HYPERKEY.TXT HyperKey(TM) Keyboard Accelerator by HyperWare(TM) Shareware Version 4.12 Installation and User's Guide April 22, 1991 Program and Document Copyright (C) 1987-1991 by Roger Cross. HyperWare RR#1 Box 91 Pall Mall, TN 38577 Sales/Administration: (615) 864-6868 Technical Support: (615) 864-6869 FAX (Group II, III): (615) 864-6870 BBS, 8N1 (HST, V.32, V.22bis): (615) 864-6871 MasterCard / Visa / COD Cashiers Accepted Scope of This Document This document contains information on HyperWare's: Shareware License, product disclaimer, additional license plans, order methods, product line brief, company address, FAX, BBS and voice phone numbers. The balance of this document is an installation and user's guide for the HyperKey product. It outlines the procedure for installing HyperKey, and includes additional information for customization. HyperWare Shareware License Agreement This software and documentation is protected by both United States copyright law and international treaty provisions. This "Shareware" version of HyperKey is NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN NOR FREE SOFTWARE. Users are granted a limited license to make and use an evaluation copy for trial use on a private, non-commercial, non-governmental basis, for the express purpose of determining whether HyperKey is suitable for their needs. At the end of this trial period you should either register with HyperWare or discontinue using the software. You may make copies of the software and documentation only for your own use or for the use of others in conducting their own trial use, however all materials relating to this license statement, software, documentation, order information, copyright and trademark statements must remain intact as supplied in the original shareware package. You may not distribute, rent, sublicense, integrate or lease the software or the documentation. You may not alter, modify, or adapt the software or documentation, including but not limited to translating, decompiling, reverse assembling, or creating derivative works. You may not use the software in a network, timesharing, multiple CPU, or multi-user environment. What Does This Mean? If, after a reasonable trial period, you continue to use this product you should pay for the service provided by HyperWare. HyperKey is not free nor is HyperWare giving away free software. We are giving you the opportunity to try HyperKey, without risk, before you pay for it. It is just that simple. Try it; either purchase a registered license or quit using it. There is no risk or refund problems. How long is the trial period? You should be able to determine that HyperKey meets your needs within 3 months. If you require a longer period, please consider your motives: a registered license is very inexpensive. This is a great offer, there is no need to abuse it. All corporate, business, government, organization, or other entities require a commercial license! ONLY PRIVATE USE is permitted by this "Shareware" license. If you license a copy of HyperKey, you will receive a professional manual, discounts on future versions, free technical support; and a registered version of HyperKey which does not display the opening Shareware panel. In addition, your purchase will help HyperWare support, upgrade and development new products. You may make copies of the original Shareware package. The original package is archived and will fit on one 360K floppy. If you operate a BBS, please place a complete package copy in your public download sections, (BBS operators may receive a special discount if you display in your opening BBS panel that you are using HyperKey!). Disk Vendors MUST obtain written permission from HyperWare before distributing any HyperWare product. Generally, ASP approved vendors will be granted permission; others are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact HyperWare for details. HyperWare currently offers several different licenses plans: A Non-Commercial Use License is provided for direct upgrade of Shareware users; it is ideal for private users. $49.00 is a small price for the increased performance you receive! A Commercial Use License provides commercial and governmental interest with the highest performance utilities available! $69.00 is insignificant when compared to the increase in productivity HyperWare SpeedKit provides! Call your standard software supplier or order direct from HyperWare. A Commercial Site License for large commercial and governmental users can provide the most cost effective means for your organization to enjoy the benefits of using