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PCHELP.DOC
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1989-06-12
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HELP FOR NEW USERS & PROBLEMS YOU MIGHT HAVE
FROM:
California Freeware
1747 E. Ave Q # C-1
Palmdale, Ca. 93550
(805) 273-0300
(C) Copyright 1989
Public domain/shareware software is very easy to use if you are familiar
with a few basic 'DOS' commands. These commands are 'COPY', 'DISKCOPY', 'DIR',
'TYPE', 'FORMAT', 'PRINT' and a few others.
None of the disks are 'bootable', which means that you cannot place
the disk in your computer, turn it on, and expect something to happen.
The first thing to do is to make a backup copy of your disk. Place
a write protect tab over the notch in the side of the diskette, this
prevents writing on your master disk that you received from us.
If you have two floppy drives:
A> DISKCOPY A: B: <enter> - will copy all files from 'A' to 'B'
If you have only one floppy drive:
A> DISKCOPY A: A: <enter> - will copy all files from the first disk
to the second disk
Put the original disk away and use the working copy only !!!
In the event that you get some sort of error message when using the
'DISKCOPY' command, you will then have to use the 'COPY' or 'XCOPY' command
to make a backup of your original disk. 'XCOPY' is available with 'DOS' V3.2
and V3.3.
If you have 2 floppy drives, place a blank 'FORMATTED' disk in your 'B'
drive and issue the following command:
A> COPY *.* B: <enter> - will copy all files from 'A' to 'B'
Please be advised that 'COPY' in the above command will NOT copy any
files that exist in any subdirectories. 'XCOPY' will copy any files that
reside in any subdirectories.
If using 'XCOPY' with a two floppy drive system, use the following
command:
A> XCOPY A: B:/S <enter> - will copy all files in the 'A' drive and
and place them on the 'B' drive, including
any files in any subdirectories. You MUST
have a 'BLANK FORMATTED' disk in the 'B'
drive.
Please consult your 'DOS' manual about subdirectories or the 'XCOPY'
command.
If you have only 1 floppy drive and a hard drive, replace the 'B' in
the above command with a 'C' and copy the files to your hard drive. We
suggest that you make a subdirectory on your hard drive to copy the files
to, so that you do not copy files into your 'root directory'. Please consult
your 'DOS' manual about subdirectories.
You could then copy the files from your hard drive back to another
'FORMATTED' floppy with the following command:
C> COPY *.* A: <enter> - will copy files from 'C' to 'A'
The next thing to do is see what files are on the disk. Place the
working copy in the 'A' drive and enter the following command:
A> DIR <enter> - you will see columns of information about the files.
A filename consists of two parts; the filename and the extension. The
filename will be on the left (up to 8 characters long), the extension will
be just to the right (up to 3 characters long).
You will be looking for certain extension names; which will tell you
something about the types of files that you will be using.
When referring to files, you must use the filename and the extension
with a period separating them.
If there are less than eight characters in the filename do not use spaces.
Example:
(filename) (extension)
README DOC must be referred to as README.DOC
==============================================================================
The following is a list of frequently used file extensions:
******************************************************************************
* IMPORTANT.....IMPORTANT.....IMPORTANT.....IMPORTANT.....IMPORTANT *
*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* EXE - a program file executed by typing the filename (1st 8 characters) *
* *
* COM - a command file executed by typing the filename (1st 8 characters) *
* *
* BAT - a batch file - contains 'DOS' commands, executed by typing the *
* filename (1st 8 characters only) *
* *
* BAS - a 'BASIC' program. Needs GWBASIC or BASICA to run the program. *
* *
* ARC - an archived file - needs to be unarchived, contains many files. *
* *
* DOC - A DOCUMENTATION FILE - instructions about the program - READ THIS *
* *
* TXT - A DOCUMENTATION FILE - instructions about the program - READ THIS *
******************************************************************************
You may also see files like:
README (no extension)
READ.ME
README.1ST
README.DOC
MANUAL (no extension)
MANUAL.DOC
These are all documentation files that will tell you about the program,
how to start the program or how to work the program properly. Generally,
files that do not have extensions are some type of documentation file.
VERY IMPORTANT: READ DOCUMENTATION FILES FIRST BEFORE RUNNING THE PROGRAM!!!
===============================================================================
To view a documentation file on your screen, use the 'TYPE' command.
With your program disk in the 'A' drive enter the following command:
A> TYPE filename.ext <enter> - where 'filename.ext' would be README.DOC
or whatever the filename is that you wish to view on the screen.
The 'TYPE' command enables you to view documentation on the screen.
To stop the text from scrolling by, press 'CTRL S' (the CTRL key and
the 'S' key at the same time), press any other key to resume scrolling.
If you have an 'enhanced' 101 key keyboard, you can use the pause key to
stop the text from scrolling by, and press any other key to resume the
text scrolling.
To obtain a printout of the documentation simply replace the 'TYPE'
command with the 'DOS' command 'COPY'. Turn your printer on and enter
the following command:
A> COPY filename.ext PRN <enter> - where filename would be README.DOC or
whatever file you wish to print.
===============================================================================
An 'EXE', 'COM', or 'BAT' file extension means that when you enter the
filename (1st 8 characters only), the computer will do something. For instance:
if the filename were 'POKER.EXE', or 'POKER.COM', or 'POKER.BAT' you would
enter the following at the 'A>' prompt:
A> POKER <enter> - the poker program would now come up on the screen.
