PC Online 1997 October/PCO1097.ISO/FilesBBS/DOS/AROM225.EXE/AUTOROM.DOC

Text File | 1996-05-11 | 19.6 KB | 392 lines

   ███████▀█ ███████ █ █▀███████ ███████▀█ ███████▀█ ███████▀█ ███████▄ ▄█
   ███████ █ ███████ █   ███████ ███████ █ ███████ █ ███████ █ ███████ ▀ █
   ███████▀█ ███████ █   ███████ ███████ █ ███████▀▄ ███████ █ ███████   █
   ███████ █ ███████ █   ███████ ███████ █ ███████ █ ███████ █ ███████   █
   ███████ █ ███████ █   ███████ ███████ █ ███████ █ ███████ █ ███████   █
   ███████ █ ███████▄█   ███████ ███████▄█ ███████ █ ███████▄█ ███████   █

         CDROM Changer and Import System for RemoteAccess 2.02/2.50

                             Version 2.25

                  (c) 1994-96 Spaced O·U·T Software

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 Look at the files WHATSNEW.225 for information on new features in this
 version and BINLIST.TXT for information on how to have the latest
 releases sent to you through UUEncoded Internet Email.

 If you were previously using version 2.00 or 2.10 then please run 200TO225
 to upgrade your configuration files.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ A few features of AutoROM v2.25 ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 {+} indicates that the feature is only available in the registered version.

 * Up to 25 CDROM drives are supported.

 * Up to 99 CDROM discs can be used with AutoROM.

 * Fully featured menu based installation and maintenance utility, with
   a similar layout to RemoteAccess's own configuration utility.

 * Automatic installation - the first time AutoROM is run, it will be
   configured automatically using information from your RemoteAccess
   configuration. Also your TOP menu will be automatically updated and backed
   up if you choose to do so. Your RA environment variable must be set for
   this to work.

 * Will tell the user that there have been no CDROMs detected if all CDROM
   drives are empty/contain unconfigured CDROMs or if AutoROM did detect a
   CDROM but the user's security was lower than the 'list online' security
   as defined in ARSETUP. The second of these two features can be switched
   off should you wish to allow users who do not have access to view the
   CDROMs to see that they are online.

 * Although it is designed to be run from the TOP menu, AutoROM can be
   manually configured to run from any menu or from a RemoteAccess function
   key.

 * Convenient and easy to use CDROM management utility in ARSETUP.

 * Ability to have different security levels for different CDROMs, for both
   list and download security, online or offline. This feature could be very
   useful if you wanted to allow users to list files on CDROMs which are not
   online, but not to download from them - to do this, simply set the
   'list offline' security to be the same as the 'list online' security and
   leave the 'download offline' security as something very large such as
   65535.

 * Will change the 'Path to files' field in the RemoteAccess configuration to
   the drive in which the CDROM has been detected.

 * ANSI and ASCII terminal emulation support.

 * Full AutoROM logo can be disabled. {+}

 * A custom ANSI screen can be displayed to the remote user when a CDROM has
   been detected. {+}

 * The user can choose whether or not to view the custom ANSI screen or can
   be forced to view it, depending on the configuration. {+}

 * CDROM importing - one very useful feature of the setup program for AutoROM
   is its ability to automatically install CDROMs containing FILES.BBS files
   listings into your RemoteAccess configuration files. This makes the
   otherwise boring and slow task of creating file areas for the CDROM very
   fast.

 * Support for both RemoteAccess 2.02 and 2.50, using RemoteAccess's index
   files so that areas can be moved without affecting AutoROM (Only for
   RemoteAccess 2.50)

 * Can use 'magic numbers' as well as volume labels to detect for a CDROM.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ Disclaimer ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 Although AutoROM has been fully tested, we take no responsibility, no matter
 how severe, for any damage caused by the use of/inability to use AutoROM.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ Credits ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 Idea, design, all programming and documentation: Nicholas Giles
 Name and ANSI/ASCII logo: Stuart Kerr

 Distribution and support by Spaced Out Software.

 Thanks to Nick Newbold of Infinity BBS for beta testing and suggestions.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ Installation of AutoROM and using the setup program ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 This is very easy - first ensure that your RA environment variable is set
 to the appropriate directory (this will allow an automatic installation).
 Next, run the setup utility - ARSETUP.EXE. Assuming your RemoteAccess
 configuration file was found and validated, your (Sysop's) name, BBS name
 and RemoteAccess directory will automatically be imported into your AutoROM
 configuration. Assuming that this has been done, press any key when the
 'imported' message box has appeared and you will be prompted to choose
 whether or not to automatically install AutoROM into your TOP menus in
 RemoteAccess. If you choose yes (recommended), a DOS shell to AUTOROM.EXE
 will automatically be placed at the start of your TOP menu and each file
 will be backed up as TOP.AR.

 Once the automatic installation process is complete, you will be able to
 navigate through the setup program by using the up/down arrows to highlight
 menu items, left/right to change menus and ENTER to select a menu item.

