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1993-03-09
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MANUAL OF INSTRUCTIONS
for
ACFM
AUTOEXEC.BAT CONFIG.SYS FILE MANAGER
REXL Shareware Program
Version 1.0
(c) Copyright 1993
H. S. Aurand
All rights reserved.
ACFM.DOC 3-9-93
QUICK START
To install place the distribution diskette in a floppy drive. Be
sure the door or handle of the drive is closed. Change to the
drive in which you placed the diskette. Type <INSTAC> <Enter>.
DESCRIPTION
There are many times that a PC user needs to change the
configuration of his machine. Many programs have different
requirements that must be met by having different AUTOEXEC.BAT
and CONFIG.SYS files. For instance most defragmenters require
that all terminate and stay resident (TSR) programs must be
removed from RAM. Also some programs require so much RAM that
TSR's must be removed. Others have requirements for particular
drivers etc. The need is to save the the different AUTOEXEC.BAT
and CONFIG.SYS files in a way that they can be safely, reliably
and easily identified and easily copied to the root directory for
rebooting.
ACFM, an acronym for Autoexec.bat - Config.sys File Manger, does
just that by allowing the user to save and edit up to 25 files of
each type. Each file has its own label of up to 76 characters.
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files can be copied to and from the
root directory. For safety and reliability, the user must boot
manually, and confirmation prompts are used at critical points in
the program's execution. ACFM is not ram resident and is
executed only when needed.
ACFM makes it easy to store several different versions of
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files and copy them when needed to
the root directory of the C Drive if a hard disk is installed.
If only two floppy drives are available, the A Drive is accessed.
The next time you reboot they become effective. Since ACFM does
not execute every time you boot, you are not bothered by being
forced to make a choice every time, but only when you need to
change configuration.
ACFM also includes the ability to add, delete, edit and view
stored files as well as to copy files to and from the root
directory. It also permits shelling out to DOS to accomplish
more general tasks.
INSTALLATION
To install place the distribution diskette in a floppy drive. Be
sure the door or handle of the drive is closed. Change to the
drive in which you placed the diskette. Type <INSTAC> <Enter>.
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Alternately, from any current drive and directory, place the
distribution diskette in a drive, be sure the drive door is
closed and type <d:INSTAC> <Enter> where d is the letter of the
drive in which you placed the diskette. If you are using DOS
Version 2 and using either alternative, you will be asked for the
drive in which you have placed the distribution diskette.
You may also install from a hard disk. It is assumed that the
distribution files have been copied to a directory on a hard
disk. This could have been accomplished by copying a diskette
containing the distribution files or by downloading from a BBS.
As in the case using a floppy disk, change to the drive and
directory containing the distribution files and type <INSTAC>
<Enter>. Or from any drive and directory type <D:\d\INSTAC>
<Enter> where D is the drive and d the directory where the
distribution files are located.
In all cases if you install into the same drive and directory in
which the distribution files are located, no files will be
copied, but the value of the path in the ACFM.EXE file will be
changed from the default, C:\ACFM, to whatever the installation
drive and directory are. Since no copying is done, INSTAC.EXE
just changes the default directory stored in the ACFM.EXE file.
The install program will ascertain the drive and directory in
which you wish to install ACFM files. The initial default is
C:\ACFM. Another may be selected. The program will also
determine whether or not you want ACFM.EXE copied to a different
directory.
On completion of the installation program your current working
directory will be the drive and directory in which you installed
the ACFM files. At this point you can execute ACFM by typing
<ACFM> <Enter>.
OPERATION
To run the program be sure you are at a DOS prompt and type
<ACFM> <Enter>. A notice screen is displayed first. If you have
not registered your copy of ACFM, please read this screen. After
removing it by pressing any key, the Main Menu will appear. If
the display is not completely legible, go to the Utility Menu by
pressing 'U' which will permit you to change the display
attributes. These may be changed so that the displays and their
menu bars are completely legible no matter what kind of a video
system is being used. How this is done is described later.
Menu items can be selected by pressing the highlighted character
key. Alternately selection can be accomplished by using the
Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, up arrow and down arrow keys to
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position the selection bar. For some items just doing this will
select the item. For others it is necessary to press the <Enter>
key or the highlighted character key.
MAIN MENU
Saved file names in ACFM consist of only two alphabetic
characters. The first is A or C indicating whether or not the
file is an AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS type of file. The second
is a sequence letter that varies from A to Y inclusively. There
cannot be a gap in this sequence. Therefore, to add a file, the
next larger sequence letter than the last shown is used.
The options are as follows:
'Quit' exits to DOS. Esc will also do this from this menu. If
you have copied files to either the root directory AUTOEXEC.BAT
or CONFIG.SYS files, you will be reminded of the fact and asked
for confirmation of whether you wanted to do this or not. In
case you did not, you will be returned to the Main Menu where you
can get the files in the condition that you want them.
'Select file menu' changes to that menu and is the simplest way
to select the different files saved. Other methods are described
below under ADVANCED FEATURES. The file designation and
description of the selected file are shown at appropriate places
on the Main Menu.
'Type file toggle' changes operations between AUTOEXEC.BAT type
files and CONFIG.SYS types.
