Educational Software Cooperative 4

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Text File | 1996-04-24 | 15.9 KB | 306 lines

P E R S O N A L C H A L L E N G E G E T T I N G S T A R T E D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ QUICK START: To run the program from a DOS prompt, enter: CHALL To read the on-disk manual, enter: CHALLDOC REVIEWERS: If you intend to review this software for publication, please contact us to make sure you have the most recent version and that the ordering information supplied to your readers will be accurate. We would appreciate receiving a tearsheet or copy of any published reviews. Thank you! ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP COPY of the original disk before you do anything. (See the DISKCOPY command in your DOS manual.) Put the original in a safe place, and use the copy as the master disk when you install the program. Note that in all of the following examples, if your drive letters or directory names are different, you can simply use the same command, but with your actual drive letter and directory name. For example, we refer to the floppy drives as drive A and drive B. If yours are really called drive D and drive E, then use D and E instead of A and B. In our hard disk example, the subdirectory is called CHALL. But you can name it something else. For example, if you name it WEST, just use WEST in the command instead of CHALL. The following instructions assume the files on your disk are NOT archived. If you have received the files in archived format, refer to the installation instructions that came with your disk. INSTALLING TO A HARD DISK: The first thing you need to do is create a subdirectory on the hard disk. (If the subdirectory has already been created, you don't have to create it now.) For example, if you decide to name the subdirectory CHALL, you would start at your C> prompt, and use the following sequence of commands: CD\ MD CHALL CD \CHALL Now put the master disk in the A drive and enter this command: COPY A:*.* You should see all the files being copied. When the copying is finished, you are ready to run the program. INSTALLING TO A FLOPPY DISK WHEN YOU HAVE TWO FLOPPY DRIVES: Put the master disk in drive A. Put a new, formatted disk in drive B. Enter this command: COPY A:*.* B: You should see the files being copied to the disk in the B drive. When all the files have been copied, the B disk is your working disk. You can move the B disk to the A drive and use it there if you prefer. For greatest efficiency and maximum storage capacity, we urge you to install the software to your hard disk. INSTALLING TO A FLOPPY DISK WHEN YOU HAVE ONE FLOPPY DRIVE: Put the master disk in drive A. Have a new disk ready. Enter this command: DISKCOPY A: B: The computer will display messages telling you when to put the "source disk" or the "target disk" into the drive. The "source disk" is your master disk. The "target disk" is your new disk. When all the files have been copied, the "target" disk is your working disk. For greatest efficiency and maximum storage capacity, we urge you to install the software to your hard disk. NEED MORE SPACE? If you are running programs on floppy disks you may not have enough disk space for the data files created by the program. You can remove the documentation files, which the program does not need, from your working disk. However, these files contain important information which you will need for reference, so do not delete them from your master disk. To delete the documentation files, put the working disk in the A drive and enter these commands: DEL A:*.TXT DEL A:*.DOC The documentation files must be included with copies of the program that are distributed to others. PROGRAM FILES: Program files can be identified by the extension EXE or COM after the file name. To run the program, simply type its name. For example, if you have a program named CHALL.EXE, type CHALL and press <ENTER>. DOCUMENTATION AND INSTRUCTIONS: The on-disk manual appears in an executable file named CHALLDOC.EXE. To view the manual from the DOS prompt, type CHALLDOC and press <ENTER>. You can page through the document on screen, or print it by pressing <ALT><P>. For a list of helpful commands, press <F1>. All features of PERSONAL CHALLENGE are documented in the on-disk manual. To save disk space, this manual may not contain all the extra explanatory material and examples which are included in the printed manual provided to registered (Paid) users. The printed manual also includes a table of contents and index. Files which have the DOC or TXT extension are ASCII format files (also called DOS Text files) which can be viewed or printed using DOS commands. For example, if you have a typical setup, you can print a document called CHALINFO.TXT using this command: TYPE CHALINFO.TXT > PRN To view this file on screen, you would enter: TYPE CHALINFO.TXT | MORE (Successful use of MORE