 The menu items are now described in more detail:

 File Menu:

 About: This will bring up a dialog box containing product and version
 information, along with credits and how to contact the author.

 DOS Shell: This will start a temporary DOS session, enter EXIT to return
 to ARSETUP.

 Exit: This will exit to DOS, saving the configuration files for AutoROM.
 You can also use ESC to exit which will give the same effect.

 System Menu:

 Paths: This will bring up a dialogue box which will allow you to select your
 RemoteAccess directory and CDROM drives in use - to select the CDROM drives,
 simply type the drive letters in one string, without paths or the : symbol.
 An example of a system using 6 CDROMs would be: EFGHIJ, assuming that E: was
 the first CDROM drive in use and J: was the last one.

 Site Info: This will allow you to set up the BBS and Sysop's names which will
 be displayed when you register AutoROM. These fields will probably not need
 modifying as they were imported directly from your RemoteAccess configuration.

 CDROM Menu:

 CDROM Manager: This will bring up a list of the 99 CDROMs which can be used
 with AutoROM. To view/edit information for a CDROM, highlight it using up/
 down/PGUP/PGDN/HOME/END and press ENTER. To remove a CDROM from AutoROM's
 configuration, if you no longer want AutoROM to detect it, highlight it and
 press DELETE. When you press ENTER, you will be presented with another
 dialogue box whose menu items are as follows:

   Download Security: This is the security level which a user must have to
   download from a CDROM when it is online/offline. It is only recommended
   that you have 65535 (maximum) as the security level for offline as it
   is impossible to download from a CDROM which is not online. You can set
   online security to whatever you have 'validated' users at or anything from
   0-65535.

   List Security: As download security but you may want to set the offline
   security to be the same as the online security so that users may browse
   through the files on the offline CDROMs but not download from them.

   File Group: This will bring up a dialogue box which will allow you, using
   up/down/PGUP/PGDN/HOME/END to select the file group which represents this
   CDROM.

   First File Area: This will bring up a dialogue box which will allow you
   to choose the first file area in your RemoteAccess file area configuration
   which is for this CDROM.

   Last File Area: As first file area but this is the last file area for this
   CDROM.

   Read Volume Label: This will allow you to read the volume label of this
   CDROM. Make sure that it is in one of the drives, choose this option and
   type the drive letter that it is in. The volume label read will then be
   displayed next to the menu item.

   Read Magic Number: Same as volume label but this will read the magic number
   for the CDROM.

   Custom ANSI Filename: This is the filename (WITHOUT path and extension) of
   the custom ANSI file to display when a CDROM is detected. This file must
   be in the AutoROM program directory. Don't forget that this feature will
   not be available to you until you register.

 Options: This will bring up a dialogue box which will allow you to configure
 which features of AutoROM to use and which not to. Menu items are as follows:

   Show CDROM has been detected: This will allow you to select whether the
   user will be told that a CDROM has been detected always or only if they
   have a security level equivalent or greater than the 'list online'
   security level for that CDROM.

   Display custom ANSI: Whether to prompt to display a custom ANSI file for
   a CDROM when it has been detected, always to display custom ANSIs or never
   to. (Custom ANSI is a registered only feature.)

   Show full ANSI: If you have registered AutoROM, you will be able to stop
   the full AutoROM ANSI from being displayed every time AutoROM is run. This
   is especially useful if your BBS is used mainly by slower modems e.g.
   2400 and below.

   Display drive letter: Whether or not to, when displaying that a CDROM has
   been detected, display the letter of the drive that it was found in. It is
   recommended that you leave this option as 'No' unless you are experiencing
   problems or are testing.

   Backup RA files: This will let you choose whether to backup the FILES.RA
   and FGROUPS.RA files when importing a CDROM (Yes is recommended).

   Direct screen writes: Whether to use direct screen writes in the main
   AutoROM program. This will make the local display faster but using the BIOS
   routines (i.e. 'No') may be better if you are running DESQview or a similar
   multitasking environment.

   CDROM detection: This will let you choose whether AutoROM will detect by
   its volume label, magic number or both (magic numbers will be required if
   one or more of your CDROMs do not have volume labels).

 Import CDROM: This is a very useful feature of AutoROM. When you choose this
 option, you will be prompted to enter the starting directory AND drive where
 the CDROM can currently be found and the name of the file group to create
 in RemoteAccess's configuration. When you have configured these two fields
 and the CDROM is in the drive, choose 'Begin scanning' and the CDROM drive
 will be scanned for directories containing the FILES.BBS file. For each
 directory containing this file, a file area will be created. When this
 process has been completed, AutoROM will automatically be configured to
 detect this CDROM. You must then run GENFBASE (supplied with RemoteAccess)
 to import the file listings into the filebase. NOTE: You MUST remember to
 enter the correct start and end area numbers into GENFBASE, otherwise your
 other file areas will be blanked (Get these numbers from RACONFIG).

