CD-ROM Disc Setup, Install and Help

Thank you for purchasing our CD-ROM Discs. While our CD-ROM Disc interfaces 
have been compiled for ease of use and accessibility, we have included this 
installation and trouble-shooting guide so that some common questions can be 
answered.

PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT VERY CAREFULLY!

The requirements for MegaSearch for DOS and MegaSearch for Windows (included 
on Mega, FAO, SDN1+,& ForBidden Subjects) interface are 512K free, and to 
view the VGA and SVGA images a VGA card and monitor is required. Files 
should be set to 20.

If you need help with ANY of these or other DOS or Windows Commands Always 
refer to your DOS or Windows Manual.

We Distribute the Least Expensive High Quality CD-ROM's Possible and as such 
We Can Not Answer Questions on Nor Tutor You with DOS or Windows.

The documentation for MegaSearch is located on our CD-ROM Discs. To access 
it, change to the root directory of the CD-ROM (if you need help on changing 
directories, refer to your DOS manual) and type DIR. You should see either 
GO.EXE or DEMO.EXE, INSTALL.EXE, The first time these programs are run, the 
help file will automatically open following the welcome screen. At anytime 
these programs are being executed, the <F1> key will bring up the on screen 
help file.

GO.EXE DEMO.EXE are executable files that allow you to run MegaSearch from 
the CD-ROM without installing any software on your hard drive, but in the 
same sense, no program configuration or information is saved which means 
that you have to setup all the viewers and external programs each time you 
run the disc. GO and DEMO also allow you to view the program documentation 
as a menu choice. Just run these files and choose the Docs option in order 
to display the documentation.

INSTALL.EXE allows you to install the MegaSearch program on your hard drive. 
This allows you to increase the speed of the interface, and also save viewer 
and external program information so that it will be correctly configured 
each time you run the program. (Make sure you save any changes you make to 
the configuration). All you need to do is run INSTALL.EXE and follow the 
on-screen prompts. Install must be run separately for each disc that is to 
be used. When the install program is asking you for a directory to install 
the software to, make sure the path line on the top of the screen is where 
you want the program to be placed.

File Compression is used to place as much software on the disc as possible, 
the majority of the files are in a compressed form. The .ZIP ending on a 
file means that it was compressed with the PKZIP format. The .SDN ending 
means that the file is in the PAK format. The .ZIPs will be automatically 
decompressed by the MegaSearch program, otherwise you need to decompress 
them yourself. The .ZIP format is an archive compression format that was 
created by Phil Katz, and is common to most computer BBS systems. Using 
compression programs such as this, one can decrease the size of a file by up 
to 90%. This is a shareware program, and if you find it useful, you should 
register it with the author. The decompression program is called PKUNZIP.EXE 
and can be found in the \CDROM or \CDROM\VIEWERS directory of the CD-ROM. 
The format is: PKUNZIP.EXE <filename.zip>. The .SDN format is created by 
PAK.EXE. It can be located on the CD-ROM as PAK251.EXE, and comes with 
documentation on its use. (This format is used only on the SDN1+ Disc.)

In order to access and view the graphic files on our CD-ROM's you may use 
our built-in graphics viewer or you must set up an external graphic file 
viewing program and provide the information to MegaSearch as to where the 
programs are located. After you have installed the external programs you 
must go to the Options window (use <ALT>-O in the MegaSearch program to do 
this), select either GIF Viewer or External Programs, or Path; and give a 
path to the external programs. (If you do not understand Path, refer to your 
DOS manual.)

GIF stands for "Graphical Interchange Format," and was created by and is 
trademarked by the CompuServe On-line Service. This format was designed to 
provide a standard format for image files, and includes a compression 
feature that keeps the file size to a minimum. Because there is compression 
built into this format, none of the GIF images on the disc's have been 
compressed with PKZIP or PAK (.gif files become larger when compressed). 
When setting up the GIF viewer, you have the option of either an external 
program, or the built-in viewer.

THE VIEWERS ARE SETUP UNDER THE OPTIONS MENU.
PRESS <ALT>-O TO PULL DOWN THE OPTIONS MENU.

