PREPLOGO V1.0 - Process a bitmap into an OS/2 Warp Startup Logo Copyright (C) 1995 - Jonathan Czerwinski. All rights reserved. IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP! ===================== OS/2 Warp includes a program object titled "Create Utility Diskettes" in the System Setup Folder. This object will create boot diskettes in case you cannot boot from your hard drive. But you must have these diskettes created *before* you need them! If you don't already have some alternate means of booting OS/2, you should create these diskettes before changing the boot logo. BACK UP the original OS2LOGO file. I copied mine into "os2logo.org". To copy it, you will first have to remove the attributes on the file. This is done by typing "attrib -s -h -r os2logo" at the OS/2 Command Prompt. OVERVIEW ======== Thank you for using PrepLogo! I hope you will find it satisfactory. Please take a moment to read the license and ordering information included in this package. I think you will find the registration fee reasonable. With the release of OS/2 Warp in November, 1994, IBM added a new feature to the startup sequence. By changing one file, OS2LOGO, you could modify the logo that was displayed upon booting the computer. But there were a couple hitches. First, the file was not a simple bitmap, as many found out when they copied a bitmap onto OS2LOGO and produced a machine that would not boot any longer. Second, the file format couldn't be produced in a simple manner. IBM's Developer's Connection CD ROM included instructions that required a second computer, a copy of OS/2 running in debug mode, and a program (MAKELOGO.EXE) that wasn't available without the purchase of a $199 subscription to the Developer's Connection. That's all been changed now! PrepLogo V1.0 will read any uncompressed bitmap (easily produced by any number of bitmap viewers), in any number of colors up to 256, in any resolution up to 640x480, and produce a native OS/2 Warp Boot Logo! PROGRAM EXECUTION ================= PrepLogo is run as follows: > preplogo filename[.bmp] [options] The output files are placed in the working (current) directory. They will consist of either a single boot logo file names "filename.lgo" or the four input files to makelogo named "filename.vr0" through "filename.vr3" if the /M option is used. The four files must be renamed "vram0.dat" through "vram3.dat" before MAKELOGO.EXE can be run with them. After the logo file is produced, changing the boot logo is as simple as copying "filename.lgo" to "os2logo" on your boot drive. You will have to remove the attributes on "os2logo" before you can copy your new logo on. This is done by typing "attrib -s -h -r os2logo" at the OS/2 Command Prompt. NOTE: You should have already done this when you backed up your original OS2LOGO file. You did back it up, didn't you? PROGRAM OPTIONS =============== Typing Preplogo by itself on the command line will give you a quick reference of the program's options which will be described here: /M Produce output files compatible with the MAKELOGO.EXE program. If you have the Developer's Connection, then this option will allow you to take advantage of the slightly better compression MAKELOGO usually provides. /Hx Horizontal Alignment. This option allows you to specify if the bitmap should be flush left, flush right, or centered on the screen. The default is centered. The 'x' can be 'L, C, or R'. /Vx Vertical Alignment. This option allows you to specify if the bitmap should be flush with the top, flush with the bottom, or centered on the screen. The default is centered. The 'x' can be 'T, C, or B'. NOTE: If you use the '/F' option, then the '/V' option applies to the full height of the screen. /F Force full screen. MAKELOGO clips the bottom 80 pixels of a bitmap that is 480 pixels high, displaying only the top 400 pixels. The bottom 80 pixels is where the copyright information is displayed. The '/F' option will output a logo file that uses the full height of the screen. The copyright information will be displayed over the bottom 80 pixels. I'm not sure why you would want to do this, but it was easy enough to add. NOTE: The '/F' option is not compatible with the '/M' option since it is the MAKELOGO program that clips out the bottom 80 pixels of information. /Bx Background fill color. If you are placing a bitmap smaller than 640x400, you may want to fill the background with color. This option will allow you to do so. The 'x' is one of: 0 - Black (default) 8 - Dark Grey 1 - Dark Blue 9 - Light Blue 2 - Dark Green 10 - Light Green 3 - Dark Cyan 11 - Light Cyan 4 - Dark Red 12 - Light Red 5 - Dark Magenta 13 - Light Magenta 6 - Dark Yellow (Brown) 14 - Light Yellow 7 - Light Grey 15 - White BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE ======================= I included a simple REXX command file (chnglogo.cmd) that will change your boot logo every time you boot up. Create a program object for this command file and place it in your startup folder, or place a call to it in your startup.cmd file. Be sure to edit the file to use whatever directory you store your boot logos in, and whatever drive you boot from. FUTURE DIRECTION ================ PrepLogo was fun and challenging, but I want to take it one step farther. I believe that the System object's Settings notebook should have a page on it that allows you to change the boot logo, and permits you to drag and drop bitmaps onto it to make that change. For an idea of what this should look like, see the Background settings page of any OS/2 folder. YOU CAN REACH ME AT =================== E-MAIL: Jon_Czerwinski@ccmail.ntrs.com Postal Mail: Jonathan Czerwinski 2747-9 Briarcliff Rd. Atlanta, GA 30329 THANKS FOR USING AND SUPPORTING PREPLOGO!