The Online Help system is your best source for answers to questions about Pro CD Internet Directory. Select GETTING STARTED from the HELP menu to begin.
For information about a particular menu choice, click on that menu option and press "F1" to move to the corresponding section of the Help system.
Before Pro CD Internet Directory can use your Web browser, you must tell it where your browser is. Select PREFERENCES from the EDIT menu, and click BROWSE to select your browser.
Pro CD Internet Directory supports the following Web browsers: Netscape Navigator, Spyglass Mosaic, Chameleon Websurfer, Microsoft Internet Explorer (Windows 95).
Check out Pro CD's Web site for product information, software updates, and general FAQ's. Choose GO INTERNET from the ONLINE menu and select your choice of PRO CD HOME PAGE, PRODUCT INFORMATION, or CUSTOMER SUPPORT.
You can print Help system topics using the Help PRINT button, or by selecting PRINT TOPIC from the Help FILE menu. Help topics can only be printed one by one, and you must have the topic you want printed open at the time.
To use Pro CD Internet Directory, you must always have the CD in the CD-ROM drive letter from which it was installed. If your CD drive letter changes, or you move the CD to a new drive, you should reinstall.
Problems connecting to a WWW or FTP site may mean that it's busy or that the site doesn't operate continuously. Try connecting again later.
The Boolean "OR" operator ( | ) helps you find listings that match more than one criterion in a field. To find all listings in New York or Massachusetts, enter NY|MA in the State field.
The last three letters of a WWW or FTP address indicates the type of organization it belongs to. For a list of educational institutions available online, enter *.EDU in the WWW Address or FTP Address fields.
Use the Asterisk ( * ) to replace missing or unknown parts of a name or Internet address. To find companies with the word "sport" in their name, enter *SPORT in the Name field.
The first few sections of an Internet number identify the host. To see who's accessing your Web page, enter their number in the Internet Number field.
You can hide a data field you don't use so that other fields are more accessible. Select COLUMN WIDTH from the FORMAT menu, highlight the field you want to change, and set its width at "0".
The RESET ALL button will reset all fields to their default widths. The Internet Number, WWW Number, and FTP Number fields are closed by default, so if you've changed the widths for any of these fields, RESET ALL will set them to "0" again and close them.
The Internet can trace its beginnings to the ARPANET, a project started in 1969 by the Department of Defense.
The Boolean "NOT" operator ( ! ) will eliminate certain listings from your searches. To find all listings EXCEPT for those in Boston, enter !BOSTON in the City field.
The Toolbar can be moved around the screen, and can dock on the left, right, top, or bottom. To move the Toolbar, click between the icons and drag the Toolbar where you want. When you exit and restart Pro CD Internet Directory, the Toolbar will be back at the top of the screen.
When searching by a complete phone number, you must include hyphens. Enter the number (415) 812 8200 as 415-812-8200.
To highlight all listings that have been retrieved for your current search, click and drag the highlight up into the Data Entry field area. Searches retrieve approximately one screen of listings at a time, so only that many listings will be highlighted.
Right-click the mouse on a highlighted listing to copy it to the Clipboard, dial its phone number, visit its WWW or FTP site, or view the More Info window. (Windows 95 only)
Right-click the mouse in a Data Entry field to access the following editing options: Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Select All. (Windows 95 only)
Extra characters, even a space, can cause your search to fail. Clear the screen between searches to improve your results. Use the Clear icon, or select CLEAR from the SEARCH menu.
If you have a dial-up connection to the Internet, be sure to check the WAIT x SECONDS FOR INTERNET CONNECTION TO STARTUP box. Located in the PREFERENCES section of the EDIT menu, this setting allows for the time required to call your Internet service provider and make a connection. The default value is "60" seconds.
If you have trouble making all your data fit on a page when you print in Galley format, click CUSTOMIZE and try using SCALE TO FIT PAGE in the Galley Editor. This setting will adjust the font used for printing so that all the fields fit. If many fields are visible the print may be very small, so use PRINT PREVIEW in the FILE menu to check it beforehand.
Save paper with Print Preview. Before you print, select PRINT PREVIEW from the FILE menu to make sure your printout will be correct. Print Preview offers all the options of the Print command, but sends the output to the screen instead of the printer.
The last portion of the domain name indicates the primary function of its owner. For instance, domain names which end in .COM are companies, .NET is for network providers, .ORG is for non-commercial organizations, .GOV is for government sites, .EDU for educational institutions, and .MIL for military installations.
New sites are being added to the Internet at the amazing rate of 25,000 per month. We'll publish updated versions of Pro CD Internet Directory regularly to help you keep pace with this growth.
The World Wide Web grew out of work by Tim Berners-Lee, a researcher at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Its original purpose was to aid the collaboration of scientists.
The SIC code list can be displayed by double-clicking in the SIC Data Entry field, or by selecting SIC CODES from the SEARCH menu.
The INTERNIC, or INTERnet Network Information Center, is the central registration authority for information about the Internet, including copies of all the standards and documents that define the network.
Even if you have a direct Internet connection, the WAIT x SECONDS FOR INTERNET CONNECTION TO STARTUP box may be helpful. To allow for the time required to start your Web browser, select PREFERENCES from the EDIT menu and change this setting to "10" seconds.
The PRINT TRUETYPE AS GRAPHICS option may help your printing if you use an HP-IIx or HP-IIIx printer. Select PRINT SETUP from the FILE menu, then click OPTIONS in Windows 3.x, or click PROPERTIES and then the FONTS tab in Windows 95.
Bookmarks can help you keep track of useful Web sites. Most Web browsers let you save important Web addresses as bookmarks to allow easy access. Check your Web browser documentation for more on this.
Most Web sites offer links (sometimes called Hyperlinks) to other sites. These may be related companies or services, or even sites that are just plain fun. Look for a "Links" section in the Web sites you visit.
Not all registered Internet addresses have an active WWW or FTP site. The word "INACTIVE" in a Data Entry field means that this site is not currently active.
A two letter ending to an Internet address indicates the country of origin. The ending "CA" would identify a listing from Canada. Not all Internet addresses use these geographic indicators.
A World Wide Web address is also known as a URL, or Uniform Resource Locator. The URL provides the directions your browser needs to find Web sites.
All WWW addresses begin with HTTP, which stands for HyperText Transport Protocol. This is the communications protocol used to transfer information on the Web.
The File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, is used to transfer both text and binary files on the Internet.
When searching by State or Province, use the two letter abbreviation. To search for listings in the province of Alberta, enter AB in the State field.
Not all listings have information in each data field. The Asterisk ( * ) can help you find listings that DO have data in a particular field. To find all listings that have an SIC code (without specifying a particular code), enter * in the SIC field.
Web pages are written using HTML, or HyperText Markup Language. HTML includes information about the graphics, sounds, and links which can be used to form a Web page.
