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The Alcor Cash Register Point of Sale & Inventory Control System Version 1.01 Shareware Evaluation Copy October 7, 1991 For IBM PC and Compatible Computers USERS GUIDE Copyright (c) 1991 by The Alcor Group, Inc, All Rights Reserved DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY AND AGREEMENT Users of The Alcor Cash Register must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "The Alcor Cash Register is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of The Alcor Cash Register." The Alcor Cash Register is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using The Alcor Cash Register and continue to use The Alcor Cash Register after a reasonable trial period, you must make a registration payment of $79.00 to The Alcor Group, Inc.. The $79.00 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Commercial users of The Alcor Cash Register must register and pay for their copies of The Alcor Cash Register within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting The Alcor Group, Inc.. Anyone distributing The Alcor Cash Register for any kind of remuneration must first contact The Alcor Group, Inc. at the address below for authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering The Alcor Cash Register immediately (However The Alcor Group, Inc. must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of The Alcor Cash Register.). You are encouraged to pass a copy of The Alcor Cash Register along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it. All registered users will receive a copy of the latest version of The Alcor Cash Register system and one set of bound manuals. TABLE OF CONTENTS Definition of Shareware...................................1 Files in the distribution disk............................1 Registering your Software.................................2 Benefits of registering...................................2 Cost of Registering.......................................3 Registering by check or money order.......................4 Registering by Credit Card................................4 Order Form (Check or Money Order).........................5 Order Form (Credit Card)..................................6 How to Contact the Author.................................7 1. Introduction ..........................................8 Highlights of The Alcor Cash Register ...............8 Start Benefiting Today ..............................8 Technical Support ...................................9 Making a Backup Copy ................................9 To make backup copies of The Alcor Cash Register's diskette from a two drive system: ...9 Making a Backup Disk From a One Diskette Drive System ...................................10 2. Getting Started .......................................10 Installing The Alcor Cash Register ..................11 MS-DOS ..............................................11 System Requirements .................................11 Installation ........................................12 3. Navigating The Alcor Cash Register ....................13 Selecting Menu Options ..............................13 Cursor Movement ................................13 Within a Screen ...........................13 Within a Field ............................13 Scrolling Data Screens ....................13 Mouse Activity .................................14 The Help System ................................14 4. The Setup Program .....................................15 Running the Setup Program From Your Hard Drive ......15 Running the Setup Program From a Disk Drive .........15 5. Starting The Alcor Cash Register ......................16 Starting from a Hard Disk ...........................16 Starting from a Floppy System .......................16 Entering The Opening Cash ...........................16 6. The Main Menu .........................................17 Process A Retail Sale ...............................17 Lookup A Retail Price ...............................18 Process A Wholesale Sale ............................18 Lookup A Wholesale Price ............................19 Reconcile The Cash Drawer ...........................19 Maintenance Menu ....................................20 Exit The Program ....................................20 7. The Maintenance Menu ..................................21 Run The Daily Report ................................21 Editing The Inventory ...............................21 The Inventory Report ................................21 The Order Report ....................................21 Setting Up The System Defaults ......................22 Returning To The Main Menu ..........................22 8. Reconciling The Cash Drawer ...........................23 Entering the days Receipts. .........................23 Entering Total Checks ..........................23 Entering Total Charges .........................23 Entering One Hundred Dollar Bills ..............23 Entering Fifty Dollar Bills ....................23 Entering Twenty Dollar Bills ...................23 Entering Ten Dollar Bills ......................23 Entering Five Dollar Bills .....................23 Entering One Dollar Bills ......................23 Entering Half Dollars ..........................24 Entering Quarters ..............................24 Entering Dimes .................................24 Entering Nickels ...............................24 Entering Pennies ...............................24 Cash Drawer Condition ...............................25 A Balanced Drawer ..............................25 A Short Drawer .................................25 An Over Drawer .................................25 9. Editing And Entering Inventory ........................26 Editing The Inventory ...............................26 First Record ...................................26 Next Record ....................................26 Previous Record ................................26 Last Record ....................................26 Insert New Record ..............................26 Search For Record ..............................26 Delete This Record .............................27 Toggle Sort Field ..............................27 Edit This Record ...............................27 Export Records .................................27 Add to Inventory ...............................27 Quit Edit Menu .................................27 Inventory Database Field Descriptions ...............27 Inventory Item Number ..........................27 Post To Alcor Accounting Accounts ..............27 Inventory Item Description .....................28 Inventory Item Cost ............................28 Inventory Item Price ...........................28 Inventory Item Wholesale Price .................28 Is This Item Taxable? ..........................28 Inventory Quantity in Stock ....................28 Inventory Minimum Stock Level ..................28 10. Entering Customer Sales ..............................29 Entering A Retail Transaction .......................29 Entering The Quantity Purchased ................30 Entering The Amount Tendered ...................30 Printing A Customer Receipt ....................30 Entering A Wholesale Transaction ....................30 Entering The Quantity Purchased ................30 Entering The Amount Tendered ...................30 Printing A Customer Receipt ....................30 Entering A Tax Exempt Transaction ...................30 Entering A Tax Exempt Number ...................30 11. Setting Up System Defaults ...........................31 Print Receipts As Default? ..........................31 Password Protect Wholesale Sections? ................31 Interface With The Alcor Accounting Program? ........31 12. A Sample Day With The Alcor Cash Register ............32 Appendix .................................................33 A. Quick DOS Primer ......................................33 The DOS Prompt ......................................33 Changing Disk Drives ................................33 Changing Directories ................................33 Creating Directories ................................33 Deleting Directories ................................33 Formatting Floppy Disks .............................34 Copying Diskettes ...................................34 Checking For Available Disk Space ...................35 Setting The Date And Time ...........................35 B. Editing Keys ..........................................36 Cursor Movement .....................................36 Inserting and Deleting ..............................36 Other Editing Keys ..................................36 C. System Failure Error Message ..........................37 Possible causes: ....................................37 D. System Failure ........................................38 DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. FILES ON THE DISTRIBUTION DISK (SHAREWARE VERSION) The Alcor Cash Register is distributed in a single compressed file named ALCOR-CR.EXE. This file is a Self extracting file. The following files are obtained by decompressing ALCOR-CR.EXE. crread.me Preliminary information crorder.txt The Alcor Cash Register Registration and order form crmanual.txt The Alcor Cash Register Users Guide Manual crprint.bat A batch file to print the manual vendor.doc Information for vendors, Bulletin boards, and Users Groups of shareware software response.txt User Response and Feedback form cr.exe The Alcor Cash Register Program crsetup.exe The Alcor Cash Register Setup Program crbackit.bat A batch file to rebuild damaged data files alreg.hlp The help system index file (used by cr.exe) version.dat Startup default data file for cr.exe version.ndx Startup default index file for cr.exe The Alcor Cash Register is not public domain (free). It may be evaluated free for a period not to exceed 30 days. See the file crorder.txt for registration and ordering information. 1 REGISTERING YOUR SOFTWARE The Alcor Cash Register is distributed as User-Supported software. You are free to copy and distribute this software freely, however, if you find it of use to you, you are required to register your copy. Registering your copy of the software helps the author continue to provide professional-quality software at very reasonable prices. At the end of your 30 day trial period, you must register The Alcor Cash Register or delete it from your hard disk and destroy all copies that you have of it. BENEFITS OF REGISTERING When you register The Alcor Cash Register, you will receive the following: - A professionally typeset and bound Users Guide Manual - Free unlimited technical support (A rarity in these days) - A Disk or Disks containing the registered version of The Alcor Cash Register (All shareware notice and reminder screens will not be contained in the registered version.) - Update Notices on any future releases of The Alcor Cash Register and other Alcor Group software packages. - Discounts on purchases of other Alcor Group software. - Notification of author address and/or telephone changes. 2 COST OF REGISTERING The current registration fee for: The Alcor Cash Register 1 copy $79.00 2 to 4 copies (10% off) $71.00 each 5 to 9 copies (20% off) $63.00 each 10 to 49 copies (30% off) $55.00 each 50 to 99 copies (40% off) $47.00 each 100 + copies (45% off) $43.00 each South Carolina Residents add 5% sales tax Credit Card orders add $5.00 Shipping and Handling Charges: Per Copy: ____________________________________________________ | | | Domestic (U.S.) Orders | |____________________________________________________| | | | | | UPS Ground | 2nd Day Air | Next Day Air | |______________|__________________|__________________| | | | | | $8.00 | $19.00 | $26.50 | |______________|__________________|__________________| _____________________________________________ | | | Foreign Orders | |_____________________________________________| | | | | Air Mail | Express Mail | |______________________|______________________| | | | | | | Canada & | All Other | Canada & | All Other | | Mexico | Countries | Mexico | Countries | |__________|___________|__________|___________| | | Call | | Call | | $23.00 | for rate | $39.00 | for rate | |__________|___________|__________|___________| <<Prices subject to change without notice>> All funds must be drawn on US banks in US funds. 3 REGISTERING BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER You can order by sending check or money order to The Alcor Group, Inc. Please use the order form contained in the file crorder.txt. If you have lost this file, a copy is contained in this manual. REGISTERING BY CREDIT CARD (MC, VISA, AMEX, or DISCOVER) You can order with MC, Visa, Amex, or Discover from the Public (software) Library by calling 1-800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394 or by FAX to 1-713-524-6398 or by CIS Email to 71355,470. These numbers are for orders only. To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify us the day of your order and we will ship the product directly to you. Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, etc, must be directed to The Alcor Group. Inc. P.O. Box 864, York, SC 29745 Telephone Number 1-803-684- 9378. You can also mail credit card orders to PsL at P.O.Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705. When you register through PsL, you also will receive a coupon good for one free disk from PsL with any future order, plus the current issue of 'PsL News', which is the only major monthly magazine about shareware. Please use the order form for credit card purchases contained in the file crorder.txt. If you have lost this file, the order form is also printed in this manual. 