| Topic: |
Running SOS DOS Applications under Windows
95
|
| Document: |
#711 |
| Created by: |
Seth Krieger |
| Creation date: |
10/31/97, 10:41AM |
| Last revised: |
6/9/98, 8:22PM |
Installation Notes
To install or update your SOS programs when using Windows 95,
click on Win95's START button, then PROGRAMS, then MS-DOS
PROMPT. This will drop you out to a system prompt. Once you are
at this prompt, just follow the standard installation instructions.
When you have completed the installation, type EXIT and press
<enter> to return to Windows.
Warning: DO NOT restart Win95 in MS-DOS mode in order to
do the install if you want to be able to run the programs from
within the Win95 environment! If you do, Win95's startup files will
not be modified correctly when you restart the Win95 environment.
Putting an Icon on the Win95 Desktop
Once you have the program installed and Win95 running again, you
can create a shorthand icon on your desktop to make it easy to
access the program.
- Click Start.
- Click Programs.
- Click Windows Explorer.
- Make sure that Explorer is running in a window rather than
occupying the entire screen. The next step requires that you can
see your desktop in the background. If necessary, reduce
Explorer to a window by clicking the window button in the upper
right corner of the screen. It will be just to the left of the
"X" button.
- Using Explorer, navigate to the drive and directory in which
the program is installed. (For example, assuming that the
program is on the C: drive, you would click on "C
Drive" in the left-hand list, then on the folder labeled
"OM" or "CM" in the right-hand list.)
- Find the main application program ("OM" or
"CM", for example).
- Using the left mouse button, click on the program name or
icon, drag with right button over the desktop, then release. A
window will appear click on Create Shortcut Here. Windows
will create a "Shortcut to OM" or "Shortcut to
CM" icon on the desktop.
- Right click the icon to modify the icon or other properties.
Printing Problems
Improper or Missing Printer Assignments
Printing under Windows 95 absolutely requires that every
workstation on your system have appropriate printer assignments set.
This means that there should be three assignments per workstation.
Before doing anything else, start OM and select SETUP > Printers
> Printer Assignments to confirm that your configuration
is correct. Single computer installations should have three
assignment entries for workstation 1. A network installation with
two workstations should have six assignments: three for workstation
1 and three for workstation 2. A three station network should have
nine assignments, and so on. Be sure that the port setting for each
entry is correct.
Win95's MS-DOS Spooling Setting
There have been several reports of compatibility problems between
SOS's DOS-based applications and Microsoft Windows 95. The primary
problem is a "disk read error" when attempting to print
reports, which can be eliminated by shutting off spooling for DOS
print jobs. Here is the procedure:
- Click on Start.
- Click on Settings.
- Click on Printers.
- RIGHT click on the desired printer icon.
- Click on Properties.
- Select Details.
- Select Port Settings.
- Un-check the option to spool MS-DOS print jobs.
NOTE: Some printers, such as the Hewlett Packard Office Jet
include their own printer-handling software. As a result, this
printer requires that the MS-DOS spooling option be set ON.
Cannot print to networked printer
In order to print to a printer connected to another computer on
the network, the other printer must be set up as a shared resource
on the network. Once the resource is established on the network,
each workstation that would like to use that resource must go
through Windows 95's Add Printer procedure and "capture" a
printer port, specifying that print jobs directed to that port be
redirected to the desired network resource. In Win 95, the capture
configuration is done by clicking the Capture Printer Port
button on the Details tab of the Printer Properties.
Some Win 95 systems occasionally lose their capture
settings for no apparent reason. If your network printing had been
working and suddenly stops, check the capture settings. If this
becomes a chronic problem, it is possible to create a short DOS
batch file containing the appropriate NET USE statement. Create a
shortcut to this batch file in your Win 95 Startup Folder so that it
executes every time you start your system. Here is an example of
such a batch file:
rem MAPPRN.BAT sets up access to shared printer
rem Maps LPT1: to printer named hplj4 attached to computer Judy
NET USE LPT1: \\JUDY\HPLJ4
Printer Incompatibility
OM is a DOS program and requires a printer that can be controlled
by non-Windows programs. Some manufacturers offer low-cost printers
that require Windows in order to operate. These printers can
only print from Windows programs. It doesn't matter whether OM is
run from within the Windows environment or not; it does not access
the printer in the same way that Windows programs do and will not be
able to output to these Windows-only printers. If you already own
such a printer, we suggest that you call the manufacturer to see if
there is a way to use the printer with a DOS-based program.
