- saver off and EXPLOSIV ON to turn the screen saver on. You can set
- this up in a batch file if you want to automatically disable Explosiv
- while you are running a particular program. The hot keys listed above
- can also be changed ( see the next chapter for details ).
-
-
- Removing Explosiv From Memory
-
- If you want to free Explosiv from memory you can type EXPLOSIV REMOVE.
- This will remove Explosiv from memory if there are no other programs
- loaded above it. If it is not possible to remove Explosiv from memory
- an error message will be printed and no action will be taken.
-
-
- Running Explosiv s Interface
-
- If you start Explosiv with no command line options a full screen
- interface will appear. From this environment you can demo displays,
- change screen saver settings or even create new displays. For the
- interface to work properly it is important that the three files
- EXPLOSIV.COM, EXPLOSIV.EXE and EXPLOSIV.OVL are stored in the same
- directory. To use Explosiv, either copy these three files to your
- path or put a separate copy of EXPLOSIV.COM in your path and set the
- environment variable EXPLOSIV to the directory name of the three
- files. For example, you can copy the three screen saver files to the
- directory C:\EXPLOSIV then put EXPLOSIV.COM in your path and run the
- command
-
- SET EXPLOSIV=C:\EXPLOSIV.
-
- When the interface starts you will see several windows. Note that the
- active window will appear with a highlighted title. To make another
- window active you can either press the TAB key, the Shift-TAB key or
- simply click the mouse cursor on the window you wish to activate.
- Most active windows will also have a cursor within the window. This
- cursor can be moved with the up or down cursor keys or by clicking the
- unselected item with the mouse. If the selected item has a value
- associated with it ( for example, the number in the minutes field )
- then this can be changed by using the right and left cursor keys or
- by clicking on the selected item.
-
-
- On-Line Help
-
- You can see on-line help for any window by pressing the F1 key, a box
- will appear describing the window s function and disappear again when
- you press any key.
-
-
- Key Bindings
-
- If you press F10 ( or ESC ) a popup window will appear with a list of
- options. You can activate any option by pressing the first letter in
- the description or by clicking on the entry with the mouse. The popup
- window is divided into two parts, the top part lists the screens that
- can be viewed - from Image Maker to Display Librarian - while the
- bottom part lists alternate methods of exiting the interface.
-
-
- Quitting The Interface
-
- If you want to quit the interface without Explosiv becoming resident
- then press ESC E. If you want Explosiv to become a screen saver press
- ESC Q. To remove a resident copy of Explosiv from memory press ESC R.
- Finally, to abort all changes made, press Ctrl-C at any time in the
- Explosiv interface.
-
-
- Viewing Displays
-
- When the Explosiv interface initially starts the DISPLAYS window will
- be active; by moving the cursor to the desired display name you can
- select a new module. To demo the display from within the interface
- simply press ENTER or click on the selected entry. Each entry will
- have its own values of color, delay or objects.
-
-
- Color And Minutes
-
- The color of the display will have one of three values, Mono will
- force the display into monochrome mode, Color will force color
- patterns and Tinge gives an alternate color pattern. Although setting
- the latter does not affect very many displays it does give different
- patterns for Aranea, Fireworks and Serinde. Once Explosiv is
- resident, the minutes field indicates the number of minutes of
- inactivity the screen saver should wait before it starts the selected
- display. This can be set to as little as one minute or to as much as
- one half hour.
-
-
- Delay Factor And Objects
-
- The delay is a number from 1 to 255 which controls how fast the
- display changes. Set this to the default to use the value calculated
- from your CPU speed ( this value is shown by running EXPLOSIV ? at
- the command line ). The object number of the display indicates one of
- several things; for example, it can be the density of the fractal
- pattern, the number or type of objects that appear or may have no
- meaning at all. The meaning varies according to which display you are
- using.
-
-
-
- Chapter 5) CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
-
-
- Change to the configuration screen by pressing the Alt-C keys. The
- fields that you will see control specific aspects, such as monitor
- type and the hot keys of Explosiv when it becomes resident. Changing
- these options may not change the operation of the screen saver until
- the next time you install Explosiv.
