XBoot - The Boot Manager    Wehberg/Gribnif

Overview of Features:

-Fully controlled with either mouse or keyboard
-Runs in monochrome(640x400) and in color(640x200), on large screen monitors,
 and with hardware expansions like ovescan.  On the Atari TT it also runs in
 medium resolution(640x480, 16 colors) and in high resolution(1280x960, mono).
-Often used settings can be saved as a SET.
-The execution order of AUTO folder programs and accessories can be changed
 at will.
-The programs and accessories can be listed as sorted or unsorted.
-Setting of system date and time.
-Computers without a battery backed-up clock will maintain the correct time
 and date after a reset.
-DESKTOP.INF (or NEWDESK.INF) options such as key-click, keyboard repeat,
 RS-232 parameters, etc., can be set at will.
-XBoot can be fully configured using a separate program.
-Flexible installation of any Info file, i.e. ASSIGN.SYS, DESKTOP.INF, etc.,
 can be changed on the fly.
-Optional scrap folder for saving files in case of an unsucessful operation.
-Autostart of any GEM program under all TOS versions.
-A very comfortable, custom written, file selector.

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INSTALLATION

DISK CONTENTS - The XBoot disk contains the following files:
                \XBOOT\XBOOT.PRG     The program itself
                \XBOOT\XBSTART.PRG   The autostarter for TOS 1.00/1.02
                \XBOOT\XB_CONF.PRG   The configuration program
                       INSTALL.PRG   The installation program
                        README.TXT   Update info, etc.


HARD DISK INSTALLATION - XBoot is supplied with its own installation program
 that automatically copies all necessary files from the floppy disk to the
 hard drive.  To accomplish this, insert the XBoot disk in the floppy drive
 and run the program INSTALL.PRG.  An installation dialog appears showing
 the available drives for installation and action/status boxes.  Select the
 drive you wish to install XBoot on (probably your boot drive, eh?) and click
 on start.  That's it.  All files will be copied to the appropriate folders.
 If no AUTO folder exists, one will be created.  The installer will also
 re-order the AUTO folder files so that XBoot is first.  All other related
 XBoot files will be placed in an XBOOT folder in the root directory of the
 selected drive.  Now Reset or Reboot.

 **NOTE: When attempting to install XBoot, I found that I had to boot up with
 a totally stripped down system for the installation program to run.**

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USER INTERFACE


MAIN SCREEN - Listed on the left side of the screen (in the PRG window) are
 the programs in the AUTO folder.  Just to their right (in the ACC window)
 are the accessories.  Each heading always contains two numbers.  The number
 on the right shows the count of available files, while the number on the
 left shows the number of the top left file.  The active files (ones that are
 to be loaded) are indicated by a check mark.  If there are write-protected
 AUTO folder programs or accessories, they are shown with light characters.
 This serves as an indicator that such files cannot be selected.

 The SETs are shown to the right of the ACCs window.  Along the right side
 of the screen is a stack of buttons to invoke various functions of XBoot.
 In the lower right corner is the date and time, as well as the TOS version
 of your ST.

 Underneath the PRGs and ACCs are three small windows.  They are used to
 select files for a SET, for example DESKTOP.INF, ASSIGN.SYS, etc.

 The line on the very bottom is a Status line.  Remarks and other info is
 displayed here.

SHORTCUTS - Almost all buttons in XBoot (as well as areas that can be clicked
 on with the mouse) can also be invoked by using a particular keypress combo.
 In most cases, the key is indicated bu an underlined character within the
 button.  Such a button can be selected by pressing ALT + character.  All
 other shortcuts will be discussed later.

ALERT BOXES - XBoot remarks and error messages will be displayed in alert
 boxes.  Buttons in these boxes may also be activated using shortcuts.

SELECTION OF PRGs/ACCs - As already mentioned, XBoot can be controlled either
 from the keyboard or with the mouse.  The same goes for the selection of
 PRGs/ACCs.  There are two ways of activating an inactive file (no check) or
 vice versa.  Either click on the file name with the mouse, or move the
 cursor-bar to the file using the cursor keys and then press INSERT or the
 SPACE bar.  After starting XBoot, the cursor-bar is always in the upper left
 corner.

