Night Owl 6/Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso/008a/pc_bench.zip/PCBENCH.HLP

Text File | 1991-09-15 | 24KB | 621 lines

***
BENCHMARKMENU
Run Benchmarks Menu

This menu contains all functions pertaining to executing benchmark
tests on the currently used PC.
***
HARDWAREMENU
Hardware Information Menu

This menu contains all functions which will detect and test the
configuration of subsystems in the currently used PC.
***
DATABASEMENU
Database Functions Menu

This menu contains all functions which allow you to work with PC-BENCH
benchmark database information.
***
EXITMENU
Exiting PC-BENCH

To exit PC-BENCH, use the Quit-menu, selection Exit to DOS.

If all benchmark tests have been executed, PC-BENCH will ask you if
you would like to save the current results to the PC-BENCH database.
This is the only means for saving benchmark results!

 PC-BENCH version 1.4 (C) 1988-1991 Aki Korhonen
 Phone: [phone]
 Fax:   [phone]
 Address: 127 Twin Palms
          Palm Springs, California 92264
***
RUNALL
Executing All Benchmark Tests At One Time

For ease of use, it is possible to execute all benchmark tests in one
batch.

Keep in mind that once started, the benchmark tests can not be aborted
until all of them are done.

None of the tests will write information to any of the massmemory
devices, and when RAM memory is written to, only properly allocated
memory areas are used.

PC-BENCH shows correct fixed disk benchmark results only if disk
caching is not active!
***
RAMROMSETUP
RAM & ROM Memory Configuration
PC-BENCH will display information about the current configuration and
contents of RAM and ROM.
RAM types:
1) Main Memory - memory within the first megabyte of address space.
2) Expanded Memory - additional memory, which can be accessed using a
   special driver software. Other names: LIM-memory, EMM.
3) Extended Memory - additional memory which is located above the
   first megabyte of address space (286 and later CPU's).
ROM types:
1) ROM on add-on-boards - these are chips located on expansion cards.
   They provide an interface to the expansion card they are on.
   Examples: Video BIOS, SCSI-adapter BIOS, fixed disk BIOS.
2) BASIC ROM - contains Microsoft Basic, which can be used without
   loading MS-DOS into memory.
3) BIOS ROM - this ROM is always present. It contains routines that
   keep up the PC system. It performs all basic input/output functions
   so far as these have not been replaced by expansion card ROMs.
***
CRTINFO
Crt Adapter Information

This function will identify the type of the display adapter which is
in use in the current system, the amount of memory installed on the
adapter card (if available) and information on the Video-BIOS (if
available).

PCBENCH will correctly identify any of the following cards:
MGA, Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA, PGA

If the card is either EGA or VGA, the size of RAM mounted on the card
will be identified. However, due to a restriction in the Video-BIOS
the maximum amount that can be correctly assessed is 256k.

If a Video-BIOS is present, the size of it, and a copyright notice
will be displayed.
***
CRTPERFORMANCE
CRT Performance

This function will test the performance of the CRT of your computer.
It will do so using four screens, which will immediately show to you
if your monitor is of high or low quality.

Signs of lower quality:
- distortion of screen contents
- degrading sharpness of lines at the edges the screen
- appearance of any colors other than white
- size of the image on screen changes
- an audible sound which is emitted from the monitor

The best screen I have _EVER_ seen, which did not show any of the
signs mentioned above was made by Nokia Data (a company in Finland,
Europe). Nothing else has never come even close to that (except LCD).

When running the tests, press the Space Bar to move to the next screen
or ESC to go back to the menu.
***
COMPORTS
Communications Adapter Information

PC-BENCH will identify the serial and parallel ports which are
installed in the current PC.

Identification is based on the typical I/O-memory location at which
these adapters are present. These are correlated with the BIOS
allocation of COM and LPT ports. IRQ-information is not tested, but
only assumed to be correct.

If PC-BENCH could identify a serial or parallel port, the current
configuration of it will be displayed.

Sometimes PC-BENCH can identify a port that is not really there.
Reason: a direct I/O-memory read returned information that led to
believe that a communications port might exist.

