The First Aid Function Buttons

The left panel of the First Aid Proactive Checkers window contains ten function buttons that are always present in the window, just as shown to the left here. [For specific help on any button, just click on the corresponding button here.] Each Features button brings up a list of sub-features on the right panel for you to select. If you select one or more sub-features (by clicking on them) and then click on the Run Checks button, First Aid will check those sub-features and display a list of problems. Most problems found can be fixed automatically by First Aid. You never need to WORRY ABOUT letting First Aid do a fix, because you can use the Undo feature under the Actions menu item to reverse the Fix.

SEE ALSO:

The Explain Button

The Proactive Checker

The Reactive Monitor


The Proactive Checker

The Proactive Checker is the part of First Aid that performs checks on Windows 95 when you explicitly start it up. You can run this as needed by double-clicking on the First Aid icon in Program Manager or on the file FAP.EXE in File Manager, or by just clicking on First Aid Reactive Monitor and selecting "Run First Aid for Windows Users." You may want to run the Proactive Checker when you first install First Aid to "clean up" your Windows 95 setup and then on a periodic basis to keep Windows 95 humming.

SEE ALSO:

The Reactive Monitor


The Reactive Monitor

The Reactive Monitor is the part of First Aid that runs continually in the background when Windows is running.  The Reactive Monitor detects problems as they happen in Windows. When it does detect a problem, it gets your attention by displaying an icon with a rotating flashing light - an ambulance to the rescue!  You can configure First Aid using the Setup button in the Proactive Checker, so that you see a large Diagnosis Window instead of the ambulance light. At any time, you can deactivate the Reactive Monitor by clicking on it and selecting "Suspend."

SEE ALSO:

The Proactive Checker


Running Checks with First Aid
The Run Checks Button

The Run Checks button starts running tests on those features of your Windows environment that you have selected for testing.  These checks, depending on how many features you have chosen, may take a little time. When the checks have finished, you'll see a Problem Panel with the results.


The Explain Button

This is the same as a Help button, and provides  explanations:

It provides context-sensitive help in using First Aid for Windows Users. When you are looking at a particular screen and do not understand how to use the available options, Explain will describe these features.


The Problem Panel

The problem panel shows a list of the problems that First Aid detected when it ran the checks you requested. The first problem in the list is highlighted.  You can select any problem by clicking on it.

  The Fix Problem button displays the Diagnosis Window panel, with a detailed description and solution for the selected problem. In that window, you can ask First Aid to Fix the problem.

  The Show Detail/Hide Detail button shows details regarding the problem. Thus, if the Problem is that Font Files are Missing, this button would show a list of the missing fonts. With this information, the expert user can fix the problem item by item.

  The Recheck button will run the checks again. This is useful if you want to see whether a fix has been successful.

  The Cancel button cancels the problem screen.

  The Report button creates a report of the Problem screen on a disk file.This is useful in those situations where First Aid cannot directly fix the problem and there many steps in the solution.


Problem Details
The Show Details Button

This brings up the Detail Problem Items SubPanel at the bottom of the Problem Panel.  Further details of each of the problems listed in the Problem panel  can be seen by highlighting any one of the problems and then  clicking on the Show Detail button.

For example,let us take the example of Altamira Composer, a Windows-based application ,being tested by First Aid .Suppose a problem is detected while testing then it  would be shown in the  Problem Panel in the following form :

[Composer 1.0] Feature : Use Print Option

Important files are missing.You cannot start the application(s) ,or you will not be able to use some of its features.

Select this problem by clicking on it and it will then appear highlighted. Click on the Detail Problem Items button and you will see exactly which files are missing. You would then see specific items displayed like this:

                       File : D:\COMPOSER\ERLFIT.DLL is missing.

First Aid reports the problem category first and then displays details when you request them so that you can view as much detail as desired. In addition, you can choose to fix the larger problem or just an item within the problem. Double-clicking on a Detail Problem Item, or clicking the Diagnose Item button, brings up the Diagnosis Window for that Problem Item (as opposed to "for that entire problem", when the Detail Problem Items SubPanel was not up).


The Analyze Problem Item Button
The Diagnose Item Button

When you select the Show Detail button, the Diagnose Problem button is replaced by the Diagnose Item button. This allows you to select an item from the Detail Problem Items subpanel and bring up the First Aid Diagnosis Window just for the selected item rather than for the general problem (which is what the Diagnose Problem button would do).


