How to use your CD-ROM
The objective of this CD
ROM is to let you know about a large variety of software developed by
programmers spread across the world. You will find that many of the programmes
can be useful at work or at home, besides enjoying many hours of leisure with
the games which are also included.
All of the programmes
included in your CD ROM run in Windows 95. Some of the programmes featured
require additional hardware, such as a printer, graphics card with 256 colours
or better, sound card, microphone, etc. Therefore some of the programmes
included may not function properly in your computer due to its configuration.
All of the programmes are
accompanied by the original instructions supplied by the authors themselves. In
general this information, as well as the programmes themselves, are written in
English.
In case of any queries
regarding a particular programme, or if you wish to register, you should
contact the author directly.
This CD ROM does not have
any kind of installation or execution programme of the selected programmes,
since Windows itself makes available its resources to carry out these tasks
easily and trouble-free, with advantages for the user.
You can thus use, test and
check out a large variety of Shareware, Freeware and Public Domain programmes
without needing to perform any kind of installation, and, especially, without
taking up space in your disk. Whenever or wish to run a specific programme,
just insert your CD ROM, select the directory and click on the programme icon.
For greater ease of use, each programme has its own directory, organised in
several groups.
The programmes which
interest you most can be copied to your disk without any problem, all you need
is to copy its folder.
The Help and manuals
available in Windows itself may be useful, in case you do not know how to copy
files to your disk, run them, etc. Windows has a programme (Explorer) which can
help you query your CD ROM or Run it, available from the Start menu.
For immediate use of your
CD ROM, we suggest that you follow these steps:
Insert the CD-ROM in its
unit.
Open the folder My
Computer, located in your work area, and then open the folder for your CD ROM
A window appears with the
folders for the various directories in your CD-ROM. For greater ease of use,
each programme has been organised by categories (Action, Board, Card, etc.).
Click any folder and
another window appears, this one containing the programmes included in that
directory (group)
Select the programme you
wish to run and open its folder.
The new open window will
display all the files for that programme. You will thus have access to the
information which the authors considered to be important to share with you
(text files and Help files), as well as the executable, which is easily
recognised by its icon.
To run the programme, just
click on the programme icon. To access the Help information or text
information, also just click the icons.
Other programmes may
contain many more associated files, such as images, DLL's, setup, etc. In order
to have the executable files displayed first, use the option View — Arrange
Icon — by type. You can use any of the options supplied by the
application (Large or Small Icons, List, Details, etc.), so as to customise the
programme to your needs.
You can also opt to have a
certain type of file not displayed (DLL, SYS, VXD, etc.). To do that, in the
option View — Options, select hide files of these types.
This is one of the most
immediate ways of using your CD-ROM, without having to worry about copying
files to your disk, change the Windows setup, etc. There are several other
ways, such as using the Explorer, creating shortcuts, etc. If in doubt about
these procedures, refer to the Windows manual or the available on-line help of
Windows itself (F1 key).
To perform the installation
of a True Type font, we suggest you use the Control Panel and open the folder
Fonts. This Windows utility allows you to add or remove fonts and is rather
simple to use. Before installing a font in your system, you may check its
characteristics, simply opening the font folder and clicking the font you wish
to view.
It is important that you
read the instructions that come with the programmes, so that you can make the
most of their features. The vast majority are easy to use and you will not
experience any trouble.
Registry
Your Windows keeps a
registry of most of the software used on your computer. By Microsoft norm, each
program must create its own entry in the Registry.
You can easily access this
information, by using the Registry.exe program that comes with Windows.
In order to do this, use
the following command:
Start
Run
Regedit
When you start the
application, use the Registry command and then Export Registry File. Keep your
Registry file in the folder you wish.
To reset the previous
information, just do the reverse operation - carry out Regedit and then import
the file.
Depending on how you use
Windows, your Registry file may be of a considerable size, causing Windows to
function poorly or slowly. In any case, unless you have a knowledge of
programming you should not make alterations in your Registry, as you run the
risk of deleting information that is necessary for Windows to function.