Stupid OS/2 Tricks/Win-OS/2 Tips

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Reducing Win-OS/2 initial load time

If you are running Windows programs in a common session, the load time for the first Windows program you execute will be much longer than subsequent load times because OS/2 needs to load both a VDM and the Win-OS/2 code. If you want to speed up loading Windows programs, load a small Windows program, such as the Clock, via your Startup folder. Your boot time will increase, but when you finally sit down to work, your Windows programs will load more quickly.

Using Windows screen blanker for OS/2

You can use a Windows screen blanker when running seamless Windows to blank the OS/2 desktop. However, since Win-OS/2 can sometimes miss keystrokes intended for Presentation Manager, be sure to set the delay of the screen blanker as long as possible.

Running Win-OS/2 from a DOS image

You can run Win-OS/2 from a DOS image, also known as a Virtual Machine Boot (VMB) or specific DOS session:

1. Put a bootable DOS system disk in the A: drive. Make sure that you have a simple, DOS-compatible editor on this disk that you can use to edit the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
2. Open an OS/2 command line session.
3. Create a subdirectory to store the boot images.
4. At the OS/2 command line, type

VMDISK A: <imagename>

where <imagename> is a name you give to the boot image

1. When the system files have been transferred from A: to your boot image subdirectory, close the OS/2 command line and remove the diskette from A:.
2. Open the Templates folder and use the right mouse button to drag a template from the Program template icon. The Settings notebook for the new program object should open.
3. On the Program page, put an asterisk in the Path and Filename box.
4. Click on the Session tab.
5. Select either the DOS Window or DOS Full Screen button.
6. Click on the DOS settings button.
7. Highlight the DOS_STARTUP_DRIVE option.
8. In the Value box, enter the drive, path and name of your boot image.
9. Highlight DOS_FILES.
10. In the Value box, set DOS_FILES to 40.
11. Highlight DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT.
12. In the Value box, set DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT to 4 or higher.
13. Click on Save.
14. Close the Settings notebook.
15. Open the newly-created DOS image.
16. While in the DOS image, create/edit the CONFIG.SYS file.
17. The CONFIG.SYS should contain, among other entries, these lines:

  DEVICE=<drive>:\OS2\MDOS\FSFILTER.SYS -- this line should be near
  the top of CONFIG.SYS, and <drive> is the drive on which your OS/2 DOS
  support files are located.
  DEVICE=<drive>:\OS2\MDOS\HIMEM.SYS
  DEVICE=<drive>:\OS2\MDOS\EMM386.SYS

1. Save the CONFIG.SYS and create/edit an AUTOEXEC.BAT file as you wish.
2. Close the session by double clicking on the title bar icon.
3. Reopen the DOS image, and type WIN to start Win-OS/2.

Curing "jumpy mouse"

additions by Hugo Jimenez-Vazquez and Tony Colliver

The mouse can often be "jumpy" in fullscreen Win-OS/2 sessions. Try changing the following, checking after the first change to see if jumpiness has been cured. If not, try the second change.

1. Open the Settings notebook for the object.
2. Choose the Session tab.
3. Click on DOS Settings.
4. Highlight IDLE_SECONDS.
5. Set IDLE_SECONDS to a value from 1 to 3 (you will have to play with this setting).
6. Highlight IDLE_SENSITIVITY.
7. Set IDLE_SENSITIVITY to a value from 10 to 100 (you will have to play with this setting, too).

Pasting between Windows applications

Sometimes data gets lost when you're pasting between Windows applications under Win-OS/2. If this happens to you, try:

1. Open the Win-OS/2 object's Settings notebook.
2. Choose the Session tab.
3. Click on DOS Settings.
4. Highlight VIDEO_FASTPASTE.
5. Set VIDEO_FASTPASTE to ON.

Starting seamless Windows from the command line

contributed by Jack Tan

To start a seamless Windows session from the OS/2 command line:

  START /WIN <program>

where <program> is the name of the Windows program you wish to run.

Using Windows File Manager on your OS/2 desktop

contributed by Walter Dnes

If you are familiar with the Windows File Manager, and wish to use it as your main shell on the OS/2 desktop (you must have seamless Windows capability to do this):

1. Open the Templates folder.
2. Use mouse button 2 to drag out a Program template to the location you wish it to be. The Settings notebook for the object should open.
3. On the Program page, in the "Path and File Name" box, type

<drive>:\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2\WINFILE.EXE

where <drive> is the drive on which Win-OS/2 is located.

1. Click on the Session page.
2. Select WIN-OS/2 Window.
3. Click on WIN-OS/2 Settings, and make any appropriate changes for a Windows program (e.g., 64 meg DPMI).
4. Close the Settings notebook.

You should be able to run Windows, DOS, and OS/2 programs from the File Manager by simply double clicking on the name of the file.

In order to run OS/2 *.CMD and REXX files, edit the "Programs=" line in the [windows] section of WIN.INI to read:

Programs=com exe bat pif cmd

Associations in the [extensions] section of WIN.INI can also be added to invoke OS/2 programs. For example, you can associate *.INF files with VIEW.EXE as follows:

INF=<drive>:\OS2\VIEW.EXE ^.INF

where <drive> is the drive on which OS/2 resides.

Fixing seamless Windows on some 2.11 CSD systems

Some systems running the 2.11 CSD have trouble running seamless Windows in that double-clicking on a seamless Windows application will cause the icon to be shaded, but nothing runs. In some cases, this is the result of improper updating of Win-OS/2.

Check the file named SERVICE.LOG. It should be located in the subdirectory <drive>:\OS2\INSTALL. Read through the listings to find out if either your Win-OS/2 subdirectories or Win-OS/2 video drivers have been updated or not.

If not, you may have to run the SERVICE program located on the Service Pak disk 1, and instruct the program to update your Win-OS/2 subdirectories (it will inform you that no updating is needed). If you are using high resolution video drivers, you may instead only have to install the new video drivers.

Caution

Make alterations to your system at your own risk!

Adding more LPT ports in Win-OS/2

contributed by Gary Pool

Windows has a limit of LPT ports 2 through 3. If you are on a LAN or are in a situation where you have more than 3 LPT ports, you can add LPT ports by editing your WIN.INI file. Find the "ports" section of the WIN.INI file. There you will see LPT1.OS2, LPT2.OS2, and LPT3.OS2. Just manually add LPT4.OS2 through LPT9.OS2 and you will be able to access those printers from Win-OS/2.