 Write protected files may not be selected.

 If your boot partition contains more PRGs/ACCs than can be shown on in one
 window, you can page back and forth.  Click the mouse on the corresponding
 arrow on the header line, or press SHIFT + CURSOR UP/DOWN.  When using the
 keyboard, the position of the cursor-bar determines which list (PRG or ACC)
 is paged through.

DISPLAYING SORTED FILES - A button named SORT is present underneath the
 PRG/ACC windows.  By clicking on this button, you can switch between
 displaying the files in alphabetical order or unsorted.

DEACTIVATING ALL PRGs/ACCs - The CLEAR button will deselect all PRGs/ACCs
 in their respective windows.

RUNNING ORDER OF PRGs/ACCs - The ORDER button allows you to change the
 running order of PRGs/ACCs.  After clicking on ORDER, the mouse pointer
 changes to a hand and a message Swap PRG(or ACC) Files appears in the
 status line.  The PRG/ACC window will automatically switch to UNSORTED
 mode. You may now select two programs whose positions should be swapped.
 Click first on one of the two files.  As confirmation, its name appears
 in the status line.  Now click on the other file.  The two files are then
 swapped and will, from now on, run in reversed order.

 If, inavertently, the first file was selected in error, simply click on it
 again or click on UNDO.  To leave this function, click either on EXIT or
 once againn on ORDER.

 If you don't wish to swap two files but only want to move a program to
 another slot, proceed as follows: Depending on whether the file should be
 moved toward the beginning or the end of the list, swap the file with the
 one directly above/below it repeatedly until it arrives at the desired
 position.

 The XBoot installation program automatically places XBoot first in the
 AUTO folder.  In some cases, it may be advantageous to run a program
 before XBoot, for example a hard disk cache.  If you have such a program
 and would always run it anyway, running it before XBoot will also sub-
 stantially increase the speed of XBoot.  Such hard drive accelerators
 achieve noticeable improvements only with the old versions of TOS (1.00
 and 1.02).  If your ST still has TOS 1.00 or 1.02, as far as the speed of
 the hard drive is concerned, the upgrade to a newer TOS version (1.04 or
 higher) is highly recommended.  This will also result in the speeding up
 of XBoot in several areas.

SETs - SETs are central to the operation of XBoot.  Its entirely up to the
 user which tasks to create SETs for.  An obvious choice are the SETs for
 the most frequently used programs, but you can also create standard SETs
 for high, medium, and low resolutions, each with unique characteristics.

 If you wish to create a unique configuration of PRGs/ACCs/INFs/etc. only
 once, you don't need to create a whole SET.  Simply select the necessary
 files and EXIT XBoot.

DEFINING A NEW SET - To define a new set, activate all the PRGs/ACCs that
 should belong to the SET.  Click on the NEW SET button or press ALT+N.

 The input cursor will now appear in the first available slot in the SET
 list.  Give the new SET a name of your choice of up to 11 characters in
 length, then confirm your input with RETURN.  If your change your mind,
 press UNDO or enter no name and press RETURN.

 The naming of a SET defines it with the current PRG/ACC/INF/etc. settings.
 In order to be able to use this SET in subsequent bootings, it must be
 saved XBoots DEF file.  (See SAVE SETS)

 When booting XBoot for the first time there are, of course, no available
 SETs.  This is reported when the program first comes up.  You can now enter
 all of the SETs you need as described above.

 NOTE:  PRGs and ACCs which are write-protected will, for obvious reasons,
  not be saved in a SET, and are, depending on their extension (PRG/PRX or
  ACC/ACX) permanently active or inactive.  This feature can be utilized
  when, for example, you always wish to load a specific PRG/ACC regardless
  of the SET definitions you may later specify.  To do this, simply change
  The PRG/ACC file status to "read only".  The file status can be changed
  either from the desktop or with the help of the XBoot file selector.
  (See FILE TOOLS)

SET SELECTION - To select an already available SET simply click on it.  The
 SET will be displayed in inverse and the related definitions of PRGs/ACCs/
 INFs/etc. will be shown.  You can also use the function keys F1...F10.  To
 facilitate ease of use, each SET is prefixed with the corresponding F-key.
 The SETs 1 to 10 are activated with F1 to F10, while the SETs 11 to 20 are
 activated with CTRL+F1 to F10.

