From: "Digest" <ianatos2site dot com>
To: "OS/2GenAu Digest" <deadmail>
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2001 01:00:00 +1000 (EDT)
Subject: [os2genau_digest] No. 195
Reply-To: <deadmail>

Date:- 29 October 2001

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1================================================

From: "voytek" <voytekatsbt dot net dot au>
Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 00:13:56 +1000
Subject: Re: [os2genau] Recovery Choices Set Up

On Sat, 27 Oct 2001 09:50:38 -1000, djnatpeninsula.hotkey dot net dot au wrote:

>Very handy, but then when something realy does go wrong, and those 
>messages flash by, or like I useally do, turn on the computer and then 
>go and do something else while it boots up. 
>I prefer to controll my computer rather than be jerked around by it.

having scanned with probably every single native OS/2 scanner app (starting with Imara ScanTool) as well as scanning 
in DOS VDMs and WinOS/2, and having used probably every single OS/2 scanner driver, I think I have basic 
understanding of scanner drivers, their limitations and problems.

except perhaps with Netware Requester (that couldn't be unloaded) I don't recall ever needing alternate config files

but as the electrician said, to each his Ohm.
YMMV

2==============================================

Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2001 10:23:51 -0400
From: Chris_neeson <Chris_Neesonatcompuserve dot com>
Subject: [os2genau] Recovery Choices Set Up

I recently emailed a similar query titled
'Boot to command Prompt ( custom )',
which we did indeed discuss at the Melb sig.

Note: the best doco I have seen so far was the file
          OSINALTE.TXT from the Warp Hints & Tips
          collection.

I want one for similar reasons
( ie disaster - generally self induced! - recovery )

Similarities and differences between what Dennis is doing and
how things work(?) in my Warp Connect system build are that

- having built a customised config ending in, say 'Z',
  I can put CONFIG.Z straight into the OS2\BOOT directory

- to be able to select it,
  and boot from it,
  I only have to include an option for it in ALTF1BOT.SCR
  ( there doesn't seem to be aneed to copy CONFIGs around )

- unfortunately, I still haven't found out how to fully duplicate
  OS2's default ALT+F1 menu offering of 'Boot to command prompt'
  ( I can boot to a command prompt, with the allocations I want,
    but there weren't any CONFIG examples in the INSTALL
    directory which helped me design a boot to a command prompt
    WITH a polite shutdown ).
 =

Regards
Chris

--------------------- Dennis emailed -------------------

At the meeting on Tuesday someone mentioned the Recovery Choices setup, =

and how it is not very well documented in the Warp 4 docs.

Well for those who are interested here is how I've got my system setup.

I have a scanner which I do not use very often, so when I boot up the =

system I either have to have the scanner turned on or wait for the pause
and hit enter to jump over the scanner driver loading.

So to overcome this I have set up a scanner config.sys as well as a non =

scanner one. While I was at it I thought that it would be a good idea to
have a test config.sys. This would be the one with all new additions to =

be tried out in and only when the system has been confirmed as ok in the
test configuration would the test configuration become the normal =

configuration.

You need a stabile working config.sys before embarking on this type of =

setup.

To achieve this I created a new directory "C:\Configuration". This =

directory will hold all System configuration files and if maintained =

correctly will be an archive over time of all changes and tests.

Into this directory I made 3 copies of my c:\Config.sys file and renamed
them =

Config.N
Config.S
and Config.T
I removed the scanner section from the Config.N and Config.T
I inserted several rem lines at the beginning of each file saying which =

version of the file it was. Then I can look at the config.sys file and =

see what configuration is loaded.

Config.N and Config.S I made Read Only
Next step was to go to the c:\OS2\Boot directory and create 3 command =

files. These files are named

AltF1N.cmd =

AltF1S.cmd
and AltF1T.cmd

The AltF1N.cmd file contains the following:

    atECHO OFF
    rem
    rem        This is the normal working config.sys file
    rem
    Copy c:\Configuration\Config.N C:\Config.sys

In the AltF1S.cmd file I put:

    atECHO OFF
    REM
    REM         This is the Scanner config file
    REM
    Copy c:\Configuration\Config.S C:\Config.sys

And finaly in the AltF1T.cmd has:

atECHO OFF

    REM
    REM         This is the Test config file
    REM
    Copy c:\Configuration\Config.T C:\Config.sys

Finaly the AltF1BOT.SCR file needs to be edited
This file is normaly read only so needs to be changed before saving your
edits and returned to Read only when completed.