HyperKey with the minimum of cost. Site fees are based on the number of users. Special discounts are also available for Non-Profit, Educational and Charitable organizations. Call HyperWare for details. ALL PRICES, TERMS AND DISCOUNT PLANS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. Discounts are not cumulative; they apply to single orders of like products only. Unit prices are the same as for individual users. Shareware Disclaimer HyperWare specifically disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to defects in the software and documentation, and the program license granted herein in particular, and without limiting operation of the program license with respect to any particular application, use, or purpose. In no event shall HyperWare be liable for any loss of profit or damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, or consequential damages. This statement shall be construed, interpreted, and governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee. Trademark Information HyperWare, HyperKey, HyperKey, HyperScreen, Touch-Shifting and SpeedKit are trade-marks of Roger Cross. MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Windows is copyrighted by Microsoft Corporation. Qualitas and 386MAX are trademarks of Qualitas, Inc. SpeedStor is a trademark of Storage Dimensions. Disk Manager is a trademark of Ontrack Computer Systems, Inc. Other programs and/or equipment mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective publishers and/or manufacturers. Available HyperWare Products SpeedKit Version 4.21 HyperWare's family of enhancement utilities for your IBM and MS-DOS operating systems, HyperKey, HyperKey, and HyperScreen, are included in one cost effective package. HyperDisk, Version 4.21 HyperDisk is the ultimate disk caching utility that increases your computer disk drive's performance by implementing advanced features including support for Conventional, Extended, and Expanded Memory usage, interrupt-driven I/O for both read and write caching, and support for PC, XT, AT, 80386, and 80486 type computers. It also features advanced options such as Shadow RAM loading of all overhead memory. Conventional RAM requirements vary from 10K to 35K depending on the model and size of cache selected. HyperKey, Version 4.12 HyperKey is a powerful keyboard enhancement package that allows each user to customize completely all keyboard functions including type-ahead buffer, repeat rates, keyboard clicking, and Touch Shifting(TM). HyperScreen, Version 2.12 HyperScreen is a screen utility that accelerates video output in all text modes and a versatile screen blanker that supports both text modes and all graphic modes. Free with registeration. Order Information To order call or use the enclosed order form for MAIL or FAX. We accept Visa or Mastercard, company or personal check. International orders should be payable in U.S. dollars (Visa or Mastercard preferred). Orders outside Canada, Mexico or the United States should include an additional $8.00 U.S. for shipping and handling. HyperWare RR#1 Box 91 Pall Mall, TN 38577 Sales/Administration: (615) 864-6868 FAX (Group II,III): (615) 864-6870 Technical Support Registered users may obtain direct Technical Support for this product Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Central Time. Technical Support: (615) 864-6869 Registered and Non-Registered users may obtain Technical Support by accessing HyperWare's BBS or CompuServe E-Mail. BBS (USR-HST/V.32bis/V.32/V.22bis; 8N1): (615) 864-6871 CompuServe Address: 72230,2321 Hyperware's BBS Obtain the latest updates, registration information, general utilities and services. Available, online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Asynchronous format: 8 Data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit. Modem is U.S. Robotics Dual Standard, supporting: USR: HST; CCITT: V.32bis, V.32, V.22bis, V.22, V.21; Bell: 212A and 103; MNP error control protocol Service Classes 1-5. You MUST use your real name and telephone number. Chapter 1 Introduction to HyperKey HyperKey boosts performance of your PC by enhancing your keyboard. It gives you complete control over your keyboard's Typematic functions, providing Type Ahead Buffering, Typematic Pacing for instant stops while scrolling or repeating, Clicks for silent keyboards, Touch Shifting, and more. HyperKey versus BIOS Your PC has a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) that normally controls your keyboard functions. BIOS does very little to provide support for many windowing and scrolling type applications common