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Release Notes for Microsoft (R) QuickBASIC
Version 4.50
(C) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1990
Product Serial Number: 00-007-1450-xxxxxxxx
This document contains release notes for version 4.50 of the Microsoft (R)
QuickBASIC for MS-DOS (R). The information in this document is more
up-to-date than that in the manuals.
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Contents
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Part
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Description
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Part 1: Using QuickBASIC on a Two-Floppy System
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Installing QuickBASIC on Floppy Disks
------------------------------------The SETUP program can install QuickBASIC on floppy disks for use
with a two-floppy system. You must run SETUP to install QuickBASIC
on floppy disks. You cannot run QuickBASIC from the disks provided,
because the files are stored in a compressed format.
Before you install QuickBASIC on your two-floppy system, be sure
you have enough blank, formatted disks. If you have 360K disk
drives, you will need five blank disks. For 720K disk drives, you
will need three blank disks.
To install QuickBASIC, put Disk #1 in drive A. Type A:\SETUP and
press Enter.
When your installation is complete, you should label each disk with
the names of the files that are on that disk. QuickBASIC will ask
you to swap disks when it cannot find a file that it needs, and
you will need to know which disk the file is on.
If you use 360K disks, label them as follows:
PROGRAM:
QB.EXE
QB45QCK.HLP
UTILITIES:
BC.EXE
BQLB45.LIB
BRUN45.EXE
BRUN45.LIB
LINK.EXE
LIB.EXE
QB.QLB
QB.LIB
UTILITIES 2:
BCOM45.LIB
QB45ENER.HLP
ADVISOR:
QB45ADVR.HLP
EXAMPLES
QB.BI
BASIC examples
QB45QCK.HLP
BASIC examples
UTILITIES:
BC.EXE
BQLB45.LIB
BRUN45.EXE
BRUN45.LIB
BCOM45.LIB
LINK.EXE
LIB.EXE
QB.QLB
QB.LIB
ADVISOR:
QB45ADVR.HLP
QB45ENER.HLP
To run QuickBASIC:
1. Insert the SOURCE disk in drive B.
2. To make drive B the current drive, type B: and press Enter.
3. Insert the PROGRAM disk (the disk containing QB.EXE) in drive A.
4. Type the following command:
A:QB.EXE
To insure that QuickBASIC always looks on both disk drives for the
files it needs, follow these steps:
1. From the Options menu, choose Set Paths.
2. Make sure each of the path settings includes both disk drives. The
following line should be in all four text boxes:
A:\;B:\
3. Choose OK.
QuickBASIC saves these path settings in the QB.INI file, so you will
not have to enter them again.
When you exit QuickBASIC or shell to DOS, you will be prompted to
insert a disk containing the file COMMAND.COM. Remove the PROGRAM
disk from drive A, insert a system disk, and press Enter.
Using Help from Floppy Disks
---------------------------When you use the QuickBASIC Advisor online help system, you may need
to swap disks. For example, if you choose "Details" or "Example" on a
help screen, QuickBASIC will inform you that it cannot find the help
file QB45ADVR.HLP. Put the disk that contains this file in drive A and
choose Retry.
Compiling Your Programs from Floppy Disks
----------------------------------------To compile your program from within QuickBASIC:
1. From the Run menu, choose Make EXE File.
2. Choose Make EXE. QuickBASIC displays the message "Cannot find file
(BC.EXE)."
3. Insert the UTILITIES disk (the disk containing BC.EXE) in drive A.
Type A: and press Enter.
If the program compiles successfully, QuickBASIC invokes the LINK
utility. If LINK cannot find the library, it displays the following
message:
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Part 4: Using Btrieve
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Using Btrieve in OS/2 Protected Mode
-----------------------------------In OS/2 protected mode, a BASIC program that uses Btrieve must do a
Btrieve reset call (function 28) before executing the CHAIN statement.
The program must also reopen all Btrieve files when the destination of
the CHAIN starts to run.
Using Btrieve with QuickBASIC
----------------------------If you use Btrieve with QuickBASIC, you must make a small change to
your programs for QuickBASIC Version 4.5. Currently your programs
contain a statement that obtains the address of the field buffer for
an open file. For example:
OPEN "NUL" AS #1
FIELD #1, 20 AS CITY$, 10 AS STATE$
FCB.ADDR% = VARPTR(#1) 'This statement obtains the address
In QuickBASIC Version 4.5, you should change the indicated statement
to return the address of the first variable in your field buffer minus
a constant, as follows:
OPEN "NUL" AS #1
FIELD #1, 20 AS CITY$, 10 AS STATE$
FCB.ADDR% = SADD(CITY$) - 188 ' CITY$ is the first field
' buffer variable
The following example shows how to obtain the same address for a
user-defined type:
TYPE ADDRESS
CITY AS STRING * 20
STATE AS STRING * 10
END TYPE
DIM ADD1 AS ADDRESS
FCB.ADDR% = VARPTR(ADD1) - 188
' or, you can use FCB.ADDR% = VARPTR(ADD1.CITY) - 188
Your programs should function correctly with Btrieve with this change.
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Part 5: DOS 3.20 Patch
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This information is important only if your system has all of the
following characteristics:
1. Uses MS-DOS version 3.20
2. Boots from a hard disk drive