Dec 082017
 
Excellent Utility to Popup any program --uses less than 16k memory.

Full Description of File


PopUp, v.1.12 -- Turn any normal DOS program
into a TSR.


File POPUP112.ZIP from The Programmer’s Corner in
Category Utilities for DOS and Windows Machines
Excellent Utility to Popup any program –uses less than 16k memory.
File Name File Size Zip Size Zip Type
FILE_ID.DIZ 59 59 stored
HOTKEY.EXE 10881 10519 deflated
INSTALL.EXE 16588 16137 deflated
MANUAL.DOC 45740 12241 deflated
MEM.EXE 4136 3913 deflated
POPITUP.EXE 9389 9060 deflated
POPUP.EXE 27365 26816 deflated
README.1ST 1365 696 deflated

Download File POPUP112.ZIP Here

Contents of the MANUAL.DOC file


PopUp, v.1.12 -- Turn any normal DOS program
into a TSR.


















P O P U P

Version 1.12


By


RC Software
































Copyright (c) 1991, 92 RC Software








Table of Contents






Legalities


Introduction 1


Hardware and Software Requirements 3


Installation 4


Loading PopUp into Memory 5


Using PopUp 6


Memory and Disk Considerations 7


Command-line Options 9


Command-line Option Summary 14


Sample Option Configurations 15


General Configuration Tips 17


Limitations 18


Utilities 19
Hotkey
PopItUp


Glossary 21

















Legalities

Shareware

PopUp is distributed using the Shareware method of marketing
quality software products at reasonable prices. The Shareware
concept allows you to use PopUp for upto 30 days to ascertain it's
usefulness to you, after which you are expected to either become a
registered user, or discontinue use of the software. Hopefully,
you will find that PopUp is a worthwhile investment, and you
decide to become a registered user by sending $29.00 (N.Y.
residents please add $1.81 for sales tax) to:

RC Software
38-150 Old Route 9W
New Windsor, N.Y. 12553

As a registered user, you will receive:

o The right to continue using PopUp,
o The latest version of PopUp,
o A nicely printed user manual,
o A free upgrade to the next version of PopUp when it
becomes available, and
o Technical support via Compuserve (72320,2356) and America
Online (RussC2).

When you send in your registration fee, please indicate which size
diskette (3.5-inch or 5.25-inch) you would like.

Please feel free to distribute copies of PopUp, as long as they
are complete and unmodified, and you don't charge a duplication
fee any greater than $4.00.

If you distribute PopUp as part of a program which you sell, you
must register each copy of PopUp prior to distribution. Volume
discounts and site licenses are available.


Copyright Notice

This software and accompanying documentation are copyright (c)
1991, 92 by RC Software. All rights are reserved.


Liability Limitation

RC Software does not assume any liability for the use of PopUp
beyond the original purchase price of the software. In no event
will RC Software be liable to you for additional damages,
including, but not limited to, any lost profits, lost savings or
other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of or inability to use this program, even if RC Software has been
advised of the possibility of such damages.

By using this software, you agree to the terms of this section.
If you do not agree, you should immediately cease to use PopUp,
and return the entire PopUp package for a refund.








License Agreement

You are hereby granted a limited license to evaluate PopUp for a
period not to exceed 30 days. Please refer to the section
"Shareware", above.


Trademarks

All RC Software products are trademarks or registered trademarks
of RC Software. Other brand and product names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.


Reporting Problems

If you encounter any problems with PopUp which you think might be
a bug, please report it to us at the address above, or send us a
message on Compuserve or America Online.















































Introduction


What Is PopUp?

PopUp is a memory-resident program that allows you to make any
normal DOS program memory-resident, and therefore accessible at
anytime regardless of the program you are currently using. You
can even make DOS itself memory-resident and popup DOS anytime you
want.

Once PopUp is loaded into memory, by default it is invoked with
- (the plus sign on the numeric keypad). This can be
changed using the -H command-line option.


PopUp's Capabilities

PopUp can provide large amounts of free memory when popped up,
thereby allowing you to run large programs from within PopUp.
Also, using command options, you can turn any program into a TSR
(a memory-resident program)! See Command-line Options and
Configuration Tips for more on how to do this.


PopUp's main features include:

o it can make any normal program a TSR. If you want to make
Procomm RAM-resident, go ahead!

o it only uses 6K of conventional memory, regardless of the
amount of memory you ask it to make available for running
programs!

o it can popup over any text-mode screen; 25-line (the usual
setting for most people), 43-line (EGA), and 50-line (VGA)
display modes are supported.

o it can use just about any type of media to store itself;
EMS memory, XMS memory, RAM-disk, or hard disk.

o it can free large amounts of memory even when all of your
memory is currently being used. PopUp can free much more
memory than typical DOS shells.

o it can act as a DOS shell for programs that lack one of
their own.

o using command-line options, you can load multiple copies of
PopUp, each with a different hotkey. This allows you to have
multiple programs ready to popup.


How PopUp Works

PopUp works by storing the contents of the memory your current
program is using to XMS (extended memory), EMS (expanded memory),
a RAM-disk installed in any type of memory, or a hard disk. The


-
PopUp User's Guide 1




memory it frees is then available for you to load and run just
about any program you would like, including DOS.

When you are done running the "popped up" program, PopUp reverses
it's steps and restores your original program.























































-
PopUp User's Guide 2




Hardware and Software Requirements


PopUp's hardware requirements are:

a. IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or 100% compatible machine.

b. A hard disk.

c. Optional: extended memory (XMS), or expanded memory (EMS
3.2 or greater), or a RAM-disk installed in any type of
memory.


PopUp's software requirement is:

a. DOS 3.0 or greater.


As you have no doubt noticed, PopUp is not very particular about
your machine configuration. The main requirement is that there is
some media which PopUp can use to store itself, hence hardware
requirement b. above. If you have XMS memory, EMS memory, or a
RAM-disk in any type of memory, PopUp can take full advantage of
these, and you will be rewarded with exceptionally fast operation
of PopUp.


































-
PopUp User's Guide 3




Installation


Installation of PopUp is extremely simple.

a. Place the PopUp distribution diskette in your floppy drive,
type "INSTALL", and press [Return].

b. Select the drive letter of the drive you would like to
install PopUp on. Note that a hard disk is required.

c. Enter a directory name where PopUp's files should be
copied, or just press [Return] to use the default directory
name of d:\POPUP, where d: is the drive you selected in
step b.

The INSTALL program will now create the indicated directory and
copy all the files from the distribution diskette to your hard
disk.

INSTALL will make the PopUp drive and directory the current
default.






































-
PopUp User's Guide 4




Loading PopUp into Memory


To load PopUp into memory, first make sure that the default drive
and directory are where PopUp resides. Then load PopUp using the
following command:

POPUP [command options]

Typically, you will use a set of commands such as in this example:

POPUP -CC:\PATH\PROGNAME.EXE -M450 -PC:\ -HA:P

This example tells PopUp to run the program PROGNAME.EXE when it
pops up (which resides on the C: drive in the directory PATH),
make 450K of memory available for running PROGNAME.EXE, to store
itself in the root directory of drive C: if there is insufficient
XMS and/or EMS memory to do so, and to popup using the hotkey
-

.

Alternatively, you might choose to load PopUp to simply provide a
DOS shell (make DOS memory-resident). You could use a command such
as this to do so:

POPUP -M100 -PC:\ -HAC:D

This tells PopUp to make 100K of memory available when it is
popped up, to store itself in the root directory of drive C: if
there is insufficient XMS and/or EMS memory to do so, and to popup
using the hotkey --. Note that the absence of the -C
command is what tells PopUp to make DOS memory-resident.

