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README.TXT
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1997-05-30
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Using the CD-ROM
When the good folks at IDG Books Worldwide told me that I had considerable
freedom to select just what you would find on the companion CD-ROM, they
weren't kidding. I'm proud to say that there's a wide range of software
included on the CD-ROM; in fact, I'd like to think that it provides a good
cross section of the applications available today for CD recording,
including specialized areas such as Web content storage and digital video
editing. I've been using some of these programs for years, while others
were recommended by friends and professionals. All in all, I hope I've
reached my goal, which was to create a companion CD-ROM so good that your
friends will beg to borrow it.
Make 'em wait in line!
A Word About Shareware
Most of these programs are shareware, but don't fall prey to the common
misconception that shareware is inferior. I selected each of these titles
because they were the best-known and most powerful programs in their class.
As a shareware game developer myself, I'm a firm believer that well-written
shareware can equal (and sometimes surpass) the quality of its commercial
competitors--in fact, many successful commercial programs got their start
as shareware.
There's another common misconception that dates back to the days when
bulletin board systems ruled Cyberspace and acted as shareware distribution
centers. That is, the old belief that shareware is free. Wrong. Shareware
is not free--someone worked long and hard to write a professional, solid
program that works, and that person deserves to be paid for their time.
Instead of paying for a fancy box and big advertisements in all the national
magazines, you typically pay the author directly, and your registration fee
is usually a minor fraction of what you would pay for a similar commercial
product.
"How do I register?" The shareware programs on the CD-ROM all include
complete instructions on how to register, and most of them also offer
registration information from within the program. Make sure you read the
README file, and pull up the online help if you need it. My sincere thanks
for buying this book, but that didn't register any of these shareware
programs--that's your obligation if you decide to use them.
I strongly encourage you to help maintain these shareware programs with your
registration fee; you'll gain technical support for the program and you'll
help ensure the continued development of these fine applications!
What's on the CD-ROM?
Here's a quick list of the different types of programs you'll find on the
companion disc:
* Recording and duplicating software. Programs that enable you to create
your own discs or replicate existing discs on a variety of platforms and
operating systems.
* Image, sound, and video editing software. These applications make it
easy to load, edit, and modify many of the multimedia files you'll be
recording on CD, including the digital WAV files used to record audio CDs.
* Multimedia cataloging software. Software that stores and displays your
images, sounds, and video clips, enabling you to search and retrieve
files from CD.
* Web content software. Software that records information and data from
Web pages directly to CD.
* CD audio software. Software that enables you to play audio CDs on your
computer's CD-ROM drive.
* Tutorials and Tours. Video tutorials and product demonstrations that
present features and benefits.
Running the CD-ROM
To browse the disc in Windows 95:
1. Launch Windows Explorer.
2. Select the letter for your CD-ROM drive in the directory tree. Explorer
will display the contents of the disc. Note that the files on the CD
are arranged in directories by program name.
3. Check the launch information for the specific program. Most programs can
be installed by running the program SETUP.EXE in the desired directory.
Files ending in .PDF are Adobe Acrobat electronic documents, and you must
install Adobe Acrobat before you can read or print them.
Always check the README files provided with each program on the disc before
you run the application for the first time.
The CD-ROM Programs
I've already mentioned several of these programs within the body of the book,
but I'll give you a short description of each in this section, as well as
information on how to begin the installation process. Most of these programs
require Windows 95 or Windows NT to run; for complete details on system
requirements, refer to the documentation supplied with the program.
I've also included the developer's Web site address whenever possible. You
can typically register from the home page, or you might check to see if a
new version has been released since this book went to press.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
This free utility from Adobe enables you to read and print electronic
documents saved as .PDF (Portable Document Format) files. Many of the
applications that appear on this disc include manuals in .PDF format, and
you'll also find that Acrobat files are a popular method of presenting
documents on the Internet.
The CD contains versions of the program for both Macintosh and Windows 95.
You'll find the installation files in the \Acrobat directory; there are
separate subdirectories, labeled \Macintosh and \Windows.
