
--     ------     --Ŀ
|       p                                              
             r       User Manual for IAS, RTool & RToolD    |
|            e                                              |
|             s           Version 1.3 (c) 1997 IceAge        |
             e                Revision 960605               |
|            n                                              
            t   http://wkweb4.cableinet.co.uk/toril/iceage 
|       s   mail://iceage@cableinet.co.uk              
---    -----     --



[1]...Disclaimer
[2]...Overview
[3]...Installation
[4]...Sending Images
[5]...Receiving Images
[6]...Changing Rom Sizes
[7]...Applying IPS Patches
[8]...Endian Swapping
[9]...CRC (Re)Generation
[10]..Dealing with Compressed Images
[11]..Bios Modification
[12]..Obtaining Rom Information
[13]..Obtaining Updates


[1]...Disclaimer
----------------

 The authors of this program make no warranty, express or implied about
 its usefulness for any purpose. The end user, YOU, take full
 responsibility for any legal actions against the use of this program.
 The authors do not endorse or condone the copying of any software
 titles that you do not own, except in the interest of protecting your
 investment in titles which you have purchased. The authors will not be
 responsible for the use or misuse of this program, or any illegal or
 'grey-area' activities which are facilitated by the use or misuse of
 this program. This program is meant to be an educational and
 experimental tool only, for personal, non-corporate uses. Any other use
 constitutes copyright infringement.

[2]...Overview
--------------

 RTool, RtoolD and IAS are part of a family of utilities designed for use
 with specialist 64bit console hardware. They provide the user with a
 complex and powerful, yet simple to use tool which enables the user to
 accomplish set goals.
 The utilties are designed to run across a range of Intel based platforms
 and the table below descibes which program is available for which
 platform.

         Windows 95          -       RTool, RToolD and IAS supported.
         Windows 3.11/DOS    -       RToolD and IAS supported.
         Linux               -       IAS Supported.
         NT4.0               -       RToolD and IAS supported.
         OS/2                -       RToolD and IAS supported.

 NOTE: If you intend to run either RToolD or IAS from within a NT4.0 DOS
 box, send and receive will NOT work. To remedy this you'll need to boot
 into DOS mode. Thanks to Micro$oft for this nifty little feature of NT4.0.


[3]...Installation
-------------------

 Win'95. (Full Install)
 ----------------------
 Click on 'Start' and choose 'Run'. Type 'a:\setup.exe' and press enter.
 Follow the on-screen prompts to install RTool.

 DOS/Linux.
 ----------
 Copy the .EXE's and .HLP files to chosen directory and run.


 Manual Installation and/or Updates.
 -----------------------------------

 Installation is simple. Just unzip the archive into a directory of your
 choosing and run.
 The Win95 version of RTool will require MFC42.DLL and MSVCRT.DLL to be
 present in your \windows\system directory.
 If they are not there then you can download them from our internet site,
 the URL of which is detailed elsewhere in this document.

 Minimum Specs:

 These will vary from utility to utility. RTool requires a machine
 running Windows95 which effectively limits it to machines with a DX2
 processor or higher.
 Theoretically RToolD and IAS require a minimum spec of a '386 processor
 to operate although this has not been tested. Working with 128Mbit files
 could take a while on a '386 anyway. =]


[4]...Sending images.
---------------------

 To upload an image (pc -> hardware) you need to take the following
 steps:


 Using IAS
 ---------
 At the command prompt you need to type (without the quotes):-
 'IAS S <filename>' where <filename> is the name of the image
 you wish to send.
 If an invalid image is chosen then IAS will report an error has occurred.


 Using RTool and RToolD
 -----------------------
 Highlight the file to be sent using the file requester
 and choose one of the following to initiate transfer:-

 RTool : Click on the CD Icon, or choose 'SEND' from the menu.

 RToolD: Press 'ENTER' or choose 'SEND' from the menu.



[5]...Receiving Images
----------------------

 To recieve (hardware <- pc) an image the following steps need to be taken.

 Step 1 (BIOS 1.22 or below only)
 --------------------------------
 For a 64Mbit Image press 'FR' and 'FF' on the hardware, or
 for a 128Mbit Image press 'CH', 'FR' and 'FF' on the hardware. Then
 proceed onto step two, detailed below.