See "Command Options" for a more complete description of the
available options. These options are very important to understand
since they are the key to getting the most out of PopUp.

























-
PopUp User's Guide 5




Using PopUp


Once loaded, to invoke PopUp simply press - (the plus
sign on the numeric keypad). If you used the -H command option to
change the hotkey, use the hotkey you specified.

If you didn't use a -C command option when you loaded PopUp you
will go directly to the DOS prompt (in effect, you have made DOS
memory-resident). When you have finished running programs from
the DOS prompt, type "exit" to return to your original program.

If you did use a -C command option when you loaded PopUp, the
program you named will be immediately executed when PopUp pops-up.
In fact, you won't actually see PopUp at all. When you are done
with the "PopUp" program, exit it as you normally would and you
will immediately return to your original program.

There are some practical limitations to what you can run as a
"PopUp" program. You must not specify a program that is already a
TSR (such as Sidekick) with the -C command option. Furthermore,
if you make DOS memory-resident with PopUp, and you load a RAM-
resident program at the DOS prompt, you must unload that RAM-
resident program before you use "exit" to return to your original
program. PopUp assumes that it will be able to recover all of the
memory that the "PopUp" program used. If a RAM-resident program
is left in memory when you attempt to return to your original
program, your PC will almost definitely lockup.

The other main limitation is how much memory is available when
PopUp is invoked. By default, PopUp will give you 30K of
available RAM to run the "PopUp" program in. This is really only
enough memory to run some simple DOS commands; most programs
require more memory. You may increase this amount by using the -M
parameter described below.

























-
PopUp User's Guide 6




Memory and Disk Considerations


There are five intertwined issues that relate to PopUp's memory
and disk usage:

o what type of medium will be used to store most of PopUp;
XMS memory, EMS memory, or disk (RAM-disk or a physical hard
disk),

o the data transfer speed of that medium,

o the available space on that medium,

o using 1 or 2 files to store PopUp, and

o how much RAM you would like PopUp to free when it's popped-
up.


Storage Medium

By default, if sufficient space is detected, PopUp will allocate
space for itself in the following order: XMS, EMS, and disk (which
includes RAM-disks). This behavior can be modified using the -E,
-O, and -X command options. The -P command option allows you to
select which disk and the directory path (RAM-disks included) to
use if the file(s) will be stored on a disk.


Storage Medium Speed

In order of fastest to slowest data transfer "speed", the various
mediums rank as follows: XMS, EMS, RAM-disk, disk. XMS, EMS, and
RAM-disks are all very fast as compared to a hard disk, but there
is a noticeable difference between XMS and EMS. If you have the
option, always use XMS for PopUp storage.


Available Medium Space

What PopUp considers sufficient space for itself can vary. If
PopUp will be using two files (the default setting), sufficient
space will be about twice the amount of RAM PopUp will free (30K
by default), plus the amount of RAM PopUp needs to run in (approx.
twice the size of POPUP.EXE). If you use one storage file (using
the -1 parameter), this number shrinks to just the amount of RAM
PopUp will free plus the RAM PopUp needs to run in.

Note that using a single storage file is only valid for XMS or
disk (including RAM-disks). PopUp will let you know if there
isn't enough space for the file(s).








-
PopUp User's Guide 7




Using One Storage File or Two

As indicated above, one consideration for choosing to use one
storage file instead of two is that of media space. The other
consideration is that of popup/popdown speed. Using two files is
noticeably faster than using one. However, the amount of RAM you
set PopUp to free, the media type, and the amount of the media
which is available will determine just what the speed penalty of
using one file is. If all else fails, try using one file (using
the -1 option). If it's too slow for your liking, go back to
using two.

Again, note that using a single file is only valid for XMS or disk
(including RAM-disks).


How Much RAM PopUp Will Free

As indicated in the section on the -M option, you may increase the
amount of RAM PopUp will free as you see fit, upto the available
RAM when PopUp is first loaded (minus the RAM PopUp needs to run
itself in). Keeping the memory size small presents no particular
problem, except that you won't be able to run very large programs
from within PopUp.

However, when increasing the memory size, remember that the
storage file(s) that are written to the media will be larger,
thereby taking up more space. Also, the time it takes for PopUp
to popup and popdown will increase. On the other hand, if you're
trying to make a particular program memory-resident, you'll have
to tell PopUp to free at least enough memory for the program to
run in.

If you have plenty of XMS, EMS, a large RAM-disk, or a very fast
hard disk with plenty of free space, or you just aren't too
concerned with a little longer popup/popdown time, by all means
increase the memory that PopUp will free.

To maximize the amount of RAM that can be made available, load
PopUp before other memory-resident programs (like Sidekick).
Remember, when popped-up, at most PopUp will only be able to free
as much memory as was available when PopUp was loaded. The only
stipulation is that you must load it AFTER all drivers, especially
LAN and MOUSE drivers.
















-
PopUp User's Guide 8




Command-line Options


Command-line options are parameters that follow PopUp when you
load it into memory. These options allow you to tell PopUp what
you want it to do.


-1 Syntax: -1

This command tells PopUp to use a single storage file
instead of two. There are some advantages and disadvantages
to doing this. If you setup PopUp to store itself to a hard
disk, using one file will cut PopUp's disk space
requirements in half, but it will take quite a bit longer
for PopUp to popup (and popdown). However, if PopUp will be
swapping to fast XMS or a RAM-disk, the 50% cut in memory
requirement is a very welcome compromise since the
performance degradation will be slight.

Note that the -1 command increases PopUp's conventional
memory size by 4K (to 10K).

This parameter does not have any effect when swapping to
EMS.

See the section "Memory and Disk Considerations".


-4 Syntax: -4

PopUp will normally only popup over 25-line text mode
screens. However, using this command-line option allows
PopUp to also popup over 43-line (EGA) and 50-line (VGA)
text mode screens.


-A Syntax: -A

When PopUp uses a hard disk as it's storage medium, it
normally creates it's storage files as hidden files. If you
would prefer to have these storage files written to disk as
normal "archive" files, use this command option. Just be
sure not to delete these files while PopUp is loaded in
memory!


-C Syntax: -C

Example: -CC:\NORTON\NE.COM

-C"C:\HELLO.BAT JOHN"

By default, PopUp will make DOS memory-resident (you will
see the DOS prompt when it is popped-up).

This command option allows you to specify a particular
program to be executed automatically when you invoke PopUp.


-
PopUp User's Guide 9




You may specify any .EXE, .COM, or .BAT file.

The first example above would load and run the program
NE.COM, which is in the directory \NORTON. Note that you
must give the full path and filename of the program,
including the extension.

The second example shows how to enter the name of a program
that requires command-line parameters of it's own. Simply
enclose the entire command within double quotes. In this
example, the batch file HELLO.BAT will be executed with a
command-line parameter of JOHN.

Caution: never specify a RAM-resident program with the -C
option. If you do, your PC will lockup as soon as you press
the hotkey.


-D Syntax: -D

Normally, PopUp doesn't load a second copy of COMMAND.COM
under which to execute a program you may have specified with
the -C parameter, unless you have specified a batch file. If
you happen to know that the program you have specified with
the -C command requires it's own copy of COMMAND.COM to
execute properly, use this parameter.


-E Syntax: -E

PopUp's normal order of preference for storage file space is
XMS, then EMS, and finally disk (RAM-disk or normal).

