
            WELCOME TO THE What Micro? Master Disk FEBRUARY 1992
            ----------------------------------------------------

                       On this month's Master Disk...
                       ==============================

 FAST SPAudit  Provided by the Federation Against Software Theft in 
               conjunction with the Software Publishers Association, 
               SPAudit is a simple program that identifies major 
               packages stored on one or more PCs to help companies 
               ensure that they are using only legitimate copies of
               software.

 PC Form       A simple but very useful forms designer program for 
               PCs. This shareware package includes a selection of 
               ready-made sample forms as well as all the facilities 
               to create your own.

 WCron         Based on a Unix facility, this unusual Windows 3 
               shareware program lets you easily schedule tasks and
               programs to be run at particular times.

 Marquee       Away from your desk for a while? This simple shareware
               pop-up program will put up a scrolling message to say 
               where you are.

 Columns       At first glance, this free Windows game may seem familiar.
               But even if you're a dab-hand at the original, you'll need 
               a bit of practice to master this interesting variation...
 
 Buyers Guide  Full details of over 250 software packages taken from the 
               What Micro? Buyers Guide tables, covering word processing,
               database management, spreadsheets, accounting software, 
               DTP, integrated packages, business graphics, painting 
               programs and CAD.

 Back Issues   What was in What Micro? ... our handy guide to features 
               and reviews over the past eighteen months including an
               order form if you need one.

                         How to use this disk
                         ====================

 The options in this menu system will help you to use this disk,
 either running programs for you to try them or installing them on
 your hard disk ready for subsequent use. If you prefer, you can
 perform these tasks using DOS commands in the normal way... see  
 the notes at the end of this document. Like any new software, you  
 should ideally make a copy of this disk before using it and then  
 work only from that copy. Again, the notes below will help.

 SPAudit
 -------
 Aside from the moral and common-sense arguments against the use 
 of stolen or 'pirate' copies of software, recent changes in the law
 mean there are now real and possibly heavy penalties for those who
 use commercial software without paying for it. This is particularly
 important in larger companies where it can be difficult to keep 
 track of the software in use on various machines.

 To help with this problem, FAST (the Federation Against Software
 Theft) in conjunction with the Software Publishers Association 
 has provided the SPAudit program on this month's Master Disk. 

 SPAudit is normally installed on a floppy disk where it can be 
 easily taken from machine to machine, compiling a list of programs
 on those machines. SPAudit is a simple program which works by 
 comparing filenames against a list of over 650 packages in its 
 database, making it quick and easy to use. The program produces 
 a variety of reports which can be compared against purchase records, 
 licence agreements and so forth to ensure that no unauthorised 
 software is in use.

 SPAudit is supplied on the Master Disk uncompressed but needs to 
 be copied to a new floppy before use as there is not enough free
 disk space on the Master Disk to use it as an auditing disk. You 
 can do this from the DOS prompt (see instructions below) or using 
 the menu system. The menu system will alternatively copy the 
 package to a hard disk directory so that you can try it out;
 you can always create your own audit floppy later. 

 You can read more about SPAudit from the SPAudit menu or by 
 printing the file README.TXT in the \SPAUDIT directory.
 
 PC Form
 -------
 PC Form makes it easy to create all sorts of paper-forms, such as
 timesheets, job sheets, expenses forms, schedules, packing lists 
 and so on. The full shareware evaluation package is provided on
 the Master Disk, including documentation and sample forms.

 PC Form is supplied in compressed form in the file PCF20.EXE to
 save disk space. The menu system will unpack this to a hard disk
 or second floppy drive for you. After unpacking, view or print 
 the file PCFORM.DOC for instructions on using the package.

 You'll probably want to try out, or even use, the sample forms
 that come with the program. After unpacking PC Form, these are 
 stored in a further compressed file called FORMS.EXE and require 
 a further 120K of disk space. To get these files ready for use,
 change to the drive and directory you've put PC Form in and 
 enter FORMS at the DOS prompt.

