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Deceive
Version 1.0
Copywrite (c) 1986 by Carl Burtner
What Is It?
Have you ever been in the middle of a great game (or
balancing your checkbook, or updating your resume) and had
your boss appear behind you? What did you do? Reboot?
Attempt to block the screen with your body? Get fired?
Well now there's a better way! Deceive allows you to
instantly pause the program you're using and display the
screen of your choice. With the push of a key that
incriminating arcade game can be transformed into a
spreadsheet, word processor, or anything you desire. It's
fun, it's fast, and best of all, it's cheap!
User Supported Software
This program may be copied as much as you like and
distributed to whomever you choose so long as the
distributed copies are not modified and are accompanied by
the programs documentation. See page 9 for furthur
information.
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
What Is A Deception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 1
How Does It Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 1
Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 1
One Small Problem and a Bonus . . . . . . . . . . . . - 2
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 2
About Residency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 2
How to Use Multiple Deception Screens . . . . . . . . - 2
Basic Key Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 3
Alt-E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 3
Alt-B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 4
Alt-C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 4
Deception Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 5
Special Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 5
F2 - Deception Screen Storage / Retrieval . . . . - 6
F3 - Screen Mode Alteration Facility . . . . . . . - 6
F4 - Time Delay Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . - 7
User Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 9
In Case of Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 10
What Is A Deception?
A Deception is when the True Screen display has been
replaced by the Deception Screen. The Deception Key is the
key selected by the user to initiate a Deception. The
Deception Screen (also called the Bogus Screen in the
program) is the screen selected by the user to be displayed
during a Deception.
How Does It Work?
Using Deceive Is Simple.
1. Type Deceive from the DOS prompt and hit the enter
key
2. Select and press the key to be used as the Deception
Key
3. Run any program to display the screen you want
displayed during a Deception.
4. Hit Alt-C to capture the screen.
5. Run the program you really want to run.
6. Hit Alt-E to enable the Deception Key.
7. Hit the Deception Key to display the captured
Deception Screen.
8. During a Deception, either hit the Deception Key
immediately to return to your program or hit any
other key to make changes to the Deception Screen.
Use the arrow keys, enter key, and backspace key to
move around the Deception Screen. During editing
of the Deception Screen the Deception Key will
revert to its normal function. Hit the Esc key to
end editing of the Deception Screen and return to
your program. F2 through F4 are used during a
Deception to access several special functions.
These functions will be described later.
Compatibility
Deceive is compatible with both the color and mono display
adapter and will work simply with any program that uses BIOS
to change display modes and obtain keyboard data. Programs
that do direct writes to the screen buffer and take over the
keyboard are a little trickier, but the special functions
Deceive -1- Version 1.0
available during a deception make Deceive compatible with
most of these programs too.
One Small Problem And A Bonus
There is one sequence of actions that must be avoided. If
you install Deceive, hit Alt-E, hit the Deception key, hit
F2, and load in a Deception Screen from disk, the system
will hang when you return to DOS. I have no idea why. This
problem only occurs if you want to load a Deception Screen
from disk immediately after installation. Most users will
probably never want to do this. If you do want to
immediately load a screen, just hit any other key (the
backspace is fine) before hitting Alt-E and everything will
be fine.
The bonus is, if you use Deceive with a game that doesn't
allow you to reboot, you can initiate a Deception and reboot
from there. No more turning off the power switch!
System Requirements
Deceive requires DOS 2.0 or greater and uses about 40K of
memory.
About Residency
Deceive is a resident program. This means that once
initialized, Deceive will remain in memory until the
computer is turned off or rebooted. The memory used by
Deceive (about 40,000 bytes) will not be available for use
by other programs.
How To Use Multiple Deception Screens
If you feel like it, or have the need, it is possible to
have more than one copy of Deceive installed and operative
in memory at the same time. Most users will probably have
no need to use this function and first time users may want
to skip this section entirely for now.
To install multiple copies, just follow the first four steps
of the How Does Work section selecting a different Deception
Key each time. If you install multiple copies, each
installation will decrease the memory available to run other
programs by about 40K bytes. If multiple copies are
installed the Alt-E, Alt-C, and Alt-B keys of the previously
installed copy will be disabled and the Deception key of the
previously installed copy will be enabled. Being able to
Deceive -2- Version 1.0
install multiple copies of Deceive, each with its own
Deception Key, gives the user multiple Deception screens to
choose from and allows flipping between Deception screens
during a Deception (multiple Deception screens can enhance
the realism of a Deception).
