44 44 44 DDDDDDD OOOOO SSSSSS 44 DDDDDDDD OOOOOOO SSSSSSSS 44 44 DD DD OO OO SS 44 44 DD DD OO OO SS 44 44 DD DD OO OO SSSSSS 444444444 DD DD OO OO SSSSSS 44444444 DD DD OO OO SS 44 DD DD OO OO SS 44 DDDDDDDD OOOOOOO SSSSSSSS 44 DDDDDDD OOOOO SSSSSS for Windows NT Version 2.52 Introduction and Installation Guide Developed By Rex Conn and Tom Rawson Documentation By Hardin Brothers, Tom Rawson, and Rex Conn Published By JP Software Inc. P.O. Box 1470 East Arlington, MA 02174 U.S.A. (617) 646-3975 fax (617) 646-0904 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We couldn't produce a product like 4DOS for Windows NT without the dedication and quality work of many people. Our thanks to: JP Software Staff: Christine Alves, Mike Bessy, Michael Hart, Ellen Stone, Misty White. Online Support: Brian Miller and Tess Heder of Channel 1 BBS; Don Watkins of CompuServe's IBMNET. Beta Test Support: The sysops of CompuServe's CONSULT forum. Beta Testers: We can't list all of our beta testers here! A special thanks to all of you who helped make 4DOS, 4OS2, and 4DOS/NT elegant, reliable, and friendly. The following tools are used in creating and maintaining 4DOS for Windows NT: Compilers: Microsoft C, Microsoft Macro Assembler 386 Editors: Edix (Emerging Technology), Brief (Solution Systems) Version Control: PVCS (Sage Software) Documentation: Microsoft Word for Windows with Adobe Type Manager Copyright 1993 - 1995, JP Software Inc., All Rights Reserved. 4DOS is a registered trademark and JP Software and the JP Software logo and product logos are trademarks of JP Software Inc. Other product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners. 8-95 Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents Introduction...............................................1 How to Use This Manual.................................2 Customer Service and Technical Support.................3 Chapter 1 / Installation...................................4 Installing 4DOS/NT.....................................4 Creating 4DOS for Windows NT Desktop Objects...........5 4DOS/NT Files and Directories..........................6 Uninstalling 4DOS/NT...................................6 Chapter 2 / Configuration..................................7 Creating and Configuring 4DOS/NT Objects...............7 4DOS/NT Command Line Options...........................8 4DOS/NT Help..........................................10 Using 4START and 4EXIT................................11 Index.....................................................12 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / i INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION Welcome, and thanks for purchasing 4DOS for Windows NT! We developed 4DOS for Windows NT to bring the power and convenience of our popular 4DOS and 4OS2 programs to users of the Windows NT operating system. Whether you are a computer novice or an experienced user, 4DOS/NT will help you get the most out of your Windows NT system. The complete name of this product is "4DOS for the Windows NT Operating System." For brevity in the manuals, we often refer to it as "4DOS for Windows NT," "4DOS/NT," or to the program file name, 4NT.EXE or just 4NT. When "4DOS" is used by itself, the reference is to our DOS product. If you are already familiar with 4DOS, please note that 4DOS for Windows NT is a complete Windows NT application, and not simply a version of 4DOS running under Windows NT's DOS capabilities. Technically, 4DOS for Windows NT is a command interpreter. That means that it reacts to the commands you type at the [C:\] prompt. It replaces CMD.EXE, the default command interpreter that is supplied with Windows NT. 4DOS/NT offers hundreds of enhancements, yet retains full compatibility with CMD.EXE commands and batch files. If you are familiar with 4DOS, 4OS2, or the Windows NT command prompt, you won't have to change your computing habits or unlearn anything to use 4DOS/NT. If you know how to use commands to display a directory, copy a file, or start an application program, you already know how to use 4DOS/NT. And if you are a 4DOS user, you already know how to use most of the advanced features that we have built into 4DOS/NT. You can even use many of your 4DOS batch files with 4DOS/NT (see Chapter 3 of the Reference Manual for tips about making batch files work properly in both environments). Once you have 4DOS/NT installed, you can learn its new features at your own pace. Relax, enjoy 4DOS/NT's power, and browse through the manuals occasionally. Press the F1 key whenever you need help. 4DOS/NT will soon become an essential part of your computer, and you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. If you want to take 4DOS/NT for a spin without performing a complete installation, see the separate Guided Tour documentation. We are constantly working to improve 4DOS for Windows NT. If you have suggestions for features or commands that we should include in the next version, or any other way we could improve our product, ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 