 PC Form is a shareware package and you should register with the 
 authors if you find it useful and wish to continue using it.

 WCron
 -----
 Based on the Unix 'Cron' program, WCron is a scheduler program 
 for Microsoft Windows 3. WCron allows you to create a list of 
 programs to run or tasks to start at specific times or dates or 
 at regular intervals. The program then runs in the background, 
 automatically triggering the tasks as appropriate.

 As an example, the package includes a simple program, REMIND.EXE,
 which will display a given message. Using WCron, you can have 
 REMIND pop-up particular reminders to you hours, days or weeks 
 in advance. 

 Other tasks you could use WCron for are:

 * Running back-up procedures

 * Starting communications tasks off at a given time, for example
   to transfer files at off-peak telephone rates

 * Periodically archiving bulky data files to save disk space or
   running batch files to delete temporary data

 * Running time-consuming database or printing operations while
   you're away from your PC or in the background

 WCron is supplied in the compressed file WCR20B.ZIP which the menu 
 system will unpack onto a hard disk for you. After unpacking, start
 Windows and view the file README.TXT for the latest notes. Run 
 WCRON.EXE to start the program... full instructions for its use are 
 provided from its Help menu.

 WCron is a shareware package. If you find it useful, you must register
 it with the authors.

 Columns
 -------
 Columns is a fiendish Windows 3 variation on the hit game Tetris. 
 It's supplied in the compressed file COLUMN.ZIP which the menu 
 system will unpack for you. After unpacking, start Windows and run 
 COLUMNS.EXE to play. The program includes instructions under its 
 help menu option.

 Columns' author John Rotenstein has generously made Columns a free
 program but he does ask that you send him a postcard if you enjoy 
 it. This seems a small price to pay for such a fun game so why not 
 take the trouble to do so?

 Marquee
 -------
 Last but by no means least among our main programs this month, 
 Marquee is a simple MS-DOS pop-up program that lets you put up a 
 scrolling sign on your PC. One obvious use is to let people know 
 whether you're "Out to lunch", "In a meeting" or "Back in five
 minutes".

 Marquee is supplied in the compressed file MARQUE.ZIP, which the 
 menu system will unpack for you. To load the program, after 
 unpacking, change to the disk/directory you've unpacked it to and 
 enter MQE at the DOS prompt. Marque will then load into memory 
 and the DOS prompt will return. You can now call up the program at 
 any time by pressing both Shift keys together and entering a 
 message to display. 

 Marquee can be removed from memory by restarting your PC. Alternatively,
 if you've not loaded any other resident software after it, you can 
 simply run MQE again to unload it. 

 Marquee is shareware... if you wish to keep using it, you should 
 register with the authors.

 Buyers Guide
 ------------
 The Buyers Guide program can be run straight from the Master Disk
 floppy. Once started, brief instructions and help on using it can
 be displayed by pressing the F1 key or choosing Help from its
 main menu. If you find the display hard to read, after loading
 the database, press Alt and D together for the Display menu and
 then S one or more times to select alternative screen colours.

 To leave the Buyers Guide program, press Alt and X together.

 Back Issues
 -----------
 Details of reviews and major articles published in What Micro? over 
 the last 18 months are included in the Back Issues program which 
 can be run by choosing the relevant menu option. If you want to 
 order a back number, the program will also print an order form 
 for you.

 Press Alt and X together to leave the Back Issues program.

                       Using this disk from DOS
                       ========================

 These notes are intended to help those using this disk outside the
 menu system.

 SPAudit
 -------
 This is stored in the \SPAUDIT directory. To change to it, log onto 
 the Master Disk (e.g. A:) and then enter CD \SPAUDIT

 The files are stored ready for use but must be copied to a freshly
 formatted floppy before you can run the program as there is not 
 enough free disk space on the Master Disk for the program to 
 collect its results. You can also copy the program to a new hard 
 disk directory and use it there though it should really be run 
 from a floppy so that it can collect data from several different 
 machines.

