CHAPTER 1

THE HARDWARE

Computer HARD-ware is the external "machinery" of the

computer! In a Personal Computer (PC) there is usually 5

different parts or components that make up the whole: or

the SYSTEM. The MONITOR, the KEYBOARD, the COMPUTER UNIT,

the PRINTER, the MOUSE. These are the basics. Let's look

at each one for a brief moment:

1 - The MONITOR is the TV Screen which doesn't get

any stations: but what it will get gives you graphics

or computer images both of text and pictures or

images of various kinds. Depending on the type of

video instructions available in your computer you can

get images that look like cartoons (CGA) to images that

look like photographs (VGA) This is connected to the

Main Computer Unit by means of a cable (bundle of wires),

and another cable (cord) is plugged into a wall socket.

2 - The KEYBOARD is the combination typewriter

keyboard and mathematical calculator along with a

few other "function" keys which are used in various

programs to accomplish certain tasks quickly and

easily. It is connected only to the Main Computer

Unit, by means of a cable.

3 - The Main COMPUTER UNIT. This is the heavy,

rectangular piece of equipment the dealer told you

to be VERY careful moving around! What he told you

is true ... but you don't have to be paranoid about

it and tip-toe around the console!!! It is built to

withstand an ordinary amount of shocks and jolts!

Inside of this cabinet is the "guts" and "brains" of

the computer system. It contains the "motherboard"

or main electronic circuit board with all kinds of

components either plugged in or soldered into place.

The "brains" of the unit : the CPU or Central

Processor Unit is where all of the major activity in

the operation of the computer is processed...It

generally looks like a 2" square component piece

that is plugged into the mainboard. It used to take 3

or 4 huge rooms full of computer equipment to

accomplish what this little piece of plastic, silicon and

wire do now! Amazing! The CPU in a "286" model can process

two bytes of information at a time (called 16-bit) , making

it speedier than the "88" predecessor which only could

handle one byte at a time. A "386" can process 4 bytes of

information at a time (32-bit). A "486" has the same 32-bit

but can also do elaborate mathematical procedures very

rapidly by using the math coprocessor chip that comes with

it! You can add on a math coprocessor to the 286 and 386

by adding a chip called a 287 and a 387.

4 - The PRINTER, is a printer! That was easy! Once

data (information) has been prepared - it can be

printed out on paper with the help of a printer that

has an "interface" or electronic plug in which it

talks to the CPU and gets the information it needs

to print out on paper! There are a variety of printer

types depending on the quality of copy that you want to

make. The most letter perfect and professional looking

copies probably come from laser-jet printers. The spacing

between lines in a character for example are so close that

it looks solid. Whereas in dot-matrix printers, a bunch of

dots are sprayed to make a character. Dots are round and

can therefore not give as good and crisp a quality per

character as can laser printing. That just makes sense!

Laser printers are also quite expensive - you have to

always pay for the best in anything! Most people with home

computers have DOT-MATRIX printers. Printers can also print

in color, not a whole rainbow, but at least 4, which makes

for more attractive presentations. Color printers, you

guessed it, costs more than a regular black and white. Most

people have the good 'ol black and white!

5 - The MOUSE, is a mousey looking object! which is

a device that helps make running programs much

easier and faster by moving the "cursor" or point of

operation around instantly anywhere on the screen!

There are usually two buttons at the top of the unit which

when hit either one or the other will cause various things

to happen on the screen. "Clicking" the buttons on the

mouse (striking them two times in succession very rapidly)

can even activate parts of the program rather than

typing in commands. Objects on the screen can sometimes be

"dragged" or moved around using the mouse! Each program

which uses a mouse, or "supports" a mouse has it own

directions on what the pressing the buttons on the mouse

will do.

There are many varieties of each of these components, but

for the most part each resembles its own kind. A monitor

is a monitor, a keyboard is a keyboard etc ..... the only

radical difference would be a "tower" case in place of a

desktop unit. The "guts" of the desktop unit can be

transferred to a tall rectangular "tower" which can be

placed on the floor (or a smaller version that can also be

placed on a desktop, but usually off to the side someplace.

The advantages of having a tower are many, some of which are:

more desktop space, and a lot more room to add on component

parts to the system, like CD-ROM and tape drives and additional

floppy drives etc. Towers are relatively inexpensive but be

very careful when making the switch that all the wiring is

redone correctly! Irrepairable damage can be done if it is not

done correctly! (yes, I am speaking from experience on that

one!)

The monitor, the printer and the computer unit itself each

must be plugged into electrical sockets.... the best way to

do this is to plug a 6 or 8 socket power-surge-strip into a

single plug power-surge device and then plug that into the

wall, and then plug each component into the strip. This

gives double protection in case of a power surge coming in

from the outside, say during a thunderstorm or even the ordin-

ary amounts of surge that happen during a normal day in any

household. Sudden increased voltage could destroy the computer

components and all the data in it! Something to be avoided

at all costs. So double protection here is not too much.

Also, each component needs to be connected to the

mainboard...(main computer unit). This is done using

special cables that contain wiring and wiring interface

devices that allow information to pass to and from each

component.