1 INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------- please let us know. Many of the features in this version of 4DOS/NT were suggested by our users. We can't promise to include every suggestion, but we really do appreciate and pay attention to your comments. How to Use This Manual This manual is only one part of the documentation that you will need for 4DOS/NT. It introduces the product and will help you install 4DOS/NT correctly on your computer. It will also help you understand some of the terms and concepts that you will need to know to get the most from 4DOS/NT. The second part of our documentation is the separate Reference Manual. It contains complete information about the commands and features of 4DOS/NT, plus its sister programs, 4DOS and 4DOS for Windows NT. You should start with this introductory manual whether you are new to 4DOS/NT or you are upgrading from a previous version. Once you have successfully installed 4DOS/NT, you can move back and forth between this manual and the Reference Manual. For the sake of clarity, we have chosen not to indicate each of the dozens of places in this manual where you can refer to the Reference Manual for additional information. If you see a reference here to a 4DOS/NT command, the initialization file 4NT.INI, or any 4DOS/NT feature, you can be sure that detailed information on that topic is available in the Reference Manual. 4DOS/NT also includes complete online help for all of its built-in commands. The online help provides much of the information that is in the Reference Manual, but in an electronic form which you can access quickly. See page 10 for more details about using the online help. Files distributed with 4DOS/NT cover important additional information beyond what's included in the manuals. README.DOC contains general notes, highlights of the latest release, and brief installation instructions for those upgrading from a downloaded copy, and UPDATxxx.DOC contains detailed information for users with older versions on what has changed in the latest release ("xxx" is the version number). You will likely find some parts of the documentation too simple or too technical for your tastes. Unless you are convinced that one of those sections holds just the information you need for a specific task, feel free to skip to ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 2 INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------- the next part of the manual that is more to your liking. You can use almost every feature of 4DOS/NT without having to worry about other features or commands. Customer Service and Technical Support Technical support for 4DOS/NT is available via public electronic support conferences, private electronic mail, telephone, fax, and mail. For complete details, including a listing of electronic support conferences, see your Reference Manual. Customer service is always available through the telephone and fax numbers listed on the title page of this manual. See your Reference Manual or the online help for electronic mail addresses for our Sales and Customer Service departments. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 3 CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION ------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION Installing 4DOS for Windows NT To install 4DOS/NT you must copy the files from your distribution disk using the INSTALL program, then create one or more desktop objects to run 4DOS/NT. This section explains how to copy the files to your hard disk. See the next section for details on creating and configuring desktop objects for 4DOS/NT. If you're installing a downloaded copy of 4DOS/NT, you will not have an INSTALL program. Instead, use the appropriate decompression program (for example, PKUNZIP) to extract the files from your download into a new directory. Then follow the instructions below to complete your installation. If you are updating from a previous version, check the README.DOC file for update instructions. To begin the installation process, open a command prompt window (use the "MS-DOS" object which comes with Windows NT) and put the 4DOS/NT distribution diskette in drive A. (You can use drive B if you prefer, in which case you should substitute "b" for "a" in the instructions below.) One of the files on the distribution diskette, README.1ST, contains information that you should read before you install 4DOS/NT on your computer. Type: type a:readme.1st | more to view the file. If you want to print a copy of the file, type: copy a:readme.1st prn After checking README.1ST, you can start the installation process. Type: a:install and press the Enter key. Once the installation program has started, just follow the instructions on the screen and 4DOS/NT will install itself on your system. