QWINPRT - version 2.0

(c) copyright 1994,1995  Christopher Riley

Registration: as little as $5, What-A-Deal! See [Registration] for more
details.
_______________________

[Requirements]

QWinPrt is very small and requires very little to run.  If you are
currently running Windows 3.1, you should be able to run QWinPrt with
no problems.

One of the requirements when I wrote QWinPrt was that it be
unobtrusive and small.  As a result, QWinPrt uses less than 30K of Windows 
memory when running, so it should not conflict with any of your larger 
applications.


[Description]

QWinPrt was written as a utility to work around one very annoying
aspect of Windows 3.1, which is that you have to go around your head to
pick your nose if you wish to do a screen print.

Trying to do a screen print without QWinPrt requires that you do the
following:

     1.  Press the Print Screen button on your keyboard.
     2.  Go into a windows program that lets you paste from the Windows
         clipboard, for example, Paintbrush.
     3.  Copy from the clipboard.
     4.  Choose to Print the picture.
     
With QWinPrt, you need only press the CTRL and the P keys
simultaneously, and QWinPrt does the rest, copying your Windows screen
and sending it to your default printer.

Very smooth, very easy.

Two new features appear in this 2.0 release.  The first is that QWinPrint
now creates a BMP whenever it does a screen print.  The file is created in
the QWinPrint working directory and is called QWINPRT.BMP, and it can be 
viewed and altered with the Windows Paintbrush application included in your 
version of Windows.  What is more, you can copy this bitmap (or just pieces 
of it) into other Windows applications, such a Word for Windows, to provide 
a cost effective way of including Windows screen examples in reports and the 
like.  The second new feature is the ability to print just the currently 
active window instead of the whole screen.  This feature will also create a
bitmap of the Window.  However THIS particular feature is only available in
the REGISTERED version of QWinPrint.

Aside from that, you will find that QWinPrt is fully functional and not 
otherwise crippled in anyway.  It will not stop working after your 30 day 
trial period is up and it will not occasionally pop up one of those annoying 
"Please Register" messages.  All you will see is the "UnRegistered" line 
in the program window.

If you are reading this AFTER September 1, 1996, please note that you
do NOT have to register this product.  That is right, scan around to
see if you can find the Public Domain version, but if you can't - no
sweat!  Since I imagine Windows 4.0 will remove the annoying way screen
prints currently work in Windows, there will not be all that much use
for this utility anyway, so I intend on releasing this product into
public domain at that time.  Until then, I retain the copyright and all
rights guaranteed therein.

You are free to distribute the unregistered version of QWinPrt freely,
provided that you do not charge more than a nominal fee for the utility's
distribution.  This fee may not exceed $5.00 unless written approval has
been granted by the author (that's me).  QWinPrt may be distributed
freely on BBS's and the like that charge a fee for membership or use
without any restrictions.

As for the average Joe, you are free to give this unregistered copy of
QWinPrt to anyone and everyone - your boss, your friends, a bum on the
street.  Just so long as you adhere to that stuff about how much you
charge for it.


The files required in distribution are the following:

        QWINPRT.EXE
        HOOK.DLL
        README.TXT
        ORDER.FRM
        FILE_ID.DIZ

All other files are not needed by QWinPrt, especially any BMP's you may have
lying around in the QWINPRT subdirectory.

[Installation]

Okay, QWinPrt 2.0 still does not have a flashy install program, and for 
that I apologize.  Perhaps a later version may, who knows.

Still, the `manual' installation of QWinPrt is not all that bad.  If
you are comfortable in DOS making directories and copying files, great.
If not, we suggest you use the Window's File Manager to accomplish
these steps.

1)  First, you must either go to a DOS prompt or launch the Window's
File Manager buy double clicking the icon.

2)  Choose the drive you wish to install QWinPrt on.  In most cases
this will be the C: drive.  You choose the drive in File Manager by
clicking the mouse over the corresponding drive picture and letter
(which appear underneath the File Manager menu).

3)  Make a directory for QWinPrt.  I suggest you name it QWINPRT, but
to tell you the truth you can call it whatever you want - QWinPrt does
not care.  Make sure before you create a directory that you are on the
root (\) directory.  This is the topmost folder in File Manager.

To create a directory using File Manager, choose the File menu option.
Then choose the Create Directory option.  File Manager will prompt you
for the name of the new directory.  Type in QWinPrt (or whatever) and
press enter or the OK pushbutton.

4)  Copy all the QWinPrt files from wherever you have them into your
new directory.  If you are using File Manager and the files are on the
same drive but in another directory, simply find the files and select
them by clicking the topmost file and then clicking the bottom most
while holding down the SHIFT button at the same time.  Keep holding
down the left mouse button, and drag the files over to your newly
created directory.  If the files are on another drive, say your floppy,
you must first double click the drive letter at the top of File
Manager.  This will bring up a new window with the files on that drive.
Again, locate the files and this time drag them, as described above,
over to the other window where the directory you created is located.