In the case of the 'BAT' extension, documentation could be displayed
on the screen. 'BAT' files do not always cause programs to start 'running'.
===============================================================================
Another type of file (a little tricky to run) is a 'BASIC' file. These
types have the 'BAS' extension. Any file with this extension must be run with
the 'BASIC' interpreter.
The 'Basic' interpreter is a program reading Basic Source Code and converts
the source code, enabling the computer to understand how to run a program.
The 'Basic' interpreter is not public domain, it is not contained on any
program disks purchased from California Freeware. 'Basic' usually comes
with 'DOS' on the 'supplemental' disk when you purchase your computer.
That simply means that you must have a copy of either 'GWBASIC.EXE' if
you have a clone, or 'BASICA.COM' if you have an 'IBM'. These 2 files (GWBASIC
and the 'BAS' file) must reside together or be able to find each other.
An easy way to do this is to simply copy 'GWBASIC.EXE' to the disk that
contains the 'BAS' files. When both files are together and this disk was
in the 'A' drive you would enter the following command:
A> GWBASIC POKER <enter> - the poker program would now be 'running'
and you would be playing the game.
Another way, if you have 2 floppy drives and the 'BASIC' interpreter
was in the 'A' drive and your program file (BAS extension) was in the 'B'
drive, issue the following command from the 'B' drive:
B> A:GWBASIC POKER <enter> - this tells your computer to look to
the 'A' drive to find the 'BASIC' interpreter
and will now run your 'Basic' program.
Another way, if the 'BASIC' interpreter is on your hard drive, you
could copy the files from your floppy disk (with the 'BAS' extensions) to
your hard drive into the same subdirectory as your 'BASIC' interpreter
and issue the following command:
C> GWBASIC POKER <enter> - the poker program would now be 'running'
and you would be playing the game.
When you exit the BASIC interpreter, you will get the prompt 'OK', to
go back to the 'DOS' prompt, type the following 'BASIC' command:
A> SYSTEM <enter>
NOTE: This command is only needed if your get the 'OK'. It really depends
on how the Basic program was written.
===============================================================================
VERY IMPORTANT !!! VERY IMPORTANT !!! VERY IMPORTANT !!!
Another very important file is one with an 'ARC' extension. This means
it is an archived file and contains many smaller files within it which must
be extracted before they can be used. Typically, this type of file is sent
over a phone line via a modem, so that none of the files are lost. You get
one file that contains many files within it. The data is 'compressed' so
that it actually takes up less space than the files contained within it.
This is done to save space on some disk(s) you received, either by us
or by the author himself.
A HELPFUL HINT ABOUT ARCHIVES:
The program most commonly used is called 'PKXARC.COM' or 'PKUNPAK.EXE'.
Please check your disk by doing a 'DIR' to see which 'unarcing' program is
contained on your disk. There are a couple of different ways that these
'unarcing' programs are used.
If you try to 'unarc' the 'ARC' file onto the same floppy that you
received you may run into problems because there may not be enough room
on that disk for the 'ARC' file and the files that get extracted from it.
When you fill up the floppy disk, you will get an error message telling
you that the disk is full and all of the files will not have been extracted.
It is best to copy all the files from your floppy disk to your hard
disk and extract them onto your hard disk. If you use this method and the
name of the 'archived' file was called 'TEST.ARC', you would use the
following command:
C> PKXARC TEST <enter> - filenames will now start appearing on
your screen as they are extracted.
Another way, if you had 2 floppy drives; the 'ARC' file and either
'PKUNPAK.EXE' or 'PKXARC.COM' in the 'A' drive and a 'BLANK FORMATTED'
disk in the 'B' drive, you could use the following command:
A>PKXARC TEST B: <enter> - this would extract all the files and place
them on a disk that was in the 'B' drive.
You MUST have a 'BLANK FORMATTED' disk in the 'B' drive when issuing
the above command or else you will get an error message.
In some cases the author has created a special 'EXE' file, so that
when you enter the name, that 'EXE' file will itself extract the files
contained within it. This is called a 'self-extracting' archive. Generally,
this special archive file must be copied to a hard drive before entering
the filename. Usually the author will include a 'README' file explaining
that this is one of those special 'self-extracting' archives.
In this case, if the filename were 'TEST.EXE' you would copy the file
to your hard drive and enter the following command:
C> TEST <enter> - filenames will now start appearing on your
screen as they are extracted.
In this case you do NOT need 'PKXARC.COM' or 'PKUNPAK.EXE' to do
the extracting, just the one file, all by itself.
Unfortunately, there is really no way by just looking at the
filename to decipher if it is indeed a 'self-extracting' archive or
simply just the program itself.
===============================================================================
Hopefully this help sheet will enable you to understand and use your
disks. If all this still sounds like 'GREEK', then we strongly suggest that
you purchase the following disks or pick up a book about 'DOS' at your local
bookstore.
#257 - BEGINNERS - a tutorial on using public domain/shareware software
#256 - DOS TUTORIAL - an excellent program teaching about your
computer & how to use 'DOS' commands
#255 - DOS HELP - on-line help screens for 'DOS' commands
Happy computing,
California Freeware
1747 E. AVE Q # C-1
Palmdale, Ca. 93550
(805) 273-0300
(C) Copyright 1989