Chapter 3. Running SoftWindows
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Chapter 3. Running SoftWindows

This chapter describes how to run SoftWindows, and how to quit from SoftWindows.

SoftWindows initially runs in a separate X Windows window, and you can run PC applications at the same time as your Unix applications.

SoftWindows is set up to launch MS-DOS automatically.

To start Windows from MS-DOS, type "win" at the C:\> prompt.

Running Windows

To run SoftWindows and display the Windows desktop

  1. Type the following command from a Unix shell:

    win3

SoftWindows will come up and go directly to the Windows welcome screen. For more information about the Windows desktop refer to Chapter 6, “Using Windows”.

To exit from Windows

  1. If necessary, double-click the Program Manager icon to display the Program Manager window.

    Figure 3-1. The Program Manager Icon


  2. Choose Exit Windows… from the Program Manager File menu.

    Figure 3-2. The Program Manager File Menu


    The following dialog box appears:

    Figure 3-3. The Exit Windows Dialog Box


  3. Choose OK to exit from Windows to the SoftWindows MS-DOS window.

Tip: Press the Alt and F4 keys at the same time to exit from Windows.

For more information about the MS-DOS window refer to Chapter 7, “Using MS–DOS”.

To run SoftWindows from the IRIX 5 workspace

  1. Double-click the SoftWindows2 icon.

    Figure 3-4. The SoftWindows2 Icon


    SoftWindows comes up in MS-DOS.

  2. To enter Windows, type

    win

Running MS-DOS

To display the SoftWindows MS-DOS window in Windows

  1. Double-click the MS-DOS Prompt icon in the Main program group.

    Figure 3-5. The MS-DOS Icon


Note: You can also quit Windows to get to MS-DOS. See “To exit from Windows.”

Restarting and quitting SoftWindows

To restart SoftWindows

  1. Choose Restart… from the Actions menu.

    This is equivalent to holding down the Ctrl-alt-del keys on a PC keyboard.

    This dialog box warns you that work can be lost if you have not saved files before restarting:

    Figure 3-6. The SoftWindows Restart Warning Dialog Box


  2. Click OK to restart.

Note: Holding down Ctrl-alt-del keys produces an immediate restart without the warning.

To freeze SoftWindows

If you are switching between SoftWindows and Unix applications, you can either manually freeze SoftWindows or set SoftWindows to automatically freeze when it loses window focus. This lets you optimize your use of the available CPU resources on your system.

  • Choose Freeze from the Actions menu.

  • A checkmark appears next to the Freeze menu item to let you know Freeze is selected.

When Freeze is selected, you will not be able to use MS-DOS or Windows. You can still reposition the SoftWindows window on your desktop, and the SoftWindows menu itmes "File," and "Actions" are still available.

  • Select Freeze again from the Actions menu to resume your MS-DOS or Windows session.

  • The checkmark disappears next to the Freeze menu item when Freeze is not active.

If you want SoftWindows to freeze automatically whenever its window does not have focus, choose Auto Freeze from the Options menu. SoftWindows will unfreeze as soon as focus is returned to its window.

Note: You should not use Freeze or Auto Freeze if you are using network resources or are connected to a LAN server, as any network connections could time out.

To exit from SoftWindows

  1. Choose Exit from the File menu.

    This dialog box warns you that work can be lost if you quit without exiting from PC applications or saving files:

    Figure 3-7. The SoftWindows Exit Warning Dialog Box


    Save Configuration Changes is selected by default. This saves any changes you have made using the Options menu items in SoftWindows.

    If you do not want to save any changes, deselect the Save Configuration Changes option before selecting OK. For more information refer to "SoftWindows configuration" in the SoftWindows for Unix Administrator's Guide.

  2. Choose OK to exit from SoftWindows or Cancel to cancel the exit.

To quit immediately

You can also exit from SoftWindows by typing the following command at the MS-DOS prompt:

exitswin

This exits from SoftWindows immediately, without saving any changes to your SoftWindows configuration.

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Chapter 2. Tutorial  Chapter 4. Using SoftWindows