This inital setting up of the system can be a bit confusing

to a novice .... that is where COMPU-DOC for one comes into

play. A representative from COMPU-DOC could come to your

home and make all these connections for you as well as

configure your major programs. Because once everything is

plugged in, then all of the proper instructions for running

the programs need to be fed to the computer. This is

"configuring"! and can be quite confusing for someone who

has never done it before! Save yourself a lot of headache

and call on someone who knows a little more than you do ...

COMPU-DOC. (Or any friend who knows what they are doing!)

(Compu-Doc: 804-625-7163)!

Once it is all "set up" then it is ready for you to take

over and have FUN!

The first thing to know of course is how to turn the units

on. Each of the units that you plugged into the power

strip has an OFF/ON Power Switch ..... hunt and search and

find the switch on each unit. When turning on the units

use the following order:

1. - Printer

2. - Monitor

3. - Computer Unit

In turning them off: use the reverse order!

1. - Computer Unit

2. - Monitor

3. - Printer

Computers are built to remain on ALL OF THE TIME. But

if your personal usage is not such that it is used all the

time then leave it on all evening long, if you work during

the day ..... or all day long ... if you work at home....

DON'T turn it off and on constantly ... it is bad for the

machinery and the data. Turn it off at night.

The bottom line is keep it running daily for a while even

if you don't use it at all. It needs the exercise.

One last thing to say here is that knowing how to type

greatly increases the fun-ratio of this whole proposition.

There are many typing tutor programs that are availbale to

teach you step by step. There is one called FASTYPE.ZIP

on TOWN SQUARE BBS (804)625-0728 - if you have a modem and

comm program and care to download it for free.

CHAPTER 2

THE SOFTWARE

Once you have the hardware correctly in place and all

connected and plugged in properly, then it will remain a

pile of expensive "junk" unless you give the CPU exact

instructions on what it is you want it to do: what

switches do you want it to turn on and off for you. This is

where the SOFTWARE comes into play!

"Software" is the instructions for operation that the

computer needs to run. These instructions are written out

in a code that the computer understands in a language that

it understands. It used to be that ALL computer language

was really difficult to understand and grasp and write.

Now it is easier in that an intermediary language can be

used that is made up of familiar words that anyone can

understand. While it is true then that the only language

the computer understands is "1" and "0" - it is possible

now to preset the computer in the "chip" (that is part of

the CPU) to translate the 1s and 0s not only into letters

(characters) and numbers and symbols but also into groups

of them like words! Therefore if I give the computer the

command to DELETE (DEL) something.... it will know what to

do, and turn the proper 1 and 0 switches off and on to

cause that to happen!

PROGRAMS therefore are sets of instructions for a specific

task(s) to be given to the computer. The programs are made

up of all kinds of "files" or sets of commands each under a

specific title or name or category. Filenames can have no

more than 8 characters followed by a "." and then three

more characters. For example: CALENDAR.EXE is the main

file that has the operational set of instructions for a

program having no doubt to do with "calendar making"! The

.EXE (extension) means that this is an executable

file...which means that it has "running" or "operational"

instructions..... other files such as CALENDAR.DAT is a

DATA file which doesn't have any instructions, but has a

record of what happened when the program was actually run,

the data that was produced. A .TXT file is a simple

document file which is produced by a word processor program

and looks like it was typed in a typewriter. I am using

such a program to type this right now. The .EXE file that

is running the program I am using now is GLITE.EXE as it

is the "Galaxy-Lite" Program. It is named with any name at

all that I want to give it and so I chose to give it a

.TXT extension because that is what traditionally goes with

text type files! In this GLITE Program for example there are

about 7 other files that are needed by the .exe file to run

the program or were produced by the program when it ran the

.exe file. For example there is a .dic file which is the

on-line dictionary as part of the spell-checker for the

program. There is also a .prd file which has instructions

for the printer when I want to print out a copy of this file

that I am making.

A bigger program would have many many more subsidiary files

to run it. WINDOWS has several hundred for example! The

good thing about it all is that once the program begins and

you see the first screen... it doesn't matter how many

files it is taking to run it ...... most programs these

days are USER-FRIEDNDLY which means just that .... that the

on-screen helps and tips are very obvious and that the

writer of the program has thought about almost anything you

would need to run the program smoothly ... also in most

programs by hitting the F1 Key on the top row of the

keyboard, context-sensitive "help" is available ....

meaning, no matter what you are doing at the moment.... an

explanation is only a key-stroke away on what the

recommended way is to do it!

The only really confusing part of the whole deal is to

start to grasp just how many programs there are out

there...and what actually CAN be done on your PC. Now

that I have this wonderful invention: what can I do with

it? what CAN I do with it???

I would suggest making a list of things right now that you

do by hand that could just as easily be done in a more

orderly and neat way by the computer:

Such as:

WORD PROCESSING types of things: document making:

letter writing: note taking: and the like! Like

the title says: the processing of words!

DATA BASING: this has to do with keeping records as

you would in a file-box (There's that word "file"

again!) This is the Christmas Card listing, PTA

Membership Listing, Listing Inventory for your

business.