in today's PC systems. Both the Delay to Repeat (Typematic Delay) and the Period of Repeat (Typematic Rate) are slow and cumbersome. Although PC BIOS provides a Type Ahead feature, it is a scant 15 characters. Type Ahead buffering can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. If you are waiting for a slow program to request more input, you may enter it before you are prompted, saving time when the program needs your input. However, when you are scrolling or repeating some keystroke, Type Ahead causes you to overshoot your target and then beeps incessantly as your application complains that you have exceeded its limits. HyperKey addresses all these problems. You may set the Typematic Delay and Typematic Period to any values. Type Ahead buffering provides 128 keystrokes and does not fill with repeated keys as BIOS does. The Typematic Period is paced to match your application's needs and will never overshoot or get ahead of your application. In summary, HyperKey allows your PC Keyboard to excel in speed and performance. Chapter 2 Installing HyperKey This chapter contains both the automatic and manual procedures for installing HyperKey. Before you actually install HyperKey on your system, read all of Part II of this manual and any READTHIS files on the disk. To install HyperKey, you will need: 1) One of the following computer types: IBM PC, XT, AT, Portable, PS/2 etc.; Compaq Portable, DeskPro, DeskPro II, etc.; or any other 100% IBM-compatible. If you have a near-compatible, you may be able to use HyperKey, but you should follow the more cautious installation procedure outlined in Appendix A. 2) Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system, or 100% compatible; versions 2.0 through 4.0 are acceptable. Backup Your System It is a good idea to backup your hard disk before installing any new program. This is especially true if you have a particularly complex or non-standard system. The Install Program: INST_KEY.EXE To install HyperKey on your hard disk, run the INST_KEY.EXE program. Place a backup of the HyperKey floppy in Drive A: and type the following: A:INST_KEY Note: means that you press the key. 1. You will first be asked if you want to install HyperKey. If you have a complete system backup, enter "Y". Note: When INST_KEY prompts you for a response, enter only the first letter of your choice. 2. Verify that your HyperKey floppy is in Drive A: and proceed with the installation by pressing the Space Bar. 3. You will be asked whether you want to install HyperKey as a device driver or as a TSR. We recommend the device driver method, which will use less Conventional memory. If you have DOS version 2.xx, you must use the TSR version. 4. Enter the letter of the disk drive where you plan to keep the HyperKey files. This will typically be Drive C:, but your configuration may differ. 5. You may now specify any HyperKey options. Please refer to Part III, Chapter 3, "HyperKey Parameters," before making selections. 6. Reboot your computer to complete installation of HyperKey: simultaneously press . Manual Installation For users who are familiar with the DOS operating system, this section provides a quick review of procedures to manually install HyperKey. HyperKey may be installed as an MS-DOS Device Driver or as a Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) program. Most commonly, HyperKey may be installed as a device driver, but for some near compatibles it may be necessary to install HyperKey after some other TSR that makes your system keyboard IBM compatible. If you choose the device driver method, you must include the HyperKey specification in your CONFIG.SYS file. Use a text editor to update the CONFIG.SYS file on your boot drive root directory. The HyperKey device driver definition is normally before any other device driver definition, as in the following example: CONFIG.SYS FILE --------------- device=hyperkey.exe {parameters (SEE BELOW)} . . . device=other.sys . . . The device=other.sys statement above is given as an example of other drivers, and need not be present. If you choose the TSR method, you also may run hyperkey.exe at the DOS Command prompt; alternatively, you may place the hyperkey.exe specification in your AUTOEXEC.BAT system file on your boot directory. At the DOS Command prompt enter the following: A:>hyperkey {parameters (SEE BELOW) } Chapter 3 HyperKey Parameters You control the operating characteristics of HyperKey via the command line parameters you specify in your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Parameter Definition D:nn TYPEMATIC DELAY Sets