The Analyze Problem Button
The Diagnose Problem Button

This button brings up the First Aid Diagnosis Window.  This screen helps you fix the problem found by First Aid.  Depending on whether you have called the Doctor with a specific problem item or with a general Problem, the diagnosis will be different. If a problem is highlighted, then the Fix button will bring up a Diagnosis Window that includes every problem item for the selected problem.  If a detail problem item is highlighted, then a Diagnosis Window is displayed only for the selected problem item.


The Re-Check Button

The Re-Check button will begin a re-check of the items that were checked previously.  Lets say you had previously performed a check, found a problem, and then fixed it.  You could then click on the Re-check Button to redo the check.  This verifies that the problem has indeed been solved.  This is useful for checking that one of many problems displayed has actually been fixed. After the re-check, the fixed problem will have gone away, and only those that still need your attention will remain.


The Cancel Button

The Cancel button will bring you back to the configuration panel for the current function button (i.e., to the panel displayed prior to the Problem Panel.)


The First Aid Diagnosis Window

The First Aid Diagnosis Window displays possible causes and suggested solutions for the selected problem. This window has the following areas:

  Title Area:  Tells you the specific area of your Windows that was checked (e.g. Ami Pro).

  Problem:  Shows the Feature checked (e.g. Hyphenation) and a brief statement of the Problem. This statement is identical to the one displayed on the previous screen on the Problem Panel or the Detail Problem Items Subpanel (depending on which screen you came from).

  Problem Description:  Provides a more detailed explanation of the causes of the problem.  If there are two possible causes for the problem, both will be displayed.

  Solutions:  Displays one or more solutions for each problem. If there is more than one cause, the solution displayed will depend on the cause you select. You'll see a step-by-step description of how to fix the problem.

 The buttons on this screen are:

Ignore In Future  : Clicking on this button brings up a screen which displays the problem and asks you whether you would like the problem to be ignored for a day or until you want to undo it.

Generate Report   This button copies the Diagnosis Window to a disk file  so that you can print this out later .

Close  This button dismisses the Screen.

Explain  This button provides an explanation (help text) of the screen, the problem, and related problems.

The other two buttons are the most important ones.

AutoFix

ManualFix


Automatically Fixing Problems
The AutoFix Button

Click on the Auto Fix button to let First Aid fix the problem using First Aid's proposed solution.

Don't be afraid to let First Aid FIX problems.  It will cause no harm. And remember, you can always go back using the UNDO option (in the Action menu).

During Auto Fix, First Aid will search for files in the obvious places (like your C: drive) only. If your system is set up on a network, you may have to use the manual fix to search network drives.  Similarly, if there are two choices for a file or location during the fixing process, manual fix may be warranted if the choice is not obvious.  If First Aid is ever going to delete anything, it will ask you first.  Thus you do not have to worry about using the fix feature.

SEE ALSO:

Manual Fix


Manually Fixing Problems
Manual Fix

The Manual Fix Button helps you control each step of the fix process. FirstAid will display each step and ask for confirmation before proceeding. You can also modify some steps (e.g. dictate where FirstAid should search for a file).The Manual Fix is especially useful for experienced users who want to control the Fix process.

SEE ALSO:

Auto Fix


Skip Diagnosis
Ignore In Future

This button lets you customize FirstAid so that it does not report certain problems in the future. This is useful when FirstAid reports a potential problem that you dont consider a problem or dont want to be notified about.Clicking on this button brings up a screen which displays the problem and asks you whether you would like the problem to be ignored for a day or until you want to undo it. To undo this step (so that FirstAid starts reporting such problems again), select Fixes from the main menubar and choose Problems To Be Ignored.


Undoing First Aid's Actions
The Undo Action

First Aid records all actions it takes in a log file.  Using the log file, First Aid can undo almost any action that it took in the past.  To undo a fix that First Aid performed, select Fixes from the Undo menu item at the top of the main screen.  First Aid displays a list of all its recent actions -- those contained in the current log file.  To undo any action, select the action and click on "Undo Fix."  First Aid will undo the fix and mark the status for that action with a "U" to indicate that this action was undone.  You can select "Redo Fix" to redo the fix, in which case the status goes back to blank.  Some of the actions appear grayed out if they have a status of "U."

When the number of fix reports increases, there may be more than one log file. If you want to refer to a particular fix performed by FirstAid use Next  and Back buttons to browse through different log files.

