Daytime Express

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Daytime Express / DaytimeExpress.cdr / night.doc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1992-08-26 | 31.6 KB | 794 lines

1. Introduction Welcome to the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. You have just purchased the most up-to-date single source of Shareware, Freeware and Public Domain software available on one CDROM. Many hours of work have gone into making your use of the Night Owl's CDROM as enjoyable and user friendly as possible. Your CDROM contains many thousands of files, nearly 660 megabytes to be more precise. These files are all Shareware, Freeware or Public Domain. With all these files on one disk you are probably wondering how difficult it is going to be to find what you are looking for. The answer is simplicity itself. The Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System will open the door for you to examine the entire library of software contained on your CDROM. And, it will do it in style! You will be able to choose categories of files from the main menu. Once you have selected a category, you will see a complete and convenient listing of all the files in that category. The files will be in alphabetical order and each file will have a description next to it that will explain what is contained within that file. Once you have found a file you would like to use, the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System can be very helpful to you. With a single key stroke you will be able to extract the file, read the text files inside that file, copy the file to your hard drive, execute files inside that file, and even show GIF picture files. All these features, combined with an online help system available by pressing the F1 key at any time, make the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System the most flexible, powerful, yet easy-to-use package for accessing your Night Owl's CDROM. 2. Installation The Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System software is located in the root directory on the CDROM itself. To take advantage of all the features offered in the software, you will need to follow a few simple steps to complete the installation process. The Night Owl's CDROM library of files will then be at your fingertips. 2.1 Quick Start If you would like to preview the contents of the Night Owl's CRDOM without going through the installation process, follow these steps: 1. Place the Night Owl's CDROM in your CDROM drive and make sure your computer is at the DOS prompt. 2. Make the CDROM drive your default drive. To do this you will type the letter that represents the CDROM drive followed by a colon (:) and then press the <ENTER> key. For example, if your CDROM is drive D you would type the following: D: and press the <ENTER> key. This will ensure that the software will be able to find the files necessary to show you the directories. If the default drive is not your CDROM drive you will get an error message telling you that a file cannot be found. 3. To start the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System without the installation process, type the following: night /noinstall and press the <ENTER> key. You will see a message letting you know that no installation will be done. The message also informs you that most of the features of the software will be unavailable to you. You will now be able to examine any or all of the categories in the Night Owl's CDROM library. 2.2 Full Installation To gain access to all of the features in the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System you will need to perform a complete installation. This process takes only a couple of minutes and only need be done once. The software will save your configuration to your hard drive and will automatically load it thereafter. Just follow these steps: 1. Place the Night Owl's CDROM in your CDROM drive and make sure your computer is at the DOS prompt. 2. Make the CDROM drive your default drive. To do this, you will type the letter that represents the CDROM drive followed by a colon (:), and then press the <ENTER> key. For example, if your CDROM is drive D you would type the following: D: and press the <ENTER> key. This will ensure that the software will be able to find the files necessary to show you the directories. 3. To start the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System and complete the installation process type the following: night and press the <ENTER> key. You will see a message letting you know that no configuration file was found. 4. Press the <ENTER> key to clear this message and continue. You will then be prompted for the type of display you are using. If your display is Color, type C and press the <ENTER> key. If your display is either Monochrome or capable of Monochrome graphics simulation type M and press the <ENTER> key. Answering this question correctly is very important. An incorrect response may cause the software to behave unpredictably on your computer system. 5. The next question asks you where you would like to have the Night Owl's File Retrieval System software installed. Type the complete path, including the drive where you would like the software to be installed, and press the <ENTER> key. Pressing the <ENTER> key alone will accept the value shown. 6. The next question asks you what drive your Night Owl's CDROM is located in. Type the drive letter followed by a colon (:) and press the <ENTER> key. Pressing the <ENTER> key alone will accept the value shown. 7. The next question asks you what external program you would like to use to view GIF files. Type the name that is used to execute your GIF viewer and press the <ENTER> key. Pressing the <ENTER> key alone will accept the value shown. Be sure that the program you have selected for use with this option is already installed and placed somewhere in your DOS path. 8. You will now need to indicate whether the information you have just entered is correct. Type Y to accept the information and continue on. Type N to start the installation over. Type Q to quit the installation process and return to the DOS prompt. When you have accepted your information the night.exe file will be copied to your chosen directory. 