CD PowerPlay 7/cdpowerplayissue.iso/temp/rolhelp.txt

Text File | 1995-05-02 | 13.1 KB | 347 lines

Crash course on PCs and DOS
===============================

BOOTING UP
------------------
When the PC is switched on it needs to load the operating system
(such as MS-DOS) into memory, this is called the boot-up sequence.
The operating system is a special computer program, and without it,
the PC just won't work. Dos is loaded either from a floppy disk in
drive A or most commenly from the hard disk.

If you have one floppy disk drive it will be called drive A, if you
have two, then they are A and B. They can be the same size or different
sizes. Built into most PCs is a hard disk - a special kind of high
capacity disk drive that can store a lot of information. You can't take
this disk out like a floppy, it's fixed. It's called a fixed disk or
hard disk or hard drive.

If you have two floppies and a hard disk, then the hard disk is C.
However, if you have only one floppy and a hard disk then they are
normally A and C - there's no B. When you switch the PC on, it looks to
see if there is a disk in drive A, and if there is, it tries to load Dos
from it. If Dos isn't on the floppy disk, you'll see an error message on
the screen, something like "Please insert a system disk in drive A and
press a key".  You have two options here, either insert a floppy disk
that contains Dos or remove the floppy disk that is in the drive. If
there isn't a floppy disk in drive A when you switch on the PC it looks for
Dos on the hard disk - if you have one. Eventually, you'll end up with
what's called the Dos prompt.

DIRECTORIES
-------------------
You can tell what files (programs, or other information) are stored on
your disk by typing (in upper or lower case):

     DIR

or:

     DIR /W

The name of a file can be up to eight characters long, followed by a full
stop and then three more characters, like TREE.COM. Some characters on the
keyboard are special and can't be used in names, * and ? are two.

Generally speaking, any file which ends in .EXE, .COM or .BAT is a program
that can be run by typing in its name. You don't need to enter the .EXE, .COM
or .BAT - just the first part of the name.

If you think of the disk as a filing cabinet into which you can put files,
you can imagine how untidy it would become if you just threw everything in.
You can make drawers and put files of a similar nature in specific drawers.
They aren't called drawers, of course, but directories (sometimes called
folders). There are probably some directories already on you disk and these
are shown when you type DIR with a <DIR> after their name. DOS is a very
common directory as it is used to hold many files and programs that both you
and the operating system need to work.

To change to a directory type CD followed by its name like this:

     CD DOS

and to find out what files are in it, type:

     DIR

To change back to the directory you just came from, (what's called the
parent directory) type:

    CD ..



There can be directories within directories. To change to the parent of all
directories, type:

     CD \

To make a new directory you use the MD command followed by the name (up to
eight letters), like this:

     MD GAMES

This will create a directory called GAMES into which you could put all your
games. You can change to this new directory with:

     CD GAMES

BASIC DOS COMMANDS
===================

BEFORE floppy disks can be used with a PC they have to be specially prepared,
this is called formatting. You format a disk by typing FORMAT at the Dos
prompt followed by the drive letter, like this:

     FORMAT A:

or:

     FORMAT B:

Never use C:, only A: or B:. You can copy Dos to the disk so you can boot up
from it by adding a /S to the line, like this:

     FORMAT A: /S

This then often called a system disk. You can copy files from one disk to
another, such as from C to A using the COPY command. Suppose you wanted to
copy LETTER.TXT, assuming that you're on drive C, you would type:

     COPY LETTER.TXT A:

If the letter was on drive B and you wanted it on drive A, you would type:

     COPY B:\LETTER.TXT A:

And if the letter was stored in the DATA directory on drive B and you wanted
to copy it to drive A and call it MYLETTER.DOC, you would type:

     COPY B:\DATA\LETTER.TXT A:\MYLETTER.DOC

A special form of the command is:

     COPY A:\*.*  C:\

The *.* means every file, so the line above would copy every file on drive A
(actually the root directory), to drive C.

Text files often end .TXT or .DOC. You can often display these on the screen
with the TYPE command. It's best used with MORE which s after each
screenful of text. So, if there's a text file called README.TXT, you could
read it onscreen by typing:

     TYPE README.TXT


To delete a file you use the DEL command followed by the filename. If you
wanted to delete LETTER.TXT, you would type:

     DEL LETTER.TXT

Remember that LETTER.TXT might be stored in a directory, and if that's the
case, you would have to change to that directory. Instead of a name you could
put *.* and this means every file. It's a dangerous command, but if you
really do want to delete everything in the current directory, type:

     DEL *.*

Because it's so dangerous, you are asked if you are sure you want to do this.
Type Y if you are, otherwise N to stop immediately.

What to do if the programs on this disk don't work
===================================================

DISK SPACE
------------
All the programs on this disk have been thoroughly tested on a variety of
different PCs, but for one reason or another, they may not work on your
computer.

One reason is lack of space. When extracted from their highly compressed
archives the programs on this disk can occupy as much as 4Mb of disk space.
Before extracting the programs make sure you have sufficient disk space by
typing at the Dos prompt:

    CHKDSK C: /F

The /F parameter will ensure any errors on your hard disk are fixed. One
point to bear in mind is that SuperStor, Stacker and other disk compression
utilities fool CHKDSK into reporting more free space than there really is.
For instance, they may say you have 5Mb free when, in fact, you have only
1Mb.

If you don't have a hard disk drive, just twin floppies, format a system
disk with:

    FORMAT A: /S

and switch on your PC with that in drive A (don't worry about being asked
for the time or date). Put the MegaDisk in drive B, change to drive B with:

    B:

and run this menu program again. Many programs require a hard disk drive as
they are very big, but some programs are small enough to run from floppy
disks, even low density 5.25in ones.

