Warp Desktop Problems and Recovering User INI Files

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OSWPDESK - WARP DESKTOP PROBLEMS AND RECOVERING USER INI FILES 01/05/95

====================================================

WARP DESKTOP PROBLEMS, RECOVERING CONFIG.SYS AND USER INI FILES

====================================================

Please Read Entire Document for Full Explanation of Procedures


Desktop Problems


 Following are solutions to problems you might have with the
 Desktop after installing OS/2 WARP.
 SYMPTOMS:
 The System Stops and the Keyboard and Mouse do not respond
 ----------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Press Ctrl+Esc or Alt+Esc and wait a few seconds to
       see if the system responds.
   2.  Determine if you can move the mouse but cannot select
       any object when you press mouse button 1.
   3.  Press the Caps Lock and Num Lock keys to see if their
       status lights come on.
   4.  Record a description of what you were doing when the
       system stopped.  If any messages were displayed on the
       screen, be sure to record the message text and number.
   5.  Refer to the Service and Support brochure in the OS/2
       package for instructions about calling for additional
       assistance.
 Missing Icons
 -------------
 After restarting the system, some of the Desktop icons might
 be missing.
 Check the documentation for the hard drive and the controller
 card to ensure that their settings are both set for the ASYNCH
 mode or the SYNCH mode.
 Stacked Icons
 -------------
 If the objects on the Desktop appear to be stacked on each
 other, you can refresh the Desktop:
   1.  Position the mouse pointer on a blank area of the
       Desktop.
   2.  Press the right mouse button, a pop-up menu appears.
   3.  Select Refresh.
   4.  If the screen goes blank, press Alt+Esc to switch
       between programs and force the "repainting" of the
       screen.
 DOS and Windows Programs not Added to the Desktop
 -------------------------------------------------
 During the installation of OS/2, the existing DOS and Windows
 programs are automatically added to the OS/2 Desktop.  However,
 the installation program might not find all programs, for
 example, programs located on remote servers.  If this happens,
 restart the system, and run the Add Programs to Desktop utility
 program.  Add Programs to Desktop is located in the System
 Setup folder, which is located in the OS/2 System folder.
 OS/2 2.X Programs not Added to the Desktop
 ------------------------------------------
 If you installed OS/2 on a system that already had OS/2 2.X
 installed on it and the OS/2 2.X programs were not added to
 the Desktop, do the following:
   1.  Turn on the computer.  If the computer is already on,
       press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.
   2.  When a small white box appears in the upper left
       corner of the screen, press Alt+F1.
   3.  When the Recovery Choices screen appears, press C.
   4.  Delete the DESKTOP directory.
   5.  Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.  The Desktop
       should be re-created.
   6.  If the problem continues, re-create the INI files.
       Follow the instructions in "Rebuilding Your
       Desktop" in this document.
 If you moved program groups off the Desktop and into a folder,
 you should move them back on the Desktop before installing
 OS/2.  Otherwise, duplicate icons could appear on the screen.
 If you try to delete these icons, the original icons will also
 be deleted.
 Blank Desktop and Missing Objects
 ---------------------------------
 If the Desktop is blank, objects are missing, you cannot delete
 an object, or you have another program that involves objects,
 run the CHKDSK (check disk) program until the results indicate
 there are no errors.  To run CHKDSK, do the following:
   1.  Insert the Installation Diskette in drive A:.
       Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.
   2.  When prompted, remove the Installation Diskette and
       insert Diskette 1.
   3.  Press F3 in the Welcome screen to exit the command
       prompt.
   4.  Insert Diskette 2.
   5.  Type: CHKDSK C:/F:2 and press Enter (where C
        is the OS/2 drive.)
 Object Cannot be Deleted
 ------------------------
   If you cannot delete an object:
   1.  Create a folder.
   2.  Drag the object you want to delete to the new folder and
       drop it.
   3.  Drag the new folder to the Shredder and drop it.
   If you cannot shred the folder, do the following:
   1.  At an OS/2 command prompt, type:
         CD DESKTOP and press Enter.
   2.  After the DESKTOP directory opens, type:
         RD directory and press Enter.
       (where directory is replaced by the name of the directory
       (folder) that you want to delete).


