Getting started with DOS and Windows
Introduction
SCO Merge
is an add-on to the UNIX
operating system that provides
the capability to run DOS, Windows, and UNIX applications simultaneously
on your PC.
With SCO Merge, you can install DOS and Windows operating systems from the standard installation media and then install and use off-the-shelf DOS and Windows applications in a multiuser, multitasking environment.
UNIX is the master operating system that controls the physical hardware and file systems on your PC, while SCO Merge provides a complete virtual PC environment for the DOS and Windows operating systems. DOS and Windows applications execute in this environment as they would on a standard PC, with UNIX providing the needed protection and resource arbitration underneath.
Beginning DOS and Windows sessions
Each user needs to install his or her own copy of Windows.
If you are planning to use Windows 95, DOS will automatically get installed when you install Windows 95 on your system. If you are planning to use Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, Windows for Workgroups, or just DOS by itself, you will have to install DOS first. See Chapter 2, ``Installing Windows'' for instructions.
If you are working in a desktop environment,
follow the appropriate procedure to access the Merge utilities:
The
DOS
When you
invoke
the DOS utility,
a
DOS session starts in a new window on your Desktop with the standard
DOS prompt (C:\>) displayed.
When you
invoke the Win utility,
a Windows session
starts inside a new window on your Desktop.
If you have not installed the Windows/X driver,
you will be prompted to
zoom
your session
in order to take over the whole display.
(You can also configure your session to zoom automatically.
See ``Zooming options''
in Chapter 4 for more information.)
in a full-screen configuration on the system console, type the following at the console's UNIX prompt:
This command starts an X server and runs SCO Merge as the only client, so there is no X window manager border around the SCO Merge Window. In this way, you can use the full resolution of the screen for a dedicated Windows session.
When the resolution of the Windows window is set to the resolution of the display, the SCO Merge menu and status bars are automatically hidden so the entire Window can easily fit.
You can bring the menu and status bars back into view with the Show Menu key, which is by default <Shift><F12>. To hide them again, select the Hide Menu option from the Window menu.
Your UNIX screen clears and is replaced by a DOS or a Windows screen.
You can now use the SCO Merge environment just as you would use a standard computer running DOS or Windows. See Chapter 3, ``Working in the SCO Merge environment'' for details.
Most common DOS commands work exactly as they do on a conventional DOS computer. For the few restrictions, see ``Restricted DOS commands'' in Chapter 3. You can also install and use most off-the-shelf DOS and Windows applications by simply following the application's manufacturer's instructions for installing on a fixed disk. Section ``Installing applications'' in Chapter 3 provides some tips.
Ending DOS and Windows sessions
To
end a DOS session
properly, type
the following at your DOS prompt:
quit
To
end a Windows session,
use the standard Windows method. Note that the
Windows 95 options to shut down or restart your computer result in
shutting down only
your current Windows session, not the whole PC.
If, for some reason, a DOS or a Windows session doesn't shut down, you may have to kill it. Before you do this, exit any applications you are running. Killing a DOS or a Windows session results in the loss of any unsaved data.
To kill a session running in the Desktop environment, choose Exit from the Window menu.
In the non-Desktop environment, use the key sequence <Left Ctrl><Esc> , <Left Ctrl>K. (If you are working at a serial terminal or terminal emulator, see ``Terminal control codes'' in Appendix B for the appropriate kill session key sequence for your terminal.)
Merge Setup
Even though running DOS and Windows under SCO Merge is very much like running
on a stand-alone PC, there are differences in the environment due
to the underlying presence of UNIX.
Hardware devices, memory, and file systems have to be shared by UNIX,
DOS and Windows sessions,
and this creates a need for an
additional configuration layer, which SCO Merge
provides through the Merge Setup
graphical utility in a desktop environment
as part of the Merge Tools.
Merge Setup also provides utilities for installing DOS and Windows from the standard installation media. (See Chapter 2, ``Installing Windows''.)
This utility is the starting point for performing system-wide or individual SCO Merge user configuration. On-line help is provided along the way, so you can simply run Merge Setup to see what you can do. You can also read Chapter 4, ``Configuring DOS and Windows sessions'' and Chapter 5, ``SCO Merge resource administration'' for more information.
If you are not working in the Desktop environment, SCO Merge provides a command-line interface for configuring your DOS and Windows sessions and for administering resources. See Chapter 6, ``Using SCO Merge from the command line'' for information.
Controlling the SCO Merge window
When you start a DOS
or a Windows session with the Windows/X display driver
from your Desktop environment,
your session runs in a Desktop window.
You can move the window, close it, or iconify
it just like any other Desktop window.
You can control various other aspects of the window from the menus that appear on the menu bar.
The Window menu provides the following options:
To unzoom (that is, return a zoomed window to its default size), use the Unzoom key, which is by default <Shift><F12>. (You can redefine this key if the default is not convenient or conflicts with your application. See Unzoom key tune option below.)
To bring the menu and status bars back into view, use the Show Menu key, which is by default <Shift><F12>. (You can redefine this key if the default is not convenient or conflicts with your application. See Show Menu key tune option below.)
The Options menu provides these options:
To return the mouse to Desktop use, use the Show Menu key, which is by default <Shift><F12>. (You can redefine this key if the default is not convenient or conflicts with your application. See Show Menu key tune option below.)
Clicking OK accepts the settings you have selected; clicking Cancel abandons your changes.
The Help menu provides online information on various topics.