100% Cotton Software, RR 1 Box 1622, Hop Bottom, PA 18824 USA
Help for NFL Forecaster for DOS 4.1d Setup
Please read this entire topic before installing Forecaster. It only takes a few minutes. Then press the ESC key to close this window. +
NFL Forecaster requires DOS 3.0 or later.
If the NFL season has already begun, be sure to read "Catching Up" in Forecaster's on-line help. If this is the first time that you have installed Forecaster, you should read "Trying Out Forecaster" in Forecaster's on-line help.
Contents: t
Installing
Forecaster
Uninstalling
Forecaster
Packing
Error
messages
Register
Forecaster?
INSTALLING NFL FORECASTER Contents
Forecaster's setup program makes NO changes to your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files and it does not change your PATH statement (or any other environment variable).
Setup will correctly install Forecaster from one drive and/or directory to another (that is, from a:\ to c:\fcast or from c:\temp to c:\sports or from c:\fcast to c:\fcast).
FCAST.CFG, FCAST.HLP, NAMES.NFL, SCHEDULE.NFL and MAIN-DTA.NFL must be in the same directory as FCAST.EXE or the directory in which they are placed must be in your DOS PATH statement (see your DOS manual) in order for Forecaster to find them. When Forecaster needs a file, it first looks in the current directory, then the startup directory and then in the directories in your PATH statement. T
Do NOT install Forecaster for DOS in the same directory as Forecaster for Windows. Q
1. Setup needs to know the source path
Setup will offer as a default the path from which it was run. Most of the time this is acceptable and you should press the Tab key to move to the input box for the destination path. (It's very unlikely that Setup would be in one directory and the rest of the Forecaster files in another.) m
2. You need to type in the complete destination path
Enter the drive and directory to which you want Forecaster installed. Setup will offer as a default "c:\fcast." For most people, this is acceptable. If you want to install Forecaster somewhere else, type in the complete path: drive:\subdirectory. For example, you might enter "c:\sports\football". Or, to install Forecaster on a floppy disk in your b: drive you might type "b:". NOTE: the complete Forecaster package will not fit on a 360K or 720K floppy; Setup will issue an error message and cancel if there is not enough disk space. M
3. You need to choose a display type
Press one of the radio buttons to choose installation for a color or monochrome system. If you have a color display adapter card and a color monitor (CRT), then press the "Color" radio button. If you have a monochrome display adapter card and a monochrome monitor (CRT), press the "Monochrome" button. If you have a color display adaptor card and a monochrome monitor (MCGA, for example), press the "Color" button.
From within NFL Forecster you can modify any of its colors by choosing Options\Views\Colors from its menu. Because there are many color choices, Forecaster is shipped with two configuration files: COLOR.CFG and MONOCHRM.CFG. They are identical except for the color settings. Setup will rename one of these files to FCAST.CFG during installation depending upon which display-type radio button you press.
FCAST.CFG contains all of Forecaster's various options settings. Options are always saved to FCAST.CFG, so you might want to make backup copies of both .CFG files to make it easier to later move Forecaster from a color to a monochrome system or vice versa. U
4. Press the "Install Forecaster" button
When you press the "Install Forecaster" button, Setup will (1) copy the Forecaster files from the source path to the destination path. If the source and destination paths are identical, Setup will not attempt to copy the files. It will also rename the appropriate .CFG file. x
If it finds that there is already a configuration file (FCAST.CFG) in the destination path, it will ask if you want to replace it. If you have customized an earlier version of Forecaster, you should answer "No" so that your FCAST.CFG file will not be replaced. (The format of the version 4.0d (and later) FCAST.CFG is identical to the format of the version 2.0d FCAST.CFG.) @
If you already have a MAIN-DTA.NFL file in the destination path, Setup will ask if you want to replace it with the new MAIN-DTA.NFL. If you have used NFL Forecaster's Quick or Enter Scores functions to enter scores, the updated rankings have been saved to MAIN-DTA.NFL. The updated rankings will be erased if the new MAIN-DTA.NFL replaces the one already on your disk. If you have been using NFL Forecaster each week, your MAIN-DTA.NFL is up-to-date. The new MAIN-DTA.NFL may not be up-to-date (if you are installing new version of NFL Forecaster during the 5th week of the season, for example). If you are installing a registered version of NFL Forecaster, MAIN-DTA.NFL will be up-to-date to the day it was shipped. If you are installing an unregistered version, MAIN-DTA.NFL is up-to-date for the first week of the season.
Therefore, if you are installing Forecaster before the NFL season has begun, you should PROBABLY LET Setup replace the MAIN-DTA.NFL file.
If you're installing Forecaster after the NFL season has begun AND you have been using Forecaster each week, you should PROBABLY NOT LET Setup replace the MAIN-DTA.NFL FILE.
If you are installing Forecaster after the NFL Season has begun and you have NOT been using Forecaster each week, you should PROBABLY LET Setup replace the MAIN-DTA.NFL file. /
5. Setup is completed
Log on to the drive and directory that contain the installed Forecaster files and type "fcast" or (if Forecaster is installed on your c: drive) type "c:\fcast\fcast". See your DOS manual for information about placing the Forecaster directory in your PATH statement so that you can run Forecaster from any other directory.
PACKING LIST Contents
Files installed in the destination path:
FCAST.HLP -- the on-line help file
FCAST.EXE -- the program file
COLOR.CFG -- a configuration file with color settings for a
color system; Setup may rename it FCAST.CFG
MONOCHRM.CFG -- a configuration file with monochrome settings
for a monochrome system; Setup may rename it FCAST.CFG
NAMES.NFL -- contains team and city names
MAIN-DTA.NEW -- the main data file; renamed to MAIN-DTA.NFL
after setup
SCHEDULE.NFL -- the 1996-97 schedule file
WEEK-??.yy -- one or more archive files (for example, week-17.95)
FCAST.ICO -- an icon that can be used to install Forecaster on
Windows desktop (see on-line help)
Other files:
SETUP.EXE -- the program that installs NFL Forecaster; probably
delete after installation is completed
SETUP.HLP -- the on-line help file for setup; probably delete
after installation is completed
README.1ST -- a text file that contains latest information;
probably delete after reading
PRODUCTS.TXT -- contains a description of 100% Cotton Software
products
VENDINFO.DIZ -- contains important information about
after reading; the same information is contained in the
on-line help file
FILE-ID.DIZ -- short description of Forecaster for vendors;
delete after installation
ERROR MESSAGES Contents
Rarely are there any problems during Forecaster setup, especially since it does not make permanent changes to your system configuration files and the installation of Forecaster is rather simple compared to larger, more complex applications. In the unlikely event that you do encounter problems, you may find the following information useful.
If an error occurs during installation, Setup will issue an error message. Many of the messages are self-explanatory, such as "#5 Invalid source path (it doesn't exist)" or "#7 Not enough free disk space to install NFL Forecaster." Others require some explanation.
#9 Unable to open source file
#11 Error reading source file
#12 Error reading source file or writing destination file
(.txt)