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Nautilus 1993 August
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Nautilus CD Magazine Volume 3-8 August 1993 Windows Edition.mdf
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games
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pcfn16.exe
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HELP.TXT
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1990-03-26
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COMMON QUESTIONS:
"Sometimes when I try to activate PC-FileNotes I get a beeping sound. Why?"
There are situations where it is unsafe for PC-FileNotes to be
activated. If you try activating PC-FileNotes during such a situation
it will beep approximately every second, as it periodically checks to
see if it can be safely activated. If after five seconds PC-FileNotes
still cannot be safely activated it will quit trying, and quit beeping.
"Why doesn't Copy work? I press C to Copy and nothing happens."
Either you haven't tagged any files, or you're trying to copy files to
the same directory from which they came. Remember, to copy files: Tag
the ones you want to copy, Move to the disk or directory where you want
them copied, then press C to initiate the copy process.
"Sometimes when I rename a file I get a "Path not found" message. Why?"
If you try to rename a file and the new name is the same as a file that
already exists in the directory then you'll receive the "Path not found"
error message.
"How come when I Delete a file the filename is erased but the other
information remains?"
PC-FileNotes erases the name to let you know the file has been deleted.
Don't pay attention to the other information. If it annoys you, you can
re-sort the directory, which will zero out all the info while placing
the deleted files at the beginning, or you can get a new directory
listing by "changing" the disk drive to the current drive.
"Why can't I delete certain files?"
You can't delete Read-only or System files. These files are denoted by
"rdo", or "sys" in the directory listing. In addition, you can't delete
files on a write-protected disk.
"Sometimes when I use PC-FileNotes to view a file, it doesn't look like it
did when I created it. Why?"
When PC-FileNotes displays a file's contents it displays text characters
as they appear, and for clarity, substitutes all other characters with a
period. Most programs, including many word processors, manipulate the
file's data before they display it. Therefore what PC-FileNotes
displays can look different from what the application displays.
However, in most cases you'll recognize enough to figure out what's in
the file.
"Why won't PC-FileNotes let me input file notes when the disk has a write
protect tab on it?"
PC-FileNotes saves file notes on the disk, therefore if the disk is
write-protected it can't save the file notes. Since it can't save them,
it doesn't let you enter them. You can, however, review any file notes
that were created before the write-protect tab was put on the disk. In
addition PC-FileNotes won't let you rename, move, copy to (you can copy
from) or delete the files on a write protected disk.
"Sometimes when I exit PC-FileNotes the DOS prompt doesn't reflect the
current drive. Why?"
The memory resident version of PC-FileNotes restores the screen exactly
as it was when PC-FileNotes was invoked. If you change drives while
using PC-FileNotes the info on the restored screen may not be accurate.
If you do change drives and PC-FileNotes returns to the DOS prompt, you
should display the correct drive symbol at the prompt by pressing the
Return/Enter key before continuing. For example let's say you activate
PC-FileNotes at the DOS prompt when the default drive is A. You change
to drive C during PC-FileNotes and elect not to return to the original
directory when you finish. Since the screen is restored to the way it
was when you activated PC-FileNotes, "A:" would still be shown as the
DOS prompt even tho C is now the drive in use. Pressing Return or Enter
will change the prompt to the correct drive symbol "C:". This can be
important as DOS appears to get slightly confused when it knows
internally that the drive is one thing but the prompt says another.
"Some of the other programs I use also use Alt D for some task. With
PC-FileNotes loaded I can't access the other task. What should I do?"
Change PC-FileNotes's activating key combination by using the RUNME.COM
configuration program. With the PC-FileNotes disk in the default drive,
enter "RUNME" at the DOS prompt. When asked if Alt D is a good key
combination to activate PC-FileNotes, press N for No. You'll then be
given a whole range of options. Choose one that won't interfere with
your other programs.
RUNME.COM only alters the PC-FileNotes files (DM.COM and DMM.COM) that
are in the same directory it's in. Depending on where you've placed the
PC-FileNotes files, you may need to update the old versions with the
newly changed versions. If PC-FileNotes is in memory when you run the
RUNME program, you'll have to remove it from memory (using Alt-X) and
reload PC-FileNotes to notice the changes.
"The clock display doesn't update if I don't press any keys."
You're right.
"Sometimes when I quit PC-FileNotes I get a "Page (0) or (1)?" message.
What's going on?"
You have a special video card from Hercules that lets you display
graphics on a monochrome monitor. The application from which you called
PC-FileNotes is using this special graphics mode. There are two "pages"
in this mode and there is no way we can determine which page was in
effect when PC-FileNotes was called, therefore we let you do the
choosing. If the screen is not restored correctly then call up PC-
FileNotes again and choose the other page when you exit.
"Sometimes my computer locks up when using PC-FileNotes with other memory
resident programs. What can I do?"
Memory resident (MR) programs, while extremely helpful and popular, are
a tricky bunch. Unfortunately, at this point there are no clear
guidelines for MR programs to follow that ensures compatibility. While
PC-FileNotes is a docile MR program, it's possible that in combination
with other less civil programs problems could develop.
-more-
The order in which MR programs are loaded into memory can often be
critical. PC-FileNotes doesn't care when it's loaded, but other
programs, such as SideKick, are very adamant about when they should be
loaded. Go back and review the documentation for any other MR programs
you are using and make sure you're not stepping on anyones toes.
If that doesn't work then try isolating the program that's causing the
conflict. Reboot the computer. Load the memory resident version of PC-
FileNotes. Check to see that it works correctly. Then load another
memory resident program (maintaining the correct order, if necessary).
Test and see if both programs work OK. Keep loading programs in this
manner, testing each one and PC-FileNotes each time, until something
goes wrong. You've found the culprit.
If all else fails, remember, you don't have to use the memory resident
version of PC-FileNotes if you don't want. You can run the non-memory
resident version by entering "DIRR" at any DOS prompt, assuming of
course that DIRR.COM is in the current directory or in the Path
directory.