9. The last question asks whether you would like to copy the Night Owl's DIR text files to your hard drive. Copying these files to your hard drive will improve the speed with which the software can find files and display category listings on your screen. However, they do take up approximately 1 megabyte of your hard drive storage. Type Y to copy the Night Owl's dir text files to your hard drive. Type N if you would like to use the Night Owl's dir text files stored on the CDROM. If you choose not to copy the dir text files go directly to step 11. 10. You will now need to supply the directory where you would like the Night Owl's dir text files to be stored. Type the full path, including the drive and directory where you would like the Night Owl's dir text files to be stored, and press the <ENTER> key. The copy process takes a little time, so please be patient. 11. You will see a message informing you that installation is complete. Press the <ENTER> key to begin your exploration of the Night Owl's CDROM library of files. 3. Mouse Support The Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System can be accessed via your mouse or your keyboard. This section discusses how to use the mouse to execute the commands you need to access the files on your CDROM. 3.1 Installing the Mouse In order for you to use your mouse with the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System you will need to make sure that your mouse driver is preinstalled. Your mouse comes with it's own set of software that you must install acording to your mouse instruction manual. You must have the mouse driver installed and your mouse connected to the appropriate port on the back of your machine before you run the NIGHT program. Once the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System is running it cannot be made to work with the mouse. You must exit the software and restart once your mouse driver is installed. 3.2 Using the Mouse You can access many of the features of the software with a few clicks on your mouse. Here is how it works. 3.2.1 Highlight Bar Moving the mouse will move the highlight bar around the screens. The Main Files Category Listing, the File Listings, and all of the mouse menus will allow you to scroll using the mouse. 3.2.2 Making a Selection with the Mouse Clicking the left button will act as <ENTER>. When you are ready to make a selection from a menu, simply move the highlight bar to that item and click once on the left button. 3.2.3 Activating the Mouse Command Menus Clicking the right button will activate the mouse command menu for the screen you are currently on. Use the mouse to scroll to your selection on the menu. While in a mouse menu click left to select an option or click right to exit the mouse menu. 3.2.4 Answering <Yes> or <N>o with the Mouse With just one click you can make a <Y>es/<N>o selection in the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. Click left for YES or click right for NO. This will speed up your answers to many of the simple prompts in the software. 4. The Main File Categories Screen Welcome to the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. The Main File Categories screen will be the first screen you see each time you start up the system. At this point you can see the wide variety of software categories offered on the Night Owl's CDROM. Categories ranging from Communications to Games; from Business to Religion; and from Music to GIF picture files, just to name a few. At the bottom of the screen you will see the help line. The next section will guide you through the available commands from the Main File Categories screen. 4.1 Main File Categories Screen Commands After looking at the Main File Categories list you will want to get started viewing the selections in your favorite software category. Below is a summary of the commands available from this screen. 4.1.1 <ENTER> - Selecting a Files Category Listing This option allows you to go directly to the File Listing screen where you can view the individual files and their descriptions. Use the arrow keys to select the file category you would like to view and press the <ENTER> key. You will now see the listing of files and descriptions that are in the File Category you selected from the Main File Categories screen. Use the <UP> and <DOWN> arrow keys to scroll through the listing. The <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys will move you one page at a time through the listing. The <HOME> key will take you to the top of the listing. The <END> key will take you to the bottom of the listing. If you are on a line that begins with a file name, you can press the <ENTER> key to open the File Manipulation window. The File Manipulation window is described in Section 4 of this manual. Use the <space> key to tag a file for later use in the File Manipulation window. Use the <+> and <-> keys to alternately tag all files or untag all files in the current listing for later use in the File Manipulation window. Type S to perform a text search within the file listing itself. You will see the familiar Text Search window. See Section 4.1.2 for a full description of the Text Search option. Type P to begin the print procedure. You will then be prompted to confirm your print selection. Type Y to begin printing the file or N to exit the print option. If at any time during the printing process you would like to discontinue printing, simply press any key. Printing will stop when your printer buffer empties. Type D to execute a DOS shell. When you are finished with your DOS commands, type EXIT to return to the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. Type F to format a floppy disk without leaving the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. See Section 4.1.6 for a full description of the Format Floppy command. Holding down the <SHIFT> key and typing a letter will scroll the File Listing to a file name that starts with that particular letter. Press the <F1> key to look at the online help. Press the <ESC> key to return to the Main File Categories screen. 