Recovery Procedures


 The following procedures provide information for recovering
 from Desktop problems and system failures, including:
 A.  A damaged, unusable, or unstartable desktop.
 B.  An invalid CONFIG.SYS file.
 C.  A damaged INI file.
 D.  Hard disk errors.
 E.  A forgotten lockup password.
 NOTE:  Backing up the system regularly might help avoid
        having to re-create files if there is a system
        failure.
 If your Desktop becomes damaged, unusable, or unstartable, you
 can recover in two ways:
 A.  Use the Archive/Recover utility program to restore the
     Desktop to a previously saved state.
 B.  Rebuild the exiting Desktop.


Recovery Choices


 The Recovery Choices screen lets you specify how the system is
 to restart while a restart is in progress.  Display the
 Recovery Choices screen during the restart by pressing Alt+F1
 when a small white box appears in the upper left corner of the
 screen.  If you want the system to display the Recovery Choices
 screen each time it restarts, select Display Recovery Choices
 At Every System Restart on the Archive page of the Desktop
 Settings notebook.
 On the Recovery Choices screen, you can:
 1.  Select the set of archived system files that the system is
     to use to restart.
 2.  Continue using the originally installed system files to
     restart, and go to a command line
 3.  Continue using the original installation files to restart,
     and reset the primary display to VGA.
 4.  Restart the system using a customized CONFIG.SYS file that
     you have created.
 Each set of archived files appears on the Recovery Choices
 screen with the date and time when the files were archived.
 The choices are numbered 1, 2, 3 or, for the original
 installation files, X.  Select the files that you want the
 system to restart with by pressing 1, 2, 3, or X on the
 keyboard.  The system continues to restart using the set of
 archived files represented by the number or character you
 pressed.
 To go to a command line without changing the system files,
 press the C key on the keyboard.
 To reset the primary display to VGA, press the V key on the
 keyboard.
 The character keys are not case sensitive.
 To restart the system using a customized version of the
 CONFIG.SYS file, type an alphabetic character that corresponds
 to the name of a of a CONFIG.SYS file that you created.
 Recovering Archived System Files
 --------------------------------
 OS/2 can archive key system files as well as the DESKTOP
 directory each time you start OS/2.  The default setting for
 this feature is OFF.  (The Archive function can be turned ON
 using the Archive page of the Desktop Settings notebook.)
 When the Archive function is turned ON, the state of the key
 system files and Desktop as they existed at the last three
 "starts" of OS/2 are saved.  Each time you restart OS/2, the
 oldest set of archived System files is deleted and the current
 System files are saved.  OS/2 also keeps a permanent archive of
 the Desktop and key files as they existed when OS/2 was first
 installed, so you can always restore the system to its
 original state.
   SYMPTOMS:
    1.  Folders Open and Close Immediately
    2.  Missing, Empty, or Multiple Objects on Desktop
        -   The Desktop is missing objects or there is more than
            one icon for the same object.
        -   One or more Desktop folders are empty.
        -   After you shutdown the computer and start it again,
            the objects on the Desktop are not displayed the
            same as when you shut down.
   NOTE:  If this does not fix the problem, see "Rebuilding Your
   Desktop" in this document.
 To use the archived System files:
     1.  Turn on the computer.  If the computer is already on,
         perform a shut down, then press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart
         it.
     2.  When a small white box appears in the upper left corner
         of the screen (before the OS/2 logo screen appears),
         press Alt+F1.
     3.  A screen listing the three most recent archives appears.
         Do one of the following:
           a.  Type the number of the archive you want to use to
               restore the system.
           b.  Type X to restore the system to its original
               state (as it was when you first installed OS/2).
           c.  Type C to get an OS/2 command prompt (for
               example, if you want to edit the CONFIG.SYS
               file).
           d.  Type V to reset the primary display to VGA (for
               example, if you think your Desktop is not damaged
               but cannot be seen because you need to reinstall
               your VGA device drivers).


Creating CONFIG.SYS Files


 In some cases, you need different CONFIG.SYS files to create
 environments specific to the kinds of work you are doing.  For
 example, when you use a laptop computer with a docking station,
 you might want a CONFIG.SYS file that supports your laptop
 computer and one that supports your desktop computer.
 You can create different versions of the CONFIG.SYS file, and,
 during restart, specify from the Recovery Choices screen which
 version the system should use.  You can also customize the
 Recovery Choices screen to display your customized CONFIG.SYS
 file choices.
 The following steps describe how to create and use multiple
 CONFIG.SYS files.  In these steps, ?  is any unique single
 alphabetic character EXCEPT:  X, x, C, c, V, or v. These steps
 use C as the root directory.  If you installed OS/2 on a drive
 other than C, replace the C in the path name with the drive
 letter of the root directory.

