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From: a752@mindlink.UUCP (Bruce Dunn)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Running MS Windows from windows
Message-ID: <3144@mindlink.UUCP>
Date: 11 Sep 90 00:54:12 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Lines: 47

> gwunix00@seas.gwu.edu writes:
> 
> I'd like to run a real-mode version of Windows 3.0 within enhanced-mode
> Windows.  In other words, while running Windows 3.0 in enhanced mode,
> I'd like to run Windows (real-mode) as an application.  This works
> normally.  However, I'd like the real-mode version to run with
> different configuration files.  Any clues? Thanx in advance.


     When Windows fires up, it appears to read a number of *.ini files for its
initialization.  Briefly, the *.ini files appear to specify the following:

control.ini    - desktop colors and patterns
progman.ini   - definition of program manager groups etc.
system.ini    - video drivers etc.
win.ini       - programs to be loaded on startup, fonts, printer etc.
winfile.ini   - startup configuration of File Manager

     To run a differently defined Windows session from within Windows do the
following:  Make a copy of your *.ini files to a subdirectory called (for
example) "INIT-1".  Modify your existing copy of Windows until it fires up as
you want it (by changing options, editing ini files, installing new video
drivers etc.).  Save the modified *.ini files into a subdirectory called
"INIT-2".  Write a batch file called WIN-1.BAT which copies all the *.ini files
from the INIT-1 subdirectory to your Windows subdirectory.  Write a similar
batch file to copy the *.ini files from INIT-2 to Windows (call it WIN-2.BAT).
Now each time you run WIN-1.BAT you will get the version of Windows which is
defined by the *.ini files in INIT-1 and running WIN-2.BAT with get you the
other version.  If you know that only one of the *.ini files is involved in the
change (for example the system.ini file if you are changing video modes) then
you only need to copy this.
     Using this scheme, you for example can fire up Windows with a version 1
system.ini file which runs in 640x480 VGA, and a version 2 system.ini file
which runs in 800x600 VGA.  If you run one batch file from within Windows, the
new Windows will initiate according the the files that you just copied.  When
you quit the real mode secondary Windows session, the first version will
reappear in its original configuration (even though current *.ini files have
been changed).
     A little complicated to describe and set up, but it works well.  I have
used it to run an 800x600 Windows session inside a normal Windows session just
to get the higher resolution for WinWord.  Mind you, you need lots of RAM or
swapfile space to keep track of everything, and things can get sluggish.
      On reading the above, I just noticed that I forgot to say that it is most
convenient to get your WIN-1.BAT and WIN-2.BAT files to start Windows
immediately after copying the *.ini files.
--
Bruce Dunn   Vancouver, Canada    a752@mindlink.UUCP