Contents

To get help on an item, click the underlined text. For more information on how to use Help, press F1 or choose How to Use Help from the Help menu.

InWatch General Info:

Registration

OverView

Deleting/Uninstalling applications

InWatch Functions:

Save Settings Button

Directory path settings

Optimize Button

Edit files Button

Date/Time of Backup found

Exit Button

About Button

Backup Button

Compare Button

Restore Button

View files Button

Configuration files:

Autoexec.bat file

Config.sys file

System.ini file

Win.ini file

InWatch.ini file


InWatch Registration

Inwatch is SHAREWARE.

What is SHAREWARE?  ShareWare is software that is freely distributed to people so they can try it before they buy it.  When you receive a copy of a shareware program, you are given a specified period of time, in which you may decide if you like the program and find it useful.  If you do like the program, or continue to use the program past the specified period of time, you MUST send a registration fee to the author of the program.

When you register InWatch, you will receive an updated version of the program on disk and printed documentation.  The updated version will include the Optimize feature, which looks at your configuration files and tells you what settings might work better for your setup, or what settings are available only through in-depth knowledge of these files.

InWatch is not free, it is copyrighted  1994 by Rick Green. All rights reserved.

 InWatch registration is US$14.95 or CAN$19.95, S&H INCLUDED (This program has a retail value of US$49.95, but by using the shareware marketing method, you save $35.)  You may try this program for 30 days, at the end of which you MUST register it or discontinue using it.  You are free to pass this program, in its original, unmodified form, to anyone you wish.  If you find this program useful, or use it past the 30 day limit, please send a check or money order for the above amount to:

Rick Green

513 Riverdale Ave.

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

K1S 1S3

Please specify 3 1/2" or 5 1/4" floppy disk format.

You can print out the file ORDER.FRM to place your order.

If you have any questions, or comments regarding InWatch, please write to the above address.


InWatch Overview

Inwatch (Installation Watcher) 'Watches' your configuration files (autoexec.bat, config.sys, win.ini, system.ini) when you install a new Windows application.

NOTE: To use this program you should have at least a basic understanding of what your configuration files are, how they work, and basically what they are for.  For a brief explanation of these files, search help for  autoexec.bat , config.sys , win.ini and system.ini .

Typically, when you install a windows application it will make modifications to your configuration files, usually without telling you what changes it is making.  Even if you are aware of all the changes that have been made to your configuration files, unless you write down all these changes, you won't know what changes have been made later on.  If you decide you don't want this application on your hard disk any longer, deleting the application files from your hard disk usually doesn't remove all traces of this application.  Some applications add as many as 100 lines to your WIN.INI file. The WIN.INI is loaded into memory in entirety when you run windows, therefore the more lines in your WIN.INI, the larger this file is, and less memory and resources you will have available to you in windows.

Before you install an application, use the backup feature of InWatch to back up your configuration files.  After you install the application, use the compare feature to compare the backup files to the new, possibly altered files.  InWatch will create a comparison file that you can inspect and save for later reference.  The comparison file will show you every line that has changed in your configuration files.

As an added bonus, InWatch will also inform you of all the files and/or directories that have been added to your windows and windows system directories.  This feature is useful if you wish to remove an application from your hard disk, for it will show you all files that were added to your windows directories.  Many applications will add files (such as .DLL's, and .INI's) to your windows and windows system directories.  After installing several applications, your directories may contain many, many files that will usually remain after deleting an application from your hard drive.  Even if your intention is not to properly delete applications, it is useful to know where all the files in you windows directories came from, and what application they are associated with.

InWatch was written in Turbo C++ and Objectwindows (copyright Borland International).

I would like to give special thanks to my wife for putting up with me while I was writing this program.


Deleting/Uninstalling

What do I do after I have installed an application and used the compare feature of InWatch, then decide I want to get rid of this application?

