

NOVELL TECHNICAL INFORMATION DOCUMENT

DOCUMENT PROCESSING INFO:  Replaces Document FYI-M-1209
TITLE:  Configuring ViewMAX - Beginning
DOCUMENT ID:  TID800076
DOCUMENT REVISION:  A
DATE:  18AUG94
AUTHOR:  KBANTA;DPARTRID
ALERT STATUS:  Yellow
DISTRIBUTION:  Public
INFORMATION TYPE:  Issue
README FOR:  NA
NOVELL PRODUCT CLASS:

Desktop Products

NOVELL PRODUCT and VERSION:

DR DOS 6.0

CATEGORY:

Viewmax

ABSTRACT:

DR DOS Setup has a section that allows end users to choose basic
configuration options for ViewMAX.  Available options include screen type,
mouse type and port, and color palette.  This document provides detailed
instructions on how to install ViewMAX through SETUP.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER
THE ORIGIN OF THIS INFORMATION MAY BE INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL TO NOVELL. 
NOVELL MAKES EVERY EFFORT WITHIN ITS MEANS TO VERIFY THIS INFORMATION. 
HOWEVER, THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS FOR YOUR INFORMATION
ONLY.  NOVELL MAKES NO EXPLICIT OR IMPLIED CLAIMS TO THE VALIDITY OF THIS
INFORMATION.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

ISSUE

VIDEO

The DR DOS default for screen driver is VGA. If a user is not sure what
screen type to select choose the default. If a blank screen appears when
running ViewMAX the wrong screen driver has probably been selected. Try
Ctrl-Q to restore the DOS prompt. Ctrl-Q is the keyboard shortcut for
quitting ViewMAX. Check the video card manual for the type of video card
installed. DR DOS comes with drivers for the most common types of video
cards.

Setup also allows a choice of color palette. There are 8 different color
palettes available, although more can be created by editing the 
VIEWMAX.INI file. Two of the palettes (Monochrome and LCD/Plasma) can be
used on the special displays that come with some laptops. These same two
palettes can also be used on color systems.



IMPORTANT FOR MONOCHROME VIDEO DISPLAYS

If a monochrome display is installed it is recommended that the user
choose the monochrome palette. Choosing a full color palette could result
in some sections of the ViewMAX screen having the same foreground and
background color.

IMPORTANT FOR CGA VIDEO DISPLAYS

Because of the limited amount of video memory in a CGA video card, ViewMAX
can only display in black and white (2 color mode) on CGA displays. Any of
the color palettes can be selected when installing ViewMAX for CGA but the
screen may not be acceptable when translated into black and white (this is
the same problem that was mentioned above for monochrome displays). It is
recommended that CGA users select the monochrome palette when setting up
ViewMAX.

IMPORTANT FOR EGA VIDEO DISPLAYS

Early EGA displays did not come with enough memory to display 640x350 in
16 colors. If  one of these cards is installed select the CGA driver. If
an end user is not sure what type of EGA card is being used try the EGA
driver. If it is one of the older cards vertical stripes that may have
blinking characters in them will appear or the screen may fill with random
characters as the mouse is moved.

If the video adapter is not an EGA card and the screen gets characters as
mentioned above or simply gets a blank screen with a cursor blinking in
the upper left corner then the video card is not 100% compatible with the
video driver selected. Check hardware manuals for compatibility.

At this time Novell does not offer any screen drivers other than the ones
found on the DR DOS 6 ViewMAX disk. If the video card is not compatible
with the drivers included please submit an SPR form detailing the
manufacturer, type and model of the video card.


MOUSE

The ViewMAX setup offers 5 different choices for mouse. The first option
is for keyboard only support. The second option is for Bus mouse or a
pointing device that requires its own driver. This option is the default.
As long as the device has a driver that can emulate a mouse then it can be
used with ViewMAX. This includes devices such as trackballs and graphics
tablets. The PS/2 mouse option is for any computer that uses a PS/2 type
mouse. The other options are drivers
for the specific devices listed.