4 ALCOR CASH REGISTER ORDER FORM (check or money orders only) DATE:________________ NAME: ______________________________________________________ COMPANY: ______________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________ (No P.O. Boxes - UPS cannot ship to P.O. Boxes) ______________________________________________________ CITY: ______________________________________________________ STATE: _________________________ ZIP CODE: __________________ COUNTRY: ______________________________________________________ PHONE: ______________________________________________________ E-MAIL ADDRESS: _______________________________________________ WHERE DID YOU GET THIS PROGRAM? ________________________________ COMMENTS: ______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ***************************************************************** * 1 copy _____ X $79.00 each $___________ * * 2 to 4 copies (10% off) _____ X $71.00 each $___________ * * 5 to 9 copies (20% off) _____ X $63.00 each $___________ * * 10 to 49 copies (30% off) _____ X $55.00 each $___________ * * 50 to 99 copies (40% off) _____ X $47.00 each $___________ * * 100+ copies (45% off) _____ X $43.00 each $___________ * * * * Subtotal $___________ * * South Carolina residents please add 5% sales tax $___________ * * Shipping and Handling charge from chart $___________ * * * * TOTAL ENCLOSED $___________ * * * * Shipping Method _______________________ * * * * Diskette type (check or circle one): [ ] 5.25" [ ] 3.5" * * * * Checks & Money Orders must be drawn on US banks in US funds * * * * Payment (check or circle one): [ ] Check [ ] Money Order * ***************************************************************** Make Checks and Money Orders Payable to: The Alcor Group, Inc. Mail Completed Form with Payment To: The Alcor Group, Inc. P.O. Box 864 York, SC 29745 U.S.A. 5 ALCOR CASH REGISTER ORDER FORM (Credit cards only) (Use this order form when ordering by Credit Card through PsL) To order by phone, call 1-800-2424-PsL or 1-713-524-6394 Product Number 10394 DATE:___________ NAME: ______________________________________________________ COMPANY: ______________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________ (No P.O. Boxes - UPS cannot ship to P.O. Boxes) ______________________________________________________ CITY: ______________________________________________________ STATE: _________________________ ZIP CODE: __________________ COUNTRY: ______________________________________________________ PHONE: ______________________________________________________ (WE MUST HAVE A PHONE NUMBER TO PROCESS) (CREDIT CARD ORDERS !) E-MAIL ADDRESS: _______________________________________________ WHERE DID YOU GET THIS PROGRAM? ________________________________ ***************************************************************** * 1 copy _____ X $79.00 each $___________ * * 2 to 4 copies (10% off) _____ X $71.00 each $___________ * * 5 to 9 copies (20% off) _____ X $63.00 each $___________ * * 10 to 49 copies (30% off) _____ X $55.00 each $___________ * * 50 to 99 copies (40% off) _____ X $47.00 each $___________ * * 100+ copies (45% off) _____ X $43.00 each $___________ * * * * Subtotal $___________ * * South Carolina residents please add 5% sales tax $___________ * * Shipping and Handling charge from chart $___________ * * * * TOTAL $___________ * * Shipping Method _______________________ * * Diskette type (check or circle one): [ ] 5.25" [ ] 3.5" * * * * Payment Method (check or circle one): * * [ ] MC [ ] Visa [ ] Amex [ ] Discover * * Card Number: _______________________________________________ * * Expiration Date:_______________________ * * SIGNATURE: ________________________________________________ * ***************************************************************** Mail Completed Form To: PsL P.O. Box 35705 Houston, TX 77235-5705 U.S.A. Or fax to:1-713-524-6398 or email to CIS Email 71355,470 6 HOW TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR The biggest complaint I hear about shareware programs is that authors of programs move or change their telephone number and users are not able to locate them for technical support. We have come up with a method so you can locate us several years from now, no matter how many times we may move or change telephone numbers as our company grows. The address below will be good until the year 2000. Arrangements have been made with a mailing agent to monitor this address and forward any and all correspondence and orders to us. This tracing address is: The Alcor Group, Inc. P.O. Box 864 York, SC 29745 If you are viewing this file after the year 2000, you have received an evaluation copy that is extremely out of date. Please locate a new copy of The Alcor Cash Register from any major BBS or shareware distributor. Our current address at the time of this release is: The Alcor Group, Inc. 730-C Hwy 321 Bypass York, SC 29745 Our current telephone number at the time of this release is: 1-803-684-9378 Our current CompuServe CIS Email number is 70323,1453 If we cannot be reached at this number, please write to the tracing address to obtain our new telephone number. Always send product orders to the P.O. Box address, this will guarantee that we will receive the order. If you are ever in the area, please feel free to drop by our office and say hi. Registered users will always be sent change of address and telephone number notification. If you move after you have registered your copy of The Alcor Cash Register, please contact us so that we can maintain your current address. We hope that this idea will be adopted by other shareware authors. We think it's a great idea. 7 1. Introduction The Alcor Cash Register has been designed for the non- computer user. Great care has been taken to create a computer based point of sale and inventory control program that is simple to use. The Alcor Cash Register can handle an unlimited (limited by disk space only) number of inventory and/or service items. Read through the manual to see the basics of The Alcor Cash Register. Highlights of The Alcor Cash Register Dynamic update of items sales and inventory data. Tracks sales of items and services. Barcode reader support. Prints INVOICE/RECEIPTS. Automatic sales tax calculations and recording. Supports retail and wholesale pricing. Supports Tax Exempt sales. Unlimited number of inventory items and/or services. Total integration with all Alcor systems. Produces Inventory reports and count sheets. Flags low inventory items. Full mouse support. Menu driven for ease of use. Export data to your favorite applications. And Much Much More....... If you have any comments or suggestions about improving The Alcor Cash Register, we would love to hear from you. Start Benefiting Today You can begin using The Alcor Cash Register immediately, even if you are not experienced with computers or inventory management systems. This manual has step by step instructions for installing and setting up The Alcor Cash Register. If you need extra assistance in using the DOS operating system commands of your computer, you can refer to the Appendix of this manual for explanations of those commands and terms you may need to know. You do not need to be an experienced inventory manager to use The Alcor Cash Register. The Alcor Cash Register is easy to use. You select the tasks you want to perform from a series of menus that are displayed on the computer screen. Prompts and questions are displayed to help lead you through all steps of the task that you selected. Remember that help is available from any place in the program. You only need to press the [F1] key on your computers keyboard to access the context-sensitive help system. 