Windows 3.1: easier way to add programs to Program Manager?

[Chaos Master]

Hello!

I have to add a lot of programs to 'Program Manager' in Windows 3.1. The
process is boring to do manually.

Q: Is there a Windows 3.1 program to add various programs to the
'Program Manager' at once?

[]s
--
Chaos Master®, posting from Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - 29.55° S
/ 51.11° W / GMT-2h / 15m .

"People told me I can't dress like a fairy.
I say, I'm in a rock band and I can do what the hell I want!"
-- Amy Lee

(My e-mail address isn't read. Please reply to the group!)

 

[Fran]

I'm not sure if I remmeber correctly, but there was option, I think it was
in setup, add applications or something like that, it would search hdd for
programs and create shortcuts. Also you might take a look at ¸Calmira, a
windows 95-like shell for Windows 3.1, gives you start menu and desktop and
a few other nice things

 

[fitwell]

I'm not sure if I remmeber correctly, but there was option, I think it was
in setup, add applications or something like that, it would search hdd for
programs and create shortcuts. Also you might take a look at ¸Calmira, a
windows 95-like shell for Windows 3.1, gives you start menu and desktop and
a few other nice things

There is another alternative completely that is a godsend for many, I
know that I loved it. Calmira Win9x shell for Win3x along with the
LFN enabler, what was it called ...? Yes, looked it up in my CD
cataloguer, Instant File Access.

I just googled for them as my info might be old. Calmira is here:
http://www.calmira.de/downloads/

Hey, great to see Alexoft site still up for IFA:
http://www.alexoft.com/alexoft/index.htm

Good luck if you decide to go this slightly different route. I worked
on a Win3x box within this past year, Calmira is such a joy! It's
esp. good if you work on a 32bit computer at the office and come home
to the 16bit one; heck of a smaller jump between OSs with the Win9x
shell on the older box. And IFA gives you LFN capability. So
absolutely no more worries this method re the Program Manager, my
least favourite part of Win3x! <g>

Cheers and hope this might have been of some help.

Hello!

I have to add a lot of programs to 'Program Manager' in Windows 3.1. The
process is boring to do manually.

Q: Is there a Windows 3.1 program to add various programs to the
'Program Manager' at once?

[]s
--
Chaos Master®, posting from Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - 29.55° S
/ 51.11° W / GMT-2h / 15m .

"People told me I can't dress like a fairy.
I say, I'm in a rock band and I can do what the hell I want!"
-- Amy Lee

(My e-mail address isn't read. Please reply to the group!)

 

[Chaos Master]

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 08:13:39 -0500: fitwell (----> (e-mail address removed)) -

Good luck if you decide to go this slightly different route. I worked
on a Win3x box within this past year, Calmira is such a joy! It's
esp. good if you work on a 32bit computer at the office and come home
to the 16bit one; heck of a smaller jump between OSs with the Win9x
shell on the older box. And IFA gives you LFN capability. So
absolutely no more worries this method re the Program Manager, my
least favourite part of Win3x! <g>

I actually prefer the Program Manager and the Windows 3.1 shell instead
of the Win9x one.

At least I think it's better than having to browse through menus.

I just want a way to add 50 or so icons at once to a program group.
--
Chaos Master®, posting from Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - 29.55° S
/ 51.11° W / GMT-2h / 15m .

"People told me I can't dress like a fairy.
I say, I'm in a rock band and I can do what the hell I want!"
-- Amy Lee

(My e-mail address isn't read. Please reply to the group!)

 

[Semolina Pilchard]

I actually prefer the Program Manager and the Windows 3.1 shell instead
of the Win9x one. At least I think it's better than having to browse through menus.

I agree. It was a much more intuitive way of organising programs.

I just want a way to add 50 or so icons at once to a program group.

It's so long ago that I can't remember how progman worked. Are your
program groups reflected in file manager? Can you drag and drop?

 

[Chaos Master]

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 18:03:05 +0000: Semolina Pilchard (---->
(e-mail address removed)) ----> alt.comp.freeware @

I agree. It was a much more intuitive way of organising programs.

It's so long ago that I can't remember how progman worked. Are your
program groups reflected in file manager? Can you drag and drop?

No and no... I need to click in the "File" menu and add a new program
item.

[]s
--
Chaos Master®, posting from Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - 29.55° S
/ 51.11° W / GMT-2h / 15m .

"People told me I can't dress like a fairy.
I say, I'm in a rock band and I can do what the hell I want!"
-- Amy Lee

(My e-mail address isn't read. Please reply to the group!)