 If there are more than 20 SETs, they can be paged through - like PRGs/ACCs -
 by clicking on the appropriate arrows or by pressing + and - on the numeric
 keypad.

 Since in normal operation the selection is limited to clicking on a SET and
 XBoot is then terminated, there is another (faster) method of SET selection.
 With this method a SET is activated and XBoot is left immediately. To do
 this, simply double-click on the desired SET, or press the corresponding
 F-key combination along with the ALT key.

SET CHANGE - The settings in a SET can be changed at any time.  However, XBoot
 doesn't have  a special function for this purpose.  Instead, simply select
 the SET to be changed and change the PRG/ACC/etc. settings.  These changes
 to the selected SET must be saved for the changed SET to operate in later
 bootings.  (See SAVE SETs)

 The name of a SET can also be changed.  Click on the SET and select RENAME
 SET.  The name input is terminated as usual with RETURN, while UNDO cancels
 input without making any changes.

DELETE SET - If you don't need an existing set anymore, you can remove it by
 selecting the SET and clicking on DELETE SET.  An alert box will appear
 asking if you really want to delete the SET.  In order for the SET to be
 permanently removed you must save the XBoot DEF file.

SORT SETS - The sets are normally listed in the order in which they were
 defined.  The SORT button in the SET window will sort the SETs alphabetically.

SAVE SETS - In order for all changes withing the SETs to remain permanent,
 they must be saved.  This is achieved by clicking on SAVE SETs or with
 ALT+S.  The settings of all SETs are then stored in the file
 \XBOOT\XBOOT.DEF.  If the file already exists, the old one will be renamed
 to XBOOT.DBK.  In this way, you always have access to the previous version
 of XBOOT.DEF in case you accidentally save the wrong settings.

 XBoot monitors if the the SETs were changed and asks before the program is
 terminated if the changes should be saved.

AUTOSTARTING OF GEM PROGRAMS - XBoot allows for declaration of one autostart
 application for each SET.  Select first a SET for which you wish to specify
 an autostart application.  Then select AUTOSTART.  The XBoot file selector
 then appears.  You can now select the program which should be run
 automatically after booting.  Select the file and click on OK or double-
 click on the filename.  You may also type in the path and filename in the     checks if the specified program
 line at the top of the selector.  (CANCEL terminates the input without
 making any changes) XBoot now checks if the specified program really exists
 and accepts it as the autostart application for the given SET.  The autostart
 path will, from now on, appear in the Status line of the main screen whenever
 the given SET is selected.  If such a SET is active when XBoot is terminated,
 the given program will then be run automatically.

 It's possible to circumvent the path test in case of a file which, at the
 time of XBoots running, doesn't yet exist.  For example, this can occur when
 a program is to be started from a RAM disk, which is installed only after
 XBoot terminates and the relevant program is then copied to the RAM disk.
 To avoid the path test, type in the complete path name on the line of the
 selector and the filename in the filename field, then click on OK while
 while holding down the CTRL key.

 The autostart application of a SET can always be changed or deleted.  Select
 a SET and click again on AUTOSTART.  You may now change the path/filename.
 To delete the application, simply delete the filename in the selector and
 confirm with OK.

AUTOSTART UNDER TOS 1.00/1.02 - The STs which have the older TOS versions,
 cannot, without additional help, run GEM programs automatically.  Because
 of this, there is an extra utility program intended especially for these
 TOS versions.  It's called XBSTART.PRG and can, after installation, also
 be found in the AUTO folder of the boot drive.  If you own an ST with TOS
 1.00 or 1.02, XBSTART.PRG must be present in the AUTO folder for the auto-
 start option of XBoot to function.

AUTOSTART UNDER TOS 1.04 AND ON - If you own an ST with TOS 1.04 or higher,
 a Mega STE, or a TT, the XBSTART.PRG is not needed.  You may delete it if
 you like.

