The PC User cover disc run entirely from a Web browser. You
do not have to be on the Internet to use a Web browser and therefore
view the contents of the disc and install the software.
You should have Internet Explorer already
have a browser installed. You can use this to view the disc by launching your
browser and opening the file DEFAULT.HTM from the root of the DVD or CD.
We recommend using IE, but you can install an alternative browser from the disc, such as Mozilla Firefox. You will find these in the \software\browsers\files section on the disc.
Wherever possible,
hotlinks are provided that allow you to install or run the software
directly from the browser interface -- if you are using a recent
version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, If you are using a different browser check our Not Using IE page for details of how you can install programs.
You can also
go to PC User Online or one of the many other Web sites hyperlinked
on the disc for the latest information (if you have an Internet connection,
of course).
System Requirements
The PC User cover disc will run on any computer that reads Windows discs and has a DVD-ROM drive.
However, to
run the PC User Cover disc comfortably you need at least a Pentium class PC with with 16M of RAM, a DVD-ROM drive, video running at 800 by 600 resolution with at least at 256 colours (16-bit or
24-bit colour is recommended), and running Windows 2000, XP, Vista or Windows 7.
The Web pages
on PC User Cover Disc are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer
5.0 or later, and have also been tested with Mozilla Firefox. Best viewing is with a Java-enabled browser (which the
above are).
Individual programs
and demos included on the disc have their own system requirements,
and these may be higher than those specified above.
Installation
If you already have Internet Explorer or Firefox installed as the default browser on your computer, the Home
page on the Cover Disc should autorun. If it doesn't, we recommend you open
the file DEFAULT.HTM on the disc, add this to your Favorites and then
use this for all our cover discs.
No files are installed to your computer by PC User. The only files installed are those you choose to install.
The interface for the disc is designed like a web site. You can navigate the Web pages by clicking on the menus and many other highlighted
words and graphics. Whenever your mouse cursor turns into a pointing
finger, you can click on that item to go to a relevant page, either
on our cover disc or, where you see a full Internet address, on the Net
(if you have Internet access, of course).
The interface for the PC User cover disc has been designed to be as simple to navigate as possible. The menu bar along the top of each page offer three sections. The top two sections offer simple links to pages that provided information and are unlikely to change much. This in cvludes the About Us, terms Of use, and Links page, as well as the Help pages. The Index page is also here and is updated each month to provide a quick and easy guide to the contents of the disc.
Below these top menu items is our main menu. This uses drop-down menus and requires Javascript/ActiveX be enabled in your browser to function properly. if things aren't working properly, see if there is a yellow informaiton bar appear at the top of the browser window. Click on this and select "Allow Blocked Content". To make this change permanently go into Internet Explorer's Tools>Intertnet Options then click the Seciruty TAB and the Custom Level Button. Under 'ActiveX Controls and Buttons" set this to Disable - to stop the constant Security prompting.
These drop-down menus will take you directly to the irst page of each section. From there use the left hand menu to see the page for each program or featured item within that section.
Installing
software from the Cover Disc
If
you come across a file you would like to try while browsing the
different parts of the disc, then follow these instructions:
If the file has the extension EXE,
all you have to do is run the file. Most of the software on our Cover Disc are EXE files so you can install them immediately.
If it is a ZIP file, you will need a Zip utility to extract the program files. Windows XP has this feature built in. However, you can also download a zip utility from the internet. A good Zip utility is WinZip which can be downloaded from their home page located at www.winzip.com. Although, we do include the program from time to time, it is not guaranteed that it will be included on every cover disc.
What to do when things go wrong
We've
done our best to minimise the possibility of problems with this
Cover Disc. Nonetheless, any time you have software, computers and the Internet
in the same sentence there are bound to be problems of some sort.
Unfortunately,
DVDs and CDs are are a physical product, and a small percentage suffer from
mishandling in transit, and occasionally there are mishaps in production.
If
you ever find that one our cover disks is faulty, you can rest assured
that we will do everything possible to diagnose the problem and
get a replacement to you as soon as possible.
Playing it safe
You
should regularly back up any important files on your system, and
virus check all software before installing it.
We
take every precaution to ensure that only virus-free and uncorrupted
files appear on the Cover Disc, but you can never be too careful. Before
installing any software, follow this checklist:
Virus
check: Virus check your system and any software to be installed.
Keep your virus checker up to date.
Read
the documentation: Read all README files and associated documentation.
Backups: Back up important files before installing software, and approach
all prerelease software cautiously.
Licences: Carefully read and abide by any licence agreements, copyright notices
or restrictions on usage.
Research: If possible, visit the developer's Web site to find out more about
the product.
Problems with Internet connections
Please contact your Internet service provider for help with Internet
connections.
Tech
support, broken discs, etc
What we can help you with
We are happy to provide written technical support (prefferably by email) for the software
on the CD that is created by PC User, but unfortunately we
cannot provide telephone support or any support for the third-party
software on the disc. PC User software includes the PC User
CD Web pages, our Startup program, and any exclusive PC User-branded software we include from time to time.
Third-party software
If you need technical support for any of the third-party software,
you need to contact the developer of that program. You will find
details about the developer either in the program's Help menu or
in a document file (usually named README) accompanying the program.
Damaged discs
We will, of course, exchange damaged discs. Just send the disc and
a note with your name and postal address, to PC User Disc Exchange,
GPO Box 4088, Sydney NSW 1028.
Contact information
For suggestions and technical support of PC User software,
contact us at:
E-mail: pcusercd@acp.com.au
Post: PCUser Cover Disc Support, GPO Box 4088, Sydney NSW 1028.
Please include
full details about your system and any error messages you have encountered
while running our disc.
© Australian Consolidated Press 2010/2011 All rights reserved.