This command tells PopUp NOT to use EMS to store itself,
even if you have enough EMS RAM to do so. You might want to
do this if you have another program which needs most or all
of your EMS RAM. If you use this command, PopUp will only
use XMS memory or disk to store itself.

See -X to disable use of XMS memory.


-H Syntax: -H:

Example: -HA:Z

-HACL:#84

PopUp's default hotkey is - (the plus sign on
the numeric keypad).

This command option allows you to set the hotkey that PopUp
will use.

The characters between the -H and the colon indicate the
shift key(s) to be used:




-
PopUp User's Guide 10




A = Alt key
C = Ctrl key
L = Left Shift key
R = Right Shift key
N = None

You may use any combination of the first four shift key
identifiers that you like, and you may specify them in any
order.

The no shift key ('N') identifier is a special case. Be very
careful when using it, since it results in a single-key
hotkey (the hotkey will consist entirely of the key you
specify after the colon; see below). The 'N' should not be
mixed with any of the other shift key identifiers.

The character (or number) following the colon indicates the
character key you will use in combination with the shift key
sequence. You may express the character in two ways; enter
the character directly, as in the first example, or enter a
'#' followed by the ASCII value for the character, as in the
second example.

In the first example the hotkey is -, while the
second example shows the hotkey as ---
.


-L Syntax: -L

When you press a hotkey, PopUp normally clears the screen
before popping up. If you would prefer that the screen not
be cleared, use this command option.


-M Syntax: -M

Example: -M200

By default, PopUp will free 30K when popped up. This
command allows you to set the amount of RAM (in K) that
PopUp will make available when you pop it up. The example
above would tell PopUp to make 200K (approx.) available when
you pop it up. Obviously, this means you can run larger
programs from PopUp.

It is very important that you use this command when you use
the -C command. You must tell PopUp how much memory the
program specified in the -C command will need.

Note that PopUp cannot free more RAM than is available at
the time it is loaded (not popped-up). If you specify a
number larger than the RAM available at load-time, PopUp
will adjust the number downward to make as much RAM
available as possible.





-
PopUp User's Guide 11




-N Syntax: -N

When PopUp is popping up or down, it normally displays a one
line message at the bottom of your screen telling you that
it is "swapping" itself. This is done so that if PopUp
takes more than a brief moment to popup or popdown, you have
an indicator that it is doing something.

This command option allows you to disable this message if
you find it annoying.

Note that if PopUp determines that the popping-up and
popping-down processes will occur quickly enough, it will
disable the "swapping" message itself.


-O Syntax: -O

As mentioned above, PopUp's normal preference for storage
space is XMS, then EMS, and finally disk. This command
option tells PopUp to use EMS over XMS for the storage
file(s), if sufficient EMS is available. In effect, this
command changes the order of preference to EMS, XMS, then
disk.


-P Syntax: -P

Example: -PD:\

This command option allows you to specify the path where
PopUp will store itself, if it doesn't find enough XMS or
EMS memory to do so (or you've disabled use of XMS and/or
EMS). You must specify a drive and directory, but no
filename. If PopUp determines that it must use a disk for
storage space, and you haven't specified where the file(s)
should be placed, PopUp will put the file(s) in the same
directory as the PopUp program file (POPUP.EXE).

(See Memory and Disk Considerations, above).


-S Syntax: -S

Example: -SPROGNAME

By default, PopUp's signature is "PopUp".

This command allows you to set the signature for a
particular loading of PopUp. The only time you need to
specify a new signature is if you are going to make the same
program memory-resident (via the -C command) more than once.
Each time you load the program, after the first, you must
specify a unique 1 to 8 character signature. The signature
must follow the same rules as for a DOS-legal filename.
This also applies if you are going to install multiple "DOS
shells" (no -C command).



-
PopUp User's Guide 12




Note that if you specify a signature upon loading of PopUp,
the correct signature must be specified on the command-line
to unload the same installation of PopUp.

The signature is used to locate a particular copy of PopUp
in memory.


-U Syntax: -U

This command unloads PopUp from memory (and deletes the swap
files, or releases any allocated XMS or EMS memory) if it is
possible. If other RAM-resident programs have been loaded
after PopUp, it won't be possible. That is a limitation of
DOS.

If you specified a command to execute upon popup (-C
command), you must also specify it when unloading PopUp.
However, if you specified a signature (-S command), include
that command instead.


-X Syntax: -X

As mentioned above, PopUp's normal order of preference for
storage space is XMS, then EMS, and finally disk.
This command option tells PopUp not to use XMS memory for
storage, even if sufficient XMS memory is available.


-? Syntax: -?

This command option causes PopUp to display a brief listing
of the available command options. PopUp will not load into
memory if this command is used.

























-
PopUp User's Guide 13




Command-line Option Summary


Option Syntax Definition

-1 -1 Use 1 storage file instead of 2.
-4 -4 Enables 43/50-line display support.
-A -A Create storage file(s) as "archive"
files.
-C -C
program name> program upon popup.
-D -D Load a second copy of DOS before
executing a program specified with the
-C parameter.
-E -E Disable use of EMS for storage
file(s).
-H -H
: Change PopUp's
hotkey.
-L Disable clearing of the screen upon
popping up.
-M -M Set how much RAM PopUp will make
available when popped-up. Default is
30K.
-N -N Disable swapping message.
-O -O Make EMS preferred over XMS for
storage file(s).
-P -P Set the path
where PopUp should store itself.
-S -S Change PopUp's
signature.
-U -U Unload PopUp, if possible.
-X -X Disable use of XMS for storage
file(s).
-? -? Displays brief command option list.


























-
PopUp User's Guide 14




Sample Option Configurations


Below are some hypothetical PopUp usage situations and possible
PopUp option configurations to address them. When you determine
the best option sequence for a particular use of PopUp, you will
probably want to put the PopUp load command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file.

1. Given: a PC with 640K of memory and a hard disk (C:), you
would like to have PopUp provide you with the
capability to access DOS and use any DOS commands
from within any program.

Answer: DOS commands generally don't require large amounts of
memory in which to run. The main exceptions are
CHKDSK, DISKCOPY and XCOPY, which work best with lots
of free memory. Assuming you can do without these
commands, try loading PopUp with this command:

POPUP -m40 -pc:\

This tells PopUp to provide 40K of free memory, and
to place the storage files in the root directory on
drive C if PopUp doesn't find enough XMS or EMS for
storage (which it won't in this example).

2. Given: a 286, 386, or 486 PC with 2MB of RAM and a hard
disk, you would like to make Professional Write (a
word processor) memory-resident.

Answer: The first thing you need to do is establish how your
extended memory (the 2nd megabyte of memory) will be
accessed; as XMS, EMS, or a RAM-disk. If your PC
uses the Chips and Technologies chip set (check your
users manual), or a similar chip set, then it very
likely came with a utility to setup that portion of
memory as EMS.

Alternatively, you could use a XMS driver called
HIMEM.SYS to make your extended memory accessible as
XMS. HIMEM.SYS can be downloaded from Compuserve and
many other bulletin board systems.

Finally, DOS 3.3 includes a device driver called
VDISK.SYS that you can use to establish a RAM-disk in
extended memory.

When deciding which method to use, remember that XMS
is fastest, then EMS, then RAM-disks, although
they're all pretty fast.

