DOS Start! v1.9b Build 2.18.2002 Graphical DOS menuing/filing program 2002 Daniel L. Nice -------------------------------------------------------------------- This program is Shareware, if you find it useful, please send me $5. My address: Daniel L. Nice, 718 Tower Rd, Sellersville, PA 18960 U.S.A. E-mail: Dnice@icdc.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- Please e-mail me about any bugs you find! This helps me make DOS Start the best it can be. DISCLAIMER I am NOT responsible for any problems with your system resulting from the use of this program, nor am I responsible for any lost data, time, etc. To install DOSstart, run DS-SETUP.BAT. If you do not want DOSstart to be installed to C:\DOSSTART use this syntax: DS-SETUP {alternate_directory} To install DOSstart without DS-SETUP.BAT do the following: Make a directory for DOSstart (i.e. MD C:\DOSSTART). Copy all files in this archive to it. Add the directory to your path, otherwise, change to the DOSstart directory. If you are upgrading over a previous install, make sure you do not overwrite GRAPHICS.INI or DOSTART.INI. It is recommended that you back these files up on a regular basis. This version of DOS Start! was compiled on February 18, 2002. Type DOSSTART to start DOSstart at the DOS prompt. REQUIREMENTS: -An 80286 CPU is required, 486DX/33 is recommended. -You need at least 300k of free conventional memory; you will need around 550k if you run DosStart aware programs. -DosStart takes up approximately 550k of disk space, but while running it will use up to another more space for disk-swapping; how much more depends on how much data it must manage, but allow at least 2meg. -A VGA screen is required; color is recommended. -A mouse is required although many actions have keyboard equivilents -DosStart uses *extensive* disk-swapping to keep memory usage low, so a 512k or more disk-cache is highly recommended. Also, write-caching (aka "Lazy Write") is also highly recommended. -512k of Expanded memory will speed up DosStart EMM386 or QEMM will use Extended memory to emulate Expanded memory. To see if Expanded memory is available, type MEM at the DOS prompt. !WARNING! DosStart goes s-l-o-w without a disk-cache with write caching enabled! DosStart is a GUI for DOS. With it, you can launch programs and manage files. DosStart is simple enough for a novice, but also very powerful and flexible for power users. If you can't figure something out, you can ALWAYS press F1 for context-sensitive help. New users should click 'Help' when they first run DOS Start for a brief overview of the program. *New Users* DosStart uses BOTH mouse buttons. To alter something, RIGHT click it. To select something, LEFT click it. When writing DosStart, every effort was made to make it not just EASY to use, but also EFFICIENT to use, which few GUI designers consider. DosStart uses the Win9x "Start" button approach for launching programs. On this menu you can add your programs and organize them into groups. You can also add File Manager shortcuts, which allow you to access a specific area on your hardrive quickly (i.e. your wordprocessor's documents directory). Shortcuts to frequently used programs and files can be placed on the desktop. DosStart also contains a graphical File Manager. This utility not only allows you to do routine file copy/move/delete/rename operations, but it also serves as a powerful interface to your system. When properly set up with associations, File Manager can replace the DOS command-line in most cases with a consistent graphical alternative. File Manager associations are powerful! -Each program can have an indefinate number of extensions associated with it. -You can give "target" and "source" arguments (as well as a "file" argument) anywhere on the command-line to start the program. This allows the user to specify a "target directory" in the "Target" window for unzipping a ZIP file, for example. -The same extension can be associated with more than one program. Clicking both mouse buttons on a file brings up a menu of all programs for the file. DOS menu items are powerful, too! -Each item can have up to 3 commands. Anything that works from the DOS command-line is legal. -Each item can have up to 4 replacable parameters for the user to enter before the item is executed. These have user-defined prompts. -Each item has an optional unique password to restrict access to that item. DosStart uses NO MEMORY while your applications are running! Therefore, it is better than many shells that hog your precious conventional memory. Anything that runs under DOS will run under DosStart. DosStart is built to be 100% customizable. You can change the color of nearly any object by RIGHT-clicking it. The "Options" window allows even more customization. DosStart allows you to save and load color/icon schemes. The icons used for folders/drives/etc are all user-customizable, and the user my select ANY executable program for use as a screen-saver (one is provided with DosStart). DosStart can now handle multiple fonts. The font can be changed for an object just like the color--by RIGHT-clicking. DosStart uses a special format for its fonts, .DSF. For multi-user machines, DosStart has customizable Security Options. With it, you can restrict access the the File Manager, color settings, running of programs, and exiting DosStart. Also, each application on the DOS menu can have an individual password. For security purposes, DOS Start will attempt to recover from the most severe errors, rather than exit to DOS. After DOS Start! is installed, click 'Help' (or press F1) for a brief overview. If you have any questions, comments, problems, or suggestions please call or write to: Daniel L. Nice 718 Tower Rd Sellersville, PA 18960 U.S.A. Email: Dnice@icdc.com WWW: http://www.icdc.com/~dnice AIM: danielnice DosStart was written exclusivly in Microsoft BASIC PDS 7.1.