1. Save a copy of the current CONFIG.SYS file.

   You can save a copy of the current CONFIG.SYS file by copying
   it to a diskette.  Otherwise, you can copy the current
   CONFIG.SYS file to the C:\OS\BOOT subdirectory, and
   rename it to CONFIG.?.  If you copy and rename CONFIG.SYS, be
   sure to make a note of the new name and directory so you can
   restore it later.

2. Copy C:CONFIG.SYS to C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.?

   a.  Customize the new file with the modifications that you
       need.

3. Copy the customized CONFIG.? file to the current CONFIG.SYS

   file.
   There are two ways to copy the CONFIG.? file. You can enter
   the copy command at the OS/2 command prompt, or you can
   create an OS/2 batch file that runs during restart AFTER
   the system processes C:\CONFIG.SYS.
   a.  Replacing Your CONFIG.SYS file with CONFIG.?
       If you have only one customized CONFIG.? file, or if you
       do not plan to change between CONFIG.SYS and CONFIG.?
       often, you might choose to copy over CONFIG.SYS with
       the customized CONFIG.? file.  Copying over
       C:\CONFIG.SYS with your customized file the default
       CONFIG.SYS file. The command to copy your customized file
       to the current CONFIG.SYS file is:
           COPY C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.? C:\CONFIG.SYS
       Using your customized CONFIG.? file as the default file
       lets you to restart without selecting a CONFIG.? file
       at the Recovery Choices screen.
       You can now restart the system.  When you restart, the
       system automatically uses the file in the root
       directory named CONFIG.SYS.
   b.  Creating a Batch File to Replace CONFIG.SYS with CONFIG.?
       If you have several customized CONFIG.SYS files, using
       the batch file allows you to specify the CONFIG.? you
       want to use without entering multiple copy commands.  You
       can simply change the ? character in the batch file, and
       enter that character in the batch file, and enter that
       character at the Recovery Choices screen.
       Create a batch file on C:\OS2\BOOT, and name it
       ALTF1?.CMD, where ? is the character that you used in the
       name of the CONFIG.? file.  Put the following COPY
       command in the batch file.
            COPY C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.? C:\CONFIG.SYS
       Display the Recovery Choices screen by pressing
       Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system and then pressing
       Alt+F1.
       At the Recovery Choices screen, press the key for the ?
       single character in the name of the CONFIG.? file you
       want to use.
       The system continues the restart using the customized
       CONFIG.? file.
       NOTE:  If you enter a character from the Recovery Choices
              screen for which there is no corresponding
              CONFIG.? or ALTF1?.CMD batch file, the system
              returns to the Recovery Choices screen.
       Example:
       The following example shows how to create a  CONFIG.SYS
       file named CONFIG.A, and a batch file to copy it during
       restart. The system is installed on the C drive.  Before
       you start, save a copy of the current CONFIG.SYS file.
       1.  Copy the system version of CONFIG.SYS into a new file
           called CONFIG.A:
                   COPY CONFIG.SYS C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.A
       2.  Change to the C:\OS2\BOOT directory.
       3.  Edit CONFIG.A to customize it, and save your changes.
       4.  Create a file called ALTF1A.CMD:
                   E ALTF1A.CMD
       5.  Put the following COPY command into ALTF1A.CMD, and
           save the changes:
                   COPY C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.A
                   C:\CONFIG.SYS
       6.  Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.  Press
           Alt+F1 when the small white box appears in the upper
           left corner of the screen.
       7.  When the Recovery Choices screen appears, type the
           letter A.


Displaying CONFIG.SYS Choice on the Recovery Choices Screen


 You can customize your Recovery Choices screen to display the
 list of customized CONFIG.?  files that you created.
 To customize the Recovery Choices screen, edit the file
 C:\OS2\BOOT\ALTF1BOT.SCR.  (if you installed OS/2 on a
 drive other than C, specify the drive on which OS/2 is
 installed.)  You can add up to 6 lines of text to the bottom
 of this file.
 Each line that you add, should represent a single CONFIG.?
 file that you created.  Each line should include the alphabetic
 character that identifies that CONFIG.?  file.  You might also
 want to include a brief, one-line description of when to use
 that version of the CONFIG.?  file.
 For example, to display the option for the CONFIG.A file on the
 Recovery Choices screen, you might add the following to the
 file:
         C:\OS2\BOOT\ALTF1BOT.SCR:


Rebuilding the Desktop


SYMPTOMS:

 1.  Missing Objects in the OS/2 System Folder.
 2.  Missing Empty or Multiple Objects on Desktop
       Note: This may be performed after using the Recovering
             Archived System Files, and the problem still is
             not fixed.
 3.  Installing and on final restart, the system has a blank
     desktop with or without a clock on the screen.