 NOTE: You can no longer choose which version of RemoteAccess you are running
 here - if you are using v2.02 and want to change to v2.50 then run CONV250
 which will convert your configuration and database files so that they
 support RemoteAccess v2.50 properly.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ Manual installation of AutoROM into RemoteAccess ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 If run from a menu, AutoROM must be installed as a type 7 (External program)
 menu item, with optional data as the path and filename of AUTOROM.EXE and,
 optionally, a *M at the end. The *M is used to force RemoteAccess to swap
 out when AutoROM is loaded, giving AutoROM more memory. The *M is recommended
 but AutoROM should work perfectly well without it. An example of the optional
 data is as follows:

 C:\RA\AUTOROM\AUTOROM.EXE *M

 Other fields e.g. 'Display', 'Hotkey' etc. are up to you - refer to the
 RemoteAccess documentation for details of how to configure these.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ How to use AutoROM ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 AutoROM, from your users' point of view, is very simple to use. Unless a
 CDROM which has a custom ANSI for it is detected (registered version only),
 all they will have to do is press any key. If a CDROM is detected with
 a custom ANSI for it, if custom ANSIs are set to display 'Always' in the
 setup program, the ANSI will be displayed straight away and the user will
 need to press any key to continue detecting for CDROMs (make sure the ANSI
 file has 'Press any key to continue' or something similar in it). If custom
 ANSIs are set to display depending on the choice of the user, they will have
 to select (YES) or (NO) either by pressing Y/N or by choosing with the left/
 right keys and pressing ENTER. (YES) or (NO) will be highlighted by default
 depending on your configuration.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ Custom ANSI ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 This must be placed in the directory containing AUTOROM.EXE and the path
 to this and .ANS will automatically be added to the filename by AutoROM
 when it looks for the files. If you want to add a custom ANSI but cannot
 find an appropriate one on the CDROM, try using a screen grabbing tool such
 as TheGrab to grab a screen from an executable file. (TheGrab is a part of
 the TheDraw ANSI screen designing package). Custom ANSI is a registered only
 feature of AutoROM so it will not work in the unregistered version.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ Changing to RemoteAccess v2.50 ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 If you originally configured AutoROM to run with RemoteAccess v2.02 and have
 now upgraded to RemoteAccess v2.50 then please run CONV250.EXE to convert
 your AutoROM configuration.

 NOTE: Upgrade to RemoteAccess v2.50 BEFORE running this program.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ License agreement ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 You are granted a license to evaluate and test this software on your system
 for no more than 30 days. If, after 30 days, you wish to continue using
 AutoROM, you MUST register it (details of how to do so follow). If you decide
 that you do not wish to pay for AutoROM, you MUST stop using it IMMEDIATELY.
 AutoROM may be freely distributed as long as no profit is made from its
 distribution, excluding duplication/BBS running costs.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ Why register? ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

        If you register AutoROM, you will get:

        1) No more annoying unregistered messages or delays.
        2) Your name will be displayed as 'Registered to...' when AutoROM
           is run.
        3) All the advanced, registered only features will become enabled.
        4) A credit in the documentation of the next version, saying your
           name, location and the name of your BBS.
        5) Support from Spaced Out Software if you encounter any problems with
           AutoROM after you have registered, including the possibility of
           a maintenance release of AutoROM for you, if you are having
           significant problems with it.
        6) The satisfaction of having helped in the continuing development of
           AutoROM.
        7) Notification of future Spaced Out Software products.

 Items 4 & 7 are optional depending on personal preference.

 DO NOT register if you have had problems with AutoROM in the hope that they
 will be fixed in the registered version - all registration does is to enable
 the registered only features and disable any delays.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ The keyfile system ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 When you register AutoROM, you will receive a key file, 1k in size, which
 will unlock the registered only features of AutoROM and remove all delays in
 the program. The registered name will also be displayed as 'Registered to...'
 every time AutoROM is run. Please note that the keyfile will only work for
 the name you gave when you registered AutoROM and this name must be the same
 as the one in the configuration program otherwise AutoROM will revert back
 to the unregistered version.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ How to register ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 To register, please refer to the file REGISTER.SPA - this is a registration
 form.

 Also include a means of sending you your keyfile - supported methods are:

 * UUEncoded Internet Mail - Don't forget to tell us your Internet address.

 * Downloading from Spaced Out BBS - If you choose this option, please tell
 us what you want your user ID and password on Spaced Out BBS to be (if you
 already have an account, this will obviously not be necessary). The keyfile
 will be sent attatched to a message to you on the BBS.

 * Uploading to your own BBS (UK non-premium rate BBSs only) - Assuming your
 BBS offers access to 'the public', we will call your BBS and upload your
 keyfile to you as a 'private' file, assuming the facility is available.

 The file REGISTER.SPA is a registration form which can be printed or hand
 written as long as all the appropriate information is filled in.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ How to contact us ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 Internet address:

 [e-mail]

 BBS Support:

 Spaced Out BBS: [phone] (300-28800 v34)


 Thanks for trying AutoROM!

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ░ End of documentation ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