Installation (Amiga Side)
The Amiga side of the Amiga Explorer networking software consists of two files, named "AExplorer" (the Amiga program file) and "AExplorer.info" (the Amiga icon file for "AExplorer"), which by default are stored in "C:\Program Files\Cloanto\Amiga Explorer\Amiga". In order to use Amiga Explorer on both the PC and an Amiga, these two files must be copied to the Amiga. We recommend the following methods:
If you are going to use Amiga Explorer over a null-modem serial cable or a Bluetooth connection, right-click on the Amiga Explorer icon on the desktop, select Setup, and follow the instructions to have the files automatically copied over the serial link. No terminal or other additional software is required by this process. Even an old 1.2 or 1.3 Workbench floppy disk can be used to boot the Amiga.
If you have Amiga OS 2.1 or higher, or if you otherwise have a DOS filing system such as Dos-2-Dos or CrossDos, you can copy the files to the floppy disk on the PC, and then read them on the Amiga. The "Copy to Floppy" command in the Amiga Explorer application folder in the Windows Start menu automatically copies the Amiga files to the PC floppy. After the files have been copied, it is important to make sure that these file names are restored, if they were modified by the copy process (if the Amiga does not support long DOS file names). Some Amiga computers do not support the PC's high-density floppy disks, in which case you need to use an Amiga floppy disk, and format it on the PC at 720 KB (not 1.44 MB).
Additional information can be found in the ReadMe.txt file which is included with the Amiga side of Amiga Explorer, and which is also copied to the Amiga.
On the Amiga side, after the files have been transferred, installation is as easy as copying the "AExplorer" icon to the hard disk or floppy disk. A double-click on the icon is sufficient to start, and, if necessary, to stop the software. Stopping Amiga Explorer may be useful, for example, to free the serial port for other tasks, or to change some Amiga Explorer settings. To install Amiga Explorer, it is sufficient to copy the "AExplorer" icon to the hard disk. On version 2.0 and newer of the Amiga OS, copying the "AExplorer" icon into the "WBStartup" drawer will cause Amiga Explorer to start automatically when the system boots (note: if TCP/IP is used as the protocol, then TCP/IP must be started before Amiga Explorer).
For the more technical-oriented users, on all Amiga systems, Amiga Explorer can also be started automatically by entering the following line in the "S:Startup-Sequence" or "S:User-Startup" file:
Run >NIL: NIL: "AF_Disk:" should be replaced with the path of the software as it is installed on the hard disk, e.g. "Work:", or "Work:AmigaForever/", etc. The optional [OPTIONS] part consists of one or more keywords each followed by a setting, e.g. "CONNECTION SERIAL SERBAUD 115200", etc. If no options are indicated, then the default settings are used. All command line options have the same name as the matching ToolTypes. If you are not familiar with editing the Startup-Sequence, it is recommended not to attempt to modify it. It is always possible to start Amiga Explorer manually, or by using the "WBStartup" functionality described above.
The Amiga side of Amiga Explorer requires less than 50 Kbytes of space, so that it easily fits on any Workbench disk after a few files (e.g. Utilities/Notepad, or Clock and a few fonts, keyboard files or printer drivers) have been deleted. By adding the above line to the Startup-Sequence to automatically launch the Amiga side of Amiga Explorer each time the computer boots, an old Amiga computer without a hard disk and without monitor can become an "Amiga floppy slave" which only needs to be switched on.
