



   EASY SOFTWARE MENU-FOR-WINDOWS
   ...............................................................
   This is a single user version. It is suitable for Windows 3.1 or
   Windows 95.   It is also suitable for Windows for Workgroups where
   each workstation loads Windows from it's own local hard disk. It is
   not suitable for networks where each workstation loads windows from
   a single copy of Windows on the server.
   ................................................................

   OVERVIEW

   Menu-For-Windows is an icon-less desktop for Windows 3.1 or
   Windows 95. It has two modes of operation, administrator and
   user. User mode provides a reasonable degree of security by
   denying users access to programs. In user mode (menu locked)
   the user cannot alter the menu structure nor access any program
   or sub menu which has been annotated administrator only.
   Programs or sub menus which are available to some users but not
   others can be password protected. User mode can also be
   configured to prevent access to the DOS prompt when shutting
   down Windows.
 
   Menu-For-Windows can be run as a program from your normal
   desktop but the security features are only implemented when you
   select "Control Windows from Menu-For-Windows" in the
   Configuration Window and restart Windows.


   ADDING PROGRAMS TO THE MENU

   To add an item to your menu, click "Add Item" on the
   Administrator Window. If the Administrator Window is not visible
   then right click on the menu to bring it to the front. There is
   also a shortcut key (F2) which will bring up the Add-Item window
   without accessing the Administrator Window.

   The Add-Item window appears with the cursor in the menu-text
   field. Enter the text you wish to be shown on the menu for the
   item. To the right of this field is a button marked "Menu
   Branch". This is used to create sub menus and is described
   later. To move to the next field, "Start Command" you can use
   the down arrow, the enter key or click on the field. The first
   time the cursor enters the "Start Command" field the directory-
   file browse window will open automatically. Select the program
   that you wish to run and click "OK" or press F2. The program you
   have selected will now be shown in the "Start Command" field. If
   there are parameters to add on the command line just add them at
   the end of the start command. The "Working Directory" field will
   also have been filled with the directory that the program is in.
   If you wish to set another directory as the working directory,
   you can edit this.




   You can now set various options for the program. Access to the
   program can be Open, Password or Administrator. If you select
   "Password", a field appears to the right into which you type the
   password for the program. When the menu is locked to User Mode
   this program will not start without the password. If you select
   "Administrator" then the item will only show on the menu when in
   Administrator Mode. It will disappear when the menu is locked.

   The Window Style buttons set the initial state of the program
   when it is started - Normal, maximized or minimized.

   For DOS programs, Menu-For-Windows can create a temporary
   program information file (.PIF) automatically. To use this
   facility, click "Make PIF" and select either the Full Screen or
   Window button. If you are running Windows 95, a third option button
   allows you to set the screen saver on or off.

   The PIF file which Menu-For-Windows creates uses default settings
   for everything except the full screen or window options. These
   defaults are suitable for the vast majority of DOS programs. If you
   have a DOS program which requires other PIF settings then create your
   PIF file as normal and make your PIF file the start command. Please
   use the "Make PIF" option for your DOS programs. If you run a DOS
   program without this option then it will probably leave an inactive
   window when it terminates.
   
   If you select the Load on Startup button, the program will be
   started automatically when Windows starts. This is similar to
   adding a program to the Start Group in Program manager. Programs
   with this option set are only started once you set "Control
   Windows from Menu-For-Windows".

   If you select "Allow multiple Loading" then clicking the item on
   the menu after the program has been started will start another
   copy of the program. With the default setting, "No", clicking
   the menu item after the program has started brings the running
   copy to the front, restoring it if it has been minimized.  The
   Multiple Loading option only works with programs which allow it.
  
   Click on Save to add the program to the menu and repeat the
   process for your other programs.

   When you add a program to the menu, it is added at the end. If
   you wish to re-arrange the items use the cut copy and paste
   buttons on the administrator window. Cutting or Copying applies
   to the currently highlighted item and paste inserts the cut or
   copied item above the currently highlighted item.

   There are shortcuts to all the functions on the Administrator
   Window - Click "Shortcut Key List".