You can visit the Adobe site at www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/ for more
information about Adobe Acrobat.
Cool Edit 96
This shareware digital audio editor has been a favorite of mine for a long
time now. For more details on the many features offered by Cool Edit, see
Chapter 10.
The CD contains versions of the program for both 16- and 32-bit platforms
for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95/NT. You'll find the installation files in
the \cooledit directory; there are separate subdirectories, labeled \16bit
and \32bit.
To install the Windows 95 version of Cool Edit, change to the
\Cooledit\32bit directory and run the program C96SETUP.EXE.
To install the Windows 3.1 version of Cool Edit, change to the
\Cooledit\16bit directory and run the program COOL153Z.EXE.
Visit the Syntrillium Web site at www.syntrillium.com/index.htm for the
latest information on Cool Edit and Cool Edit 96.
GEAR Replicator
This is the demonstration version of Elektroson's GEAR Replicator, a program
that enables you to replicate existing CDs. The demonstration version will
record a maximum of three CDs of almost any type.
GEAR Replicator requires Windows 95. Documentation for this program is
supplied in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format.
You'll find the installation files in the \Elektrsn\Win95NT\Replic directory.
To install GEAR Replicator, run the program SETUP.EXE.
Visit the Elektroson Web site at www.elektroson.com for complete
information on the current version of CD-Replicator.
CD/Spectrum Pro
CD/Spectrum Pro is one of the best-known shareware audio CD player programs
for your computer CD-ROM drive, and it includes a number of features you
won't find in the Windows 95 CD player--for instance, how about a full
graphical spectrum analyzer?
CD/Spectrum Pro requires Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0.
You'll find the installation files in the \Spectrum directory. To install
CD/Spectrum Pro, run the program CDSPRO31.EXE.
Visit the CD/Spectrum home page at www.halcyon.com/gator/cdspro.htm for the
latest information and upgrades.
CD Worx
This program from Cyberdyne Software specializes in reading digital audio
tracks from audio CDs and saving them as WAV format sound files on your
hard drive. Plus, you can examine data from a single sector of any CD-ROM.
CD Worx requires Windows 95.
You'll find the installation files in the \CDWorx directory. To install
CD Worx from the Windows 95 Explorer, right-click the file INSTALL.INF and
then choose Install in the pop-up menu that appears.
For full information on CD Worx, visit the CD Worx Homepage at
www.b.shuttle.de/cyberdyne/cdworx.html and download the latest version,
the hardware compatibility list and the program FAQ.
Easy CD Creator Tour
This animated Macromedia tour of the new Easy CD Creator recording software
from Adaptec will introduce you to the main features of the program,
including the additional features available within the Deluxe edition.
The tour requires Windows 95, and you will need at least 63MB of free hard
drive space to run it.
You'll find the installation files in the \Tour directory. To install the
program, create a temporary directory on your hard drive named \easycd and
copy all of the files from the \Tour directory into it. To begin the tour,
run TOUR.EXE from this temporary directory. When you're done with the
program, you can delete the \easycd directory and everything in it from
your hard drive.
For more information on Easy CD Creator, visit the Adaptec site at
www.adaptec.com.
firstGEAR
This is the working version of firstGEAR from Elektroson, the makers of the
popular GEAR for Windows recording program. Although some menu items are
disabled, you'll find this excellent program more than powerful enough to
record mode 1 Data and audio CDs!
firstGEAR requires Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0. Documentation for this
program is supplied in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format.
You'll find the installation files in the \Elektrsn\Win95NT\1stGear
directory. To install firstGEAR, run the program SETUP.EXE.
The Elektroson Web site at www.elektroson.com offers upgrade information
and technical support for all of the company's products.
GEAR for MacOS
Here's the demonstration version of Elektroson's GEAR recording program for
Macintosh and PowerMac users. Although the program can create almost any
type of CD, each disc is limited in the demonstration version to a total of
6MB of data.
Documentation for this program is supplied in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format.