MEMORY
-------

Some programs need a lot of free memory. Even though you may have a PC with
4Mb or more, the amount free for Dos programs is less than 640k (0.64Mb).
It's all to do with the way the PC was designed many years ago.

You may need to change AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS to take out all
unnecessary drivers, TSRs and other stuff which generally bungs up the
memory. First copy these two files to somewhere safe, like this:

    COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT AUTOEXEC.TMP
    COPY CONFIG.SYS CONFIG.TMP

Now run a text editor like MS-DOS 5's EDIT and load each file in turn.
Delete any lines which aren't important then save them. Reboot the PC.
Generally speaking, most lines can be removed, however, don't take out any
lines to do with disk compression, such as a SuperStor driver.

With MS-DOS 5 and later Dos can be loaded high and drivers and TSRs can be
put in upper memory. To use these facilities make these three lines the
first three in CONFIG.SYS:

    DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
    DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
    DOS=HIGH,UMB

Now replace any DEVICE= commands in CONFIG.SYS with DEVICEHIGH= and if any
TSRs are loaded in AUTOEXEC.BAT, add an LH followed by a space to the start
of the line, like this to load a mouse driver:

    LH C:\MOUSE.COM

While on the subject of mouse drivers, make sure your is up to date,
otherwise some software won't work properly. Unless the software
specifically says don't load a mouse driver, it's a good idea to try it
with the driver loaded. Many programs benefit from mouse control. It is
also a good idea to have the mouse line near the start of the file,
especially if you wish to load it high.

Some programs - mainly games - require expanded memory. You can simulate
this on 386/486 PCs by changing the EMM386.EXE or EMM386.SYS line in
CONFIG.SYS. If you want 512k of EMS memory change the line to this:

    DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 512

If you can't get the memory management right, format a system disk in
drive A with:

    FORMAT A: /S

and reboot the PC.

Some programs, like databases and contact managers, need the BUFFERS and
FILES settings changed. You'll need to edit CONFIG.SYS and either change
the existing lines or add new ones if they aren't there. These settings
should be sufficient:

    BUFFERS=40
    FILES=49

You'll need to reboot for these changes to take effect.

After fiddling about with CONFIG.SYS AND AUTOEXEC.BAT you may want to
restore things as they were before. This is easy if you made a backup:

    COPY AUTOEXEC.TMP AUTOEXEC.BAT
    COPY CONFIG.TMP CONFIG.SYS

INSTALLATION
-------------

Some programs can be run as soon as they have been extracted from their
archives on this disk. Others may need further installation. You'll be told
in the instructions what's required. Look for a file called INSTALL and
run it if necessary.

Windows programs nearly always need further installation. You should run
Windows and then click on Run on the File menu. Type in the drive,
directory and filename of the program to run - usually SETUP.EXE or
INSTALL.EXE. Alternatively, click on the Browse button and use the file
selector to locate the file.

You will sometimes need to install the program icon into a group window on
the desktop. Click on File,New,Program Item,OK,Browse and then use the file
selector to find the file. Double click on it then on OK to get back to the
desktop. You should then see the program icon.

VIRUSES
---------

This disk has been thoroughly tested at all stages of production for all
known viruses. Dr Solomon's Anti Virus Toolkit, Norton Anti Virus, McAfee
Anti Virus Utilities and Microsoft Anti Virus are always used. It has been
passed as clear by all of them. However, putting this disk in a PC that is
already infected with a virus will infect this disk too and may activate a
virus that has been lying dormant for some time.

DOCUMENTATION
---------------

Please set aside some time to read all the available documentation - on disk
such as README.TXT, MANUAL.DOC, ORDER.FRM or whatever, and in the magazine
in the disk tutorial pages.

Many programs come with large manuals which contain detailed instructions,
tutorials and troubleshooting guides. They are often essential if you are
using these programs for any serious application. A small charge is normally
made for printed documentation. See the magazine for manual offers.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS
------------------

If you really can't get the software working, ring our technical support
hotline on 01625 858084 out of office hours or ring 01625 878888 between
9am and 5pm and ask for the PC HOME Disk Editor.


THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOFTWARE
================================

Public Domain
------------------

These are free and you don't have to pay for them. You can copy them and
pass on the copies to friends. There is nearly always a text file,
sometimes called README.TXT or just READ.ME, which gives the programmer's
name and address. Write to him for the latest version or to pass on any
constructive comments, good or bad.

Shareware
----------

Some programs are shareware. They are free for a short period of time,
usually about a month. If you like the program and intend to carry on using
it after a month, then you must pay for it. This usually takes the form of a
registration fee, which also entitles you to the latest version and
sometimes a printed manual. There is normally a text file, sometimes called
README.TXT or just READ.ME, which gives the programmer's name and address.
There may also be a file called ORDER.FRM which you can print out and fill
in. Use it to order the latest version or manual or whatever is being
offered. Feel free to copy and pass on the program in it's unregistered form.

Commercial
-----------

The third type of program is a commercial package - either the full program
or a special demonstration version. This is copyright and you must not pass
on copies to friends or sell it. The full package is normally sold with one
or more manuals, which are sometimes quite large. It's often essential to get
the documentation as it contains full instructions describing how to use the
program.

If you have a demonstration version, or a full package that isn't the latest
version on offer, you can usually upgrade and buy the latest version complete
with manuals, tutorials and other printed material. We try to negotiate
special discounts on your behalf. Detail of such offers are usually displayed
when you either run or install the software in question.