Contents

How do I...

Find a Product

   Browse

Use to browse through

TestDrive Super Store!

   Fast Finder

Use to quickly locate products

by name, category or publisher

   DirectDrive

Use to Find and Select products

you can order direct or get free

   Try a Product

   Buy a Product

I want to know about...

TestDrive Products

Free Products

Use DirectDrive or the Browse Modules

to locate free products

   Product Information

   TestDrive Cart

Use to purchase more than one product--

and as a shopping list!

TestDrive System Information

System Services

Use to increase your TestDrive hard

disk cache or de-install TestDrive

TestDrive Support: 1 800 788 8055

TestDrive Subscription

How to Subscribe


Browse

Product Categories

  Tilted Packages (Promotions and Free Products)


Product Categories

1.  Press the [ Browse ] button on the Control Panel at the top of the screen.

2.  Click on any color Category Bar (e.g. Desktop Applications).

3.  Click the small button next to the product sub category (e.g. Word Processors).

4.  Click on a product in Product Display Window.

5.  You can now Try, Get Information or Buy the selected product.


Tilted Packages

1.  Return to the Browse Screen (If you're at the Product Display Window,  press the [ Cancel ] button).

2.  Click on any tilted package.

3.  A Promotion Dialog Window will pop up!

4.  You can now Take for Free, Try, Get Information, or Buy the selected product.


Fast Finder

1.  Press the [ Finder ] button on the TestDrive Control Panel at the top of the screen.

2.  Press a "Search Category" button: Title, Category or Publisher.

Title:  Type in the name of the product in the text box above the Product Display Window.

Category:  Press the Category Button and click on a category listed in the Category List Box.

Publisher:  Press the Publisher Button and click on a publisher listed in the Publisher List Box.

3.  Click on a product in Product Display Window.

4.  You can now Try, Get Information or Buy the selected product.


DirectDrive

1.  Press the [ Direct ] button on the TestDrive Control Panel at the top of the screen.

2.  Press a "Search Category" button: Title, Category or Publisher.

3.  Title:  Type in the name of the product in the text box above the Product Display Window.

4.  Category:  Press the Category Button and click on a category listed in the Category List Box.

5.  Publisher:  Press the Publisher Button and click on a publisher listed in the Publisher List Box.

6.  Click on a product in Product Display Window.

7.  You can now Take for Free, Get Information, or Purchase the selected product.

Note:  You cannot "try" most DirectDrive products, except for specially selected free products.


Try a Product

1.  Find a product you want to try by using the Browse or Fast Finder (See "How do I... Find a Product").

2.  Select the product by clicking on its name in the Product Display Window.

3.  Press the [ Try ] button next to the selected product.

4.  The Try Product dialog will indicate how many times you can try the selected product.

5.  Press the [ OK ] button.

6.  Your product will now be launched.

Note: Some products will display a special "Launch Screen" while they are loading and being setup for a trial session. Other products will simply display the Windows "hourglass" as they load and set up for a trial session.

The load time will vary, and is dependent upon the product's memory and disk space requirements, but most products will load and launch within a minute--a small price in time for being able to try the product as long as you like!


Buy a Product

     Quick Purchase of One Product

     TestDrive Cart

Use to Purchase More Than One Product


Quick Purchase

1.  Find a product you want to buy by using the Browse or Fast Finder (See "How do I... Find a Product").

2.  Select the product by clicking on its name in the Product Display Window.

3.  Press the [Buy] button below the Product Display Window, or...

a. Press the [Buy] button in the Product Information Window.

b. Press the [Buy] button in the Product Promotion Window (Tilted Package).

Follow the simple on-screen instructions in the Purchase Module:

4.  Give the TestDrive Service Agent your Credit Card number and wait for credit approval.

5.  Give the Service Agent the Product Identification Number.

6.  The Service Agent then will give you a special Product Unlock Number.

7.  Enter the Product Unlock Number into the Unlock Code.

8.  Press the [OK] button and follow the on-screen dialog boxes.

Your product is now purchased and unlocked for unlimited use.

Note: A package of backup disks and manuals will be delivered to your doorstep or office within two working days.  Ask the Service Agent for faster delivery options when you purchase your product.


