On Disk Monthly's Issue #75 * * * M A I L B A G * * * ASK ODM ------- I have been an ODM subscriber for over four years and thoroughly enjoy your programs. I have been using the Family Tree 3.0 (ODM #69) program and discovered a problem. When I try to print the "Family Member Listing" it will not page break on each name. I would like to print each record on a separate page, but the report does not do this. I am running the program on a Packard Bell "Legend 300SX" 386 and using a Panasonic KX-P1123 24-pin printer. All the other reports work just fine. Kenneth J. Page Navarra, FL RESPONSE: I just ran Family Tree, chose the print out option you mentioned, answered "yes" to the question "would you like to print each entry on a separate page," and my print out was fine. If you've answered "yes" to the same question and it isn't working for you, there are two things you can try. First, try changing some of the settings you've used for this and other print options, then print this one again. It's possible that Family Tree contains some strange logic flaw that has tied page breaks for the "Family Member Listing" to other report settings. Second, you might check your printer's manual and experiment with changing your printer's settings (if applicable). We'll add this problem to our list of potential fixes/updates for the next version of Family Tree. * * * "It will not load again" keeps coming up when I try to run Appointment Calendar (ODM #71). I do not understand how to get it running. I do have a calendar (Deskmate), but wonder if I'd like this better. Beatrice D. Taylor Franklinville, NJ RESPONSE: Appointment Calendar is a TSR. Many people don't grasp the TSR concept (TSR stands for "terminate and stay resident") at first, but once you do, you'll do fine. What this all "boils down" to is that a TSR is available each time you boot up your computer and will remain available--even while it's not on-screen and you're using another program--because it stays "resident" in your computer's memory. When you ran Appointment Calendar from the ODM disk, you were presented with a series of screens of help text and installation questions. You apparently installed Appointment Calendar at that time. Hence, the message that it will "not load again." When you installed Appointment Calendar, it was automatically added to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. You may run Appointment Calendar from the DOS prompt or from any text mode program, by holding down the "Alt" key while you press "C" (Alt-C). Note: Appointment Calendar will not be available from a graphic program such as the ODM menu or Legends of Murder on this disk. Also, the Alt-C "hotkey" combination is user configurable--in case you regularly run a program that uses that same Alt-C combination. If this happens, the .EXE will override Appointment Calendar and you won't be able to call it up to the screen. To remove this or any other TSR, delete it from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, then reboot your computer. It will no longer be in memory and it will not be available. * * * I have tried to update BBD Indexer with ODM #73 files. The program only reads BBDISSUE.BID, regardless of how many .BID files are in the directory. Then I remembered I had the same problem with #64 and #68. I give up--HELP!. How can I merge a file that it won't read? Also, another program I can't get to work is "Rainbows" on issue #66. All I get is a black field with error messages and occasional score increases. Where are the rainbows? Anthony E. Chaffee Bartlesville, OK RESPONSE: Pull out issue #64 and launch the ODM Indexer program (or ODM Librarian from the Special Intro Issue). Choose "Load a Catalog," then select the ODMISSUE.BID file. Once it has loaded, choose "Merge a Catalog." If you are updating your program from one of our previous floppy updates, Insert a floppy (#68 contains a 65-68 update; #73 contains a 69-73 update) into your A: or B: drive. Press the Up Arrow to access the Path "field." Type A: or B: (whichever now contains the floppy), and press Enter. ODM Indexer will automatically search the floppy for a .BID file. If you are working from your hard drive, type the path where your update is located and press enter. When that filename appears on the screen, make sure it is selected and press Enter to merge the update into your currently loaded "main" file. Repeat these steps with other updates. NOTE: the updates we provide every three (or four) issues do not overlap, so there are no duplicate entries. However, if you have already manually updated your Indexer file, this merge WILL duplicate entries for those issues. I'm not sure why you can't run Rainbows. Please call our Tech Support number. * * * I am very pleased and glad to get [Print Shop Utilities 5.0] (#71). All works fine except the "Enhanced Label" feature. My problem is that the print driver does not send the correct size of line feeds. My computer is an Apex 200/40 by Epson, with an Epson Action printer 4000, and it works perfectly with other label programs that I have. I use standard labels (3.5" x 1"). Please tell me what I am doing wrong or can it be corrected? C.H. Walton Clearwater, FL RESPONSE: You are in luck! When you choose a printer type in Print Shop Utilities, it asks you if your