How I Run Acadr12 in Win95 (one more time)
Lawrence Moreland
I am posting this one more time because of email I received about
the first post being garbled. Yuck! Well heres my story (one more
time!)
To anyone and everyone asking me
1. "How do I run AutoCAD 386 r12 in Windows 95?"
2. "How come my mouse or digitizer doesn't work
when I launch AutoCAD
from an Icon"
Lately I've been getting email from people asking me
questions about running r12 in Win95. I can't
possibly know everything about how to set up
AutoCADr12 on every system out there running Win95.
So, any Information I have may not work on your
system. Also I can only relate to you my
experiences running AutoCADr12 on the machines
we've had at work. At home I use AutoCAD LT 95,
and yes Its a legal registered version!
(Not to paranoid, am I?) Everything I've learned
about the topic has more or less been by trail
and error. I hope that the below information
will be useful to everyone interested.
1. "How do I run AutoCAD 386 r12 in Windows 95?"
I don't know. But I'll tell you how I run it.
IN THE BEGINING.....
My Machine was a 486DX2 66, 16mb ram,
300mb HD. Running DOS6.2 and Windows for Workgroups
3.11. I upgraded to Win95 via a retail upgrade.
I didn't have to reinstall AutoCAD.
I had previously ran r12 from Windows3.11,
from an Icon. I used one of the books that
came with AutoCAD. It wasn't the Advanced Tools
book or the AutoLISP Reference, unfortunately I
can't find the book I used, I don't think it was
the Command Reference either, oh, well.
I installed Win95 in its own directory.
After I was pleased with how Win95 was running,
I made a shortcut on my desktop for Acad.exe.
This is how I (eventually) set up the short cut.
a. Program tab Cmd line: C:\ACAD12\ACAD.EXE Working Directory:
C:\ACAD12
Batch file C:\Cad.bat
(this is the file I use to set all the usual Acad
"SET " this and "SET" that stuff, I doesn't
HAVE to be in your Autoexec.bat ya know)
My CAD.BAT (my AutoCAD start-up file)
@echo off
cls
c:
cd\
SET ACAD=C:\ACAD12\SUPPORT;C:\ACAD12\FONTS;C:\ACAD12\ADS
SET ACADCFG=C:\ACAD12
SET ACADDRV=C:\ACAD12\DRV
CD ACAD12
Notice that the batch file doesn't execute Acad,
it only sets paths, and points to
the Acad home directory.
Shortcut Key: None
Run: Maximized
Closed on exit is checked
Click on the Advanced Button
Check Boxes:
Prevent MS-DOS based programs from detecting
windows: NOT checked
(sorry to all everyone I told to check this box,
It doesn't matter either way....Just in case you
have trouble even getting Acad to launch, check
this option)
Suggest MS-DOS MODE as necessary: Checked
(However, once it is launching ok you can un-check this,
you can use this as a crude diagnostic mode when you
tweak various settings....i.e. if this is on and you
don't get a warning telling you to run this program in
DOS MODE everything is still ok.)
MS-DOS MODE: NOT checked
(Just trust me, AutoCADr12 (c3 anyway) runs much, much
better in Windows95 than in DOS MODE. One reason for
this is that when a DOS program ( any DOS program) runs
IN Win95, it can take advantage of win95s more efficient
protected mode drivers. AutoCAD will have more free
conventional memory available. No real ( read DOS )
mode drivers are reqd. You can also use alt+tab to
switch between AutoCAD an other WIN95 programs. You can
also edit your acad.pgp file to start win95 programs
within AutoCAD. The bottom line is that once it is set
up, AutoCADr12 can run much better in WIN95 than
in DOS MODE. By the way, I didn't have to run Acadr12
in "DOS MODE"when I ran it in win3.11 !
(although there were few advantages in doing so)
There should be no need for any special config.sys or
autoexec.bat......anything that you need to load in
autoexec.bat to run AutoCADr12 can be put in CAD.bat,
above. This frees up environment space anytime your not
running AutoCAD. If you load up with autoexec.bat, less
total environment space is available for every program.
Don't load it till you need it is the way I look at it.
b. Font tab
Available types: both
c. Memory tab
In the conventional memory frame
Total: Leave it on Auto
Protected: Leave it un-checked
Initial Environment : 1024
( This is equal to the command
"shell=command.com /p /e:1024" in
your old "DOS Days" config.sys)
d. Screen tab
Usage = fullscreen
Initial size = default
Display toolbar is checked, but I've never seen
one for it, could turn it off
Restore Settings is checked
Performance
Fast ROM emulation is checked
Dynamic memory allocation is checked
e. Misc. tab
Foreground frame
Allow screen saver is NOT checked,
this caused problems on all ours
Mouse is in exclusive mode
Background frame
Always suspend in NOT checked
Idle sensitivity is as low as it can go.....
all the way to the left.
Windows shortcut keys
Alt+tab is checked NOTE: go to www.microsoft.com and
download the kernel toys, use doswinkey if you have
one of those Win95 keyboards. You'll find out why
if you don't know yet.
2. "How come my mouse or digitizer doesn't work when
I launch AutoCAD
from an Icon?"
Oh boy, well there could be allot of reasons first try
adding a line like set mouse=c:\mouse in your autoexec.bat
if that doesn't work maybe you need to load your mouse
with a cmd like c:\mouse\mouse.exe or mouse.com
(these are real mode drivers, and believe it or not they
can use as much as 25k conventional memory....yuck!)
load them if all else fails. If you use a logitech mouse
the line is "set lmouse=c:\mouse\mouse.exe
Digitizer failed to initialize ect ect ect
First some history: We upgraded the machines we used
at work. We bought Dell p166s with 64mb ram, all the
bells and whistles. I had customized Acad a great deal,
(pgp, file, mnu file, lsp, ect, ect) so I copied the
whole acad tree to my zipdrive. I installed my zip drive
on the new system and copied acad to my new puter.
I made a new shortcut (same as above) and everything
worked fine, except the digitizer failed to initialize.
tried the latest driver I had, but no dice. In acads
config I noticed that I had three summagraphics drivers.
I tried my oldest one. and it worked. Now everything
is right in the world. This is the digitizer driver I
use for my Summasketch III digitizer:
Summagraphics MM series v1.3 ADI 4.2 by summagraphics
Model: Model 1201 - 12"x12" tablet
Port: COM1: at address 3f8 (hex)
Version: A.C.06
The file name is dgpsumma.exp its 41kb in size
and its date is 11/20/92
It is located in c:\acad12\drv
There has been no lose of function by using this driver.
No one can tell the difference.
I also tried this driver
Summagraphics MM series v2.0 ADI 4.2 by Autodesk Inc.
I could not get it to work no matter what I tried to do,
or how I set it.
One other note: we use AutoCADr12c_3 for DOS I have
come across a post or two suggesting that
c_1 had other problems running in win95.
You can download "upgrades" or patches
from c_1 to c_2 to c_3 to c_4 if you can't find
it at autodesk's site use a search
engine and look for AutoCADr12c_4 or something like that.
Try Cadshack or just search for
AutoCAD. Its out there somewhere!
Other than using my acad.pgp file to create cmds to
start notepad and wordpad to edit my acad.pgp file and
mnu files, thats about it I think. I hope that my
experiences will help someone out.
Anyway, Its getting late and I'm tired....
I owe I owe its off to work I go.....
L8R