Normally the first thing you do is delete all the files in the directory where this application was installed.  Use caution when deleting files, make sure there are no files in that directory that another application needs.  The next step is to remove all traces of this application from the configuration files.  If you haven't made any configuration changes (Like adding fonts, installing another application, or editing your configuration files) you can use the Restore Function  to restore your configuration files, otherwise follow the instructions below.  Using the compare (.IWC) file, determine what changes this application has made to your configuration files. As an example, if you installed ATM (Adobe Type Manager), among other possible changes, the compare file would show these changes:

File comparison of SYSTEM.INI and SYSTEM.IWB

Lines below were either CHANGED or ADDED since the last back up.

- - -

[boot]

system.drv=atmsys.drv

atm.system.drv=system.drv

- - -

Lines in SYSTEM.IWB not found in SYSTEM.INI

Lines below were either CHANGED or DELETED since the last back up.

- - -

[boot]

system.drv=system.drv

This would indicate that ATM changed the SYSTEM.DRV setting in the [boot] section of your SYSTEM.INI file from SYSTEM.DRV to ATMSYS.DRV, and added the line ATM.SYSTEM.DRV=SYSTEM.DRV to this same section of the SYSTEM.INI file.  To change this file back to its original state, you would delete the line that was added (ATM.SYSTEM.DRV=SYSTEM.DRV), and change the SYSTEM.DRV setting from ATMSYS.DRV back to SYSTEM.DRV (so it looked like this: SYSTEM.DRV=SYSTEM.DRV). An alternative to deleting a line that was added is to change that line to a remark, then that line will be ignored by the system, but is still present, just in case you need to re-add that line.  Changing a line to a remark is accomplished by adding a ; (semicolon) to the beginning of the line in your SYSTEM.INI or WIN.INI, or adding the word REM and a space to the beginning of the line in your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT.  In this case you would change the atm.system.drv=system.drv line to look like this: ;atm.system.drv=system.drv.

You can use the Edit Files feature of InWatch to edit your configuration files, or you may use any ASCII (text only) word processor to edit these files.  You should always back up the original configuration files before editing them (The Edit files feature of InWatch does this, saving the original as *.SYD), since making a change to the wrong line or making an incorrect change to the right one could cause windows or your system to lock up or run improperly.  You will need to reboot your system and/or restart windows for most changes to your configuration files to take effect.

Before editing your configuration files, it is always a good idea to have a floppy disk with the system files on it, so you can boot from the floppy if your system locks up when you try to reboot it.  See your DOS manual for more info on formatting system disks.

See also:

Edit Files Button

View Files Button

Autoexec.bat file

Config.sys file

System.ini file

Win.ini file


Save Settings Button

Pressing the Save Settings Button will save the directory path you have indicated for the Backup directory in the file INWATCH.INI.

See also:

Directory path settings


Directory path settings

InWatch needs to know where you want the backup files to be placed in and read from.

To select a directory, click once on the directory name.  To view sub-directories below the current directory, double-click on a directory name.  To view directories above the current directory, double-click on the '\..' entry at the top of the list (i.e. double-clicking on 'C:\WINDOWS\INWATCH\..' would move to the 'C:\WINDOWS' directory)

See also:

Save Settings


Optimize Button

The Optimize feature has not been implemented in this version of InWatch.  Since this version is a SHAREWARE evaluation version, the Optimize feature has not been included.  When you register InWatch, you will receive the Optimize feature.  See the HELP topic 'Registration' for more info on how to register InWatch.  In the registered version, this feature will optimize your configuration files;AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI.  Optimize will search for key lines in these files and give you advice on how to change these files to improve performance and reliability.


Edit files Button

Pressing on the Edit files button will execute the SYSEDIT.EXE program, which allows you to directly edit your configuration files (autoexec.bat, config.sys, win.ini, system.ini).  Use this feature with care, for some changes can be made which will not allow either windows or your computer to run properly.  When you change and save a file in sysedit, sysedit will save the old file with an extension of .SYD.  If for some reason you need to revert to the old configuration file, simply rename the .SYD file with the original extension (old version of autoexec.bat saved as autoexec.syd by SYSEDIT; rename it back to autoexec.bat, and your computer should work properly).

See also:

Autoexec.bat file

Config.sys file

System.ini file

Win.ini file


Backup found

The Backup found box displays the date and time of the last backup found in the selected directory.  If the selected directory in the 'Backup Directory' list does not contain InWatch backup files, the Backup found box will display 'No Backup Found'.  The time is displayed in 24-hour format, and displayed in hour:minute format.


