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- FARGO IBM-PC USER GROUP
- OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
-
- Meeting Notes--------------------------------------------------------1
- Hardware: IBM XT 256-------------------------------------------------1
- Shareware: ARC-------------------------------------------------------1
- Editor: Rescuing Files with Sidekick---------------------------------2
- Need Floppy Disks?---------------------------------------------------2
- NEC's Hot Monitor----------------------------------------------------2
- Bulletin Board Uploads-----------------------------------------------3
-
- ** MEETINGS **
- The Fargo IBM-PC User Group meets the third Monday of every month at 7:00
- p.m. Our current meeting place is the classroom located in Bethany Homes,
- 201 University Drive South, Fargo. Meetings are free to the public and
- new computer owners are encouraged to attend.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- MEETING NOTES
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- The September meeting featured a look at Kodak's projection system for
- computer generated slide shows.
- We also took a look at ComputerLand's XT clone, mentioned in last
- month's newsletter.
- October Meeting. The focus of our October meeting will be the Paradox
- database program. A company representative will demonstrate the program
- and answer questions regarding its operation.
- In November we will celebrate Thanksgiving with a "Great Turkey Swap &
- Sale." If you have any software and/or hardware that you wish to sell,
- trade, or whatever, bring it to the November meeting! Our feature for the
- month will be networking. Karl Peterson will give us a shake down cruise
- through the Novell network hardware and software.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- HARDWARE: IBM XT 256
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Once again, IBM has underwhelmed the world with the introduction of a
- new computer. This time it's a half-breed--part XT and part AT.
- The machine, designated the XT Model 286, sells for $3,995--$900 less
- that a comparably equipped AT.
- The machine resembles the XT in the following ways: same footprint,
- same disk access time, three 8-bit slots (one of which is short), and
- relatively limited power supply (157 watts).
- Yet, it has some features of an AT--80286 processor, five 16-bit slots
- (one of which is short). It also features the original AT speed of 6-MHz,
- but with no wait states, which makes it a bit faster--though not as fast
- as the newest ATs.
- Oddities. The XT-286 does not offer room for a second full-height hard
- disk nor does it treat AT multifunction cards well. IBM decided to save
- 18 cents worth of metal and shorten the height of the cover of the system
- unit. As a result, most plug-in circuit boards are too long. A few minor
- (?) bugs were also reported regarding compatibility with existing hardware
- because of the revised motherboard.
- Most editors--this one included--recommend users opt for a standard XT
- or AT, not this hybrid. It's better than an XT, but runs like an AT with
- its shoelaces tied together. Instead of smashing the market with a whiz-
- bang AT, IBM manufactured an AT cripple. Reminds one of the PCjr. Let's
- hope IBM sees the similarity before it's too late.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- SHAREWARE: ARC
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- One of the handiest utilities you can add to your disk is the utility
- called ARC.EXE. As we've mentioned before, this utility allows you to
- store several related files together under one name. Not only does it
- reduce the number of directory entries, it also dehydrates the original
- files in the process, saving up to half of the space of the original file.
- At this writing, the latest version is ARC (1.52) dated February 5,
- 1986.
- Like many users, I try to use such programs through the on-screen
- documentation and thus avoid those printouts that clutter my office.
- I've discovered some nifty features to ARC I never new existed. Here's
- a few you too may have overlooked.
- Encrypt. Suppose you want to encrypt a text file and plug it into an
- ARChive. If the file is encrypted separately, it probably will not
- squeeze down very far. Using Zenith's DOS utility called CIPHER, I
- encrypted a file and then tried to place it in an ARChive. It was added
- to the archive, but did not shrink in size.
- ARC now offers an encrypting option. To add a file called SECRET.TXT
- into an existing archive file called SAMPLE.ARC, type:
- ARC AGCODE SAMPLE SECRET.TXT
- In the command above, the A = add command; the G = encrypt/decrypt;
- CODE = the password, which in this case is the four letter sequence CODE;
- SAMPLE = name of the existing ARC file; SECRET.TXT = the regular text file
- which will be encrypted, compressed, and then stored in the archive file.
