INSTALLING LCARS 24 v.4.0.5 (September 2009 release)

DO NOT click on the DISKx.EXE icons. DO NOT run these self-
extracting zips without the -d -o switches if they are not in the
right place. They must be on Drive C of the target computer
and should be run by the supplied batch file INSTALL.BAT.

LCARS 24 can run under Windows XP on some machines, but
it's not a Windows program and can be very unstable trying to
fend off interference from Windows. It should be on its own
computer, a DOS-based, TrueColor, Pentium laptop, 1997 model
or later, with standard graphics and sound card.  A real modem
would be nice!  An old TrueColor Windows 9x machine should be
okay, as well, if started up in pure DOS mode, thereby bypassing
Windows. Either way, it has to be a machine that doesn't shut off
the screen display after a few minutes, since LCARS 24 serves as
a clock when unattended.

   Proper installation (on a DOS-based laptop separate from your
regular computer) requires that you transfer all the files DISKx.EXE
and INSTALL.BAT by floppy disk to Drive C of a target machine running
in pure DOS mode and then type "INSTALL" at the C:> prompt.

The file VOY.MP3 supplied with version 3 is not in the package but will
be part of an add-on pack to be posted on SourceForge, since the package
is larger this time, and there has to be a limit, especially when you're
transferring files by floppy. The Trek comics in .htm files are also not in this
package, but should be in he first add-on.

MP3 alarm won't work if there are no MP3 files or .ogg in the folder C:\LCARS24\MP3.
Neither will the applet for continuous MP3 play. If you want MP3, you will
have to obtain and transfer some MP3 or .ogg file, which are typically too large to
transfer by floppy and don't get much smaller when zipped. But VOY.MP3, to be
in the first add-on will fit on a floppy.  A Windows-based utility for splitting large
files is supplied with this package, as is a program that lets you unzip WinZip files
from DOS. Documentation and even a screenshot appear in an SFML file.

LCARS 24 programs do not require use of a mouse and should not be run
under Windows.  You should have a proper sound-card setting in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file (explained below) before running LCARS 24. Otherwise,
sound will be muted.

To run LCARS 24 after installation, at the C:> prompt type the following:

   cd c:\lcars24 (press the ENTER key)
   lcars24       (press the ENTER key)
   Or type 800 to force 800 x 600 graphics mode (and press
the ENTER key).  Some old computers don't have 1024 x 768 TrueColor.

   If you will be installing on the same computer as used to
download, you can skip the step of transfer by floppy, but
note that with a Windows 95/98 machine you need to press F8
and then choose "5. Command prompt only" to get to pure DOS
mode, and with later versions of Windows you might have to
create a DOS partition or boot from a DOS system floppy.
Of course, having Drive A as the DOS path will cause a
slight delay when launching programs, etc. LCARS 24 will run
under Windows XP on  machine with a reasonably standard
graphics card, but once Windows Power Management
or other Windows trickery breaks in and minimizes LCARS 24
and docks it on the Windows task bar, it can't recover. Just
right-click and close it.  It you click to reopen Full-Screen mode,
you just get a full-screen Windows DOS box out of control, which
has to be shut down with Alt + Ctrl + Del.  If you start up LCARS 24
from the DOS box, you will have to type exit in the box after
shutting down LCARS 24. If you start by clicking, that is not the case.

   If you have a software sound card, LCARS 24 may not be able
to produce sound unless running under Windows, which is
definitely not recommended. Windows will find a way to
interfere, even if only by freezing up in the background,
thereby cutting off access to vital pathways. Any spam will
be given priority over LCARS 24 by Windows. Once docked by
Windows, LCARS 24 cannot recover. Right-click to close it
from the taskbar. DO NOT click to undock it.

   If you have a Voodoo (3dfx) graphics card or the like, LCARS 24
doesn't have a driver for it. It will not run under DOS or
Windows. If you have a graphics card that has no 1024 x 768
modes, you can start LCARS 24 in 800 x 600 mode by typing
"800" or "LCARS24 800." If you have a CRT monitor, unless it
has a really large screen, the 800 x 600 version would be
better. The 1024 x 768 version has a gray wrapper that looks
cool on large flat-screen displays. The wrapper is off-
screen on 800 x 600 laptops in 1024 x 768 mode. All it does
is fill out the display and avoid the distortion caused by
some machines if you run 800 x 600 graphics on a 1024 x 768
screen. Some center an 800 x 600 program's display it on the
screen, but others just make a mess. The gray wrapper solves
this problem and looks like the wrappers seen on Star Trek:
Voyager. On an IBM ThinkPad with 800 x 600 screen, you probably
have to start up in 800 x 600 mode, because many of those
have no 1024 x 768 graphics mode. On most laptops with 800 x
600 screens, it doesn't matter.