   SUB MENUS

   To create a sub menu, click Add Item as usual. This time click
   the Menu Branch button. All the options disappear except the
   access buttons. Enter the menu text for the branch and set the
   access options. Save the item then click on it on the menu. The
   sub menu appears overlapping the main menu to the right. With
   the sub menu to the fore, the administrator buttons and shortcut
   keys now apply to the sub menu.

   If you delete a sub menu item and that sub menu has items on it
   then the sub menu itself is not deleted, only the item which
   calls it. You can call the sub menu again by selecting Add Item
   and clicking Menu Branch. Any existing sub menus will be listed
   for you to choose from. If you delete all the items on a sub
   menu and then delete the call to it, the sub menu is deleted.
   You can call sub menus from sub menus but only one sub menu is
   displayed at a time. When a sub menu is visible, moving the
   mouse between main and sub menus sets focus automatically.
  
   To modify or delete an item, click the appropriate button on the
   Administrator Window (or use the shortcut key) All actions on
   the Administrator Window apply to the currently highlighted item
   on the foremost menu. As the menus are sticky, use the right
   mouse button to jump directly to the Administrator Window
   without accidentally moving the highlight bar. The right mouse
   button also brings the Administrator Window to the fore if it
   has been closed.

   SYSTEM ACCESS

   The Administrator window has four system access buttons, Run,
   DOS Prompt, File Manager and Control Panel. These can also be
   accessed by shortcut keys. The File Manager button, by default,
   calls Winfile.Exe. If you prefer another file manager, you can
   connect this button to any other program from the Configuration
   Window. Menu-For-Windows does not have pre defined Diskcopy or
   Format options as you will probably wish to make these available
   on user menus. If you are unsure how to do this see appendix 1.
  
   CONFIGURATION

   To configure your menu, click the configuration button on the
   Administrator Window or press F12. The Configuration Window is
   in three general sections. The first section controls the
   appearance of your menu and desk top. The second section
   contains the operating options and the last determines whether
   your system is controlled by Menu-For-Windows or your current
   desk top.




   As most of the operating options are only effective when
   Menu-For-Windows is controlling your system, it is suggested
   that you change over to Menu-For-Windows at this stage. In the
   bottom section you will see two buttons. The lower button is
   depressed, coloured red and has, as its caption, your current
   desk top controlling program. This will be "Progman.exe" if you
   have standard Windows 3.1, "Explorer.exe" if you have standard
   Windows 95 or the name of your current desk top if you have a
   custom desk top installed.

   Changing to Menu-For-Windows is simply a case of selecting the
   upper button "ES Menu-For-Windows" and clicking on "OK" or
   pressing F2. However, as the change over requires Windows to be
   restarted you should close down any other programs you have
   running first.
  
   When you click on "OK" a dialog box opens with two sets of
   option buttons. Click the "yes" button to prevent access to the
   DOS prompt on shutdown. With this option set, a user shutting down
   Menu-For-Windows with the menu locked to user mode has no option
   but to turn off the computer.

   To restart Windows with Menu-For-Windows in control click the
   "Restart Windows Now" button. If you have got to this point and
   realize that you still have other programs running  you can click
   the "Cancel the Change" button, shutdown those programs then return
   to configuration to change over later.

   You can revert to your previous desk top at any time by clicking
   the lower button in the "Control Windows From" section.

   When Windows has restarted, bring up the Configuration Window
   again. In the top section, set the desk top colour , Pattern or
   wallpaper. Set your preferred colours for Main Menu, Sub Menu
   and error messages. You can also select one of three sizes for
   your menu, small, medium or large.
 
   The operating options section has the following options.

   AUTO-HIDE ADMINISTRATOR WINDOW

   With this option set, the Administrator Window will disappear
   automatically whenever the mouse pointer moves over the menu. To
   retrieve the Administrator Window at any time, right click on
   the menu. This option is most useful when your menu is fully set
   up and you occasionally wish to assess the System Functions.

   KEEP MENU ALWAYS ON TOP
 
   With this option set, the menu will always be visible above
   other running programs.




   MINIMIZE ON USE

   With this option set, the menu will shrink to an icon each time
   you run a program from it. It will also self-restore when no other
   windows are open. To get the best from your Menu-For-Windows, always
   select this option and always re-launch minimised programs from the
   menu rather than from their icon.