- To remove an encoded file, append GCODE to the extract command:
- ARC XGCODE SAMPLE SECRET.TXT
- The encrypton, though not as secure as programs such as SuperKey,
- provides an easy way to protect data and save disk space at the same time.
- You can see the contents of a compressed encrypted file without extracting
- it by using the G + CODEWORD option with the p (print) command. For
- example:
- ARC PGCODE SAMPLE SECRET.TXT
- would scroll the contents of SECRET.TXT across your screen. A file which
- is compressed and encrypted at the same time cannot be uncompressed
- without being uncoded also. You must specify the G option and include the
- code word.
- Modifying an Archive. Two other commands make it painless to change an
- archive file. Suppose an archive file contains version 5.0 of the popular
- LIST utility. You download version 6.0 of the program file, but don't
- find a new document file.
- You can replace the new COM file in the old archive by first giving it
- the same name (e.g. LIST.COM), and then using the f (= freshen) command.
- The f command will look in the file and update any files there with files
- using identical names but more recent dates. A command might look like
- this:
- ARC F LIST.ARC LIST.COM
- If the version of list outside the archive is older than the one
- inside, no changes will be made.
- A similar command (u = update) will add to an archive all files whose
- dates are more recent than those in the archive plus all files that don't
- exist in the archive. Only the file names in the archive whose dates are
- more recent than identical file names outside the archive will not be
- changed. Everything else will be updated or added.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- EDITOR:RESCUING FILES WITH SIDEKICK
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- It's no secret that I'm a great fan of ramdisks, that simulated floppy
- disk which software creates using RAM memory in your PC. One headache
- with ramdisks, however, is the way their contents evaporates when you have
- to reboot your system.
- When my keyboard locked up the other day, I quickly realized that a
- valuable text file (WORK.TXT) was sitting on the ramdisk. A warm boot
- with CTRL-ALT-DEL would destroy it. What could I do?
- Sidekick was active. I tried it. Sure enough, the keyboard worked for
- Sidekick. What now? Open the notepad with the F2 key. Change to a new
- file on a floppy (or hard) disk using F3 key. I used A:RESCUE.TXT as a
- filename. Read the old file on ramdisk [WORK.TXT]in as a complete block
- into the new file (A:RESCUE.TXT) on the floppy disk (using control KR).
- Save the new file (RESCUE.TXT) with F2 key. Exit Sidekick. Reboot.
- Whew! Lots of typing saved. Incidentally, if you forget the name of
- your valuable files on the ramdisk, just enter Sidekick's notepad, type F3
- for new files, and then enter the drive designator of your ramdisk. You
- can scroll through the files to find what you want, then hit ESC.
- --J.L.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- NEED FLOPPY DISKS?
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- The User Group has a limited supply of DS/DD 360K floppy disks
- available. These come with tyvek sleeves and have a lifetime guarantee.
- Your cost is only 75 cents each. Contact Loren if interested.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- NEC'S HOT MONITOR
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- PC Magazine reports that NEC's MultiSync monitor is one of the fastest
- selling devices in the market today. The monitor has the ability to
- handle the current crop of (640 x 350) EGA boards plus those about to be
- built around the (640 x 480) pixel resolution of Intel's 82786 and TI's
- 34010 chips. The MultiSync's flexibility can extend the resolution to 800
- x 560. Sales are reporting to be doubling each month.
- Look for other manufacturers to follow the trend.
- Another advancement is Zenith's flat screen technology, which offers
- glare-free, minimal distortion displays.
- Tomorrow's monitor will be something special when these two
- advancements are joined in holy matrimony. (I just hope the wedding isn't
- too expensive!