 

[Jay]

Here is what you do:

Open File Manager and select the files you want icon representations of in a
Progman Group. (If you can't see them all in one pane in file manager, do a
search and search for everything you need in one step).

Once you have a list of the 50 or so files that you want icons for in the
progman group, open the newly created group in progman, and tile or arrange
progman and file manager so you can see everything at once.

Press CTRL + / in file manager (to select everything), and then drag that
selection into the new group. Release the mouse and you'll have icons for
all those items in progman.

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 18:03:05 +0000: Semolina Pilchard (---->
(e-mail address removed)) ----> alt.comp.freeware @

through menus.

I agree. It was a much more intuitive way of organising programs.

It's so long ago that I can't remember how progman worked. Are your
program groups reflected in file manager? Can you drag and drop?

No and no... I need to click in the "File" menu and add a new program
item.

[]s
--
Chaos Master®, posting from Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - 29.55° S
/ 51.11° W / GMT-2h / 15m .

"People told me I can't dress like a fairy.
I say, I'm in a rock band and I can do what the hell I want!"
-- Amy Lee

(My e-mail address isn't read. Please reply to the group!)

 

[Crazy Aljy]

I find the problem with using setup is that it drags in all sorts of
clutter.

Calmira might be okay if Chaos Master can stand using a Win95 user
interface, but IIRC, applications installed in Calmira are only available
while Calmira is running.

What's wrong with dragging apps from File Manager into Program Manager?

--
Regards,
Crazy.
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/crazy.aljy

I'm not sure if I remmeber correctly, but there was option, I think it was
in setup, add applications or something like that, it would search hdd for
programs and create shortcuts. Also you might take a look at ¸Calmira, a
windows 95-like shell for Windows 3.1, gives you start menu and desktop and
a few other nice things

Hello!

I have to add a lot of programs to 'Program Manager' in Windows 3.1. The
process is boring to do manually.

Q: Is there a Windows 3.1 program to add various programs to the
'Program Manager' at once?

[]s
--
Chaos Master®, posting from Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - 29.55° S
/ 51.11° W / GMT-2h / 15m .

"People told me I can't dress like a fairy.
I say, I'm in a rock band and I can do what the hell I want!"
-- Amy Lee

(My e-mail address isn't read. Please reply to the group!)

 

[wcd]

Here is what you do:

Open File Manager and select the files you want icon representations of in a
Progman Group. (If you can't see them all in one pane in file manager, do a
search and search for everything you need in one step).

Once you have a list of the 50 or so files that you want icons for in the
progman group, open the newly created group in progman, and tile or arrange
progman and file manager so you can see everything at once.

Press CTRL + / in file manager (to select everything), and then drag that
selection into the new group. Release the mouse and you'll have icons for
all those items in progman.

There used to be much freeware available in a multitude of archives for dos, 3x/1/11, but
most of those large public stashes have closed down, years ago.

The real beauty of 3x was the LACK of the hacker's dream, >the registry< and the fact
that the user had better control over all aspects of the OS, which *setup* automation has
destroyed, turning the postdating versions of windoze into a true OS for dummiez.

 

[fitwell]

I find the problem with using setup is that it drags in all sorts of
clutter.

Calmira might be okay if Chaos Master can stand using a Win95 user
interface, but IIRC, applications installed in Calmira are only available
while Calmira is running.

Well, it was an option. And to each their own.

Also, I don't believe anything is affected. If memory serves, but
admittedly, it was a few years back when I checked this out, Calmira
is just a shell. I think that programs still operated normally even
when it wasn't running. But I could be wrong on that, as, as I said,
when I once launched W3x and for some reason Calmira didn't come on
that one time or I shut it off out of curiousity (the latter the more
likely scenario), everything was still there even the few new things
installed after starting to use Calmira.

However, whatever works for each individual is what counts.

What's wrong with dragging apps from File Manager into Program Manager?

--
Regards,
Crazy.
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/crazy.aljy

I'm not sure if I remmeber correctly, but there was option, I think it was
in setup, add applications or something like that, it would search hdd for
programs and create shortcuts. Also you might take a look at ¸Calmira, a
windows 95-like shell for Windows 3.1, gives you start menu and desktop and
a few other nice things

Hello!

I have to add a lot of programs to 'Program Manager' in Windows 3.1. The
process is boring to do manually.

Q: Is there a Windows 3.1 program to add various programs to the
'Program Manager' at once?

[]s
--
Chaos Master®, posting from Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - 29.55° S
/ 51.11° W / GMT-2h / 15m .