4.1.2 S - Search For a Text String This command opens up a window which prompts you for the text string to search for. The search is not case sensitive. Type the text string you want to search for and press the <ENTER> key. As each File Category listing is searched for the text string you just entered, a listing will be created and displayed for you on the screen. A help line will appear at the bottom of the screen after the screen becomes full. You can stop the search at this point by pressing the <ESC> key. Pressing the N key will put the search in <N>onstop mode. You can pause the output during <n>onstop mode by pressing the space bar. Press the <ENTER> key to see the next screen of file descriptions that match your search string. A running total of file descriptions containing your search string as well as the category nubmer being searched will be displayed while the search continues. When the search is complete or you have quit the search by pressing <ESC>, you will return to the Main File Categories screen. All file descriptions found during the Text Search will be placed in a file that can be viewed using the U command on the Main File Categories screen. See Section 4.1.3 for a full description of this command. 4.1.3 U - Show User-Created Directory This command displays the listing created from the last Text Search command from the Main File Categories screen. See Section 4.1.2 for a full description of the Text Search command. Type U and press the <ENTER> key to display the listing. You will now see the listing of lines containing the text string which was used in the last Text Search command. Use the <UP> and <DOWN> arrow keys to scroll through the listing. Use the <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys to move one page at a time through the listing. The <HOME> key will take you to the top of the listing. The <END> key will take you to the bottom of the listing. If you are on a line that begins with a file name, you can press the <ENTER> key to open the File Manipulation window. The File Manipulation window is described in Section 4 of this manual. Use the <SPACE> key to tag a file for later use in the File Manipulation window. Use the <+> and <-> keys to alternately tag all files or untag all files in the current listing for later use in the File Manipulation window. Type S to perform a Text Search within the User Directory Listing itself. You will see the familiar Text Search window again. See Section 4.1.2 for a full description of the Text Search command. Type D to execute a DOS shell. See Section 4.1.5 for a full description of the DOS Shell command. Type F to format a floppy disk without leaving the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. See Section 4.1.6 for a full description of the Format Floppy command. 4.1.4 I - Install the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System This command will allow you to change any of the choices you have previously made in the Installationn processs. Type I to begin the installation process. See Section 2 for a full description of the Installation process. 4.1.5 D - Execute a DOS Shell This command creates a DOS shell in which you can perform any DOS commands you would like. Type D and press the <ENTER> key to begin the DOS shell. To return from the DOS shell you simply type the word EXIT at any DOS prompt. The Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System will reload and you can continue from where you left the system. 4.1.6 F - Format a floppy disk This command will allow you to prepare diskettes for use with the Copy Files command. See Section 5.3 for a full description of the Copy Files command. Type F to begin the format process. You will be prompted for the drive letter you would like to format the disk in. Type the letter of the drive you have selected. Press the <ESC> key to exit the format window. For this command to work, you must have a program with the DOS file name of FORMAT in the path. 4.1.7 G - Go to the Unzip Directory Listing This command allows you to return to the Unzip Directory where you have previously left files. Type G to display the Unzip Directory Listing. If no files exist in the Unzip Directory you will see a message informing you of that and will be returned to the File Manipulation window.. See section 5.2 for a full description of the commands available in the Unzip Directory Listing screen. 4.1.8 <ESC> - Quit the Night Owl's File Retrieval System This command will allow you to leave the system and return to DOS. Press the <ESC> key to return to DOS. 4.1.9 <F1> - Consult the Built-In Help System This command brings up the online help system. Press the <F1> key to look at the online help. 5. The File Manipulation Window In this section you will learn how to gain full control over the powerhouse features of the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. These features include extracting ZIP files, viewing the contents of a ZIP file, reading a text file contained inside a ZIP file, showing a GIF picture file, and copying files from your CDROM to another disk drive. The File Manipulation window appears when you have pressed the <ENTER> key while you are in the File Listing or User Directory screens. The window shows the file name you have selected and the actual directory name on the CDROM in which you can find this file. The commands available in this window depend on the type of file you have chosen to manipulate. Below is a detailed description of all of these commands. 