Delay when printing to networked printer
In the event that you experience a long delay (60 to 90 seconds)
after submitting a print job for printing on a printer attached to a
different computer, try adding or modifying the settings below.
These settings are found in \WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI.
- Load SYSTEM.INI in NotePad or WordPad (Start > Programs
> Accessories).
- Look for a section that starts with [Network] and find
the PrintBufTime setting. If it is there, change the
value to 10. If not, add the following line under [Network]:
PrintBufTime=10
- Next, look for a section that starts with [IFSMGR] and
find the PrintBufTime setting. If it is there, change the
value to 10. If not, add the following line under [IFSMGR]:
PrintBufTime=10
- The "10" in each of these settings refers to number
of seconds. If the timeout is too short, you may get partial
printjobs, or jobs that are mixed together with other jobs. If
the timeout is too long, then you end up waiting for your
printouts. Adjust this number if necessary to give you the best
results in your situation.
- Properly shutdown and restart the computer.
"Abort, Retry" messages within print
jobs
Differentiate between this printer error and the "Disk Read
Error" described above. In this case, the print job starts, but
after a few pages it stops with this error message.
"Retry" results in a few more pages, then it stops again.
This error is simply the printer telling the computer that it is
talking too fast. Making a simple adjustment in the Windows printer
properties should take care of it.
- As above, display the printer icon, then right-click and
select Properties.
- Next, select the Details tab.
- Increase the Transmission Retry value in 10 or 15
second increments until the problem goes away. Don't forget to
click OKafter making your change.
OM Environment Variables Error
The maximum PATH length for DOS, and by extension Windows 95, is
128 characters (including the "PATH " or "PATH="
at the beginning of the statement). If your PATH statement exceeds
128 characters OM often will have trouble retrieving environment
settings when running under Win95. If it cannot find an OM and OMWS
setting, it will display an error document on startup.
The only solution we have found for this problem is to reduce the
length of the path. Remove elements that are not necessary, and
consider renaming directories to shorter names. For example,
"C:\OM" is only 5 characters, but "C:\APPS\OFFCMGR"
is 15 characters. You may want to consider using the DOS SUBST
command to create shorter aliases for your longer paths.
If you continue to have problems with environment variables
disappearing even though they appear in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, try
moving the PATH line below the SET lines (or move all the SET lines
to the very beginning of the AUTOEXEC.BAT.
Other Problems
Other reports include such problems as the mouse pointer
disappearing and the computer spontaneously rebooting.
Experimentation with our in-house systems indicates that correct
setting of session properties will eliminate these remaining
problems.
Assuming that you have set up a shortcut for your SOS program,
start the program then follow the steps below to set the properties:
- If you are running the application in full-screen mode, press ae
to reduce it to a window.
- Click on the miniature icon in the top left corner to drop
down the menu.
- Click on Properties. The properties window will appear,
including five tabbed pages.
- If you are not already on the Program tab, click on it.
Then click Advanced at the bottom of the Program page.
- On the Advanced page, only one option should be checked: Prevent
MS-DOS-based programs from detecting Windows.
- Click on OK to return to the main Program page.
- Next, click on the Memory tab.
- On the Memory page,
Set Conventional Total to Auto.
Set Conventional Initial Environment to Auto.
Uncheck Conventional Protected.
Set EMS to None.
Set XMS to Auto.
Uncheck Uses HMA.
Set MS-DOS Protected Mode (DPMI) to Auto.
- Click on the Screen tab. Both options in Window
and Performance should be checked.
- Click on the Misc tab.
Allow screen saver may be checked.
Mouse is not applicable.
Uncheck Background Always suspend.
Set Idle Sensitivity to the highest position.
All Windows shortcut keys may be left checked.
- Click on OK to save the properties changes. In some
cases, changing properties may require that you reassign the
desired icon to the program.
- Exit the SOS program and restart it to enable the properties
changes.
Using Windows 95 Workstations on a Novell Network
SOS applications require that you install Novell's Client32
software on Win95's workstations. Microsoft's client for Novell
Netware does not work properly and will result in errors accessing
the SOS data files.
Novell's Client32 software is available for download from the
Novell web site (www.novell.com). Once Client32 has been installed
on the workstation, display its properties and disable the Opportunistic
Locking option. (Newer versions of the client software do not
have this option.
It is also recommended that you turn off Netware Transaction
Logging at the server unless you require this feature for some other
software that you are using. There have been reports of bogus
"invalid data file" messages when this server feature is
enabled.
