Welcome to the world of OS/2! OS/2 Warp is an inexpensive, full-featured, 32-bit pre-emptive multitasking, DOS and Windows compatible operating system for 386SX (or better) PC compatibles. If you're reading this, you've probably decided to use OS/2 or are already beginning to use OS/2 so I'll stop the advocacy here.
The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to new users who are using OS/2 for the first time. OS/2, even if compatible to DOS and Windows, is different and some users may need help getting used to it. In a new environment, users often get stuck with a "Now, what next?" problem and may feel lost. This document hopes to bring new OS/2 users into gear so that they can use OS/2 productively and comfortably with minimal fuss in the shortest time possible.
In the United States, OS/2 Warp (or OS/2 version 3.0) is available from almost any software dealer including big names like Egghead, Software Etc, CompUSA, Below Zero, and Indelible Blue. The latter two will also handle international mail orders for the US English version.
At this time (March 1996), there are six flavours of OS/2 Warp available. The first, known simply as OS/2 Warp, contains the base operating system (including multimedia presentation manager) and the Bonus Pak, but does not include Windows program code. OS/2 will use your existing Microsoft Windows installation to run Windows 3.x applications. The second flavour, OS/2 Warp Fullpack, adds the Windows program code in the package. This will install Win-OS/2 which is essentially identical to Microsoft Windows.
The next two flavours are OS/2 Warp Connect, one that includes Windows program code while the other does not. OS/2 Warp Connect adds LAN support (for real LANs, not just SLIP/PPP connectivity). OS/2 Warp Connect is primarily for LAN users.
For both OS/2 Warp and OS/2 Warp Connect, "red spine" is also used to refer to the version without Windows program code while "blue spine" refer to the version with Windows program code included. That's the colour of the box's spine.
The last two flavours are OS/2 Warp Server and OS/2 Warp Server Advanced. If you're a home user or average end-user, you don't want these versions.
Make sure you choose the right package.
Before you start your installation, make sure that your hardware is supported by OS/2. Check PCMTAB.ZIP. You may also want to spend some time deciding how to organize your files. It is best to put OS/2 on a disk partition on its own (together with other system utilities, if you wish) and format it in HPFS.
You may get some surprises. One useful resource in solving installation problems is the Warp Installation Notes.
If you're going to install OS/2 Warp on a new system, install DOS and Windows first (if you plan to install them at all). If you're installing OS/2 on a system that has Linux (or plan to add Linux), there are some details you should be aware of about installing Boot Manager/LILO (check the Linux Documentation Project).
Yes, of course, install the base operating system first. But how about the Bonus Pak applications? Should you install them first, fine tune your system first, or explore first?
The answer depends very much on yourself. If you're eager to try OS/2 out, the Bonus Pak can wait - it doesn't contain anything you cannot do without in order to use OS/2. If you're a power user, go ahead and try the performance tuning tricks (check the OS/2 Warp FAQ for information).
Personally, I recommend installing only what you need in the Bonus Pak, then go on to installing other "must have" freeware and shareware software (to be discussed in the next section). If you can't wait, you might want to spend a few moments exploring OS/2 first.
You can save both time and disk space (and frustration, if things go wrong) by skipping components that aren't useful to you. For example, if you don't have a Compuserve account and don't plan on getting one, then don't install the Compuserve Information Manager. Similarly, if you don't have a SLIP/PPP account, then don't install the Internet Access Kit. You can always come back to install these components at a later date.
Most software you get from BBSes or the internet will likely be compressed in ZIP format. Native 32-bit zip/unzip tools are available in the files zip201x2.zip and unz512x2.exe. These are actually OS/2 ports of their Unix counterparts. ZipMe (download zipme121.zip) is a GUI frontend for these zip/unzip tools. If you do not already have the unzip tool, you'll need to download this first.
If you're planning to use a modem, get a Ray Gwinn's SIO serial port driver. This is a performance enhancement over COM.SYS/VCOM.SYS provided in OS/2 and also supports some exotic UART chips. SIO is available as sio153.zip.
For communications software, try Zap-O-Comm. This is a GUI based, has good terminal emulation, supports Zmodem and other common file transfer protocols and generally has all the jazz you'd expect from any good communication software. Zap-O-Comm also supports scripting using the OS/2 REXX language. Get the file zoc2052.zip.
This should get you started to acquiring other 'must-have' utilities.
One of the most important information resource will be the OS/2 Warp Frequently Asked Questions list. You can download the original INF (OS/2's hypertext document format) edition as warpfaq3.zip. There are many OS/2 ftp sites around the world, one of the largest being Hobbes (a WWW-based Hobbes Virtual Mirror is available).
The Usenet newsgroups are very useful too. Check the comp.os.os2.* hierarchy. Of particular interest are the comp.os.os2.setup, comp.os.os2.setup.storage and comp.os.os2.setup.misc newsgroups which deal with installation and configuration issues.
You can get real time technical support via IRC on the #os/2 channel. Aside from the free technical support, you can also get good information, tips and rumours about OS/2.
There is a good number of OS/2 user groups around the world. Check the OS/2 Resources on the Internet (also contains other userful links) for any that may be in your area. In Singapore, the Singapore OS/2 User group (normally) meets the first Friday of the month.