the delay time before the key repeats itself, starting from when you hold down the key, until repetition begins. Start with a value of 350. Units are in milliseconds. R:nn TYPEMATIC PERIOD Sets the minimum time between repeats of a key after the initial Typematic Delay. Smaller values repeat faster, larger values repeat more slowly. Start with a value of 30. Units in milliseconds. P:nn TYPEMATIC PITCH Allows you to decrease the TYPEMATIC PERIOD automatically after each repeated key. The value nn is subtracted from the repeat period after each repeated key. Default is 500. Units are in microseconds. S:nn TYPEMATIC SPAN Sets the number of repeat characters to be affected by the TYPEMATIC PITCH control. For example, if you select a TYPEMATIC PITCH of 500 and a TYPEMATIC SPAN of 10, each of the first 10 repeated keys will repeat faster than the previous one by 500 microseconds (1/2 millisecond), then remain constant for all keys thereafter. Default is 0 (disabled). H:nn SPAN HOLDOFF Allows you to delay the initial effects of Typematic Span function. The repeat period will remain constant for nn characters before the Span functions begin to decrease the period (increase the rate of repeats). For example, you have set the SPAN to 30 and the PITCH to 500, and now you want the first 5 characters to repeat without increasing the rate. You set the SPAN HOLDOFF to 5. Default is zero. B:b EXTENDED BUFFERING Enables HyperKey's Type Ahead buffer. B or B:+ to enable; B:- to disable. Default is enabled. Note: If after installing other enhancement products, you get two or more keys delivered for each key you strike, disable this option. B:nn EXTENDED BUFFER SIZE During installation, the size of the extended keystroke may be specified. Values for nn may range from 16 to 4096. Two bytes are required for each keystroke. Default is 128. I KEYBOARD LOCK INDICATORS Changes the Keyboard Lock Indicators, such as CapsLock and NumLock. Use the first letter of the indicator name, UPPER-CASE sets the indicator, lower-case clears the indicator. Indicators are CAPSLOCK, NUMLOCK, SCROLLLOCK and INSERTSTATE. Example: d:>HyperKey -ICNSI ;Sets all indicators. d:>HyperKey -ICn ;Sets CAPSLOCK, clears NUMLOCK. Some computers do not accept indicator changes by device drivers, therefore you may need to execute Hyperkey during AUTOEXEC.BAT initialization to change the indicators after BOOTING the machine. A:b ACTIVE Enables all HyperKey functions. A:+ to enable; A:- to disable. If you discover one of your programs is incomputable with HyperKey, you may disable it during that program's use. C:b CLICK ON MAKE Issues a "Click" when a new Key is Struck. Enter C or C:+ to enable Clicks; C:- to disable. Default is disabled. C:nn CLICK PITCH Sets the "Pitch of the Click". This function is machine speed dependent. Experiment to create the sound you find most pleasing. Default is 100. CR:b CLICK ON REPEATS Issues a "Click" on ALL Keys, new and repeated. CR:+ to enable; C:-to disable. Default is disabled. L:n CLICK PERIOD Sets length of time the "Click" sounds. Parameter is machine speed dependent. Experiment to find a pleasing value. Default is 32. T:b TOUCH SHIFTING Sets touch shifting mode. Allows you to enter a shifted keys combination serially. For example, to enter , simply press the key and release, then press the key and release. Directly speaking, Touch Shifting converts serial keying combinations to the equivalent parallel keying operation. Touch Shifting is very useful for 101 and 102 key Keyboards. T or T:+ to enable; T:- to disable. Default is disabled. OK OVERRIDE DISPLAY METHOD Allows you to select the display method. HyperKey normally displays data directly via the Video BIOS. OK or OK:+ forces I/O directly to the Video BIOS, while OK:- forces DOS I/O. Alternatively, the standard output device may be redirected to any device or file. Default is direct to Video BIOS. In the following example, HyperKey will display the report via DOS Standard Output device. C:>hyperkey OK:- In the following example, output is redirected to CON (console) device. C:>hyperkey >CON OK:nn OVERRIDE COLORS/ATTRIBUTES Allows you to select the Colors/Attributes for the Current Display. Color displays provide 16 foreground (text) colors to be applied on either 8 (CGA) or 16 (EGA/VGA) background colors. Monochrome displays provide a variety of display attributes; some allow two or more intensities, underlining, blinking, etc. For CGA displays there are 120 useful combinations and for EGA/VGA displays 240. Monochrome displays vary and are generally less than CGA. Value nn may be