System Tips

This section covers tips and tricks which affect the system in general.

Topics in this section: 





Keeping applications from restarting at boot




When OS/2 is started, it automatically opens
applications which were open during the last OS/2
session.  To keep applications from restarting on
boot, you can use either the manual or automatic method.


Related subject(s):








Prevent restarting manually




To prevent applications from restarting during boot,
hold down the Ctrl, left Shift, and F1 keys at the
same time, beginning when the mouse pointer appears
until the icons begin appearing on the desktop.
If you find that disk activity stops, you may have
to release the keys and then quickly hold them down
again.


Related subject(s):








Prevent restarting automatically




Placing the line



SET RESTARTOBJECTS=STARTUPFOLDERSONLY,REBOOTONLY



into your CONFIG.SYS file will prevent any
applications which had been open in the last session
from opening, but will allow programs in the Startup
folder to open.


(this line may be order-dependent on some systems)


Related subject(s):












Shutting down without a mouse




To shut OS/2 down without a mouse, press Ctrl-Esc to
bring up the Window List, choose the Desktop, press
the Spacebar to deselect any icons, press Shift-F10
to pop up the Desktop's menu, choose Shutdown.










Rebooting from the command line




To reboot OS/2 down from the command line, type



SETBOOT /B



Note: the above only works with Boot Manager installed.


or



SETBOOT /IBD:<drive>



where <drive> is the letter of the drive or partition to which you
wish to boot


Related subject(s):












Finding settings for original objects




The settings for all of the objects which were
created upon installation of your OS/2 system are
contained in the INI.RC file, located in the
\OS2 subdirectory.  Those handy with REXX and the
external REXXutils can use the information contained
in the INI.RC file to rebuild the original OS/2
objects.


Related subject(s):












Controlling order of execution in Startup folder




You can control the order in which objects in
your Startup folder execute.

    

  1. Open the Startup folder in either Flowed or Non-flowed view.
    2. 

  2. Drag objects or their shadows into the Startup Folder in the order you want
them to execute.
    3. 





Screenshot: Startup folder in Flowed view with item being
dragged into it.











Backing up the *.ini files




Much of your system's customization is stored in two files, OS2.INI and
OS2SYS.INI.  To back up these important files, add the following line to
the beginning of your CONFIG.SYS:



CALL=<drive1>:\OS2\XCOPY.EXE <drive2>:\OS2\OS*.INI
<drive3>:\<path>



where


    <drive1> is the letter of the drive in which XCOPY.EXE is found


    <drive2> is the letter of the drive in which the *.ini files are found


    <drive3> is the letter of the drive in which you would like to locate
the backups of the *.ini files


    <path> is the path in which you would like to locate the backups of the
*.ini files


Note: The 2.11 CSD adds the System attribute to OS2.INI and OS2SYS.INI.  In
order for this tip to work, you should use XCOPY's /T /R /O switches at the end
of the CALL command above.


Related subject(s):












Removing device drivers for better performance





contributed by Jack Tan



If you aren't using the DOS subsystem, you can improve performance by
removing DOS-specific device drivers from loading in your CONFIG.SYS (they
generally begin with the letter V).  The same applies to Win-OS/2, HPFS,
CD-ROM drivers as well.


Related subject(s):












Speeding up some IDE drives





contributed by Jack Tan



Try adding switches to the BASEDEV=IBM1S506.ADD line:



BASEDEV=IBM1S506.ADD /A:0 /U:0 /SMS



and use /V to see if the /SMS works (/V = verbose).  This is supposed to
speed up IDE drives that support this feature; otherwise, it will be ignored.


(note: the switches above affect the first drive on the first adapter in
the system -- for more information on the switches, search for "basedev"
in your online OS/2 Command Reference)










Disabling use of the floppy drives





by Darius Vaskelis



To prevent users from using the floppy drives under OS/2, such as in a
workstation situation:


Remove the following line from your CONFIG.SYS:



BASEDEV=IBMxFLPY.ADD



Where x is 1 for ISA and EISA, or 2 for Microchannel.










Getting Epson ActionLaser 1500 to work




To get an Epson ActionLaser to work with OS/2 2.1:

    

  1. First, follow the standard steps for non-working printers under OS/2:


  2. Make sure you have a compliant cable. A parallel cable should have
all 25 pins wired, unfortunately, a lot of cables currently manufactured only
have 18 pins wired.
    3. 