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- USER GROUP OFFICERS
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- President & Sysop------------------------------------------Loren Jones
- Vice-President-------------------------------------------James Grettum
- Librarian-----------------------------------------------Calvin Paulson
- Newsletter Ed.----------------------------------------------Jim Levitt
- Treasurer--------------------------------------------------Loren Jones
- Printing-----------------------------------------------------TLC Press
- User Group Address: Box 9121, Fargo ND 58109
- Newsletter Address: c/o Jim Levitt, Box 97, Wolverton, MN 56594
- User Group Phone: 1-701-280-2608
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Fargo RBBS Uploads: 9/1/86-10/9/86
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Fargo RBBS Uploads: 9/1/86-10/9/86
- A86A.ARC 61696 09-21-86 FASSTT!! 88/86 assemblr ver 1.15, part 1
- A86B.ARC 74880 09-21-86 FASSST!! 88/86 assembler,ver 1.15, part 2
- ACCROSS4.EXE 26752 10-07-86 Vertical checkers - 4 across
- ADDPATH.ARC 1408 09-17-86 ADD Path to existing path,text & bat file
- AGSPNEWS.ARC 17024 09-30-86 Aug-Sept Fargo User Group Newsletters
- ANSIDR30.ARC 38784 09-22-86 AnsiDraw v.3.0
- ARCA122.ARC 7424 09-21-86 FAST! ARC file adder (Vern Buerg) v 1.22
- ARCE206.ARC 9344 09-26-86 Very fast ARCextractor ver. 2.06
- ASCIICR.PRG 1664 09-20-86 dBaseIII+ screens all ASCII characters
- ASEASY.ARC 86016 09-26-86 A Lotus Clone for the PC
- ASMGEN2.ARC 23552 10-03-86 Generates assembly code from EXE and COM
- ATDIAG-1.ARC 13312 09-25-86 Diagnose AT/XT Hard Disks. Nice Utility
- ATO500.ARC 107648 09-30-86 Comm utility for CompuServe SIGs.
- ATODOC.ARC 58572 09-30-86 Documentation for ATODOC.ARC
- AUTOPRC1.ARC 66560 09-28-86 Makes Autodownload Script w/Procomm v2.4
- BGECHO.ARC 9216 09-30-86 LARGE letters (8rows high) for bat files
- BIO201D.ARC 46848 09-27-86 Sophisticated Biorythym plotter
- BOOT.ARC 5120 09-26-86 Force system reboot from within batch
- file
- BOX.ARC 1536 09-22-86 A Psuedo 3-D rotating box
- BRKBOX ARC 6400 09-25-86 Mem. res./displays RS232 status on screen
- BSIT-DOC.ARC 16128 09-27-86 Business-situation from Dept. of Commerce
- BURNOUT.ARC 15104 09-16-86 Screen Blanking Utility
- C-FORMAT.ARC 17536 09-21-86 FORMAT with both floppy drives,1 after
- other!
- CAPSLOCK.ARC 1664 09-24-86 Make CapsLock work right! Must for WPers
- CBOOT.ARC 1536 10-05-86 Prevent keyboard lockup in programs
- CCINSULT.ARC 3072 09-16-86 Remove bounty message from Carbon Copy
- CGRAPH.ARC 14336 09-21-86 EGA graphics routines for DeSmet C
- CHAIN.ARC 8192 09-17-86 Find which clusters are used by a file
- CHKPRO.ARC 63232 09-13-86 Newline Checkbook system. Excellent!
- CLMEM.EXE 1024 09-28-86 Clears all free memory to "00"s
- COHORT.ARC 52224 09-24-86 Resident printer/disk utility - GREAT !!
- COPASCAL.ARC 106496 09-25-86 Concurrent PASCAL from Sept. Comp. Lang.
- Mag.
- CORTES27.ARC 27648 10-04-86 Core Hard Disk Test version 2.7
- CWEEP214.ARC 25344 09-19-86 Select files for mass copy or delete
- CYCLOPS.ARC 33154 10-04-86 Pinball game : CYCLOPS
- CYLON.ARC 2048 09-21-86 A favorite wierd curson/prompt
- D86.ARC 57216 09-21-86 Debugger w/windows,for A86,lots of
- features!
- DANGER.TXT 8064 10-02-86 DANGER!!! Do not use TROJAN.ARC !!!!!