"People told me I can't dress like a fairy.
I say, I'm in a rock band and I can do what the hell I want!"
-- Amy Lee

(My e-mail address isn't read. Please reply to the group!)

 

[Crazy Aljy]

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 23:31:30 GMT, "Crazy Aljy"
<ifyouspammeiwillripyourheadoff@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqr
stuvwxyzabcdefghijk.com>

Well, it was an option. And to each their own.

Sorry, didn't mean that to read like I was jumping down anybody's throat.
You are quite correct, each to his/her own.

Also, I don't believe anything is affected. If memory serves, but
admittedly, it was a few years back when I checked this out, Calmira
is just a shell. I think that programs still operated normally even
when it wasn't running. But I could be wrong on that, as, as I said,
when I once launched W3x and for some reason Calmira didn't come on
that one time or I shut it off out of curiousity (the latter the more
likely scenario), everything was still there even the few new things
installed after starting to use Calmira.

Okay, it's been a while since I ran Calmira and I could be wrong about this
too, but here goes nuthin'.

I think you are right about the programs running normally, but unless my
memory is as bad as I always suspected, anything installed using Calmira
will only be *visible* while Calmira is running. The apps are installed and
capable of being started without Calmira, but they don't show up in Program
Manager.

I have a vague recollection that the application icons can be copied/moved
from Calmira into Program Manager, but the same recollection tells me it was
an awkward process, which would seem to defeat the purpose.

However, whatever works for each individual is what counts.

Of course.

I can think of one other possibility, although it could be a pain to set up.
If a list of paths to the executables that are to be run can be created
easily and loaded into Notepad, Recorder could be set up to go through the
list line by line, installing the apps using Program Manager as it goes.
Just do the first, make sure the cursor is positioned correctly for the
second, and set the macro to execute continuously. When it gets to the end
of the list, it comes up with an error and stops.

I've never tried Recorder for that purpose, but I regularly use it like this
when I need a large batch of files renamed in ways Windows on its own can't
handle.

 

[fitwell]

Sorry, didn't mean that to read like I was jumping down anybody's throat.

No, I didn't read it that way. No prob. When I was new to having a

You are quite correct, each to his/her own.


Okay, it's been a while since I ran Calmira and I could be wrong about this
too, but here goes nuthin'.

I think you are right about the programs running normally, but unless my
memory is as bad as I always suspected, anything installed using Calmira
will only be *visible* while Calmira is running. The apps are installed and
capable of being started without Calmira, but they don't show up in Program
Manager.

Ah, now _that_ could be. I wouldn't have remember that part. I don't
have any 16bits to check back with, but this might be the case.

I have a vague recollection that the application icons can be copied/moved
from Calmira into Program Manager, but the same recollection tells me it was
an awkward process, which would seem to defeat the purpose.

If that's the case, yes, could be.

Of course.

I can think of one other possibility, although it could be a pain to set up.
If a list of paths to the executables that are to be run can be created
easily and loaded into Notepad, Recorder could be set up to go through the
list line by line, installing the apps using Program Manager as it goes.
Just do the first, make sure the cursor is positioned correctly for the
second, and set the macro to execute continuously. When it gets to the end
of the list, it comes up with an error and stops.

I've never tried Recorder for that purpose, but I regularly use it like this
when I need a large batch of files renamed in ways Windows on its own can't
handle.

Wow, sounds kewl!

Good luck to orignal poster with whatever works. D

 

[Crazy Aljy]

On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 05:46:26 GMT, "Crazy Aljy"
<ifyouspammeiwillripyourheadoff@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqr
stuvwxyzabcdefghijk.com>

Ah, now _that_ could be. I wouldn't have remember that part. I don't
have any 16bits to check back with, but this might be the case.
'course, that wouldn't stop me <g>.

Saved you the trouble. I was wrong. Oops!

If that's the case, yes, could be.

Create a program group in Program Manager, search for the apps using Calmira
Explorer, and drag them into the new program group. The only problem might
be if the programs to be installed are located all over the place on the
hard drive, entailing a fairly complex search.

Another thing to remember is that each program group in PM is limited to 50
items. Not that that's likely to be much of a problem.

Wow, sounds kewl!

IMO, Recorder is the best app to come with Win3.x. Even if it can take a
while, there's something very satisfying about watching your computer
slogging away with keyboard and mouse clicks while you strain to lift your
coffee cup <g>.

Mind you, it can be a pain in the neck when you find that you moved a window
slightly while programming the initial mouse clicks so that Recorder
eventually ends up clicking in the wrong place and grinding to a halt }-(

Good luck to orignal poster with whatever works. D

I'll second that.