FILE COMMANDS - A sequence of up to 10 commands can be specified for each SET.
 These commands are executed automatically when the SET is activated.  To
 associate commands with a SET, first select the SET and click on the COMMANDS
 button.  The command line editor appears.  Only one command per line is
 allowed.  The descriptions of all possible commands are as follows:

 COPY [sfile] [dfile]
        Creates a copy of [sfile] under the name [dfile]
        Example: COPY D:\LASER\STANDARD.BAT C:\LASBRAIN.BAT

 COPY [files] [dir]
        Copies the file(s) defined by [files] to the directory [dir].  [files]
        may contain wildcards (*,?).  Files that already exist in [dir] will
        not be copied.  Useful for automatic copying to a ramdisk.
        Examples: COPY E:\TC\SOURCE\*.C H:\
                  COPY D:\WORDPLUS.* H:\

 COPY [dir1] [dir2]
        Copies the complete contents of the directory [dir1] (including all
        subdirectories) to [dir2].  The maximum depth is 10.  If the directory
        [dir2] does not exist, it will be created automatically.  Files from
        [dir1] that already exist in [dir2] will not be copied.
        Examples: COPY E:\TC\ H:
                  COPY D:\ H:\

 NAME [old] [new]
        Renames/moves the file [old] to [new].  Both files must be on the same
        drive.  Should the file [old] not exist, no error message will appear.
        Examples: NAME H:\TC\TC.PRG H:\TC\COMPILER.PRG
                  NAME H:\TEXT\WORDPLUS.PRG H:\WORDPLUS.PRG

 NAME [files] [dir]
        Moves the file(s) defined by [files] to the directory [dir].  [files]
        may contain wildcards (*,?).  Files that already exist in [dir] will
        not be copied.
        Examples: NAME H:\*.TXT H:\DOC\

 CHEXT [files] [ext]
        Changes the extensions of the file(s) defined by [files] to [ext].
        [files] may contain wildcards (*,?).  [ext] may contain only up to
        three characters and may be preceded with a dot (.).
        Example: CHEXT C:\*.BAT .BAX

 KILL [files]
        Deletes the file(s) defined by [files].  No error message will appear
        if the file does not exist.  [files] may contain wildcards (*,?).
        Example: KILL H:\CONFIG.DEF
                 KILL E:\*.BAK

 MKDIR [dir]
        Creates the directory [dir].
        Example: MKDIR H:\TEXT

 RMDIR [dir]
        Kills the directory [dir].  [dir] may not contain any files/folders.
        Example: RMDIR H:\TEXT

 CHKEMP [drive]
        This command checks if there are any files on drive [drive] and, if so,
        aborts the execution of the file commands.  Purpose:  If you use the
        file commands for automatic copying to a reset-proof ramdisk there is
        normally no need to copy the files again after a reset because they are
        still on the ramdisk.  Although XBoot does not copy already existing
        files, by using CHKEMP you can save a lot of time which would otherwise
        be wasted while XBoot checks whether each file already exists on the
        destination path.
        Example: CHKEMP H:

 EXEC [file] "[command_line]"
        Loads and executes the (TOS) program [file] and passes to it the
        command line [command_line] which is enclosed in quotes.
        [command_line] is optional and may be left out.
        Examples: EXEC C:\UTI\RAMDISK.PRG "X600H"


 At least one space must follow each command.  The command processor is not
 case sensitive.  In addition, a comma can be used instead of a space to
 separate multiple parameters for the commamd. The number of spaces as
 separators is arbitrary.

 The following are allowed:
        NAME \OLDDESK.INF,\DESKTOP.INF
        name \olddesk.inf \desktop.inf
        Name    \OLDDESK.INF,\DESKTOP.INF
        nAmE \OLDDESK.INF,\desktop.inf
        NAME \OLDDESK.INF     \DESKTOP.INF

 The following are not allowed:
        NAME\OLDDESK.INF,\DESKTOP.INF  (missing space after NAME)
        NAME \OLDESK.INF\DESKTOP.INF   (missing space or comma)

 The file command editor has two functions to ease the editing of the command
 lines.  CTRL+INSERT inserts a blank line at the current cursor position.
 CTRL+DELETE deletes the current line.