SEE ALSO:

Manual Fix

Auto Fix


Windows Checks
The Clean Windows Screen

This screen allows you to check whether Windows 95 has been properly configured to use these devices and features: mouse, keyboard, display, Explorer, Program Manager under Windows 95, and Shortcuts.

TUTORIALS:

Check  mouse and keyboard

Clean up Explorer, Program Manager Under Windows 95  and Shortcuts


Checking Keyboard, Mouse and Display
Check Mouse and Keyboard

In order to understand commands (key presses or mouse clicks) Windows uses drivers to relay these commands from the devices.  Similarly, it uses a display driver to communicate with the monitor.  All three drivers can be set to a variety of configurations. First Aid will check and ensure that your settings are within the levels recommended by most systems administrators.

SEE ALSO:

Mouse

Keyboard

Any problems that come up after hitting the Run Checks button will be shown in a Problem Panel and can be fixed by pressing the Fix Problem button.


Display Driver

A Display Driver is a piece of software that "drives" a specific brand of monitor. For simple monitors, it is simply a VGA driver that comes with Windows 95 . For more advanced monitors, it is a driver that either comes with Windows 95(for popular models) or comes on a diskette from the monitor manufacturer.  For these monitors, there are various settings that can be configured for the driver in order to get the monitor to perform optimally.  When you tell First Aid to check the Display Drivers, it will go and check the type of driver, the settings, and whether these match the monitor that you are using.


Mouse

When you configure First Aid to check the mouse, it makes sure that the double-click of the mouse is set at a reasonable rate and that other mouse configuration options are set for optimal performance.


Keyboard

First Aid checks many keyboard related configuration parameters, such as the key repeat rate, to ensure that they are within an acceptable range. If the key repeat rate is set too high, for example, you are likely to see two or more characters when you want just one.


Desktop
Cleaning up Explorer, Program Manager Under Windows 95 and Shortcuts

  Windows 95  provides two ways to access applications and data files.  First, you can use the Shortcuts, where icons represent a program (application). When you click on an icon, Windows starts up the associated application. Second, you can use the Explorer, where both program and data file names are displayed.  When you double-click on a data file name, the associated program is fired up, and the data file is opened from that application; when you double-click on a program file name, just the application starts up.

 Over time, Shortcut-icons may not open up applications when you double-click on them. This is because the association between a data file and an application gets altered or a file required to open an application (e.g.,  a DLL) gets deleted or moved from its original location.  First Aid can fix these problems for you when you select the Desktop Shortcuts option.

 The Explorer in Windows 95  maintains an association between file extensions and application programs. For example, all files of the form "*.xls" might be associated with EXCEL.EXE. With this scheme, when you double click on a file, say TEST.XLS, Windows automatically starts the associated application, EXCEL and opens that file. First Aid verifies that all file associations maintained by Windows point to application programs that are valid and available when you select the Explorer option .

 If you have the Program Manager as a shell under Windows 95 then First Aid will ensure that each of the icons are correctly linked up with the relevant applications when you select the Program Manager under Windows 95 option..


Printing Checks
Checking Your Print Setup

Windows allows you to configure printers by specifying the name of the printer (and hence the driver to be used for the printer), and how it is attached to your PC (via a local port or a network, etc.). You can have more than one printer installed in Windows, which means the drivers for these printers are available and ready for use. First Aid checks your PC to make sure you have a default printer that is set up properly and also checks whether you have other installed printers. Note that First Aid does NOT check the connection between the PC and the printer; it only checks whether Windows has been setup properly to use the printer.  If First Aid detects no problems with your setup, but you still have trouble with printing, use the HelpDesk to search for Printing Problems.


Windows Applications

This section lets you search for problems with specific applications. First Aid maintains detailed knowledge about what files and parameter entries are required in order to run different features of an application (e.g., Spell Check in Word).  You can ask First Aid to check if all the features you plan to use in an application are configured correctly and are actually available for use.

TROUBLE-SHOOTING:

Checking Windows Applications


 Checking Windows Applications

Clicking on the Fix Applications button displays icons for applications that First Aid supports in its knowledge-base. Note that there may be more than one icon for an application corresponding to different versions of the application. First Aid's knowledge-base maintains detailed information not only about an application, but also about specific versions of the application. Each application icon has a check box next to it. This check box initially has a question mark inside it, indicating that First Aid does not know whether you have this application installed.

