Category : Alternate Operating Systems - Quarterdeck DesqView, CP/M, etc
Archive   : QTEC9306.ZIP
Filename : PCKWIK.TEC

ID:PK PCs-Kwik and Quarterdeck Products
Quarterdeck Technical Note #227 Filename: PCKWIK.TEC
by Michael Chapman CompuServe: PCKWIK.ZIP
Last revised: 10 May 1993 Category: SW3


Subject: PC-Kwik Power Pak Ver. 3.00

PC-Kwik Corporation's new version of Power Pak includes many utilities
that enhance a computer's speed and efficiency. They include, from previous
versions, a keyboard accelerator (PCKKEY), a screen accelerator (PCKSCRN), a
Print Spooler (PCKSPL), a benchmark program (BENCHPCK), a keyboard buffer
expander (KEYSAVE), a memory map (PCKMAP) and the disk cache (SUPER.EXE). New
to this version is a utility called KwikBoot.

KWIKBOOT (Multiple Configuration Utility)

KwikBoot is a utility that gives the user an easy way to set up different
boot configurations for a computer and quickly choose among them when
booting. The setup program, KBSETUP allows the user to easily create, edit,
delete, and maintain multiple boot configurations. It is suggested in PC-Kwik's
documentation not to run Optimize if this program is in the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. However, we have found that there are two ways that you
can run Optimize when using KwikBoot. The first is simply to remark out the
c:\pckwik\kbsetup line, run Optimize, and then unremark it after Optimize has
completed. The second method is to run KBSETUP from the directory that you
have PowerPak installed, and go to the "Select Configuration" option (button)
on the menu. Select the single configuration you wish to Optimize. Once
optimize has completed, run KBSETUP once more, go back to the "Select
configuration" button and select "Menu".

PCKKEY (Keyboard Accelerator)

PCKKEY speeds up the rate at which characters are repeated when a key is
held down on the keyboard. The keyboard accelerator allows the user to
control the speed at which characters repeat and the response time before
repeating. A feature of the keyboard accelerator is the ReDOS Command Editor.
The ReDOS command editor saves commands typed from the DOS prompt and allows
the user to simply highlight the command to re-execute it. ReDOS should be
executed in each DV/DVX window the user wishes to run it in. A limitation is
that ReDOS may only open in two windows at a time. If a third window is
tried, an error message may appear and ReDOS will fail. At this point, simply
unload PCKKEY from one of the previous windows to run ReDOS in a subsequent
window.


PCKSCRN (Screen Accelerator)

PCKSCRN speeds up the output of text to the video screen. The effects of
this program are most noticeable when programs are run that put normal text to
the screen one line at a time, such as the DOS DIR or TYPE command. The
Screen Accelerator does not improve screen display for programs that write
directly to the screen.

PCKSCRN contains two features: the Screen Blanker and Review. Review
allows a user to scan back over directories, listings, or commands that have
already scrolled off the screen. This feature does not function in DESQview.
It will appear to work at first, but when the up-arrow key is pushed the screen
will always go to the command loaded before DESQview was started. To have
PCKSCRN function correctly in DESQview, do NOT load it beforehand in the
POWERON.BAT file. Instead, load PCKSCRN in each window. The only downside to
this is that you will have to press the Scroll Lock key every time you are at
the end of the screen.


PCKSPL (Print Spooler)

PCKSPL intercepts the data normally sent to the printer and makes a copy
of it in memory. When the data has been saved (spooled), the control returns
to the program, while the spooler runs in the background, sending data to the
printer. In DESQview, virtualization must be turned off for PCKSPL's
pop-up menu to work. This program can be loaded either before DESQview or in
a DESQview window.


KEYSAVE.SYS (Keyboard Buffer Expander)

KEYSAVE.SYS is not a utility unto itself; it is a keyboard buffer
enhancer for PCKKEY. This device driver is loaded in the CONFIG.SYS. It
CANNOT BE LOADED HIGH, either with QEMM's LOADHI.SYS or DOS 5/6's DEVICEHIGH.
In order to keep it from loading high, either temporarily REMark it out during
the Optimize procedure, or create a text file called OPTIMIZE.EXC in your QEMM
directory. In this file, place a line which says C:\PCKWIK\KEYSAVE.SYS
(substitute the appropriate drive letter and directory if your setup is
different.) This will tell Optimize to ignore this driver and not attempt to
load it high.


GENERAL NOTES ON UTILITIES

These utilities, as well as the disk cache, are in a batch file in the
PCKWIK directory called POWERON.BAT. This will load all the utilities the
user has selected during install. To unload the programs simply use the
POWEROFF.BAT file. The programs will release the memory they are using. Even
if the utilities are loaded high by QEMM instead of themselves, POWEROFF.BAT
will work, as long as they are loaded in the same order as POWERON.BAT loads
them and nothing is loaded high after them.