  3. Check your interrupts.  ISA and EISA bus machines cannot share interrupts
under OS/2.  Often, a sound card will be set to the same interrupt as LPT1
(IRQ7), and must be changed.
    4. 

  4. Get a compatible I/O card.  Some parallel port cards don't seem to
work correctly under OS/2.
    5. 


  5. Finally, for the Epson ActionLaser, change the "Busy Delay" to +5 
(covered in p.4-15 of the Epson's manual).
    6.  












Getting memory back from unused caches





from the OS/2 2.1 Technical Reference



You can increase available resources by disabling unused caches.  If you are
running an HPFS-only system, remove (or REM) the DISKCACHE line in your
CONFIG.SYS file.  Similarly, if you are running a FAT-only system, remove
(or REM) the IFS=<drive>:\OS2\HPFS.IFS line in your CONFIG.SYS.


Related subject(s):












Dealing with OS/2 !! SYS messages on boot





contributed by Jack Tan



The error message:



OS/2 !! SYS01475                          


OS/2 !! SYS02027                          



means that the system files can't be found.  Try removing any 
diskettes from the disk drives.  If this message appears when trying
to boot from a hard disk, use SYSINSTX to restore the OS/2 system files. 










Restoring last desktop backup





contributed by Jack Tan



To make the Alt-F1 trick restore your last desktop backup instead of the
(ugly) default, replace the CONFIG.SYS, OS2.INI, and OS2SYS.INI
in \OS2\INSTALL with the files from your last backup.  Make sure to save
the original files in \OS2\INSTALL before replacing them.


Related subject(s):












Viewing *.inf files more conveniently





contributed by Jack Tan



Here are two tips to make viewing OS/2 *.inf files more convenient:


1. Put several INF files together using a plus sign.  On the command 
line (or 'Parameters' field of the settings notebook), enter something 
such as:



e.g., <drive>:\BOOKS\FILE1.INF+<drive>:\BOOKS\FILE2.INF+
<drive>:\BOOKS\FILE3.INF. 



The pathnames aren't necessary if the file is in a directory specified by
the HELP environmental variable.


2. You can assign the book names to an environmental variable:



e.g., SET FILE=<drive>:\BOOKS\FILE1.INF+<drive>:\BOOKS\FILE2.INF+
<drive>:\BOOKS\FILE3.INF



and execute VIEW.EXE using the variable name (e.g., VIEW FILE).










Using less memory for DOS images




When you load a DOS image file (Virtual Machine Boot, or VMB), the entire
diskette image is loaded into memory.  Since the files on the DOS image
diskette don't take up much room themselves, much of the memory used for
the diskette is wasted.  Therefore, in order to regain memory when loading
the specific DOS session, try using double-density diskettes to make your
DOS images, instead of high-density diskettes.










Booting OS/2 in full-screen mode




You can boot OS/2 in full-screen mode, and still retain Presentation Manager
support for multiple sessions:

    

  1. Change:
    2.  

    

SET RUNWORKPLACE=<drive>:\OS2\PMSHELL.EXE 


    
in your CONFIG.SYS file to: 

    

SET RUNWORKPLACE=<drive>:\OS2\CMD.EXE /FS


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

  2. Create the file STARTUP.CMD in your OS/2 boot drive's root directory.
STARTUP.CMD should contain the following lines:

    

    @ECHO OFF
START /FS
EXIT

    




Related subject(s):












Completing shutdown




If shutdown seems to "hang" at the first shutdown message box, this trick
sometimes works:

    

  1. Press the Ctrl-Esc keys.
    2. 

  2. Wait for about a minute.
    3. 

  3. In many cases, a dialog box will pop up telling you that the Workplace
Shell isn't responding to system requests, and will give you the choice
of clicking on Enter to end the application, or Cancel.
    4. 

  4. Click on the Enter box.  The shutdown usually proceeds normally.
    5. 












Adjusting your swap file




If you have disk space to spare, you can adjust the default startup size of
your swap file (SWAPPER.DAT) to improve system performance.


The default startup size of SWAPPER.DAT is set in your CONFIG.SYS file
with the line:



SWAPPATH=<drive>:\<path> <minfree> <swapsize>



where <swapsize> is the default startup size of SWAPPER.DAT.


To adjust the startup size for better performance:

    

  1. Monitor the size of the SWAPPER.DAT over the course of a normal day's
work.  A third-party utility for monitoring swap file size makes this task
a bit easier.
    2. 