I entered the following 3 lines of text

  N for Normal tried and tested configuration
  S for Scanner driver loading So Power up scanner
  T for Test configuration, Try all changes here first

So now when booting if I go to the recovery choices screen the above 3 =

lines will be displayed at the bottom of the screen, and by entering say
S the Config.S file is copied to C:\ as Config.sys.

Ab you may have noticed I boot up on the C: drive, If you have a =

different boot up drive, make the appropiate changes.

Now here is where there is a difference between Warp 4 and Warp 3.
Under Warp 4 it is the original config.sys that is used in that boot.

When the system has booted it will be the scanner configuration in the =

config.sys file but the system will have booted up on whatever the =

original configuration was.

There must be a way to overcome this, when I find out what it is I will =

let everyone know.

Regards
Dennis.

From: <djnatpeninsula.hotkey dot net dot au>
To: OS/2 SIG of MELBPC <deadmail>
Subject: [os2genau] Recovery Choices Set Up
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 17:48:59 -1000

3==============================================

From: "David Forrester" <davidforatterrigal dot net dot au>
Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 16:47:20 +1100 (EDT)
Subject: Re: [os2genau] Recovery Choices Set Up

Chris,

You asked about this a couple of weeks ago, and apparently I never sent
my reply.  There's been a barely started draft sitting here waiting to
be finished, but, I forgot to get on with it.  Anyway, here's what I
intended to say before.

From you previous question:

>I've gone through the old Warp Hint & Tips databases,
>and I have a slightly customised version of my CONFIG.SYS,
>using PMSHELL=CMD.EXE,

Looking in the CONFIG.SYS, shouldn't this be PROTSHELL=CMD.EXE .  (I
assume it was a typo in the original question) 

I experimented with this, and the behaviour of this is different to the
ALT-F1-F2 option.  The main difference is when you type "exit" at the
prompt.  For the ALT-F1-F2 option, the system will reboot after an exit
command.  But, with the customised CONFIG.SYS, option, it doesn't. 
Exit will stop the session,  but I had to use CTRL-ALT-DEL or the power
switch to restart.  I think there is a difference in how this is
handled by OS/2 because there doesn't seem to be anything in CONFIG.X
that would cause the system to go to the command line.  ie.  all the
statements that affect this are the same as my normal CONFIG.SYS.  So,
I assume that something in OS/2 (the kernal?) knows what it is doing.

As to the clean shutdown problem, the things I can think of are:

- are the two IFS=HPFS statements inconsistent between the two CONFIGs?

- Are there any older DLLs or drivers that the might get picked up?  If
your command-line boot picked up original install files and you normal
boot picked up FP files, there could be some problems.  The original
HPFS files would sometimes displayed a message like "A small file
system inconsistency has been found" and run chkdsk even if there where
no problems.

The only other thing would be to send me the two CONFIG files and I'll
have a look and see what I can see.  Or, post them and let us all
comment.  

Last thought, if the purpose of this is to get to a command line
without the WPS/Desktop, you can also do this by changing:

SET RUNWORKPLACE=C:\OS2\PMSHELL.EXE 

to

SET RUNWORKPLACE=C:\OS2\CMD.EXE

What this will do open an OS/2 Window on a blank background.  The
desktop won't be loaded but most PM programs (any that don't use the
WPS) will be runnable.




On Sat, 27 Oct 2001 10:23:51 -0400, Chris_neeson wrote:

>I recently emailed a similar query titled
>'Boot to command Prompt ( custom )',
>which we did indeed discuss at the Melb sig.
>
>Note: the best doco I have seen so far was the file
>          OSINALTE.TXT from the Warp Hints & Tips
>          collection.
>
>I want one for similar reasons
>( ie disaster - generally self induced! - recovery )
>
>Similarities and differences between what Dennis is doing and
>how things work(?) in my Warp Connect system build are that
>
>- having built a customised config ending in, say 'Z',
>  I can put CONFIG.Z straight into the OS2\BOOT directory
>
>- to be able to select it,
>  and boot from it,
>  I only have to include an option for it in ALTF1BOT.SCR
>  ( there doesn't seem to be aneed to copy CONFIGs around )
>
>- unfortunately, I still haven't found out how to fully duplicate
>  OS2's default ALT+F1 menu offering of 'Boot to command prompt'
>  ( I can boot to a command prompt, with the allocations I want,
>    but there weren't any CONFIG examples in the INSTALL
>    directory which helped me design a boot to a command prompt
>    WITH a polite shutdown ).
> 

--
David Forrester
davidforatterrigal dot net dot au
http://www.os2world dot com/djfos2/
