------------------------------------------------------------------------ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT FOXPRO FOR WINDOWS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Remember that information in online help is the most current information available. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sample Files ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sample files are included with FoxPro for Windows. These files are in the \GOODIES directory and are installed in a compressed form to save you hard disk space. To unpack these files, open the File Manager and double-click on ALLUNPAK.BAT in the FOXPROW\GOODIES directory. Note: You may use the bitmaps in GOODIES\BITMAPS or modified versions of them in your applications. However, you are not allowed to make and sell copies of the bitmaps in GOODIES\BITMAPS or any portion of them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DDEExecute( ) Correction ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The syntax for DDEExecute( ) is incorrect on page L3-363 of the Language Reference manual and in the help file. The correct syntax is: DDEExecute(, [, ]) where is the name of a user-defined function (UDF). There is no format parameter in this command. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Installation Questions and Answers ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overview of Questions 1 What is the easiest way to install FoxPro on a network? 2 What kind of "rights" do I need to install FoxPro on the network? 3 Why are workstation users on our network unable to use the graphing and spelling-checker features in FoxPro? 4 During installation I was asked to select either DOS-style keystrokes or Windows-style keystrokes. Which should I choose? 5 What is the minimum files setting for FoxPro for Windows? 6 Does FoxPro for Windows update any Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) in the Windows subdirectory where system files are kept? 7 I accidentally deleted some of the FoxPro sample files. Can I reinstall these files without reinstalling FoxPro? 8 I am having difficulty reading the FoxPro disks because of an alignment problem with my floppy drives. Is there another option for installation? 9 I'm trying to install FoxPro for Windows under Windows 3.0 and I'm getting the message "cannot write VER.DLL". Any suggestions? 10 I'm having difficulty installing FoxPro. I've tried streamlining both my CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT and I still can't install FoxPro for Windows. 11 Can I put a common WIN.INI file up on the server? 12 What is the best way to edit the WIN.INI file? 13 If I modify my WIN.INI file, is it advisable to restart Windows? 14 Can I delete the directory named ~msstfqf.t? 15 I get the error message "Insufficient Memory" when trying to load FoxPro for Windows. What setting needs to be modified? 16 I am running with 4 MB of RAM. How large a swap file do I need? 17 If I am running with 5 MB or more of RAM, how large a swap file do I need? 18 When using my Lantastic network card, why do I always get a memory conflict when loading FoxPro for Windows? 19 When using a Paradise driver, why do I get a memory conflict when trying to load FoxPro for Windows? 20 When I use QEMM386 memory manager with FoxPro for Windows, why do I get a memory conflict? 21 When I use the Mach32 video card with my Gateway 2000, why do I get a General Protection Fault in module MACH32.DRV at 0003:0E22? 22 I understand that a number of video drivers do not work properly with FoxPro for Windows. Why is this and what steps should I take to resolve the situation? 23 I occasionally experience problems when trying to open more than 15 tables at one time. What could be wrong? 24 I'm running Windows for Workgroups. Do I need to load SHARE? 25 Where does FoxPro create its temporary files? 26 I frequently use the RUN command to change drives and directories within an application. Why isn't this working in FoxPro for Windows? 27 Why isn't FoxPro registered in REG.DAT within Windows? 28 Why doesn't the value returned by SYS(2010) match the number of FILES specified in the CONFIG.SYS file? 29 What memory allocation options are available with the PIF settings? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 1 What is the easiest way to install FoxPro on a network? Answer 1 In a network environment you must first install FoxPro on the server and then set up each workstation. Installation on the server is called an Administrative Setup (/A). This option decompresses all FoxPro for Windows files and Setup files. FoxPro for Windows files will be read- only on the network drive. To perform an Administrative Setup, Choose Run... from the Windows Program Manager File menu. When the Run dialog appears, type a:\SETUP /A or b:\SETUP /A (depending on the floppy drive you are using) in the Command Line box. Press Enter and proceed with the installation. You will be prompted for your user information and an installation directory, default drive, path name, etc. For more detailed information refer to the Instructions for Administrative Setup in the Installation and Configuration guide for FoxPro for Windows. Installation on individual workstations is called Workstation Setup (/N) and requires a previous Administrative Setup. The Workstation Setup copies FoxPro initialization files, updates some common .DLL files, and creates a Program Manager group and an icon on each workstation to run a shared network version of FoxPro for Windows. The workstation setup may be performed in two ways: from the network or from disk. To install from a network drive, open the Windows File Manager and then open a window with the correct network path for FoxPro for Windows and double-click on SETUP.EXE. Choose the Workstation Installation button in the Installation Type dialog. To install from disk, type a:\SETUP /N or b:\SETUP /N in the Run dialog Command Line box, then press Enter. For more detailed information refer to the Instructions for Workstation Setup in the Installation and Configuration guide for FoxPro for Windows. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 2 What kind of "rights" do I need to install FoxPro on the network? Answer 2 You will need full system rights to install on the network. Contact your system administrator for further information about your specific installation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 3 Why are workstation users on our network unable to use the graphing and spelling-checker features in FoxPro? Answer 3 Workstation users need access to the MSGRAPH and PROOF subdirectories in order to use these features. Contact your system administrator regarding user access to these subdirectories. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 4 During installation I was asked to select either DOS-style keystrokes or Windows-style keystrokes. Which should I choose? Answer 4 If you are not sure which style to use, select Windows-style keystrokes. Windows-style keystrokes correspond to standard Windows keystrokes. DOS-style keystrokes let FoxPro for Windows behave like FoxPro for MS-DOS. Later, if you want to use DOS-style keystrokes, add the line KEYCOMP=DOS to your CONFIG.FPW files. For more information about the styles of keystrokes, see the SET KEYCOMP TO command in the FoxPro Language Reference manual or online help. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 5 What is the minimum files setting for FoxPro for Windows? Answer 5 The minimum FILES setting is 40. During installation, Setup checks your CONFIG.SYS file. If your FILES setting is less than 40, a dialog gives you three choices: have Setup make the modifications for you, have Setup make the modifications after you have reviewed and edited the changes, or allow you to make the modifications later. If you allow Setup to modify your CONFIG.SYS, your old file is saved as CONFIG.OLD or CONFIG.001 if CONFIG.OLD already exists. For more information, see the chapter on Customizing FoxPro in the Installation and Configuration guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 6 Does FoxPro for Windows update any Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) in the Windows subdirectory where system files are kept? Answer 6 Yes. The following DLLs are updated: COMMDLG.DLL, DDEML.DLL, OLECLI. DLL, OLESVR.DLL, SHELL.DLL, TOOLHELP.DLL and VER.DLL. The FoxPro graphing capabilities require that these two files be stored in the Windows subdirectory \MSAPPS\MSGRAPH: GRAPH.EXE and GRAPH.HLP FoxPro spelling-checking capabilities require that these three files be stored in the Windows subdirectory \MSAPPS\PROOF: MSSPELL.DLL, MSSP_AM.LEX, and MSSP_BR.LEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 7 I accidentally deleted some of the FoxPro sample files. Can I reinstall these files without reinstalling FoxPro? Answer 7 Yes. Run Setup again and select the Custom Installation option from the Installation Type dialog. This option lets you choose which components to install. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 8 I am having difficulty reading the FoxPro disks because of an alignment problem with my floppy drives. Is there another option for installation? Answer 8 Try copying all the files to a directory on your hard disk and then install from the hard drive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 9 I'm trying to install FoxPro for Windows under Windows 3.0 and I'm getting the message "Cannot write VER.DLL." Any suggestions? Answer 9 Rename the VER.DLL file in the Windows System subdirectory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 10 I'm having difficulty installing FoxPro. I've tried streamlining both my CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT and I still can't install FoxPro for Windows. Answer 10 First of all, don't try to install from within a replacement shell (Norton, etc.). Second, make certain you have disabled all TSRs, including anti-virus software. Check the WIN.INI file for the LOAD= and RUN= lines. Comment these lines out using a semicolon (;). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 11 Can I put a common WIN.INI file up on the server? Answer 11 No. Each workstation has its own WIN.INI file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 12 What is the best way to edit the WIN.INI file? Answer 12 The WIN.INI file may be edited with Notepad or EDIT.EXE in MS-DOS 5.0. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 13 If I modify my WIN.INI file, is it advisable to restart Windows? Answer 13 Yes. As a general rule, always restart Windows when you have modified the WIN.INI file. There are some exceptions, but if you are trouble- shooting you want to be certain that all changes are reflected in the current environment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 14 Can I delete the directory named ~msstfqf.t? Answer 14 Yes. The directory named ~msstfqf.t is created during setup. Ordinarily this directory is deleted at the end of the installation process. This directory may be deleted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 15 I get the error message "Insufficient Memory" when trying to load FoxPro for Windows. What setting needs to be modified? Answer 15 Add a MEMLIMIT statement to your CONFIG.FPW file. The syntax for this statement is MEMLIMIT=%,min,max where % is a calculated amount based on available memory and min and max represent actual minimum and maximum allocations. For example, specifying MEMLIMIT=80,1024,4096 allocates 80 percent of your system's available memory to FoxPro with a minimum allocation of 1024K and a maximum of 4096K. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 16 I am running with 4 MB of RAM. How large a swap file do I need? Answer 16 Use a 2 MB permanent swap file for virtual memory and do not include a MEMLIMIT setting in the CONFIG.FPW file. Let FoxPro run with the default setting. In addition, do not use a RAM drive or an expanded memory manager. Expanded memory is not used by FoxPro for Windows. A disk cache should be no larger than 256K. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 17 If I am running with 5 MB or more of RAM, how large a swap file do I need? Answer 17 If you have 5 MB or more of RAM, do not use a swap file for virtual memory. Set your virtual memory to None and set MEMLIMIT to 90 in the CONFIG.FPW file. Remember that devoting more memory to FoxPro means that less memory is available for Windows and other applications that are running. FoxPro takes advantage of all the memory allocated for it. Therefore, you must maintain the balance of memory allocated to FoxPro, Windows and other applications that you intend to run. For more information refer to the chapter on Optimizing your System in the Installation and Configuration guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 18 When using my Lantastic network card, why do I always get a memory conflict when loading FoxPro for Windows? Answer 18 Try putting EMMExclude=D800-DFFF in the SYSTEM.INI file in the Windows directory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 19 When using a Paradise driver, why do I get a memory conflict when trying to load FoxPro for Windows? Answer 19 Try putting EMMExclude=C600-C800 in the SYSTEM.INI file in the Windows directory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 20 When I use QEMM386 memory manager with FoxPro for Windows, why do I get a memory conflict. Answer 20 Try putting EMMExclude=C0FF-C7FF in the SYSTEM.INI file in the Windows directory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 21 When I use the Mach32 video card with my Gateway 2000, why do I get a General Protection Fault in module MACH32.DRV at 0003:0E22. Answer 21 You are experiencing a problem with your video driver. Contact your video card vendor for the most recent version of the driver. In the meantime, you can use the VGA.DRV or the SUPERVGA.DRV drivers that come with Windows. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 22 I understand that a number of video drivers do not work properly with FoxPro for Windows. Why is this and what steps should I take to resolve the situation? Answer 22 FoxPro for Windows makes intensive use of screen I/O. If you are experiencing GPFs (General Protection Faults) or display problems (borders, status bar, fonts, unusual alignment when previewing reports) you may be experiencing a problem with your video driver. To test this situation, load one of the standard Windows drivers and go through the steps to reproduce the earlier problem. If the problem no longer exists when you are using a standard Windows driver, it is very likely that the old driver was the cause of the problem. Contact the vendor for an updated version of the driver or download the Windows Driver Library (WDL) on the Microsoft Download Service (MSDL). Complete instructions for obtaining the Windows Driver Library is contained in the Product Support section of this file. We have identified problems with the following video cards: ATI Ultra Graphics Pro (local bus) -- caused GPF, fixed with update AST Power Premium 486 w/VGA on Motherboard -- fixed with update Genoa 7900 MM card Dell 486/20 with VGA on Motherboard Compaq QVision Speed Star 24x Trident 8900C TIGA 1024 x 768 x 256 small fonts NEC 2A MACH32 Contact your video card vendor for the most recent version of the driver for your card. In the meantime, you can use the VGA.DRV or the SUPERVGA.DRV drivers that come with Windows. