Home » Archimedes archive » Acorn Computing » 1993 06 Mega Disk.adf » 93_06 » Miscellany/Alt_Boot/!ReadMe
Miscellany/Alt_Boot/!ReadMe
This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.
Some of these files were originally commercial releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now widely available online. I assume that copyright over them is no longer being asserted. If you own the copyright and would like files to be removed, please contact me.
| Tape/disk: | Home » Archimedes archive » Acorn Computing » 1993 06 Mega Disk.adf » 93_06 |
| Filename: | Miscellany/Alt_Boot/!ReadMe |
| Read OK: | ✔ |
| File size: | 0428 bytes |
| Load address: | 0000 |
| Exec address: | 0000 |
File contents
Brief guide for Alt-Boot When cataloguing discs, the most annoying thing has to be the, often long, wait. While the computer goes off loading all the sprites and running the !Boot files, you are left tapping your fingers impatiently. Even worse than the wait is the risk of virus infection from !Boot files. This is where Alt-Boot is useful. When cataloguing any disc or directory - floppy, hard or even cd-rom etc., by simply pressing (and keeping depressed) either ALT key, the computer will be forced not to load the !Boot files, but instead just the !Sprites file (if it exists). While this still results in a noticeable delay, it is far quicker than normal, and does go some way to help prevent the spread of !Boot-infecting viruses. RISC OS 3 users may wonder about the use of this - they can press CTRL instead. However, on RO3, pressing control also prevents the sprite files to be loaded - I personally use the sprites rather than names to identify applications, and for every application to have the default sprite is more than annoying.
00000000 42 72 69 65 66 20 67 75 69 64 65 20 66 6f 72 20 |Brief guide for | 00000010 41 6c 74 2d 42 6f 6f 74 0a 0a 57 68 65 6e 20 63 |Alt-Boot..When c| 00000020 61 74 61 6c 6f 67 75 69 6e 67 20 64 69 73 63 73 |ataloguing discs| 00000030 2c 20 74 68 65 20 6d 6f 73 74 20 61 6e 6e 6f 79 |, the most annoy| 00000040 69 6e 67 20 74 68 69 6e 67 20 68 61 73 20 74 6f |ing thing has to| 00000050 20 62 65 20 74 68 65 2c 20 0a 6f 66 74 65 6e 20 | be the, .often | 00000060 6c 6f 6e 67 2c 20 77 61 69 74 2e 20 57 68 69 6c |long, wait. Whil| 00000070 65 20 74 68 65 20 63 6f 6d 70 75 74 65 72 20 67 |e the computer g| 00000080 6f 65 73 20 6f 66 66 20 6c 6f 61 64 69 6e 67 20 |oes off loading | 00000090 61 6c 6c 20 74 68 65 20 0a 73 70 72 69 74 65 73 |all the .sprites| 000000a0 20 61 6e 64 20 72 75 6e 6e 69 6e 67 20 74 68 65 | and running the| 000000b0 20 21 42 6f 6f 74 20 66 69 6c 65 73 2c 20 79 6f | !Boot files, yo| 000000c0 75 20 61 72 65 20 6c 65 66 74 20 74 61 70 70 69 |u are left tappi| 000000d0 6e 67 20 79 6f 75 72 20 0a 66 69 6e 67 65 72 73 |ng your .fingers| 000000e0 20 69 6d 70 61 74 69 65 6e 74 6c 79 2e 20 45 76 | impatiently. Ev| 000000f0 65 6e 20 77 6f 72 73 65 20 74 68 61 6e 20 74 68 |en worse than th| 00000100 65 20 77 61 69 74 20 69 73 20 74 68 65 20 72 69 |e wait is the ri| 00000110 73 6b 20 6f 66 20 0a 76 69 72 75 73 20 69 6e 66 |sk of .virus inf| 00000120 65 63 74 69 6f 6e 20 66 72 6f 6d 20 21 42 6f 6f |ection from !Boo| 00000130 74 20 66 69 6c 65 73 2e 0a 54 68 69 73 20 69 73 |t files..This is| 00000140 20 77 68 65 72 65 20 41 6c 74 2d 42 6f 6f 74 20 | where Alt-Boot | 00000150 69 73 20 75 73 65 66 75 6c 2e 20 57 68 65 6e 20 |is useful. When | 00000160 63 61 74 61 6c 6f 67 75 69 6e 67 20 61 6e 79 20 |cataloguing any | 00000170 64 69 73 63 20 6f 72 20 0a 64 69 72 65 63 74 6f |disc or .directo| 00000180 72 79 20 2d 20 66 6c 6f 70 70 79 2c 20 68 61 72 |ry - floppy, har| 00000190 64 20 6f 72 20 65 76 65 6e 20 63 64 2d 72 6f 6d |d or even cd-rom| 000001a0 20 65 74 63 2e 2c 20 62 79 20 73 69 6d 70 6c 79 | etc., by simply| 000001b0 20 70 72 65 73 73 69 6e 67 20 0a 28 61 6e 64 20 | pressing .