SPREADSHEETING: this has to do with ROWS and

COLUMNS: numbers and figures; personal finances and

the like....... keeping track of your accounts etc.

There are all kinds of programs available to help

you do these in the most efficient and fun way

possible. Those are the TWO OPERATIVE WORDS

EFFICIENT and FUN! If is it not a FUN program then

look around for another one. In this day in age

MOST programs are FUN ... they have great color

graphics some have terrific sound and are VERY USER

FRIENDLY! There is no excuse for using a stale old

program that is very difficult to use!

One way to know what programs to have: talk to

other computer users and ask them what they have.

Also: use your modem (an add-on "card" that is

plugged into the Motherboard which will allow your

computer to talk to other computers via the phone

line) and call BBSes and "download" the files you

think you may like directly to your own computer.

Initiallly, you need a good communications program

in order to call out. Q-MODEMPRO is a good program

as is PROCOMM PLUS and TELIX. You can get these in

most computer stores. A BBS is a Program run

usually by a private individiual in his/her home,

or by a company,for the very purpose of having others

call and use the features available. BBS stands for

BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM..... but a BBS is much more than

a place to post electronic bulletins: it is a

place to correspond with other bbs "users" and also

to "browse" through the file areas and look for

programs that might be useful to you and then

"download" them from the BBS (transfer them

electronically) to your own waiting computer. In

addition to message conferences and files, there

are also GAME DOORS which when entered cause games

of various kinds to be available for your playing

pleasure! Most games you compete with other players

who make their moves when they "log-on" after you.

COMPU-DOC runs a BBS called TOWN SQUARE BBS in Norfolk,

VIrginia -modem #: (804)625-0728.

All of this has to do with SOFTWARE: of the

programs the you can run on your computer.

One very basic program that HAS to run on just

about everyone's computer is the DOS program. The

Disk Operating System. This is the program that

instructs the computer to do everything else you

or your programs may want it to do. Before we get

into DOS we first have to talk a bit about VERSION

NUMBERS. If you see a program that has a V.3.2.

after it. It is NOT a STRANGE CODE for the

computer nerd to understand. It simply means

V=VERSION 3=THIRD MAJOR RELASE of the Program and

2=THE SECOND MINOR REVISION of that 3rd major

revision. Got it. V.3.2. = 2nd minor release

of the third version of the program. To see the

numbers increase from time to time in a program is

a good sign..... it means that the "bugs" are being

worked out... and that the "later versions" are

probably more reliable and better than the earlier

ones. [Just a note about "bugs"! This is a

real computer term which comes from the days of the

giant computers that used to take up rooms to do

what can be done on a desktop today.... one day a

program was producing some strange results (data)

where the night before it was working just

fine....on a careful search of the units they

discovered that real "bugs" had gotten in and were

stuck to various parts of the data boards.....from

then on any problem with running a program is

affectionately called "bugs"]

We are now using DOS 6.0, then, now you understand

what 6.0 means. It means that DOS is a few years

old now and then this is the latest and most

"debugged" version of it so far. DOS language is

easy to understand because it is English. COPY,

DELETE, FORMAT, INSTALL, CHKDSK, MSBACKUP, DBLSPACE

are all DOS commands as well as CD MD RD MEM.

By telling the computer to do certain things you

can access your TREE (DIR) and you can move

around within that tree to various files using

DOSSHELL or other SHELL Programs. (A shell is a kind

of "x-ray" program where you can see the whole

family tree at the same time and can access any

part of it you want instantly. The specific

instructions using the dos language for your

computer as you have it set up to run any programs

you may have that need pre-installed files to run

are found in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This

automatically activates programs that need to be

running before other ones can run. (.BAT simply

means that there is a list of more than one

instruction - a typical AUTOEXEC.BAT file has about

6 or 7 files in it).

A typical AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

PROMPT $P$G

PATH=C:\;C:\DOS

C:\DOS\MOUSE.COM

These commands get your DOS command

line prompt working; set your path

directories (the files in C:\ directory

and C:\DOS directories are accessible

from any DOS prompt); the mouse (if you

have one) is engaged and should run in

any program.

Another file that must be run

to pre-set the system for other programs is called

the CONFIG.SYS file. Or Configuration.System

file. This too is a .bat file in that it has a list

of instructions or conditions that must be present

for other programs to be able to run without

problems.

A typical CONFIG.SYS file would

have the following in it.

FILES=30

BUFFERS=30

DEVICE=-C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS

DOS=HIGH

DEVICE=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS

STACKS=0,0

This means that you can have up to

30 files open at one time; that you

are storing 30 bytes at a time in

the buffer; also that the HIGH MEMORY

storage function is operational, and

that the ansi graphics program is

working; and that the stacking capbility

for open files is set at default (0)!

Two of the most important files in your ROOT

DIRECTORY or MAIN FILE DRAWER is the AUTOEXEC.BAT

and the CONFIG.SYS. Before DOS 6.0 it was a very

difficult and cumbersome thing to run the computer

with defective autoexec.bat and config.sys files.

Now at least it is easier to bypass these files if

necessary in order to correct them and then restart

the computer (re-boot)! To do this now with the

6.0 as soon as the words: STARTING MSDOS appear on

the screen hit the F5 key and these files will be

bypassed.