5.1 S - Show a GIF Picture File This command will appear only when the selected file is a GIF picture file. Type S to invoke the GIF viewer program you selected in the Installation process. You will then be prompted to view <H>ighlighted or <T>agged GIF files. Type H to view the current highlighted file or T to view all of the GIF picture files you previously tagged. You will now be placed in your chosen GIF viewing program, where you can perform any of the functions that program provides. When you are finished with the selected image, exit the viewer. You will be placed back in the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System right where you left off. You can now select another file or perform any of the commands listed on the screen. 5.2 X - Extract ZIP Files from the Night Owl's CDROM This command will appear only when the selected file is a ZIP archive file. Type X to begin extracting the contents of the selected file. When the extraction process is complete you will see a listing of the files which have been placed in the UNZIP directory under your default Night Owl's area. Now that the files are unarchived to your hard drive, the following commands become available to help you work with these extracted files. 5.2.1 R - Read a Text File This command allows you to read the contents of a file that has been extracted into your UNZIP directory. Type R when you have the highlight bar over a file that contains text. To help you along, here is a list of file extensions that may be indicative of being a text file that can be read using this command. DOC, TXT, 1ST, ASC, ASM and BAT. Files with names like READ.ME and WHATS.NEW are usually likely to be text files as well. Use the <UP> and <DOWN> arrow keys to scroll through the listing. Use the <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys to move a page at a time through the listing. Use the <HOME> key to move to the top of the listing. Use the <END> key to move to the bottom of the listing. Type P to print the file you are reading. You will then be prompted to confirm your print selection. Type Y to begin printing the file or N to exit the print option. If at any time during the printing process you would like to discontinue printing, simply press any key. Printing will stop when your printer buffer empties. When you are finished looking at the text file press the <ESC> key to return to the UNZIP directory listing. 5.2.2 <ENTER> - Execute A Program This command will allow you to run a program from within the Nightowl CDROM File Retrieval System. Press <ENTER> when the highlight bar is on a line with a file name. The types of files that can be executed are limited to the following: EXE, COM, BAS and BAT. Please note that many software packages are not written in a way that will allow them to be run in a DOS shell. If the program you choose to execute exhibits strange behavior or causes your computer to lock up, you will need to run that program outside of the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. If you run a program written in a BASIC language and it does not exit correctly you will need to type SYSTEM to return to the DOS prompt. From that point type EXIT to return to the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. When you return to the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System you will be placed in the UNZIP file listing again and can make another selection. The listing will now include any files created during the execution of the program providing they were created in the UNZIP directory. 5.2.3 S - Show a GIF Picture File This command allows you to view a GIF picture file when the highlighted file is a GIF image. Type S to invoke the GIF viewer program you selected in the installation process. You will then be placed in your chosen GIF viewing program, where you can perform any of the functions that program provides. When you are finished with the selected image, exit the viewer. You will be placed back in the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System right where you left off. You can now select another file or perform any of the commands listed on the screen. 5.2.4 X - Extract ZIP files from the UNZIP Directory This command allows you to extract a ZIP archive file in the UNZIP directory. Type X to begin extracting the contents of the selected file. When the extraction process is complete you will see a listing of the files which have been placed in the UNZIP directory along with any other files previously there. 5.2.5 P - Print a File in the UNZIP Directory This option allows you to print the file you are currently highlightling in the UNZIP directory. Type P to begin the print procedure. You will then be prompted to confirm your print selection. Type Y to begin printing the file or N to exit the print option. If at any time during the printing process you would like to discontinue printing, simply press any key. Printing will stop when your printer buffer empties. 5.2.6 D - Execute a DOS Shell This command creates a DOS shell in which you can perform any DOS commands you would like. Type D and press the <ENTER> key to begin the DOS shell. To return from the DOS shell, you simply type the word EXIT at any DOS prompt. The Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System will reload and you can continue from where you exited the system. 5.2.7 F - Format a Floppy Disk See Section 4.1.6 for a full description of the Format Floppy command. 5.2.8 <F1> - Consult the Built-In Help System This command brings up the online help system. 