 Before you ask First Aid to check an application, you need to let it know where the application is located.  To do so, click on an application icon to select it, and then click on the Locate button to specify its location. First Aid can locate the application by searching a specified drive.

After you have located an application, a red cross appears in the check box in front of it.  To indicate which features of an application should be checked, select the application icon, and click on the Features button on the screen. you'll see a list of features that the application supports. From this screen, you can also change the search location for the application by typing a path into the application location box, or by using the Location button to specify a new path.

You can select (or de-select) the features of an application that First Aid should check by clicking on the box in front of each feature. Click on the Go Back button to go to the previous screen.

Any problems that exist will be shown in a Problem Panel and can be fixed from there.


Applications Features
 Change Selections

The list of applications supported by First Aid is displayed on the left panel .The list of applications you want First Aid to support is shown on the right-hand side .If you would like First Aid to support more applications , simply select the application from the left panel and then click on the Add button provided.

If you have loaded a new software into your PC and if this package is supported by First Aid(List on the left panel), and if you want it to be supported by First Aid ,perform the Add operation.

Click on the Remove button to remove an application from your selected list.


Application Location

To tell First Aid where an application is located, select the application by clicking on its icon (which highlights it) and then click on the Locate button.  If you know the drive and directory where the application is located, type that into the box that appears. Otherwise, click on the Locate button and ask First Aid to search the specified drive for the application. If First Aid finds the application and you approve, it lists the application's features that can be checked.

Select (or deselect) the features that you want First Aid to check by clicking on the box in front of each feature, or use the Select All button. Then select OK to save these settings and exit, or select Cancel to revert to the previous settings.


Quick Find

This function allows you to tell First Aid the location of the selected application.  Quick Find does a search of the directories which you specified in order to locate the file.

In the File(s): box the name of the application's executable file is displayed.The Directory: box identifies the current directory.  The current directory can be changed by editing the data in this field.

Set the search parameters in the Scope of Search: box as follows:

  Current directory only- searches only the current directory

  Current directory and subdirs- searches the current directory and its subdirectories.

  Current and Windows directories- searches the current directory and the Windows directory

  Current and PATH- searches your current directory and the Paths set in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file

  Windows directory only- searches only your Windows directory

  Windows directory and PATH- searches the Windows directory and the Paths set in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file

  PATH only- searches only the Paths set in your AUTOEXEC.BAT

  Current, Windows and PATH- searches your current directory, Windows directory, and the Paths specified in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

After specifying the options you want, click on the Search button to activate the search.  First Aid will search the specified directories.

There is a status bar at the bottom of the Quick Find Window which is divided into three parts.  The directory path currently being searched is displayed in the left most part of the status bar.  The middle section of the status bar displays the number of matches found and the right most portion of the status bar displays the status of the search. Press the Stop button to halt a search.

When First Aid finds a match it displays the file name, date, size, attributes and directory path.  After the search is completed, highlight the file that you want by clicking on it, then click the Accept button.  First Aid will now return to the Application Check Configuration panel.  The application and its icon will now be visible in the Check For: box.


MultiMedia Checks

Multimedia has become a popular term that refers to the ability of a PC to work with sound, photographs, moving pictures (video) and compatible musical instruments such as an electric keyboard.

When you bring up this screen by clicking on the MultiMedia button, the features will appear grayed if you did not let First Aid know that your PC is set up to handle multimedia. You can do this by clicking on the Configure First Aid button on the bottom left and filling in a user profile.  Then click again on the Mutimedia button and select the features you want to test. First Aid then uses related Test files  for running the checks.

The Change button helps you find the Sound card installed on your PC. Click on the Check button to perform the test. These two buttons are activated only if the PC configuration supports multimedia devices.

SEE ALSO:

The Ability of a PC to Play Sound

The Ability of a PC to Play Video

The Ability of a PC to Play Musical Instruments

The Ability to use a CD ROM


The ability of a PC to play sound

Typically, a PC plays music and sound using a Sound Card that is installed in your PC, through speakers that are plugged into a jack on the card. The source for the sound can be audio tracks on a CD or data files in "WAV" format, often referred to as wave files.  Wave files are usually much larger than standard document files and are usually stored on CDs.  These CDs are played using a CD player installed on the PC. Obviously, it is critical that the CD player be properly installed before you can get the PC to read CDs.

