[415] in comp.os.os2.announce archive
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: IBM's Just Add OS/2 Warp
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (msavio@vnet.IBM.COM)
Sat Nov 25 09:38:11 1995
To: os2ann.DISCUSS@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU
Date: Sat, 25 Nov 1995 13:31:16 GMT
From: msavio@vnet.IBM.COM
Reply-To: msavio@vnet.IBM.COM
Submitted by: M. Savio (msavio@vnet.ibm.com)
Source: M. Savio (msavio@vnet.ibm.com)
Date received: 1995 November 24
Date posted: 1995 November 25
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JUST ADD OS/2 WARP
Frequently Asked Questions
November 14, 1995
Now that JUST ADD OS/2 WARP has been available for a couple of weeks,
the interest has been most gratifying. Our Web server has been
extremely active with downloads ("on its knees" is a phrase that comes
to mind), the entire run of diskette packages has been distributed,
and the crew at Comdex is expected to come home empty handed after
giving out lots of free CD-ROM copies in Las Vegas. Press reviews
have been favorable, if not astounded, that stodgy old IBM could take
such an aggressive stand in the market. For all your responses, THANK
YOU!
With the overwhelming activity on the downloads and 800#, it was
inevitable that some questions arise about the kit, so here is a Q&A
for the most common questions asked over the first several weeks.
Q1) What tool was used to create the kit?
A1) IBM Hyperwise was used to create the kit's textual content.
Hyperwise creates files in .INF format (among others), so they can be
viewed natively by the OS/2(tm) help engine, VIEW.EXE. Hyperwise
ships with a Windows(tm) viewer as well, so the same .INF file can be
viewed under all of the operating environments supported by the JUST
ADD OS/2 WARP kit. Hyperwise provides drag-and-drop hypertext
linking, graphic object display support, and external program launch
capability.
Q2) I downloaded JUST ADD OS/2 WARP and I get the following message
when trying to unzip the distribution files: "Warning! I don't know
how to handle:" followed by all the file names. What am I doing
wrong?
A2) DOS PKZIP 2.04 was used to create the .ZIP files. If the PKUNZIP
you're using doesn't handle PKZIP 2.04 format, you should be able to
download another UNZIP utility that will.
Q3) Why must the installation utility be run from a DOS Full Screen
session? Don't you know that you can press ALT-HOME from a DOS window
under OS/2 to turn it into a Full Screen?
A3) The installer scans your computer's hardware and video during the
installation sequence and will not report video hardware and
resolution modes if run in a window. This prevents video corruption
that would be caused when the sniffer queries the video chip set.
Of course, ALT-HOME changes to full screen under OS/2, as does that
"box with four arrows" button on Windows 95. If you know those
tricks, by all means use them. They were omitted from the kit in the
interest of simplicity since it runs in all three environments - OS/2
Warp, Windows 95, and DOS/Windows 3.1.
Q4) I installed JUST ADD OS/2 WARP, but I don't see any icons to start
it up. Where are they?
A4) The installation utility scans your hard drive for the existence
of DOS/Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and/or OS/2 Warp. As a precaution, it
doesn't scan any partition with less than 6 megabytes of free disk
space so it won't clobber your swap file or leave too little space to
grow your .INI files. So, if your Windows or OS/2 is on a partition
of less than 6 megabytes, the installer won't find it. Also, if you
have a highly customized installation with OS files in non-default
directory structures (and you know who you are!) we may miss it in
some instances.
If you have less than 6 megabytes of free disk space on your OS/2 or
Windows partitions, you may move files to other partitions or delete
them to free up 6 or more megabytes, then reinstall JUST ADD OS/2
WARP. Alternatively, you can manually create the program icons as
follows:
OS/2 WARP
Create a new program object by dragging the program
template to your desktop. Enter the following parameters in
the settings notebook:
Program tab
Path and file name VIEW.EXE
Parameters d:\JUST_ADD\BOOKS\JAOWO.INF
Working directory d:\
General tab Title: Just Add OS/2 Warp
Current icon Find d:\JUST_ADD\JUSTADDO.ICO
where d: is the drive where you chose to install JUST ADD
OS/2 WARP. Close the settings notebook to create the icon on
your OS/2 desktop.
WINDOWS 95
Click on the open desktop with mouse button 2 (right mouse
button by default) and select "New -> Shortcut" from the
pop-up menu. Enter the following parameters in the Create
Shortcut wizard:
Command line: d:\JUST_ADD\VIEW.EXE d:\JUST_ADD\BOOKS\JAOW.INF
Select "Next" button or press ENTER
Select a name for the shortcut: Just Add OS2 Warp
(note that Windows 95 does not allow a "/" character in a
file name)
Select "Finish" button or press ENTER
This creates a program shortcut with the default VIEW.EXE
icon. To change to the JUST ADD OS/2 WARP icon, click on the
Just Add OS2 Warp shortcut with mouse button 2 and select
"Properties".