  2. Note the maximum size that SWAPPER.DAT reaches during normal usage.
    3. 

  3. Change the <swapsize> parameter of SWAPPATH to reflect at least the
maximum swap file size you noted (<swapsize> is measured in kilobytes).
    4. 




Caution:


You MUST have enough free drive space to use this tip.  If the size of the
<swapsize> parameter violates the amount needed for the <minfree>
parameter, your system will not boot.










Using SVGA.EXE under real DOS





contributed by Jack Tan



Running SVGA.EXE in a VDM usually results in a file called SVGADATA.PMI,
which contains information which lets OS/2 access SVGA graphics modes.


Sometimes, SVGA.EXE has trouble "seeing" the video chip, and extended
graphics modes won't work correctly.  If so, try running SVGA.EXE under
real DOS or a VMB.  This will create a file named SVGADATA.DOS.  Rename
SVGADATA.DOS to SVGADATA.PMI and copy it into your \OS2 subdirectory.










Loading a DOS device driver into high memory





contributed by Xavier Caballe



In order to load a DOS device driver into high memory in a particular 
DOS Session:

    

  1. Open the settings notebook for the DOS object.
    2. 

  2. Choose the Session tab.
    3. 

  3. Click on the DOS Settings button.
    4. 

  4. Highlight the DOS_DEVICE setting.
    5. 

  5. Add 'SIZE=0' (without quotes) before the path and filename for the
device driver to load in high memory. For example:

    

SIZE=0 C:\OS2\MDOS\ANSI.SYS


    
In this example, the ANSI.SYS will be loaded in the high memory area (if
available).

    

Screenshot: DOS Settings for loading a device driver
high.


    


    

    


    
Fixing "locked" INI files

    

    

contributed by Jack Tan


    
If your INI files (OS2.INI and OS2SYS.INI) stop saving system changes, they
may have been marked read-only.  To reset the read-only attribute:

      

    1. Change to your \OS2 subdirectory.
      2. 

    2. Type

      

attrib -r os2*.ini


      
at an OS/2 command prompt.

    3. You may have to shutdown and reboot.
      4. 

    

    
Note: if using OS/2 2.0, you may have to boot OS/2 from your installation
floppies in order to reset the attributes.

    


    

    


    
Playing audio CDs via REXX

    

    

contributed by Xavier Caballe


    
The combination of REXX with MMPM/2 can be quite powerful, as demonstrated
by 
CDPLAY.CMD, a "poor man's CD player."

    
Note: requires MMPM/2

    
Related subject(s):

    

    


    

    


    
Playing media files from the command line

    

    

contributed by Jack Tan


    
Note: MMPM/2 is required.

    


  6. To play a media file, use PLAY.CMD (included in MMPM/2, and requires
REXX) or MPPM.EXE.
    7. 

  7. To play a media file immediately (i.e., no need to hit the "Play"
button in the Media Player window) and close the session afterwards,
use 

MPPM.EXE /SC <filename>, 

where <filename> is a WAV or AVI file.
    8. 

  8. To play a media file immediately, close the session afterwards, and
not see the Media Player window, use

START /MIN MPPM.EXE /SC <filename>,

where <filename> is a WAV or AVI file.
    9. 


    
Related subject(s):

    

    


    

    


    
Determining if you have a buffered UART in your computer

    

    
A buffered UART (such as the 16550AF chip) is often necessary for error-free
serial communications in a multitasking environment.

    
To determine if your computer has a buffered UART:

      

    1. Open an OS/2 command line session.
      2. 

    2. Type

      

MODE COMx


      
where x is the number of the serial port you wish to check.
      3. 

    3. A list of current settings for the serial port should appear.  If
the line

      

BUFFER=N/A


      
appears, you do not have a buffered UART.  If the BUFFER line contains
anything other than N/A, you have a buffered UART.
      4. 

    

    


    

    


    
Pooling multiple printers

    

    
If you have more than one printer that use the same printer driver, and
each is attached to different parallel or serial ports, you can configure
your printer object so that waiting print jobs will be sent to any free
port.

    
"Pooling" multiple printers:

      

    1. Open the Settings notebook for the printer object.
      2. 

    2. Click on the Printer Driver tab.
      3. 

    3. Highlight the desired printer driver.
      4. 

    4. Click on the Output tab.
      5. 

    5. Hold the Ctrl key while selecting all the desired ports with mouse
button 1.
      6. 

    6. Close the Settings notebook.
      7. 

    

    

Screenshot: Choosing multiple ports for the printer object.