- DB3PLSAR.ARC 57216 09-20-86 dBaseIII+ accounts receivable system
- DB3PNOTE.ARC 1920 09-21-86 DB3+ Technical Notes from The Source
- DB3PRT.PRG 2304 09-21-86 Send printer control codes from DBase 3
- DFIXUP2.ARC 32768 09-20-86 dBase2/3/+ program utility,indents 4U
- DISKCHK.PAS 26624 09-24-86 File/Disk performance analyzer program
- DISKVR40.ARC 51200 09-20-86 Diskcover prog. - disk labels GOOD
- DISKVR41.ARC 56704 09-22-86 Prints directry for F or H disk NEAT !
- DRLISTH.ARC 15360 09-27-86 Son of LIST utility for CTTY/Doors : ver
- H
- DYMDMCMP.ARC 1024 09-27-86 Compare YMODEM downloads four programs
- EAMON-0.ARC 71680 09-22-86 EAMON Gaming System with beginners
- Dungeon
- EAMON-1.ARC 22528 09-22-86 Dungeon #1 "Lair of the Minotaur" EAMON
- EAMON-D.ARC 70656 09-22-86 EAMON Dungeon Designer disk-new version
- EBREAK14.ARC 2048 09-27-86 Control-BREAK that works better !
- EDITANSI.ARC 25600 09-25-86 Edit screen program - draw with mouse
- EDWIN14 ARC 84992 09-25-86 Edwin program editor ver. 1.4 - Very
- nice!
- EEDIT.ARC 23936 10-06-86 Edit Epson biimage mode files c.g. rq.
- EGAKAL.ARC 13312 09-21-86 Kaleidoscope for your EGA
- EMMCACHE ARC 5376 09-25-86 Extended memory disk cacheing
- END.EXE 3072 10-06-86 Great finish to a .BAT file or program
- ENTERTAN.COM 28928 09-14-86 Joplin by the Pianoman
- EPSHELL.ARC 76800 10-04-86 Epson Printer Shell : pretty extensive
- FILECAT2.ARC 66688 09-13-86 Small verion of FileCat, + PASCAL source
- FILEDATE.ARC 1664 09-22-86 Change Date & Time Stamp of your files
- FILEDATE.ARC 1664 09-24-86 Change Date & Time stamp of your files
- FINDUP35 ARC 37888 09-25-86 Find duplicate files on multiple subd. &
- disks
- FKEYM11.ARC 24704 09-27-86 Make FK templates with your Epson
- FMREVIEW.ARC 8192 10-07-86 Reviews of PD File Manager programs - VG!
- FORM.ARC 89984 09-24-86 Complete form+screen drawing system
- FSPILOT.ARC 107392 09-26-86 Flight course generator for Flight
- Simulator
- GALAXY12.ARC 91136 09-21-86 GALAXY V1.2B, a WordStar-like/windowing
- WP
- GRASP.ARC 281600 09-27-86 GRAphics System for Presentation 1.10c
- Sept
- GREETCRD.ARC 17792 09-26-86 Design your own greeting cards
- GRPHPAPR.ARC 5120 10-07-86 Print graph paper on your matrix printer
- GSETUP14.ARC 21504 09-26-86 Generic SETUP for Model 99 AT's and
- compat's
- HDMII.ARC 111616 09-28-86 HD menu easier setup than Automenu
- HDTST273.ARC 76800 09-27-86 Hard Disk Tester v2.73 (for John C.)
- HOTDOS2.ARC 8192 10-03-86 Drop into DOS from any program!
- HOTDOS2A.ARC 8192 09-16-86 Hot Key to DOS any time - REAL THING !!
- HOUSEACT.ARC 7168 09-28-86 Text of new House bill on BBS's
- HOW.TXT 4608 09-15-86 All SYSOP's -- Must Reading!!!!!
- HSB.BAS 1024 10-03-86 Hill Street Blues theme song
- JAZ.ARC 5120 09-22-86 Just Another Zap program - alter
- files/disks
- K9-831.ARC 24576 09-25-86 "KP" Mem-res utility to add DOS functions
- 8/31
- KEYLOCK.ARC 768 09-20-86 Access key/caps lock from dBaseIII+
- LF341.ARC 12544 09-17-86 Directory lister for Humans.