   The zip file for download contains this README.TXT,
INSTALL.BAT, and twelve .EXE files. DO NOT click on or
otherwise run the .EXE files unless you know how. They are
DOS-based self-extracting PK zips and require the -d and -o switches.
INSTALL.BAT takes care of that for you automatically. If you
type DISK1 or click on it, what you will get is a mess:
files automatically being unzipped directly to Drive C
without being placed in their folders. Unlike WinZip when
you click on Extract, this DOS-based zip system doesn't
distribute files into folders unless you type DISK1 -d, for
example. But INSTALL.BAT will issue the proper commands in
turn to automate the process for you. If it doesn't, it
means you don't have them in the right place.

   Now that you have downloaded and unzipped the main zip,
the next step (after making sure you have a target computer
set up with DOS, including COMMAND.COM, HIMEM.SYS and
EMM386.EXE or equivalent) is to transfer everything to the
target machine, usually by floppy disk, reusing the same
disk after each transfer or starting with eight blank,
formatted floppies if you will be setting up more than one
machine. In the first load, copy and transfer README.TXT,
INSTALL.BAT, and DISK1.EXE. Be sure you are copying them
directly to drive C on the target machine (with the C:>
prompt displayed). On the Windows-based computer used for
downloading, you would normally use Windows and drag one
.EXE from an Explorer or My Computer window to the Floppy
Disk window, and then on the target machine, at the C:>
prompt, type the following:

   copy a:*.*

   After copying one file (two files on the first load) to
the target machine, delete it (them) from the floppy if you
will be using the same floppy for the whole process. You can
do that on Windows or at the DOS prompt of the target
computer. It's easier to do it with Windows, because on the
target machine pressing F3 then ENTER lets you repeat your
previous copy a:*.* command automatically, saving you some
work.

   Once that is done, on the target computer, just type
"INSTALL" at the C:> prompt. This creates the entire LCARS 24
folder structure and transfers the various files to their
proper places.

   If you do have a proper modem (not a Winmodem), Arachne
is a good package to set up with LCARS 24. It's free
(download it from the Arachne Web site, which also supplies
fonts and other utilities), and its installation is similar
to this one. It can be transferred in one load by floppy
disk. Unlike the LCARS programs, it requires use of a mouse.
It includes a Web browser plus e-mail and FTP programs, all
of which are much faster than their mainstream equivalents.

   If you don't have the files AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS,
there are samples of these in the LCARS24 folder. You could
just copy them:

C:>copy c:\lcars24\autoexec.bat
C:>copy c:\lcars24\config.sys

   Of course, the instructions they contain have no effect
until you reboot your computer.

   The supplied AUTOEXEC.BAT file contains a setting for the
sound card. Your sound card may require a different setting.

   Hopefully, you already have your own AUTOEXEC.BAT file
with the proper sound-card setting. If not, this can be
remedied. A quick sound test is to just press the space bar
with the LCARS 24 Standby (clock and calendar) screen
displayed. Check your volume control. If the sound card is
properly set, the machine will talk.

   To find out what the setting should be, use MPXPLAY, like
this:

C:>cd c:\lcars24\mp3
C:>mpxplay -sct
C:>cd c:\lcars24

   This will either recommend a setting (and invoke that
setting, which will remain in force until you reboot) or
report "No soundcard found!" (which probably means you have
a software sound card, with a chip or two missing and therefore
requiring a Windows-only driver program, which is not as
good having real chips but cheaper for the computer maker).

   If you find the proper setting in this way, you can write
it down and then edit your AUTOEXEC.BAT file using TEXT 24
or other text editor.

   When you later add files and\or folders, please avoid
long filenames and foreign characters. Folder names must not
have extensions in this version. Be sure to place any new
folders within the LCARS24 folder structure. The file
pickers and file manager do not look for folders on Drive C
outside this structure or on a floppy disk. Nesting level is
also limited, like this:

C:\LCARS24\SUB\SSUB\SSSUB

   That's as deep as nesting goes, for now, anyway, even
though some people take delight in burying a dummy file down
seven levels with nothing else in the structure above.

A 32 x 32 icon is supplied here for use under Windows XP.


The little program BMP2JPG.EXE is a DOS-based utility that
makes a nice, clean jpeg copy of a .bmp file. The quality is better
than when saving as jpeg from bmp with MS-Paint. If you want it
on your LCARS 24 machine, it should be copied to the
folder C:\LCARS 24 after installation and only be used with LCARS 24
shut down, meaning as a command-line utility. BMP2PNG.EXE and
PNG2BMP.EXE are for converting between .bmp and .png.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Praise? Complaints?
E-mail Bill Morris:
lcarsuser@yahoo.com
Or visit the LCARS 24 forum, accessible from the project page at
SourceForge.

Want to add a link to your Web site?
http://lcars24.sourceforge.net/
or
http://lcars24.com/