 Step 2
 ------
 Using IAS
 ----------
 From the command prompt type (without the quotes):- 'IAS R TEST.V64 64'
 and follow the on-screen instructions. Note the last parameter denotes
 the Image size to be retrieved. (This is only applicable with BIOS 1.3)
 For Bios 1.22 or below type 'IAS R <filename>' (remembering to hold
 'CH' if a 128 Mbit image is being dumped.)


 Using RTool and RToolD
 ----------------------
 From Rtool click on the Receive Icon (the Hard Drive Icon) or choose
 'Receive' from the menu.
 From RToolD choose 'Receive' from the menu, or use the shortcut
 CTRL+R.
 Enter a name into the file requester (this will be the filename of the
 retreived image) and choose a ROM size if your are using BIOS 1.30 or
 above. Press ENTER (holding down 'CH' if its a 128Mbit
 image).
 Rtool or RtoolD will now retrive the image and save it to the hard drive.


[6]...Changing Image Sizes.
---------------------------

 Occasionally you will need to either truncate or pad an image before
 it can be uploaded to your hardware. The reasoning behind this is
 simple - at the moment the Hardware Bios is unable to accept any
 abnormal file lengths and will only accept either 64Mbit or 128Mbit
 files. If you send an abnormal length file it will result in an error
 - this is not the fault of the software, its the BIOS thats at fault.
 Hopefully this will be remedied at a later date.

 Using IAS.
 ----------
 From the command prompt type 'IAS Exxx <filename>' where xxx is a
 valid rom size. Valid Rom sizes depend on which version of BIOS
 you have. BIOS versions BEFORE 1.30 only accepted 64Mbit and 128Mbit
 whereas BIOS version 1.30 will accept images in multiples of 2Mbits.


 Using RTool and RToolD.
 -----------------------
 Highlight the image using the file requester and choose either the
 double arrow icon (RTool) or 'Truncate or Pad' (RToolD).
 A menu will appear displaying the valid image sizes. Click on the
 desired image size and it will be padded/truncated as applicable.


[7]...Applying IPS Patches
--------------------------

 IPS (International Patching Standard) files are supported within the
 RTool family. This allows patches by third parties to be applied to
 Images.

 Using IAS
 ---------
 Use the syntax: IAS P <filename> <ips file> to apply an IPS patch to
 an Image. If you specify either an invalid image or invalid IPS file
 then an error will be reported and the file will not be patched.

 Using RTool and RToolD
 ----------------------
 Highlight the file to be patched and select the IPS Icon from RTool or
 'IPS Patch' from RToolD to display another file requester. Choose the
 IPS file to be used and press enter.
 The IPS file will then be patched into the Image.


[8]...Endian Swapping.
----------------------

 Most of the images you will be using will be in the Motorola or
 Little Endian format. To be able to discern text you will need to
 convert the image to Intel or Big Endian format.
 The primary use for endian swapping is to enable a user to scan
 through a Rom Image looking for cheat codes etc.

 Using IAS
 ---------
 Use the syntax : IAS F <filename> to change the byte sequence of a
 image. Note that you will be unable to send an image once it has been
 byte flipped.

 Using Rtool and RToolD
 ----------------------
 Highlight the file and choose either the ByteFlip icon (RTool) or
 choose 'Byte Flip' from the menu (RToolD). A progress bar will appear
 as the utility works its way through the file.

[9]...CRC Generation Check.
---------------------------

 If a image has an invalid CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) the console
 will refuse to run it. Therefore any programs written will require
 the CRC to be regenerated once a program is assembled (unless the
 assembler already caters for this.)

 Using IAS
 ---------
 Use the syntax: IAS U <filename> to check a CRC. If the CRC is
 corrupted then you'll need to use the syntax:- 'IAS UF <filename>'.
 This will recalculate the CRC and repair the image.

 Using RTool and RToolD
 ----------------------
 Choosing the Calcuate CRC icon (RTool) or 'Calculate CRC' (RToolD) will
 check that the image has a valid CRC. If an invalid CRC is found you
 will be given the option of correcting it.