Exit

Pressing on the Exit button will allow you to close the InWatch Application.


About Button

Pressing the About Button will show information about InWatch, including the version number, author and the creation date.


Backup Button

Pressing the Backup Button will create copies of the following files: AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, and create a listing of all files and directories in the Windows directory and the Windows System directory.  The copies of these files will be named: AUTOEXEC.IWB, CONFIG.IWB, WIN.IWB, SYSTEM.IWB, and the directory listings will be named WINDIR.IWB and SYSDIR.IWB, respectively.

These files will be placed in the Backup Directory specified.  You will be notified if the Backup directory path is incorrect, or if there are any problems copying the files.  The AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS are found in the root directory (Normally C:\) of your hard drive, and the WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI are found in the Windows directory.

You should use the Backup button to backup these files BEFORE you install a new windows program.  After you have installed the program, use the Compare button to show you what settings the new windows program changed when it was installed.

See also:

Compare Button


Compare Button

Pressing the Compare Button will compare your current AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI and the directories and files in your Windows and Windows System with the backup files.  You MUST use the Backup feature prior to using the compare feature.

Before comparing the files, you will be asked for a description and filename. The description is placed in the COMPARE file. The description is useful, since the filename of the COMPARE file is limited to 8 characters, which is not very descriptive. The Description is limited to 80 characters in length.  The filename must be a standard valid filename.  The three-letter extension IWC will be added automatically to the filename when the COMPARE file is created.

The current configuration files, mentioned above, will be compared to the backup files created with the Backup feature, with the results being placed in a text file with the name you specify.  The COMPARE file will be placed in the Backup directory you specified.  The COMPARE file will show every line that has been added, deleted or changed.  When comparing WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files, the section heading ([boot] or [fonts] etc.) will appear above the line listed that has changed/deleted/added. The COMPARE file will also show which, if any, files or directories have been added to either the Windows or Windows System directories.

When the compare process is finished you will be left in notepad.exe, with the COMPARE file opened for you to view.  The COMPARE file shows what lines have been added, deleted or changed in your configuration files, as well as showing what files and/or directories have been added to your windows and windows system directories.

Notes on using the COMPARE file:

The COMPARE file is generated by comparing your backup files and the current files.  First InWatch compares your AUTOEXEC.BAT file with the backup AUTOEXEC.IWB.  The first line of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file is compared to every line in AUTOEXEC.IWB, or until it finds an exact match.  Any lines in AUTOEXEC.BAT not found in AUTOEXEC.IWB are displayed in the COMPARE file.  InWatch then does the same for each remaining line in AUTOEXEC.BAT.  This first step will find lines that have either changed or been added since you did the backup.  The process is then reversed, reading one line from AUTOEXEC.IWB and comparing it to every line in AUTOEXEC.BAT.  Any lines in AUTOEXEC.IWB not found in AUTOEXEC.BAT are lines that have changed or been deleted since the backup.  Any lines that have simply been changed (Not added or deleted entirely) will show up under both headings in the COMPARE file.  By visually comparing both occurences, you can tell what changes have been made.  For example if the first comparison showed this line as not found:

SMARTDRV.EXE 3000

and the second comparison showed this line:

SMARTDRV.EXE 2000

you would know that originally smartdrive was set for a 2000 byte cache, then changed to 3000 bytes.

See also:

Backup Button

View Compare Files


Restore Button

Pressing the Restore Button will restore your configuration files to the state they were in before they were altered by the installation of the last application.  This function changes the filename extension of your configuration files to .BAK, then replaces your configuration files with the backup files (*.IWB) created with the backup function. To use this function without risk or currupting your configuration, you MUST have used the backup function prior to installing the application, and NOT made any changes to your configuration.  In short, the restore function is very useful if you install an application and immediately decide you no longer want this application, since you don't have to manually edit your configuration files to change them back.

Any changes to your configuration files since using the backup function will be lost when you use the restore function, so you must use the restore function as soon as possible after installing an application.  If you have made changes to your configuration (such as adding fonts, or changing the smartdrive settings), or installed another application, these changes will be lost after using the restore function.