-
-
- Customizing Memory Usage
-
- The Display Memory Size controls how much memory is allocated to run
- Explosiv displays. Explosiv has the ability to load new displays
- directly into the resident program itself. You do not need to first
- remove Explosiv and install it again with the new settings! Simply
- set the display size to a value large enough to load the desired
- display and run Explosiv. You can then change to a new display simply
- by running the command
-
- C:\> EXPLOSIV NEW <DISPLAY>
-
- or by using the Explosiv interface. Note that if you are not going to
- use this feature then set the display memory size to MIN. This will
- force Explosiv to allocate just enough memory to store the display.
-
- The Memory Usage determines how much memory Explosiv should allocate
- for saving the screen state. See the following table:
-
- VALUE MEMORY 50 LINE MODE USER DEFINED FONTS
- Small 4K no no
- Medium A 8K yes no
- Medium 8K yes yes, if 25 line mode
- Medium B 8K no yes
- Large 12K yes yes
-
-
- Forcing The Monitor Type
-
- By default Explosiv will automatically select the appropriate monitor
- type to use. You can use the Monitor field to force Explosiv to run
- displays for another video card. For example, set the field to VGA to
- force a VGA screen saver ( but note that you should only do this if
- you are sure Explosiv picks the wrong monitor type ).
-
-
- Avoiding Conflicts
-
- The Multiplex field indicates the number Explosiv should use to
- communicate with resident copies of the screen saver. Do not change
- this value unless Explosiv conflicts with another memory resident
- program. Similarly, the Start and Stop keys indicate the hot keys
- that Explosiv should use. By default Explosiv sets these to
- Ctrl-Alt-B and Ctrl-Alt-E, respectively. These fields, which should
- not be changed unless a conflict occurs, allow the users to alter the
- letters used for the Explosiv hot keys.
-
-
- Disabling Video Checking
-
- If you have a memory resident clock ( or other video activities ) then
- Explosiv will not start if Video Checking is on. By turning this off
- Explosiv should start properly regardless of clocks or other screen
- changes.
-
-
-
- Chapter 6) DISPLAY LIBRARIAN
-
-
- The Displays Librarian allows the user to control which displays are
- available to Explosiv. This information is stored in EXPLOSIV.OVL and
- since this file will be changed whenever you use the Librarian it is
- important to backup the distributed EXPLOSIV.OVL before using any of
- the features described in this section.
-
-
- How Are Displays Accessed
-
- The Explosiv displays are stored in a compressed format in the file
- EXPLOSIV.OVL. Each original display is put into this library once for
- each monitor type it supports. For example, the display Aranea will
- have a separate entry for VGA and one for EGA, etc. If you wish to
- save space and allow more room for your own displays ( Explosiv can
- store a maximum of 250 displays in the library ) then it is suggested
- that you remove all displays for other monitors. For example, if you
- have a VGA monitor then you may remove all entries for EGA, CGA, HERC
- and MDA cards.
-
-
- Adding New Displays
-
- To add a new display simply click on the Add button. A dialog box
- will appear asking you for a description of the display and a
- filename. The description is the name of the display that will appear
- in the DISPLAYS window, this must be a unique name for your monitor
- and be less than 12 characters long. The filename is the path name of
- the program that you wish to archive. This function will only work
- for programs that satisfy the necessary format, for example, Image
- Maker programs work fine.
-
-
- Changing A Display
-
- If you wish to change the name of the selected display then click on
- the Change button. A dialog box will appear with the description and
- filename of the display you wish to change. Remember that the
- description must be unique for that monitor and if the filename is not
- given then DISPLAY.COM is used by default.
-
-
- Dumping A Display
-
- Since the Explosiv library stores displays in compressed format in the
- file EXPLOSIV.OVL it is possible to uncompress these displays and
- write them to disk. The Dump button will write the display into the
- current directory using the name given when the program was first
- added. The dumped program will be completely independent of Explosiv
- and can be used by WIM.EXE or with screen capturing software to save
- patterns to image files.
