Version 2.0x
    This is a free release of AutoCon.  I've moved back to Santa Barbara,
    and I don't know what the future of AutoCon may entail.  Feel free to
    use this version of AutoCon on all of your machines and distribute it
    among your friends.  The only change is that there is a selection in the
    Boot section (Alt B) that allow DOS 6.0 users to tell AutoCon not to use
    the DOS 6.0 menu system in single mode (this allows a clean boot to be
    written when some installation program wants to have a completely clean
    system).


Version 2.0i
    QEMM and NetRoom have come out with new versions of their products
    that seem to be incompatible with MENU.CTL.  Since MSDOS 6 now comes
    with it's own menuing system, rather than update MENU.CTL I'm going
    to add DOS 6 capability to AutoCon.  If you want to use the DOS 6
    system, go to the boot menu and select Toggle Menus.  If you're
    using the boot menu system, you will see the "MENU.CTL" status on
    the bottom of the screen change to "DOS Menu".  From the main
    screen, you can use the AltT short cut keys to toggle between the
    two systems.

    One of the major requests that have been asked for is the ability to
    set up AutoCon to immediately pop up the menu without having to hit
    a key.  Another big request was to be able to select a longer time
    delay than 9 seconds.

    The time can now go up to 90 seconds, and if you hit an "N" when
    AutoCon askes for a time delay, the menu will be popped up
    immediately during the next saved boot.

    If you're using MSDOS 6 and single mode, then AutoCon will setup the
    CONFIG.SYS so that you don't have to setup the environment variable
    (it will be set up like a single menu).



Version 2.0g
    I still had complaints about people seeing Echo Off in the Autoexec
    Bat file, so now if you have a DOS higher than 3.2, it will start
    with @Echo off.

    If you are using DOS 5.0, A DOS=HIGH,NOUMB line will be appended to
    the bottom of the Autoexec.bat file, and you will have to put a
    DOS=LOW (and/ or a DOS=UMB) in the configurations you need them in.
    Menu.Ctl will control the flags.

    If you are using DRDOS, Menu.Ctl will now work with it as well as
    MSDOS.

    I've changed the way I load configurations, so you will be able to
    run AutoCon with less memory, and there is no longer a 6K or 2K
    limit on the Autoexec and Config fields.

    Each configuration now has the names of the files that the field is
    written to.  (I've had several requests for this one.)

    The help screen colors are now installable.

    The MENU.CTL interface has been rewritten to show up more distinctly
    when booting.  I had several complaints that it was easy to miss.
    It will now put up some distinctive boxex, and show up in color if
    you have a color monitor.  The colors are installable from AutoCon.

    Each configuration now has the names of the files that the field is written
    to.  (I've had several requests for this one.)

    You can tell AutoCon not to restore the screen on exit (eliminates the
    need for AutoConx.exe.


Version 2.0e (mainly bug fix)
    In Single mode if the Enviornment name wasn't set (AltE in the
    editor) AutoCon could get the wrong cache 'Flush' information.  This
    is fixed, but I highly reccommend setting the Autocon Environment
    variable if you are using Single mode.

    If an external editor were being used, and the Autocon or Config
    field size got too large, the AutoCon.Dat file could get messed up -
    fixed.

    Several people have complained that 4K and 2K is not large enough
    for the Autoexec and Config fields, so I'm pushing the size up to 6K
    and 4K.  Please note that this adds 4K/configuration to AutoCon's
    memory requirements.

    There are two extra EXE files on the BBS.  AutoCons.exe will still
    use 4K and 2K for those needing the smaller memory requirements.

    AutoConx.exe will not restore the screen when it exits.  Try this if
    you lose the cursor or the screen blanks out when you exit (I've had
    two complaints about this).

Version 2.0d (bug fix)
    If AutoCon followed an "ECHO OFF" and a "CLS" statement in a batch
    file, the screen could get slightly messed up - fixed.

Version 2.0c (bug fix)
    The user modified colors were getting lost if a reboot was performed
    from the command line - fixed.