5)  Now create a Window's Program Item.  Since QWinPrt is an Accessory
Utility, your Accessories window group would be a good place to put
QWinPrt.  This is only a suggestion, and you may wish to put the
program elsewhere.

Creating a Program Item is done by choosing the File option in the
Window's Program Manager window.  Choose the New option.  You will be
asked if you wish to create a Program Group or Program Item.  Choose a
Group only if you want to have a different group all together for
QWinPrt, otherwise choose Program Item.  Enter the following for each
of the prompts:

DESCRIPTION         QWinPrt
COMMAND LINE        QWINPRT.EXE
WORKING DIRECTORY   [drive letter]:\[name of directory - e.g. QWINPRT]

Press the OK pushbutton when done.

6)  Great!  Now you should have a neat paint roller icon that says
QWinPrt.  To make QWinPrt come up whenever you start Windows, open
your Window's StartUp program group.  Click your cool new QWinPrt icon
(just once, double clicking launches it) and hold down the left mouse
button.  As you hold down the mouse button, press the CTRL button as
well and move the copy of the QWinPrt icon over to the StartUp group.

7)  All done, I apologize again for the hassle.


[Registration]

The are two types of usage for QWinPrt - Business and Personal.  These 
two types of usage fall under two distinct usage agreements.  These are 
outlined in the (ta -da) legal mumbo jumbo that CYA's my A.  Read it when 
your are unable to sleep.

                    ----------------------------

LEGAL DISCLAIMER:

THE AUTHOR AND/OR DISTRIBUTOR OF THE QWINPRT UTILITY SHALL IN NO WAY
BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES BELIEVED TO BE INCURRED BY THE USE
OF THIS PRODUCT. OUR ONLY ASSURANCE IS THAT ALL REASONABLE MEANS HAVE
BEEN EMPLOYED TO INSURE THAT QWINPRT IS FREE FROM MAJOR DEFECTS.

IF THIS PROGRAM IS USED AT ANYTIME PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 1, 1996, THE
TEMPORARY LICENSE OUTLINED IN THE FOLLOWING TWO PARAGRAPHS MUST BE
ADHERED TO.

IF QWINPRT IS USED ONLY FOR PERSONAL USE, YOU ARE GRANTED A NON-
RENEWABLE 30 DAY EVALUATION PERIOD IN WHICH TO USE QWINPRT ON A SINGLE
COMPUTER WITHOUT OBLIGATION.  AFTER SUCH PERIOD, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO
EITHER SUBMIT THE REGISTRATION FEE AS DICTATED IN THIS DOCUMENT, OR
TERMINATE YOUR USE OF QWINPRT AND REMOVE THE QWINPRT UTILITY FROM
YOUR SYSTEM.

IF QWINPRT IS USED AT OR BY A BUSINESS (INCLUDING HOME BUSINESSES),
YOU ARE GRANTED THE LIMITED LICENSE AS STATED IN THE ABOVE PARAGRAPH,
WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT THE TEMPORARY LICENSE IS RENEWABLE. THERE IS AN
ADDITIONAL STIPULATION THAT AFTER THE EVALUATION PERIOD HAS ENDED, NO
UNREGISTERED COPIES OF QWINPRT SHALL BE KEPT OR USED ON ANY COMPUTER
OWNED OR OPERATED BY THE BUSINESS FOR A PERIOD OF 30 ADDITIONAL DAYS.
AFTERWARDS, THE EVALUATION PERIOD IS RENEWED, AS ARE THE CONDITIONS IN
THIS PARAGRAPH.  THIS IS TO ALLOW FOR MULTIPLE EVALUATIONS BY DIFFERING
INDIVIDUALS OR ENTITIES, AND STILL PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE AUTHOR.

THE PURCHASE OF A SITE LICENSE GRANTS THE PURCHASER OF THE LICENSE THE 
LEGAL RIGHT TO USE QWINPRT ON MORE THAN TEN (10) MACHINES AT ANY TIME, 
NOT TO EXCEED FIFTY (50) TOTAL MACHINES.  AN ADDITIONAL SITE LICENSE MUST 
BE PURCHASED FOR EVERY ADDITIONAL FIFTY (50) MACHINES THEREAFTER.

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO CHARGE A FEE OF NO GREATER THAN $5.00 TO COVER COSTS
OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF QWINPRT.  SHOULD A GREATER AMOUNT BE NECESSARY
TO COVER TOTAL DISTRIBUTION COSTS, YOU MUST OBTAIN WRITTEN PERMISSION
TO DO SO FROM THE AUTHOR.