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 4 CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to run the Guided Tour to familiarize yourself with 4DOS/NT, first install the files using the Full Installation option on INSTALL's main menu. Then see the separate Guided Tour booklet (distributed with new copies of 4DOS/NT) for details on running the Tour. The 4DOS/NT files are contained in a special library file on the distribution diskette. You cannot simply copy the files from the diskette onto your system. You must use the installation program to extract and decompress the 4DOS/NT files if you want to perform a manual installation, or if you need to replace a damaged 4DOS/NT file on your hard disk. You can halt the installation process at any time by pressing Ctrl-X (hold down the Ctrl key and then press "X"). If you also have our DOS command processor, 4DOS, do not install 4DOS/NT in the same directory as 4DOS. Some file names (for example README.DOC) are the same in both products, and the files should be kept separate to avoid confusion. Creating 4DOS for Windows NT Desktop Objects Once you've extracted the 4DOS for Windows NT files, use the following steps to create a 4DOS/NT object in the Main group on your Windows NT desktop (use a different group if you prefer): * Select the "Main" group. * Select the Program Manager "File" menu. * Select "New." * Select "Program item." * Enter "4DOS/NT," or any other title you desire, in the Description field. * Enter the full pathname for 4NT.EXE in the Command Line field (for example, "C:\4NT25\4NT.EXE"). * Enter the directory in which you want the 4DOS/NT window to start (if any) in the Working Directory field. * Click on "OK" to accept the entry. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 5 CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION ------------------------------------------------------------------- This creates a basic desktop object which starts 4DOS/NT. For more details on configuring and tuning 4DOS/NT, see Chapter 2. 4DOS/NT Files and Directories The installation procedure places all 4DOS for Windows NT files in a single directory. You may move the files to different directories, if you wish, but you do have to make sure that the files can be found by the programs that need to use them. The following information will help you set up your system correctly: 4NT.EXE is the 4DOS for Windows NT program file. It must be in the directory specified in the Command Line field of every 4DOS for Windows NT object. 4NT.HLP contains the text for the 4DOS for Windows NT HELP command and F1 key. 4NT.HLP must be in the same directory as 4NT.EXE. SHRALIAS.EXE is a small utility that saves the shared alias and history lists when 4DOS for Windows NT is not running. SHRALIAS.EXE is normally stored in the same directory as 4NT.EXE. The directory containing this file should be listed in your PATH statement. Uninstalling 4DOS/NT We don't expect you to have any trouble using 4DOS/NT, but we know some people feel more comfortable knowing how to uninstall a product as well as install it. Or, you may need to remove 4DOS/NT from one system to move it to another system. 4DOS for Windows NT doesn't make any changes to the Windows NT system files. To remove 4DOS/NT, all you need to do is change or delete any objects that refer directly to 4NT.EXE. You can then delete the 4DOS for Windows NT files from your hard drive. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 6 CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION ------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION This chapter explains how you can tune 4DOS/NT to make it as efficient and as useful as possible in your computing environment. Nearly everything in this chapter is for advanced users and those with unusual needs. If 4DOS/NT works the way you want it to after installation, you can skip this chapter. You may, however, want to skim this material to see what options are available. Creating and Configuring 4DOS/NT Objects You will typically start 4DOS/NT from an object on your Windows NT desktop. You can create as many 4DOS/NT objects as you wish on the desktop. Different objects can be used to start 4DOS/NT in different modes, with different startup commands or options, or to run different batch files or other commands. You can use these objects to run commonly-used commands and batch files directly from the Windows NT desktop. Each object represents a different 4DOS/NT window. You can use the Properties screen for the object to set any necessary command line parameters for 4DOS/NT such as a command to be executed, any desired switches, and the name and path for 4NT.INI. More information on command line switches and options for 4DOS/NT is included later in this section. For general information on creating and configuring desktop objects, see your Windows NT documentation. See page 5 of this manual for an example of how to create a new object for 4DOS/NT. When you configure a 4DOS/NT object, place the full path and name for the 4NT.EXE file in the Command Line field, and put any startup options that you want passed to 4DOS/NT (e.g., @inifile) after the 4NT.EXE file name. For example: Command Line: C:\4NT25\4NT.EXE @C:\4NT.INI Working directory: C:\ To run a startup batch