The following commands would suit each situation
best:

XMS:

POPUP -m450 -cc:\pwrite\pw.com -hac:p -1 -n


-
PopUp User's Guide 15




These command options tell PopUp to free 450K of
memory when popped up, execute pw.com upon popup,
popup when --

is pressed, use one swap
file, and to disable the "Swapping..." message during
popping up and popping down.

EMS:

POPUP -m450 -cc:\pwrite\pw.com -hac:p -n

The only difference between this list of command
options for EMS and the ones for XMS is that the -1
option is not available when using EMS.

RAM-Disk:

POPUP -m450 -cc:\pwrite\pw.com -hac:p -n -pd:\

These command options are very similar to the ones
for EMS, except that the path for the RAM-disk (drive
D: in this example) has been specified as the media
for the storage files.

3. Given: a PC of any type, which is connected to a Novell
Netware LAN, and you use cc:Mail (an electronic mail
program for LANs). You like to use the TSR version of
the cc:Mail program for it's convenience, but after
you load the network drivers and cc:Mail, you don't
have enough free memory to run your database or word
processing programs. What do you do?

Answer: Use PopUp to make the normal (non-TSR) version of the
cc:Mail program memory resident. Not only will it
only use 6K of conventional memory (compared to 70K-
100K for the TSR version), but the normal version is
more feature-rich!

Somewhere in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file you probably have
some statements such as:

IPX
NET3

These commands load the drivers that allow you to use
the LAN. When you add a line to make cc:Mail memory-
resident with PopUp, make sure you add it AFTER the
LAN driver statements. You might also have a LAN
driver called NETBIOS in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Make sure this command also appears before you load
PopUp to make cc:Mail resident.










-
PopUp User's Guide 16




General Configuration Tips


1. Never load PopUp after Sidekick, Sidekick Plus, or Sidekick
2.0. Although PopUp contains some special code to deal with
being loaded after Sidekick, it is nevertheless inadvisable to
do so.

2. If PopUp will be storing itself in XMS, EMS, or on a RAM-disk,
use the -N command.

3. Under any of the following conditions try the -1 command:

- the storage file will be stored in XMS,
- less than 350K will be freed by PopUp and the storage
file will be stored on a RAM-disk, or
- less than 100K will be freed by PopUp and the storage
file will be stored on a hard disk.

4. If you have a 386 or 486-based PC, purchase and use an
expanded memory manager such as QEMM from Quarterdeck. A
memory manager such as QEMM can provide XMS and EMS from the
same pool of memory, thereby allowing all programs to use
their preferred type of memory.

5. If you will be loading multiple copies of PopUp into memory
(to make different programs memory resident, usually), don't
forget to give each copy of PopUp a different hotkey using the
-H command option.

6. If you will be loading multiple copies of PopUp to run the
same program (or just DOS), make sure you give the second and
subsequent copies unique signatures using the -S command
option.


























-
PopUp User's Guide 17




Limitations


Since PopUp must interact with your system at a very low level,
and given the variety of software available, there is always a
small chance that PopUp will not work from within a particular
application due to the manner in which the application was
written. If PopUp detects one of these situations, it will beep
(and possibly display an error window) and refuse to popup.



















































-
PopUp User's Guide 18




Utilities


Hotkey

Hotkey is a very simple utility to help you with setting up the -H
command option. If you decide to use the "#ASCII Value" option for
specifying the second portion of the hotkey, Hotkey can provide
you with the ASCII value for the key you want to use.

To use Hotkey, simply enter "HOTKEY" at the DOS prompt and press
[Return]. Hotkey will display some instructions. Now press the key
you want the ASCII value for, and it will be displayed in a small
window. If you would like the ASCII value for another key, press
[Return] to repeat the process. Otherwise, press [ESC] to exit
back to DOS.


PopItUp

Normally, the only way to get PopUp to popup is for you to press
it's hotkey on the keyboard (- by default). However,
the ability to have a program or batch file make PopUp popup is
useful too. Most RAM-resident programs have no way to accomplish
this feat. Not so with PopUp!

Once you have a copy of PopUp loaded in memory, simply run
PopItUp, and PopUp will popup. If you specified a program for
PopUp to run upon popping up (using the -C command option), use a
command option of the program name (without the drive, directory,
and file extension) with PopItUp. If you gave PopUp a new
signature (using the -S command option), use the signature
instead. See the example below.

If you are having a little difficulty thinking of where you might
want to use such a feature, consider this example:

Suppose you use a communications program which has the capability
of integrating an external word processor. Let's assume you want
to use Professional Write. Typically, the way you integrate two
programs like this is to specify what program the communications
program should run when you select "Word Processor" from a menu.
For Professional Write you would have it run PW.COM.

Most likely, the communications program will only be able to give
you 300K or less of memory in which to run your external word
processor. Unfortunately, Professional Write requires at least
440K to run. What do you do?

Make Professional Write memory-resident with PopUp, that's what!
Then have the communications program run POPITUP.EXE instead of
PW.COM when you select "Word Processor", causing Professional
Write to popup. POPITUP will run in just 8K of memory!







-
PopUp User's Guide 19




Specifically, you would want a command similar to the following in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to make Professional Write memory-resident:

POPUP -CC:\PW\PW.COM -M450

You would tell your communications program to run:

POPITUP PW


If you need to have the communications program pass some command-
line parameter(s) to Professional Write, such as the name of an
existing file you want to edit, you would simply tack them on the
end of the PopItUp command:

POPITUP PW FILE.TXT

Note: If you have loaded a copy of PopUp into memory without using
a -C command (so PopUp will function as a DOS shell), and
you want to have PopItUp make it popup and run a particular
program immediately, run PopItUp like this (continuing with
the Professional Write theme):

POPITUP - C:\PW\PW.COM

The hyphen is used to tell PopItUp that you didn't load the
resident copy of PopUp with a -C or -S command option.


































-
PopUp User's Guide 20




Glossary


EMS Expanded Memory Specification. This type of memory
can be used in PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or compatible
computers. Memory outside of the upto 1MB of
conventional memory is switched in and out of a
selected memory region (the "page frame") between
the 640K and 1MB memory boundaries. The EMS
specification provides a standard programming
interface for the manipulation of these memory
pages.

Hotkey A TSR or Swapping TSR is "popped-up" using a
Hotkey. A Hotkey is usually a combination of a
shift-type key (Alt, Ctrl, LeftShift, RightShift)
and a normal letter, number, or symbol key. For
example, by default PopUp's Hotkey is -
(the plus sign on the numeric keypad).

Swapping TSR A swapping TSR is a RAM-resident program which only
occupies a small region of memory when not active.
Upon activation, the TSR copies the region of
memory it needs for it's own use to a storage
media, and then copies itself into that now vacant
memory. Upon exit from the swapping TSR, the
events are reversed and the original program is
restored to exactly the point at which it was
interrupted. PopUp is an example of a Swapping
TSR. See TSR below.

TSR Terminate-and-Stay-Resident program. A TSR is a
RAM-resident program that may be used at any time,
regardless of the current application you might be
using. A TSR occupies a certain amount of memory
at all times.

XMS eXtended Memory Specification. This type of memory
can be used in PC's based on '286, '386, and '486
processors. Extended memory is the region of
memory above the 1MB boundary which can only be
directly addressed in the protected mode offered by
these processors. The XMS specification provides a
standard manner in which to allocate and deallocate
extended memory, thereby eliminating conflicts
between XMS-compliant programs.














-
PopUp User's Guide 21




Contents of the README.1ST file


PopUp, v.1.12 -- Turn any normal DOS program
into a TSR.


