-
-
- Disabling A Display
-
- Clicking the On/Off button will disable a display. The display will
- remain intact in the Explosiv library but can no longer be run by the
- screen saver. Use this feature to disable displays you do not like but
- do not want to remove permanently. To erase a display permanently use
- the Remove button. These modules will be permanently erased from the
- library. Removing unwanted displays has the advantage of making the
- file EXPLOSIV.OVL smaller and making more entries available for new
- modules ( up to a maximum of 250 ).
-
-
-
- Chapter 7) IMAGE MAKER
-
-
- Image Maker will allow the user to view GIF images and create programs
- from them. These programs can be stand alone or can be incorporated
- directly into the Explosiv library. When you first start the Image
- Maker screen a message box will appear telling you that Image Maker is
- reading the current directory for files. The program will only allow
- you to see the GIF files and .COM files that are in the directory. To
- read another directory select the item in the DIRS window, a new
- message box will appear telling you that Image Maker is searching the
- new directory. Similarly, to read a new drive select the drive from
- the DISK window.
-
-
- Selecting The Image Size
-
- Image Maker allows you to select the video mode that the selected
- image will be drawn in. The possible options are listed in the MODES
- window, where the desired mode will appear with a mark beside it. If
- the mark is an X, which is the default, Image Maker will allow you to
- crop as much of the image as possible. If the mark is a check, which
- can be set by pressing the right or left key within the MODES window,
- then the cropped images will be smaller. The Explosiv library will
- only archive files that are smaller than 34K, while Image Maker can
- produce much larger programs. Only by setting the check mark can you
- be sure that the image you are capturing will be small enough to be
- made into a screen saver. The Add button is equivalent in function to
- the Add feature described for the Display Librarian.
-
-
- Viewing An Image
-
- To view the file that you have selected simply press ENTER from within
- the FILES window. If the file is a .COM file then the program will be
- run, while if the file is a GIF image then the image will be drawn.
- Once the image is drawn a box will appear ( this box may be difficult
- to see ). You can move the box around the screen by with the cursor
- keys. If you hold the Control key down then the cursor keys will
- change the size of the box. Press ESC at any time to abort. If the
- Ctrl-Arrows keys do not work on your machine you may use the Home,
- End, PgUp, and PgDn keys instead.
-
-
- Scrolling Around An Image
-
- If the image is larger than the screen then press the TAB key to go
- into scroll mode. The box will disappear and the cursor keys can be
- used to reposition the image. Hold the Control key down at the same
- time to move the image around in smaller increments. Press TAB again
- to exit scrolling. The box, which will appear again, can be positioned
- as described above.
-
-
- Saving The Image
-
- Once you are done press the ENTER key to save your image or the ESC
- key to abort. If you press ENTER then the entire image within the box
- will be saved to a file with the same name as the image but with a
- .COM extension. The Image Maker interface will reappear with the new
- entry added and the cursor positioned on it, you may then press ENTER
- to view the program that you have created. Saving the image to disk
- may take a little longer if the background color is not black. In this
- case, Image Maker will beep twice to tell you to be patient while the
- color palette is being adjusted.
-
-
- Fixing Jerky Motion
-
- A program that was created for an EGA video mode may appear with jerky
- motion on some VGA monitors. In this case, you will have to set the
- object level to 1 to view the image properly. You cannot do this from
- the Image Maker screen but if you exit Explosiv then you can run the
- new program with the e1 command line option. To slow down a 256 color
- image's movement use the e5 command line option.
-
-
-
-
- PART 3 EXPLOSIV FOR WINDOWS
-
-
-
- Chapter 8) USING EXPLOSIV FOR WINDOWS
-
-
- Running Explosiv
-
- To start the Windows version of Explosiv, you must first do one of the
- following:
-
- 1. Set Explosiv for Windows to be run automatically when Windows starts.
- 2. Run Explosiv manually each time Windows is executed.
-
- To invoke Explosiv for Windows double click on the Explosiv icon
- within the Explosiv group in the Windows Program Manager. To access
- Explosiv's configuration menus double click on the Explosiv icon name
- that appears at the bottom of the Windows Desktop and select Explosiv
- Setup.
