VINES User's Guide for Windows
Chapter 1 - Using VINES with a Windows 3.1 Client
This chapter introduces you to running Microsoft Windows on a VINES network.
Windows is an application that provides a graphical user interface that replaces the DOS command line interface. By replacing the command line interface, Windows acts as an operating environment. Rather than entering commands at a DOS prompt, you click on icons or command buttons with a mouse.
Windows lets you open more than one application at a time, allowing you to run several programs at once. Applications written for Windows appear in rectangular windows on your screen. You can switch between applications without having to exit one application and start another. The number of applications you can run is limited only by the amount of memory in your workstation. You can also run most DOS applications from the Windows MS-DOS Prompt program without exiting Windows.
For more information on how to work with Windows, refer to the Microsoft Windows User's Guide.
This guide assumes Windows is installed on your workstation. If it is not, ask your system administrator for assistance.
You can log in to the VINES network:
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Before you run Windows ![]()
From an MS-DOS window after you run Windows
The rest of this section provides an overview of running Windows in a VINES network environment. Later chapters in this guide focus on VINES-related tasks such as:
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Logging in and out of the network ![]()
Connecting to network drives ![]()
Printing ![]()
Using the VINES Messages application ![]()
Running VINES DOS programs in MS-DOS windows
To start Windows, type win at the system prompt and press ENTER.
When you start Windows, the Program Manager window opens on the desktop, the screen area in which all Windows operations take place.
Note: When you start Windows after upgrading VINES software, a version management program prompts you to install certain VINES files in your Windows directories. Click OK, and follow the directions. For more information, refer to Chapter 2.
The Program Manager is a built-in Windows application designed to launch other Windows and non-Windows applications. The Program Manager contains group icons, such as the Main icon and the Accessories icon. Depending on how you last exited Windows, some of these icons might appear as open windows inside the Program Manager window.
A typical Program Manager window with the Main group window open looks like the following screen sample.
Depending on how your system administrator installed and configured Windows, different group icons appear on your screen.
Applications designed to take advantage of the Windows graphical user interface and other features are referred to as Windows applications. For example, the VINES Messages application described in Chapter 5 is a Windows application.
Applications developed to run under DOS that do not take advantage of the Windows interface are referred to as non-Windows applications. Some users find it convenient to create PIF files for these programs. While most of these applications run under Windows, some applications might be incompatible. PIF files are described in Chapter 6.
In addition, many Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) programs that feature pop-up windows might be incompatible with Windows.
If you are unsure whether your DOS application or TSR program works with Windows, check with your system administrator.
For more information on running VINES Windows and DOS applications, refer to Chapter 5 and Chapter 6.
You can get help at any time from the Help menu that appears in every Windows application.
There are different ways to access Help:
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Select the Help menu using the application menu bar to choose a Help category, such as Procedures or Commands. ![]()
Click the Help command button that appears in some dialog boxes. ![]()
Press F1.
The Microsoft Windows User's Guide provides complete information on using the Help menu that appears in Windows applications.
Before you exit Windows, exit any DOS applications that are running. Otherwise, Windows notifies you that applications are still running. Any open Windows applications automatically exit.
To exit Windows, choose the Exit Windows command from Program Manager's File menu. The Exit Windows confirmation dialog box appears.
This dialog box lets you confirm your request to exit. Click:
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OK to exit Windows ![]()
Cancel to return to the Program Manager
Any group windows, such as Main or Accessories, that are open when you exit Windows remain open when you next start Windows.
Running Windows on a VINES network is similar to running Windows on a stand-alone workstation. The operation of your VINES network is mostly transparent to you as a user.
What a VINES network provides is access to shared resources, such as file volumes and network printers. The next few chapters describe these shared resources in more detail.