                    ---------------------------------
                              fwNES Express
                                   by
                                Lin Fang
                          A frontend for fwNES98
                    ---------------------------------


------------------------------
 What is & Why fwNES Express?
------------------------------

     fwNES Express is a frontend I wrote for fwNES98.  I first
wrote a small frontend so I could use it to load games easily.
However, I liked fwNES98 so much, I ended up writing a full-blown
frontend for it.  I hope you enjoy it! ;)

     I'm so glad to see the latest version of fwNES98(0.30) feasuring
such a nice GUI. The moment I saw it, I knew I was going to end this
project. I don't like the idea of a frontend for an emulator which
already has a terrific GUI. So this will be the last version of
fwNES Express. Why a new version at all? Well, to me, this version
is just for fun and is kind of a good-bye release.

     Thank you to everyone who has supported this frontend!


---------------------
 Version Information
---------------------

v3.0     This is the latest and last version of fwNES Express
         -Added support for fwNES 0.30

v2.21    This is a very minor update:
         -Added a EXE check before starting a game
         -Corrected a small spelling problem somewhere
         -Some other small changes

v2.2     -Added a toolbar and a status bar.  I was experimenting with
          different controls so I added these extras. Hope you like
          these new additions.

v2.11    -Added keyboard navigation to DirListBox, should've added it
          a long time ago
         -The frontend now checks for FWNES.EXE when you click OK.
         -Now you can delete a game by pressing the Del key on the
          number keypad. A confirmation will be displayed of course.
         -Added option to view whatsnew.txt
         -People who have trouble using fwNES Express should download
          FNXPSDLL.ZIP from the homepage, especially if you encounter
          a COMCTL32.OCX error.

v2.1     -Added support for remapping keyboard(See Using fwNES Express
          below).  A whole new KeyMapping tab.

v2.0     -Added support for fwNES98 v.20b.  Version number is raised
          to 2.0 to differentiate it from 1.x which supports fwNES98
          v.15b.  The two versions(1.x & 2.x) can coexist on one
          computer(see below Using fwNES Express).  Support for
          keyboard remapping isn't in yet because fwNES98 v.20b has
          just been released yesterday.  Hopefully, I'll implement it
          in the next release.
         -Added UnFNXPS.EXE, it can remove fwNES Express settings
          from registry.

v1.25    -Fixed a small tab bug

v1.24    -Fixed error handling of Run-Time Errors "76" & "68"
         -Added double-click support in file selection box

v1.2     -"\" is no longer a problem at the end of the path
         -games in root directory can now start correctly
         -a space at the beginning in CLOR is no longer required, the
          frontend will add it for you if it's missing
         -Fixed the problem where drive didn't change to last on
          startup
         -replaced some text boxes with more user friendly scrolls
         -Added Browse for Folder option in Settings
         -Added option to limit file selection box to show only .NES
          files

v1.1     -corrected a slight position shift in the Settings dialog
         -added option to delete FWNES.INI when updating settings
         -added option to view FWNES98E.TXT or *C.TXT or *J.TXT
         -improved keyboard navigation in Settings dialog
         -plus some other minor touch-ups

v1.0     -Public release of fwNES Express.

v0.1     -Initial build.  Only a game loader.


----------
 Features
----------
  -Easy navigation allows you to locate and start your games quickly
  -Supports games with long filenames
  -All the command line options in fwNES98 v0.30
  -Easy configuration
  -Lets you specify a startup folder or start in the last folder
  -Allows manual edit of the command line if you have to


-----------------------------
 Installation & Requirements
-----------------------------

What you need:
  1. fwNES 0.30.
  2. NES games to load, that's what this frontend is for.
  3. A computer with Windows 95/98.
  4. fwNES Express is written in Visual Basic 5.0, so you'll need VB5
     runtime library for fwNES Express to function.  If you encounter
     any problem running fwNES Express, please download FNXPSDLL.ZIP,
     especially if you encounter a COMCTL32.OCX error.

Installation:
  Install fwNESxps.exe and fwNESxps.txt into any folder you'd like, but
  I recommend you to install the files into your fwNES folder,
  that'll save you one step in setting up fwNES Express.


---------------------
 Using fwNES Express
---------------------

Different versions:
     fwNES Express version 1.x, 2.x and 3.x can coexist on one
computer in case you need to use different versions of fwNES.
1.x, 2.x and 3.x store their settings under different registry keys.
To remove unused keys, use the included UNFNXPS.EXE.  If you plan to
use different versions of fwNES Express on one computer, make sure
that you make seperate folders for different versions of fwNES to
avoid possible conflict.

First time running fwNES Express:
     When you first time run fwNES Express, it will bring you directly
to the Settings dialog.  You can just use the default settings or you
can modify it to suit your needs.  If you didn't install fwNES Express
into your fwNES98 folder, be sure to change the path to fwNES.exe on
'fwNES Express Settings' tab.  After you've finished, click OK and
you're ready to go!

Command Line Override:
     Command Line Override lets you to modify the command line options
that fwNES Express uses when launching fwNES98.  It's only for those
who wish to change the command line manually.  Every time you change a
setting related to fwNES98 in the Settings dialog, it will be
reflected in the Command Line Override text box, but the text box is
only updated when you close the settings dialog.  So any changes
you've made will be shown the next time you enter Settings.  If you
enable the Command Line Override option, you will be able to edit
the command line options inside the text box.  The modified command
line will be used and changes in any part of the 'fwNES98 Settings'
dialog will NOT be in effect as long as this option is enabled.


--------
 Thanks
--------
     Thanks to FanWen Yang, the author of fwNES98 for making such a
good NES emulator.
     Thanks to all supporters of this frontend!


-------------------
 How to Contact Me
-------------------
  Comments? Bugs?

e-mail:  fnxps@aol.com

Webpage:  http://members.aol.com/fnxps/