P O P U P

Version 1.12


By


RC Software
































Copyright (c) 1991, 92 RC Software








Table of Contents






Legalities


Introduction 1


Hardware and Software Requirements 3


Installation 4


Loading PopUp into Memory 5


Using PopUp 6


Memory and Disk Considerations 7


Command-line Options 9


Command-line Option Summary 14


Sample Option Configurations 15


General Configuration Tips 17


Limitations 18


Utilities 19
Hotkey
PopItUp


Glossary 21

















Legalities

Shareware

PopUp is distributed using the Shareware method of marketing
quality software products at reasonable prices. The Shareware
concept allows you to use PopUp for upto 30 days to ascertain it's
usefulness to you, after which you are expected to either become a
registered user, or discontinue use of the software. Hopefully,
you will find that PopUp is a worthwhile investment, and you
decide to become a registered user by sending $29.00 (N.Y.
residents please add $1.81 for sales tax) to:

RC Software
38-150 Old Route 9W
New Windsor, N.Y. 12553

As a registered user, you will receive:

o The right to continue using PopUp,
o The latest version of PopUp,
o A nicely printed user manual,
o A free upgrade to the next version of PopUp when it
becomes available, and
o Technical support via Compuserve (72320,2356) and America
Online (RussC2).

When you send in your registration fee, please indicate which size
diskette (3.5-inch or 5.25-inch) you would like.

Please feel free to distribute copies of PopUp, as long as they
are complete and unmodified, and you don't charge a duplication
fee any greater than $4.00.

If you distribute PopUp as part of a program which you sell, you
must register each copy of PopUp prior to distribution. Volume
discounts and site licenses are available.


Copyright Notice

This software and accompanying documentation are copyright (c)
1991, 92 by RC Software. All rights are reserved.


Liability Limitation

RC Software does not assume any liability for the use of PopUp
beyond the original purchase price of the software. In no event
will RC Software be liable to you for additional damages,
including, but not limited to, any lost profits, lost savings or
other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of or inability to use this program, even if RC Software has been
advised of the possibility of such damages.

By using this software, you agree to the terms of this section.
If you do not agree, you should immediately cease to use PopUp,
and return the entire PopUp package for a refund.








License Agreement

You are hereby granted a limited license to evaluate PopUp for a
period not to exceed 30 days. Please refer to the section
"Shareware", above.


Trademarks

All RC Software products are trademarks or registered trademarks
of RC Software. Other brand and product names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.


Reporting Problems

If you encounter any problems with PopUp which you think might be
a bug, please report it to us at the address above, or send us a
message on Compuserve or America Online.















































Introduction


What Is PopUp?

PopUp is a memory-resident program that allows you to make any
normal DOS program memory-resident, and therefore accessible at
anytime regardless of the program you are currently using. You
can even make DOS itself memory-resident and popup DOS anytime you
want.

Once PopUp is loaded into memory, by default it is invoked with
- (the plus sign on the numeric keypad). This can be
changed using the -H command-line option.


PopUp's Capabilities

PopUp can provide large amounts of free memory when popped up,
thereby allowing you to run large programs from within PopUp.
Also, using command options, you can turn any program into a TSR
(a memory-resident program)! See Command-line Options and
Configuration Tips for more on how to do this.


PopUp's main features include:

o it can make any normal program a TSR. If you want to make
Procomm RAM-resident, go ahead!

o it only uses 6K of conventional memory, regardless of the
amount of memory you ask it to make available for running
programs!

o it can popup over any text-mode screen; 25-line (the usual
setting for most people), 43-line (EGA), and 50-line (VGA)
display modes are supported.

o it can use just about any type of media to store itself;
EMS memory, XMS memory, RAM-disk, or hard disk.

o it can free large amounts of memory even when all of your
memory is currently being used. PopUp can free much more
memory than typical DOS shells.

o it can act as a DOS shell for programs that lack one of
their own.

o using command-line options, you can load multiple copies of
PopUp, each with a different hotkey. This allows you to have
multiple programs ready to popup.


How PopUp Works

PopUp works by storing the contents of the memory your current
program is using to XMS (extended memory), EMS (expanded memory),
a RAM-disk installed in any type of memory, or a hard disk. The


-
PopUp User's Guide 1




memory it frees is then available for you to load and run just
about any program you would like, including DOS.

When you are done running the "popped up" program, PopUp reverses
it's steps and restores your original program.























































-
PopUp User's Guide 2




Hardware and Software Requirements


PopUp's hardware requirements are:

a. IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or 100% compatible machine.

b. A hard disk.

c. Optional: extended memory (XMS), or expanded memory (EMS
3.2 or greater), or a RAM-disk installed in any type of
memory.


PopUp's software requirement is:

a. DOS 3.0 or greater.


As you have no doubt noticed, PopUp is not very particular about
your machine configuration. The main requirement is that there is
some media which PopUp can use to store itself, hence hardware
requirement b. above. If you have XMS memory, EMS memory, or a
RAM-disk in any type of memory, PopUp can take full advantage of
these, and you will be rewarded with exceptionally fast operation
of PopUp.


































-
PopUp User's Guide 3




Installation


Installation of PopUp is extremely simple.

a. Place the PopUp distribution diskette in your floppy drive,
type "INSTALL", and press [Return].

b. Select the drive letter of the drive you would like to
install PopUp on. Note that a hard disk is required.

c. Enter a directory name where PopUp's files should be
copied, or just press [Return] to use the default directory
name of d:\POPUP, where d: is the drive you selected in
step b.

The INSTALL program will now create the indicated directory and
copy all the files from the distribution diskette to your hard
disk.

INSTALL will make the PopUp drive and directory the current
default.






































-
PopUp User's Guide 4




Loading PopUp into Memory


To load PopUp into memory, first make sure that the default drive
and directory are where PopUp resides. Then load PopUp using the
following command:

POPUP [command options]

Typically, you will use a set of commands such as in this example:

POPUP -CC:\PATH\PROGNAME.EXE -M450 -PC:\ -HA:P

This example tells PopUp to run the program PROGNAME.EXE when it
pops up (which resides on the C: drive in the directory PATH),
make 450K of memory available for running PROGNAME.EXE, to store
itself in the root directory of drive C: if there is insufficient
XMS and/or EMS memory to do so, and to popup using the hotkey
-

.

Alternatively, you might choose to load PopUp to simply provide a
DOS shell (make DOS memory-resident). You could use a command such
as this to do so:

POPUP -M100 -PC:\ -HAC:D

This tells PopUp to make 100K of memory available when it is
popped up, to store itself in the root directory of drive C: if
there is insufficient XMS and/or EMS memory to do so, and to popup
using the hotkey --. Note that the absence of the -C
command is what tells PopUp to make DOS memory-resident.

See "Command Options" for a more complete description of the
available options. These options are very important to understand
since they are the key to getting the most out of PopUp.

























-
PopUp User's Guide 5




Using PopUp


Once loaded, to invoke PopUp simply press - (the plus
sign on the numeric keypad). If you used the -H command option to
change the hotkey, use the hotkey you specified.

If you didn't use a -C command option when you loaded PopUp you
will go directly to the DOS prompt (in effect, you have made DOS
memory-resident). When you have finished running programs from
the DOS prompt, type "exit" to return to your original program.

If you did use a -C command option when you loaded PopUp, the
program you named will be immediately executed when PopUp pops-up.
In fact, you won't actually see PopUp at all. When you are done
with the "PopUp" program, exit it as you normally would and you
will immediately return to your original program.