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 23 I occasionally experience problems when trying to open more than 15 tables at one time. What could be wrong? Answer 23 Make certain you have the correct SHARE statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: SHARE /F:4096 /L:500 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 24 I'm running Windows for Workgroups. Do I need to load SHARE? Answer 24 No. Windows for Workgroups automatically loads VSHARE, which takes the place of SHARE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 25 Where does FoxPro create its temporary files? Answer 25 FoxPro creates its temporary files in the same directory where Windows stores its temporary files, unless you specifically designate an alternate location by including one or more of the EDITWORK, SORTWORK, PROGWORK and/or TMPFILES statements in the CONFIG.FPW file. The location of Windows .TMP files is specified with the MS-DOS set variable TEMP. In most cases, you should let FoxPro write .TMP files to the same location. However, if this location is a RAM drive, make sure that enough space is available for both FoxPro and Windows .TMP files. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 26 I frequently use the RUN command to change drives and directories within an application. Why isn't this working in FoxPro for Windows? Answer 26 Each time you issue the RUN command to change drives and directories, Windows opens a new "session" of MS-DOS, otherwise known as a "virtual machine", and executes the command within the newly created "session." When you exit from this session or "shut down" the virtual machine, you are right back where you started without having changed drives. Consequently, you will want to take advantage of some of FoxPro's own drive and directory commands instead of using the RUN command. For example, using SET DEFAULT TO c:\newdir will actually issue the MS-DOS command CHDIR. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 27 Why isn't FoxPro registered in REG.DAT within Windows? Answer 27 Only OLE servers are registered in REG.DAT. FoxPro is not an OLE server. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 28 Why doesn't the value returned by SYS(2010) match the number of FILES specified in the CONFIG.SYS file? Answer 28 Windows interacts with the MS-DOS open file tables in such a way that the value reported in the MS-DOS box and in Windows may be different. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 29 What memory allocation options are available with the PIF settings? Answer 29 In the PIF Editor "memory requirements" section the "KB Required" and "KB Desired" may both be set to "-1". This will tell Windows to give all the available memory it can to a MS-DOS application. This does not mean that the MS-DOS application will have more than 600K, but it will get about as much conventional memory as you had available before starting Windows (minus some conventional memory that Windows itself occupies). Changing the "EMS Memory" and "XMS Memory" sections will tell Windows to provide or not provide the MS-DOS application and EMS (Expanded Memory Services) or XMS (Extended Memory Services). This will not, however, allow an application that does not support accessing EMS or XMS to do so. Only applications that have the capability will be able to access the additional memory provided. It is important to note that once you tell Windows to create EMS or XMS for an application, it does so whether the application can use it or not. In the "Execution" section, if Exclusive is selected, no other application, be it Windows or MS-DOS, will run while the application with Exclusive is the current application. In the "Advanced Options" there is a "Multitasking Options" section. This section is very important when you are trying to get a MS-DOS application to run in the background. If the MS-DOS application is very I/O intensive (reads and writes to disk, asynchronous communication, etc.) it will be necessary to increase the "Background Priority". Unfortunately there is no "rule of thumb" when it comes to the exact number that should be used. It is important to note that the larger the number for "Background Priority" the slower other applications will run while the MS-DOS application with the high priority is running in the background.