- LIBSCAN.ARC 40960 10-07-86 List of pgrms avail on the SOURCE
- LIST60H.ARC 19456 09-17-86 Beurg's text listing pgm- new ver 60h !
- LOT201.ARC 1024 09-16-86 Unprotect LOTUS version 2.01
- LOTUSFMT.ARC 35584 09-23-86 Describes format of Lotus 123/Symph.
- files
- LQ1500PC.ARC 7552 09-23-86 Epson Lq1500 printer settings with .asm
- MARC50.ARC 9984 09-21-86 Merge ARC files together - works w/5.12
- MARK.ARC 5632 09-17-86 Mark bad clusters easily
- MASTER.ARC 2688 09-27-86 Displays DOS interrupt vectors
- MOVBASIC.ARC 2048 09-27-86 Create IBM basic on clones
- NEWFONT.ARC 15104 09-15-86 EGA font utility version 3.00 --- GREAT!
- NEWLINE.ARC 151040 09-13-86 Demo Newline word processor, speller
- NEWSROOM.ARC 1152 09-27-86 Unprotect the NEWSROOM
- NITEFIRE.ARC 29696 09-17-86 Tank battle game
- NOBAK.ARC 1152 09-24-86 Stop TPASCAL from making .BAK files
- OWNER.ARC 9344 09-17-86 Find what file owns a particular cluster
- PAL14.ARC 94208 09-22-86 Personal Appointment Locator for SideKick
- PALARM10.ARC 93184 09-24-86 10 memory resident alarms (see PAL14.ARC)
- PALERT.ARC 23040 09-22-86 Resident disk space monitor
- PC-DRAFT.ARC 78080 09-19-86 Drafting/graphing system - Shareware
- PCHELP.ARC 35712 09-17-86 PC-Helper: Dos help for ver. 3.1
- PCO315.ARC 113920 09-17-86 PC OUTLINE 3.15 Beats Thinktank!
- PCPFIDO.ARC 7168 09-26-86 PC Pursuit FIDO's - in Qmodem 2.0 .FON
- format
- PPATCH.ARC 1152 09-21-86 Patch FORMFEEDS out of PRINT.COM
- PROCOM24.ARC 126976 09-25-86 ProComm ver. 2.4 communications program
- PROSORT.ARC 32128 10-06-86 ProComm dialing dir. SORTER! (New pgm.)
- PSEARCH.ARC 70656 09-18-86 Find/search utility. Very versatile.
- PSP.PAS 5632 09-26-86 TPASCAL description of the Prgm Segment
- Prefx
- PTOUCH.ARC 19456 09-26-86 Change file dates - many options
- QBX200.ARC 46080 09-30-86 QBASIC X-Ref with or w/o line #s or both
- QEDIT130 ARC 94208 09-25-86 Quick Editor ver. 1.30
- QFILER.ARC 64768 09-22-86 File Maintenance Utility
- QFILER21.ARC 66048 09-23-86 Excellent file utility view 2
- directories.