 NOTE: If a memor resident program is run using the EXEC command, that - unlike
 a reset-proof ramdisk - is not installed on top of free memory, the so-called
 'segmentation' of memory may occur.  This can eventually lead to some programs
 being unable to run due to lack of memory.  To avoid this, the memory resident
 programs (such as custom file selectors or printer drivers) should be copied
 to the AUTO folder.  As previously noted, this problem doesn't exist with
 memory resident programs such as ramdisks and printer spoolers which are
 normally installed on top of memory.

INFO FILES - In addition to PRGs/ACCs, certain configurations frequently
 require various other files (Info files).  These are, among others,
 DESKTOP.INF, NEWDESK.INF, ASSIGN.SYS, or batch files for command-line
 interpreters.

INFO FILE INSTALLATION - There is a simple method for management and instal-
 lation of Info files in XBoot.  There are three small windows under the PRGs/
 ACCs.  The title line of each window contains the name of the relevant Info
 file.  Immediately underneath, there's room for names of files which should
 be installed.  "Install" in this case means that XBoot creates a copy of the
 given file and saves it under the name of the relevant Info file.

 You can define the names of the three files by using the XBoot configuration
 program.  The first two have already been allocated to DESKTOP.INF and
 ASSIGN.SYS.  They can be changed if needed.

 (NOTE: DESKTOP.INF also refers to NEWDESK.INF in this manual.)

 For example, to install a special DESKTOP.INF file for a SET, first select the
 SET.  Then click on the free field in the DESKTOP.INF window.  The file
 selector will appear and you may now select the file which is to be installed
 as DESKTOP.INF. Prior to that, of course, you must have saved a DESKTOP.INF
 file from the desktop and changed its name, for example, to HI_RES.INF.

 After leaving XBoot, the selected file is copied and saved in the root
 directory as, in this case, DESKTOP.INF.

 To remove an Info file from a SET, simply delete the name of the file in the
 file selector and confirm with OK.

 If more than three Info files are needed in one SET, use the COPY command
 mentioned earlier to copy the appropriate Info file.

UNDO - As long as you do not leave XBoot, it's always possible to reverse all
 changes made to PRGs/ACCs.  To do this, select UNDO.  All PRGs/ACCs which
 were active before running XBoot are again restored to their original state.

FILE TOOLS - The XBoot file selector was mentioned earlier during the selection
 of autostart programs.  The file selector also offers several other useful
 functions which can be invoked with the FILE TOOLS button.  You can search
 directories, delete/rename/change the status of files or to set/clear the
 fastload bit of PRGs/ACCs.

 The operation of the file selector is in most parts identical to the original
 TOS file selector.  The most important differences in brief are as follows:
        -In addition to the file name, the file size and date/time stamp of
         the file is also shown.
        -To change a drive, click on the appropriate letter underneath the
         files or press CTRL+drive letter.
        -Double-clicking on an arrow will get you to the top or bottom of the
         file list.

 File Info - To get more info on a file, click on it first.  Its name will them
 appear in the selection field.  Now select INFO.  A small dialog will appear
 containing the field name and its status (read/write or read only).  You may
 now change both the file name and status.  Confirm changes with OK or select
 CANCEL to abandon the changes.

 If your ST has TOS 1.04 or above, you can set or clear the fastload bit on
 all executable files.

 To delete a file, click on it in the file selector and then select DELETE.
 A dialog will appear asking if you are sure.  Are you?

BLITTER - If your machine has a built-in blitter, you can turn it on or off
 by clicking the BLITTER button.  Current blitter settings are saved along
 with the SET.

PROCESSOR CACHE (TT ONLY) - If you are using a TT, you can set the status of
 the processor cache instead of the blitter while booting.  If a SET is active,
 the cache status will be saved along with the SET.

DATE AND TIME - If you don't have a built-in battery backed-up clock in your
 ST, you can enter the system date and time yourself.  Using the configuration
 program, you can request XBoot to automatically ask for the date and time when
 it starts up.  XBoot also takes care that the date and time are maintained
 after a system reset.

 To enter or change the date and time, click on the time or date box or press
 CTRL+D.  A dialog box will appear allowing you to edit the time/date.

LEAVING XBOOT - To leave XBoot, select EXIT or press the ESC key.  If any
 values withing the SETs have been changed but not saved, a warning appears
 asking if you want to save changes.

OVERVIEW OF MOUSE AND KEYBOARD INSTRUCTIONS

Following is a summary of mouse and keyboard functions in XBoot.