-
-
- Explosiv Menu Commands
-
- Once started, you can set, modify, and view all parameters through the
- Explosiv icon dialog boxes. There are four important menu choices to
- be made after clicking on the Explosiv Icon:
-
- Explosiv Setup This leads to a group of three dialog boxes;
- the Main box ( displayed after clicking on the
- icon menu choice ), the Display Options box
- ( displayed after clicking on the Options...
- button in the Main dialog box ), and the
- Password box ( displayed after clicking on the
- Password... button ).
-
- Start Explosiv Starts Explosiv immediately.
-
- Registration Info Information on registering copies of Explosiv.
-
- About Explosiv This displays a simple window that refers to the
- release date of the program.
-
-
-
- Chapter 9) SETUP DIALOG BOX
-
-
- Changing Screen Saver Attributes
-
- The Setup dialog box controls are very similar in functionality to
- those in the DOS version of Explosiv. To begin with, the Select
- Display box contains a scrollable list of display choices. Clicking
- the mouse on a choice makes that choice the active display.
-
- The Select Time box contains a scrollable list of times, ranging from
- 1 to 30 minutes. Clicking on a value causes that time to be the time
- until activation for the screen saver.
-
- The Screen Saver On box indicates whether or not Explosiv will come on
- as a screen saver at the activation time. Clicking on this box toggles
- the screen saver On and Off.
-
- The Demo button lets you preview any of the selected displays. This
- button should be clicked on SLOWLY to avoid immediate deactivation.
-
- NOTE that double clicking the mouse on the Multipak display opens the
- Multi Display dialog box where you can add or delete displays. You
- can make the display choices run in the order you have selected or
- randomly. Finally, you can select the interval that you want the
- displays to change ( the value selected is the number of minutes
- before the display will change, ranging from 1 to 60 minutes ).
- Selecting 0 means that the display will only change when Explosiv is
- activated.
-
-
- Display Options Dialog Box
-
- Display Options ( activated via the Options... button ) contains two
- Mouse Corner groups. Clicking on any one corner will make the
- corresponding point on the screen either :
-
- - The corner in which the screen saver is INSTANTLY activated.
-
- - The corner in which the screen saver will NEVER come on, even
- at the activation time.
-
- The Display Preferences section of the window contains two scrollable
- boxes that set:
-
- Delay rate If you find a particular display too fast or slow
- change the delay rate to a value between 0 to 3.
-
- Object number This is not defined for all displays, but the
- displays that do use this control will alter the
- type or number of displayed objects as the number
- value selected changes ( with values ranging
- from 1 to 9 ).
-
- For many of the displays selecting a value greater than 6 will give
- you a randomly varying display. This is especially prominent in the
- Gyro display.
-
-
- Settings To Prevent Conflicts
-
- Toggling the Detect Mouse Movement box On or Off ( by clicking on it
- with the Mouse ) either enables or disables the screen saver's
- monitoring of mouse movement. This is especially useful for certain
- situations, such as laptop computing. Also, some graphics co-processor
- boards work better when the Mouse Movement Detection is turned off.
-
- The Auto - Off Print Manager box disables Explosiv if the Windows
- Print Manager is running. This is especially effective if spooling is
- turned on in the Print Manager.
-
-
-
- Chapter 10) PASSWORD PROTECTION
-
-
- The Password dialog box is opened by clicking on the Password...
- button. To enter a new password, type in your new password in the
- Enter Password box, then repeat it in the Confirm Password box. Click
- on the Accept button to permanently set your new password. If you have
- made a mistake in either your original or confirmation entries, a
- failure sign will show up when you press the Accept button. Just start
- all over again or erase the WX.INI file to remove all configuration
- information. If your password was successfully entered a success
- message will be displayed.
-
- NOTE that passwords can be up to 8 characters in length, and can be
- any combination of ASCII characters, including numbers and symbols.
- Also, upper and lower case of the same letter are seen as two
- different values to the password algorithm.