The PC plays sound by reading sound files and using the sound card to convert it to analog data that can be sent to the speakers.  There are sound cards from many different manufacturers, and often many types of cards from one of these manufacturers.  To get a sound card to work on your PC, you need to (a) insert the card  into any free card slot inside the PC, and (b) configure the card. Then, you need to make sure that the sound driver is installed correctly into Windows.  This driver is a program that Windows uses to communicate with the card to send it files and data. The card interprets the data, and relies on a speaker "driver" to use the speakers.  This driver must also be configured correctly.


The ability of a PC to play video

Just as in the movies, a video is displayed on a PC as a rapid sequence of images. These images can be on files in a specific format, or can be piped in from a VCR or tuner. Images on files are usually stored in Microsofts .AVI file format and are usually on a large hard disk or on a CD-ROM as they tend to be very large. To process these files, your PC must either have a video card or  software such as Quicktime from Apple, Video for Windows from Microsoft, or a combination of the two.  A Video Card and associated hardware are normally required to display TV images on the screen.


The ability of a PC to play musical instruments

Many modern electronic musical instruments such as music synthesizers are equipped with a Musical Interface to Digital Instruments (MIDI) port, which is an industry standard for the  commands to start, play, stop and control the instruments. Your PC can be programmed to send MIDI commands to multiple instruments, thereby creating an orchestra running under the PCs control.  Obviously, the PC has to be connected to the instrument for the commands to take effect.  The programming for sending these commands can be stored in a MIDI file.  Playing a MIDI file requires appropriate MIDI drivers and proper installation of the software.


The ability to use a CD ROM
The ability to use a CD-ROM

CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc-Read Only Memory.  The information used by a multimedia application is stored on a compact disc identical in size and appearance to an audio CD.  You can only read data from a CD-ROM disc, not write to it.  Thus, the data on a CD-ROM disc remains unalterable for the rest of its existence. CD-ROM can store audio data as well as other types of digital information such as text, graphics, and animation.  A laser beam from the CD player scans the CD surface and translates this information into digital data.  If the data corresponds to sound, it is converted back to an analog waveform and then amplified.  Eventually, beautiful music comes out your speakers. Due to the complexity of hardware and software support for multimedia applications using CD-ROM technology,  mishaps are common, and the outcome is that your CD-ROM can not be accessed correctly.


Configuring MultiMedia Tests
Configuring MultiMedia Test Files

First Aid uses standard test files to test multimedia devices. To select the test files to be used by First Aid in performing its tests choose Preferences from the menu bar and then click on Multimedia Test Setup.  You can then browse through the various data files and make the required selections for the multimedia data files.  Click on Auto Browse to allow First Aid to perform this task for you.

You should specify files which contain clips that are long enough (about 10 seconds) so that you will be able to observe their effect on the PC.


Device Drivers

Device Drivers are a link between your hardware and your software. They give instructions to the hardware (such as your sound card or video card) to perform certain functions (such as play a sound or show a picture).  Upon request, they also give information to Windows about the installed hardware.  Each piece of hardware has a specific driver which is tailored specifically to it.  Since the driver to be used depends upon the hardware product, manufacturer, model number, etc., it is important that the correct driver be used for the hardware installed in your PC.


Video for Windows

Video for Windows is an addition to Windows that allows PCs to play video and audio in a movie format.  Each frame of video has accompanying audio information.  First Aid checks to see if the correct device drivers are installed to play Video for Windows (.AVI) files.


Performance Checks

There are several steps you can take to improve the overall performance of your Windows PC, as explained below under Trouble-Shooting. To the extent possible, First Aid will check which of these steps you may not have taken and offer automatic fixes for them when you choose Is the PC Configured for Optimal Performance?

TROUBLE-SHOOTING:

Optimizing Your Windows Performance


Performance Optimization
Optimizing Your Windows Performance

The objective of performance optimzation is to remove roadblocks and speed bumps in your PC.  Bear in mind that performance optimization cannot provide a magic switch which shifts a slow PC into a supercharged one.  However, there are many ways to improve the performance of your PC. First Aid will recommend and carry out as many of these as you approve.  It will also suggest other steps that you can take on your own. The best option is to let First Aid run through its checks and carry out its fixes.


Network Checks

Most network problems are due to flaky network hardware, incorrect network setup, inadvertent changes to your network settings or even forgetting to log on to the network. First Aid will check for obvious problems with the above factors when you select the Network option.  A variety of problems may obstruct your ability to print on the network.  First Aid checks this when you check  I can print to the network . Similarly First Aid checks other parameters to keep your network function efficiently like Access,Mappings,Drivers,Security etc..

