Installation Overview

If you currently operate a RemoteAccess bulletin board system, Refer to the chapter “RemoteAccess to ProBoard Conversion” for specific instructions on how to convert your existing system.

* Prudence and courtesy dictate that we ask you to back up your system before installing and/or upgrading ProBoard. *

* Although every effort has been made to provide you with software that will install/upgrade easily, due to the many different number of possible hardware and software combinations, it's virtually impossible to guarantee that a problem won't occur. It's your system, do what you like, but remember we did ask you to backup first. Now, on to the good stuff!! *

Unpack the distribution archive in a temporary directory or to a diskette and run INSTALL.EXE. You will be asked in which directory you want to install ProBoard. After confirmation, you will get an input screen where you can enter the different directories for ProBoard. After you have entered them, ProBoard will create all non-existing directories and start the installation. When completed, you will be asked to add a line to set the ProBoard environment variable in AUTOEXEC.BAT.

Now run PROCFG (the ProBoard configuration utility) to review and change all ProBoard settings (e.g. your BBS name, sysop name, etc.). Don't forget to set your modem parameters (explained in the documentation, chapter “Configuration”)

At this stage, you can run ProBoard locally by running PROBOARD.EXE without any command line parameters.

To be able to accept modem callers, you have to install a FOSSIL driver if you don't have one installed already. X00 is a very good one to try. It can be found on any ProBoard support BBS. To install it, follow the documentation of X00. A command line that will almost always work is (assuming your modem is on COM1):

X00 B,0,38400 E

After you have done this, you will have to install an external protocol driver called CEXYZ which can be downloaded from any support BBS. Place CEXYZ.EXE in your ProBoard system directory. DO NOT SET THE CEXYZLOG variable (or any other environment variable). In other words, don't follow the installation instructions of CEXYZ. Just copy the file CEXYZ.EXE to the ProBoard system directory. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you want to be able to use the fullscreen editor for entering messages on your BBS, you will have to download an external full- screen editor from a BBS and install it according to the installation instructions that come with it. A great full-screen editor PEX (ProBoard EXecutable) is TheEdit by Alain Schellinck.

Refer to the chapter “Starting ProBoard” in the manual for instructions on how to run ProBoard.

* The following section is intented for people who don't want to use the automatic installation program for installing ProBoard. *

We will assume that you created the directory C:\PB as ProBoard's main system directory.

1) Create the following directories:

C:\PB\MENUS
C:\PB\TXTFILES
C:\PB\PEX
C:\PB\MSGBASE
C:\PB\RIP
C:\PB\RIP\ICONS
C:\PB\SDK

2) Unpack ProBoard in the directory C:\PB.

3) Move all *.ANS, *.ASC and *.AVT files to the directory C:\PB\TXTFILES.

4) Move all *.PBM files to the directory C:\PB\MENUS.

5) Move all *.CPP, *.C, *.H, *.HPP, *.OBJ and *.LIB files from PB_230.ZIP in the directory C:\PB\SDK.

6) Move the files _GRAPH.PEX and _LC.PEX to C:\PB\PEX.

7) Move all *.RIP files to the directory C:\PB\RIP.

8) Move all *.ICN files to the directory C:\PB\RIP\ICONS.

9) Run ProCFG and enter the correct modem parameters for your modem (explained in the documentation, chapter “Configuration”)

10) Mark the file PROBOARD.EXE “read only” using the DOS ATTRIB command. This is important because PROBOARD.EXE is an overlayed executable and to run properly it needs this file attribute set to “read only”

To do this, change to the C:\PB directory and type the following command.

ATTRIB +R PROBOARD.EXE

11) Next, you have to install a FOSSIL driver if you don't have one installed already. X00 is a very good one to try. It can be found on any ProBoard support BBS. To install it, follow the documentation of X00. A command line that will almost always work is (assuming your modem is on COM1):

X00 B,0,38400 E

After these 11 steps you can run ProBoard, but you will not be able to use the fullscreen editor or perform file transfers.

To log in locally, execute PROBOARD.EXE without any parameters.

To make ProBoard answer incoming calls, run PROBOARD -S.

12) Run ProCFG and create some file and message areas. (explained in the documentation, chapter “Configuration”)

13) Download an external full-screen editor from a BBS and install it according to the installation instructions that come with it. A great full-screen editor PEX (ProBoard EXecutable) is TheEdit by Alain Schellinck.

14) Download CEXYZ from a BBS and copy the file CEXYZ.EXE in the directory C:\PB. (CEXYZ can be found on any ProBoard Support BBS). DO NOT SET THE CEXYZLOG variable (or any other environment variable). In other words, don't follow the installation instructions of CEXYZ. Just copy the file CEXYZ.EXE to the ProBoard system directory. Nothing more, nothing less.

Now, you will be able to run ProBoard, use the fullscreen editor, and allow users to perform file transfers using X,Y & Zmodem.