-
-
- Change A Password
-
- To change a password, first enter your old password in the Old
- Password box, and then proceed as outlined above for setting a new
- password. If any error is made ( i.e., the Accept button indicates a
- Failure ), just start the entire process over again or erase the
- WX.INI to clear all the configuration information.
-
-
- Using Password Protection
-
- After you have successfully entered ( or changed ) a password, the
- Password On button will be enabled. If this button is selected, then a
- Password box will pop up and ask you for your password every time you
- try to stop an active display. Enter your password and then click on
- the Accept button or click on the Cancel button to immediately start
- the screen saver display again. If you do nothing, the Password Prompt
- box will disappear after 8 seconds and the screen saver display will
- resume activity.
-
-
-
- Chapter 11) WINDOWS EXPLOSIV LOGO
-
-
- Explosiv Logo for Windows is a separate screen saver package that
- works in conjunction with Explosiv. You can toggle between Explosiv
- and Explosiv Logo simply by clicking on the Explosiv or Explosiv Logo"
- button that appears in the dialog box. This will stop the current
- screen saver and start the other program.
-
-
- Turning DOS Programs Into Screen Savers
-
- Using Explosiv Logo you can turn any DOS program into a screen saver,
- simply create a .bat file in the same directory as Explosiv Logo that
- runs the program and select the .bat file from Explosiv Logo s list
- box.
-
-
-
- PART 4 APPENDIX
-
-
-
- Chapter 12) RUNNING EXPLOSIV ON A NETWORK
-
-
- Explosiv is compatible with most PC networks, the screen saver does
- interrupt any other program that is running so it is important that you
- do not install Explosiv on the network server ( run Explosiv on the
- network clients instead ).
-
- Explosiv does experience conflicts with certain networks, most
- notably, with Novell Lite. If you find that Explosiv does have a
- conflict with your network then you may not be able to run an Explosiv
- display without losing the network connection. The blank display will
- still work since this does not interrupt the computer s operation, it
- simply turns off the monitor and lets any background process continue.
-
-
-
- Chapter 13) COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS
-
-
- This chapter discusses the entire list of options supported by version
- 3 of the Explosiv screen saver. The interface was designed so that
- you will never have to know or use the majority of these options.
- However, they are all listed here for reference. The options that are
- most useful to know are:
-
- Explosiv - run the interface
- Explosiv - - read the configuration file
- Explosiv on - activate ( normal, herc=text )
- Explosiv +on - activate (animate only, herc=graphics 0)
- Explosiv -on - activate (blank only, herc=graphics 1)
- Explosiv off - deactivate
- Explosiv remove - remove the tsr
-
- all the other options can be and should be controlled by the interface.
- A complete list of options is listed below:
-
- blank This is the only display that does not halt the
- underlying program when it is resident. The delay
- factor and object variables have no meaning. No mouse
- support is given to this display if it is resident and
- if blank is resident then no other display can be
- loaded unless you first remove Explosiv.
-
- random Select a random display from the Explosiv library. If
- a display is not found in EXPLOSIV.OVL then a blanking
- display is used If no display name is specified on the
- command line then random is used.
-
- <display> Select the module associated with the display name.
- For example, if Aranea is available in the Explosiv
- library then it can be run simply by typing the command
- EXPLOSIV ARANEA .
-
- new Force Explosiv to load the specified configuration into
- the memory resident Explosiv. Use this parameters to
- change characteristics such as minutes, objects and
- display without first removing Explosiv from memory.
-
- on This option will turn the screen saver on. If the
- monitor is Hercules then this also tells the screen
- saver to restore the screen to text mode. If the
- monitor is not Hercules then this tells the screen saver
- to use the animation when possible and to blank the
- screen when it feels that the screen cannot be saved
- properly ( for example, in graphics modes ).
-
- +on This option will turn the screen saver on. If the
- monitor is Hercules then this also tells the screen
- saver to restore the screen to graphics mode ( page 0 ).
- If the monitor is not Hercules then this tells the
- screen saver to use the animation when possible and not
- to activate when it feels that the screen cannot be
- saved properly ( for example, in graphics modes ).