(and | 000001c0 6b 65 65 70 69 6e 67 20 64 65 70 72 65 73 73 65 |keeping depresse| 000001d0 64 29 20 65 69 74 68 65 72 20 41 4c 54 20 6b 65 |d) either ALT ke| 000001e0 79 2c 20 74 68 65 20 63 6f 6d 70 75 74 65 72 20 |y, the computer | 000001f0 77 69 6c 6c 20 62 65 20 0a 66 6f 72 63 65 64 20 |will be .forced | 00000200 6e 6f 74 20 74 6f 20 6c 6f 61 64 20 74 68 65 20 |not to load the | 00000210 21 42 6f 6f 74 20 66 69 6c 65 73 2c 20 62 75 74 |!Boot files, but| 00000220 20 69 6e 73 74 65 61 64 20 6a 75 73 74 20 74 68 | instead just th| 00000230 65 20 21 53 70 72 69 74 65 73 20 0a 66 69 6c 65 |e !Sprites .file| 00000240 20 28 69 66 20 69 74 20 65 78 69 73 74 73 29 2e | (if it exists).| 00000250 20 57 68 69 6c 65 20 74 68 69 73 20 73 74 69 6c | While this stil| 00000260 6c 20 72 65 73 75 6c 74 73 20 69 6e 20 61 20 6e |l results in a n| 00000270 6f 74 69 63 65 61 62 6c 65 20 0a 64 65 6c 61 79 |oticeable .delay| 00000280 2c 20 69 74 20 69 73 20 66 61 72 20 71 75 69 63 |, it is far quic| 00000290 6b 65 72 20 74 68 61 6e 20 6e 6f 72 6d 61 6c 2c |ker than normal,| 000002a0 20 61 6e 64 20 64 6f 65 73 20 67 6f 20 73 6f 6d | and does go som| 000002b0 65 20 77 61 79 20 74 6f 20 0a 68 65 6c 70 20 70 |e way to .help p| 000002c0 72 65 76 65 6e 74 20 74 68 65 20 73 70 72 65 61 |revent the sprea| 000002d0 64 20 6f 66 20 21 42 6f 6f 74 2d 69 6e 66 65 63 |d of !Boot-infec| 000002e0 74 69 6e 67 20 76 69 72 75 73 65 73 2e 0a 52 49 |ting viruses..RI| 000002f0 53 43 20 4f 53 20 33 20 75 73 65 72 73 20 6d 61 |SC OS 3 users ma| 00000300 79 20 77 6f 6e 64 65 72 20 61 62 6f 75 74 20 74 |y wonder about t| 00000310 68 65 20 75 73 65 20 6f 66 20 74 68 69 73 20 2d |he use of this -| 00000320 20 74 68 65 79 20 63 61 6e 20 70 72 65 73 73 20 | they can press | 00000330 0a 43 54 52 4c 20 69 6e 73 74 65 61 64 2e 20 48 |.CTRL instead. H| 00000340 6f 77 65 76 65 72 2c 20 6f 6e 20 52 4f 33 2c 20 |owever, on RO3, | 00000350 70 72 65 73 73 69 6e 67 20 63 6f 6e 74 72 6f 6c |pressing control| 00000360 20 61 6c 73 6f 20 70 72 65 76 65 6e 74 73 20 74 | also prevents t| 00000370 68 65 20 0a 73 70 72 69 74 65 20 66 69 6c 65 73 |he .sprite files| 00000380 20 74 6f 20 62 65 20 6c 6f 61 64 65 64 20 2d 20 | to be loaded - | 00000390 49 20 70 65 72 73 6f 6e 61 6c 6c 79 20 75 73 65 |I personally use| 000003a0 20 74 68 65 20 73 70 72 69 74 65 73 20 72 61 74 | the sprites rat| 000003b0 68 65 72 20 0a 74 68 61 6e 20 6e 61 6d 65 73 20 |her .than names | 000003c0 74 6f 20 69 64 65 6e 74 69 66 79 20 61 70 70 6c |to identify appl| 000003d0 69 63 61 74 69 6f 6e 73 2c 20 61 6e 64 20 66 6f |ications, and fo| 000003e0 72 20 65 76 65 72 79 20 61 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74 |r every applicat| 000003f0 69 6f 6e 20 74 6f 20 0a 68 61 76 65 20 74 68 65 |ion to .have the| 00000400 20 64 65 66 61 75 6c 74 20 73 70 72 69 74 65 20 | default sprite | 00000410 69 73 20 6d 6f 72 65 20 74 68 61 6e 20 61 6e 6e |is more than ann| 00000420 6f 79 69 6e 67 2e 0a 0a |oying...| 00000428
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