 The normal DOS COPY command can be used to set up SPAudit. For 
 example, if you have two floppy drives you might:

 1. Format a new floppy with the MS-DOS FORMAT command.

 2. Put the new floppy in drive B and your What Micro? Master
    disk in drive A

 3. At the DOS prompt, enter COPY A:\SPAUDIT B:

 Having done this, you can use the new disk to audit different 
 machines. View or print the text file README.TXT for instructions.

 If you only have one floppy drive, you can follow the instructions 
 above and swap disks when requested. Alternatively, if you have a 
 hard disk and one floppy drive, make a temporary directory on the 
 hard disk and copy the program via that directory. For example:

 1. MD C:\SPAUDIT                Make a temporary directory on drive C

 2. Put the What Micro? Master disk in drive A

 3. COPY A:\SPAUDIT C:\SPAUDIT   Copy the files across to the hard disk

 4. Replace the What Micro? disk with a freshly formatted floppy

 5. COPY C:\SPAUDIT A:\          Copy the files onto the new floppy

 After doing this, you might want to delete the temporary directory.
 Enter DEL C:\SPAUDIT (and Y to delete all files) followed by 
 RD C:\SPAUDIT.

 PC Form
 -------
 This is stored in the root (top) directory of the Master Disk in the 
 self-extracting archive file PCF20.EXE. Running this program will 
 unpack the package to the current directory. To put PC Form onto a 
 hard disk, follow steps like these:

 MD C:\PCFORM               ... make a new directory 

 C:                         ... change to the new directory
 CD \PCFORM

 COPY A:\PCF20.EXE          ... copy PCF20.EXE across from the Master disk
 
 PCF20                      ... unpack the programs

 DEL PCF20.EXE              ... delete the archive file from the hard disk

 FORMS                      ... (optional) unpack the sample forms

 A:                         ... log onto the Master Disk

 Documentation is contained in the text files README.TXT and PCFORM.DOC.
 Entering PCFORM starts the program.

 WCron
 -----
 This is stored in the root (top) directory of the Master Disk in the 
 file WCR20B.ZIP. To unpack this using the shareware PKUNZIP program,
 follow steps like these:

 MD C:\WCRON                  ... make a new directory 

 A:                           ... log onto the Master Disk

 PKUNZIP WCRON C:\WCRON       ... unpack the program 

 Columns
 -------
 This is stored in the root (top) directory of the Master Disk in the 
 file COLUMN.ZIP. To unpack this using the shareware PKUNZIP program,
 follow steps like these:

 MD C:\COLUMNS                ... make a new directory 

 A:                           ... log onto the Master Disk

 PKUNZIP COLUMNS C:\COLUMNS   ... unpack the program 

 Marquee
 -------
 This is stored in the root (top) directory of the Master Disk in the 
 file MARQUE.ZIP. To unpack this using the shareware PKUNZIP program,
 follow steps like these:

 MD C:\MARQUE                 ... make a new directory 

 A:                           ... log onto the Master Disk

 PKUNZIP MARQUE C:\MARQUE     ... unpack the program 

 Brief notes on using the program are in the text file MQE.HLP. 
 Entering MQE at the DOS prompt loads the resident program; press
 both Shift keys at the same time to call up the program. Run MQE 
 again to remove the program from memory (provided you've not loaded
 other resident software after it).

 Buyers Guide
 ------------
 The files that make up the Buyers Guide are stored in the \BUYGUIDE
 directory. To change to it, log onto the Master Disk (e.g. A:) 
 and then enter CD \BUYGUIDE

 To start the program, enter BUYGUIDE at the DOS prompt.