-
- -on This option will turn the screen saver on. If the
- monitor is Hercules then this also tells the screen saver
- to restore the screen to graphics mode ( page 1 ). If the
- monitor is not Hercules then this tells the screen saver
- to blank the screen under all possible circumstances.
-
- off This option will turn the screen saver off.
-
- +video This option tells the screen saver that it should check
- for BIOS screen updates. Any character that is written
- to the screen will reset the screen saver s timer.
-
- -video This option tells the screen saver that it should not
- check for BIOS screen updates. Any character that is
- written to the screen will not reset the screen saver's
- timer. This option should be used if you are using some
- sort of RAM resident clock.
-
- mono This option specifies that the display should be in
- monochrome.
-
- color This option specifies that the display should be in color.
-
- tinge This option specifies that the display should be in color.
- This is used to give alternate color patterns to displays
- like Fireworks, Aranea and Serinde.
-
- d<n> This option specifies the delay factor that should be
- used. Here <n> is a number from 1 to 255. By default,
- Explosiv will check your CPU and generally deduce the
- proper delay factor. This option should only be used if
- you find the default unreasonable. Run the command
- Explosiv ? to find the default delay for your CPU.
-
- m<n> This option must be used if Explosiv is to become a screen
- saver. Here <n> ranges from 1 to 30 and refers to how
- many minutes of inactivity Explosiv should wait before
- activating.
-
- e<n> This option specifies the object level. This value ranges
- from 1 to 9 ( the default is 4 ). Not all displays use
- this option and those that do do not always use it in the
- same way.
-
- ? This option will display the help screen. This gives you
- information such as hot keys, Explosiv's working
- directory, monitor type, delay factor, multiplex number
- and some simple command line options.
-
- - This option specifies to read the configuration file. The
- screen saver will also parse the command line but using
- this option will guarantee that the program will become
- memory resident.
-
- remove This option tells Explosiv to remove the resident copy of
- the screen saver from memory. If this is not possible
- because other TSRs are loaded above Explosiv then a
- message will be printed and the screen saver will remain
- active and resident.
-
- vga This option specifies that you wish to override the
- Explosiv auto-detection and assume you are using a vga
- monitor.
-
- ega This option specifies that you wish to override the
- Explosiv auto-detection and assume you are using an ega
- monitor.
-
- mcga This option specifies that you wish to override the
- Explosiv auto-detection and assume you are using a mcga
- monitor. This option is functionally equivalent to cga.
-
- cga This option specifies that you wish to override the
- Explosiv auto-detection and assume you are using a cga
- monitor. This option is functionally equivalent to mcga.
-
- herc This option specifies that you wish to override the
- Explosiv auto-detection and assume that you are using a
- Hercules monitor.
-
- mda This option specifies that you wish to override the
- Explosiv auto-detection and assume that you are using an
- mda monitor.
-
- default This option sets the screen saver to the default delay
- factor. Use this to reset a resident copy of the screen
- saver to the default setting ( to do this you must also
- use the New option ).
-
- mem1 This option tells Explosiv to allocate 4K of memory to
- save the text buffer. This is the only valid option
- unless you have an EGA or VGA monitor. Explosiv will
- not be able to restore 43 or 50 line mode if you use
- this option.
-
- mem2 This option is valid for EGA or VGA monitors only.
- Explosiv will allocate 8K of memory to save the text
- buffer. This will save 43 or 50 line mode but will not
- restore user defined fonts. This is the default for EGA.
-
- mem3 This option is valid for VGA monitors only. Explosiv will
- allocate 8K of memory to save the text buffer or font
- table. If you are using 50 line mode then the full text
- buffer will be restored but user defined fonts will not.
- If you are running in 25 line mode then user defined
- fonts will be restored. This is the default value for VGA.
-
- mem4 This option is valid for VGA monitors only. Explosiv will
- allocate 8K of memory to save the text buffer or font
- table. User defined fonts will be restored but 50 line
- mode will not.
-
- mem5 This option is valid for a VGA monitor only. Explosiv will
- allocate 12K of memory to save the text buffer and font
- table. User defined fonts will be restored as well as
- 50 line mode.