If you do not have DOS 6.0 you must insert a

start-up disk in your A: (floppy) drive and then

restart the computer, at which point you will have

very limited commands at your disposal: one of

which is to EDIT the autoexec.bat or config.sys

file.... so that the system may be rebooted and

started properly.

Some of the advantages of DOS 6.0 is that it has a

very user friendly BACKUP program. On a regular

basis, depending on how much you use your system,

making a COPY of every file on your hard disk (the

disk that is internal and part of the "hardware")

is VITAL to have....sometimes you need to RESTORE

copies when the originals get messed up somehow...

and it can happen, very easily in fact. There are

two destinations to backup the system to: floppy

disks, or a tape drive. A tape drive is like a

little tape recorder that occupies the same space

in your computer unit as a floppy drive. Using

this device you can set the MSBACKUP Program to

automatically copy the files of the hard drive onto

the magnetic tape of the tape drive ... no fuss no

bother. The other more conventional method is to

manually make a copy using a stack of floppy disks

and then storing them in a safe place. Either way

you are safe from anything that could happen to

your valuable programs and work. Once a FULL

backup has been made, for a while it is only

necessary to make INCREMENTAL backups, or backups

of the files that were added or changed since the

last backup. This is so you don't have to take an

hour to backup each time. Incremental backups

usually take only a few minutes. After every 5 or

6 incremental backups it is logical to make another

original FULL BACKUP if most of the information has

changed and there is nothing on the original backup

that you want to keep anymore.

Like backing up ... is SAVING your work as you go

along. As you are working in programs the

information is stored in local memory on the

computer....however what is in the local memory

buffer is not in anyway protected because it is not

yet on a file of any kind.... so it is important to

SAVE your information to a FILE and then re-save

the information (overwrite the file) every few

minutes. If there is a power failure, for example,

you would lose all of the work you were currently

working on back to the last SAVE. Some programs

have automatic saving that either is already

activated or which can easily be toggled (switched)

on by you by hitting the spacebar or another

pre-determined key on the keyboard (directions are

always either on the screen or available by pushing

F1 (in most cases).

It is usually important to keep updated with the latest

versions of programs.... so you can have the latest changes

and improvements at your disposal. Many programs offer

upgrade contracts, where for a lower than retail price, you

can obtain these new products. You can generally run an

"install" program which will automatically upgrade the

program without harming the data aleady gathered from the

older version!

Some major programs that are highly recommended by

this author are:

Q-MODEM PRO- communications program: to

make use of your modem!

Modem: or interface (plug-into-the

motherboard "card") device which has a

built in phone jack so you can

connect your telephone line to it

making it possible for your computer

to "talk with" other computers.

These come in a variety of "baud

rates" or "rate of byte transfer"

speeds: eg. 300 baud is 300

characters per second...which may

sound like a lot until you know

that it also comes in 1200, 2400,

9600, 14,000 called 14.4k and even

higher. These higher speeds allow

information to pass back and forth

with as little delay as

possible.... this is important

especially when "downloading" or

"uploading" files to or from your

system....and if you are doing

this long distance.... the higher

the baud rate the faster the

transmission the cheaper it is. A

100K file can be transferred in

about 2.5 minutes rather than 10 at

2400 baud (the average)!

PROCOMM PLUS: another very good

Communications Program which makes use of

Z-Modem, the fastest form of internal

protocol or method of file transfer. About

232 character/sec is the fastest transfer

possible. Z-modem can give you 232,3 even 4

sometimes depending on the phone line

connection.

GALAXY (GALAXY LITE) - The major or

stripped down version of a good word

processor program. It is easy to use and is

ASCII compatible ... which means the files

it makes follow a standard code, making it

usable in other kinds of programs calling

for .txt files. Easy to modify files. Easy

to print files.

WORD PERFECT 3.1 The "mother" of all word

processing programs. A very sophisticated

word processing and organizing program. A

very excellent program in its own right ...

but the receiver of your file also has to

have WP to read your files. This is good

for business use where the processing of

verbal information is going to stay in a

closed environment.

dbaseIII - DataBase 3.0 An older database

program which is also a world unto itself.

Very command line oriented: which means you

need to type in most of the commands you

want it to do. Very DOS oriented. Not

very user friendly....but for a business a

very excellent way to make and keep

records.

FILE EXPRESS 5 or 6. A very easy to use,

user friendly data basing program. To make

file card records, with a varied sorting

ability, and label printing capability.

PUBLISH IT 2.0 A fairly easy to use

Desktop Publishing Program. Make your own

documents, or newsletters, or even books!

Many fonts/styles to choose from (types of

print and size etc). Can even make your own

fonts. Very professional looking!

Supports all printer types.

QUICKEN 6.0 The "mother" of all financial

tracking programs. A marvelous and FUN way

to keep personal and/or small business

finances. Many different types of accounts

available. Excellent reports and graphs.

Ability to print checks. Highly

recommended if you only need to balance a

checkbook or are a bookkeeper for a small

firm!

