InWatch 95 V1.0 Information. (InWatch Copyright © 1996, Rick Green, all rights reserved) -What is InWatch? InWatch is a Windows program that "Watches" programs when they are being installed in Windows. Essentially what it does is create backup copies of your configuration files (AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, REG.DAT) and creates a list of the files that are in your Root, Windows and Windows System directories. After you install an application, you use InWatch's compare feature to compare your present configuration files and directory listings with the backups created previously. InWatch will create an ASCII file that will show you exactly every line that has changed in your configuration files, and every file and directory that has been updated in or added to all drive's Root directories, Windows, Windows\Fonts, Program Files, and Windows\System directories. -What do I need to run InWatch? You need Microsoft Windows 95 and 1MB of hard disk space. InWatch 95 is a 32- bit Windows 95 Application, and will not run under Windows 3.x. -How do I install InWatch? Run the SETUP.EXE program from windows. SETUP will ask where you want to install InWatch, defaulting to C:\Program Files\InWatch. After selecting the directory, it will then copy the InWatch files to that directory and create a folder on your Start Menu. InWatch also creates (if it's not already there) inwatch.ini in the Windows directory. -Why should I use InWatch? Many applications, especially newer ones, make many changes to your configuration files and add lots of files to your windows and windows system directories. Some application suites add more than 100 lines to your WIN.INI file. By using InWatch you will know every modification each application has made to your system. If you later decide to remove an application, you can use the uninstall function to remove the application. -Is it hard to use? No. There is full on-line help available from the application, just click on the HELP button, or selecting Contents from the Help menu. -How do I use InWatch? These are the steps you take to use InWatch: 1. Press the BACKUP button (or select Backup Files from the Config Files menu) This makes back-up copies of the configuration files and directory listings. 2. Install a windows application. 3. Press the COMPARE button (or select Compare Files from the Config Files menu.) You will be prompted for a description and filename for the COMPARE file. An ASCII (text-only) file will be created in the backup directory, with the name you supplied, and this file will be opened on the screen YOU'RE DONE! That's all there is to it! Now when you need to remove this application from your hard disk, click on uninstall (or select Uninstall from the config Files menu), select the compare file and InWatch will remove this program. -New features with this version of InWatch: 1. 32-bit Windows 95 Application 2. Ability for user to select what directories should be compared, including five user-selectable directories. 3. Express Backup. Click on Express and InWatch will do a backup, then prompt for a SETUP.EXE or INSTALL.EXE file to run, then InWatch will prompt for a compare. This speeds up and simplifies the BACKUP/INSTALL/COMPARE process. 4. Tracks the amount of hard drive space that was used for an installation. 5. Long filename support. 6. The delete key finally works as it should. 7. Autotrak is now more accurate. Autotrak now runs the compare process when Windows starts, rather than when exiting. ----------TECHNICAL NOTES--------------- Upgrading from previous Versions: Note that Autotrak works slightly differently, it now runs only at Windows startup. It now does a compare, then a backup at startup. This method was found more effective than comparing during Windows shutdown. Editing text files: InWatch can edit text (ASCII) files up to around 30K in size. If you try to open a file that is larger, InWatch will give an error that it cannot open the file. BWCC.DLL - InWatch no longer uses this DLL. Previous versions of InWatch used this library file, but InWatch 95 no longer needs it. PRINTING - Due to technical problems, this version of InWatch relies on Wordpad to print documents. When you print a document, it is passed to Wordpad to print. If InWatch cannot find Wordpad, it will use Notepad to print the document instead. This printing problem should be fixed in the next release. UNINSTALLING INWATCH: Goto to Install/remove Programs in the control panel, and select InWatch 95 from the list of applications that can be uninstalled, then select Add/Remove. InWatch will then be automatically removed. Note that if you have placed any files other than the InWatch components and InWatch Compare/Uninstall/Autotrak files, the InWatch directory will not be removed and the additional (Non-InWatch) files will not be deleted, for safety. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - If you have any questions, comments, problems or suggestions regarding InWatch, please write to: Rick Green 2388 Patricia Ave, Port Coquitlam, BC Canada V3B 2H3 --WARRANTY-- THE PROGRAM IS SUPPLIED "AS IS". NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND EXPRESS OR IMPLIED ARE MADE AS TO IT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON. WE WILL PROVIDE NO REMEDY FROM FOR INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARRISING FROM IT, INCLUDING SUCH FROM NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT, EVEN AFTER NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.