IMPORTANT FOR MICE THAT USE DRIVERS

If a mouse driver is loaded in CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT or command line
prior to running ViewMAX then the Bus Mouse option (default) should be
used. 

This option is also recommended if there is trouble configuring a mouse to
work with ViewMAX. Set ViewMAX for bus mouse and load the driver. If the
problem continues make sure the mouse is installed correctly. Most
pointing devices come with their own diagnostic software to help trouble
shoot problems. When ViewMAX is set for Bus it does not matter if the
mouse is a true bus mouse or is attached to a COM port. ViewMAX does not

try to control the mouse directly but instead communicates with the mouse
driver. 

The Microsoft and Logitech options in Setup are drivers. If a driver is
already loaded and either of these options is chosen the mouse may behave
erratically or not move at all. Either unload the mouse driver or change
the ViewMAX setup to bus mouse.

If you find yourself in ViewMAX with your mouse not working exit ViewMAX
with a CTRL-Q (holding the Control key and striking Q). To continue using
ViewMAX a CTRL-RIGHT SHIFT will toggle the cursor to keyboard control.
This is not the same as choosing keyboard control from Setup. When cursor
control has shifted to keyboard the HOME key takes the place of the mouse
button, not the ENTER or SPACEBAR key. To drag a selection box use the END
key. Double clicking is accomplished by striking the HOME key twice
quickly.


IMPORTANT FOR ALL MOUSE USERS

If you have trouble executing applications from ViewMAX (double clicking)
you may wish to adjust the double click speed in the Options/Preferences
menu in ViewMAX. The default setting is 3 (medium) but it may be easier
for some users to select 1 (slow). If you change this setting be sure to
Save Preferences so that this speed setting is preserved.


AUTOMATIC STARTUP

The final question in Setup is whether to load ViewMAX at boot time. If
the answer is yes then the ViewMAX command will be added to your
AUTOEXEC.BAT. 

Users can enter Setup at any time and change the ViewMAX configuration
without affecting any other installation settings. Changing the
configuration through Setup will not affect any User Preferences set
previously nor will it affect configured applications.

    CONFIGURATION TIPS AND COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT VIEWMAX

ViewMAX requires 512K of RAM to run. ViewMAX memory requirements can be
reduced by disabling the clock and calculator accessory. To do this rename
VIEWMAX.ACC (for example to VIEWMAX.ACX). ViewMAX will then not attempt to
load the accessory. This will save approximately 20K. 

ViewMAX will use approximately 20K of the available DOS memory to execute
an application. This is due to overhead required to shell.

ViewMAX will not reduce DOS memory when executing an application if
TaskMAX is running and ViewMAX controls TaskMAX. Each application that is
executed from ViewMAX will be spawned as a new task.

If ViewMAX is used to control TaskMAX it is recommended that the Bus mouse
option be used. This will allow the user to have mouse control in other
applications. It is important to remember that any device loaded before
TaskMAX is universal to all tasks. Any driver or TSR loaded after TaskMAX
is available only in the task in which it was loaded.

The Format command in the ViewMAX File Menu does not pass parameters. This
means that if a computer has a high-density drive then no low-density
disks can be formatted using this menu command. The workaround for this is

to execute the FORMAT utility in the DR DOS directory. ViewMAX will then
ask for any parameters that need to be entered.

Changing the date and time on the ViewMAX clock will update system date
and time in the CMOS. This is a convenient way to update the clock without
having to enter CMOS Setup.

Users who have complex sub-directory structures (such as network drives)
may wish to turn off the Tree. This is due to the fact that ViewMAX reads
the entire directory file structure when it starts or returns from an
application. Not displaying the Tree will cause ViewMAX to read only the
current directory, not the entire drive structure.

Under some configurations ViewMAX may want a user to insert a floppy disk
everytime that ViewMAX loads. The user has Saved Preferences with a window
open on a floppy drive. To stop this from happening simply Save
Preferences when no window is open on a floppy drive.


ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:  DR DOS 6.0 USER GUIDE & Novell TID800075

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Any trademarks referenced in this document are the property of their
respective owners.  Consult your product manuals for complete trademark
information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