TestDrive Cart

1.  Find a product you want to buy by using the Browse, Fast Finder or DirectDrive (See "How do I... Find a Product").

2.  Select the product by clicking on its name in the Product Display Window.

3.  Press the [ Cart ] button below the Product Display Window, or...

a. Press the [ Cart ] button in the Product Information Window.

b. Press the [ Cart ] button in Product Promotion Window (Tilted Package).

4.  Click the [ OK ] button in the TestDrive Cart Dialog Window.  The selected product will be added and its price added to the Cart Total.

5.  Press the [ Purchase ] button when you are finished selecting the products you want to purchase.

6.  Follow the simple on-screen instructions in the Purchase Module.

7.  When the Service Agent then gives you a special Product Unlock Number:

Enter the Product Unlock Number into the Unlock Code, press the [OK] button and follow the on-screen dialog boxes.

8.  Repeat this process for each product to be unlocked.

Note: A package of backup disks and manuals for each product will be delivered to your doorstep or office within two working days.  Ask the Service Agent for faster delivery options at the time you purchase your products.


TestDrive Products

1. Locked Products

2. Unlocked Products

3. DirectDrive Products


Locked Products

Locked products are full-featured products that have a special counter that allows you to use it as many times as a publisher allows.  In most cases, this will be five to seven times.  We take the publisher's current "shrink-wrapped" version of the product and perform our "TestDrive Magic" which adds a special counter.  Otherwise, this is the same exact product you can buy in stores!  In some cases, not every product's feature will be available and working--especially products designed to work on local area networks (LANs).

Product Counter Dialog

Product Information Number (PIN)


Product Counter Dialog

The Product Counter Dialog indicates how many trial usages a product has been assigned.  This Dialog will appear immediately after you press the [ Try ] button for a selected product.  If you choose to launch the product, its counter will count down one time, regardless of how long you use the product.  When the count is zero, the product has "expired" and can no longer be launched.

Advice:  If you're serious about a certain product, conserve your available trial usages by only launching the product for extended evaluations.  Launching products and quitting right away uses up the product's counter--and we have no way of reloading more trial usages onto your TestDrive CD ROM!

Can I restore an expired product?  Yes, if you purchase it!  When you purchase, you will be given an unlock code which will restore the product for unlimited use within the TestDrive System.


Product Information Number

When you purchase a locked product it will display a unique, "Product Information Number" in the Purchase Product Dialog Box.  The Service Agent will ask for this number and enter it into the TestDrive Customer Service System.  You will then be given a special "unlock code" that will remove the product's counter and restore it for unlimited use.

To view a Product Information Number:

1.  Select a product.

2.  Press the [ Buy ] or [ Purchase ] button.

3.  At the Purchase Product Display Window, press the [ Buy ] button.

4.  The Product Purchase Dialog Box will display the product's PIN.


Unlocked Products

Unlocked Products have been purchased and their Product Counters removed.  You are free to use them on an unlimited basis--within the TestDrive System.  When the products' backup disks and manuals arrive, you can then install the purchased products into your Windows or DOS system.  With a few exceptions, the unlocked product is the same, exact version you can buy in a store.

Product Unlock Code:

You receive the Product Unlock Code from the TestDrive Service Agent and enter it into the Purchase Product Dialog Box. When you press the [ OK ] button, the TestDrive System unlocks the product by removing its Product Counter and restoring it to its original state.

Installation of Unlocked Products:

When we unlock a product, we do not "formally" install it into your Windows system.  Instead, it remains "linked" to the TestDrive System, which maintains its own Windows environment.

How to Use an Unlocked Product

(The TestDrive CD ROM and System must be installed)

1.  The unlocked product icon will appear in the TestDrive Program Group.

2.  To use the unlocked product, double-click onto its icon.


DirectDrive Products

You cannot try DirectDrive products, but you can order them direct or get them free from TestDrive.  We offer these additional products and services to supplement the locked products you can try out.  DirectDrive will typically feature fonts, "advanced" or "pro" versions of some products and special "system tools" that would be difficult to try a limited number of times

Product Information:

DirectDrive products have a "Facts" screen that provides you with the basic features and benefits, the system requirements and its TestDrive price.  Press the Info button next to a selected product.

Ordering a DirectDrive Product:

Use the Purchase Module to order any DirectDrive product.  The Service Agent will take your order, approve your credit card purchase amount and enter a shipping order for your product package.  You can install the product, when you receive the shrink-wrapped package.