5.2.9 <ESC> - Quit UNZIP Directory Listing This command exits the Unzip Directory Listing and returns you to the File Manipulation window. Press the <ESC> key to exit the Unzip Directory Listing. You will then be prompted as to whether you would like to delete the files you have unzipped. Type Y if you would like to remove the files from the unzip directory. Type N if you would like to leave the files in the unzip directory for later use. 5.3 <ENTER> - Execute A Program This command will allow you to run a program from within the Nightowl CDROM File Retrieval System. Press <ENTER> to execute the current highlighted file. The types of files that can be executed are limited to the following: EXE, COM, BAS and BAT. Please note that many software packages are not written in a way that will allow them to be run in a DOS shell. If the program you choose to execute exhibits strange behavior or causes your computer to lock up, you will need to run that program outside of the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. If you run a program written in a BASIC language and it does not exit correctly you will need to type SYSTEM to return to the DOS prompt. From that point type EXIT to return to the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. When you return to the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System you will be in the File Manipulation window and can make another selection. 5.4 P - Print the File Listing This option allows you to print the current highlighted file from the file manipulation window. Type P to begin the print procedure. You will then be prompted to confirm your print selection. Type Y to begin printing the file or N to exit the print option. If at any time during the printing process you would like to discontinue printing, simply press any key. Printing will stop when your printer buffer empties. 5.5 G - Go to the Unzip Directory Listing This command allows you to return to the Unzip Directory where you have previously left files. Type G to display the Unzip Directory Listing. If no files exist in the Unzip Directory you will see a message informing you of that and will be returned to the File Manipulation window.. See section 5.2 for a full description of the commands available in the Unzip Directory Listing screen. 5.6 V - View a ZIP File This command allows you to look inside of a ZIP file and read text files without unzipping the entire archive. Type V to obtain a View ZIP Listing of the selected file. You will now see the View ZIP Listing from which you can select text files to read. Type R when the highlight bar is on any text file to begin reading that file. See Section 5.2.1 for a full description of the file reader. Type P to print the current highlighted file. You will then be prompted to confirm your print selection. Type Y to begin printing the file or N to exit the print option. If at any time during the printing process you would like to discontinue printing, simply press any key. Printing will stop when your printer buffer empties. Type D to execute a DOS shell. When you are finished with your DOS commands, type EXIT to return to the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. Type F to format a floppy disk without leaving the Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System. See Section 4.1.6 for a full description of the Format Floppy command. Press <F1> to Consult the Built-In Help System. Press the <ESC> key to return to the View ZIP screen. 5.7 C - Copy Files From the Night Owl's CDROM This command will allow you to copy any of the files you have tagged to your hard drive. Type C to begin the copy process. You will see a window appear asking you for the complete drive and path where you would like to copy the files to. Type the drive and path of the directory you want to store the files in and press the <ENTER> key. When the copying is completed you will be prompted to press a key and then you will return to the File Manipulation window. 5.8 D - Execute a DOS Shell This command creates a DOS shell in which you can perform any DOS commands you would like. Type D and press the <ENTER> key to begin the DOS shell. To return from the DOS shell you simply type the word EXIT at any DOS prompt. The Night Owl's CDROM File Retrieval System will reload and you can continue from where you exited the system. 5.9 F - Format a Floppy Disk See Section 4.1.6 for a full description of the Format Floppy command. 5.10 <F1> - Consult the Built-In Help System This command brings up the online help system. 5.11 <ESC> - Quit the View ZIP Listing This command allows you to return to the File Manipulation window, where you may make another choice. Press the <ESC> key to return to the File Manipulation window. 6. Shareware Information There is a special Directory on the Night Owl's CDROM for shareware authors who have allowed their programs to be added to this CDROM. The directory is entitled <A.S.P.> Shareware (Association of Shareware Professionals) Shareware programs are not FREE programs or public domain programs. They are copyrighted programs that the authors have released to the public for the purpose of evaluation. If you enjoy the evaluation period and intend to use the program on a more permanant basis you should register the software with the author. 7. Credits and Acknowledgements (c) Copyright 1992 All Rights Reserved ASP Trademark of (c) Association Shareware Professioals PKUnzip.exe Trademark of (c) PKware Inc. VPIC Trademark of (c) Bob Montgomery WordPerfect Trademark of (c) Word Perfect Corporation List Trademark of (c) Vernon D. Buerg Lotus Trademark of (c) Borland Inc. Windows Trademark of (c) Microsoft Corporation Gap Trademark of (c) Gap Development Company Night Trademark of (c) Night Owl's Publisher Inc. We also want to take the time to acknowledge the scores of other trademarks and copyrights found throughout the zipped files on the Night Owl's CDROM Again, support shareware authors by registering their programs. And we also give special thanks to the following: Phil Katz For allowing us to use his program as a part of the Night Owl's CDROM. PKZip is a very useful program.