readme.txt PacketPeT Lite For Windows Copyright (c) 1993, 1994 Chuck Harrington Software, Inc All Rights Reserved! 1.0 THANKS FOR TRYING PacketPeT Lite For Windows! PeT Lite contains a significant portion of the features of the full retail version of PeT, PacketPeT for Windows. PacketPeT was written by Chuck Harrington, WA4GPF, of Orlando, Florida, USA. The name PET, was derived from the name Pack-Et-Term, the author's previous packet offerings, written for the Atari ST computers. (Thank you loyal Atari users but there are and will be no further upgrades to the ATARI version beyond the last version, v4.5) PacketPeT Lite For Windows is shareware. PeT Lite is a complete program, and not just a demo, though some features will be inoperative until you have entered your registration number and amateur call sign. The cost of registration of PeT Lite is only $25, and further information can be found in the file register.txt or in the Online Windows type help. 2.0 INSTALLATION: You will require approximately 1.2 mb of free space on your drive in order to install PacketPeT Lite For Windows! Several batch files are included to install PeT Lite. INSTALLC.BAT - Installs PeT to drive C: INSTALLD.BAT - Installs PeT to drive D: INSTALLE.BAT - Installs PeT to drive E: The install batch file creates the directory \PACKET to hold all the program files. (If you already have a \PACKET directory on that drive, or wish to have the directory renamed, you will have to edit the batch file before installation.) TO INSTALL PET LITE: 1. From a DOS prompt, go to the directory in which you have your unzipped PeT files. 2. type INSTALLC, INSTALLD or INSTALLE . The directory PACKET directory will be created and the files will be transferred. 3. Run Windows, and from the FILE menu, select NEW. With PROGRAM ITEM selected, click OK. The PeT Icon will be added to your program group. 4. PeT Lite is now installed. You can now run PeT Lite by double clicking the PeT icon. 3.0 RUNNING PET THE FIRST TIME If another packet software package has been used with your TNC, make sure you exited the program and left the TNC in COMMAND MODE. If the software left your TNC in HOST mode, you will experience difficulties! (This applies to PK/KA GOLD users and others..) 1. Double Click the PeT icon. You will see a dialog box that shows PeT's copyright notice, etc. After you have read the information, click OK. 2. The next dialog box explains you are about to be asked for serial port settings. You most likely have your mouse on COM1, and your TNC on serial port COM2. You must determine what COM port you have your TNC connected to, and it is very helpful to know the TNCs present baud rate, word length, parity and so on. Click OK to move on. 3. The serial port settings dialog box now comes up. Make any necessary changes and click OK. The PeT Lite Application window will now open. Hit and hopefully your TNC respond with a cmd: prompt. If it does not, try turning the TNC on and off and look for some gibberish kind of stuff like 4453ljljl;jsg;ljksdfg .... This indicates that your TNC and PeT are not both communicating with the same serial port settings. You can alter PeT's serial port settings from the SETTINGS | SERIAL PORT menu. Once PeT is talking to the TNC, make a note of your serial port settings. You will have to enter them each time you run PeT Lite, UNTIL you have entered your call sign and user password. 4.0 ONCE PET IS RUNNING, EXTENSIVE ONLINE HELP IS AVAILABLE. SHIFT changes the mouse cursor to a pointer / question mark and indicates you are in context sensitive mode. Just click any button or menu item and the help application will be opened to the topic you have just chosen! or: SHADE A MENU ITEM, then hit the key to go directly to the shaded topic. or: Hit to bring up the HELP CONTENTS. or: From the menu bar HELP | INDEX to bring up the contents or HELP | or HELP | USING to get more information on how to operate a Windows type help system. There is a great deal of illustrated help available from PeT and the Windows Help System is well worth the time it takes to learn how to navigate it! 5.0 Program Requirements PeT requires some kind of hardware TNC, and will work with most of them! Host or KISS Modes ARE NOT required, and even the RETAIL VERSION of PeT, PacketPeT For Windows, is able to implement it's advanced features without resorting to the restrictions of Host Mode. PeT is a Windows program, and requires Microsoft Windows version 3.0 or later, or IBM OS/2 2.0 or later. A Mouse or other pointing device is highly recommended! The following files are included in the PACKPET.ZIP file: PACKET.EXE - The actual program. PACKET.HLP - The help file. BWCC.DLL - The Borland controls dynamic link library. INSTALLC.BAT - Installs PeT on drive C: INSTALLD.BAT - Installs PeT on drive D: INSTALLE.BAT - Installs PeT on drive E: SET_C.PET - INSTALLC.BAT renames to SETTINGS.PET. SET_D.PET - INSTALLD.BAT renames to SETTINGS.PET. SET_E.PET - INSTALLE.BAT renames to SETTINGS.PET. LICENSE.TXT - User license Information file. WARRANTY.TXT - Warranty disclaimer information. RETAIL.TXT - Information on PacketPeT For Windows. ORDER.TXT - Order Blank to register / order Pet. REGISTER.TXT - Registration information file. README.TXT - The file you are presently reading! HARDWARE.TXT - Solving hardware conflict problems. ANSI_PET.TXT - Sample ANSI Color Graphics picture. When you install PeT, the file SETTINGS.PET is created by renaming one of the files SET_C.PET, SET_D.PET or SET_E.PET, depending on which hard drive partition you installed to. Once the program is registered, the file settings.pet will be saved to the \PACKET directory, every time you exit PeT (providing the SETTINGS | SAVE SETTINGS ON EXIT is checked). This file stores all your user settings and preferences so you do not have to enter them every time you run the program. 