🚀 go-pugleaf

I'll answer my own questions as best I can, now that some people have
responded to me and helped me out.

>1)  Windows seems to take over the keyboard interrupts and my TSR which
>    swaps 'caps' 'cntl' and 'alt' gets bypassed.  I NEED this TSR to use
>    the keyboard layout I have.  Is there a way around this?
>
>    I triied running the TSR from withing Windows, and it installs it,
>    but does not use it.

I see no way around this.  The manual to my MultiSoft PC-PowerPak
mentioned it as a possible problem and said that since Windows takes
over the keyboard handler interrupts, that there is nothing that can be
done.   I may end up buying that hardware device, I think it is called
the Chameleon(?) which sits between the keyboard and computer and
translates keystrokes.  I like the feel of my keyboard too much to go
shopping for one with the correct layout and the correct feel.

>2)  I have a 286 and would like to be able to switch between different
>    programs such as an editor and procomm for example.  I know the 386
>    can do this via multiprogramming, and I know that the 286 would have
>    to use a hotkey to get out of applications and back into windows 3.0
>    without terminating the applications.  But I can't seem to set it
>    up.  Will Windows 3.0 allow this on the 286?  I know there are other
>    programs that do it (deskview 286), so I thought that Windows 3.0
>    should.  I think the .pif file is the required interface to programs
>    you want to have this control over, but I can't seem to install the
>    .pif file, although I can create a .pif file.

I finally got this working.  The problem seemed to be a conflict between the
mouse.sys that I loaded and the mouse handler built into Windows.  I
removed mouse.sys from my config.sys and now the hotkeys work instead of
hanging my system.  The paste feature also works between DOS
applications, so I am happy.

I will spend some more time trying to set up my Windows environment, and
if there are no other headaches, I will buy the product.

--- glenn

Thanks to all who sent me suggestions and help!