Select the "Shortcut" tab and press the "Change icon..."
button. Enter the following parameter:
File name: C:\FILESYNC\JUSTADDW.ICO
Select the "OK" button
Select the "OK" button again
d: is the drive where you chose to install JUST ADD OS/2
WARP.
DOS/WINDOWS 3.1
From the Windows 3.1 program manager menu bar select "File",
then "New...".
Select the "Program Group" radio button, press "OK."
Enter the following parameter:
Description: Just Add OS/2 Warp
Group file: JAOW.GRP
Press "OK."
Open the Just Add OS/2 Warp group you just created
and select "File", then "New..." from the program manager
menu bar.
Select the "Program Item" radio button, press "OK."
Enter the following parameters:
Description: Just Add OS/2 Warp
Command Line: d:\JUST_ADD\VIEW.EXE d:\JUST_ADD\BOOKS\JAOW.INF
Working Directory: d:\
Select the "Change Icon..." button and enter the following
parameter:
File Name: C:\FILESYNC\JUSTADDW.ICO
Select the "OK" button
Select the "OK" button again
Select "File", then "New..." from the program manager menu
bar. Select the "Program Item" radio button, press "OK."
Enter the following parameters:
Description: Go To OS/2 Warp
Command Line: C:\FILESYNC\GOTOWARP.EXE C:\FILESYNC\GOTOWARP.TXT
Working Directory: C:\FILESYNC
Select the "Change Icon..." button and enter the following
parameter:
File Name: C:\FILESYNC\GOTOWARP.EXE
Select the "OK" button
Select the "OK" button again
d: is the drive where you chose to install JUST ADD OS/2
WARP.
Now you will be able to launch JUST ADD OS/2 WARP from your OS/2 Warp
or Windows 95 desktop, and/or from the DOS/Windows 3.1 Program
Manager.
Q5) The OS/2 Warp Upgrade Advisor says that I have enough hard drive
space to install OS/2 Warp, but OS/2 won't install on my PC. Why not?
A5) If you have installed the disk compression that ships with
Microsoft DOS 6.x or Windows 95 or have installed a compression
utility such as Stacker(tm), and run the Upgrade Advisor from Windows
95 or Windows 3.1, it will appear that there is sufficient free space.
OS/2 Warp, however, cannot be installed to a compressed partition.
Run the Uncompress utility that came with your compression software,
install OS/2 Warp, then use an OS/2 compatible compression tool such
as Stacker for OS/2 and DOS to re-compress your partition. Stacker
for OS/2 and DOS is compatible with both OS/2 and DOS, and therefore
can be used in the dual boot environment supported by JUST ADD OS/2
WARP.
Q6) The OS/2 Warp Upgrade Advisor didn't see the memory I have
installed on my IBM PC model 95.
A6) The model 95 has unique hardware protection characteristics that
block access to the memory ports under OS/2 by any application other
than the operating system itself. If you have Windows 3.1 or Windows
95 installed, dual boot to that environment and re-run ADVISOR.BAT
following the instructions in the READ.ME file.
Q7) I chose to install JUST ADD OS/2 WARP to a drive other than C:,
yet it placed the FILESYNC directory on C: anyway. Why?
A7) The FILESYNC directory contains the files needed to run the
Windows 95 to OS/2 Warp Dual Boot and Long File Name Conversion
Utilities. These utilities were placed on C: because DOS and Windows
95 can only boot from drive C:, and could therefore reliably locate
these utilities. The majority of JUST ADD OS/2 WARP is contained in
the JUST_ADD and OS2DEMO directories which are installed to your
choice of drive.
Q8) While running under OS/2 Warp, I changed the name of a file that was
created in Windows 95. When I dual boot back to Windows 95, I don't see
the changed file. Have I lost that file?
A8) The file is still there, under its old name. The Long File Name
Migration utility is a one way street, migrating Windows 95 long file
names into OS/2 long file names. By the way, the physical name on the
disk is still in the 8.3 format traditionally used by the DOS FAT file
system, so the file can always be accessed by its old fashioned name
as well.
Q9) What is the difference between the download, diskette, and CD-Rom
versions of JUST ADD OS/2 WARP?
A9) The download and diskette versions are identical. The CD-ROM
version is identical to the diskette version with the addition of a
very interesting multimedia video production on OS/2 Warp installation
tips, usability tricks, and general how-to featuring that Warped
man-about-town, David Barnes.
Based on the numbers of questions received relative to the number of
copies distributed, it appears that the vast majority of users have
found that JUST ADD OS/2 WARP works well for them. We hope that this
FREE kit of information and utilities is useful for you, and that you
will exercise your right to chose, and give OS/2 Warp a try. Thanks
for loading JUST ADD OS/2 WARP!
(TM) OS/2 is a registered trademark of IBM Corp.
Stacker is a registered trademark of Stac Electronics
Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corp.