8 Technical Support We provide free, unlimited technical support for all our current products. You gain access to this support when you register your program. We will provide some technical support for un-registered users. Our support comes to you through several different channels: through the mail personal letters application notes newsletters new diskettes automated telephone advisories telephone conversations FAX communications The Technical Support Department is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. If you have problems or questions about this software, please consult the User Guide or other documentation that accompanied this product. If you still need assistance, contact our Technical Support Department. Technical Support's telephone number is 1-803-684-9378. Making a Backup Copy Before you start working with The Alcor Cash Register, it is a good idea to make a backup copy of The Alcor Cash Register diskette. Then you can keep the original diskettes in a safe place, and use the backup diskettes for your work. The instructions which follow will show you how to make a set of backup diskettes if you have a one or two diskette drive system. If you have some other combination of disk drive and do not know how to make your own backups, you can either skip this procedure or consult your DOS manual or technical resource person for assistance. You will want to make either a set of 5 1/4" backups or 3 1/2" backups. To make backup copies of The Alcor Cash Register's diskette from a two drive system: 1. For each original The Alcor Cash Register diskette, you will need one diskette which has been formatted by DOS. Label your backup diskette as The Alcor Cash Register backup #1. 2. Start your computer. 3. Insert the original The Alcor Cash Register diskette in Drive A. 9 4. Insert The Alcor Cash Register backup diskette in Drive B. 5. Type: B: and then Press: <ENTER> 6. At the B> prompt Type: COPY A: *.* and then Press: <ENTER> 7. When copying is done, remove the diskettes. Making a Backup Disk From a One Diskette Drive System 1. Insert your DOS disk in the A: drive. 2. Have an additional blank diskette handy. 3. Type: A: then press <ENTER> then at the A> prompt type DISKCOPY A: A: 4. At the prompt, insert the source disk (The Alcor Cash Register disk) into the A: drive and press <ENTER>. 5. At the prompt, insert the target disk (blank diskette) into the A: drive. 6. Press <ENTER>. The target disk is an exact copy of the source disk. 10 2. Getting Started This chapter contains step by step instructions for installing The Alcor Cash Register on your computer. This chapter also describes the equipment that you will need to run The Alcor Cash Register. Installing The Alcor Cash Register The following information should be carefully reviewed before beginning the installation of The Alcor Cash Register. MS-DOS To get the most from The Alcor Cash Register, you should have some basic knowledge of MS-DOS - the Disk Operating System for your computer. If you are unfamiliar with the operating system, reference the DOS manual that came with your computer or have your dealer provide instructions. Also, in the Appendix of this manual is a Quick DOS primer which briefly describes those commands you are most likely to use. System Requirements The Alcor Cash Register runs on the IBM PC family of computers, including the XT, AT, and PS/2, along with all true IBM compatibles. The Alcor Cash Register requires DOS 2.0 or higher and at least 640K; it runs on any 80-column monitor. The minimum requirement is one floppy drive, or a hard disk. The Alcor Cash Register supports almost any 80 column printer on the market. Your printer must be connected to LPT1 or redirected to PRN. The Alcor Cash Register includes floating-point routines that let your programs make use of an 80x87 math coprocessor chip. It emulates the chip if it is not available. Though it is not required to run The Alcor Cash Register, the 80x87 chip can significantly enhance your program's performance. The Alcor Cash Register also supports a mouse. Though the mouse isn't required, if you have one, you must have one of the following for full compatibility: Microsoft Mouse version 6.1 or later, or any mouse compatible with this mouse Logitech Mouse version 3.4 or later Mouse Systems' PC Mouse version 6.22 or later IMSI Mouse version 6.11 or later The Alcor Cash Register also supports a keyboard interface Bar Code Reader. With the installation of a bar code reader you can use the UPC bar codes on merchandise as your stock numbers. 11 Installation The Alcor Cash Register can be installed in many ways, but many users use the following method ( for a hard disk): C:\> MKDIR ALCOR-CR C:\> CD ALCOR-CR C:\ALCOR-CR> COPY A: *.* C:\> ALCOR-CR.EXE (This step will unarchive the Alcor Cash Register file to the directory you are currently in.) The Shareware version of the Alcor Cash Register is designed to run on a hard disk, or a high density single floppy drive. A two floppy drive version is available and include in the registered version. The two drive version holds program files on drive A and data on drive B. 12 3. Navigating The Alcor Cash Register To avoid repetition in the manual, the following are a few basic operational rules that apply throughout when using The Alcor Cash Register. Selecting Menu Options There are three ways to select menu options in The Alcor Cash Register. When you need to select a Menu item, use one of the following methods: Press the highlighted letter to access the menu option. Use the arrow keys to highlight the menu option and press ENTER. Click on the menu option with the left mouse button. Cursor Movement Within a Screen Down Arrow, Tab, and Enter - Move the cursor to the next physical field. Up Arrow, and Shift-Tab - Move the cursor to the previous physical field. Ctrl-Home - Moves the cursor to the first field on the screen. Ctrl-End - Moves the cursor to the last field on the screen. Ctrl-Enter - Process all fields. Within a Field Right and Left Arrows - Moves the cursor one character to the left or right. Home - Moves the cursor to the first character in the field. End - Moves the cursor to the last character in the field. Del - Deletes the character above the cursor. Backspace - Deletes the character to the left of the cursor. Scrolling Data Screens Arrow Keys - Moves the Highlight bar up or down one field. Home - Moves the Highlight bar to the first line of data. End - Moves the Highlight bar to the last line of data. PgUp and PgDn - Moves the Highlight bar up or down one page at a time. 13 Mouse Activity Select - Single click with the left mouse button on the item to be selected. This includes