printer stretches graphics (many do). Answer "yes" to this question and your problem should be solved. Keep the heighth set on 1 inch (the default). By the way, some of you have noted that you can only buy labels that are 15/16" high. Those are the right ones. Measure between perforations and you'll get 1". * * * I now have a new IBM PS/1 486 with a 170 meg hard drive, two floppy drives, 4M RAM and SVGA. Got a problem! Here is a list of programs I cannot run on my new system: Poker Squares, Circuitry, Catacomb Abyss and Morphose. To add insult to injury, when I ran Catacomb Abyss I got a system bulletin that I am running an unknown PC with a 386 CPU at a processor speed of +50MHz and VGA graphics. Ted Wojciehowski Lemont, IL RESPONSE: We don't have enough information to be 100 percent sure about your problem, but we strongly suspect that the sound routines used in those games are the culprit. Try running any of those games with a "/NOSOUND" or "/PCSP" parameter. You can also try the "/NOMOUSE" parameter (in case a mouse driver is the culprit). Finally, try each of the graphics mode parameters: "/C", "/M", "/E" and "/V". If none of this works, please call our tech support department and let's try to figure it out. Did your computer come with any type of built-in multi-media capabilities? In regard to the Catacomb Abyss system detection routine, I apologize. The text was supposed to read "...a 386 or better CPU" and "...VGA or better graphics." We goofed. * * * All programs except the menu and DirSize in issue #73 will not run from the command line. They all WILL run from the menu. ODM programs are useless to me if I cannot run them the way I want to and at the command line or in batch files. Robert N. Fagan Erie, PA RESPONSE: We believe we have an answer to this one. Unfortunately, the fix may have to come from you. Get ready--this is going to be technical. You apparently have an Adaptec Controller Card. Your card uses pointers or interrupts #60-#66 as strictly data areas instead of as pointers (which our programs expect). A pointer is an "address" than points to either code or more data. If we wrote programs that changed this "rule" like Adaptec's card seems to have done, we'd be producing software that wouldn't work properly. For at least seven years, interrupt #67 has been used as the expanded memory interrupt (Lotus, Intel and Microsoft), while interrupts #60-#66 are supposed to be reserved for "user interrupts." Most of our software uses interrupt #60 as a pointer. I understand that you can change your card's settings so that our software will run from the DOS prompt as it should. Your manual may cover this, but I suggest that you contact Adaptec for technical help and suggestions. At the same time, we'll look for a software "solution" here. LETTERS ------- I have been a subscriber of ODM (Big Blue) since disk #20. When I initially subscribed, I received a copy of the "Best of Big Blue Disk," which included the first Family Tree program. I received Enhanced Family Tree shortly thereafter. This got me into genealogy in an addictive way. I have four different files, from 123 names in one to 1,434 names in another. Then I received Family Tree 3.0 on issue #69. I decided to transfer information from a file with 303 names from Enhanced Family Tree to Family Tree 3.0. I found to my dismay that the comment line in Enhanced Family Tree held 65 characters compared to only 61 in Family Tree 3.0. I had to edit over 100 comment lines. Needless to say, I did not transfer my other files. Since I solved my own problem on the above, I have run into one I cannot solve. I owned a Panasonic KX-P 1092i printer that allowed me to print on half (33 lines) of a page. I just purchased a Panasonic KX-P 2123 printer and it will only allow me to print on a full page (66 lines). I now have to print one file, then roll the paper back 33 lines to print the second file. This is a real time consuming problem--particularly when I am printing a book for my relatives. Is is possible to rework the print driver in the Family Tree 3.0 program to do this? Robert J. Schell Arlington, VA COMMENTS: Thanks for letting us know that the comment area is four characters shorter than in the previous version of Family Tree. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and I promise we'll fix that one in our next version of Family Tree. Family Tree doesn't have a "printer driver" as such. It's simply sending up to 60 consecutive lines of type, then a page break to the printer. You might try setting the number of lines per page to 33 instead of 60. If you have already tried this and it didn't work, this means your printer will only interpret a page break in full-page terms. Family Tree doesn't really "control" the printouts; your printer does. * * * I would like to respond to Walter E. Paulsen's letter in issue #73. I use the Leading Edge Word Processor also, and we recently changed printers. I hope the following information will help solve Walter's problem. I called Leading Edge Products Support at 1-800-245-9868 and explained my problem. For a toll free phone call, a charge of $5.00 on the company Visa and a few days mail time, and a very few minutes of installation time, our new printer was on-line and running fine. Printer updates are still available for $5.00 at that number. I was very disappointed when Christine told me the last version of LEWP was 1.5 and it does not run with DOS 5.0. I like my new IBM system (PS/1 386SX with Windows 3.1), but the Microsoft Works Word Processor that came packaged with it is not as friendly, and in a lot of cases does not perform the task at hand as well as LEWP does. I look forward to the challenge of learning all the new things I now have access to; it just seems like a relatively large byte at one time. Myrna R. Maherg Mobile, AL COMMENTS: It seems that reports of the demise of Leading Edge were greatly exaggerated by me (or rather by the staff member who assured me that the company was no longer in business). I apologize to Walter and to Leading Edge. Thanks for taking the time to write! * * * I haven't written to you before, but I have been a subscriber for years--since back in my Commodore 64 days. I don't always find all your programs useful, but they are always of high quality. I really enjoy reading the Mailbag--usually the first thing I do. I would like to recommend a few items that I would like to see in the future. First, a .PCX cataloger such as Print Shop Utilities has. Second, a converter program to convert Print Shop graphics to .PCX format and vice versa. Third, a biography or autobiography program to compliment Family Tree 3.0. Please take my comments under serious consideration, and keep up the great work. Franklin R. Quick Sr. Albany, GA COMMENTS: We're mulling over all of your ideas, especially the first two. I'm not ready to tell you what issue they'll appear on, but we'll probably do them in the near future. * * * I have a few complaints to make. First, on ODM #71, I cannot get the game of solitaire to work at all. I called several times to complain about it, but wound up on hold and after a few minutes I hung up. One time they told me that they would call back. It's a good thing that I didn't hold my breath. Next, I purchased "AUTOMAP" from you and that was a waste of time and money. Just looking on a regular road map, I could figure out better routes than this thing came up with. Since you changed your name to On Disk Monthly, your programs have gone downhill. I'm really unhappy with ODM. I doubt if anything will come of my complaints, but at least I'll let you know how I feel. Clifford F. Steele Martinez, CA COMMENTS: Since you don't mention your particular computer setup, I can't "solve" your Klondike problem. However, I do apologize for the treatment you received from tech support. That department usually does an outstanding job. Klondike2 had two problems that we know about. First, you must have a recent version of your mouse driver because older mouse drivers will not recognize the EGA/VGA resolutions Klondike2 utilizes. Second, we soon learned that the published version of this program would not run properly on a PS/2-25. For a long time we couldn't figure out why. Therefore, tech support didn't know why. We've now isolated the problem (had to do with MCGA graphics) and plan to "remaster" that issue by mid-January, at which time you can call our 800# to request a copy of it. I haven't personally used AutoMap--maybe you're right about it. However, it's one of the most popular retail programs, so somebody likes it. Please let our customer service department know that you're unhappy with it. Finally, I'm sorry you don't like our current format. However, you may be happy to learn that we have been meeting and discussing the future focus and program mix of On Disk Monthly. When I know more, I'll let you know. * * * Have any of you people ever heard of the phrase "USER FRIENDLY"? In this rapidly growing market of new computer users, that phrase is almost a concrete MUST for new computer programs of any kind. Put simply, they must be made easy and quick to comprehend by the average eight-year-old, so that all of us, young and old alike, can understand and use them easily. I thought Print Shop Utility 3.0 was great and used it extensively. When PSU 4.0 came out there were problems with it, but after considerable manipulation, it was OK. At that time I thought that when PSU 5.0 comes out it will be really great. How do the kids say? NOT! I printed out the help file of PSU 5.0 and while I do admit to being somewhat thick-headed, if I hadn't had previous experience with 3.0 and 4.0 I would have been completely lost. Remember the eight year olds and please make them...user friendly. Jim Fellwock Santee, CA COMMENTS: I'm now making an extra effort to explain every function and to walk users through every action in our help text. However, complex programs that offer many functions will always require a period of learning (trial and error) and adjustment--particularly if an update is as extensive (function AND interface) as PSU 5.0's was. Also, we'll make all help files printable when possible (sometimes with particular game "engines" or submissions that's not practical). If we can't make the help file printable, we'll try to put a separate help file on the disk that you can load into your own word processor or into Edit Meister (issue #72). * * * Letters used in ODM's Mailbag may be edited for length and clarity. Please send your questions and comments to: ODM Mailbag On Disk Monthly, PO Box 30008, Shreveport, LA 71130