LOTUS 123 SPREADSHEET is an excellent

SPREADSHEET Program to do that kind of

recordkeeping which demands the use of rows

and columns. A large amount of built-in

function codes to add, subtract, multiply,

divide, and any other type of financial

function imaginable at the tip of your

finger. Highly recommended.

In addition to these basic types of programs there

are many other kinds of APPLICATION and ACCESSORY

Programs, far too many to list here, to do just

about anything you need doing, organizing, or

compiling. Like I said: you need to look around

in the FILE Areas of Bulletin Boards to see what is

available.

Just a note here on the concept of SHAREWARE. MOST

program writers produce a program that will be

helpful to the user. It takes a lot of time,

effort and skill to write a program. Remiuneration

is only right and just for using someone else's

authored product. So most minor non-copyrighted

programs (those unlike PUBLISH IT!, LOTUS, Q-MODEM

and the like) are presented to the user in the

context of SHAREWARE. This means they are NOT

FREE....even though you effortlessly obtained a

copy of it. If you use the program for a couple

of weeks and decide to keep it and use it

permanently then you are bound in conscience to

send the specified amount determined by the author

usually at the beginning or end of the .doc or

document text file which gives instructions on how

to run the program, or in a separate VENDOR or

REGISTER or README file. Usually a more complete

version and regular upgrades to newer versions are

available to those who do send in their money. If

you choose not to REGISTER or send in the fee, then

you should delete the program files from your disk.

This book, for example, is SHAREWARE. It costs $10

and if you want to keep it and print it out then

you are bound to send me $10. (Free commercial!!!)

A note on PIRATING: The unlawful distribution of

coyrighted programs is called pirating. Programs that do

not have a sophisticated copy protect mechannism built in

are easy to distribute... even for profit. This is against

the law, an infringement of copyright laws, and a felony.

Nevertheless, the practice still flourishes underground.

The ethical thing to do is not to get involved in it!

In addition to DOS there is also another basic operating

system called Micro-Soft Windows. Now at version 3.1.

This is a shell program: meaning it can be the skeletal

framework from which all of your programs can be run, as

well as application programs designed especially for the

Windows shell. Windows is icon/mouse based. One virtually

does not have to know how to write a DOS command, only to

recognize the name of it. Windows uses terms such as OPEN

and CLOSE - true "window" terminology. To open a window

one merely has to point to it at a graphic picture of what it

is you want to work with with the mouse pointer and then

"click" it on by pressing the mouse button twice in rapid

succession. Icons (little graphic pictures) can be moved

around by dragging them - placing the cursor/mouse arrow on

the object and then while holding the left mouse button

down ----moving the object wherever it is you want to go

and then releasing the button once you get there.

Windows is meant to make computing easy and FUN!! even

doing the most sophisticated of projects. Windows has its

own WORD PROCESSOR, DATABASE and SPREADSHEET Programs

called WORKS for Windows. These are the basic programs but

within the framework of the fun windows shell. There are

countless numbers of smaller programs meant to run in

Windows.....a lot of them SHAREWARE.... and most of the

very good and useful for the purpose for which they were

written. Again where do I get these programs! WINDOWS

has to be gotten at a COMPUTER STORE. But the applications

can be found at Computer Shows and on BBSes!

One last word about software at this point: if it is

COPYRIGHTED.... like a major program that can only be

bought in retail stores...... then it is NOT to be passed

around for free to other people like your friends. This is

truly copyright infringement and is a felony. SHAREWARE

likewise, just because it is easier to get a hold of, is

still NOT FREE, and the fees must in conscience be sent

to the author of the program. FREEWARE does exist. It is

smaller programs that are truly meant to be passed around

for free. Have fun with them and pass them around!

CHAPTER 3

THE FILING CABINET

& THE FAMILY TREE

Like was mentioned in an earlier chapter.... computing is

all done through the medium of FILES! Not paper files! but

much tidier and less combersome ELECTRONIC FILES!

As was previously stated a good secretary does not remove

all of the file drawers from a cabinet and then toss files

in at will with no order until the cabinet is full and then

simply shut the drawer and go get a new cabinet! Well

maybe some secretaries are like that! But not the ones who

want to keep their jobs for long .......

Organizing computer files is much like keeping a very neat

and immaculately tidy filing cabinet system ... that might

even resemble a family tree at times.

Let's pretend that you could build a gigantically tall

filing cabinet with as many different drawers as you want

in it. One cabinet, many drawers one on top of the other.

Let's call the entire cabinet "C" -0 just for fun.

Now the first thing a good secretary would do is to

categorize all of the information / data that will be

placed in the drawers... and pile all of the related files

into correlating piles.

Then he/she would give each pile a name ... except the name

could be no longer than 8 characters (lettrs/symbols)!

Also each file in the pile could also have only an

abbreviated name of 8 or less characters followed by three

more charcters that would describe whether it was an active

file or a passive file etc .... separated by a "." (period

on the keyboard).

Then she/he would go about putting all of the files in the

right drawers, under the right categories.

This is EXACTLY what is done in your HARD DISK or storage

tank built inside of the computer cabinet.

The drive itself (or the cabinet) is named "C"

---- C Drive/directory.