   FILE MANAGER BUTTON CALLS

   Click the Custom button to connect another program to the File
   Manager button on the Administrator Window.

   CHANGE ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD

   Click here to change the Administrator password. If you do not
   wish the Administrator Window to be password protected, leave
   the New Password Field blank.

   RUNNING IN USER MODE

   To switch to User Mode, click the "Lock Menu" button at the foot
   of the main menu. The button caption changes to "Administrator"
   and the Administrator Window disappears . Only the programs on
   your menu can now be run. To revert to Administrator Mode, click
   the "Administrator" button and enter your password. If you are
   using the Evaluation Copy, the password will be shown on screen.
   If you have just installed the registered version over an
   Evaluation copy, the password will be the last password used on
   the evaluation copy. If you have just installed a registered
   copy as a new installation the Administrator Window will not be
   password protected until you enter a password from the
   Configuration Window. To set one, enter the password in the new
   password field and leave the old password field blank.

   In User Mode, you shut down Windows by closing the Main Menu Window.
   If you chose the option to prevent access to DOS on shutdown then
   the Windows 95 shutdown screen will not have the option to restart
   in DOS Mode and Windows 3.1 will terminate with the message :-
   It is now safe to turn off your computer.

   FINDING THE MENU

   In either mode, you will need to bring the menu to the fore
   before you can use it. If you have set the option Keep Menu
   Always on Top, this will not be a problem. If not, then hold down
   the Alt key and press the tab key until the ES icon is highlighted. 
   If you have set Menu-For-Windows to control Windows then you can
   also bring it to the fore By right clicking anywhere on the desktop
   or by pressing Ctrl + Esc.



  
   APPENDIX 1 (Diskcopy and Format)

   To put these items on your menu, add items which run
   Diskcopy.Com and Format.Com. These programs can be found in your
   DOS directory if you are running Windows 3.1 and in your
   Windows\Command directory if you are running Windows 95.
 
   Both these programs have required parameters. For Diskcopy, you
   must supply the drive to copy from and too. To diskcopy in drive
   A: the start command for a Windows 95 system would be :-

        C:\windows\command\diskcopy.com A: A:
 
   For Format, the drive to format is required. To format drive a:
   the start command for a Windows 95 system would be :-

        C:\windows\command\format.com a:

   (This formats the disk to the default size for the drive. To
   format to other sizes, see the Format.com parameters in your DOS
   documentation.)

   Both these programs are DOS based and you should use the Make
   PIF option to run them either full screen or in a Window.




   APPENDIX 2 (System Alterations)

   When you install Menu-For-Windows the installation program makes
   no changes to any of your system files and no files are
   installed to your Windows directories. If you have not set
   Menu-For-Windows to control your system then uninstalling is
   simply a case of erasing the files in the directory to which it
   was installed.

   When you set Menu-For-Windows as your desktop program it makes
   the following alterations.

   1.   In your System.Ini file [boot] section, it puts ESMENU.EXE on
   the shell= line and adds a line Esmenureplaced=(Your last
   desktop) immediately following it.

   2.   It renames Taskman.exe as Taskman.spr.

   If you decide to uninstall Menu-For-Windows after putting it in
   control then reset to your old desktop first. Menu-For-Windows
   then reverses these changes.
 
   In the unlikely event that you delete the Menu-For-Windows files
   without resetting to your last desk top then you will either have
   to reinstall Menu-For-Windows from DOS or edit your System.Ini file
   manually and rename Taskman.spr to Taskman.exe.
   
   If this happens under Windows 3.1, Windows will fail to start with
   the message "Error loading Progman.exe". Just use a DOS editor to
   make the changes. If it happens under Windows 95 then Windows will
   fail to start with the message "Error loading Esmenu.Exe" - "You
   must reinstall Windows". You DO NOT have to reinstall Windows. What
   you do have to do is reboot your computer with a DOS boot disk to 
   make the changes.
    
   To reinstall Menu-For-Windows, insert the installation disk in a
   floppy drive, change to that drive and type "Install". (If you have
   not erased all the Menu-For-Windows files then erase them first so
   that the registered install disk makes a full installation and not
   an Evaluation Copy Conversion.)