assumes that the correct DOS files are in your path. If this is not the case, you can simply use TYPE CHALINFO.TXT, but the file may scroll up out of view.) You can also view and print this kind of file with text viewing utilities, and with most word processors, using "ASCII", "DOS Text" or "Non-document" format. CHANGES AND UPDATES: Sometimes changes are made in a program after the manual is completed. Information about such changes will appear on disk in a text file called UPDATE.TXT. If this file appears on your disk, you should read it to get the latest important information about the software. NEW VERSIONS: Sometimes a new version of a program will ask permission to update your data files. Do not answer "yes" unless you have already made a backup copy of your data. Don't copy the backed-up data back into the directory after the files have been updated. This backup is simply insurance against data damage or loss. You should make backups regularly. BE SMART! Before installing new versions of any software, make backups of all the old files. This protects you in case of an error during the installation/update process. Remember that power surges, hardware failure, and user errors can all lead to data loss or damage. Make backups of your data on a regular basis. If you wonder how often you need to back up your word processing documents, mailing lists, spreadsheets, etc., ask yourself, "How many days worth of work can I afford to lose?" We recommend that you use a system of three or more sets of backup disks which you rotate on a daily basis. That way, if something unfortunate happens to one set of backups, you will have another set available. A few minutes spent making daily backups can save you hours of heartbreaking work trying to recreate lost data. BAD DISK? It seems that in hot weather we sometimes get complaints about "bad" or unreadable disks. Floppy disks are susceptible to heat, moisture and magnetism. A disk that sits all day in a hot mailbox or truck where temperatures exceed 100 degrees is likely to be damaged. Disks which have been exposed to magnetism may become unreadable. Before assuming a disk is bad, try it on another computer. It may be that your computer's drive heads are dirty or slightly misaligned. Suspect this if you often get disk error messages with different disks. An inexpensive head cleaning kit may help solve the problem. With 5.25" disks, sometimes the round disk gets trapped inside its square casing and generates an error because it can't rotate freely. Remove the disk from the drive and tap each of the four edges sharply on the surface of your desk. This may loosen the disk. Try reading the disk again. With 3.5" disks, the sliding plate may not be sliding open when the disk is placed inside the drive. Gently slide the plate back and forth until it feels looser, being careful not to touch the disk media inside. Try reading the disk again. If the plate will not slide, or it it appears to be bent, do not place it inside the drive. Instead, you can simply remove the plate, which protects the disk but is not required for us. Several popular utility packages have features that can sometimes revive unreadable disks. In any case, if we sent you an unreadable disk, we will be happy to replace it with a fresh copy of the same program. If you received a bad disk from a vendor, the vendor should replace it. SUPPORT: This software has been thoroughly tested, and complete instructions are contained in the user's manual. For fast, reliable answers to your questions, visit the R.K. West section on CompuServe. GO RKWEST. You'll also be able to download 30-day evaluation versions of our new products in Library 9. Support by mail is FREE. Mail support to registered users is generally unlimited. However, if a user's support needs become excessive or unreasonable, we may limit the number of support requests which may be submitted in a single week or a single month. Unregistered users: We appreciate receiving a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your inquiry. Free support to unregistered users will be limited to getting you up and running, or responding to error messages. Additional methods of support may be available as described in the program documentation or in the materials given to registered users. Visit our WWW home page at http://members.aol.com/rkwest SOFTWARE LICENSE AND WARRANTY INFORMATION: See the file VENDINFO.DIZ. If VENDINFO.DIZ is missing or damaged, or if you do not understand it, contact the author for complete information. SITE LICENSING: A site license is an inexpensive way for more than one person to legally use one copy of a program on more than one computer at a time. Site licenses are designed for companies, offices or workgroups where more than one person in the organization needs to use a product, but does not need additional manuals or disks. Site licensing enables companies, departments, government