USE OF THIS PRODUCT CONSTITUTES AGREEMENT TO COMPLY WILL ALL TERMS AND
CONDITIONS STATED IN THIS DISCLAIMER.  NO OTHER WARRANTIES, EITHER
EXPLICIT OR IMPLIED WILL BE PROVIDED OR GUARANTEED.

                    -----------------------------

Ugh, I hate that stuff!  Okay, now here's the spiel - for the greater
good of mankind, you should register QWinPrt if you find it useful.
Simple, you will increase your karma, impress your friends with your
honesty, and just plain make the world a better place.

I know this isn't gonna' make me rich, I'm just hoping for enough to
buy a nice anniversary gift this year for my wife.  $5.00 per computer,
that is all I'm asking.  I figured that is about the initial time
savings if you use it just few times.  You see, despite the fact that
QWinPrt is small and simple, it was no easy task to make.  Digging up
any information on Window's hooks was the hardest part.  Still, it is
not a full-featured "run your house at the touch of a button" utility,
so I figure $5 is fair.

Businesses with more than 10 computers can purchase a site license, and
need only pay $50 for every 50 computers they wish to license.  This 
utility is a great thing for your tech support department. Since users 
tend not to remember error messages all that well, a screen print is nice.  
Of course, they can screen print the old Window's way - well we know just
how well the users would do at that.

Also, for $5 more, I can alter the key press combination to print from
CTRL+P to something else if for some reason you don't like it, or it
conflicts with an application.  Virtually any key combination can be
done, with the exception of actually using the 'Print Button' itself.
This is because windows gets that keypress before I can without writing
a REALLY fancy program.  If you need a print screen utility for windows
that actually uses the 'Print Screen' button in any way, you will have to
find another utility.  I can tell you it will cost you a bit more, but
believe me - the author REALLY deserves it for the extra effort.  If for
some reason the key combination you select doesn't work, you will be
contacted as asked whether you wish a refund or a different combination.

Print out the ORDER.FRM to order YOUR very own copy today!


[Bugs]

This version of QWinPrint 2.0 is the latest to date - January 4, 1995.  It
fixes a number of problems that various users have had and is the most
stable and useful yet.

A list of fixes appear below:

1.   SCREEN PRINT PROBLEMS
     Some systems with certain display drivers printed the screen off center.
     This problem was fixed by changing the way output was sent to the 
     printer, and by banding the screen prints.

2.   GENERAL PROTECTION FAULTS (GPFs)
     Norton Desktop for Windows would create a GPF when using QWinPrint.
     This was fixed by including the keyboard hook in a DLL, the way Windows
     3.1 requires it.  Ironically, this fix, while being more stable, has
     caused problems and GPFs on early versions of HP's Dashboard for Windows
     3.0.  Since Windows 3.0 did not require hooks to be in a DLL, other
     Windows 3.0 programs running when QWinPrint is running may result in 
     similar Windows crashes.

3.   ALT+TAB LOCKING WINDOWS
     Pressing ALT+TAB to cycle through open windows would cause the system to
     hang when it got to the QWinPrint window.
     This was fixed by preventing the ALT key from being trapped by the hook,
     since it caused a conflict with the normal message being sent to the
     QWinPrint window.

4.   BLANK SPOTS APPEARING IN SCREEN PRINTS
     The original versions of QWinPrint displayed a "Preparing To Print"
     Message Box before actually capturing the screen.  The original reason
     for this was to allow someone to ALT+TAB to bring a window into view
     before doing a screen print.
     The problem was that some slower machines and display cards could not
     refresh the screen quickly enough before the screen image was captured 
     and sent to the printer.
     The fix was at first to set a timer event to wait 700 milliseconds 
     before capturing the screen.  While this appeared to solve the problem,
     a consultation with a number of testers showed that most felt the 
     Message Box was an annoyance and thus the message was taken out of the
     2.0 Version of QWinPrint.

5.   SCREEN DATA NOT APPEARING IN SCREEN PRINTS
     This problem is due to the fact the even fast display cards and machines
     would at times be unable to update a window with data before it was 
     captured and sent to the printer. 
     The timer delay in fix #4 also helps in the solution to this problem,
     but is only a workaround and not a complete solution.  Be aware that it
     is possible that your system may still not be able to completely update
     its window if it has to before the screen print captures the image on 
     the screen.  However, this should happen rarely if ever, but a true fix
     is stiil trying to be devised.

[Reporting Problems And Bugs]

Please report bugs by either sending me Email on Compuserve or through the
regular 'Snail-Mail' of the US Post Office.  If possible, send a copy of the
screen print to show your problem.  If a fix becomes available, you will be 
notified right away.  

     