You'll find the installation files in the \Elektrsn\Mac directory.
The Mac version is in HQX format; to install GEAR, run the file
GEAR Demo Installer (MM).
You'll find complete information for all versions of the GEAR line of
recording software on the Elektroson Web site at www.elektroson.com--this
includes GEAR for OS/2 and UNIX.
GEAR for OS/2
This is the demonstration version of Elektroson's GEAR recording program for
OS/2. Like GEAR for MacOS, this version is fully functional, but it's
limited to writing a total of 6MB of data on a CD.
Documentation for this program is supplied in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format.
You'll find the installation files in the \Elektrsn\Os2 directory. To
install GEAR, run the program SETUP.EXE.
GEAR for UNIX
GEAR for UNIX is the UNIX version of the award-winning GEAR recording
program from Elektroson. This demonstration version is fully functional,
but it carries only a 15-day license; once this evaluation period has passed,
the software expires automatically.
This demonstration version of GEAR for UNIX supports SunOS 4.1.4,
Solaris 2.5, Silicon Graphics v5.3 & v6.2, IBM AIX v4.2, and DEC Digital
UNIX v4.0. Documentation for this program is supplied in Adobe Acrobat .PDF
format.
You'll find the installation files in the \Elektrsn\Unix directory. The UNIX
version is in tar format; to install GEAR, untar the file gearunix.tar and
then run the installer.
Media Center
I use this shareware multimedia catalog program to organize and manage my
growing collection of audio, video, and images. For more details on using
Media Center, see Chapter 10.
You'll find the installation files in the \Media directory. To install
Media Center, run the program SETUP.EXE.
The JASC Web site at www.jasc.com provides online ordering, technical support,
and upgrade downloads for Media Center.
Paint Shop Pro
Paint Shop Pro, from JASC Inc., is the reigning king of shareware image
editing software, and I find myself using it daily for one task or another
involving images. It supports and converts over 30 file formats, and even
uses Adobe and Aldus plug-ins. Chapter 10 includes more detail on this
great program.
Paint Shop Pro requires Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0.
You'll find the installation files in the \Paint directory. To install
Paint Shop Pro, run the program SETUP.EXE.
Contact the JASC Web site at www.jasc.com for more information--you'll
find online ordering, technical support, and upgrade downloads for Paint
Shop Pro.
Personal AVI Editor
Here's a shareware program from FlickerFree Multimedia Products A/S that
enables you to edit Windows AVI format digital video. You can add
sophisticated special effects, including Fade in, Fade out, Cross fade, and
wipe, and you can even mix audio effects from WAV files. Personal AVI Editor
includes support for recording video and audio, and you can synchronize
tracks.
Version 1.5 of Personal AVI Editor requires Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0.
You'll find the installation files in the \AVIedit directory. To install
Personal AVI Editor, run the program INSTALL.EXE.
Visit the excellent company Web site at www.flickerfree.com for updates,
product information, and online ordering.
ThreadMark
This is a working version of Adaptec's new multithreaded benchmarking utility
software, with which you can measure the performance of your SCSI or IDE
hard drives to determine if their performance will support your CD write
speeds.
ThreadMark 2.0 runs on Windows 95 and NT.
You'll find the installation files in the \ThreadMark directory. To install
ThreadMark, run the program THRDMK20.EXE. Information on the program is in
the files README.TXT and THREADMARK DESCRIPTION.TXT.
Visit the ThreadMark Web site at www.adaptec.com/threadmark for more info on
the software.
WebGrabber
This is the full working version 1.0 of WebGrabber from Elektroson--it
attaches a menu to Netscape Navigator that allows you to record Web content
directly to CD.
WebGrabber requires Windows 95. Documentation for this program is supplied
in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format.
You'll find the installation files in the \Elektrsn\Win95NT\Webgrab
directory. To install WebGrabber, run the program SETUP.EXE.
Visit the Elektroson Web site at www.elektroson.com for additional
information on the newest version of WebGrabber.
-Mark L. Chambers