entered in either decimal or hexadecimal formats. Decimal example: C:>hyperkey OK:30 Hexadecimal example: C:>hyperkey OK:X1E Both examples select yellow text on blue background. Alternatively, you may select the colors manually by specifying, as in the following example: C:>hyperkey OK:0. OKC:nn OVERRIDE COLORS ONLY Same as OK:nn, except only Color Display attributes are affected. Useful for systems with both monochrome and color displays. OKM:nn OVERRIDE ATTRIBUTES ONLY Same as OK:nn, except only Monochrome Display attributes are affected. Sample Device Driver Parameter Specifications The following examples illustrate the use of device driver parameter specifications in the CONFIG.SYS file: Example 1: device=hyperkey.exe D:250 R:25 B:- With this set of parameters, the following conditions apply: The delay to repeat time is 250 milliseconds. The minimum repeat delay is 25 milliseconds. No Type Ahead buffering is provided. Example 2: device=hyperkey.exe With no parameters set, the following conditions apply: The delay to repeat time is 350 milliseconds. The minimum repeat delay is 30 milliseconds. Type Ahead buffering of up to 128 characters. Sample Terminate and Stay Resident Parameter Specifications The following examples illustrate the use of TSR parameter specifications in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file or from the command line: Example 3: D:>hyperkey D:300 R:35 B:- With this set of parameters, the following conditions apply: The delay to repeat time is 300 milliseconds. The minimum repeat delay is 35 milliseconds. No Type Ahead buffering is provided. Example 4: D:>hyperkey With no parameters set, the following conditions apply: The delay to repeat time is 350 milliseconds. The minimum repeat delay is 30 milliseconds. Type Ahead buffering of up to 128 characters. Changing HyperKey Parameters after Installation After installing HyperKey, you may alter the operating parameters by running hyperkey.exe at the DOS prompt. Only the parameters you give on the command line will be changed. For example, assume that you installed HyperKey using the device driver method and specified a Typematic Period of 25 milliseconds. Later you decide the repeat rate could be a little faster. Simply enter at the DOS prompt: D:>hyperkey R:18 HyperKey will now deliver repeat keys every 18 milliseconds. Microsoft Windows and the Keyboard When Microsoft Windows is active, keystrokes cannot be intercepted by a device driver such as HyperKey. Therefore, HyperKey is inoperative while using the Windows environment. Intel Inboard 386 If you have an Intel Inboard 386 (TM), change the order of the device drives in your CONFIG.SYS file, as follows: device = \sys\invoc.sys {Intel Inboard Driver} device = \sys\speed.sys {Intel Inboard Driver} device = \sys\hyperkey.exe D:250 R:25 . . . device = other.sys . . . Chapter 4 Error Messages HyperKey: Invalid Parameter:"UNKNOWN" HyperKey found an invalid command line parameter. Check your command line parameters against the definitions in the previous section, "HyperKey Parameters." HyperKey is installed with default settings. HyperKey: Incorrect DOS version HyperKey does not work with this Version of MS-DOS. HyperKey requires DOS version 2.0 or later. HyperKey is not loaded. Appendix A Installation of Near Compatibles For near compatibles, follow this procedure to test installation: 1. Make a complete backup of your hard disk, if you have one. 2. Put a copy of hyperkey.exe on newly formatted floppy diskette. 3. With the Diskette in drive A, enter at the DOS Prompt: A:>hyperkey 4. If everything functions normally, your compatible is "near" enough to install HyperKey on your hard disk. 5. If your near compatible requires that either a device drive or TSR be installed to emulate IBM BIOS functions, specify HyperKey immediately after the BIOS Emulator. 6. If after you have installed HyperKey (specified in either the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files) you discover some problems, you can reboot the computer and abort the installation of HyperKey by holding the and keys. For most systems you must wait to depress these keys until the system has finished initializing the keyboard, but before the system begins reading the operating system device drivers from the disk (or diskette). Generally, you can depress the shifts keys when the disk or diskette (lights) becomes active. HyperWare RR#1 Box 91 Pall Mall, TN 38577 Sales/Administration: (615) 864-6868 Technical Support: (615) 864-6869 FAX (Group II, III): (615) 864-6870 BBS, 8N1 (HST, V.32, V.22bis): (615) 864-6871