Each category of files has a separate drawer which

is called a SUB-directory of C: written with a "\"

just for tidiness: so C:\GLITE is a

subdirectory of C: called GLITE and in that drawer

or directory will be found all files on the disk

that have to do with the Galaxy Lite Word

Processing Program.

And so it goes with all of the files in the piles

you have made. Each "goes into it's own drawer"

or into its own SUB-directory (having 8 or less

characters for a name) EG:

C:\PCPLUS for ProcommPlus Files

C:\LOTUS for Lotus 1-2-3

C:\FE5 for File Express 5

C:\QUICKEN for Quicken

C:\DOS for DOS 6.0

C:\WINDOWS for Windows

Now a lot of programs have an INSTALL program which

automatically creates the name of the directory for

you and loads all of the related files into them

without you doing a thing: except telling it some

information about your system that it could not

find out on its own (this is called "Configuring")

If you are not sure about how to answer configuring

questions call someone who may know the answer,

even if it is a computer store or COMPU-DOC at

804-625-7163. Though all programs are different...

a lot of the configuration questions are similar.

Now doesn't all this in a way look like a family

tree........ there is one root branch ..... that

is why the C: directory itself is called the ROOT

DIRECTORY and then all of the directores that

extend from it are called BRANCH or

sub-directories. So if I were to ask you the

name of the root directory most likely the answer

would be C: the : is important to put in

there..... it means that it does not stand

alone.... and that there are in fact

sub-directories attached to it ........

A good program which shows you your tree is

called DIRECTORY MASTER.... a very small

shell program but with a lot of features!

With DM you will see your subdirectories

lined up in a row from top to bottom. And

if you highlight and access any of the

sub-directories you can see inside the

sub-directory all of the files that are

stored in that drawer! It is even possible

to view inside each of those files to see

how they are constructed......in that way

you can view a txt or text file just as it

is written.

Got it! FILES and TREES!

Now each major drawer or directory or program has

one file that makes the program work ... and that

is the .exe (or .com or .bat) file. As we said

before, the .exe is a list of instructions to give

to the computer to make it do what is necessary to

run that particular program. So to RUN or START

UP the PROGRAM ....... generally one has to be at

the drawer or subdirectory and then simply type the

name of the .exe file and the program will start up

right before your very eyes.

Now to get from file drawer to file drawer or

sub-directory to sub-directory one can simply type

CD\newdirname meaning: CD = change directory

\ backslash meaning to

go to a new sub-dir

newdirname = the precise name

of the new sub-dir

eg:

C:\QUICKEN>cd\publish

C:\PUBLISH>

what happened was that I was in the

Quicken Program Directory and I changed

to the Publish It Directory by typing in

cd\publish

I already knew the name of that directory.

It is a good idea to keep a list of your

SUBDIRECTORIES handy so you know what to

put after the cd\

now to start up the PUBLISH Program all I

need to do is type in PUBLISH at the

prompt and it will start up. I already

know that that program started with that

file name ..... it is a good idea to keep

a list of the start up file names next to

the corresponding directories.

e.g prog name start up file name

QUICKEN Q.EXE

PUBLISH PUBLISH.BAT

FE5 FE.EXE

it is not necessary to type in

the .exe or the .bat

so to start up PUBLISH IT I would type:

C:\PUBLISH>PUBLISH the word publish and

it would start up.

To exit out of a program, and get back to a black

DOS screen with one single prompt on it there is

usually a Q command for QUIT to program or an

X command to eXit the program.... or sometimes it

is just an ESC for escape from the program. To

change directories one must be back at that empty

screen that simply has the name of the directory

you have been operating in on it.

Should you want to create a new directory which is

not yet in existence simply type MD\newfilename

and you got it!

to create a file name called RECIPES

C:\QUICKEN>MD\RECIPES

C:\QUICKEN>

that's all there is to it! just

type md\recipes and it is done,

you are returned to your orginal

directory, that is why it will look

like nothing happened..... but if

you type CD\RECIPES it should look

like this:

C:\QUICKEN>CD\RECIPES

C:\RECIPES>

and you are ready to start up that

program (if it is not just a storage

tank directory)

What I suggest is that you set up your directories

to include the following subdirectories:

1

2

DL

A

B

C

D

E

F

UL

Z

ZZ

Directories 1 and 2 are holding tanks for

information that you need to store in a

hurry to sort out later

DL is your DOWNLOAD DIRECTORY .... you

would tell your COMM program to send all of

the files you DOWNLOAD to go there so you

can sort them out and do what you want with

them later. In sorting out the files in

the DL you can further send them to DL\A;

DL\B DL\C DL\D DL\E Make sub-sub

directories like this

C:\DL>md\dl\a

C:\DL\A>md\dl\b

C:\dl\B>md\dl\c

C:\dl\C>md\dl\d

C:\dl\D>md\dl\e

C:\dl\E>

You will need these sub-subs when unzipping

and zipping files for download. More about

that later.

You also need a UL directory to place

files you know you will UPLOAD to other

computers via the modem.

Z and ZZ are storage holding directories

also ... you will need a lot of these if

you do a lot of work on the PC.