all menu options, fields, and items listed in Look-Up windows. The Help System Press the Help key [F1] at any time to get help about the highlighted menu command, displayed error message, data entry field, or general topics. Items shown in bold face are keywords. You can select them to display additional information. By selecting keywords and listings within the help system index you can navigate through every topic contained in the help system. To exit the help system at any time, just press the escape [ESC] key on your keyboard. This will return you to the point in the program you were originally at. 14 4. The Setup Program If this is the first time you are using The Alcor Cash Register you will need to run the setup program. The setup program will customize your copy of the Alcor Cash Register with your company name, address, telephone number, sales tax rate, two note columns that will appear on each sales invoice/receipt, and your system password. If your sales tax rate is 5% you would enter it as .05. The note columns can be used for thank you notes or announcement of sales, etc. You are allowed forty characters for each note field. The company name, and address fields are also limited to 40 characters each. If you ever need to change any of the information contained in setup file, you only have to run the setup program again. Running the Setup Program From Your Hard Drive 1. At the C: prompt, type the following commands and press <ENTER> after each command. CD\<to the directory that you installed the program> CRSETUP 2. After all information is entered correctly into the setup program, hit 'Y' when prompted to do so. Running the Setup Program From a Disk Drive 1. Insert The Alcor Cash Register disk in the A: drive. 2. Type the following commands and press <ENTER> after each command. A: CRSETUP 3. After all information is entered correctly into the setup program, hit 'Y' when prompted to do so. 15 5. Starting The Alcor Cash Register Starting from a Hard Disk To start The Alcor Cash Register from your hard drive: 1. At the C: prompt, type the following commands and press <ENTER> after each command. CD\<the directory name that you installed the program> CR Starting from a Floppy System To start The Alcor Cash Register from a disk drive: 1. Insert The Alcor Cash Register Disk in the A: drive and your data disk in drive B. (Single floppy users insert your Alcor Cash Register/data disk in drive A.) 2. Type the following commands and press <ENTER> after each command. A: CR Entering The Opening Cash Add up the cash in the cash drawer that you will be starting out with for the day. Enter the total amount here. You will not be asked for your starting cash again until the Daily report is printed again. The daily report will clear this field. 16 6. The Main Menu The main menu is the first menu that will appear on your screen after starting The Alcor Cash Register. From this menu, you will be able to process transactions, lookup prices, reconcile the cash drawer, enter the maintenance menu, or exit the program to DOS. Process A Retail Sale Selecting [ Process A Retail Sale ] from the main menu will allow you to process a retail sale to a customer. You will be prompted to enter the stock number of the item to be sold. After entering the item's stock number, you will be shown the item description, price and the quantity that is in stock. If you enter a wrong stock number, press the <ESCAPE> key on your keyboard and you can then reenter the stock number. After displaying the information, you will be prompted for the quantity of this item to be sold. Continue entering stock numbers and then quantities until you have finished entering all the items for this sale. When all items have been entered, enter the letter 't' when prompted for the next stock number. This will total the sale and display the amount the customer should give you. Enter the amount of money given to you by the customer when prompted for the amount tendered. The amount of change to give back to the customer will then be displayed. If the system is set automatically to print a receipt, the receipt will be printed and you will be returned to the main menu. If the system is set not to print a receipt automatically you will need to press the letter P to print a receipt or press any other key not to print a receipt and return to the main menu. If the sale you are processing is tax exempt, enter an 'x' in the stock number field instead of a 't'. You will then be prompted to enter the customers retail sales tax identification number. The remainder of the sale process will be the same as the above example. If for any reason you need to cancel a sale. Enter the letter 'c' to cancel the sale and return to the main menu. You can only do this if you have not entered the letter 't' or 'x' to complete the sale. 17 Lookup A Retail Price Selecting [ Lookup a Retail Price ] from the main menu will allow you to see the price and the quantity in stock of any item. You will be prompted to enter the stock number of the item you wish to view. After you have finished viewing the item, just hit any key on your keyboard to return to the main menu. Process A Wholesale Sale Selecting [ Process A Wholesale Sale ] from the main menu will allow you to process a wholesale sale to a customer. If the wholesale areas of The Alcor Cash Register have been password protected, you will need to enter the proper password. Passwords do not display on the screen when entered for security reasons. You will be prompted to enter the stock number of the item to be sold. After the item's stock number is entered, you will be shown the item description, wholesale price and the quantity that is in stock. If you enter a wrong stock number, press the <ESCAPE> key on your keyboard and you can then reenter the stock number. After the item information is displayed, you will be prompted for the quantity of this item to be sold. Keep entering stock numbers and quantities until all items for this sale have been entered. After all items are entered, enter the letter 't' when prompted for the next stock number. This will total the sale and display the amount the customer should give you. Enter the amount of money given to you by the customer when prompted for the amount tendered. The amount of change to give back to the customer will then be displayed. If the system is set automatically to print a receipt, the receipt will be printed and you will be returned to the main menu. If the system is set not to print a receipt automatically, you will need to press the letter P to print a receipt. You can press any other key not to print a receipt and return to the main menu. If the sale you are processing is tax exempt, enter an 'x' in the stock number field instead of a 't'. You will then be prompted to enter the customers retail sales tax identification number. The remainder of the sale process will be the same as the above example. 