Notice that the options on this panel are grayed out if you did not setup First Aid's user profile to declare you had a network.


User Profile

The user profile keeps information that you have specified regarding your PC.  This information can be changed by you at any time.  Depending on the information, certain buttons in First Aid (e.g. Multimedia or Network) may have their options grayed.  The information kept in the profile is about your CD-ROM, your sound card, and your network settings.The User Profile panel contains two sub-panels, one of which maintains the PC Configuration and the other which manages the First Aid Startup Options.

The First Aid Startup Options consists of a Check box which enables you to decide whether First Aid should fix any of the problems that it detects .If this box is checked then the two Fix buttons - Manual Fix and AutoFix which appear in the Diagnosis screen are enabled.By default ,this option is kept checked.

First Aid will intercept error messages for many popular applications (e.g. AmiPro, Word for Windows, Excel, etc.) and will help you fix any problems.  Monitoring can only be suspended or resumed if the Problem Monitor was run at Windows Startup.

SEE ALSO:

Enable Fix


Permit Fix
Enable Fix

The Enable Fix Buttons check box enables First Aid's Auto Fix and Manual Fix buttons.  If you turn this option on, the Auto Fix and Manual Fix buttons will be enabled whenever a First Aid fix for a problem is available.  The Auto Fix and Manual Fix buttons referred to here are the ones which appear in the Diagnosis Window.  You may want to disable problem fixing if you have someone (e.g. a system administrator) who repairs problems with the machines in your company.  In this case, the problem will still be logged so that this person can refer to this problem as well as a history of all problems found on your PC.


Show Icon

The First Aid Monitor pops-up Diagnosis icon (not big window) check box causes the First Aid Diagnosis Window to appear as an icon rather than a full size window.  If this option is turned off, the First Aid Reactive Monitor will appear as a window containing a diagnosis of the problem.  If this option is on, the Problem Monitor is displayed as an icon in the lower left corner of the Windows desktop.  Double-clicking on the icon will cause the Diagnosis window to revert to a full size window.


Dismiss Diagnosis

The Dismiss Diagnosis icon after ___ minutes (max 60) check box provides an option which allows you to set up a maximum amount of time that the Diagnosis icon will be displayed when you run the Reactive Monitor. When the Diagnosis icon appears, signalling that First Aid has found a problem, it will stay on the screen until you take some action to fix the problem or the set time elapses.

Thus, if you set the time to 2 minutes, the icon will stay on-screen for 2 minutes and then disappear so that First Aid will be ready to report the next problem. However, while the icon is displayed, you can double-click on the icon to view the causes and can use the AutoFix and Manual Fix buttons.


Error Notifications
Setting Up First Aid Error Notifications

The "Notifications" tab  allows you to send E-Mail to a systems or network Administrator, or to send SNMP Traps to a Network Manager whenever serious errors or major changes occur on your system.   In addition, you can record these errors or changes in a First Aid Log File.  When you click on the Notifications button the configuration panel (shown below) is displayed. This panel contains three check boxes and three corresponding configuration buttons.  To set up notification via E-Mail or SNMP, configure that option first by clicking on the desrired option and filling in the required parameters. Then click on the check box next to the option to activate it. To set up logging, just click on the check box next to Log File and First Aid will then log all problems and fixes to a default log file. You can specify an alternate log file by clicking on the Log File option.


SNMP Traps

SNMP stands for Simple Network Management Protocol.  An SNMP Trap is a notification about an event which is generated and sent to a Network Manager. The SNMP configuration window is shown to the left.  If your PC is attached to a network that is managed by SNMP, then set the options appropriately here so that SNMP traps will be sent when an error occurs in your PC.

SEE ALSO:

Default SNMP Agent

Set As Default SNMP Agent

Manager's IP Address


Default SNMP Agent

This box identifies the default SNMP Agent that you have selected for your PC.


Set as Default SNMP Agent

The Set as Default SNMP Agent button sets the agent, selected in the Available SNMP Agent box, to be the default SNMP Agent for your PC.  To select an agent, highlight it and press the "Set as Default SNMP Agent" button.


Manager's IP Address
Manager IP Address

The Manager IP Address field contains the Internet Address for the Manager's workstation.  The address is in dot-separated notation.  For example,

192.2.120.5

The address is in four parts with each part separated by a dot.  Consult your Network Administrator for your manager's address.


