TIP FILE FOR PG RAM WITH OLD MENU.BA ------------------------------------ Phil Wheeler [71266,125] -- 9/13/86 The old (currently delivered) MENU.BA program for the PG RAM's (all sizes) has some known problems. A new program is scheduled for delivery to purchasers of the 128K and 224K by the end of September (1986!). It will be compatible with all but the original 32K board (maybe even with that - I haven't asked), and presumably will be available as an upgrade to current owners of 32K and 64K boards. This file describes the problems I know of with the current software, and how I avoid them -- and notes some of the promised features of the new program. 1. Loading The current Menu programs require that ALL Basic programs be removed before it is loaded. The 'UR-2' Ultimate ROM II menu entry looks like a Basic program in this context. Kill it, too! The new program will have a single loader for all banks. It will ask how many total banks you have installed and which one you are in. It will shove itself into the bottom of RAM (without needing your Basic programs removed) and make itself invisible so it cannot be inadvertently killed. 2. NAME Bug The current program does not trap lower case entries, nor does it force the extension to be the same. You can rename 'FILEN.BA' to 'filen.do' with DISASTEROUS results. Avoid this by using CAPS LOCK when renaming, and providing the extension. The new program will force CAPS and retain the old extension. 3. Open File (aka Cold Start) Bug The main cause of cold-starts with current PG RAM boards is turning off the computer (or letting it power off on its own) while in a bank other than Bank 1. Due to a pointer problem, several things can happen, most of them very bad, when you turn on again -- in Bank 1. I avoid this very successfully by: (1) Setting POWER CONT in all but Bank 1; and (2) Always returning to Bank 1 before turning off the computer. If you do not follow this approach (or forget to), then when next you do turn on, IMMEDIATELY cycle through all banks using the designated F-keys. This will reset the pointers and you will be OK. The new program fixes this problem, presumably in all its guises. Peter (the 'PG' in PG Designs) gave it his personal attention. 4. Compatibility I use many of the add-on products available for the Model 100, including Super ROM, Ultimate ROM II, Powr-Disk, TS-DOS, Disk Power 100, the TDD and the Chipmunk -- as well as much of the software here on the SIG. Here are some compatibility notes. o FLOPPY.CO (TDD file manager) is incompatible as it stands. A patch to fix it is given in the latest versions of the PG Designs manual. See TDDTIP.006 (DL5) for this simple patch. o Disk Power 100, in its current version, is totally incompatible with the MENU.BA utility -- since they both require the same location in RAM to operate. My favored solution is that Ultrasoft provide a version of DP100 which will relocate itself to just above other low-RAM resident programs (including SUPERA; see below). o SUPERA used to be incompatible. Versions available for about the past year are compatible, due to cooperation between Micro Demon (David Sumner) and PG Designs (Peter VanHeusden). o Super ROM appears to be totally compatible. o Ultimate ROM turns off the Menu utility; just type '0MENU' at the M100 main menu to get it back. I use this combo all the time, and it is no problem. o TS-DOS and Powr-Disk appear to be totally compatible. o DSKPWR (DL5) has a slight incompatiblity, in that it does not overwrite the complete screen when run. It requires you to hit F8 and rerun it -- or to turn off the Menu program before running -- and type '0MENU' at exit. Again, no big thing. o I have not tried using the Chipmunk with the expansion RAM installed, although it is possible. They have a physical conflict, in that the Chipmunk header board takes the same spot as the RAM board. PG designs does sell an adapter which lets you use them together,but then the header board is not internal. I have heard some reports of cold starts with this combination, but they could relate to the problem in Section 3. 5. Bank Switch Program The old bank switch program for the 64K RAM will work with the new units, if '>3' is replaced with '>N', where N = total banks.