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If you have Windows 3.x, 95, 98, or higher, you have MSDOS!
In most cases, you will simply use Windows Explorer to double-click on your MSDOS application, and the rest will be taken care of automatically. But perhaps you want to be convinced that you really do have MSDOS on your computer!
Since Windows 3.x is not Y2K compliant (and never will be), we will consider just Windows 95 and 98.
OPENING AND CLOSING AN MSDOS WINDOW
You may open an MSDOS window very easily.
You now have an MSDOS window. That was simple, wasn't it? You may minimize/maximize this window by clicking one of the boxes on the upper right of the window. You can shut down (close) the window by clicking on the "X" box in the upper right of the window.
STARTING AN MSDOS PROGRAM
This is easier than you might expect.
Use Windows Explorer to find your MSDOS application. Do this by going to the START button with your cursor, RIGHT click, and click on EXPLORE. Or, if you have Windows Explorer as an icon on your desktop, double-click it.
Open the drive that the application is on (usually drive A: or drive C:). Do this by clicking on the drive letter in the left hand column in Explorer.
If your MS-DOS application is in a folder (subdirectory), click on that folder.
Now comes the hard part. In your software manual you will be told to RUN a particular APPLICATION or BATCH FILE. Find it in the right hand column of Explorer, and double-click on it.
For most of DYNACOMP's MSDOS software, you will probably not even need to look up the program name in your manual. In most cases there is a STARTUP BATCH FILE. Simply double-click on that. If STARTUP is not there, then just double-click on the APPLICATION (usually the file name is a dead giveaway).
MOVING MSDOS SOFTWARE
The software you receive will come on a floppy disk or CD-ROM. You may easily move this to a folder on your hard drive.
First, create a new folder on your hard drive. Do this by opening Windows Explorer and clicking on the hard drive letter (usually C:).
Second, go up to your task bar on the top of the Windows Explorer window and click on FILE.
Third, move down to NEW.
Fourth, move over right to FOLDER, and click.
Fifth, in the highlighted box on the bottom of the right hand column enter the name of your new folder and press return. That folder should now also appear on the left hand column also.
Sixth, click on the disk drive that contains the software you received (usually the floppy A:, or the CD-ROM D:).
Seventh, highlight all the items shown on the right hand column and drag-and-drop them into the new folder in the left hand column that you created in step five. Remember the name of that folder. It is where your software is now.
Now you know probably more than you need to. The above information, along with the instructions in your manual, should be all that you need. Remember, though, when all else fails, read the manual.
MORE ON MS-DOS
For those who want to know more about MS-DOS, we offer the following few tips.
First, open the MS-DOS window (see above). Once in the MSDOS window, you will will be living in the MSDOS world. For these tips, we will assume that you have a disk in drive A:. If you see a C: or D: prompt, type A: and press enter (sorry, your mouse is of no use to you here).
The information given here is covered in DOS manuals in greater detail, so if you are confused about this information, we recommend that you read up on the following DOS commands: DIR, TYPE, COPY, and DISKCOPY.
Some of the programs you may encounter are written in BASIC and must be run with a BASIC interpreter (usually included). Again, if you are confused about the information provided here, we recommend that you study a BASIC manual. If you have a true IBM, the file BASICA.COM will run on your machine. It may be already there. Use Explorer Tools to find it. If your computer is an IBM clone, you will need to use GWBASIC.
Here are the steps to follow:
1. Put your DOS diskette In DRIVE A:. You will then
see a A>. This is referred to as an 'A' prompt.
2. Use the DISKCOPY command to make a backup of your program disk. We recommend that you use your copy of the program diskette and store the original in safe place.
3. Put the program diskette in drive A: and type DIR A:/W <Enter>.
Executable files: Files with an extension of COM and EXE are programs that can be executed straight from the DOS prompt. They can be run by typing the filename to the left of the extension and pressing the enter key. For example, to run program called MYFILE.COM or MYFILE.EXE simply type MYFlLE <Enter>.
Batch files: Files with extensions of BAT are also programs that can executed from the DOS prompt. They are made up of DOS commands strung together and often supply additional information about the main program. Run a batch file the same way you run an executable program.
BASIC files: Files with an extension of BAS are programs written in BASIC. To run a file called MYFILE.BAS first load and run BASIC. If BASIC is on a floppy, you do this by inserting a diskette with BASICA or GWBASIC on it in drive A: and typing BASICA or GWBASIC at the A> (Be sure to press <Enter>). Note that BASIC itself is just a program. When BASIC is running remove the BASIC diskette from drive A: and insert the diskette with the BAS program on it (like MYFILE.SAS). Type RUN "MYFILE" <Enter>.
Documentation files: Files with an extension of DOC and TXT are text files that provide information about the program. A text file can have any name. Therefore, it is necessary to look at the filename and see if it describes itself as a text file. For example, files like README, MANUAL, PROGRAM.DQC, and READ.1ST are obviously text files. Use the DOS TYPE command to view these files. To view a text file with the name PROGRAM.DOC on the screen, type TYPE PROGRAM.DOC <Enter>. To pause the scrolling, hold down the Ctrl key and press 'S'. You can also send the file to your printer with the COPY command. To print PROGRAM.DOC you would type COPY PROGRAM.DOC PRN <Enter>.
Data files: A data file can have any name, and any extension. Data files are used by the program and can be ignored by the user.
Compressed files: Files with an extension of ARC, LBR, ZOO, or any extension with a 'Q' in the middle (MYFILE.DQC) have been squeezed to save room on the diskette. Look for an executable utility on the diskette and run it for instructions. You will need a blank formatted diskette to uncompress the files onto.
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