How to Purchase a DirectDrive Product:

1.  Press the [ Direct ] button on the TestDrive Control Panel at the top of the screen.

2.   Find a product by Title, Category or Publisher.

3.  Select the product by clicking on its name in the Product Display Window.

4.  Press the [Buy] button below the Product Display Window, or...

5.  Follow the simple on-screen instructions in the Purchase Module:

6.  Give the TestDrive Service Agent your Credit Card number and wait for credit approval.

7.  Your product is now purchased and will be shipped to you.

Note: The DirectDrive product package will be delivered to your doorstep or office within two working days.  Ask the Service Agent for faster delivery options when you purchase your product.


Free Products

TestDrive offers a great selection of free products you can quickly download onto your hard disk drive.  In most cases you cannot try these products before taking them, but many of them have "Fact" screens and "Promotion" screens.

There are two kinds of free products:

1. Programs:  These are actual working programs that need to be installed into your Windows system.  Its Promotion screen will have an [ Install ] button.  Pressing this [ Install ] button will activate the product's automatic installation program.

2. Clip media or fonts:  To take these free products, use the Windows File Manager to copy them onto your hard disk drive.  Clip media does not need to be installed.  You just load clip media files into whatever applicaton can "play" them.  Fonts, on the other hand, must be installed into your windows system.  Use the Fonts tool in the Windows Control Panel to install them.

Free Product Installation:

When you locate a free product, an "Install" button on its Promotion screen will indicate it requires installation.  Just press the [ Install ] button to install it automatically onto your hard disk drive.


Product Information

     Info button

Press this button to get information on a selected product.  If you press the [ Info ] button while viewing the Product Display Window for Browse or Fast Finder you will see the Product Evaluation Dialog screen.  In DirectDrive, the Info button is placed next to each product, and if pressed, will display a special "Fact Dialog" screen for that product.

     Product Evaluation Dialog

The Product Evaluation Dialog features a variety of information and action icons that will help you evaluate a selected product.

Information Icons:

Press an icon button for specific information on a selected product:

Facts: Displays a product's key facts, price, system requirements and its important features and benefits.

Awards: Displays the awards a product has received.

Checklist: Displays a specially prepared list of "Things to do..." when you try the selected product.

Action Icons:

Press an Action Icon button to view an animated demo,

try or buy a product or place it in your TestDrive Cart

Try This Product:  Launches the selected product for a trial session.

View Product Demo:  Launches a product demo if it is available.

Select for Purchase:  Places a product in the TestDrive Cart for purchase.

Purchase Now:  Takes the selected product to Purchase Module.


TestDrive Cart Info

The TestDrive Cart "bar" is located at the top, right corner of the Browse, Fast Finder and DirectDrive Modules.  It features a "List Box" button that when pressed, displays a list of products placed in the Cart and a "Total" box that indicates the total price of all the listed products.  The Cart Total is instantly updated as products are added and removed.

How it Works with the Purchase Module:

The TestDrive Cart's contents are automatically displayed when you go to the Purchase Module.  It's like emptying your shopping basket at the checkout counter in a store!  The products in your Cart are listed in the Product Display Window and their total price listed in the Total box.  You can still remove products from the list by pressing the [ Remove ] button at the bottom of the Window.

Add a product to the Cart:

1.  Find and select a product from Browse, Fast Finder or DirectDrive.

2.  Press the TestDrive [ Cart ] button.

3.  The product's name will be placed into the TestDrive Cart bar at the top right corner of the screen and its price added to the Total box.

Display Cart List:

1.  Press the Cart List Box button on the left of the TestDrive Cart bar.

2.  The Cart List will drop down, displaying the products you've placed in the Cart.

3.  Press the Cart List Box button again and the List Box will snap back up!

Remove a product from the Cart:

1.  Press the Cart List Box button on the left of the TestDrive Cart bar.

2.  The Cart List will drop down, displaying the products you've placed in the Cart.

3.  Select a product you want to remove by clicking on it-- it will be highlighted.

4.  Press the [ Remove ] button.

Total Box:

The Total Box indicates the total price for all the products you've selected for the TestDrive Cart.  It serves as a working total only, because actual product prices may vary between the time your disk is manufactured and when you call to purchase--in most cases the total price will be less!