E-Mail
Electronic Mail (E-Mail)

E-Mail is short for Electronic Mail.  The E-Mail configuration window allows you to notify the System Administrator of problems through E-Mail.

SEE ALSO:

Current Mail System

Supported Mail Systems

Mail Parameters


Current Mail System

This is the Mail system used by First Aid.  Set a mail system as the Default by highlighting the Mail system in the Supported Mail System box and clicking on the Set as Default Mail System button.


Supported Mail Systems
Supported Mail System

These are the Mail Systems supported by First Aid.  Select a mail system by clicking on it with the mouse and then click on the Set as Default Mail System button.


Mail Parameters

These boxes allow you to set who to notify.  In the To: box type the name of the person you want to notify when a problem or change occurs on your PC.  Usually this is the Network Administrator.  In the From: box type your E-mail name.  In the Login Password: box type your password.  An * will appear for each character in your password.  Mail can not be sent to an administrator on your behalf unless First Aid logs you into the mail system first.  If the name and password provided are incorrect, then no mail will be sent.


Log File

First Aid maintains a log file of all the Fixes it has made to your PC.  This log configuration window (shown to the left) is where you configure the History Log for your PC.  You can change the name and location  of the log file and also specify a  maximum size for the file.  Once the file reaches its size limit, the oldest data in the file is replaced with the latest entries.  The Browse button allows you to browse through your directories in search of a new place to store your First Aid Log File.


Hardware Conflicts

Hardware conflicts are the bane of the PC user. Conflicts have to do with resources like IRQs, memory locations and I/O Ports. PC equipment like adapter cards (or even software, "devices" in general) have to be set up to use certain of these resources.  Each device is supposed to use a single resource EXCLUSIVELY (although the brave may attempt to share resources among devices). If two devices are set up to use the same resource, they have lost exclusivity, and both may stop working. This is a hardware conflict!

The best way to solve an IRQ conflict is to avoid having it in the first place.  This is easily done by always keeping an updated list of all devices in your system and the resources they are set up to use. CyberMedias product PC 911 is one such product which can find out the resource settings for some of the more popular cards in the market.  You can run "PC911 -m" from DOS or from Windows with the "Run" command in theProgram Manager's File Menu.  PC 911 will help you detect resource conflicts and will help you avoid them.


IRQs

An IRQ, or Interrupt Vector, is like a numbered flag that a device uses to let the CPU that it wants to send it some data or that it has completed an operation; the CPU figures out which device is trying to get its attention by looking at the number on the flag. Sometimes two devices are set up to use the same IRQ, which can confuse the CPU quite a bit, causing it to misbehave or even crash the system.


Input-Output Ports
I/O Port

An Input/Output port is like a low-level "mailbox" through which data is exchanged between the CPU and a device.  The device uses the IRQ to get the CPU attention. The CPU then reads (or writes) data to the port associated with the device.  If two devices use the same port, they may confuse the CPU and may even crash the system. PC devices tend to use ports in banks of 8, in which case each device requires EXCLUSIVE use of its 8 ports.  Ports are numbered in "hexadecimal" notation, from their technical origins.  In "hex", numbers go from 0, 1, 2 ...9, A, B, C, D, E & F.


Memory Addresses for Devices
Memory Addresses

The memory in a PC is its scratch-pad with many "locations" where data gets written and read. Each location has an unique address, often written in "hexadecimal" notation, from their technical origins.  In "hex", numbers go from 0, 1, 2 ...9, A, B, C, D, E & F. . .  Most devices use the PC's memory for input and output. Although they share the PC's memory with the CPU and other devices, each uses exclusive memory location ranges, such as from A000 through A0F0. However, sometimes two or more devices end up using the same memory locations, causing conflicts and problems.


Applications Trimming
Trimming Applications

If you want certain features of an application to be inactive, use the Trim button. Here, the list of features supported by the application is displayed and the features can be selectively removed as required. This is especially useful if you are trying to free up disk space on your hard disk.For example,if your PC is a LapTop, then the memory space becomes a very crucial factor.In such a case you can disable a few features of your application which you may not be using in your everyday work.


Online

You can use First Aid to test the program that accesses Online services from your PC (e.g. Prodigy, America Online, CompuServe). First Aid performs checks on the settings necessary for smooth linking with Online services. Click on the check boxes to make your selection.