[10]..Dealing with Compressed Images.
-------------------------------------

 All the utils in the RTool family support our compression method which
 is used to reduce the amount of space taken by images when stored on a
 hard drive. Nine types of compression are available ranging from
 '1'(fast) to '9'(super tight).
 A IceAge compressed image is denoted by its .Z64 suffix.

 Important Note: When an image is compressed the extension will be changed
 to .Z64. If you have two valid images with the same name but different
 extensions and compress BOTH of them you will lose one of the files.
 i.e. Compressing Demo.001 and Demo.002 will compress Demo.001 creating
 Demo.Z64 and then go on to compress demo.002, also creating a file
 called demo.Z64. To avoid this you need to ensure that the filenames
 are different.

 Compressing Images.
 -------------------

  Using IAS.
  ----------
   Use one of the following command lines:
   IAS C <filename> - this will compress the image using the standard
   compression method (Level 6).

   IAS Cn <filename> - You can specify a compression method by adding a
   number in the range 1-9 after the (C)ompress command.
   i.e. Compress using speed method    : IAS C1 <filename>
        Compress using strength method : IAS C9 <filename>

   NOTE: unlike RTool and RToolD, IAS will compress using wildcards.
   i.e. to compress every valid image in a directory the command would
   be: 'IAS C *.*'. IAS auto-checks the validity of the files its
   attempting to compress and will only proceed if a recognised Image
   has been found. It is therefore safe to have Images, .EXE's, Datafiles,
   IPS files etc in the same directory and use wildcards to compress your
   images.
   

  Using RTool and RToolD.
  -----------------------
   Highlight the file to compress (If its already compressed then a tick
   will appear in the 'Compressed Image' box in the lower right of the
   screen) and click on the Compress Icon (RTool)  or choose 'Compress'
   from the menu (RToolD). The file will be then be compressed using the
   compression level which is set in the Options screen.

 Decompressing Images.
 ---------------------

  Using IAS.
  ----------

  To decompress a Iceage compressed image (*.Z64) use the following
  syntax:
  IAS D <filename>
  Note that a few features are unavailable if an image is in a compressed
  format - this is to avoid image corruption.

  Using RTool and RToolD.
  -----------------------

  Highlight the required compressed file and click the Decompress icon
  (RTool) or choose 'Decompress File' from the menu (RToolD).
  The image will be expanded to its original size with a '.V64' suffix
  added.

[11]..BIOS Manipulation.
------------------------

The official BIOS has one of its features disabled when released. An
unmodified BIOS is incapable of receiving images from the hardware. To
circumvent this a small modification is needed to the BIOS file.
This feature is designed to be used to retreive images *you* have created,
not commercial images. Retrieving commercial images is in violation of
copyright law.


 Using IAS.
 ----------

 Use the syntax: IAS BE <BIOS Filename> to attempt to patch the Bios.
 If successful, the Bios will be capable of sending images from the
 hardware to the PC.

 Using RTool and RToolD.
 -----------------------
  Select the BIOS file from the file requester and click on the Bios
  Enable Icon (RTool) or choose 'Enable Bios' from the menu (RToolD).

 To reverse the process and disable a Bios you need to take the
 following steps:-
 IAS : IAS BD <Bios File>
 RTool/RToolD : Choose the file from the file requester and click the
 'Disable Bios' icon (RTool) or choose 'Disable Bios' (RToolD).


[12]..Displaying header information.
------------------------------------
 This function strips information from the Image header and displays it
 on screen.

  Using IAS
  ---------
   Syntax: IAS I <filename>.
   A valid image will result in the Image title, File size, ID + other
   possibly useful information being displayed.

  Using RTool and RToolD.
  -----------------------
   RTool and RToolD will automatically display any image information as
   the image in highlighted in the file requester.

[13]..Obtaining updates.
------------------------
The latest versions of our utilities can be accessed from our web page
which is located at:

Http://wkweb4.cableinet.co.uk/toril/iceage

Alternatively we can be contacted via email at:

iceage@cableinet.co.uk.