If you don't use the backup function before installing the application, or don't use this function after installing the application, you may risk altering your configuration files in an unpredictable manner.  If, for some reason, after you use this function, your configuration wasn't restored properly, rename the configuration files with the .BAK extension to their original extensions (c:.bak to c:.bat, c:.bak to c:.ini, etc.)

A good example of using the restore function would be:  You use the backup function, then install application XYZ.  After trying out XYZ, you decide you don't want this application, so you use the restore function to restore the configuration files, then proceed to delete the files for XYZ that were copied to your hard disk.  If you installed another application after installing XYZ, or didn't use the backup function before installing XYZ, you CANNOT use the restore function to restore your configuration files to the state they were in before installing XYZ, you will have the use the *.IWC file (results of the compare function) to manually edit your configuration files to restore them.

See also:

Backup Button

Compare Button

View Compare Files

Deleting/Uninstalling applications


View Compare Files Button

Pressing the View Compare Files Button will display a dialog box with a list of all the InWatch compare files (all with .IWC extension) found in the directory that is selected as the Backup Directory in the Directory path settings.  You may use this dialog box to simply view what compare files you have, or you may edit any of the files listed by clicking on the name with the mouse, then clicking on the Edit File button.  When finished viewing/editing/printing the file, use the FILE/EXIT menu option to exit.

*NOTE- You must use the .IWC file name extension when you save a file.  Without this extension, InWatch will not be able to identify this file as an InWatch compare file, and you will not be able to view/edit these compare files from InWatch using the 'list/edit compare files' option.


Autoexec.bat file

The autoexec.bat contains commands that the computer carries out to configure your computer.  The autoexec.bat is carried out, when you start your system, immediately after the config.sys file.  Autoexec.bat can contain commands that set environment variables, set the screen prompt, load Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) programs, or run executable files, load CD-ROM extensions, etc.

If you have version 6.0 or later of DOS, and have set up your autoexec.bat file to use the multi-config option, your autoexec.bat will be broken up into sections.  These sections are separated by the character ':' and a word, i.e. :dos or :games.

See also:

Config.sys file

System.ini file

Win.ini file


Config.sys file

The config.sys file contains commands that the computer carries out to configure your computer's hardware.  The config.sys is carried out when you start your system, and is immediately followed by the autoexec.bat file.  Config.sys can contain commands that specify where DOS should be loaded, what language conventions to use, how much memory to reserve for transferring information to and from disks, how many disk files can be open at one time, or to load device drivers such as a mouse or CD-ROM driver etc.

If you have version 6.0 or later of DOS, and have set up your config.sys file to use the multi-config option, your config.sys will be broken up into sections.  These sections are separated by the characters '[' and ']' with a word in between, i.e. [dos] or [games].

See also:

Autoexec.bat file

System.ini file

Win.ini file


System.ini file

The System.ini file contains configuration information about your computer system hardware and setup.  System.ini is used by windows when it starts up so it can determine what your hardware setup is and what hardware settings to use.  This file contains several headings, such as [Boot] or [Keyboard], with each heading seperating the file into distinct sections.  The system.ini file will contain information such as: the video driver to use, the mouse driver to use, the keyboard type, system-level settings and so forth.

See also:

Autoexec.bat file

Config.sys file

Win.ini file


Win.ini file

The Win.ini file contains configuration information about how windows is configured.  Win.ini is loaded into memory when you start windows.  This file contains several headings, such as [Windows] or [Desktop], with each heading seperating the file into distinct sections.  The win.ini file will contain information dealing with the way windows is setup, including color settings, keyboard repeat rates, international settings, installed printers, installed fonts, and desktop settings like wallpaper and icon spacing.  Many applications add lines to this file that contain configuration information for the application.  As more applications are installed, often the size of your win.ini file will greatly increase.

See also:

Autoexec.bat file

Config.sys file

System.ini file


InWatch.ini file

The InWatch.ini file contains configuration information that InWatch needs.  The InWatch.ini file contains one item, the backup directory path.  The InWatch.ini file is found in the same directory that the remaining InWatch files are.

See also:

Save Settings