   To revert to your old desk top, edit the file System.Ini shell= line
   to shell=progman.exe for Win 3.1 or shell=explorer.exe for Win95 and
   remove the Esmenureplaced= line.



   APPENDIX 3 ( DLL space saving )
 
   Menu-For-Windows installs several DLL and VBX files in it's
   directory. You may already have some of these files in your
   Windows\System directory and if you are an experienced Windows
   user you will know that you can delete the duplicate copies from
   the Menu-For-Windows directory and the program will still run.
 
   We strongly recommend that you DO NOT DO THIS for the following
   reason.

   If you are using Menu-For-Windows as your shell program and you
   install another program which has one of these files and the
   installation program attempts to write that file directly into
   your Windows\System directory then the installation will fail as
   Windows prevents any DLL or VBX file which is in use from being
   overwritten.

   APPENDIX 4 (Installed files)

   The Menu-For-Windows installation program installs the following
   files:-

   ESMENU.EXE               This is the program executable file
   DONOTRUN.EXE             This is not. It is used internally.
   ESMENU.DAT
   ESMENU.DPF
   ESMENU.D9F
   ESMENU.HLD
   ESMENU.MEN
   MANUAL.TXT
   ORDER.TXT
   CBK.VBX
   SBC.VBX
   SBCKBD.VBX
   MHGDIR.VBX
   MHGDRL.VBX
   MHGFIL.VBX
   MHGFRM.VBX
   MHIN200.VBX
   MHSPLIT.VBX
   MUSCLE.VBX
   DWSPYDLL.DLL
   MHRUN500.DLL
   VBRUN300.DLL

   All of these files are required - do not delete them.

   The additional files:-

   ESMENU.( A NUMBER)    Your sub menu files
   ESMENU.DIR            A directory of sub menus
   ~.PIF                 The temporary PIF file

   Are created when the program is used.




   APPENDIX 5 (Evaluation Licence)

   If this is an Evaluation copy, you are licensed to use it for
   thirty days. If you wish to continue using Menu-For-Windows
   beyond the evaluation period you must purchase a registered
   copy.

   At the end of the Evaluation period, should you still be running
   the evaluation copy, it will remind you of this obligation. At
   no time, however, will it cease to function.

   Full copies of Menu-For-Windows cost:-

   $25 for private home use on a single machine

   $40 for commercial use on a single machine
   
   Site Licenses are available for commercial use.

   A site licence consists of a single copy of the software
   together with a licence to duplicate and use that software on
   multiple machines. Copies made under a site licenses are for 
   in-house use by the licensee and may not be resold. To calculate
   a site licence price, multiply the price for a single copy by the
   number of copies required and apply the following discounts:

   2          40%
   3-7        60%
   10-16      70%
   25-56      80%
   75-133     85%
   200-500    90%
   1000+      95%



   KNOWN PROBLEM ( Installing other programs )

   Most Windows program setup routines are flexible and work with any
   desk top manager. There are however exceptions !   

   Setup programs created with the Visual Basic Setup Wizard cannot be
   used to install programs when Menu-For-Windows is running. If you try
   to install a program which has been shipped with one of these setup
   programs it will terminate with the message "One or more Visual Basic
   Applications are running - Close them down and try again." This is due
   to a problem with the Microsoft Setup Wizard and not with 
   Menu-For-Windows. You can reset to your original desk top, install the
   program and then reset to Menu-For-Windows. The installed program will
   run from Menu-For-Windows it is only the setup program that has the bug.



   
   Some setup programs just assume that Windows will be running from Program
   Manager and attempt to add a program group without your permission. Many
   of these programs will terminate with a message saying "Unable to
   establish DDE conversation with Program Manager. If you get this message
   when installing a program, the program will almost certainly have been
   installed and you can add it to your menu. It was only the attempt to
   add icons to your desktop that failed.

   If you have any problems installing other programs, you can always
   switch back to the standard Windows desk top to install them. Please
   let the program suppliers know that their setup program is unsuitable
   for custom desk top managers.

   HINTS

   To get the best from your Menu-For-Windows :-

   Always set Menu-For-Windows to control Windows 
   Always set the minimize on use option
   Always use the Make PIF option for DOS programs
   Always restore minimized programs from the menu, not their icon