Gray's Notes for Virtual Places Newbies (and Others)

Sharing a PC, continued:     These instructions are for those with Windows 95 on a PC.    Perhaps others may find useful hints, but I have no way of testing instructions for other systems.

Creating a Desktop Icon

    Suppose that Boobs has set up the Folder Boobs and stored her version of VPlaces.ini inside it.   She now needs to (1) create a DOS batch file to do the copying, and (2) create a Windows 95 shortcut to run the batch file.   These sound to Boobs like awesome steps, but friends assure her that all she needs to know how to do is to write text using Notebook.  So with help from a sympathetic geek, she plunges in.

Making the Batch File.

    This is the batch file that's needed:

CHDIR C:\VPlaces
COPY Boobs\VPlaces.ini VPlaces.ini
EXIT

Note the first line.  Boobs' VPlaces folder is a main folder on C: .  IF VPlaces had been inside the folder Program Files this would have been:

CHDIR C:\Progra~1\VPlaces
COPY Boobs\VPlaces.ini VPlaces.ini
EXIT

This is saved, as SetBoobs.bat, in the VPlaces folder.   Boobs double-clicks on it, and something does happen because she's left looking at this:

This is a "DOS Window", showing that the DOS program has run.   The desired copying has been done.

Setting Up the Icon

      Now comes the neat part.    Boobs (coached by her geek friend) clicks on the "Properties" button (marked with the red arrow) of the DOS Window, and up comes the Properties panel:

Here she clicks on the "Close on exit" box (1).    Next she clicks "Change Icon" (2).   This brings up the icon-choice window.   Boobs decides on the beachball.

She then exits, clicking "OK" on each menu and the X on the DOS window.   She finds that her VPlaces folder contains, in addition to Boobs.bat, a new SetBoobs icon.

Boobs mouse-drags the beachball icon onto her desktop.    Double-clicking on the beachball will now install her saved version of VPlaces.ini any time she wants.

Notes:

(1)  To later choose a different icon, Boobs would right-click on the present one, then choose "properties", and click on the "program" tab.   This brings up the "properties" panel above.

(2)  DOS names for files and folders are limited to eight characters or fewer, and cannot contain spaces.   Note that Boobs followed these rules when she named Boobs.bat and the folder Boobs.

   When a Windows name exceeds eight characters, there's a DOS equivalent -- Progra~1 is commonly used for Program Files.   To find the DOS name for any file or folder, right-click on its icon, and then choose "Properties".

© 1998