agencies, etc., to equip their personnel with the tools they need at a minimal cost. Here's the gist of how it works: The company purchasing a site license (the licensee) provides a single point of contact for shipping, technical support, upgrades, etc., and we (the licensor) provide "golden masters" of the diskettes, manuals, and any other parts of the package. The following chart gives a breakdown of the cost of site licensing and how much you save per site licensed. For instance, if the normal registration fee for one copy of the software is $15.00, and you purchase a site license for 11 users (sites) your cost will be $115.50, which saves you $49.50 of the cost of 11 separate purchases. The more sites you license, the more you save. SAMPLE SITE LICENSING CHART FOR A PROGRAM WITH A $15.00 REGISTRATION PRICE: Discount Price Per Savings Quantity Percentage Unit Per Unit 5 - 10 25% $11.25 $ 3.75 11 - 15 30% $10.50 $ 4.50 16 - 20 33% $10.05 $ 4.95 21 - 25 36% $ 9.60 $ 5.40 26 - 30 39% $ 9.15 $ 5.85 31 - 40 42% $ 8.70 $ 6.30 41 - 50 45% $ 8.25 $ 6.75 51 - 60 48% $ 7.80 $ 7.20 61 - 70 51% $ 7.35 $ 7.65 71 - 80 54% $ 6.90 $ 8.10 81 - 90 57% $ 6.45 $ 8.55 91 - 100 60% $ 6.00 $ 9.00 101+ By special arrangement To receive further information, please contact R.K. West Consulting, PO Box 8059, Mission Hills CA 91346, USA; FAX 818-366-1737; Email 74774.403@compuserve.com. EVALUATION: Many software developers choose marketing methods which allow copyrighted programs to circulate among users for purposes of evaluation. This gives you the option to "Try Before You Buy". Using this system, the author of a program typically allows you to try the program for up to 30 days before payment is required. The exact terms of evaluation vary from author to author, so be sure to check the documentation of the programs you evaluate. Any fee you pay to a disk vendor is simply a distribution fee, and does not cover the cost of the program itself. Disk vendors are required to inform customers of these facts. Programs which are used beyond the author's prescribed evaluation period require separate payment to the author. By making payment to the author you obtain a legal right to use the software, and encourage the continued development of quality software for this type of marketing. The process of paying for the software is often called "registration". The exact benefits of registration vary from author to author, but many authors will offer one or more of the following: a current version, technical support, a printed manual, free or discounted upgrades, bonus utilities or special offers. Consult the registration information included with each program for specific details. REGISTRATION: When you pay for PERSONAL CHALLENGE, you will receive: * A copy of the most recent version of the program, without any payment reminders. * A separate program that lets you create your own questions and answers. * A printed, indexed manual. * A license to continue using the program. * Technical support by fax, mail, and email. * Notice of upgrades, new releases, and new products. * Discounts on upgrades and other products. To: R.K. West Consulting PERSONAL CHALLENGE ORDER FORM: PO Box 8059 Mission Hills CA 91346, USA Your Name: ________________________________________________ Please print Address: __________________________________________________ clearly. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________________ _____ Registered versions @ $15.00 each: ___________________ Includes bonus Question/Answer editing Utility _____ Shipping to Canada $3.00 ___________________ _____ Shipping outside North America $6.00 ___________________ Disk Size: ___ 3.5" ___ 5.25" TOTAL ENCLOSED: ___________________ 3.5" is best All prices are in U.S. dollars, checks drawn on and payable through a U.S. bank. You may register by credit card through Public (Software) Library. In the USA call 800-242-4775. Others, call 713-524-6394. These numbers are for orders only. You can Fax a credit card order to PsL at 713-524-6398; or mail it to: PSL, P.O. Box 35705, Houston TX 77235; or order on CompuServe from 71355,470. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express. When ordering by credit card, use your name EXACTLY as shown on the credit card. Please do not mail credit card orders to R.K. West (and do not mail checks to PSL). Tell us where you found this program! __________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Important: If you purchased this disk from a rack, bin, shelf or package in a retail store, grocery, airport, bookshop, etc., or found it on CD-ROM, please include the company name or brand-name logo from the disk package or label, and other information, such as address and phone, identifying the company that actually produced the disk. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ What are your comments about PERSONAL CHALLENGE? (Use other side if needed)