18 If for any reason you need to cancel a sale before you have entered a 't' or 'x' in the stock number field, you can enter the letter 'c' to cancel the sale and return to the main menu. Lookup A Wholesale Price Selecting [ Lookup a Wholesale Price ] from the main menu will allow you to see the wholesale price and the quantity in stock of any item. You will be prompted to enter the stock number of the item you wish to view. After you have finished viewing the item, just hit any key on your keyboard to return to the main menu. If the wholesale areas of The Alcor Cash Register have been password protected, you will need to enter the proper password. Passwords do not display on the screen when typed for security reasons. Reconcile The Cash Drawer Selecting [ Reconcile Drawer ] from the main menu will help figure out if the cash drawer has the correct amount of money. This section will add your opening cash to the total of the daily sales and compare that to the amount of money contained in the cash drawer. First, enter the total dollar amount of checks in your cash drawer. Next, enter the total dollar amount of charges (ex. Visa, MC, AMEX, etc.) in your cash drawer. Then enter the number (not the dollar amount) of each of the following in their prospective fields. One hundred dollar bills Fifty dollar bills Twenty dollar bills Ten dollar bills Five dollar bills One dollar bills Half Dollars Quarters Dimes Nickels Pennies The computer will then inform you if the cash drawer is balanced, over or under. 19 Maintenance Menu Selecting [ Maintenance ] from the main menu will move you to the Maintenance menu. You will be required to enter a password to enter the Maintenance menu. The password will not display on the screen as you type it in for security reasons. The Maintenance menu allows you to run several reports, change the systems setup defaults and edit and maintain your inventory. Exit The Program Selecting [ Exit Program ] from the main menu will exit The Alcor Cash Register and return you to the DOS Prompt. 20 7. The Maintenance Menu The maintenance menu allows you to run several reports, change your systems setup and add and edit inventory. Run The Daily Report Select [ Run Daily Report ] from the Maintenance menu at the close of your normal business day. This report will print out the days sales by retail sales and wholesale sales. The final page of this report will contain the total income for the day plus the total sales tax collected. Run this report at the end of your closing day only. This report will zero all sales files and prepare The Alcor Cash Register for a new day. The next time The Alcor Cash Register is run, you will be prompted to enter your starting cash for the day. This report is password protected so it is not accidentally run at the wrong time. Editing The Inventory Selecting [ Edit Inventory ] from the Maintenance menu will allow you to enter new inventory items, edit current inventory items, delete obsolete inventory items, and add to the current inventory. The Inventory Report Selecting [ Inventory Report ] from the Maintenance Menu will print a report on inventory. The Inventory Report contains the item stock number, description, quantity in stock, and a column that you can use as an inventory count sheet to confirm that your physical stock is the same as the stock contained in the inventory database of The Alcor Cash Register. The Order Report Selecting [ Order Report ] from the Maintenance Menu will produce a printed report to be used when reordering stock. The Order Report will contain the items in inventory that have fallen to or below the minimum stock levels that you suggested in the minimum stock field when entering or editing your inventory. 21 Setting Up The System Defaults Selecting [ System Setup ] from the Maintenance Menu will allow you to change The Alcor Cash Register default setups. The default setups that you can change are: Print receipts as default Password protect wholesale sections Interface with Alcor Accounting Returning To The Main Menu Selecting [ Return to Main Menu ] from the Maintenance Menu will return you to the main menu of The Alcor Cash Register. 22 8. Reconciling The Cash Drawer Entering the days Receipts. Entering Total Checks Add the total amount of the checks in your cash drawer and enter the dollar amount here. Entering Total Charges Add the total charges (ex. Visa, MC, AMEX) in your cash drawer and enter the dollar amount here. Entering One Hundred Dollar Bills Enter the number of one hundred dollar bills in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of bills. (Ex. if you have five one hundred dollar bills in your cash drawer, enter 5, not 500.00). Entering Fifty Dollar Bills Enter the number of fifty dollar bills in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of bills. (Ex. if you have five fifty dollar bills in your cash drawer, enter 5, not 250.00). Entering Twenty Dollar Bills Enter the number of twenty dollar bills in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of bills. (Ex. if you have five twenty dollar bills in your cash drawer, enter 5, not 100.00). Entering Ten Dollar Bills Enter the number of ten dollar bills in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of bills. (Ex. if you have five ten dollar bills in your cash drawer, enter 5, not 50.00). Entering Five Dollar Bills Enter the number of five dollar bills in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of bills. (Ex. if you have five one five dollar bills in your cash drawer, enter 5, not 25.00). Entering One Dollar Bills Enter the number of one dollar bills in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of bills. (Ex. if you have five one dollar bills in your cash drawer, enter 5, not 5.00). 23 Entering Half Dollars Enter the number of half dollars in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of coins. (Ex. if you have five half dollar coins in your cash drawer, enter 5, not 2.50). Entering Quarters Enter the number of quarters in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of coins. (Ex. if you have five quarters in your cash drawer, enter 5, not 1.25). Entering Dimes Enter the number of dimes in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of coins. (Ex. if you have five dimes in your cash drawer, enter 5, not .50). Entering Nickels Enter the number of nickels in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of coins. (Ex. if you have five nickels in your cash drawer, enter 5, not .25). Entering Pennies Enter the number of pennies in your cash drawer here. DO NOT enter the dollar amount. Enter the actual number of coins. (Ex. if you have five pennies in your cash drawer, enter 5, not .05). 