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ReadMe.txt
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2000-05-04
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Notes and troubleshooting guide for users of RISC OS 3 machines
===============================================================
Depending on the version of RISC OS you use, you may need to install
the software items in this directory onto your hard disc before the
RISC User in a Nutshell CD can be used correctly.
Note: all users (even those with RISC OS 4) may like to consider
investing in a copy of CDROMFS from Warm Silence Software (details
below). This is a replacement for CDFS and provides enhancements for
all machines. For RISC OS 3 machines, it also cures some serious
problems that are present in Acorn's CDFS.
RISC OS 4
---------
Ignore the items in this directory. CDFix is not needed, and Repeat is
present in the RISC OS ROM.
RISC OS 3.5 to 3.7
------------------
Please install !CDFix in your boot sequence and restart your machine.
It should be inserted into the following directory on your hard disc:
$.!Boot.Choices.Boot.PreDesk
You should find that Repeat is already present in your Library
directory ($.!Boot.Library), but if it is not there, insert it.
RISC OS 3.1 and 3.11
--------------------
As RISC OS 3.1 machines do not have a standardised boot structure, you
will have to edit your boot file by hand. Copy CDFix to your hard disc
and edit your !Boot file ensure that it is loaded at start-up. Then
restart your computer.
You should also copy the Repeat file into your Library directory,
which is set by default to a directory called 'Library' at the root
level of your hard disc ($.Library).
RISC OS 2 and RISC OS 3.0
-------------------------
These early versions of RISC OS are not supported by the CD's
front-end (and it is probably impossible to use CD-ROM drives directly
with such computers in any case). However, much of the older software
on this CD is compatible with RISC OS 2, so it is quite possible to
copy appropriate items from the CD-based archives and run them on such
early machines.
Troubleshooting notes for RISC OS 3 users
=========================================
1. CDFix and Repeat are provided here both 'bare' on the CD and within
a Zip archive. You are advised to install the versions from the Zip
archive, as they retain the usual mixed-case RISC OS filenames. The
copies supplied outside the Zip archive are present in case you have
difficulties in opening the Zip archive before installing CDFix in the
first place.
2. If you have an older version of CDFix already installed on your
system, you may find that the !Nutshell application still complains
when you first run it, and asks you to install CDFix. Simply update
your existing copy with the one on this CD, as the version here is the
final release of this software. Remember to update the Mappings file
inside CDFix with any additional mappings you have created yourself.
3. Unfortunately there are many problems with RISC OS 3.1 and with
versions of CDFS of RISC OS 3.1 machines which mean that RISC User in
a Nutshell does not perform as well as might be hoped. The best
solution is to buy a newer computer with RISC OS 3.5 or preferably
RISC OS 4. However, here is a summary of the main problems and some
tentative solutions:
(a) Files on the CD with name suffixes (e.g. INDEX/HTM in the root
directory) appear as Data files rather than with their correct
filetypes.
The solution is to install CDFix in your boot sequence.
(b) Strange 'Line too long' and 'Program renumbered' errors occur when
attempting to run the !Nutshell application, and it refuses to work.
(There may also be 'Abort on data transfer' errors on the first
attempt at running !Nutshell.)
This problem only affects certain machines with certain hardware
combinations. You should contact the supplier of your CD software
and/or related hardware to see if an updated version is available
which cures the problem.
Note that this is *NOT* a problem with the Nutshell CD; it works
perfectly on newer systems.
Perhaps the best alternative answer (which also removes the need to
install CDFix) is to use CDROMFS from Warm Silence Software, but as
this is a commercial product it will involve further expenditure.
CDROMFS is a replacement for CDFS which cures all of CDFS's major
problems and provides various useful enhancements. RISC User in a
Nutshell has been tested successfully with CDROMFS on a RISC OS 3.1
machine which had previously given insoluble problems when using CDFS.
CDROMFS
-------
CDROMFS costs £30 ex. VAT. For more details contact:
Robin Watts
Warm Silence Software
PO Box 28
Woodstock
Oxfordshire OX20 1XX
Email: Robin.Watts@wss.co.uk
Web: http://www.wss.co.uk/
Tel: 01608 737172
or 0585 487642 (Mobile)
Fax: 01608 737172
-------
(c) The RISC User Disc menu system (present in the majority of
magazine disc archives and used with some other software collections
such as the Programmer's Toolkits) does not work correctly from CD.
It loads up successfully and displays the help files, but will not run
the individual programs, instead reporting 'not found' errors.
Unfortunately there is no direct solution; this appears to be a
problem with RISC OS 3.1. Upgrading to a newer machine will cause the
problem to go away. For older machines, to run the programs in disc
archives you must simply double-click on the applications in the
directory displays rather than trying to run them from the disc menu
system. Alternatively, copy the archive's contents from the CD to your
own disc and run the menu system from there.
(d) The Web browser keeps running out of memory.
In order to use the HTML front-end on this CD, a machine with at least
8Mb of RAM is recommended. However, the contents of the CD are
organised in a logical way, and it should be easy to find what you're
looking for simply by browsing the CD directly. Also, try viewing the
individual HTML index pages accompanying the items on the CD, rather
than starting at the overall graphical front-end.
Remember that the HTML is just a big menu system for the contents of
the CD; you may wish to copy software items of interest to your hard
disc and run them from there.
Alternatively, try using the file-only version of Fresco which is
provided inside the !Nutshell application (Shift-double-click on
!Nutshell to open it up and then run !Fresco inside it). Note,
however, that this version of Fresco can only be used as a passive
viewer; it does not support the necessary protocols that allow the
Nutshell's special links to work, so you will not be able to run
software etc. from the Web pages. However, it could be useful for
reading manuals and viewing pictures. (The full, commercial version of
Fresco does not suffer from this limitation.)
(e) The Web browser operates extremely slowly.
Try using the file-only version of Fresco, described in the answer to
point (d), above, which works at a reasonable speed on older machines.
It should be noted that CD performance on RISC OS 3.1 machines is
poor, and ARM3 machines are in themselves slow by modern standards.
For reasonable viewing pleasure, a machine which is at equivalent to
or better than a Risc PC or A7000+ with faster-than-dual-speed CD-ROM
drive is recommended.
Summary
=======
If you are attempting to use this CD-ROM on a RISC OS 3.1 machine,
then unfortunately you are at a significant disadvantage. We have done
everything possible to make the CD function acceptably on all RISC OS
configurations, but RISC OS 3.1 does not really come up to the
minimum standard of performance that might be expected of it.
Moreover, machines of this vintage are not really sufficiently well
equipped to run a CD of this complexity.
RISC OS 3.1 user may therefore consider it best to ignore the
HTML-based front-end and simply copy software out of the archives on
the CD to the machine's local hard disc, and run it from there. (The
individual HTML pages accompanying each item can also be viewed in
isolation to act as a useful index.
Remember that the vast majority of software on this CD will work on
all machines, including 4Mb RISC OS 3.1 computers; there is no need
to use the HTML front-end if it proves too slow on your computer.
However, users of such old machines are strongly advised to upgrade
to a modern machine, preferably a StrongARM Risc PC (or equivalent)
with RISC OS 4 and a fast CD-ROM drive, and preferably a significant
amount of RAM. Certain items on the CD (e.g. the Ovation Pro-based
magazine layouts from RISC User 11:5 and later) require significant
amounts of RAM to be present.