Flipping between Deception screens takes a little practice
because each Deception key can only be hit once. For
instance, imagine that you have installed three copies of
Deceive each with a different Deception Screen and Deception
key. When the Deceivee (your boss, or whomever) appears you
panic and hit the Deception key for the third copy. After
peering intently at it for half a minute you decide you'd
better change screens, so you hit the Deception key for the
first copy. After another 30 seconds you decide to switch
to the second copies Deception Screen so you hit it's
Deception key. Now, all three copies have been activated.
When you desire to switch back to Deception Screens one or
three the natural tendency will be to hit their Deception
keys. When you do that you will find that they don't do
anything. To switch back to the previous Deception Screen
you must end the current Deception (with either the
Deception key or the escape key as described earlier).
Ending the second installed copies Deception will take you
back to the first installed copies Deception Screen. Then,
ending the first copies Deception will take you back to the
third copies Deception Screen. Ending the third copies
Deception will take you back to your program. It sounds
much harder than it is. Just try it, you'll get the hang of
it. If you lose your place among the Deception Screens
remember that hitting the escape key enough times will
sooner or later end the Deception and return you to your
program.
Basic Key Definitions
Deceive uses four keys to control its basic functions. They
are:
Alt-E
Alt-C
Alt-B
Deception Key
Alt-E
The Alt-E key combination is used to enable and disable
Alt-B and the Deception Key. When Deceive is first
initialized Alt-B and the Deception Key are disabled.
Pressing Alt-E enables these keys and sounds a low-high tone
sequence. Pressing Alt-E again disables the keys and emits
a high tone-low tone sequence. During a Deception hitting
Deceive -3- Version 1.0
Alt-E enables or disables the Alt-E function. If disabled,
the Alt-E key will no longer enable or disable the Alt-B key
or the Deception Key.
Alt-B
When Alt-B is pressed the screen is blanked and the users
program continues to run. This feature is useful for
allowing a program to initialize while hiding its
initialization screens and for using Shift-PrtSc to print
off a screen without the screen being visible on the
monitor. Hitting Alt-B a second time unblanks the screen
and sounds a short beep.
The Alt-B key is a toggle. Pushed once it blanks the screen.
Pushed again it unblanks the screen and sounds a beep.
Sometimes the computer will unblank a screen that has been
blanked by Alt-B (generally after scrolling or clearing).
There is no way for the Alt-B function to know that the
screen has been unblanked. The next time Alt-B is hit it
will unblank a screen that has already been unblanked. This
is not dangerous, just potentially confusing. Alt-B beeps
every time it unblanks the screen just to let you know that
it thinks the screen needed unblanking Just remember, if you
hit Alt-B to blank the screen and hear a beep, hit Alt-B
again to blank the screen.
The Alt-B key is enabled and disabled by the Alt-E key. The
Alt-B key may also be enabled or disabled during a Deception
by hitting Alt-B.
Alt-C
This key combination is used to capture Deception Screens.
To capture a Deception Screen, run the program necessary to
display the desired screen and hit Alt-C. The screen will
be captured and a short beep will sound.
Some programs which go around BIOS to access the screen
buffer directly can are more difficult to capture screens
from. Lotus graphs are one example. For these programs,
when Alt-C is pressed the screen will display unreadable
garbage. Don't Panic! Deceive has a facility that allows
you to update BIOS and restore the screen to its original
appearance. To restore the screen, follow the following
steps:
1. Press the Deception Key to initiate a Deception
2. Press F3
3. Type T and hit the return key
Deceive -4- Version 1.0
4. Type V and hit the return key
5. Select the most likely screen display mode from the
list and hit the return key.
6. Hit the escape key to end the Deception.
A complete description of the Screen Mode Alteration
Facility will be provided later.
Alt-C is not enabled or disabled by Alt-E. To enable or
disable Alt-C initiate a Deception and press Alt-C.
Deception Key
The Deception Key is defined by the user and may be any key
or any Alt, Shift, or Ctrl key combination except for Alt-E,
Alt-C, or Alt-B. The Deception Key, when pressed, instantly
saves the current screen and displays a screen previously
selected by the user (this is known as initiating a
Deception). If the user has not defined a screen to display
during a Deception, a blank screen is presented. To end a
Deception either hit the Deception Key immediately or use
other keys to make changes to the Deception Screen, then hit
the escape key. The Deception Key is enabled and disabled
by the Alt-E key. Alternatively, the Deception Key may be
enabled or disabled during a Deception by hitting the F1
key.