Version 2.0b (bug fix)

    MENU.CTL had a problem with the name of the eighth configuration,
    which is now fixed.  It also had a tendency to leave menu choice 2
    in the hi-lite mode, also fixed.

    Several people complained about seeing the Errorlevel statements in
    the AUTOEXEC.BAT during the boot process.  AUTOEXEC.BAT files will
    now start with ECHO OFF as the first statement if you choose the
    MENU.CTL option.

    Version 2.0 would allow you to choose more than the eight default
    configurations.  This is no longer allowed.

    Version 2.0 had a problem writing the AUTOEXEC.BAT file for the Menu
    mode if the Autoexec fields didn't end in a Carriage Return.  This
    is now fixed.


Version 2.0


    I'm jumping the version number from 1.4 to 2.0 for this release.
    The reason is that AutoCon's capability has changed so much in this
    release that I think it warrants a Major revision number change.

    The major change is the inclusion of two new files.  These are
    MENU.CTL and MENUNUM.COM.  Menu.Ctl is a device driver that can
    disable commands in the CONFIG.SYS file.  MenuNum.Com is a file that
    will ask the portion of Menu.Ctl that stays resident which
    configuration was chosen, and set the DOS ERRORLEVEL to that number.
    This allows setting up menu choices in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to
    match the choice made from the CONFIG.SYS file.  Together these two
    files allow you to choose a system configuration from a menu of
    configurations during the boot process itself.

    AutoCon will handle all of the interface details to these two
    commands for you, and allow you to return to a "Normal" system
    configuration in just a couple of keystrokes.  This will allow you
    to run programs like "Optimize" from Quarterdeck.


    There is a pull-down menu system available on the main screen.  Each
    item on the menu has a context sensitive help entry.  This should
    make it very easy to get AutoCon up and running the first time, and
    allow you to look up those commands you can't remember the
    keystrokes for.


    There are two new command line options.  If you enter

      AutoCon /<return>

    on the command line, a window of your configurations will pop up
    asking you to choose which configuration you wish to use to reboot
    the system.  This is equivalent to the "AutoCon <configuraion name>,
    except that AutoCon lets you choose the name from a pick list.

    The second new command is 

      AutoCon /@<configuration name>

    where <configuration name> is the name shown on the main screen for
    each configuration.  If the name matches the configuration that was
    used for the boot process, the DOS errorlevel will be set to 1.  It
    will be set to 0 otherwise.  For this function to work correctly,
    you need to boot up with Menu.Ctl, or assure that each Autoexec
    field has the correct name assigned with a SET command. See the new
    "Put Name in Environment" editor function defined below.


    The internal editor has a few new capabilities.  In order to access
    most them you will have to edit your keystrokes (using the F6 key).
    The block operations are no longer constrained to full lines.  The
    default keys for reformating were removed.  You may reassign them.

      "Search Function" (default assigned to ^Q^F) allows you to search
      the text for a specified string of text.  The string is active for
      the entire AutoCon session, and will be the same across records.

      "Search/Replace Function" (default assigned to ^Q^A) allows you to
      search the text for a specified string of text, and relpace it
      with another string of text.  You will be asked to confirm the
      replacement.

      "Repeat Search Function" (default assigned to ^L)  This will
      repeat the last Search, or Search/Replace that was performed.  The
      informations is retained during the AutoCon session, and will be
      the same across records.

      "Install Editor Keys" (default assigned to F6) allows you to
      change the editor keys during an edit session.

      "Put Name in Environment" (default assigned to AltE) will put a
      SET command in your edit field.  This will guarantee that the
      configuration you are editing has its name placed correctly in the
      environment.  AutoCon will use this name for various command line
      functions.

      "Change (Text - AltF6, Block - AltF7, Control Char - AltF8)
      Attribute" will allow you to change the keys that call up the
      editor color installation windows.

      "View Last Dos Screen" (default assigned to AltV) allows you to
      see the DOS screen as it was when AutoCOn was started.  Could be
      useful if the reason your changing a configuration is shown there.


    By March 1, 1991 I will have a support BBS in place operating 24
    hours a day.  The number will be (916) 623 4455.