4

CHAPTER 4

THE SECRETARY

There is the fallacy that a computer replaces people: well not

necessarily so. A computer is only as good as the data that is

fed into it. And there will always have to be real live people

to determine what is going to go into the compter, how long the

information should stay there, and where it is to go when it is

finished being used. There will always be need for secretaries!

A big part of secretarial work is the compilation of documents.

Documents of all kinds. Letters, forms, requisitions etc etc.

The typewriter was a major secretarial aid invention years ago to

make the secretary's work neater and more organized. Now the

typewriter has been replaced by the word processor.... either as

a unit of itself, or as part of a larger computer system. Now

the word processor can do what the secretary always wished the

typewriter could do. Store information for later use. Easier

modification of documents already in process - without white out

... or starting all over again. Easy deletion of work no longer

necessary, without tearing up massive amounts of paper and

folders. Also, the ability to add graphics to the document,

not just words. This is in fact what the WORD PROCESSOR of the

modern computer system is all about. Major programs like WORD

PERFECT are geared to the processing of words, and anything at

all that needs to be done with that word when it is finished all

the way to printing personalized form letters and mailing

labels... all with minimum amount of effort and steps. Finding a

word processing program suited for your needs is like shopping

for an automobile... there is the Volkswagen amd there's the

Cadillac and everything in between. It all depends if you want

it to wash the break-time dishes or not!

Another major principle in operating a computer is TRIAL AND

ERROR. This is how mostly EVERYONE who uses a computer no matter

how experienced learns new programs. TRIAL and ERROR, testing

things out, backing up, and going another direction until the

desired results are accomplished. It is probably safe to say

that most major programs are only partially tapped in their

potentiality or capabilities ..... the programmers write much

more into them then anyone can even expect to learn to use.... so

a grasp of the basics in each program is all that anyone can

even expect to have. So relax....... and another principle is

... stop using a program for a while and go back to it .... you

will practically have to start all over again learning it! Each

program is so different! See, it is not a complicated as you may

have thought!

Chapter 5

THE DATA PROCESSOR

So the secretary will always be in business, as will the data

processor. Processing real data in record form. There is a lot

of information that needs to be stored on file-card type records.

And then grouped and regrouped and processed in many different

ways. This is the job for the real data processor! There are

programs like DataBase III and File Express and the like which

are geared to the file-card set up. Custom outlines or forms

are made first and then the information is entered on the forms

one record or card at a time. It's as easy as that. The newer

programs however are more user friendly with better and more fun

graphics to help you make the proper entries. They are MENU

DRIVEN rather than the old way of being COMMAND LINE driven.

That means that instead of having to write out every command

(exactly and precisely), now there are accessible MENUS that can

be accessed at the top or bottom of the screen with lists of

commands on them. All you need to do here is to highlight the

line you want and hit the enter key. There is no typing of

commands. This is more USER-FRIENDLY than all that typing! See

what we mean, now, by user-friendly.

CHAPTER 6

THE BOOKKEEPER!

Rows and columns is the name of the game for the bookkeeper!

He/she likes everything in nice neat little areas with titles on

the top and SUMS on the bottom! or at the side! This is the

spread sheet program. There are many available depending on how

sophisticate you need the processing of the information. The

more involved programs can do a heck of a lot with the

information......more than you can probably imagine. This is all

left up to the genius of the program writer... and again no one

ever uses all the possibilities in a program especially like a

spreadsheet program. Most people just use the SUM function! and

think that is a lot! That means adding up the figures in a

row or a column! Automatically, after highlighting all of the

figures to be added.

CHAPTER 7

THE MODEM

As was mentioned earlier, there is a "card" that can be plugged

into the motherboard which has two phone jacks built into it.

This is called a modem. And it allows two computers to talk with

each other by sending digital electronic impulses through the

phone lines. It is also possible to transfer the data

in files digitially as well. This is called DOWNLOADING if you

are getting the information from the remote computer and

collecting it in a directory on your own computer; it is called

UPLOADING if you are sending the information from a file in your

upload directory to the download directory of the remote

computer! The speed at which the transfers can take place is

very varied from 300 bps baud to 14.4K and even higher than that.

BPS means bits per second or how many times per second switching

off and on can occur thus transferring the information. These

days the 2400 bps baud rate is the standard, while many users

have the 9600 baud and quite a few are purchasing the 14.4K or

thousand bps rate, which is a very fast rate of transmission.

Running a remote program at 14.4K rate can almost seem as though

the program was being run locally or not through the phone lines

at all. The transfer is just about instantaneous. Most like in

the future the baud rates will be much higher than they are now

to insure that remote programs ie. on bbses etc, run as if they

were being run on the host computer. This means that transfer

time for downloading will be next to instantaneous as well.

Just a note here on some terminology:

1 byte = 8 contiguous bits of information

1000 bytes = kilobyte or K = 1024 bytes

1000 Kilobytes = 1 megabyte or M = 1,048 kilobytes

You will hear terms like 120 MEG Hard Drive: that means the

hard disk in the computer cabinet can hold approx 120 Million

characters of information, that's a lot of typing! Or, a

file to be transferred has 145 K or 145 kilobytes. It

takes about 10 minutes to download 100K at 2400 baud. So 145K

would take about 14.5 minutes. At 14.4 K however it would

only take 1 minute to download that same file!