24 Cash Drawer Condition After entering all of the requested information. The computer will display a notice on the screen concerning the condition of the cash drawer. A Balanced Drawer This notice means that the cash in your cash drawer is the proper amount. (Good going!). A Short Drawer This notice displays the amount of cash that is missing from the cash drawer. Run Reconcile Drawer again and if the same amount appears the drawer is short by that amount. An Over Drawer This notice displays the amount of cash that the cash drawer contains over the amount that should be in the cash drawer. This usually is caused by not giving a customer the correct amount of change. Run Reconcile Drawer again and if the same amount appears the drawer is over by that amount. 25 9. Editing And Entering Inventory The edit inventory menu will allow you to add new items to your inventory and edit current items in inventory. Editing The Inventory When editing the inventory file, you can move from one item in the inventory file to the next by pressing the key for the action you would like to take and then pressing the ENTER key. First Record Select first record from the edit inventory menu. This will move you to the first record in inventory according to the index key currently set. Next Record Select next record from the edit inventory menu. This will move you to the next record in inventory according to the index key currently set. Previous Record Select previous record from the edit inventory menu. This will move you to the previous record in inventory according to the index key currently set. Last Record Select last record from the edit inventory menu. This will move you to the last record in inventory according to the index key currently set. Insert New Record Select insert new record from the edit inventory menu. This will allow you to enter a new item into the inventory file. Search For Record Select search for record from the edit inventory menu. This will allow you to search for an item by either the stock number or description. The appropriate sort key must be set prior to entering this function. You will be prompted to enter either the stock number or the description of the item you would like to search for. 26 Delete This Record Select delete this record from the edit inventory menu. This will delete the last inventory item viewed from the inventory file. Toggle Sort Field Select toggle sort field from the edit inventory menu. This will toggle the index key from stock number to item description or from item description to stock number, depending on the current index field selected. The current index that is being used is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Edit This Record Select edit this record from the edit inventory menu. This will allow you to edit the current inventory record. Export Records Select export records from the edit inventory menu. This will export your inventory file to a text file that can be imported to your favorite word processor or spread sheet. Add to Inventory Select add to inventory from the edit inventory menu. This will allow you to enter new stock received for existing inventory items. Quit Edit Menu Select quit edit menu from the edit inventory menu. This will return you to the maintenance menu. Inventory Database Field Descriptions Inventory Item Number Enter the stock number for the item to be added to inventory. Post To Alcor Accounting Accounts If you are Interfacing with Alcor Accounting you will need to enter a valid income account in this field. All sales of this item will be posted to the account that you specify in the Alcor Accounting system. If you are not using the Alcor Accounting program, this field may be left blank. 27 Inventory Item Description Enter the Description of the item. This description will appear on all screens, receipts and reports. Samples of Item Descriptions: Pepsi 16 oz. Hamburger GE Model 123 Telephone Stewart Model 1222 Clock Radio Service Charge House Call - Repair Inventory Item Cost Enter the cost of the item here. This is the price that you paid for the item. Inventory Item Price Enter the price that you will sell the item for at retail. The Process a Retail Sale transaction screen will use this price to charge your customers. Inventory Item Wholesale Price If you sell items at wholesale, enter the price you will sell the item for at wholesale. The Process a Wholesale Sale transaction screen will use this price to charge your customers. If you do not sell at wholesale this field may be left blank. Is This Item Taxable? If the item is normally taxable enter Y. If the item is a service or a non-taxable item, enter N. This will allow the sales transaction modules automatically to compute the sales tax. If a sale is tax exempt this field will automatically be overridden. Inventory Quantity in Stock Enter the number of items or units that you currently have in stock for this item. If this item is a service or a non depleting item, enter 9999 in this field. 9999 will cause the system to ignore quantity in stock. Inventory Minimum Stock Level Enter the quantity of this item that you would like to keep in stock as a minimum always. When your stock of this item falls below the amount entered here, it will appear on the Inventory Order Report. 28 10. Entering Customer Sales Entering A Retail Transaction After selecting Process A Retail Sale from the main menu you will then enter the items to be purchased by the customer. Enter the stock number of the item either from the keyboard or a barcode reader if installed. Enter the letter 't' to total the sale. Enter the letter 'x' to total a tax exempt sale. Enter the letter 'c' to cancel or void the transaction in progress. Entering The Quantity Purchased Enter the total number of this item to be purchased. If the customer is buying five of one item you would enter 5. Repeat the above steps until all items to be purchased have been entered. Entering The Amount Tendered Enter the amount that the customer hands you to pay for the sale. The change to be given back to the customer will be computed and then displayed. Printing A Customer Receipt If you would like to print a receipt for the customer enter P at this time. Otherwise any other key hit will not print a receipt. Entering A Wholesale Transaction After selecting Process A Wholesale Sale from the main menu you will then enter the items to be purchase by the customer. Enter the stock number of the item either from the keyboard or a barcode reader if installed. Enter the letter 't' to total the sale. Enter the letter 'x' to total a tax exempt sale. Enter the letter 'c' to cancel or void the transaction in progress. 29 Entering The Quantity Purchased Enter the total number of this item to be purchased. If the customer is buying five of one item you would enter 5. Repeat the above steps until all items to be purchased have been entered. Entering The Amount Tendered Enter the amount that the customer hands you to pay for the sale. The change to be given back to the customer will be computed and then displayed. Printing A Customer Receipt If you would like to print a receipt for the customer enter P at this time. Otherwise any other key hit will not print a receipt. Entering A Tax Exempt Transaction There is only one difference to note when entering a tax exempt sale. When you select the x option to total a sale you will be prompted for the customers tax exempt number. Entering A Tax Exempt Number Enter the sales tax exemption number of the customer here. This number can be obtained from a copy of the customers Retail tax license. 