All the Power Pak utilities require that the disk cache be loaded in
order to function. If SUPER.EXE is not loaded, the utility will display an
error message to the effect that the disk cache is not loaded, and
the utility in question will not load.


SUPER PC-KWIK

The actual disk cache (SUPER.EXE) is automatically configured to allocate
all available memory, utilizing expanded memory (if expanded memory is present
on the machine) and dynamically allocate (lend) the memory (exPanded or
exTended) to other programs. The default is to determine the amount of memory
available to the cache, subtract the memory needed for the RAM disk, and lend
75% of the remaining amount, although this is a configurable option, using
/Lendpercent=nnnn. If this amount is set to 0, the lending feature is
disabled.

Super PC-Kwik cannot detect DPMI (DOS Protected Mode Interface) calls,
so programs that require this type of memory, whether provided via
Quarterdeck's DPMI host, QDPMI.SYS, or another DPMI host, will ultimately fail
if Super PC-Kwik is allowed to allocate all available memory. Thus, if you
have a program that requires DPMI memory (examples are Microsoft C++ 7.0,
Borland C++ 3.0), you will want to limit the cache size, using the parameter
/CacheSize=nnnn, and disable lending using the parameter /LendAmount=0.

Windows 3.x will not start in Enhanced Mode if the cache is loaded using
Expanded memory. If Windows detects the presence of the cache using expanded
memory, it will give an error message telling the user to start the cache using
extended memory before dropping to the DOS prompt. The cache can be
configured to use extended memory with dual lending features simply by using
the parameter /ExtendedMemory=yes which is the default in the PCKWIK.INI file.

DESQview/X requires this parameter as well. By contrast, DESQview works
fine whether the cache is using eXpanded or eXtended memory. If a user
insists on using expanded memory for their cache, one solution would be to
limit the amount of the cache size to all but about 4 megs of memory. Once
DESQview/X starts, the lending feature seems to work for applications inside
of it. Running with an extended cache is probably the preferred way of
running. Our experience has shown that it is best to specify the actual cache
size and to make it as small as possible for your particular needs, using
/Cachesize=nnnn when using either DV or DVX.

Loading DESQview automatically disables Advanced Support, Power Write
support, the DOS hit indicator and the DOS measurement popup. These features
are not available in DV and are restored upon exiting DV.

A most important change in this release is the parameter names. All the
parameter names are now easier to remember and use. The old parameters will
no longer work with this new version. PC-Kwik provides a utility called
"convert" which will convert calls to old parameters to new ones
automatically. Users may use the /? switch to get a thorough listing of
parameters available to each utility. Below is the /? dump for the
disk cache. In addition, parameters must be preceded with a "/" and can be
any case: upper, lower or mixed.

You can use these parameters when you load Super PC-Kwik:

/HitIndicator Enable cache hit indicator.
/ExpandedMemory Use expanded memory.
/BatchRequests Batch copy to/from cache.
/ConventionalMemory Use conventional memory.
/FDSupport Advanced support for diskette drives.
/ExtendedMemory Use extended memory.
/DiskInfo If boot sectors contradicts BIOS, use boot info.
/HDSupport Advanced support for hard-disk drives.
/DriveReport Display drive table during installation.
/PauseIfWarning Wait for keyboard response after warning messages.
/LendAmount:nnnn Lend nnnn KB to other applications.
/Popup Enable measurement popup.
/ReadWritePriority Give reads priority over writes.
/Parameters Display parameters in effect.
/QuickPrompt Quickly return DOS prompt.
/ReserveMemory:nnnn Reserve nnnn KB for applications.
/CacheSize:nnnn Allocate nnnn KB for cache.
/TrackReads Read the rest of the track.
/LoadHigh Load into UMB Memory.
/VolumeDetection Use volume change detection hardware.
/UniqueWrites Suppress redundant writes.
/ExcludeDrive:x Do not cache drive x.


There are two ways to use these parameters. Either type them from the
command line as parameters to the program being loaded, or put them in the
appropriate place in the configuration file, PCKWIK.INI. Users may have
multiple configuration files with no name limitations. To make a utility read
from a new file simply add the parameter /name_of_file to the command line.


TROUBLESHOOTING

PC-Kwik Corporation has a technical support department which stands ready
to assist you with any difficulties you may encounter with Power Pak 3.0. In
your Super PC-Kwik guide, in Section 4, you will find a comprehensive list of
items that PC-Kwik tech support will want you to have handy when you call
them. PC-Kwik Tech Support can be contacted by telephone at (503) 627-0905,
or via FAX at (503) 643-8709.

************************************************************************
* Trademarks are property of their respective owners. *
*This technical note may be copied and distributed freely as long as it*
*is distributed in its entirety and it is not distributed for profit. *
* Copyright (C) 1993 by Quarterdeck Office Systems *
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