WUGNET.TXT: Putting Windows on a Network

• Microsoft Windows with Multimedia Extensions version 1.0

SUMMARY

The following information is contained in the Multimedia Extensions version 1.0 WUGNET.TXT file. The Setup program copies this file to the Windows with Multimedia Extensions directory.

This information does not apply to later versions of Windows.

WUGNET.TXT ONLINE DOCUMENT

PUTTING WINDOWS ON A NETWORK

This file is intended for system administrators or anyone who will install Windows on a network to be shared by multiple users.

The Microsoft License Agreement that came with your Windows package gives you permission to install Windows on a network. For information on this license, see the Grant of License section of this agreement or contact the Microsoft Information Center.

The files on the CD-ROM may be compressed. To put Windows with Multimedia Extensions on the network, you must decompress these files by using the Expand decompression program that is included with Windows. To operate Expand efficiently, you will need to create an MS-DOS batch file. The following procedure contains the commands necessary to create this batch file.

This procedure assumes you are copying Windows from the CD-ROM in CD-ROM drive L to the \\WINDOWS network directory on network disk drive W and that you must decompress these files. You should replace the pathnames in these examples with the actual ones you are using, where appropriate.

To Install Windows on a Network:

1. Connect to the network.

2. Change to the directory where you want to put the shared copy of Windows.

3. Type copy con expall.bat at the DOS prompt.

   This DOS command means that what you type next will be copied into EXBALL.BAT batch file. You can use any filename for this batch file as long as it contains the .BAT extension.

4. Type the following at the DOS prompt

         l:
         for %%i in (*.*) do w:\windows\expand %%i w:\windows\%%i
         w:
   

   This MS-DOS code creates a program that will allow you to enter the pathnames of the source and destination of the Windows files.

5. At the DOS prompt, press CTRL+Z.

   This MS-DOS command closes the batch files.

6. Insert the CD-ROM into drive L and type the following at the DOS prompt:

         copy l:expand.exe w:\windows
   

   The Expand decompression program is copied to your network Windows directory.

7. Now type the following:

         expall l:*.* w:\windows
   

   This command will run the EXPALL batch file program, which copies and expands the files from the Windows disks to the Windows directory on network disk drive W. You should enter the network disk drive and directory of your choice.

8. Make all Windows files and the network share read-only.

Giving Users Access to Network Applications

You can give users easier access to applications running on the network by modifying the SETUP.INF file when you put Windows on the network. This text file is included with windows and remains in the shared windows directory.

Windows setup uses this file, among other reasons, to determine the initial contents of the user's Program Manager groups. By modifying the file, you can add applications to these groups and customize their settings.

The [progman.groups] section of SETUP.INF lists the groups in the Program Manager window. Following this section is a list of the applications that are displayed as icons in each group when a user starts Windows. Each application is listed by title, pathname, icon filename, and icon number. These fields are separated by commas. The icon fields are optional.

If you want Windows to install an application that is on the network and place it in the user's Program Manager window, you need to add to SETUP.INF a title (of your choice) and the pathname of that application.

You have the option of specifying which icon will be displayed by including an icon filename and/or an icon number.

The icon filename identifies the file that contains the icon you want to use. If you want to use an icon that is assigned to another application, you can enter that application's filename as the icon filename. If you don't specify an icon filename, the displayed icon will be one from the application file. Or, if the application file does not contain any icons, the icon will come from Program Manager.

If the file you select contains more than one icon, you can specify the one you want to use by entering the appropriate icon number. This number corresponds to the order in which the icon is listed in the file. If you do not enter an icon number, Program Manager will use the first icon listed in the file.

To Add a Network Application to a User's Program Manager Window

1. Open the SETUP.INF file by using Write.

2. Choose the No Conversion option in the Write dialog box.

3. In the section for the group where you want the application to appear, type the program title, pathname, and, optionally, the icon filename and icon number of the application. The fields must be separated by commas.

4. Choose Save from the File menu to save the changes.

   "Microsoft Word",k:\word\word.exe

   "Microsoft Word",k:\word\word.exe,progman.exe

   "Microsoft Word",k:\word\word.exe,,2

   "Microsoft Word",k:\word\word.exe,progman.exe,2

Keeping a User's Files Off a Shared Directory

When a user runs an application, Program Manager changes the user's directory to the one that contains the application. As a result, a user running a shared application from the network might accidentally leave personal files in the shared directory. These files will use up disk space and possibly interfere with other users.

You can avoid this problem when you add the application to SETUP.INF. First, make sure the application is located on the user's path. Then, instead of typing the network pathname for the application, type the user's personal Windows directory followed by the application filename.

For example, if EXCEL.EXE is located in K:\APPS, and that directory is in the user's path, type c:\excel.exe in SETUP.INF. Then, when the user selects the Excel icon, Windows will change to the user's directory (C:\) and run Microsoft Excel from the user's path. Any document files the user creates will stay in the user's directory rather than in the shared network directory.

Putting Additional Network Files on a User's System

When a user runs the network version of Setup, Windows will copy selected files to the user's system. You can copy additional files to the user's Windows directory by adding the filenames to the [net] section of the user's SETUP.INF file.

To Put Additional Files in the User's Windows Directory

1. Open the SETUP.INF file by using a text editor, such as Notepad.

2. find the [net] section of the file. (If you are using Notepad, you can do this by choosing Find from the Search menu, type [net], and choosing OK.)

3. Type a drive number, a colon, the filename, and a title (optional) for the file you want to copy.

   You must enter a drive number, but it does not matter what number you use. Include a title only if you want a message to appear during Setup that indicates when this file is being copied to the user's disk.

   2:NEW.PIF

   2:NEW.PIF, "Network Application Settings"