 The Buyers Guide is available more quickly if you first copy it to
 your hard disk. To do this, follow steps like these:

 MD C:\BUYGUIDE                ... create a suitable new directory

 COPY A:\BUYGUIDE C:\BUYGUIDE  ... copy the files into it

 Remember to change to the new directory before trying to run 
 the program. For example:

 C:

 CD \BUYGUIDE

 BUYGUIDE

 If you have been collecting the Buyers Guide from previous issues, you 
 can update your existing files. Copy MICROS.BG and VERDICTS.BGT from 
 this Master Disk over the existing versions of these files which you 
 already have. You should also replace your existing BUYGUIDE.EXE program
 with the latest release on this disk.

 Back Issues
 -----------
 This is stored in the \BUYGUIDE directory. To start the 
 program, change to that directory (e.g. A: then CD \BUYGUIDE) and 
 enter BACKISS

                      Making a copy of this disk
                      ==========================

 You should ideally make a working copy of this disk and keep the 
 original in a safe place so that you have it in case your working 
 copy is damaged. If you have a hard disk micro, it is usually 
 thought sufficient to copy the software onto the hard disk using 
 the installation options provided or by copying the contents of 
 the entire disk to a new directory.

 To make a copy of this disk onto another floppy
 -----------------------------------------------
 The DOS DISKCOPY command is easiest provided that you are copying 
 onto a disk of the same type and format. See your manual for full 
 details. Briefly, on a twin floppy micro, you would:

 1. Place a DOS master disk in drive A and enter the command 
    DISKCOPY A: B:

 2. Take out the DOS master disk and put the original What Micro?
    disk in drive A and a blank but formatted disk in drive B.

 3. Check you have the right disks in the right drives and press 
    SPACE to start copying.

 On a single floppy micro, use DISKCOPY A: A: and swap disks over 
 as prompted.

 To copy this disk to a different type of floppy
 -----------------------------------------------
 Use the XCOPY command. For example, on a micro with a 3 1/2" B 
 drive and a 5 1/4" high density A drive, follow these steps...

 1. Format a new 5 1/4" high density disk 

 2. If you have no hard disk, copy the XCOPY.EXE program file from 
    a DOS master onto the 5 1/4" disk.

 3. Put the 5 1/4" disk in A and the original What Micro? Master Disk 
    in drive B. Make sure you are logged onto drive A (the prompt is 
    A>) and enter XCOPY B:\ A: /S /E

 To copy this disk to your hard disk
 -----------------------------------
 Follow steps such as these:

 1. Make a new directory on your hard disk with a command such as 
    MD C:\WHATFEB

 2. Put the Master Disk in a floppy drive and use XCOPY to copy it 
    across. For example, enter XCOPY A:\ C:\WHATFEB /S /E

 You can use the disk from your hard disk by changing to directory 
 you've created (e.g. C: then CD \WHATFEB) and entering the 
 command START.

          Using the Master Disk on single disk drive micros
          =================================================

 Some laptops and entry-level micros have only a single floppy disk 
 drive for storage. There may be some programs on a Master Disk
 which will not unpack or install on these machines. Others may 
 involve you in disk swapping. Please note:

 * You can usually unpack or install programs by entering B:\ as 
   the drive and directory and then swapping disks over as prompted. 

 * A better method is to create a Ram disk to act as a second disk 
   drive. DOS is usually supplied with a Ram disk program 
   (RAMDRIVE.SYS or VDISK.SYS) which will let you do this. Create a 
   start-up disk that gives you at least a 256K or 360K Ram drive to 
   use as temporary storage. Unpack or copy the programs to the Ram 
   drive then leave the menu system and use the DOS COPY command to 
   copy them back onto an empty disk.

 * The easiest approach is to borrow a twin-floppy or hard disk 
   micro if you can get access to one. Run and unpack the Master 
   Disk on it and try out the software. Any programs that you want 
   to put on your single-drive machine can then be copied across
   using normal DOS facilities. 

                                --- ooo ---
