Category : Alternate Operating Systems - Quarterdeck DesqView, CP/M, etc
Archive   : PCT7.ZIP
Filename : PCTOOLS7.TEC

ID:PC Tools version 7
Quarterdeck Technical Note #206
by Myke Keefe

Following is some information that will help you optimally use
Central Point's PC Tools version 7 with Quarterdeck products.

Using PC Tools 7 with QEMM-386 5.1 - 6.0
========================================
Q: Can the PC-Tools utilities be loaded high?

A: Yes, some of them can but not all of them. QEMM-386 can load the
SWAP programs high, if you use this feature of PC Tools. This would
free up 15K of conventional memory. PC Shell and Desktop need at
least 400K to initialize before going resident.

This makes loading them high impossible because the TOTAL amount of
memory areas between 640K and 1024K is only 384K - and some of that
is always in use. See the section about DESQview for alternatives.

Deskcon, Mirror, PC-Cache, or VDEFEND can LOADHI if enough High RAM
is available.

DATAMON and COMMUTE load themselves high into UMBs if there is space
available between 640 and 1024K. This may cause problems for QEMM's
Optimize program. You can disable this feature of DATAMON with /LOW
(load in low memory) and COMMUTE /NU (no upper memory). Both Datamon
and Commute use over 300K each to initialize and will not LOADHI.

Thus, if you use them, the DATAMON and COMMUTE lines in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file should look like this...

C:\PCTOOLS\DATAMON /LOW
C:\PCTOOLS\COMMUTE /NU

After running Optimize, you can remove these parameters and let the
programs try to use their own method to load into whatever High RAM
is left over.

If you have chosen to run Shell or Desktop in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file,
they will be invoked as usual during the Optimize process. Simply
exit Shell or Desktop (the F3 Key exits) to allow Optimize to
continue.


Q: What is the best way to set up PC-Cache?

A: PC-Cache should be run in XMS Memory. This is particularly
necessary if you are a Microsoft Windows 3.0 user or using the
Stealth feature of QEMM 6.0.

If you find it necessary to run the cache in Expanded, use the QEMM
parameter DiskBuffFrame=10. (The number 10 is chosen arbitrarily;
smaller numbers increase conventional memory, whereas larger numbers
may improve performance.) This will increase QEMM's usage of
conventional memory but will allow QEMM to buffer direct writes to
the Page Frame while in Steath mode or when using Windows 3.0. PC-
Cache performs direct writes to the Page Frame.

Delayed Writes should be disabled when running Optimize or if you are
planning to use the DESQview environment. Add /WRITE=OFF to the PC-
Cache command line.


Using PC-Tools 7 with DESQview and DESQview 386
===============================================
Running PC Tools programs inside DESQview has several advantages to
using them by themselves, namely that other programs will continue to
run in background when working in PC Tools, you have the ability to
Mark and Transfer information easily between programs without having
to use the PC tools Clipboard and finally, you can have "instant"

access to other programs without having to wait for PC Tools to swap
them into and out of memory.

Q: How do I install PC-Tools in DESQview?

A: You should be able to select PC Tools Shell or PC Tools Desktop
from the "Add a Program" menu. If you are using DV 2.3 or earlier
you should run Change a Program and increase the field "Maximum
Program Memory Size" to 470.

If DESQview is your primary environment, you should stay with the
default of Text Mode, and 25 Line display.

If you have already installed PC Tools with the Graphical Fonts, you
can run PCCONFIG and select TEXT mode and 25 Lines. You can also
disable PC Tools mouse support from PCCONFIG as well, thus allowing
you to pop up the DV menu with the mouse.


Q: Why do my DV screens and borders look strange when I run PC Tools
programs?

A: PC Tools modifies the text fonts on your video graphics adapter in
a manner that DESQview cannot detect. This will alter the borders on
your DESQview windows and menus. Their alternate fonts can be
suppressed with /NF (No font switch) on the startup command line when
the programs are invoked.

For example if you find that running VIEW in a DV DOS window causes
screen fonts to change, try VIEW /NF.

Unfortunately, once the fonts have been changed in DV, you must exit
and restart DV to restore the correct fonts.

Q: Characters are blinking when I run PC Tools programs in DV. How can
I stop this from occurring?

A: If you get blinking letters after hitting the DESQ key, you can
rerun PCCONFIG and choose non-high intensity colors. The blinking
should go away when the PC Tools program is brought back to the
foreground in DV.

Or you may wish to tolerate the background blinking if you prefer
high intensity colors in the PC Tools window, and "Hide" the window
when not in use - that way you won't be distracted by the blinking.
Use the Rearrange, Hide command from the DESQview menu.

The DESQview Pallette program can be used to force DESQview to use

high intensity colors by selecting "Blink Enable" to make it stop
blinking (the two choices are to "blink" or "use high intensity
colors"). Make sure Save the Pallette setup if you want this change
to be permanent.


Q: What PC Tools programs cannot be run in DESQview?

A: PC-Format detects DV and will not run. Try FORMAT! instead as
DOS's FORMAT.COM gets renamed by PC Tools installation to
FORMAT!.COM.
COMPRESS will not run if it detects DV. Run it outside DESQview;
otherwise you might be using a file that is trying to be moved in the
compression process - this can't be done!

Q: Why did the DV mouse cursor disappear after installing PC TOOLS 7?

A: DATAMON's disk access light feature will interfere with the DV
Mouse. DV users should deactivate this feature with /LIGHT- on the
DATAMON startup command line.

For example: DATAMON /NU /LIGHT-


We hope these tips allow you to get the most out of PC Tools
utilities and Desktop. Thank You for using Quarterdeck Products!

Copyright (C) 1991 by Quarterdeck Office Systems
* * * E N D O F F I L E * * *