'Command line for editor' permits editing the DOS command line
used by the 'edit File' and 'Add File' options. These options
shell out to an editor used for the selected AUTOEXEC.BAT or
CONFIG.SYS type files. The default editor is 'EDLIN'. If you
use another editor, be sure to use its non-document mode.
'View' permits the viewing of the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file or the
C:\CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory depending on which type
has been selected by the 'Type file toggle'. (If no hard disk is
available, the A Drive is accessed).
'vIew' permits the viewing of the selected file.
'Edit description' permits the editing of a 76 character line
that is attached to each saved file. The description of the
selected file is displayed at the top of the Main Menu, and all
descriptions are displayed on the Select File Menu.
'edit File' edits the selected file using the editor invoked by
the 'Command line for editor' option.
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'Delete file' deletes the selected file and its description.
Files further down the list are not deleted, but their file names
are changed so that they maintain an alphabetical sequence.
'cOpy' copies the selected file to C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT or
C:\CONFIG.SYS as appropriate. (If no hard disk is available the
A Drive is accessed.) A file name consists of only two
alphabetic characters. The first is A or C and the second is a
sequence letter that varies from A to Y inclusively. There
cannot be a gap in this sequence. Therefore, if you wish to add a
file, you must use the next larger sequence letter than the last
shown in the Select File Menu.
'coPy' inverts 'cOpy' by copying C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT or C:\CONFIG.SYS
as appropriate to the next file beyond the last one saved. (If
no hard disk is available the A Drive is accessed.) If the full
complement of 25 files has been saved, copying will then be to
the 25th file which will be written over.
'copY' copies the selected file to the next file beyond the last
one saved. As with the 'coPy' option, if the full complement of
25 files has been saved, copying will then be to the 25th file
which will be written over.
'sHell' permits the execution of an 80 character DOS command line
with subsequent return to the Main Menu. This option provides a
completely flexible way of manipulating files particularly if
they reside in a directory other than the one selected at
installation for the saved files.
SELECT MENU
This menu lists the current set of files stored in the directory
selected for ACFM files at installation. These files are
designated by two letters, as indicated above, the first is A or
C indicating whether the file is an AUTOEXEC.BAT type or a
CONFIG.SYS type. The second letter is the sequence letter for
the file. There are no gaps in the sequence. The saved
AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file has no extension, but the
description for this file is stored in a file with the same name,
but with an extension of DES.
In this menu if the sequence letter of a listed file or <Enter>
is pressed, the file is selected and the Main Menu appears
immediately.
If there are 24 files saved, the menu will be truncated by
omitting the '1 Go to main menu' option. However, the '1' key
will still be active. If there are 25 files saved, only the list
of the 25 will appear, so that a maximum of 25 files of one type
may be used.
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Pressing <Esc> will return you to the Main Menu.
UTILITY MENU
The options are as follows:
'Quit' operates the same as in the Main Menu.
'Return to main menu' displays the Main Menu. <Esc> will also do
the same.
'Go to select file menu' displays the Select File Menu.
'Type of file toggle' is identical to the same option in the Main
Menu.
'Save items below as defaults' saves the command line for the
editor and the display attributes to a file named ACFM.DEF.
This file is read each time the ACFM program is executed.
'Command line for editor' is identical to the same option in the
Main Menu.
'Background attribute > 7 toggle' toggles between Foreground
blink and Intense background. This can only be observed if the
background byte of a display attribute is greater than 7.
In the remaining options the byte indicated is incremented by
one. The effects of changing the different bytes can be noted in
the display of the byte value in hexadecimal form immediately to
the right of the option.
If your computer has an MDA video adapter card, the complete
range of attributes are not available as they are using a color
video adapter. Combining the background and foreground values,
the only valid hexadecimal attributes for MDA are: 00, 01, 07,
09, 0F, 70, 87, 8F and F0. 87 and 8F are not available using
some video boards. Other values will work, but will default to
one of these nine (or seven).
ADVANCED FEATURES
For users with large numbers of stored files who use this program
more than occasionally, some short cuts are provided in both the
Main Menu and the Utility Menu.
In the Main Menu, files may be selected without going to the
Select Menu by the use of keys that are not shown on the display.
The plus key will shift the selected file to the next in the
sequence wrapping to the first when the last is reached. The
minus key does just the opposite. In addition a file can be
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selected by holding the Alt key down and then pressing the key
corresponding to the sequence letter of the file desired for
selection.
In the Utility Menu when the selection bar is on one of the last
nine options, i. e., those that select display attributes by
incrementation, if a plus key is pressed the attribute will be
incremented by one value. If a minus key is pressed it will be
decremented. In addition if the Alt key is held down and then a
digit or letter from A to F is pressed, the digit or letter will
be interpreted as a hexadecimal number and be used as the value
for the attribute.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Any PC compatible with the IBM PC, XT, AT or beyond.
Hard disk or 2 floppies
256K of installed RAM
Any video adapter card MDA, CGA, EGA, VGA, SVGA etc.
Color or Black and White monitor
DOS v. 2.0 or higher
REGISTRATION
To register this software, send a check or money order denominated
in U. S. currency (no COD's) for $10 (California residents add
76 sales tax) to:
REXL
734 Camino Catalina
Solana Beach, CA 92075
On registration telephone support and new product information and
upgrade service will be provided.
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