These routines will not reconfigure or write to any of the
communication ports.
***
MASSMEMORY
Disk And Diskette Information

PC-BENCH will display information about your fixed and floppy disk
drives. Logical and physical makeup of fixed disk drives are shown.
Only the types of floppy disk drives are displayed.

In the fixed disk physical information section "revolution speed" and
"interleave" are the result of measurements. They may sometimes be
incorrect.

Revolution speed and interleave are not available on 8088-based
PC-systems.

Note: Revolution speed assumes that the fixed disk has only one
index hole.
***
MISCINFO
Miscellaneous Information

PC-BENCH will correctly identify any of the following processors:
  Intel  8088, 8086, 80188, 80186, 80286, 80386, 80486
  NEC    V20, V30

And any of the following mathcoprocessors:
  Intel 8087, 80287, 80387

DOS Information is derived from DOS partitions and by asking it.

This program currently identifies the Microsoft and Mouse Systems
Mouse.

Country dependent information is specified with COUNTRY.SYS
on the DOS-level. Country information is supposed to be used by
application programs, but as you might already have noticed, most
programs do not care about it.
***
MEMORYALLOCATION
RAM Memory Allocation
MS-DOS provides memory management on PC computers. Memory management
provides means for placing multiple programs and data areas into RAM
with no danger of memory conflicts. Due to the structure of MS-DOS,
memory management is only available for RAM inside the first megabyte
of address space. Expanded memory management is performed by the EMM-
driver. Extended memory is managed by special drivers such as HIMEM.

PC memory is divided into memory blocks. Each of these memory blocks
is preceded by a definition "page", which contains the address of
whichever program "owns" the memory block, the size of the block, and
a one-byte flag, which indicates if the block is the last one in
memory. On systems running MS-DOS 3.3 or later, it is possible to find
the name and path for programs in memory.

PC-BENCH shows allocation blocks beginning with the first in memory.
If a program name for a block can not be found, references to it will
be by address ("Process at xxxxxH").
***
SOUNDTEST
Speaker Test

This is a test of the built-in speaker and the sound generating
circuitry of a PC-computer.

PC-BENCH will emit different sounds from the speaker. The sound
clarity, volume and possibly problematic frequencies can be assessed.

The first test emits sounds between 55 and 208 Hz. In the second
beeps at 220, 440 and 880 Hz are emitted. In the third a simulated
phone ring can be heard. The fourth is just for the fun. It
corresponds to what Microsoft Flight Simulators make.
***
SELECTENTRY1
Selecting A Database Entry

You are now located in a special window, which allows for the
selection of a database entry for the function requested. Use the
cursor keys to move the selector (gray bar) to which ever database
entry you would like to choose, and press ENTER to make the selection.
If you would like to go back to the previous screen, just press ESC.

PC-BENCH does not only store names and benchmark results in the
database, but also the type of processor, co-processor (if installed)
and the machine ID-byte which can be found in the BIOS ROM. This
information is available to make selection of entries easier.
***
SELECTENTRY2
Importing Database Entries

You are now located in a special window, which allows for the
selection of entries in a foreign database for the purpose of
importing them to the regular PC-BENCH database. Use the cursor keys
to move the selector (gray bar) to which ever database entry you would
like to import, and press SPACE to either add or remove the entry from
a list of entries to be imported. If the "Import" column reads "YES",
the entry will be imported, if "NO", it will not. If you would like to
go back to the previous screen, just press ESC.

PC-BENCH does not only store names and benchmark results in the
database, but also the type of processor, co-processor (if installed)
and the machine ID-byte which can be found in the BIOS ROM. This
information is available to make selection of entries easier.
***
OPTIONHELP
Comparison Options Menu

You are now located in a menu with options that can be performed on
the benchmark results. The options are:

 Print Results - Prints the current comparison to the standard printer
                 PRN. Usually PRN is directed to the first parallel
                 port, i.e. LPT1.
 Save Results As An ASCII File - Saves the current comparison as an
                 ASCII file in the same format as if it had been
                 printed using "Print Results" to a file of your
                 choice.
 Show Graphic Representation - Shows bar charts for each benchmark
                 comparison to illustrate the speed difference between
                 two computers.

