[ct-user] Loading & running CT from DOS.

[Bob Mandeville]

To paraphrase 'Whitey' (and I quote...)

Robert Doherty wrote:

> NEVER run CT from a Window ....   REAL DOS ONLY ......
> K1VV

Bob Doherty is right about always running CT from DOS.  The easiest way to load
DOS is to hit the F8 key when the machine is booting up.  When it says "Loading
WIN95" (or whatever) hit F8.  Select DOS PROMPT (it's usually option  5 or 6) from
the menu that comes up.  WIN95 never gets loaded.  You are running strictly in
DOS.  However, if you miss your 'window of opportunity' and hit F8 too late, then
you have to suffer through loading WIN95, going through the shutdown sequence, and
restarting in DOS mode.  There is an easier way, but you have to be marginally PC
literate to do it.

Head up to www.k1ea.com and click on "Hints & Kinks".  Someone wrote some nifty
ideas on ways to 'rig' your machine to always start directly in DOS mode for CT,
without ever loading WIN95 and without ever touching the keyboard.

Using these instructions has a lot of advantages for you, especially if you aren't
going to be the only person logging with your machine.  If wrong keys are hit, you
only have to correct the situation in CT - you don't have to deal with the
additional burden of having WIN95 going south on you.  This is a great safety
factor for when things get hectic in FD.  The good points are:

1.  Your machine is easily rigged and unrigged to start strictly in DOS, and you
can return your machine to WIN95 mode after FD very easily.

2.  By not loading WIN95 then restarting in DOS mode, you save time.  And, you
don't have to think about things, or hit any additional keys during startup.
Poof, you are in DOS, just like the old days.

3.  Without WIN95 loaded, should you lose power (generator shuts down, etc) you
don't have to restart WIN95 and run SCANDISK.  Just reboot.  This also applies
when some non-PC type sends your machine into La-La Land.  Just cycle the power
and you are back in business.

4.  If you add a line to your Autoexec.BAT file pointing to your CT.BAT file, your
machine will autostart directly in CT.  You can always exit CT and get to the DOS
prompt if you need, or type WIN to start WIN95 if you really need to get to it.

Make sure that the line points to the CT.BAT file, and not just CT.  For example,
the line should read something like C:\CT\CT.BAT.  If you only put in C:\CT\CT, it
will load CT.EXE and not load all those nifty little subroutines that you have in
your CT.BAT file.

The bad points are;
You will not load a Mouse or sound card drivers (for PSK-31, etc), because they
are normally loaded by WIN95.  To get around this, find DOS drivers for the extra
equipment you intend to use.  Put these drivers in your CT subdirectory, and
'call' them with your CT.BAT file with a line such as c:\CT\MOUSE.EXE.

The new CT is pretty large, memory wise.  If you are running it on a 386 machine,
take everything you can out of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  I was just barely able to
load and run it on a friends PC, but I DID get it to work.  I had to REM out a lot
of statements first, though.

The lesson here is to ONLY LOAD WHAT YOU NEED TO LOAD!!  Don't load, say, a
sound-card driver if you aren't going to need your sound card.  A MOUSE is a
'must-have'.   Everyone should have a mouse driver hanging around somewhere.

A word about touch-pads on laptops.  Make sure that they work BEFORE FD.  I have
had some touch pads work fine with the DOS mouse driver, others don't.  It depends
on the machine.

Actually, it's probably better to use a mouse anyway.  Your machine is not going
to be in a nice clean office environment.  Dirty hands and touch pads don't always
mix well.  Better to sacrifice a mouse that a touch-pad.

OK CT-weenies, come up with some better ideas and refine what I said above!!

Good Luck on FD.

de Bob, N1EDM
n1edm@arrl.org


--
WWW:                      http://www.k1ea.com/
Submissions:              ct-user@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  ct-user-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-ct-user@contesting.com