Click on the Check button to verify them.

SEE ALSO:

Hardware Conflicts

Device Drivers


Emergency Disk

PC911 creates a customized Emergency Diskette for your PC that contains all critical configuration data regarding your PC. In case some configuration data has been corrupted and  your PC does not boot up with the hard drive, you can boot up with this emergency diskette. PC911 will then automatically restore the necessary data and will bring the PC back to life (unless there is a serious hardware failure).

Everytime you boot up the PC, PC911 checks if any critical parameter has changed. If so it prompts you to insert the Emergency Diskette and then updates it - automatically.


Problems Filter
Problems To Be Ignored

If, while running an application, First Aid detects some problems ,it is displayed through the Diagnosis Window and you can ask First Aid to ignore the problems in future.Now, if you want First Aid to undo some of these Ignore actions that were performed, select Undo from the main menu bar and choose Problems To Be Ignored .

The details regarding these fixes are actually stored in log files by First aid. If you want a particular problem to be reported by FirstAid  again, highlight the problem and press the Reactivate button.


Uninstall Features

The features of the selected application are displayed here . Select the ones you don t require by highlighting them and then click on the Uninstall  button . By doing so, these functions are disabled while you run the application. Clicking on the Uninstall button gives you further details of the features you are intending to remove.


Uninstall Components

This screen displays the components (files) that are related to the features you selected for uninstalling .The name of each component along with its size is displayed here .By seeing the file size you can get an idea of how much memory you will be saving by uninstalling the selected features.

If you check on the option Generate Log File , a record of the features you are uninstalling will be maintained by First Aid in a log file.

If you check on the option Confirm Each Delete ,First Aid will confirm with you before it uninstalls each feature.

When you click the Proceed button , First Aid actually performs the operation of uninstalling the selected options.During this operation First Aid compresses the selected components thereby creating memory space in your PC.

The Go Back button takes you back to the previous screen.


Problem Report
Creating a Problem Report

When the Create Problem Report  button is clicked ,First Aid creates a Problem Report.

There may be times when you notice that your PC is not running 100%. It may have started  running slowly or you may be facing some problem with the memory or any other related matter.In such cases you can generate and send CyberMedia, or an expert, a problem report.  The problem report is created as a self-extracting EXE file, which can be e-mailed or modem-ed to the appropriate place.

The problem report contains the following: AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, REGISTRY, SYSTEM.INI, and Inventory Information on your PC. You can choose the files you want to send us by selecting from the Options button .You can also decide whether you want to create the report in the compressed format or normal format.  In normal format, it creates the directory REPORTS.TMP, and copies the above files to it.  In compressed format, it creates a single file in the REPORTS.TMP directory: PROBREPO.EXE.  This is the file to send to the expert.  If the expert runs this file by double-clicking on it, it will spawn a DOS box, and extract the files into normal format.  In Windows 95, the DOS box will not go away, but needs to be dismissed just like any other window.

By default, this report is created in the  C:\WINDOWS\REPORT.TMP directory. You can also create it at the place of your choice .Once you have created the report , you can send it over  through any of the on-line services or any other means.


Select Sound Card
Selecting Sound Card

This screen helps you in detecting the Sound Card installed on your PC .

The list of sound cards detected by First Aid is displayed  on the screen.If you are aware of the model of the sound card installed in your PC ,choose it from the list.Otherwise you can ask First Aid to detect it for you either by clicking on Auto Detect Model or by selecting Generic Sound Card from the list.


First Aid Crash Protector
The First Aid Crash Protector

While working with your applications it may happen that your Windows crashes due to a General Protection Fault or some related causes, as a result of which you may end up losing all your unsaved data.

If you have the First Aid Crash Protector running in the background, it comes up on your screen when a crash is detected.This screen has two buttons - Auto Fix and End Task.

Clicking on the End Task button causes the system to close the Windows Application that is running.

The Auto Fix button fixes the crash and enables you to go back to your application and save the information.

If the crash occurs a second time, then the Crash Protector provides you with a Task List also along with the Crash Protector screen. From this list you can select the task and save it. This is the best option to follow because under such a condition your system is in a highly unstable state.You can then re-start your system.

However, if the crash occurs repeatedly,First Aid displays a message box with re-entry on it. Again,under such a condition it is highly advisable that you re-start your PC as the application has reached a highly unstable state.