Use the cursorkeys to move the selector, ENTER to select, or ESC to
exit the Options Menu.
***
FILEPRINT
Saving Results As An ASCII File

You can now enter the name for the file or device to which you would
like to print the current comparison information to. You can enter a
drive and a path with the name. Examples of valid names:

 Files: COMPARE.TXT                 Devices:   COM1
        A:COMPARE.TXT                          LPT1
        A:\COMPARE.TXT                         PRN
        C:\PCBENCH\COMPARE.TXT                 CON
        ..\PCBENCH\COMPARE.TXT                 NUL

If you would like to return to the options menu, press ENTER on an
empty line.
***
SHOWBARS
Graphic Representation Of Benchmark Results

You have activated the graphic representation mode of PC-BENCH. For
easier comparison of benchmark results, a window is displayed with a
bar chart illustrating the speed of the computers. The higher a bar
is, the more time it took to run a benchmark. Thus the highest bar
goes with the slowest computer, and the lowest with the fastest.

If a PC with a 286 or later microprocessor is compared against the
index-PC benchmark results permanently stored in PC-BENCH, the 8088-
based PC/XT will not be included in the graphic representation
(because it is usually so slow that the resolution of the bar chart is
not adequate for objective comparison).

Use the cursor up and down -keys to move the selector between
entries. Press ESC to return to the option selection window.
***
SHOWRESULTS1
Processor And Memory Benchmarks

The processor and memory benchmarks do the following:
*CLC-loop: The processor runs a loop containing commands that will
 take the same number of clock-cycles on all CPU's from 8088 to 486.
 This is the best indicator of speed difference.

*IMUL-loop: The processor runs a loop containing commands that take
 less clock-cycles on advanced CPU's than on older ones. This brings
 out the maximum speed difference between two processors.

*Math: A few simple math exercises for the 87,287,387 or 486.

*Memory 8,16,32 bit: All memory tests take the same amount of data and
 read and write it using the type of memory identified. 8 and 16 bit
 operand sizes are used on all PC's, the 32 bit operand size is only
 available for PC's with a 386 or 486 CPU. Take a close look at Video
 memory and ROM results (the typical bottlenecks in a system).
***
SHOWRESULTS2
Fixed Disk Benchmarks

The fixed disk benchmarks do the following:
*Track to track seek: average time to move Read/Write-heads from one
 track to the next.

*Average seek: average time to move RW-heads from track to X to Y.

*Full disk seek: average time to seek from track 0 to track Z, Z
 being the last track on disk. Illustrates the maximum seek time.

*DMA Test: This is the time that it takes the drive to read two
 megabytes of data. To calculate DMA-speed, just divide 2048 kb by
 the result of this benchmark (example: 2048kb/3.5s=585 kb/s).

*Read Inner/Outer Tracks: Time to read same amount of data from
 inner & outer tracks (actually 1200 kbytes). Watch for a significant
 difference in the values.
***
SHOWRESULTS3
BIOS and DOS Benchmarks

The BIOS and DOS benchmarks do the following:
*BIOS Scroll up/down: Screen is scrolled up/down 256 lines using BIOS.

*BIOS Output: 10,000 characters are printed one by one using cursor
 positioning before each entry and BIOS commands only.

*BIOS Teletype: 10,000 characters are printed one by one using BIOS's
 Teletype function. The screen will scroll.

*MSDOS Output With and Without Scroll: Compare these to BIOS Output
 and BIOS Teletype. This illustrates how much slower MSDOS is in
 placing text on screen (unless a fast ANSI-driver is in use).

*ANSI Driver Speed Test: A hard one for the ANSI-driver. On fast
 machines this will take about a second; on slow ones 20 secs is no
 problem! This illustrates the speed of screen output for the most
 best behaving application programs.
***
CURRENTVSDB
Compare Current PC vs Database

This selection is only active if all benchmark tests have been
executed on the currently used PC!

This allows the current PC-BENCH results to be compared to an entry
in the database.

You will be prompted to select an entry in the database to be compared
to the current benchmark results.

(To compare the current results to index-PC's, select the
Run Benchmarks-menu, selection View Results.)
***
DBVSDB
Compare Database vs Database

This selection allows the comparison of two entries in the database.

You will first be prompted twice to make a selection from the
database, after which a standard comparison screen will be shown.
***
DBVSINDEX
Compare Database vs Index PCs

This selection allows the comparison of a database entry to the index
PC's, which are permanently stored in PC-BENCH.