Keyboard Control:
        -File selection with the help of cursor keys
        -(De)Activating of PRGs and ACCs using SPACE or INSERT
        -Selection of SETs 1..10 with F1..F10, SETs 11..20 with CTRL + F1..F10
        -Page back/forward for PRGs/ACCs using SHIFT + ARROW UP/DOWN, or
         paging for SETs using +/- on the mumeric keypad
        -Select SET xx and immediately leave XBoot with ALT + Fxx

Shortcuts:

ALT+U/UNDO              UNDO
ALT+N                   NEW SET
ALT+R                   RENAME SET
ALT+D                   DELETE SET
ALT+C                   COMMANDS
ALT+F                   FILE TOOLS
ALT+A                   AUTOSTART
ALT+S                   SAVE SETS
ALT+X/ESC               EXIT

ALT+B                   BLITTER STATUS
ALT+H                   CACHE STATUS
CTRL+D                  ENTER DATE/TIME

ALT+1                   SORT
ALT+2                   CLEAR (FOR AUTO FOLDER PROGRAMS)
ALT+3                   ORDER

ALT+4                   SORT
ALT+5                   CLEAR (FOR ACCESSORIES)
ALT+6                   ORDER

ALT+7                   SORT (FOR SETS)


KEYBOARD LAYOUT FOR DATA ENTRY

ESC                     DELETES THE CONPLETE INPUT FIELD
DELETE                  DELETES THE CHARACTER TO THE RIGHT OF THE CURSOR
BACKSPACE               DELETES THE CHARACTER TO THE LEFT OF THE CURSOR
ARROW LEFT              MOVE CURSOR ONE CHARACTER LEFT
ARROW RIGHT             MOVE CURSOR ONE CHARACTER LEFT
SHIFT+ARROW LEFT        MOVE CURSOR TO START OF FIELD
SHIFT+ARROW RIGHT       MOVE CURSOR TO END OF FIELD
RETURN/ENTER            CONFIRM INPUT
UNDO                    CANCEL ENTRY OF A SET NAME


IN THE FILE SELECTOR:

ALT+I                   SHOW SELECTED FILE INFO
ALT+D                   DELETE SELECTED FILE
CTRL+ESC                CHANGE TO HIGHER DIRECTORY
CTRL+CHARACTER          CHANGE CURRENT DRIVE




CONFIGURATION

In the XBoot filder you will find a program called XB_CONF.PRG.  Using this
configuration program you can customize XBoot to your needs.

Run the program from the desktop.  After loading, the program displays the
current settings in a GEM window.

NOTE: If the XBOOT.PRG file is not in the AUTO folder on the same drive as
the XB_CONF.PRG, a request to locate XBoot appears.

You may now modify the shown settings and by clicking on SAVE store them
permanently.  Click on the close box in the upper left corner to exit the
configuration program.

Following are explanations of all modifiable parameters.


START PARAMETERS

HOTKEYS - Immediately after starting, XBoot checks if the key(s) shown here
 are pressed.  If this is the case, XBoot will or will not start, depending
 on the setting of START XBOOT or SKIP XBOOT.

KEEP AUTOSTART - You can specify here if the autostart, installed during the
 last boot, should be retained when the starting of XBoot is suppressed by
 the hotkey function.

WAIT TIME - The time given here is the time XBoot waits for user action
 (keypress, mouse click/movement) before continuing automatically.
  **I have found that a value of 0 will cause an "infinite" delay**

FORCE TIME INPUT - Causes XBoot to ask for the current time and date after
 each cold start.

DATE - The standard date format in XBoot is DD/MM/YY.  It's used for the
 entry of the date to be shown on the XBoot screen and in the XBoot file
 selector.  If you wish, you can change the format to MM/DD/YY.

SORT PRGs/ACCs/SETs - Determines if PRGs, ACCs, or SETs should be initially
 shown sorted or unsorted.

SET DESKTOP.INF/NEWDESK.INF VALUES - The DESKTOP.INF file contains not only
 the information about the position of the windows and icons on the desktop,
 but also the settings of the control panel accessory, the serial port, and
 the printer defaults.  These take effect only when the relevant control and
 emulator accessories are installed.  Because of this, most ST users load
 both (or at least the control accessory) for the sole purpose of having
 these values set.