30 11. Setting Up System Defaults Print Receipts As Default? If you want The Alcor Cash Register to print customer receipts by default, enter Y. If you usually do not provide your customers with a receipt, enter N. This selection can be overridden when making a sale. Password Protect Wholesale Sections? If you want the user to have to enter a password to enter any wholesale sections of The Alcor Cash Register, enter Y. By entering N the user will not be prompted for a password when entering wholesale sections. Interface With The Alcor Accounting Program? If you are using the Alcor Accounting program and want all your daily sales to be automatically posted to your Alcor Accounting program enter Y. If you do not use the Alcor Accounting program or prefer to enter your daily receipts manually in your accounting program enter N. 31 12. A Sample Day With The Alcor Cash Register The following would be a typical day with The Alcor Cash Register. 1. Enter sales transactions during the day. 2. At the end of the day you would reconcile the cash drawer. 3. After getting the cash drawer to balance you would run your daily report. (This purges the sales file, so do not run this until the close of business day.) 4. Run any other reports desired. This is as simple as it gets! 32 Appendix The following sections provide in-depth descriptions of performing certain tasks and include valuable technical information. A. Quick DOS Primer Below we have listed the functions that you will need to know to operate The Alcor Cash Register on your system. The DOS Prompt On dual floppy systems, you normally have an A: prompt or B: prompt. Hard disk systems usually display a C: prompt. You enter commands that DOS recognizes at these prompts. The prompt indicates the drive in which your computer is currently working. If you enter a command at the A: prompt, DOS works on the A: drive. Changing Disk Drives To change from one drive to another, type the letter of the drive and a colon and press <ENTER>. For example, if you are at an A> prompt and want to go to a C> prompt, just type C: and press <ENTER>. Changing Directories To change from one directory to another, use the DOS command CD. For example, if you want to change to the directory named ALREG, just type CD\ALREG and press <ENTER>. This will move you to the ALREG directory. To return to the root directory, just type CD\ and press <ENTER>. Creating Directories To create a directory, use the DOS command MD or MKDIR. For example, if you want to create a directory named ALREG, just type MD ALREG or MKDIR ALREG and press <ENTER> from your root directory. This will create a directory named ALREG. Deleting Directories To remove a directory, use the DOS command RD or RMDIR. For example, if you want to delete a directory named ALREG, just type RD ALREG or RMDIR ALREG and press <ENTER> from you root directory. This will remove the directory named ALREG. For this command to work, the directory to be deleted must be empty. 33 Formatting Floppy Disks Formatting initializes the floppy disk to make it usable on your computer and checks it over for possible defects that could make it unusable. All new diskettes should be formatted before being used. Please make sure you are formatting the diskettes in your floppy drive and not the hard disk itself if your system has a hard disk. The computer warns you if you have accidentally selected the hard drive designation, so please watch your screen. Once you format something, everything IS ERASED. To format a floppy diskette, enter the command format A: or format B:. If you want to format and put the operating system on the diskette at the same time, enter the command format A:/s or format B:/s. Copying Diskettes To make duplicate diskettes for backup purposes, there are two copy programs; COPY and DISKCOPY. Copy is used for one or more files; Diskcopy is used to duplicate a complete diskette. When you use the diskcopy command, it must be from one format to the same format: for example, from one floppy disk to another floppy disk. Diskcopy cannot be used for copying from a hard drive to a floppy disk. Diskcopy is used as follows. diskcopy source_drive: destination_drive: For example, if you want to copy the entire disk from drive A to drive B, enter DISKCOPY A: B:. If you want to copy the entire disk from drive B to drive A, enter DISKCOPY B: A:. Copy is used for copying one disk to another, a group of files from one disk to another, or for copying from a floppy disk to a hard disk. Copy is used as follows. copy sourcedrive:file_name destination_drive: For example, if you want to copy all of the files from one disk to another disk, type COPY A: *.* B:. This will copy all of the files from drive A to drive B. 34 Checking For Available Disk Space If you want to know how much available space is on a diskette or your hard drive, enter the DOS command CHKDSK and press enter from the DOS prompt of the drive containing the diskette or hard drive to check. The computer then displays the capacity of the drive, available space, system memory, and available system memory. Setting The Date And Time To enter the current date, enter the DOS command DATE and press <ENTER>. To enter the current time, enter the DOS command TIME and press <ENTER>. We strongly recommend that you refer to your MS-DOS reference guide for further information on all of the above commands before you try to use them. 35 B. Editing Keys Cursor Movement Arrow keys - cursor movement Ctrl-LeftArrow - word left Ctrl-RightArrow - word right Home - beginning of field End - end of line/field Ctrl-Home - beginning of first field Ctrl-End - end of last field Tab - next field Shift-Tab - previous field Inserting and Deleting Ins - toggle insert mode Del - delete character at cursor Backspace - delete character left Ctrl-Backspace - delete word left Ctrl-T - delete word right Ctrl-U - delete to end of field Ctrl-Y - delete to end of form Other Editing Keys Enter - process current field Ctrl-Enter - process all fields Ctrl-R - restore field Esc - abort data entry 36 C. System Failure Error Message Your computer system is not responding to a request from The Alcor Cash Register program. Possible causes: Open disk drive door Printer is off or off line Printer is out of paper A cable is loose Your Hard Disk has a bad sector or has failed Your floppy disk is bad 37 D. System Failure If the system fails and refuses to run or things just do not seem to be running right. Reboot your computer by using the Ctrl-Alt- Del keys. DO NOT EXIT THE PROGRAM USING THE EXIT TO DOS MENU!!!! At the dos prompt where your data files are located, type CRBACKIT and then press <ENTER>. This routine will rebuild your system files from the previous day. You will need to enter the days transactions again. 38