You will be prompted to make a selection from the database.
***
ENTRYNAME
Change Name of Entry

You can change the name of an entry in the PC-BENCH benchmark result
database.

You will be prompted to make a selection from the database, after
which you can change the name of the selected entry.

Any changes will not be saved to the PC-BENCH database file
TESTRESU.14 until you exit the PC-BENCH program!
***
DELETEENTRY
Delete an Entry

You can delete an entry from the PC-BENCH benchmark result database.

You will be prompted to make a selection from the database, after
which you will need to confirm the deletion.

Any changes will not be saved to the PC-BENCH database file
TESTRESU.14 until you exit the PC-BENCH program!
***
UNDOCHANGES
Undo All Changes

You can undo changes to the PC-BENCH benchmark result database.

This function will reload the database file TESTRESU.14 from disk.
Any changes during the current execution of PC-BENCH (deletions, name
changes and imported entries) will be undone.

Please remember, that PC-BENCH does not save any changes and
additions to the database until you exit from PC-BENCH back to DOS.
***
SORTENTRIES
Sort Entries

This function allows sorting of the entries in the PC-BENCH benchmark
result database.

The sort order is ascending and will be performed based on the names
of entries.

Sort will not be executed if two entries in the database have the
same name.
***
IMPORTENTRIES
Import Data

This function allows the import of new entries to the PC-BENCH
benchmark result database from other PC-BENCH version 1.4 compatible
benchmark result files.

You will be prompted for the name of the file you wish to import
from, after which you can select entries which you want to import.
***
EXPORTDBASE
Export Data to dBase III

This function allows the export of the PC-BENCH benchmark result
database to a dBase III compatible fileformat.

All entries will be exported.

Note: dBase III fileformat is used by dBase IV and FoxPro. Many
applications can read dBase III files.
***
NAMECHANGE
Changing The Name Of An Entry

You are now located in a window that allows you to change the name of
a database entry.

The previous name of the entry has been entered for you on the line.
You may change it using the backspace key and regular typed text
input.

To accept the new name, press ENTER.

If you do not want to make any changes, press ENTER immediately after
arriving in the name change window.
***
IMPORTFILENAME
Entering The Name Of A Database To Import From

You are now located in a window that allows you to enter the name of a
database, from which you would like to import new entries to the
regular PC-BENCH database.

You can enter a drive and a path with the filename. Examples:

        TESTRESU.14
        A:TESTRESU.14
        A:\TESTRESU.14
        C:\PROCOMM\DOWNLOAD\TESTRESU.14
        ..\WIN\TESTRESU.14

If you would like to go back without importing any entries, press
ENTER on an empty line.
***
DBASEFILENAME
Entering The Name For A dBase III File For Export

You are now located in a window that allows you to enter the name for
a dBase III compatible file, which will be created and filled with the
contents of the PC-BENCH benchmark result database.

You can enter a drive and a path with the filename. Examples:

        TESTRESU.DBF
        A:TESTRESU.DBF
        A:\TESTRESU.DBF
        C:\DB\FILES\TESTRESU.DBF
        ..\FOXPRO\TESTRESU.DBF

If you would like to go back without exporting, press ENTER on an
empty line.
***
NAMETHISCOMPUTER
Entering A Name For The Current Computer

You can now enter a name for the current computer. This name will be
saved to the PC-BENCH database along with the current benchmark test
results.

If you choose not to save the entry, either press ENTER while the
prefilled line reads "<none>", or press ENTER on an empty line.

The name may be up to 29 characters in length. Please make it as
descriptive as possible. Keep in mind however, that PC-BENCH will
automatically add the processor type, math coprocessor type (if any)
and the machine ID to the database.
***
EXITHELP
Saving The Current Benchmark Results

If you have run all benchmark tests, you will have the chance to save
the benchmark results in the PC-BENCH database upon exiting PC-BENCH.
If you would like to save the current benchmark results, select "YES".
Otherwise select "NO".

If you choose to save the benchmark results, you will be asked to name
the current computer.

Use the cursor keys to move the selector (gray bar). Press ENTER to
make the selection or ESC to go back.
***
NODATABASEFILE
No Database File Found

PC-BENCH could not find the file TESTRESU.14.