 XBoot can set all of these values for you.  So if you have, until now, been
 loading the control panel accessory for the sole purpose of setting the key
 repeat or the printer defaults, you will no longer need to install it.
 Instead, activate the SET DESKOP.INF VALUES function.

 There is however, one small limitation.  XBoot runs from the AUTO folder and
 since at this point, GEM(AES) has not yet been initialized, the setting of
 the color registers is ineffective and the setting of the double-click is
 not possible.

 When the relevant function is turned on, the following values from the
 DESKTOP.INF/NEWDESK.INF file are set by XBoot:
        -key repeat response time and rate
        -key click and bell
        -printer defauls
        -serial port defaults

MOUSE PARAMETERS - The mouse parameters refer to mouse operation within XBoot.
 They do not have any effect upon the GEM mouse behavior.

DOUBLE-CLICK - Sets the speed of the double-click.

QUICKMOUSE - Accelerates the mouse movement.



ACCESSORIES

DRIVE - Hard drive owners normally boot from drive C; that is to say the
 programs in the AUTO folder and the accessories are loaded from this drive.
 But there are hard disk device drivers which enable booting from any
 partition.  If you use one of these drivers, it's advisable to install
 XBoot in several partitions.  However, there are also drivers which allow
 booting from any partition, but this only applies to the AUTO folder
 programs.  This means that accessories (and Info files too) always load
 from drive C, regardless of the boot drive.  If your driver works like this
 you should select the FIXED option and enter the drive from which the
 accessories are actually loaded so that XBoot can adjust itself accordingly.
 Normally, this would be drive C.

 The standard setting is BOOT DRIVE.  With this setting, XBoot uses the same
 drive it was loaded from to find accessories and Info files.

LIMIT: 6 ACCESSORIES - The accessories loaded during booting are normally
 accessible from the GEM Desk menu.  As you probably know, only up to six
 entries are available for accessories.  Since, normally each accessory
 occupies one menu entry, this means that a maximum of six accessories can
 be loaded.

 When this option is enabled, XBoot will automatically allow only up to
 six accessories to be activated.  If more accessories are selected, a
 warning message will appear.

 The reason why this six accessory limit isn't necessarily always true, is
 that there are accessories which do not occupy a meny entry.  It is there-
 fore possible to load more than six accessories, but this occurs very
 rarely.


SCREEN

SWITCH TO 60 Hz - This is for color modes only.  If you would rather work
 with the higher screen frequency, you may instruct XBoot to automatically
 switch from 50 to 60 Hz.

COLORS - When using XBoot in color, the values of the four color registers
 can be set here.  These colors settings are for the XBoot screen only, and
 will not affect the desktop colors.

MONOCHROME SCREEN - When using XBoot in high resolution monochrome, you may
 select whether XBoot should be displayed normally or in reverse.


INFO FILES - As mentioned earlier, the names and paths of the three Info
 files can be set using the configuration program.  The paths for DESKTOP.INF
 and ASSIGN.SYS are already predefined.  To change a path of an Info file
 just click on the relevant field.  A file selector will appear allowing
 you to define the Info file path.

 On the TT and Mega STE it doesn't make much sense, of course, to install
 DESKTOP.INF files (however, our own tests have shown that if NEWDESK.INF
 is not available, the relevant information from the DESKTOP.INF file will
 be used).  But because of the fact that the majority of users own an ST
 (at least at the moment) the default path for the first Info file remains
 \DESKTOP.INF.  TT and Mega STE users may simply change this to \NEWDESK.INF.

SCRAP FOLDER - It can sometimes happen that XBoot cannot rename a PRG/ACC.
 For example, one reason for this can be that there are two versions of one
 accessory in the root directory.  One with the extension ".ACC" and the
 other with the extension ".ACX".  An attempt to activate/deactivate either
 of these two files will fail, since a file with that name already exists.
 In such a case, a folder can be defined into which XBoot will move any files
 it cannot rename.  This can be any folder with the exception of the AUTO
 folder.  It's best to define a special folder for this particular purpose.
 The only requirement is that this folder must be in the root directory.