-
-
-
- Chapter 14) TROUBLE SHOOTING
-
-
- Some special things to be aware of include:
-
-
- DOS Graphics Mode
-
- When a DOS program is running in graphics mode, Explosiv for DOS will
- NOT display the currently selected module, but rather will simply
- blank the screen. This ensures the best possible restoration of any
- screen state ( this blanking may occur even in text mode if Explosiv
- cannot reliably determine the systems state ).
-
-
- Windows 3.0 Real Mode
-
- Explosiv for Windows does NOT work in Real Mode ( with or without
- expanded memory ) in Windows 3.0. It can only be used in Standard or
- Enhanced Modes. If you try to start Explosiv for Windows in Real Mode,
- Explosiv will simply terminate itself with a explanatory message.
- Explosiv for DOS will NOT ACTIVATE when Windows 3.0 is running unless
- Windows is running in Real Mode. To disable this ( as it could produce
- undesirable side effects ), enter the line "EXPLOSIV OFF" before you
- start up Windows in Real Mode ( i.e., win /r ), and then enter
- "EXPLOSIV ON" after exiting the Windows Real Mode session. This could
- easily be made into a batch file.
-
-
- File Transfers And Printing Under Windows
-
- If you are doing large file transfers over a serial communication line
- in Windows, it is advised that you use one of the following displays
- in Explosiv:
-
- CLOCK, STARS, BLAZON, BLANK
-
- These displays will not impede your file transfers to any noticeable
- degree. The other displays may slow or even completely stop the
- transfers. The same holds true for printing jobs, with the exception
- that if you do all your printing through the Print Manager spooler
- then you can then select the Options window and enable the Auto - Off
- for Print Manger button. If the Print Manager starts ( even if it starts
- on a time delayed command ), Explosiv turns off until all the printing
- is finished.
-
-
- Hercules Display
-
- If you are using a Hercules monochrome display and are you unsure as
- to whether or not your program is in graphics mode, set Explosiv off
- before starting the program to give maximum compatibility with the
- underlying program ( alternatively, you can try the +on and -on
- option ).
-
-
- Hot Keys
-
- Explosiv for DOS has certain Hot Key assignments that are very
- important. They are:
-
- Ctrl-Alt-Shift This key combination starts Explosiv
- immediately
-
- Ctrl-Alt-E This key combination temporarily disables
- Explosiv
-
- Ctrl-Alt-B This key combination enables Explosiv after
- it had been disabled.
-
- These hotkeys may be changed in the configuration screen of the
- Explosiv interface.
-
-
- Problems With High Memory
-
- If you have problems installing Explosiv in high memory then you may
- need to reconfigure EMM386.EXE so that you use the NOEMS switch rather
- than RAM. DOS requires that at least 48K of memory is available in
- high memory before it will load Explosiv ( Explosiv cannot control
- this ), only once it is loaded is Explosiv able to reduce its memory
- usage. The RAM switch may have problems loading large programs into
- high memory.
-
-
- Key Presses Are Unable To Stop A Display
-
- If a display cannot be disabled by pressing a key try clicking on a
- mouse button. There are a few programs that grab the keyboard in such
- a way that Explosiv cannot sense key presses, the result is that the
- keyboard appears locked when the display is active. The mouse,
- however, cannot be locked in this manner.
-
-
-
- Chapter 15) ABOUT H&G SOFTWARE
-
-
- For information about this product, technical advice or help using
- this software please do not hesitate to contact H&G Software directly.
- We will do our best to resolve any problems or answer any questions
- that you might have. We can be reached by mail at:
-
- H&G Software
- P.O. Box 3013
- Vancouver, B.C.
- Canada V6B 3X5
-
- or if you have access to electronic mail we can be contacted through
- CompuServe at:
-
- Reidar Gresseth 73042,3653
- ( Internet: 73042.3653@compuserve.com )
-
-
- Ordering Software
-
- To order additional copies of Explosiv or Explosiv Deluxe see the
- ORDER.FRM for details. To obtain information about other software
- offered by H&G Software see the file PRODUCTS.
-