Play and Learn 2/19941.ZIP/19941/EDUCAMES/IQCHAL/HELP.DOC

Text File | 1994-02-04 | 7.9 KB | 139 lines

                               GETTING STARTED

   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 WEST. But you can name it something
else. For example, if you name it GAMES, just use GAMES in the command
instead of WEST.

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 file being copied to the disk in the B drive. When all
the files have been copied, the B disk is your working 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.

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 WEST, you would start at your C> prompt, and use the
following sequence of commands:

   CD\
   MD WEST
   CD \WEST

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.

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 this command:

   DEL A:*.DOC

   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 TAROT.EXE, type TAROT and press
<ENTER>.
   DOCUMENTATION AND INSTRUCTIONS: Most of our instruction manuals are in
special program files which allow you to view the manual on screen or print
it. These files have the COM or the EXE extension, and have "DOC" somewhere
in the filename. Simply enter the appropriate command. For example, if you
have the program BY THE NUMBERS, the instruction manual would be called
NUMDOC.EXE. To view the manual, type NUMDOC and press <ENTER>. You can page
through the document on screen, or print it by pressing <ALT><H>. For a list
of helpful commands, press <F1>.
   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
CATALOG.DOC using this command:  TYPE CATALOG.DOC > PRN
   To view this file on screen, you would enter: TYPE CATALOG.DOC | 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 CATALOG.DOC, but the
file may scroll up out of view.)
   You can also view and print this kind of file 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.DOC. 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.
   HELPFUL INFORMATION: Check your program disks for files named README.1ST,
HELP.DOC, SUPPORT.DOC and UPDATE.DOC. You won't always find these files, but
if you do they may contain additional helpful information, including facts
about troubleshooting and software support.
   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 are more likely to 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.
   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.
   Norton Utilities and Mace Utilities both have features that can sometimes
revive unreadable disks. Any serious computer user should have one of these
or a similar utility package.
   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.
   NEED EXTRA HELP? This software has been thoroughly tested, and complete
instructions are contained in the user's manual. We will be happy to provide
extra technical support by telephone, for a fee. The toll number is
900-884-3578 (1-900-88-HELP-8). The charge is $2.00 per minute, with the
first 24 seconds free. 900-number support is currently available in the U.S.
only. Support hours are 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M., Central Time, Monday through
Friday. (Users who do not have access to 900 numbers can pay by credit card,
or purchase a pre-paid telephone support contract. To arrange these
services, please call 314-256-3130.)
   Support by mail is FREE. Mail support to registered users is generally
unlimited. (However, we reserve the right to terminate support to users who
in our judgment are unreasonable or abusive, or who have system problems or
personal difficulties which transcend the scope of this software.)
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.