There are some practical limitations to what you can run as a
"PopUp" program. You must not specify a program that is already a
TSR (such as Sidekick) with the -C command option. Furthermore,
if you make DOS memory-resident with PopUp, and you load a RAM-
resident program at the DOS prompt, you must unload that RAM-
resident program before you use "exit" to return to your original
program. PopUp assumes that it will be able to recover all of the
memory that the "PopUp" program used. If a RAM-resident program
is left in memory when you attempt to return to your original
program, your PC will almost definitely lockup.

The other main limitation is how much memory is available when
PopUp is invoked. By default, PopUp will give you 30K of
available RAM to run the "PopUp" program in. This is really only
enough memory to run some simple DOS commands; most programs
require more memory. You may increase this amount by using the -M
parameter described below.

























-
PopUp User's Guide 6




Memory and Disk Considerations


There are five intertwined issues that relate to PopUp's memory
and disk usage:

o what type of medium will be used to store most of PopUp;
XMS memory, EMS memory, or disk (RAM-disk or a physical hard
disk),

o the data transfer speed of that medium,

o the available space on that medium,

o using 1 or 2 files to store PopUp, and

o how much RAM you would like PopUp to free when it's popped-
up.


Storage Medium

By default, if sufficient space is detected, PopUp will allocate
space for itself in the following order: XMS, EMS, and disk (which
includes RAM-disks). This behavior can be modified using the -E,
-O, and -X command options. The -P command option allows you to
select which disk and the directory path (RAM-disks included) to
use if the file(s) will be stored on a disk.


Storage Medium Speed

In order of fastest to slowest data transfer "speed", the various
mediums rank as follows: XMS, EMS, RAM-disk, disk. XMS, EMS, and
RAM-disks are all very fast as compared to a hard disk, but there
is a noticeable difference between XMS and EMS. If you have the
option, always use XMS for PopUp storage.


Available Medium Space

What PopUp considers sufficient space for itself can vary. If
PopUp will be using two files (the default setting), sufficient
space will be about twice the amount of RAM PopUp will free (30K
by default), plus the amount of RAM PopUp needs to run in (approx.
twice the size of POPUP.EXE). If you use one storage file (using
the -1 parameter), this number shrinks to just the amount of RAM
PopUp will free plus the RAM PopUp needs to run in.

Note that using a single storage file is only valid for XMS or
disk (including RAM-disks). PopUp will let you know if there
isn't enough space for the file(s).








-
PopUp User's Guide 7




Using One Storage File or Two

As indicated above, one consideration for choosing to use one
storage file instead of two is that of media space. The other
consideration is that of popup/popdown speed. Using two files is
noticeably faster than using one. However, the amount of RAM you
set PopUp to free, the media type, and the amount of the media
which is available will determine just what the speed penalty of
using one file is. If all else fails, try using one file (using
the -1 option). If it's too slow for your liking, go back to
using two.

Again, note that using a single file is only valid for XMS or disk
(including RAM-disks).


How Much RAM PopUp Will Free

As indicated in the section on the -M option, you may increase the
amount of RAM PopUp will free as you see fit, upto the available
RAM when PopUp is first loaded (minus the RAM PopUp needs to run
itself in). Keeping the memory size small presents no particular
problem, except that you won't be able to run very large programs
from within PopUp.

However, when increasing the memory size, remember that the
storage file(s) that are written to the media will be larger,
thereby taking up more space. Also, the time it takes for PopUp
to popup and popdown will increase. On the other hand, if you're
trying to make a particular program memory-resident, you'll have
to tell PopUp to free at least enough memory for the program to
run in.

If you have plenty of XMS, EMS, a large RAM-disk, or a very fast
hard disk with plenty of free space, or you just aren't too
concerned with a little longer popup/popdown time, by all means
increase the memory that PopUp will free.

To maximize the amount of RAM that can be made available, load
PopUp before other memory-resident programs (like Sidekick).
Remember, when popped-up, at most PopUp will only be able to free
as much memory as was available when PopUp was loaded. The only
stipulation is that you must load it AFTER all drivers, especially
LAN and MOUSE drivers.
















-
PopUp User's Guide 8




Command-line Options


Command-line options are parameters that follow PopUp when you
load it into memory. These options allow you to tell PopUp what
you want it to do.


-1 Syntax: -1

This command tells PopUp to use a single storage file
instead of two. There are some advantages and disadvantages
to doing this. If you setup PopUp to store itself to a hard
disk, using one file will cut PopUp's disk space
requirements in half, but it will take quite a bit longer
for PopUp to popup (and popdown). However, if PopUp will be
swapping to fast XMS or a RAM-disk, the 50% cut in memory
requirement is a very welcome compromise since the
performance degradation will be slight.

Note that the -1 command increases PopUp's conventional
memory size by 4K (to 10K).

This parameter does not have any effect when swapping to
EMS.

See the section "Memory and Disk Considerations".


-4 Syntax: -4

PopUp will normally only popup over 25-line text mode
screens. However, using this command-line option allows
PopUp to also popup over 43-line (EGA) and 50-line (VGA)
text mode screens.


-A Syntax: -A

When PopUp uses a hard disk as it's storage medium, it
normally creates it's storage files as hidden files. If you
would prefer to have these storage files written to disk as
normal "archive" files, use this command option. Just be
sure not to delete these files while PopUp is loaded in
memory!


-C Syntax: -C

Example: -CC:\NORTON\NE.COM

-C"C:\HELLO.BAT JOHN"

By default, PopUp will make DOS memory-resident (you will
see the DOS prompt when it is popped-up).

This command option allows you to specify a particular
program to be executed automatically when you invoke PopUp.


-
PopUp User's Guide 9




You may specify any .EXE, .COM, or .BAT file.

The first example above would load and run the program
NE.COM, which is in the directory \NORTON. Note that you
must give the full path and filename of the program,
including the extension.

The second example shows how to enter the name of a program
that requires command-line parameters of it's own. Simply
enclose the entire command within double quotes. In this
example, the batch file HELLO.BAT will be executed with a
command-line parameter of JOHN.

Caution: never specify a RAM-resident program with the -C
option. If you do, your PC will lockup as soon as you press
the hotkey.


-D Syntax: -D

Normally, PopUp doesn't load a second copy of COMMAND.COM
under which to execute a program you may have specified with
the -C parameter, unless you have specified a batch file. If
you happen to know that the program you have specified with
the -C command requires it's own copy of COMMAND.COM to
execute properly, use this parameter.


-E Syntax: -E

PopUp's normal order of preference for storage file space is
XMS, then EMS, and finally disk (RAM-disk or normal).

This command tells PopUp NOT to use EMS to store itself,
even if you have enough EMS RAM to do so. You might want to
do this if you have another program which needs most or all
of your EMS RAM. If you use this command, PopUp will only
use XMS memory or disk to store itself.

See -X to disable use of XMS memory.


-H Syntax: -H
:

Example: -HA:Z

-HACL:#84

PopUp's default hotkey is - (the plus sign on
the numeric keypad).

This command option allows you to set the hotkey that PopUp
will use.

The characters between the -H and the colon indicate the
shift key(s) to be used:




-
PopUp User's Guide 10




A = Alt key
C = Ctrl key
L = Left Shift key
R = Right Shift key
N = None

You may use any combination of the first four shift key
identifiers that you like, and you may specify them in any
order.

The no shift key ('N') identifier is a special case. Be very
careful when using it, since it results in a single-key
hotkey (the hotkey will consist entirely of the key you
specify after the colon; see below). The 'N' should not be
mixed with any of the other shift key identifiers.