PROCEDURES:

 1.  Turn on the computer.  If the computer is already on, press
     Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.
 2.  When a small white box appears in the upper left
     corner of the screen, press Alt+F1.
 3.  When the Recovery Choices screen appears, press C.
 4.  Change to the OS/2 directory on the hard disk.  Type the
     following commands and press Enter after each:
        CD\OS2
        MAKEINI OS2.INI INI.RC
        MAKEINI OS2SYS.INI INISYS.RC
 5.  Delete the hidden file WP?ROOT.?SF from the startable
     partition.  Type the following commands and press Enter
     after each:
        ATTRIB -h -s -r \WP?ROOT.?SF
        DEL \WP?ROOT.?SF
 6.  Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.


Recovering the CONFIG.SYS File


 The CONFIG.SYS file contains command statements used
 to configure the system during startup.  If the file is
 changed incorrectly, you might not be able to restart the
 system or edit the file.  For example, some programs write
 information to the CONFIG.SYS file when they are installed.  In
 some cases, this information can cause the CONFIG.SYS file to
 be unusable.  To recover the original version of the
 CONFIG.SYS file (as it was created when OS/2 was installed),
 do the following:
 1.  Turn on the computer.  If the computer is already on, press
     Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.
 2.  When a small white box appears in the upper left
     corner of the screen, press Alt+F1.
 3.  When the Recovery Choices screen appears, press C.
 4.  Rename the damaged CONFIG.SYS file.  for example, type:
        REN CONFIG.SYS CONFIG.BAD
 5.  Press Enter.
 6.  Copy the backup version of the CONFIG.SYS file to the root
     directory of the drive where the operating system resides.
     (The CONFIG.SYS backup file was created during OS/2
     installation).  Type:
        COPY C:\OS2\INSTALL\CONFIG.SYS C:\CONFIG.SYS
 7.  Press Enter.
 8.  Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.
 If you made any changes to the CONFIG.SYS file after the
 original installation, you must edit the newly copied
 CONFIG.SYS file and add those changes.


Recovering the USER INI File


 The OS2.INI file, also referred to as the user INI file, is an
 operating system startup file that contains system settings
 such as program defaults, display options and file options.
 The OS2SYS.INI file, also referred to as the system INI file,
 is an operating system file that contains information about
 installed fonts and printer drivers.  If you receive a message
 that the OS2.INI file has been "corrupted", replace both the
 OS2.INI file and the OS2SYS.INI file on the hard disk.
 Use the following procedure to replace the two files with
 versions containing default values:
 1.  Turn on the computer.  If the computer is already on, press
     Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.
 2.  When a small white box appears in the upper left
     corner of the screen, press Alt+F1.
 3.  When the Recovery Choices screen appears, press C.
 4.  Type:  CD \OS2 and press Enter.
 5.  Type:  ATTRIB -s -h-r OS2*.INI and press Enter.
 6.  Type:  REN OS2.INI OS2.OLD and press Enter.
 7.  Type:  MAKEINI OS2.INI INI.RC and press Enter.
 8.  Type:  REN OS2SYS.INI OS2SYS.OLD and press Enter.
 9.  Type:  MAKEINI OS2SYS.INI INISYS.OLD and press Enter.
10.  Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system.
 You can protect the INI files by having them automatically
 backed up each time you start the system.  For example, if you
 include the following statements in the CONFIG.SYS file, a
 backup copy of the current INI files and a backup copy of the
 INI files as they existed at the previous system startup is
 be made.  (Note that this example assumes that OS/2 is
 installed on drive C. Use the letter of the drive on which you
 have OS/2 installed.)
 CALL=C:\OS2\XCOPY.EXE C:\OS2\*.INX

C:\OS2\*.INY

 CALL=C:\OS2\XCOPY.EXE C:\OS2\OS2*.INI

C:\OS2\*.INX

 By copying the INI files, you can always recover a recent
 version of these files if the INI file becomes damaged.



IBM disclaims all warranties, whether express or implied, including without limitation, warranties of fitness and merchantability with respect to the information in this document. By furnishing this document, IBM grants no licenses to any related patents or copyrights.