file when a particular 4DOS/NT object is started, include the batch file name (with a path, if the file is not in the startup directory) as the last item in the Command Line field. That batch file will be executed after any 4START file but before the first prompt is displayed. You can use the batch file to set environment variables and execute any other 4DOS/NT commands. You can also execute any internal 4DOS/NT command, external command, or alias by ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 7 CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION ------------------------------------------------------------------- placing its name in the Parameters field. When you set up a batch file or other command to run in this way you are using the command option (see below). For example: Command Line: C:\4NT25\4NT.EXE STARTNT.CMD Working directory: C:\ To execute an internal or external command, an alias, or a batch file and then exit (return to the desktop) when it is done, place /C command (rather than just command) as the last item in the Parameters field. For example: Command Line: D:\4NT25\4NT.EXE /C COMFILES.BTM Working directory: C:\ 4DOS/NT Command Line Options The 4DOS/NT command line does not need to contain any information. When invoked with an empty command line, 4DOS/NT will configure itself from the 4NT.INI file, run 4START, and then display a prompt and wait for you to type a command. However, you may add information to the 4DOS/NT command line that will affect the way it operates. Command line options for primary shells are set in the Command Line field of the 4DOS/NT object. Command line options for secondary shells can be set on the secondary shell command line. 4DOS/NT recognizes several optional fields on the command line. All of the options go on one line. If you use more than one of these fields, their order is important. The syntax for the command line is: [d:\path] [@d:\path\inifile] [//iniline]... [/L] [/LA] [/LD] [/LH] [/Q][/S] [/C | /K] [command] In the descriptions below, d: means a drive letter and \path means a subdirectory name. d:\path: 4DOS/NT will use this directory and path to set the COMSPEC environment variable for this window. If this option is not used, COMSPEC is set from the location of 4NT.EXE. Since 4DOS/NT always knows what drive and directory it was started from, there is little reason to use this option. It is included only for compatibility with CMD.EXE. This option cannot be used for secondary shells. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 8 CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION ------------------------------------------------------------------- @d:\path\inifile: This option sets the path and name of the 4NT.INI file. You do not need this option if you aren't using a 4NT.INI file, or if the file is named 4NT.INI and is stored in the same directory as 4NT.EXE or in the root directory of the boot drive. This option is most useful if you want to start a 4DOS/NT window with a specific and unique .INI file. //iniline: This option tells 4DOS/NT to treat the text appearing between the // and the next space or tab as a 4NT.INI directive. The directive should be in the same format as a line in 4NT.INI, but it may not contain spaces, tabs, or comments. This option overrides any corresponding directive in your 4NT.INI file. It is a convenient way to send 4DOS/NT one or two simple directives without modifying or creating a new 4NT.INI file. /L, /LA, /LD, and /LH: These options force 4DOS/NT to use a local alias, command history, and / or directory history list. This allows you to use global lists as the default, but start a specific 4DOS/NT window with local aliases or history. See your Reference Manual for details on local and global aliases and history. /LA forces local aliases, /LD forces local directory history, /LH forces local command history, and /L forces all three. /Q: This option has no effect. It is included only for compatibility with CMD.EXE. /S: This option tells 4DOS/NT that you do not want it to set up a Ctrl-C / Ctrl-Break handler. It is included for compatibility with CMD.EXE, but it may cause the system to operate incorrectly if you use this option without other software to handle Ctrl-C and Ctrl-Break. This option should be avoided by most users. [/C | /K] command: This option tells 4DOS/NT to run a command when it starts. The command will be run after 4START has been executed and before any command prompt is displayed. It can be any valid internal or external command, batch file, or alias; you may include multiple commands by using the command separator. All other startup options must be placed before the command, because 4DOS/NT will treat characters after the command as part of the command and not as additional startup options. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 9 CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION ------------------------------------------------------------------- When the command is preceded by a /C, 4DOS/NT will execute the command and then exit and return to the parent program or the Windows NT desktop without displaying a prompt. The /K switch has no effect; using it is the same as placing the command (without a /C or /K) at the end of the startup command line. It is included only for compatibility with CMD.EXE. 4DOS/NT Help Complete on-line help for all 4DOS/NT commands and features is provided with 4DOS/NT. Help is invoked with the HELP command or the F1 key. 4DOS/NT's help text does not cover the Windows NT external commands because they are included in Windows NT's built-in Command Reference. When you start the 4DOS/NT help system, 4DOS/NT opens a new window to run the standard Windows NT help program. The help program displays the help text and lets you browse through it. If you invoke the help system from a 4DOS/NT window on the Windows NT desktop, you will be returned to that window when you close the help program. However, if you have switched the window to full-screen mode before invoking the help system, you must return to 4DOS/NT manually (using standard Windows NT methods for switching between windows). This is due to the design of Windows NT Help and is not a limitation of 4DOS/NT. You can also keep the help window on the screen and return to the 4DOS/NT window, switching between the two windows as needed. This may be useful when you are writing a batch file, working on a complex command, or experimenting with 4DOS/NT. In order for the 4DOS/NT help system to work properly, the help text file, 4NT.HLP, must be in the same directory as 4NT.EXE. If you wish, you can set up a separate object for 4DOS/NT help which can be invoked from your desktop. To do so, create an object with a command line like this: Command Line: WINHELP C:\4NT25\4NT.HLP (Change the drive and path to reflect the location of 4DOS/NT on your system.) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 10 CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4DOS/NT also supports the /? switch to display help for any command. Using /? will display help for the command using the Windows NT help system. Using 4START and 4EXIT 4DOS/NT executes two batch files automatically: 4START is run whenever 4DOS/NT starts, and 4EXIT is run whenever 4DOS/NT exits. 4START and 4EXIT can be .CMD, .BAT, or .BTM files. If you create 4START.BTM and 4EXIT.BTM files, you can use them for both 4DOS/NT and 4DOS. Use the IFF command and the %_DOS internal variable to separate commands which should be executed under only one operating system. If you prefer to use different files for 4DOS/NT and 4DOS, you can use 4START.CMD for 4DOS/NT and 4START.BAT for 4DOS. You could name your 4EXIT files similarly. You can also keep the 4START and 4EXIT files separate by placing the files for 4DOS/NT in the 4DOS/NT directory and the files for 4DOS in the 4DOS directory. If 4DOS/NT is started with the [/C] command option, 4START is executed before the command. See your Reference Manual for details on 4START and 4EXIT. If you prefer, you can create a file with a name other than 4START (for example, STARTNT.CMD) and put its name in the Parameters field for any 4DOS/NT object (see page 7). Doing so has two advantages. The file will only be started when a primary 4DOS/NT shell is started, not under a secondary shell or under 4DOS. Also, you can then use different startup files for different 4DOS/NT windows. For example, you might create a file called STARTNTA.CMD to execute commands for one window, and another file STARTNTB.CMD to execute different commands for a different window. You could then set up two objects with these settings: Command Line: C:\4NT25\4NT.EXE C:\STARTNTA.CMD Working directory: C:\ Command Line: C:\4NT25\4NT.EXE C:\STARTNTB.CMD Working directory: C:\ ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 11 Index ------------------------------------------------------------------- Index .INI file, see 4NT.INI Installation, 4 4DOS, and 4DOS/NT installation, of downloaded updates, 4 5 reversing, 6 stopping, 5 4DOS/NT desktop objects, 7 Installing 4DOS/NT, 4 windows, 7 Local and global aliases and 4EXIT, 11 histories, 9 and 4DOS, 11 Objects, see Desktop objects 4NT.INI directives, on startup Options, see Startup Options command line, 9 location of, 7, 9 Quick help, 11 reference information, 2 README.1ST file, 4 4START, 11 and 4DOS, 11 Reference information, 2 and startup command, 9 Reference Manual, 2 Alias list, local and global, 9 Startup options, 7, 8 Batch files, startup, 7 //iniline, 9 /C, 9 Command history list, local and /K, 9 global, 9 /L, /LA, /LD, and /LH, 9 /S, 9 Commands @inifile, 9 4DOS/NT startup, 7, 9 commands in, 9 help on, 10 reference information, 2 STARTUP.CMD, 11 Configuration, 7 Support, 3 Desktop objects, for 4DOS/NT, 7 Technical support, 3 Directories, for 4DOS/NT files, Uninstalling 4DOS/NT, 6 6 Windows, 4DOS/NT, 7 Directory history list, local and global, 9 Guided tour, 1 Help system, 2, 10 /? option, 11 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copr. 1995 JP Software Inc. 4DOS/NT Intro. & Install. Guide / 12