6.0 Troubleshooting A few users may experience difficulty in establishing initial communication with the TNC. This type of problem is usually caused by an improper Windows configuration or hardware conflict. If you are unable to get the TNC to talk to PeT, try these things: Exit PeT and run the TERMINAL program which is included with every copy of Microsoft Windows and is normally in the ACCESSORIES program group. Verify that the TERMINAL program can contact your TNC. Once you are able to communicate with your TNC, go to the menu SETTINGS | COMMUNICATIONS and make a note of the current settings (baud rate, data bits, parity, stop bits). You can now exit the TERMINAL and run PeT. Enter the settings you previously noted when prompted for the serial port settings. PeT should now be talking to the TNC. If you are unable to get the Windows TERMINAL program to talk to the TNC, and have tried different settings combinations from the SETTINGS | COMMUNICATIONS menu, make sure you have the TNC plugged in to the proper port connector on the back of your PC! If you still can't talk to the TNC, you may have a hardware conflict. Check the jumpers on your adapter cards and make sure no two cards have the same IRQ setting. Internal Modems, tape backups, CDROMS, sound cards and other devices all use IRQs, and could be a source of conflict More information regarding hardware problems can be found in the file hardware.txt. 7.0 Graphics PeT can send and receive two types of graphics that are frequently seen on packet networks. The first graphic, sometimes known as a "brag", is a simple text file that contains characters of the IBM OEM character set arranged in such a manner as to appear to be a picture. To receive this, you must MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING THE TERMINAL FONT, which is PeT's default. If you are using Courier or some other font, the graphic will be displayed incorrectly. You also must make sure that your TNC's 8BITCONV IS ON, and you are using 8 bits for the DATA BITS setting on the serial port link, so that the upper character bit is not stripped! The second type of graphic that has recently started to appear is an ANSI Graphic. These are in color, and contain control codes to control text and background colors. In addition to meeting the conditions stated above, you will need to go to the menu SETTINGS | ANSI Color to enable reception of color graphics. You must also be on the A - STREAM, as ANSI color is not properly displayed on the * - ALL IO stream. Registration is required in order to enable the display of ANSI graphics. Creating a Text graphic / Brag: The simple text graphic can be created using PeT's editor. Symbols not appearing on the keyboard may be entered by holding down the key, and entering the number 0254 on the numeric keypad. This 0254 combination, would enter the symbol for the code 254! Another way, is to use the CHARACTER MAP accessory that comes with every copy of Windows 3.1, and while displaying the TERMINAL font, simply copy the symbols you want to the clipboard, and use the EDIT | PASTE command to enter them into PeT's Editor. Save your completed graphic as a file, or select it, with the EDIT | SELECTALL command (CTRlL> and then send it using the , EDIT | SEND SELECTED command. Creating an ANSI Color graphic: Making a color graphic is not as simple. A text editor, like that contained in PeT will not display the graphic correctly. An ANSI COLOR editor is needed to create this type of graphic. On many of the phone Bulletin Boards, and at your shareware houses, there is a fine program called THEDRAW. THEDRAW will enable you to easily create your color graphics. If you continue to use THEDRAW, you should register it, as it is shareware. Once created, the ANSI color graphic may be loaded into PeT's text editor, and sent using the method outlined above. ANSI color is attractive and a lot of fun to play with! NOTE: With PacketPeT, you DO NOT need to load the DOS ANSI driver, ANSI.SYS!! 8.0 Additional Features Some users will want support for multiple connections, modes other than packet and other features. These features and more will be found in the full retail version of PacketPeT, PacketPeT For Windows! For more information read the file RETAIL.TXT, or consult the Online information. A liberal upgrade policy insures that the money you invest in registration of PacketPeT Lite Windows can be 100% applied to upgrade to PacketPeT For Windows! Your comments and suggestion are appreciated! PacketPeT is nearing in third year of development and is and will remain "a moving target". Improvements are planned, for both the Lite and Full versions. 9.0 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you still need additional help, Call: Chuck Harrington at (407) 679-9017 or leave EMAIL at the following online services: Ameica Online - ID is ChuckORL Compuserve - ID is 72067,3514 Genie - ID is C. Harrington If you elect to telephone, the best chance of talking to Chuck is in the mornings, Eastern Standard Time. At other times, an answering machine is online and calls are returned as soon as possible(to continental U.S.), usually within 24 hrs. 73 Chuck Harrington