Special Functions
There are several special functions available only during a
Deception. While there are many programs directly
compatible with Deceive, several are not. These special
functions can be used to make Deceive compatible with many
of these programs. They functions are:
F2 - Deception Screen Storage / Retrieval
F3 - Screen Mode Freeze Facility
F4 - Time Delay Facility
To access these functions press the appropriate F key during
a Deception. When using any of these functions hitting the
escape key will immediately exit the function and return you
to the Deception Screen. The backspace key may be used to
correct entry mistakes. If a variables current value is
displayed, hitting the return key without typing a selection
will leave the current value unchanged.
Deceive -5- Version 1.0
F2 - Deception Screen Storage / Retrieval
This facility allows Deception Screens to be saved to disk
or recalled from disk. The user must select a file name and
the desired action (save or retrieve). The last file name
used is displayed. Hit the enter key to reuse the name or
any other key to enter a new name. If, after entering a new
name, you decide to reuse the old name, use the backspace
key to move the cursor as far left as it will go and hit the
return key. Paths may be used in the file name. After
entering the desired name you must select the desired
action. Type S and hit the return key to save the Deception
Screen to disk. Type R and hit the return key to retrieve a
Deception Screen from disk. If you hit the return key
without typing S or R the last action performed that is
displayed just to the left of the cursor will be repeated.
When you hit the return key the Deception Screen will be
saved or recalled and you will be returned to the Deception
Screen. If an error occurrs (full disk, invalid file name,
file not found, etc.) an error beep will sound and you will
be returned to the Deception Screen.
F3 - Screen Mode Alteration Facility
The IBM-PC has several display modes. Available modes
include 40 column or 80 column alphanumerics, low resolution
graphics, and high resolution graphics. Deceive must have
accurate knowledge concerning the current screen mode to
return from a Deception, capture the screen (Alt-C), or
blank the screen (Alt-B). Deceive receives its information
from BIOS. If BIOS does not know the current mode being
used, Deceives information will be incorrect. When this
happens capturing a screen, blanking the screen, or
returning from a Deception will result in the True Screen
being set to a different mode than it was before. This
usually will cause the screen to display odd loking,
unintelligable garbage. The Screen Mode Alteration Facility
allows Deceive and BIOS to be updated and can restore the
true screen (or the Deception Screen) to its proper
appearance.
After pressing F3 during a Deception the True Screen or the
Deception Screen must be selected for alteration. Then it
must be decided whether the mode is to be frozen or
variable. If the mode is frozen, Deceive will ignore BIOS
when performing any future action on the selected screen.
If the mode is variable, Deceive will use the mode you
select when it returns to the Deception Screen or True
Screen but will use BIOS to determine the mode for future
Deceptions, captures, or blanks.
The final choice is the mode to be used. For reference, a
list of the modes supported by BIOS is displayed. If you
Deceive -6- Version 1.0
are using the monochrome Display Adapter no matter which
mode you select, BIOS will use mode 7. If the Color Diplay
Adapter is being used, DO NOT select mode 7. This mode is
for mono displays only. If you wish to change whether the
mode is frozen or variable without altering the mode, just
hit the return key or type 8 and hit the return key. Once
all the variables have been entered, Deceive updates the
mode accordingly and returns to the Deception Screen.
You should be aware that a very small number of programs use
a non-standard graphics mode which BIOS and Deceive are
incapable of duplicating. For these programs select the IBM
low resolution color graphics mode. This mode will not
display the entire non-standard screen, but works fine in an
emergency. As more information becomes available, the modes
supported by Deceive will be expanded.
The Screen Mode Alteration Facility is fun! If you have a
color display adapter and wish to experiment, try capturing
a screen, initiating a Deception, and altering the mode of
the Deception Screen. Each of the available types of mode
(80 column vs. 40 or graphics vs. alphanumeric) will
reinterpret the screen data to give the Deception Screen a
different appearance.
F4 - Time Delay Facility
Deceive operates by directly taking over the IBM-PC's
keyboard. Many game programs also take over the keyboard.