So who do I call with my modem? Well it depends on what you

want to do! You could call in Interpersonal Computer Service

like PRODIGY. And for a relatively low monthly rate you could

access a lot of information which includes the latest news,

weather, sports, stock market quotes, shopping news, on-line

banking and shopping and many clubs with bulletin boards where

users from across the country call in and leave messages for

one another! The graphics are very good and the color is

spectacular. A good investment in modem use!

There is also E-mail.... where you can call and get messages

left for you. Like your own answering service. You read the

messages and then answer them and the answerees get the

replies in their E-Mail. E-Mail means ELECTRONIC MAIL.

There is also the BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM or BBS. This is a

smaller edition of PRODIGY...... the same types of stuff but

much less sophisticated, but a great source of information.

A bulletin board system has 5 major areas. A message center,

a files center, a bulletin center and a questionnaire center

and most have a doors center where auxiliary programs are run

which generally are games you can play on-line..... some of

these have great graphics and are a lot of fun to play.

BBSes are relatively easy to set up and in larger metropolitan

areas there are a great number of them to choose from. Some

are totally free, meaning there is no charge to use them. Some

are partially free and partially subscriber. And some are

totally pay boards. The rates are usually relatively low for

the service and features you get for a year's time. An

example of a GENERAL BBS for the whole family is TOWN SQUARE

BBS in Norfolk, VA. 804-625-0728.

Phone lines can cause some interference sometimes and the

result is LINE NOISE or garbled symbols strewn at random on

the screen. Sometimes if a great many symbols are thrown on

the screen at one time it could mean that the connection

itself was broken as when someone in your house picks up an

extension phone...even for a second. This can be disastrous

if you are downloading a file for example..... it can really

screw up the transmission, and if you are in the middle of a

big (amount of K) file you could really get a little angry! or

a LOT angry! The real moral of the story is GET A DEDICATED

line for your modem use only ..... that is if you plan on

spending a LOT of time on the modem .... It is unfair to ask

your whole family to stay off the phone for hours at a time.

Call waiting is NOT the answer to that either, for a call

coming in on call waiting, not only will give you line noise,

but may even throw you off the line completely ... called

DROPPING CARRIER. Sysops (Operators of BBSs don't like it

when you DROP CARRIER in the middle of a program! - could

screw up his board! - then you'd really have a problem!) So

DISCONNECT call waiting when calling out on a modem .....

there is a way to do that temporarily while you use the modem,

and then have it come back on when you are finished.

Just another word about the "speedy" modem. The actual

transmission speed depends on what the remote (not your

computer) computer can put out, not yours. If you have a

28.8K modem and the board you call only has a 2400 baud you

ain't gonna get more than 2400 baud out of it! But if the

board has a 14.4K baud rate modem and so do you, then you are

in business ... you can upload and download and operate the

program in general at a really high rate of speed. For a

while 1200 baud was the standard, then it was 2400 baud a

couple of years ago, now it is a 9600, and shortly it will be

14.4K, until the next generation of computer, then who knows!?

LOCKING: sometimes in modem use and sometimes not, you will

run across a situation where the program LOCKS-UP...... which

means that no more keyboard commands can be entered at all and

the action on the screen has therefore ceased. This can

happen for a number of reasons. Should this happen to you ...

it is most likely NOT a crisis situaiton (if you have been

saving your information every few minutes - you will only lose

the data entered since the last save)..... the only way to

"get the thing to "GO" again is to RESET it! That is hit the

RESET BUTTON which will re-boot the computer all over again!

(Sometimes a warm boot will accopmplish the same thing: that

means hitting simultaneously the CTRL-ALT-DELETE keys.

To get back to where you were before you would then need to

restart the program you were in and open the file you were

working on.

CHAPTER 8

GENERAL SUMMARY

And so you can see by now that the world of the computer is not

really a bad place to be at all. And that it can even in fact be

a lot of fun. If I could have you remember three things from

this book it would be these:

- Don't Be Afraid, but

- Be Exacting

- Have Fun!

This is how good computer operation can come about!

DON'T BE AFRAID of the COMPUTER or the PROGRAMS! They are ALL

USER FRIENDLY these days! They will guide you through every

step of the way and even do most of the work for you.

BE EXACTING: computer operation is just turning switches off and

on.......therefore you have to have your finger on the correct

switches....... as simple as that.......therefore commands have

to be exact or you won't get nuttin'! If something isn't working

properly, it may be because you misspelled it!!

HAVE FUN! If a program you are running is not fun to operate

then you have a perfect right to contact the writer of the

program and tell him/her so! There is no reason why ANY program

for ANY purpose today can't be FUN to operate!

O yeah! If worse comes to worse and you really get stuck in a

program for all of the major programs and even for most of the

minor, there is a TECHNICAL SUPPORT phone number you can call to

get a technician to walk you through the problem. Usually

though you need to have already sent in your registration card to