There have been some reports of problems associated with Client32
version 2.11 and 2.12. It is therefore strongly recommended that you
install version 2.2 or later of Client32. The most recent versions
of Client32 are now called the "IntranetWare Client for Windows
95". If you are having any difficulty finding the Client32
software on the Novell web site, go to the knowledgebase search page
and type "2929774", which is the number of a document that
runs down the various ways to obtain the software.
The following information is from another Novell tech document (#
2934705) and concerns data corruption reported while running the
Intranetware Client 2.2 for Windows 95:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft has documented a problem with win95B and a patch that
fixes database corruption at http://premium.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q174/3/71.asp,
which suggests a new file download nrdupd.exe for their vredir.vxd
Under the IW Client Advanced Settings, are several settings where
one or more made the difference.
The following settings were made:
- Right click on Network Neighborhood, Properties, select the IW
Client for Windows 95 > Properties > Advanced Settings.
- Turn caching at the workstation off by choosing "Cache
Writes=off".
- Turn "True Commit=on"
- In some cases turning "Packet Burst=off",
"Large Internet Packets=off", "NCP Max
Timeout=60" and "Resolve Name Using Primary
Connection=on" may help as well.
- Increase the Directory Cache Buffers significantly at the
server.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Client 32 and Novell 3.1x
Older versions of Netware require that the SHORTAFX.NLM patch be
installed in order to work properly with Client32. See Novell
Knowledgebase article #2911461 for details.
Other Network Issues
Updated Network Redirector
Network activity depends on several Windows system files,
including a program known as the redirector. There is an
updated version of the redirector available from Microsoft as well
as on CompuServe and many internet sites as well as the SOS BBS
(352-242-9105), where it is saved as VRDRUPD.EXE. This newer version
resolves several bugs and incompatibilities with the earlier
versions. Downloading and running VRDRUPD.EXE will install the
updated redirector files. If you are having problems with lost
network connections, hangs, or "invalid data file"
messages that clear up by just restarting your computer, then try
updating the Win 95 redirector. To see if you are using an updated
redirector, you can use the Win95 file finder feature (Start >
Find > Files or Folders) and search for VREDIR.VXD on the drive
where Windows is installed. The updated files as of this writing
were:
|
|
File Name |
Date |
Size |
|
|
vredir.vxd |
9/11/97 |
154k |
|
|
vnetsup.vxd |
5/30/97 |
18k |
If you are using Win95 on a Windows-based network, SOS recommends
that you install this update.
Performance
File System Setting
It is always preferable to dedicate a computer as the network
server rather than using a single computer as both a server and a
workstation. In either case, the computer on which the OM files are
located should have an ample amount of RAM (32 MB or more) and a
large, fast hard disk system with plenty of available space.
Most Windows 95 computers with more than 16 MB of RAM, and
especially any Windows 95 system that is being used as a server,
should be configured as a "Network Server" rather than a
"Desktop Computer". This option is set from the System
icon in Control Panel, but the original version of Windows 95 has
some incorrect registry values that will prevent this setting from
working properly. To correct the settings, you will have to edit the
Windows 95 registry, a file that controls most everything that
Windows 95 does. Although this change is quick and easy to make,
failure to edit the registry correctly can leave your computer
unusable! You may, therefore, want to leave this to somebody who
knows what they are doing:
- Start REGEDIT from a DOS window or using Explorer or
RUN.
- Navigate down the tree to My Computer \ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
\ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ FS Template
\ Server.
- You will see two settings appear in the right-hand window.
They should read as follows, correct them if they are reversed:
|
|
NameCache |
a9 0a 00 00 |
|
|
PathCache |
40 00 00 00 |
- Having confirmed that these settings are correct, close the
registry and open the System icon in Control Panel.
- Select the Performance tab.
- Select the File System button.
- Next to Typical role of this machine, make sure the
option is set to Network server.
- Exit with OK.
Interference from HP JetAdmin Software
More and more frequently, local area networks are being installed
using the TCP/IP networking protocol rather than Novell's IPX or
Microsoft's NetBeui protocols. If your network uses TCP/IP protocol
and you have installed the Hewlett Packard JetAdmin printer control
software, there is a chance that it is congesting your network with
unnecessary messages. The latest versions of this software now come
with this feature disabled by default, but if your network seems
sluggish, you should definitely check to be sure:
- Run the JetAdmin program.
- Select the TCP/IP Discovery tab.
- Uncheck the Broadcast option.