 To define a scrap folder, click on SCRAP FOLDER.  A file selector will appear
 allowing you to enter the drive and path of the scrap folder.

 NOTE: The scrap folder has nothing to do with the GEM scrap folder or
       clipboard.  It is only for XBoot's internal use.



APPENDIX

The XBOOT.DEF FILE

As mentioned earlier, the settings in all SETs are saved in the XBOOT.DEF
file.  This file is located in the XBOOT folder.

SYNTAX
        -XBOOT.DEF is a plain ASCII file.
        -Each line must end with an LF (ASCII code 10).  CRs (ASCII code 13)
          are ignored.
        -The length of the file is not limited.
        -Only one command or file name is allowed on each line.
        -Leading and trailing spaces on a line are ignored.
        -Any number of blank lines may be inserted anywhere.

DEFINING A SET

For each defined SET, a structure with the following layout is created in the
XBOOT.DEF file:

#SET [set name]                         Set name (11 characters maximum)
        #START [autostart]              Autostart application (optional)
        #BLITON/BLITOFF                 Blitter On/Off
        #CACHEON/CACHEOFF               CPU Cache On/Off
        #INFO1 [info file 1]            Info file installation (optional)
        #INFO2 [info file 2]
        #INFO3 [info file 3]
        #COMMANDS                       File commands block (optional)
          [cmd 1]                       with up to 10 commands
          [cmd 2]
          [cmd 3]
           ...
        #PRG                            The file names of active AUTO folder
          [prg 1]                       programs follow next (w/o extensions)
          [prg 2]
          [prg 3]
           ...
        #ACC                            The active accessories follow
          [acc 1]                       (w/o extensions)
          [acc 2]
          [acc 3]
           ...
#ENDSET


MAXIMUM FILE COUNT - XBoot can handle the following number of files:
        SETs...............40
        PRGs per SET.......40
        ACCs per SET.......20


ERROR MESSAGES - Any errors that occur while using or after terminating
 XBoot are immediately reported.  A distinction must be made between TOS
 (GEMDOS) errors - which mostly happen during file operations - and internal
 XBoot errors.

 The errors are always shown in alert boxes.  When an error occurs after
 exiting XBoot, a choice is given to STOP or CONTINUE.  If you choose STOP,
 you will be returned to XBoot.


********UPDATES TO VERSION 2.57********

COPY FILE TO ALL SETs - Quite often, you would want to use a new AUTO folder
 program or ACC with all of the SETs already defined in XBoot.  There is a
 new function that allows you to copy to a file to all of the SETs so you
 don't have to do it individually.  Simply hold down the SHIFT key and select
 the file.  An alert box appears to let you confirm or cancel the copy
 operation.

DELETE FILE FROM ALL SETS - Just the opposite of the above function.  Hold
 down the CTRL key and select the file.  This file will be removed from all
 sets.


FILE SELECTOR - The XBoot file selector can now also delete and rename folders.
 To do this, type in the name of the folder in the name field and select
 INFO or DELETE as appropriate.  Folders can only be renamed on computers with
 TOS 1.04 and higher.

UNDO - You can cancel the installation of a SET and return to XBoot's main
 screen by pressing the UNDO key.  For example, you can still press the UNDO
 key after double-clicking on a SET or after clicking on a SET and clicking
 on EXIT.  Of course, once the installation has been completed, you cannot
 return to XBoot.

DEFAULT SET - The function KEEP AUTOSTART has been replaced by DEFAULT SET.
 Using a popup menu, you can now specify whether a fixed SET, the last SET,
 or no SET is to be pre-selected the next time XBoot is run.

PASSWORD - It is possible to specify a password that has to be entered each
 time XBoot is run.  It may be up to ten characters long, can contain any
 character, and is not case sensitive.

 The VISIBLE option determines whether the password input is visible or not.


ACCESSORIES - You can now specify a complete path name where the accessories
 are stored.  Now XBoot will work together with those utilities that allow
 loading the accessories from a folder instead of the root directory.



-----THAT'S IT!!-----
This is the first big doc file I've typed.  I now have much more respect for
all of you typists out there.  I will most definitely get my secretary to do
the next one.  Enjoy, eh?

peace.
Set
