*****************************************************************************
*  AUTOBOOT A DBASE APPLICATION TO RAMDRIVE ON A SINGLE OR DUAL FLOPPY PC   *
*                                                                           *
*   This describes a method of setting up batch files and modifying         *
*    Dbase II so that you can auto-run any application on ramdrive B:       *
*    with iddentical behavior to those formerly run on phsical drive B:.    *
*    It removes the need to manually copy files to the disk each time       *
*    or having an inflexible batch file on the program disk that attempts   *
*    to handle every application.  You must have 512K memory to make use    *
*    of this method, but with low memory prices these days and the          *
*    tremendous increase in speed of execution achieved, no Dbase           *
*    application should have to run entirely on floppy.                     *
*                                                                           *
*   The following scenario is the method I use and I think you will see its *
*    advantages as you read on:                                             *
*                                                                           *
*   This assumes that you have access to Super Drive, a ram disk program    *
*    provided with AST cards for the PC.  I also install Side Kick on the   *
*    power up sequence, if you do not have it simply delete the command     *
*     (If you do not have Side Kick, make the investment now, its the best  *
*      interactive editor I have used for Dbase by far)                     *
*****************************************************************************

Conventions of Dbase routines:

B: is always a ramdrive, to replace former physical floppy drive B:
A: always contains the Dbase system programs DBASE.COM, DBASE.OVL
C: Physical drive B: is reassigned to the C: by  SuperDrive (/i option)

   The floppy disk in C: contains:
   - Database files
   - Index files
   - .PRG program files
   - .FMT and .FRM files

BOOT SEQUENCE:
  Dbase should be modified so that F10 is assigned "DO B:INIT;"
    (You can do this by using the Norton Utilities or some equivalent that
     permits you to view and edit disk file sectors.  Simply locate the
     ASCII string sequences initially assigned to the function keys in the
     program DBASE.COM by browsing through, and change the one for F10
     to "DO B:INIT;"
     I have done this to provide a the standard application startup of
     simply pushing the F10 key.  Running any Dbase application simply
     consists of turning the machine on and pushing F10)

1) An AUTOEXEC.BAT file on Drive A: (YOUR dBASE II SYSTEM DISKETTE) does
   the following:
    - ASTCLOCK              .....auto sets the date and time (provided with AST
                                 boards;
    - SUPERDRV B: /i/u=150  .....sets up ramdrive and inserts it between
                                 the physical drives;
    - SK                    .....install sidekick;
    - COPY C:INIT.BAT B:    .....copy the application dependent system setup
                                 batch file to ramdrive B:
    - B:                    .....transfer control to drive B:
    - INIT                  .....begin execution of INIT.BAT from the
                                 application data disks INIT.BAT file;

2) The B:INIT.BAT which does the following:
    - Copies appropriate data (.dbf) and program (.prg) etc files to ramdrive
      B: from your Dbase application data diskette in drive C:
       (C:INIT.PRG is amoung the copied files, this is the Dbase individual
        application setup program that will be automatically run when F10
        is pressed.  It could be a Master Menu program, however I normally
        use the INIT.PRG program to set system parameters like the Date, use
        certain files and indexes and set default to B: etc then turn control
        over to a MENU.PRG program after redefining the F10 key to
        "DO MENU;".  With this method, the user never really notices that
        the F10 key does anything different the 10th time he pushes compared
        to the first time.)

    - A:                    .....turns control over to physical drive A:
                                 (this is the Dbase system disk)
    - DBASE                 .....Runs DBASE

3) The user pushes F10 and Dbase responds by "DO B:INIT.PRG" which does the
   following:
    - Sets default to B:
    - Re-Defines F10 to "DO MENU;"
    - Set Escape on, Talk on, Bell off
    - Introduction message
    - Transfers control to MENU.PRG

4) From now on, every time the user pushes F10 he will get the Main Menu.
   (I handle all menu choices with Function Keys, and each time a new
    menu is chosen, Each item sets a function key to correspond to the
    .prg file its choice is associated with.)

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With this approach, you can stick a mailing list Dbase system of datafiles
and .prg files in Drive B: of your PC, reset and the system will set itself
up in ramdisk automatically and run the same as before, only much faster
than you believed possible.
The beauty of the system is that another Dbase file system and associated
application programs and format files etc can be inserted in
Drive B:, the system reset and a new INIT.BAT file from that disk could
set things up completely different.  The method also can be adapted to hard
drive systems or 3 floppy systems.  I run the same software on 3 different
PC's, all with different hardware configuration, but the only difference
necessary is the availability of a different startup batch file on the
DBASE master diskette for each machine.

*****************************************************************************

Tony Hansen
Independent Micro Consulting
134 Upland Drive
MEDICINE HAT, Alberta T1A 3N7
Canada  Phone 403-527-7441