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- WELCOME TO FLAGG'S FLOPPIES CD-ROM!
- Action Games Vol. 1
-
- Manufactured by: Willard Computer Services
- 276 W Bagley Road
- Berea, OH 44017
-
- Technical Support Number: (216) 891-1190
-
- NOTE: Before calling technical support, please read this entire
- document, because it may answer your questions.
-
- In order to read this document, use the DOWN and UP arrow keys to
- move to the next or previous lines. If you wish to move ahead or
- backward by whole pages full of text, press the PageUp or PageDown
- key. If you want to print this document out, press "P". Then press
- [ENTER] three times.
-
- SHAREWARE
- ---------
- Note that the price of this CD-ROM represents only the cost of
- distribution and manufacturing. All programs contained on this disc
- are shareware. Shareware programs require separate payment to the
- authors if the programs are found useful.
-
- GENERAL OVERVIEW
- ----------------
-
- We have designed the user interface for this CD-ROM with both the
- power user and computer novice in mind. The interface is
- straightforward enough to allow a user of any skill level to use the
- programs and install them with little or no problem.
-
- When you first start the interface, you will see a series of
- buttons. When you move the mouse, you will see a little box on the
- screen, called the "mouse cursor", move. Position the mouse cursor
- over the button you would like to select, and then press the left
- mouse button.
-
- There are three special buttons along the top part of the screen.
- You have already used one of the buttons to read this file. The
- middle red button allows you to read about other products from
- Willard Computer Services that you can purchase. The rightmost red
- button allows you to exit out of the interface and return to the DOS
- prompt.
-
- Every program on this CD is represented by a cyan-colored button.
- When you press a button with a program name on it, you will go to
- the Program dialog box, which will be described below.
-
- There are two blue buttons at the bottom of the screen that allow
- you to move between the screenfulls of programs.
-
- PROGRAM DIALOG BOX
- ------------------
-
- From this box is where you can choose to run the program you have
- selected, read the program's documentation, or install the program
- to your hard disk.
-
- Run the Program: This button will attempt to run the program
- directly from the CD. See the section below entitled "THINGS TO
- CONSIDER WHEN RUNNING A PROGRAM FROM THE CD"
-
- Read the Documentation: If there is any on-disk documentation for
- the program you've selected, pushing this button will allow you to
- read it. In some cases, the program may not have any documentation.
- Usually these programs will have some sort of help built right into
- the actual program.
-
- Install the Program: This option will allow you to copy the program
- to your hard drive. When you press the button, the interface will
- prompt you to enter a directory to install the program to. It will
- suggest a default directory. Either press [ENTER] to accept the
- default or type the new directory name. The program will then copy
- everything to the directory you specified. If, in the process of
- copying, the program has any problems, a message will pop up and let
- you know that the installation was unsuccessful. Before calling
- technical support, make sure that you have enough free disk space to
- install the program and that you specified a legal pathname. If the
- program installs successfully, the interface will tell you the
- commands you need to type in order to run the program from your hard
- drive or read the documentation.
-
- THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN RUNNING A PROGRAM FROM THE CD
- -----------------------------------------------------
-
- Many of the programs that are on this CD were not originally meant
- to run off of a CD-ROM. Since you cannot write any information on a
- CD, a program may have a hard time writing a configuration file or
- saving a game. You must keep this in mind when using our CD-ROM.
-
- We've tried to allow each program to at least function on the
- CD-ROM. In some cases, a program just will not run from the CD. In
- these cases, when you choose the "Run the Program" button, you will
- get a message stating that you have to install this program.
-
- Even if a program will run, there is a chance that it will not
- function exactly as it is supposed to. For instance, you probably
- will not be able to save any games. In cases like this, running the
- program from the CD is helpful so that you can play a little of the
- game to see if it is something that you would like to copy to your
- hard drive. Once copied, you will be able to save games and change
- the configuration. We think of this as a nice game previewing
- feature of our CD.
-
- CD-ROM drives are slower than hard drives. Thus when running a
- program from CD, it will load and play much more slowly than if you
- copied it to your hard drive. This is something you should keep in
- mind.
-
- Another factor that you must consider is how much free memory (RAM)
- you have. Many of the games on this CD are very memory intensive;
- that is, they need a lot! When your computer loads the drivers for
- your CD-ROM, sound card, mouse, etc. it takes up valuable memory.
- As a result, some programs may not run. Or they may run, but you
- get some unexpected and strange results (strange characters popping
- up, garbled graphics, etc.). The easiest way to fix this type of
- problem is to install that program to your hard drive, and then boot
- your computer without loading all of your device drivers. The
- subject of memory management is a complex one, and unfortunately we
- cannot go into great detail here. You should consult your DOS
- manual, looking in the index for "Memory Management". It will
- describe ways you can squeeze all the available memory out of your
- system, which will probably make this CD run more smoothly.
-
- Another problem is trying to use this CD-ROM under Windows.
- Although the interface itself will function under Windows, most
- programs on this CD will not. So you should exit completely out of
- Windows (by choosing "Exit Windows" from the FILE menu in Program
- Manager). Then go to your CD-ROM drive (usually by typing D: or E:)
- and then type "GO" (no quotes). You should find that this will
- clear up a lot of problems.
-
- It is possible that a certain program will lock up your computer or
- that a program does not have any apparent way to quit. If this is
- the case, you should try holding down the Ctrl key and press Q, X,
- C, or A. Try the same thing with the Alt key. If those don't work,
- you should try pressing Ctrl and the Break key (the Pause key, in
- the upper right of the keyboard). If none of those worked, you may
- be forced to reboot your computer. This is done by holding down
- Ctrl and Alt, then pressing Delete. This should only be used as a
- last resort. Note that lockups are usually caused by memory
- management problems. See the section above about memory management.
-
- The final thing for you to remember is that there are an infinite
- number of possible configurations for computers. As a result, there
- is no guarantee that EVERY program will work on EVERY computer.
- There may just be some programs that you cannot run on your
- particular system. Although this is not common, it is a possibility
- for you to think about.
-
-
- If you're still having problems after reading this document and
- trying out the various solutions, give our technical support number
- a call at (216) 891-1190. We'd be happy to assist you.
- ====================================================================
-
- We hope that you enjoy using your Flagg's Floppies CD-ROM. We've
- done everything we can think of to make this the easiest-to-use and
- highest quality CD-ROM around. We think you'll agree that we
- succeeded!
-
- ====================================================================
-
- ┌─────────────────────────┐
- │ View Text File Reader │
- └─────────────────────────┘
-
- Welcome to View! This little program is a small, fast, FREE text file viewer
- programmed by Jim Wilson of ConsulTech. It is being distributed in
- cooperation with Willard Computer Services.
-
- If your text file viewing needs are not overly complex than View is for you.
- It is free (for personal use) and has all the major functions to make
- viewing text files a breeze. However, if your viewing needs are greater, or
- you wish to have a far more substantial program - and who among us doesn't
- want the best? - then you will want to acquire a copy of ReadIt (which is
- being offered at a special introductory price of only $10 US).
-
- ReadIt is a highly advanced text file viewer that has every conceivable
- option and function you could possibly want. It is quite a bit more advanced
- than View, yet it maintains an unparalleled ease of use and speed. It is one
- of the most powerful and well received text file viewers every written and
- has obtained quite a loyal following in the ShareWare arena.
-
- To obtain your copy of ReadIt please contact Jim Wilson at:
-
- ConsulTech 4 Scranton Pkwy Oxford, NJ 07863
-
- NOTE: A copy of the full View package can be found in the \VIEW directory
- on this CD-ROM.
-