OSCWPDES - OS/2 WARP DESKTOP PROBLEMS AND RECOVERING USER INI FILES 02/02/96 ======================================================================= OS/2 Warp Desktop Problems and Recovering User INI Files ======================================================================= Please Read Entire Document for Full Explanation of Procedures -------------------------------------------------------------- DESCRIPTION Various OS/2 Warp Desktop Problems and Recovery RESOLUTION Note: Make sure you have a backup of any file you intend to change. Desktop Problems ---------------- Following are some problems you might have with the Desktop after installing OS/2 Warp. Solutions are provided. 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 what you were doing when the system stopped. If any messages were displayed on the screen, 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 help. Icons Are Missing ----------------- After restarting the system, some of the Desktop icons are missing. Check the documentation for the hard disk and controller card to ensure their settings are both set for the ASYNCH mode or the SYNCH mode. Icons Are Stacked ----------------- If the objects on the Desktop appear to be stacked on each other, you can refresh the Desktop: 1. Move the mouse pointer to a blank area of the Desktop; then press mouse button 2. 2. Select Refresh from the menu. 3. If the screen goes blank, press Alt+Esc to switch between programs and force the "repainting" of the screen. DOS and Windows Programs Were 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 on remote servers. If this happens, restart the system and run the Add Programs to Desktop utility program. Add Programs to Desktop is in the System Setup folder, which is in the OS/2 System folder. OS/2 2.x Programs Were Not Added to the Desktop ----------------------------------------------- If you installed OS/2 on a system that already had OS/2 2.x installed, and the OS/2 2.x programs were not added to the Desktop, do the following: 1. Turn on the computer, or press Ctrl+Alt+Del if it is already on. 2. When a small white box appears in the upper-left corner, 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 as described in "Rebuilding Your Desktop" in this document. Note: If you moved program groups off the Desktop and into a folder, you should move them back to the Desktop before installing OS/2. Otherwise, duplicate icons could appear on the screen. If you try to delete these icons, the original icons also will be deleted. Desktop Is Blank or Objects Are Missing ------------------------------------------- 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: 1. Insert the Installation Diskette in drive A; then press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system. 2. When prompted, remove the Installation Diskette and insert Diskette 1. 3. When the Welcome screen appears, press F3 to get to the command prompt. 4. Insert Diskette 2; then type CHKDSK x:/F:2 and press Enter (x is the drive where OS/2 is installed.) 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: 1. At an OS/2 command prompt, type CD DESKTOP and press Enter. 2. When the DESKTOP directory opens, type RD directory and press Enter (directory is 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 damaged, unusable, or unstartable Desktop * An invalid CONFIG.SYS file * A damaged INI file * Hard-disk errors * 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: * Use the Archive/Recover utility program to restore the Desktop to a previously saved state. * Rebuild the existing Desktop Recovery Choices Screen ----------------------- 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 the 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 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 C. To reset the primary display to VGA, press V. 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 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 by 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 are saved as they existed the last three time OS/2 was started. 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 * Folders open and close immediately. * Desktop objects are missing or empty, or multiple objects appear. Shut down and then restart the computer. If this does not fix the problem, see "Rebuilding Your Desktop" in this document. Using Archived System Files --------------------------- 1. Turn on the computer. If it is already on, perform a shutdown; then press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart it. 2. When the small white box appears in the upper-left corner, press Alt+F1. 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 might 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 two CONFIG.SYS files--one 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 also can 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 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 copy the current CONFIG.SYS file to either a diskette or to the C:\OS\BOOT subdirectory. If you copy the file to C:\OS\BOOT, rename it to CONFIG.?. Be sure to make a note of the new name and directory so you can restore it later. 2. Type COPY C:CONFIG.SYS C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.? and press Enter. 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. 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 replaces 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 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 CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory. Creating a Batch File to Replace CONFIG.SYS with CONFIG.? --------------------------------------------------------- If you have several customized CONFIG.SYS files, using a 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 at the Recovery Choices screen. a. Create a batch file in the C:\OS2\BOOT subdirectory, and name it ALTF1?.CMD (? is the character you used in the name of the CONFIG.? file). b. Put the following command in the batch file: COPY C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.? C:\CONFIG.SYS c. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system. When the small white box appears in the upper-left corner, press Alt+F1 to display the Recovery Choices screen. d. At the Recovery Choices screen, press the key for the ? character that is 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 at 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 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 drive C. Before starting, save a copy of the current CONFIG.SYS file. a. Type the following and press Enter to copy the system version of CONFIG.SYS into a new file called CONFIG.A: COPY CONFIG.SYS C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.A b. Change to the C:\OS2\BOOT directory. c. Edit CONFIG.A to customize it; then save your changes. d. Type the following and press Enter to create the file, ALTF1A.CMD: E ALTF1A.CMD e. Add the following commands to ALTF1A.CMD and save the changes: COPY C:\OS2\BOOT\CONFIG.A C:\CONFIG.SYS f. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system. When the small white box appears in the upper-left corner, press Alt+F1 to display the Recovery Choices screen. g. At the Recovery Choices screen, type A. Displaying Your 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: 1. Edit the file, C:\OS2\BOOT\ALTF1BOT.SCR. (If you installed OS/2 on a drive other than C, specify THAT drive.) 2. Add a line for each CONFIG.? file that you created. Each line should include the alphabetic character that identifies that CONFIG.? file. You can add up to 6 lines of text to the bottom of this 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, add the following to the file: C:\OS2\BOOT\ALTF1BOT.SCR Method 1--Rebuilding the Desktop -------------------------------- Use this procedure if you do not want to replace both the CONFIG.SYS and Desktop. You do NOT lose your customization. Symptoms -------- * Missing objects in the OS/2 System Folder. * Missing, empty, or multiple objects on the Desktop. Note: This problem might exist after performing Recovering Archived System Files. * At the final restart during installation, the system has a blank Desktop with or without a clock on the screen. Procedure --------- 1. Turn on the computer, or press Ctrl+Alt+Del if it is already on. 2. When the small white box appears in the upper-left corner, press Alt+F1 to display the Recovery Choices screen. 3. At the Recovery Choices screen, press C. 4. Change to the OS/2 directory; then type the following commands, pressing Enter after each: CD\OS2 MAKEINI OS2.INI INI.RC MAKEINI OS2SYS.INI INISYS.RC 5. Type the following and press Enter after each to delete the hidden file, WP?ROOT.?SF: ATTRIB -h -s -r \WP?ROOT.?SF DEL \WP?ROOT.?SF 6. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system. Method 2--Using Temporary or Dummy INI Files -------------------------------------------- If you are having Desktop problems and want to determine if the INI files are the cause, create temporary INI files (also referred to as Dummy INI files). 1. Open an OS/2 Window. 2. At the command prompt, type the following and press Enter after each: CD\OS2 MAKEINI OS21.INI INI.RC MAKEINI OS2SYS1.INI INISYS.RC Note: INI file names end with "1." 3. Type CD\ and press Enter. 4. Type E CONFIG.SYS and press Enter to edit the CONFIG.SYS file. 5. Change the following statements near top of the file: Change: SET USER_INI=C:\OS2\OS2.INI To: SET USER_INI=C:\OS2\OS21.INI Change: SET SYSTEM_INI=C:\OS2\OS2SYS.INI To: SET SYSTEM_INI=C:\OS2\OS2SYS1.INI 6. Select File, and then Save; then select Close. 7. Shut down and restart the system. If the problem is solved, the INI files were at fault. Edit the CONFIG.SYS file and return the statements changed in step 5 to their original values; that is, remove the "1" from the file names. Then replace the INI files as described under "Recovering the User INI File" in the User's Guide to OS/2 Warp. If the problem is NOT solved, the INI files were not at fault. Something else is causing the problem. If you have video distortion or corruption, you can reset video to VGA: 1. Shut down and then restart your system. If you are unable to shut down, press Ctrl+Alt+Del, or turn the computer off, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on. 2. When the small white box appears in the upper-left corner, press Alt+F1 to display the Recovery Choices screen. 3. At the Recovery Choices screen, type V. This resets video to VGA. 4. When the process is complete, restart the system. You can set up the system for SVGA if the video adapter supports higher resolutions. Contact the vendor of the video card to ensure you have the correct and latest drivers, and that the resolution is compatible in OS/2. If you have a utility or setup program for your video, follow those instructions first. Method 3--Recovering the CONFIG.SYS File ---------------------------------------- The CONFIG.SYS file contains command statements used to set up 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, or press Ctrl+Alt+Del if it is already on. 2. When the small white box appears in the upper-left corner, press Alt+F1 to display the Recovery Choices screen. 3. At the Recovery Choices screen, press C. 4. Rename the damaged CONFIG.SYS file. For example, type the following and press Enter: REN CONFIG.SYS CONFIG.BAD 5. Type the following and press Enter to copy the backup copy of the CONFIG.SYS file to the root directory of the drive where OS/2 is installed. (The CONFIG.SYS backup file was created during OS/2 installation.) COPY C:\OS2\INSTALL\CONFIG.SYS C:\CONFIG.SYS 6. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the system. Note: If you made any changes to the CONFIG.SYS file after the original installation, you must edit the newly copied file and add those changes. Method 4--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 such system settings 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 ever 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 files containing default values: 1. Turn on the computer, or press Ctrl+Alt+Del if it is already on. 2. When the small white box appears in the upper-left corner, press Alt+F1 to display the Recovery Choices screen. 3. At the Recovery Choices screen, 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.RC 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, as well as a backup copy of the INI files as they existed at the previous system startup, will be made. Note: This example assumes that OS/2 is installed on drive C. Use the letter of the drive on which OS/2 is 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. Copyright (c) 1994, 1996 IBM Corporation. Any trademarks and product or brand names referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners. Consult your product manuals for complete trademark information.