Note:  The Total Box does not calculate the applicable state and local taxes that may apply to your purchase.  The TestDrive Service Agent will advise you of these additional charges at the time of your purchase.


System Services

System Services Button

Press the [ Services ] button to access the System Services Dialog

System Services Dialog

The System Services Dialog window offers you two choices:

1. Increase Disk Cache Size:

a.  The default Hard Disk Cache size is 10MB.  TestDrive will operate smoothly and efficiently at this setting.  If you want even better product performance, you can increase the Cache size to whatever your system can support--up to 99MB!

b.  The minimum Cache size required is 6MB.  If you enter any number below this amount, TestDrive will automatically enter 6MB.

c.   When you press the OK button, you'll be asked to Restart Windows for your changes to take effect.

2. De-Install TestDrive:

a.	When you press the De-Install button you will see the De-Install Dialog Window.  De-Install is an automatic process that cannot be customized and will perform the following:

b.  Remove all links between the TestDrive CD ROM and your Windows system.

c.	Remove all special TestDrive hard disk file directories, and any other directories that were created by the products you tried, evaluated or purchased including any sample files you created using these products.

Warning: De-install will disable your unlocked products and you will no longer be able to use them.  However, you can install the products with the disks you receive from TestDrive when you purchased the products.

De-install will not effect FREE products you have installed onto your hard drive.

d.  Ask you to Restart Windows in order for the de-install to take effect.

Important Note!  The De-Install Dialog makes it clear that you are to manually move and store any sample files you wish to keep into directories with different names than the default directories created by the application.  Use the Windows File Manager, or any other File Management program to perform this task. Otherwise your sample files will be erased along with their default directories.

Please accept our apologies for making you do this, and we will implement a friendlier "Save Sample Files" program in time for the next issue!


TestDrive Support

1 800 788 8055

We will try our best to serve you and help you use the TestDrive Software Catalog.  Our TestDrive Support Program offers a three-step process that is designed to provide you with support and help in three key areas:

The TestDrive System

Locked Products You Can Try

Unlocked Products You have Purchased


The TestDrive System
Support: The TestDrive System

1 800 788 8055

You are entitled to free, toll-free Technical Support regarding any problem you may have installing and using the TestDrive  System:

1.  TestDrive CD ROM installation.

2.   Windows problems related to TestDrive.

3.   Software products that fail to launch.

4.  Any other problem with the TestDrive System.


Locked Products You Can Try
Support: Locked Products You Can Try

First Call: 1 800 788 8055

We will try to help you with any problem you are having with a locked product.  However, in some cases, we may not be able to solve your problem or help you use these products.  If we can't help you and we feel the problem deserves the publisher's attention, we'll refer you directly to the publisher.  Above all, we will always take the time hear your problem, and attempt to solve it to your satisfaction.


Unlocked Products You Have Purchased
Support: Unlocked Products You Have Purchased

First Call: 1 800 788 8055

If you have not received your product package, call us first, and we will refer you directly to the publisher.  In most cases, you are entitled to at least 30 days of free technical support, and you qualify as a registered user (although you may not be registered by publisher for several days after you purchase from TestDrive).  When you receive your product package, you can fill out the Warranty Card, send it in, and you will be permanently registered as a user eligible for the product support program offered by the publisher.


How to Subscribe

It's easy to subscribe, just call:

1 800 788 8055

Subscription Prices:

$19.95 for a one-year subscription of

four TestDrive CD ROM Catalogs

$ 9.95 for a single TestDrive

CD ROM Catalog

What You Get With Your Subscription:

1.  Four more TestDrive CD-ROM catalog disks. One about every 3 months. Each one packed with brand-name programs from the largest publishers. TestDrive any of them. TestDrive all of them--before you plunk down a single penny.

2.  The latest "top-secret" software from the newest cutting-edge companies. Companies starting out in garages. In back rooms. And in basements. Hot new programs you've heard about. Read about. Wondered about. And now get to use whenever you want. TestDrive all of them and draw your own conclusions. Dynamite? Or a dud? You decide.

3.  More free software than you can squeeze on your hard drive. Software you can download and use right away. Software worth a lot more than $19.95!  Utilities, fonts, clip media, screen savers and much, much more. No coupons. No rebate forms. No hassle. They're yours to do with what you like.