Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken!quack!snuggs From: snuggs@quack.sac.ca.us (Snugglupagus) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc Subject: Re: PCTools v7.0 anomalies? Message-ID: Date: 24 Jun 91 02:51:45 GMT References: <1436@voodoo.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: The Duck Pond, Stockton, CA Lines: 92 stu@voodoo.boeing.com (Stuart Liddle) writes: >Well, I got my upgrade to PCTools on Tuesday and have been playing with >it for a couple of days now. I decided to install it at the same time >as the DOS 5.0 upgrade (DOS first, then PCT7). I was impressed by the >install program with its graphical representation of how much memory it >would need for each of the various modules. I liked the look of the shell >when I brought it up. But, as I began to play with it some strange things >began to happen. i also installed dos 5.0 and pctools 7.0 at the same time but have had NO problems with it that weren't directly related to my computer. (see below) >1) First thing I wanted to do was to install my applications in the new >application menu. This was great, they now have the ability to list >programs under a group level on the main application menu. So I set up my >groups: games, word processing, screen savers, utility functions, etc. Now >I wanted to see how they handled the running of a program (word processing) >by clicking on the associated .DOC file. Well, the printed documentation >is a bit shaky here. Nowhere does it tell you about having to include the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >keyword "" or "" on the "Execute path" line when adding/editing >the application entry. My friend "stumbled" on this one while looking >at the on-line documentation. try page 50 of the "dos shell" manual. anyway, you do not have to include keywords in order to run a program. all you need to do is tell it the path and executable filename. see page 47 for more details. >2) I have a 65MB drive that I partitioned into two logical drives, C: has >42M and D: has 23M. The next thing I found out was that if PCShell is >logged into drive C: and you try to run an application that is on drive D: >you may or may not be able to bring that application up. Anyway, PCShell >seems to be really picky about how this is done. I got most of the stuff >to work most of the time as long as I didn't put in any "keystrokes" for it >to run when the application starts. again, no problems here. in fact, i used pcshell to run crosstalk, the program i'm in now. read the manual again. >3) Now that I have been running it for a while, I cannot get the "Directory >Maintenance" (DM) program to run from within PCShell (from the "DISK" menu) >anymore. I can run it OK from DOS. I can even run it by clicking on DM.EXE >on the file list from inside the shell. But, I can't run it from the menu >item on the "DISK" functions menu. It starts but, then it says it "Can't >find the tree" or something like that and goes back into the shell. it sounds like you might have a major problem with either your disk or pctools. try running diskfix to make sure that it's not your drive and then re-install pctools. are you sure that you completed the configuration process? the first time i installed it, my computer crashed (i'm having memory problems) and had to reboot. unfortunately, i also had to re-install pctools since it wouldn't work properly. >4) Why does running PCTOOLS at the dos prompt come up with a different .CFG >file for the shell than when I run PCSHELL at the dos prompt???? pcshell has its own internal configuration. use pcconfig (run at the dos prompt) to set the configuration (colors and stuff) for the other programs. (like diskfix, si, dm, cpav, etc.) >I should give some info on my machine. It's a 386sx clone, internal 2400bps >modem, MS mouse, DOS 5.0, QEMM386 (v5.0, *not* the latest ver, I know.), 65MB >hard disk (described above). i have a 286/10 clone, external modem (what does THAT have to do with anything?), logitech series 9 mouse, msdos 5.0 (beta), 20 mb hard disk, and a 40 mb hard disk. (partitioned into 31 mb and 9 mb - i use the 9 mb partition to run pctools) i also have only 640k of ram. if this machine can run pctools without problems, yours should too. >If anybody else is having "funny" problems with their new PCTools v7.0, please >share it with me and others on the net. again, i have had no problems whatsoever with this program. in my opinion, it's the best program i've ever bought for less than $100. (except for borland c++ - now THAT'S a program!) >Thanks, you're welcome. snugglupagus -- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "I tell myself this can't go on | Send email/flames/beer to: Very much longer | billj@uop.edu But when I put the last brick in the wall | or: bjackson@madvax.uop.edu Another brick falls" - Deborah A. Gibson | or: snuggs@quack.sac.ca.us =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=