The character (or number) following the colon indicates the
character key you will use in combination with the shift key
sequence. You may express the character in two ways; enter
the character directly, as in the first example, or enter a
'#' followed by the ASCII value for the character, as in the
second example.

In the first example the hotkey is -, while the
second example shows the hotkey as ---
.


-L Syntax: -L

When you press a hotkey, PopUp normally clears the screen
before popping up. If you would prefer that the screen not
be cleared, use this command option.


-M Syntax: -M

Example: -M200

By default, PopUp will free 30K when popped up. This
command allows you to set the amount of RAM (in K) that
PopUp will make available when you pop it up. The example
above would tell PopUp to make 200K (approx.) available when
you pop it up. Obviously, this means you can run larger
programs from PopUp.

It is very important that you use this command when you use
the -C command. You must tell PopUp how much memory the
program specified in the -C command will need.

Note that PopUp cannot free more RAM than is available at
the time it is loaded (not popped-up). If you specify a
number larger than the RAM available at load-time, PopUp
will adjust the number downward to make as much RAM
available as possible.





-
PopUp User's Guide 11




-N Syntax: -N

When PopUp is popping up or down, it normally displays a one
line message at the bottom of your screen telling you that
it is "swapping" itself. This is done so that if PopUp
takes more than a brief moment to popup or popdown, you have
an indicator that it is doing something.

This command option allows you to disable this message if
you find it annoying.

Note that if PopUp determines that the popping-up and
popping-down processes will occur quickly enough, it will
disable the "swapping" message itself.


-O Syntax: -O

As mentioned above, PopUp's normal preference for storage
space is XMS, then EMS, and finally disk. This command
option tells PopUp to use EMS over XMS for the storage
file(s), if sufficient EMS is available. In effect, this
command changes the order of preference to EMS, XMS, then
disk.


-P Syntax: -P

Example: -PD:\

This command option allows you to specify the path where
PopUp will store itself, if it doesn't find enough XMS or
EMS memory to do so (or you've disabled use of XMS and/or
EMS). You must specify a drive and directory, but no
filename. If PopUp determines that it must use a disk for
storage space, and you haven't specified where the file(s)
should be placed, PopUp will put the file(s) in the same
directory as the PopUp program file (POPUP.EXE).

(See Memory and Disk Considerations, above).


-S Syntax: -S

Example: -SPROGNAME

By default, PopUp's signature is "PopUp".

This command allows you to set the signature for a
particular loading of PopUp. The only time you need to
specify a new signature is if you are going to make the same
program memory-resident (via the -C command) more than once.
Each time you load the program, after the first, you must
specify a unique 1 to 8 character signature. The signature
must follow the same rules as for a DOS-legal filename.
This also applies if you are going to install multiple "DOS
shells" (no -C command).



-
PopUp User's Guide 12




Note that if you specify a signature upon loading of PopUp,
the correct signature must be specified on the command-line
to unload the same installation of PopUp.

The signature is used to locate a particular copy of PopUp
in memory.


-U Syntax: -U

This command unloads PopUp from memory (and deletes the swap
files, or releases any allocated XMS or EMS memory) if it is
possible. If other RAM-resident programs have been loaded
after PopUp, it won't be possible. That is a limitation of
DOS.

If you specified a command to execute upon popup (-C
command), you must also specify it when unloading PopUp.
However, if you specified a signature (-S command), include
that command instead.


-X Syntax: -X

As mentioned above, PopUp's normal order of preference for
storage space is XMS, then EMS, and finally disk.
This command option tells PopUp not to use XMS memory for
storage, even if sufficient XMS memory is available.


-? Syntax: -?

This command option causes PopUp to display a brief listing
of the available command options. PopUp will not load into
memory if this command is used.

























-
PopUp User's Guide 13




Command-line Option Summary


Option Syntax Definition

-1 -1 Use 1 storage file instead of 2.
-4 -4 Enables 43/50-line display support.
-A -A Create storage file(s) as "archive"
files.
-C -C
program name> program upon popup.
-D -D Load a second copy of DOS before
executing a program specified with the
-C parameter.
-E -E Disable use of EMS for storage
file(s).
-H -H
: Change PopUp's
hotkey.
-L Disable clearing of the screen upon
popping up.
-M -M Set how much RAM PopUp will make
available when popped-up. Default is
30K.
-N -N Disable swapping message.
-O -O Make EMS preferred over XMS for
storage file(s).
-P -P Set the path
where PopUp should store itself.
-S -S Change PopUp's
signature.
-U -U Unload PopUp, if possible.
-X -X Disable use of XMS for storage
file(s).
-? -? Displays brief command option list.


























-
PopUp User's Guide 14




Sample Option Configurations


Below are some hypothetical PopUp usage situations and possible
PopUp option configurations to address them. When you determine
the best option sequence for a particular use of PopUp, you will
probably want to put the PopUp load command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file.

1. Given: a PC with 640K of memory and a hard disk (C:), you
would like to have PopUp provide you with the
capability to access DOS and use any DOS commands
from within any program.

Answer: DOS commands generally don't require large amounts of
memory in which to run. The main exceptions are
CHKDSK, DISKCOPY and XCOPY, which work best with lots
of free memory. Assuming you can do without these
commands, try loading PopUp with this command:

POPUP -m40 -pc:\

This tells PopUp to provide 40K of free memory, and
to place the storage files in the root directory on
drive C if PopUp doesn't find enough XMS or EMS for
storage (which it won't in this example).

2. Given: a 286, 386, or 486 PC with 2MB of RAM and a hard
disk, you would like to make Professional Write (a
word processor) memory-resident.

Answer: The first thing you need to do is establish how your
extended memory (the 2nd megabyte of memory) will be
accessed; as XMS, EMS, or a RAM-disk. If your PC
uses the Chips and Technologies chip set (check your
users manual), or a similar chip set, then it very
likely came with a utility to setup that portion of
memory as EMS.

Alternatively, you could use a XMS driver called
HIMEM.SYS to make your extended memory accessible as
XMS. HIMEM.SYS can be downloaded from Compuserve and
many other bulletin board systems.

Finally, DOS 3.3 includes a device driver called
VDISK.SYS that you can use to establish a RAM-disk in
extended memory.

When deciding which method to use, remember that XMS
is fastest, then EMS, then RAM-disks, although
they're all pretty fast.

The following commands would suit each situation
best:

XMS:

POPUP -m450 -cc:\pwrite\pw.com -hac:p -1 -n


-
PopUp User's Guide 15




These command options tell PopUp to free 450K of
memory when popped up, execute pw.com upon popup,
popup when --

is pressed, use one swap
file, and to disable the "Swapping..." message during
popping up and popping down.

EMS:

POPUP -m450 -cc:\pwrite\pw.com -hac:p -n

The only difference between this list of command
options for EMS and the ones for XMS is that the -1
option is not available when using EMS.

RAM-Disk:

POPUP -m450 -cc:\pwrite\pw.com -hac:p -n -pd:\

These command options are very similar to the ones
for EMS, except that the path for the RAM-disk (drive
D: in this example) has been specified as the media
for the storage files.

3. Given: a PC of any type, which is connected to a Novell
Netware LAN, and you use cc:Mail (an electronic mail
program for LANs). You like to use the TSR version of
the cc:Mail program for it's convenience, but after
you load the network drivers and cc:Mail, you don't
have enough free memory to run your database or word
processing programs. What do you do?