- QFIMPORT.TXT 3072 09-26-86 how to merge QMODEM.FON files w/Qfonedit
- QFONE222.ARC 88960 09-23-86 Qfonedit 2.22: THE Qmodem utility
- QFONE222.TXT 2048 09-23-86 ascii description of Qfonedit 2.22
- QM22DOC.ARC 44379 10-09-86 Qmodem 2.2 doc. Use with ver 2.2 & 2.3
- QMODEM22.ARC 243840 09-17-86 Qmodem 2.2 - Complete, all required files
- QMODEM23.ARC 180096 10-09-86 Qmodem 2.3 (see QM22DOC.ARC for docs)
- QMODKER.ARC 8192 09-26-86 Info on Kermit for Qmodem (req. RBBS-
- KRM.ARC)
- RBBS-BAS.ARC 183552 10-01-86 Source code for RBBS-PC 14.1D w/ Config
- RBBS-DOC.ARC 173696 10-01-86 Documentation for RBBS-PC 14.1D
- RBBS-EXE.ARC 254097 10-01-86 Compiled RBBS-PC 14.1D w/ Config
- RBBS-OBJ.ARC 19456 10-01-86 Required .OBJ files for RBBS-PC 14.1D
- RBBS-TXT.ARC 47360 10-01-86 Required text files for RBBS-PC 14.1D
- RDISK2.ARC 3072 09-17-86 Great RAMdisk - load & remove with no
- reboot
- RECALL.ARC 4352 09-25-86 Retrieve last 50 DOS commands
- REPRATE.ARC 5632 09-24-86 Change AT's cursor speed. by Ralph Blanco
- RESDIR.PAS 48128 09-24-86 TSR directory listing program
- ROMA.ARC 36864 09-25-86 A Turbo PASCAL pic
- RPRN.ARC 2688 10-05-86 Redirect printer output to file on AT
- SCAN3.ARC 6144 09-27-86 Bob Ray's scan file for ASCII text --new
- ver
- SCRIPT.ARC 5120 09-25-86 Turbo Pascal Source for PCBoard Scripts
- SDIRX.ARC 7168 09-26-86 Sorted directory with pgup/pgdn
- SDUMP.COM 512 09-28-86 PrtSc : RtShf to Prtr
- SEARCH11.ARC 5120 09-17-86 Like DOS PATH but finds all file
- extensions
- SHRTCUT2.ARC 69888 10-04-86 DOS Shell like 1DIR
- SOLVER.ARC 39936 09-22-86 Solve math equations/formulas.
- SORTF.ARC 2944 10-05-86 Nice little alphabetizer. Works!
- SPEEDY3.ARC 2176 09-28-86 Faster DOS Screen writes
- SST20.ARC 43008 09-25-86 Seek Stopper v2.0! Super fast disk
- optimizer!
- SUMMARY.ARC 5376 09-24-86 Display disk spec's & bytes free
- SW.ARC 2048 09-27-86 Sideways print in normal size
- TDEBUGV3.ARC 40960 09-27-86 Turbo Pascal Debugger version 3
- TP-ARRAY.ARC 1280 09-24-86 How-to variable arrays in TPASCAL
- TROJAN.LST 1536 10-07-86 List of trojan. pirated stuff
- TT.ARC 7168 09-21-86 Tells Time required to transmit a file.
- TVSHOW6.ARC 18432 10-05-86 Fun color graphics screen demo
- TWENTY.ARC 3584 09-20-86 Open 20 database files in dBaseIII+
- UNERA11.ARC 6144 09-27-86 Backup and Restore FAT/Boot Sector of HD
- VPS11.ARC 51456 10-05-86 Ver 1.1 of best generic printer setup
- WAKEUP.ARC 1792 09-21-86 Enter command at any preset time,
- K.Graham
- WALLPAPE.ARC 4480 10-06-86 Wallpaper for the mind- Sci. Amer. progs
- WATCHDG2 ARC 7168 09-25-86 Monitor carrier, recycles if lost
- (w/RBBS)
- WED211.ARC 90752 09-22-86 Good text editor for programmers
- WILLY.ARC 21888 10-05-86 Neat graphic jump and climb game
- WORLD3D.ARC 41088 09-20-86 3D globe - Rotate from space
- WP41MSYS.ARC 7168 10-03-86 Mouse support for Word Perfect 4.1
- WPTYPE.ARC 1024 09-27-86 TYPE a WordPerfect file
- XFER150.ARC 41984 09-22-86 Transfer files in Xmodem or Ymodem with
- Host!
- XONE2.ARC 10240 10-07-86 Beurg's util to split apart ARC files !
- XT.ARC 13312 09-23-86 Execute commands across subdirectory
- trees
- XT286.DOC 7296 09-24-86 IBM released info on XT-286
- XWORD.ARC 26880 09-27-86 Transfer files between diff. word
- processors
- ZOO121.ARC 57728 09-26-86 ZOO - New FAST archive/unarchive - ver
- 1.21
- ZSDPC.ARC 5248 09-24-86 Directory sort util - many options
- ZSDPC.ARC 6144 09-28-86 SDIR utility : Does ARCs and LBRs, too
- ZSQUSQ.ARC 4096 09-25-86 Faster & smaller Squeeze/Unsqueezeer
-
-