When this occurs, Deceive will no longer operate. The Time
Delay Facility provides a means by which Deceive can regain
control over the keyboard.
When activated, the Time Delay Facility will wait the
specified time period and check to make sure that Deceive is
in control of the keyboard. If Deceive is not in control,
the Time Delay Facility gives it control and issues a beep
to let you know Deceive is operative. At the users option,
the delay and check will be preformed either once or
continuously.
First, the Time Delay must be activated or halted. Type R
to activate the delay or H to halt the delay and hit the
return key. If you're activating the Delay the delay time
will not start until the Time Delay Facility is exited.
Next, the user must decide if a single delay period and
check is needed or if multiple checks are required. Some
game programs, like the public domain Stargate, retake
control of the keyboard occasionally. The Multiple Checks
mode works nicely with such programs. Finally, the Delay
Period must be entered. At present, the delay period is
entered in units of system clock ticks. Clock ticks occur
at the rate of 18.2 per second. It is recommended that at
Deceive -7- Version 1.0
least a 1 second delay (delay value of 18) be used to
minimize system overhead. In practice, a value of 255 (14
seconds) works well with most programs. This usually allows
enough time to get the program fully initialized before the
first time delay expires. After the Time Delay is typed hit
the return key to enter the value and return to the
Deception Screen. If the Timer Run option was selected the
delay period begins the instant the Time Delay value is
entered.
There are a few rare programs that are incompatible with the
Time Delay function. These programs, like the public domain
SI.COM (Space Invaders), lock up after the delay period has
expired. The only way to determine compatibility is by
experimenting.
If a program requires that the Time Delay Facility be used,
it is possible (but unlikely) that when the program is ended
the keyboard will lock up if any key is hit other than the
Deception Key. Why? The Time Delay Facility gave Deceive
control over the keyboard while a program was running. When
a key is hit Deceive checks to see if the key is one it
cares about (Alt-E, Alt-B, Alt-C, or the Deception Key) then
passes control back to the program you're running. Deceive
has no way of knowing that you ended the program. When you
end the program, if the next key you hit is not one of
Deceive's keys, Deceive will pass control to a program that
is no longer there. The results are unpredictable. The
only way to avoid this is to initiate a Deception
immediately after exiting the program. During the
Deception, reboot. To date, no program has been found where
this problem has occurred. Most game programs which require
the use of the Time Delay Facility require that the system
be rebooted or turned off to exit. If this potential
problem arises, let me know.
Deceive -8- Version 1.0
User Supported Software
For those who have never been exposed, User Supported
Software is a distribution concept begun by Andrew
Fluegelman with PC-Talk. It is based on the assumption that
if a user gets a chance to try a program and likes it, he or
she will voluntarily contribute to the support of the
program. Users are usually encouraged to copy and
distribute User Supported programs freely.
Deceive is being distributed as User Supported Software. If
you're using Deceive and like it (or if it's saved your
job!), and you want to contribute to its further
improvement, please send $5.00 (dirt cheap!) to:
Carl Burtner
435 Brandon Road
Rochester, NY 14622
Contributors to the program will be informed by mail of the
availability of new revisions. Your voice makes a
difference! Major revisions will probably not be undertaken
without positive user response.
You are encouraged to make as many copies of Deceive as you
like and to distribute unmodified copies of the program and
documentation to whomever you choose.
If you have questions, suggestions, or problems with
Deceive, please feel free to contact me.
Deceive -9- Version 1.0
In Case Of Trouble
(a statement of sympathy for the disturbed)
Deceive has been tested for compatibility with as many
different computers and software packages as possible.
However, not every PC-compatible computer could be tested
with every available software package. Also, no matter how
much testing is done, no program is totally bug free. You
use this program at your own risk. If you lose data or blow
your system it's your lose, even if Deceive is at fault. I
assume no responsibility other than the courtesy of a
sympathetic ear. Deceive attempts to outguess the way most
programs will operate and gives you some powerful and
perhaps deadly tools to fight with. With a program of this
type it is impossible to guarantee compatibility with all
other programs. Deceive works with most programs and is
totally incompatible with some. Thats the most you can
expect. I think it does a pretty good job. I hope you will
too.
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the software library of
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The Public (Software) Library
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(713) 721-6104
Newsletter subscriptions are available for $12 a year.
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Deceive -10- Version 1.0