Answer: Use PopUp to make the normal (non-TSR) version of the
cc:Mail program memory resident. Not only will it
only use 6K of conventional memory (compared to 70K-
100K for the TSR version), but the normal version is
more feature-rich!

Somewhere in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file you probably have
some statements such as:

IPX
NET3

These commands load the drivers that allow you to use
the LAN. When you add a line to make cc:Mail memory-
resident with PopUp, make sure you add it AFTER the
LAN driver statements. You might also have a LAN
driver called NETBIOS in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Make sure this command also appears before you load
PopUp to make cc:Mail resident.










-
PopUp User's Guide 16




General Configuration Tips


1. Never load PopUp after Sidekick, Sidekick Plus, or Sidekick
2.0. Although PopUp contains some special code to deal with
being loaded after Sidekick, it is nevertheless inadvisable to
do so.

2. If PopUp will be storing itself in XMS, EMS, or on a RAM-disk,
use the -N command.

3. Under any of the following conditions try the -1 command:

- the storage file will be stored in XMS,
- less than 350K will be freed by PopUp and the storage
file will be stored on a RAM-disk, or
- less than 100K will be freed by PopUp and the storage
file will be stored on a hard disk.

4. If you have a 386 or 486-based PC, purchase and use an
expanded memory manager such as QEMM from Quarterdeck. A
memory manager such as QEMM can provide XMS and EMS from the
same pool of memory, thereby allowing all programs to use
their preferred type of memory.

5. If you will be loading multiple copies of PopUp into memory
(to make different programs memory resident, usually), don't
forget to give each copy of PopUp a different hotkey using the
-H command option.

6. If you will be loading multiple copies of PopUp to run the
same program (or just DOS), make sure you give the second and
subsequent copies unique signatures using the -S command
option.


























-
PopUp User's Guide 17




Limitations


Since PopUp must interact with your system at a very low level,
and given the variety of software available, there is always a
small chance that PopUp will not work from within a particular
application due to the manner in which the application was
written. If PopUp detects one of these situations, it will beep
(and possibly display an error window) and refuse to popup.



















































-
PopUp User's Guide 18




Utilities


Hotkey

Hotkey is a very simple utility to help you with setting up the -H
command option. If you decide to use the "#ASCII Value" option for
specifying the second portion of the hotkey, Hotkey can provide
you with the ASCII value for the key you want to use.

To use Hotkey, simply enter "HOTKEY" at the DOS prompt and press
[Return]. Hotkey will display some instructions. Now press the key
you want the ASCII value for, and it will be displayed in a small
window. If you would like the ASCII value for another key, press
[Return] to repeat the process. Otherwise, press [ESC] to exit
back to DOS.


PopItUp

Normally, the only way to get PopUp to popup is for you to press
it's hotkey on the keyboard (- by default). However,
the ability to have a program or batch file make PopUp popup is
useful too. Most RAM-resident programs have no way to accomplish
this feat. Not so with PopUp!

Once you have a copy of PopUp loaded in memory, simply run
PopItUp, and PopUp will popup. If you specified a program for
PopUp to run upon popping up (using the -C command option), use a
command option of the program name (without the drive, directory,
and file extension) with PopItUp. If you gave PopUp a new
signature (using the -S command option), use the signature
instead. See the example below.

If you are having a little difficulty thinking of where you might
want to use such a feature, consider this example:

Suppose you use a communications program which has the capability
of integrating an external word processor. Let's assume you want
to use Professional Write. Typically, the way you integrate two
programs like this is to specify what program the communications
program should run when you select "Word Processor" from a menu.
For Professional Write you would have it run PW.COM.

Most likely, the communications program will only be able to give
you 300K or less of memory in which to run your external word
processor. Unfortunately, Professional Write requires at least
440K to run. What do you do?

Make Professional Write memory-resident with PopUp, that's what!
Then have the communications program run POPITUP.EXE instead of
PW.COM when you select "Word Processor", causing Professional
Write to popup. POPITUP will run in just 8K of memory!







-
PopUp User's Guide 19




Specifically, you would want a command similar to the following in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to make Professional Write memory-resident:

POPUP -CC:\PW\PW.COM -M450

You would tell your communications program to run:

POPITUP PW


If you need to have the communications program pass some command-
line parameter(s) to Professional Write, such as the name of an
existing file you want to edit, you would simply tack them on the
end of the PopItUp command:

POPITUP PW FILE.TXT

Note: If you have loaded a copy of PopUp into memory without using
a -C command (so PopUp will function as a DOS shell), and
you want to have PopItUp make it popup and run a particular
program immediately, run PopItUp like this (continuing with
the Professional Write theme):

POPITUP - C:\PW\PW.COM

The hyphen is used to tell PopItUp that you didn't load the
resident copy of PopUp with a -C or -S command option.


































-
PopUp User's Guide 20




Glossary


EMS Expanded Memory Specification. This type of memory
can be used in PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or compatible
computers. Memory outside of the upto 1MB of
conventional memory is switched in and out of a
selected memory region (the "page frame") between
the 640K and 1MB memory boundaries. The EMS
specification provides a standard programming
interface for the manipulation of these memory
pages.

Hotkey A TSR or Swapping TSR is "popped-up" using a
Hotkey. A Hotkey is usually a combination of a
shift-type key (Alt, Ctrl, LeftShift, RightShift)
and a normal letter, number, or symbol key. For
example, by default PopUp's Hotkey is -
(the plus sign on the numeric keypad).

Swapping TSR A swapping TSR is a RAM-resident program which only
occupies a small region of memory when not active.
Upon activation, the TSR copies the region of
memory it needs for it's own use to a storage
media, and then copies itself into that now vacant
memory. Upon exit from the swapping TSR, the
events are reversed and the original program is
restored to exactly the point at which it was
interrupted. PopUp is an example of a Swapping
TSR. See TSR below.

TSR Terminate-and-Stay-Resident program. A TSR is a
RAM-resident program that may be used at any time,
regardless of the current application you might be
using. A TSR occupies a certain amount of memory
at all times.

XMS eXtended Memory Specification. This type of memory
can be used in PC's based on '286, '386, and '486
processors. Extended memory is the region of
memory above the 1MB boundary which can only be
directly addressed in the protected mode offered by
these processors. The XMS specification provides a
standard manner in which to allocate and deallocate
extended memory, thereby eliminating conflicts
between XMS-compliant programs.














-
PopUp User's Guide 21



******************** Welcome to PopUp, Ver. 1.12! ***********************

Could you use a simple and effective program that can turn ANY normal
DOS program into a TSR (a memory resident program)? If so, PopUp is
for you. PopUp is distributed using the popular Shareware method. Please
read the manual for more information about registering your copy of PopUp.

Changes in version 1.12 include:

o The ability to disable clearing of the screen when popping up.

o Corrects some bugs which were in all previous versions. Most
notably, problems with the command option used to set the hotkey
(-H) have been fixed.

Contained in the Zip file you have downloaded are the following files:

POPUP EXE - The main PopUp program.
INSTALL EXE - The PopUp installation program.
POPITUP EXE - A utility that allows a batch file or program make PopUp
popup.
HOTKEY EXE - A utility to help you with setting the PopUp hotkey.
MEM EXE - A very simple utility to tell you how much free memory is
available.
MANUAL DOC - The PopUp manual.
README 1ST - This file.


To print the manual, type the following command at the DOS prompt and
press [Enter]:

C>COPY MANUAL.DOC PRN




PopUp, Copyright (c) 1991, 92 RC Software



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