    

    

    


    
Viewing the Nowhere subdirectory

    
//

    
Note: this trick does not appear to work in OS/2 Warp

    
Ever wonder what the subdirectory called
Nowhere on your OS/2 boot drive is?  The Nowhere
subdirectory is a place where transient objects are stored.

    
Since each directory represents a folder, you can view the Nowhere directory,
and watch object appear and disappear in it:

      

    1. Bring up the desktop's popup menu by clicking once on the desktop with
mouse button 2.
      2. 

    2. Choose Find.
      3. 

    3. In the entry box next to "Folder:" type

      

<drive>:\


      
where <drive> is the letter of the drive on which OS/2 is installed.

    4. Click on the Find button.  All of the objects in the root directory of
your OS/2 drive should appear in a folder.
      5. 

    5. Open the folder named "Nowhere."  (Note: you may have to open it in Icon
view via its popup menu, depending on how your system defaults are set.)
      6. 

    6. You should see some objects in your open Nowhere folder.
      7. 

      
Caution
      
Do not manipulate any of the objects in the Nowhere folder!  Simply observe!

    7. Try opening and closing folders on your desktop; you should see objects
appear and disappear from the Nowhere folder.
      8. 

    8. When you are done watching the Nowhere folder, close it, then feel free to
delete the Find Results folder, since the objects in it are only shadows, not
the actual objects.

    

    
//


    

    

    

    
Backing up INI files in the background

    

    
contributed by Jorge Omar

    

//
If you would like to backup your OS2.INI and OS2SYS.INI files in the
background during the boot process:

      

    1. Create an OS/2 batch file named BACKINI.CMD:

      ATTRIB -S <drive>:\OS2\OS2*.INI
COPY <drive>:\OS2\*.BK1 <drive>:\OS2\*.BK2
COPY <drive>:\OS2\OS2*.INI <drive>:\OS2\*.BK1
ATTRIB +S <drive>:\OS2\OS2*.INI

      

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

      
Note: the ATTRIB command is only needed for systems running OS/2 2.11 and
higher.
      2. 

    2. Open the Templates folder.
      3. 

    3. Drag off a program template and place it into the Startup folder.  A
Settings notebook should open.
      4. 

    4. In the Path and File name box, fill in the necessary information for
BACKINI.CMD.
      5. 

    5. Click on the Session tab.
      6. 

    6. Place a checkmark next to Start Minimized.
      7. 

    7. Close the Settings notebook.
      8. 

    

    
A variation of the above BACKINI.CMD uses XCOPY switches rather than using
ATTRIB to reset the System attribute:

    
BACKINI.CMD:

    XCOPY <drive>:\OS2\*.BK1 <drive>:\OS2\*.BK1 /T /R /O
XCOPY <drive>:\OS2\OS2*.INI <drive>:\OS2\*.BK1

    

    
Note: the files OS2.BK1, OS2.BK2, OS2SYS.BK1, OS2SYS.BK1 must exist in
<drive>:\OS2\ before this will run!

    
//


    
Related subject(s):

    

    

    

    

    
Caching your cdrom drive

    

    

//
You can adjust the read cache for your cdrom drive.  In your CONFIG.SYS,
you can add a switch to the end of the cdrom IFS line:

    

IFS=<drive>:\OS2\CDFS.IFS /C:<number>


    
where <drive> is the drive on which CDFS.IFS is located

    
<number> is the number of 64K segments used for the cache.  The default
is 2, or 128K (2 x 64K = 128K).

    
//


    

    

    

    
Resetting Boot Manager to have no default partition

    

    

contributed by Jack Tan


    

//
Boot Manager can boot to the partition from which the system was last started,
but once you select a default partition from which to boot in Boot Manager,
you lose the ability.  To reset Boot Manager so that it has no default value,
issue the following command at an OS/2 prompt:

    

SETBOOT /0:


    
//


    

    

    

    
Booting DOS from a C: partition within OS/2

    

    

//
You can create a Virtual Machine Boot to boot real DOS from the C:. partition,
rather than the typical floppy boot if you are running a Boot Manager system
with real DOS on the primary (C:) paritition.  Point the Virtual Mahcine Boot
at the C: partition by setting DOS_STARTUP_DRIVE to C:.  OS/2 must be
installed on a logical drive.

    
//


    
Related subjects:

    

    

    

    

    
Resetting the boot record

    

    

contributed by Jack Tan


    

//
If your boot record should become damaged, you can reset your boot record
by typing the following at an OS/2 prompt:

    

FDISK /NEWMBR


    
//


    

    
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