PCBENCH looks for it in the current directory only, so make sure the
TESTRESU.14 file is in the currently used directory.

If TESTRESU.14 is accidentally deleted or corrupted, it is possible
to use the file TESTRESU.BAK which is a backup of TESTRESU.14 prior
to the latest change.

This is not a fatal error. PC-BENCH will create a new empty database,
if you run all benchmark tests and save them upon exiting, or if you
import any entries from other database-files.
***
NOTVERSION14
Database Is Not Version 1.4

The file TESTRESU.14 is not a valid PC-BENCH 1.4 database file!

If TESTRESU.14 is accidentally deleted or corrupted, it is possible
to use the file TESTRESU.BAK which is a backup of TESTRESU.14 prior
to the latest change.

If you try to import entries from an earlier version of PC-BENCH to
version 1.4, you need to use the utility DB_TO_14.EXE, which is
sent to you upon registering your copy of PC-BENCH.

This is not a fatal error. PC-BENCH will create a new empty database,
that will be created if you run all benchmark tests and save them upon
exiting.
***
LICENSE1
PC-BENCH version 1.4 License Agreement - Page 1 of 3
This is a legal Agreement between you, the licensee, and Aki Korhonen.
BY USING THIS PROGRAM, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF
THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT,
PROMPTLY NOTIFY AKI KORHONEN, RETURN ALL PC-BENCH MATERIALS TO AKI
KORHONEN, AND RECEIVE A FULL REFUND OF THE REGISTRATION FEE.
1. DEFINITION OF "THE SOFTWARE". This Agreement shall pertain to all
materials which are part of the PC-BENCH version 1.4 benchmarking
program ("the SOFTWARE"). This includes not only the executable file
PCBENCH.EXE, but also all other files, which are provided with the
SOFTWARE, and other materials as applicable.
2. GRANT OF LICENSE. Upon proper payment of the registration fee of
US$25, Aki Korhonen grants you the right to use one copy of the
SOFTWARE on a single computer (i.e., a single terminal connected to
a single CPU). You may use the SOFTWARE on a network of computers,
provided you have obtained a separate SOFTWARE license for each
terminal and computer on the network using or having access to the
SOFTWARE. Aki Korhonen reserves any rights not expressly granted to
you in this License Agreement.
***
LICENSE2
PC-BENCH version 1.4 License Agreement - Page 2 of 3
3. COPYRIGHT. The SOFTWARE is licensed, not sold, to you. The SOFTWARE
is owned by Aki Korhonen and is protected by United States copyright
laws and international treaty provisions. Therefore you must comply
with such laws and treaties in your use of the SOFTWARE. You may
distribute the SOFTWARE freely, but you MAY NOT charge any kind of fee
for the SOFTWARE. However, you may charge a reasonable fee for
duplication and distribution costs.

4. EVALUATION PERIOD. You may use the SOFTWARE without proper
registration as required in article 2 of this agreement, PROVIDED
that the scope of use of the SOFTWARE is limited, and is restricted to
evaluating the usefulness of the SOFTWARE.

5. RESTRICTIONS OF USE. You may not assign, license, loan, rent or
lease the SOFTWARE. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or
disassemble the SOFTWARE. You may not delete parts of, append to, or
change the SOFTWARE.
***
LICENSE3
PC-BENCH version 1.4 License Agreement - Page 3 of 3
6. U.S. GOVERNMENTAL RESTRICTED RIGHTS. The SOFTWARE are provided to
the U.S. Government with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Use, duplication, or
disclosure by the Government is subject to the restrictions as set
forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and
Computer Software clause at 48 CFR & 252.227-7013 or in subparagraphs
(c)(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software-Restricted rights
clause at 48 CFR & 52.227-19, as applicable. Contractor/manufacturer
is Aki Korhonen, 127 Twin Palms, Palm Springs, Calif. 92264, U.S.A.

7. GENERAL. (a) If any provision of this Agreement is found to be
invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, the balance of this
Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. (b) This Agreement
shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, U.S.A.
without reference to its choice of law rules and not including the
1980 U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.
(c) This Agreement constitutes the entire Agreement between you and
Aki Korhonen on this subject.
***