To setup MegaSearch for the internal viewer press 'ALT-S' and select the
'Video Card' option. If you know what kind of video card you own, select the
appropriate type. If you do not know what kind of card you have, or do not 
see your card listed, select the 'AutoDetect' option. If you know your card 
supports VESA, but AutoDetect does not determine you have it, you may need 
to install a VESA driver (consult your video card manual). If your graphics 
card (or main chip on card) is listed as an option in the GIF Viewer 
section, then you only need to tag the box next to your selection and hit 
"OK" in order to utilize it. Otherwise you must setup an external program 
(like VPIC which is on the CD-ROM under \CDROM\VIEWERS\VPIC50.ZIP (this must 
be installed and configured before being used), select external viewer in 
the options box, and input the path to the program so that MegaSearch can 
find it.

For Windows Installation you'll need to setup Megasrch.exe as an icon under 
Windows. To begin, run Windows. From Program Manager, pulldown the 'File' 
menu and click on 'New...'. It will ask if you want to make a new program 
group or a new program item (icon). Click on 'Program Group' and then on the 
'OK' button. It will then ask for the group name, title the group 'Mega' and 
hit return (enter). It will then create the new group and open an empty 
folder on the screen. Go back into the 'File' menu and click on 'New...' 
again. This time, click on 'Program Item' and then on the 'OK' button. It 
will open a dialog box requesting information about the new program item. To 
move between the fields, use the TAB key. For 'Description' enter: 
'MegaSearch'. For 'Command Line' enter the drive letter you installed 
Megasrch.exe onto plus '\MEGA\MEGASRCH.EXE'. For example, if you installed 
Megasrch.exe onto your C: drive then the 'Command Line' field would look 
like this:'C:\MEGA\MEGASRCH.EXE'. For the 'Working Directory' field enter 
the drive you installed Megasrch.exe onto plus '\MEGA'. So, if you installed 
MegaSearch onto the C: drive, this field would look like this:'C:\MEGA'. 
Once you have entered that information, click on the 'OK' button. Program 
Manager should add the Megasrch.exe icon to your newly created 'Mega' group. 
You are done installing MegaSearch into Windows. To run MegaSearch.exe  
double click on the MegaSrch.exe icon. If you are having problems creating 
program groups or items please refer to your Windows manual. The Windows and 
DOS versions of MegaSearch use different external viewers. To increase the 
speed at which Windows MegaSerch.exe views GIFs, use an external Windows GIF 
viewer like WinGIF - that way it won't have to load as much each time you 
view a picture. If you are going to use an external Windows GIF viewer, make 
sure your copy of Windows is setup for 256 or more colors so that you get 
the full range of colors from the GIF files.

The animation files are either .FLI, .DL, or .GL files. FLI files are run by
AAPLAY or QUICKFLI, DL files by DL-VIEW, and GL by GRASPRT. You must have 
these files (or ones which will run FLI, DL, or GL) on your hard drive so 
that MegaSearch can find and use them. (the exception is .GL files which are
compressed along with GRASPRT.EXE and will run automatically with most 
CD-ROMs that we produce.) Once these programs are installed on your hard 
drive, go to the Options menu in MegaSearch, select External Programs (or 
Path), and enter the path to the files so that MegaSearch may utilize them. 
(If you don't understand the Path statement, refer to your DOS manual.)

For General Trouble-Shooting Browse through the sub-menus that reside under 
the Options menu. Make sure that the path included there is valid and locate
the correct files on your hard drive. Another useful idea is to include your
MegaSearch directory in your path statement. (consult your DOS manual for 
valid path parameters) Many programs are compressed into separate files for 
reasons such as space or to separate which files go on what disc, so make 
sure you have uncompressed all the files needed to run that program if it 
appears to have missing or absent files. Some files that have an executable 
extension (.EXE) are self-extracting archive files that must be run in order 
to decompress them. Make sure that files are no longer compressed before you 
enter them under your external program path statement. Also make sure that 
if there are any special parameters that need to be passed to your external 
program, please read the program doc files as you may need to add these 
after the path and program statement in order for it to work correctly. 
(I.E. C:\VIEWER\VPIC.EXE /A)

Many of the programs included on the discs are shareware programs. This 
means that if you use the programs for any length of time and or find them 
useful, you should register them. The registration usually includes a 
nominal fee to the author of the program. Shareware is copyrighted software 
that is distributed at minimal cost. It offers "try before you buy" concept 
based on a "user honor system." If you try a program from these CD-ROM Discs 
and you decide to continue using it, the shareware author asks that you send 
him or her a nominal fee. Shareware fees are substantially lower than prices 
you normally pay for software, some fees are as low as $5. Payment is made 
by you directly to the author listed with each program. By paying and 
registering with the author, you will get updated versions of the programs, 
manuals, technical support, etc. Because of the value offered by these 
shareware authors to all of us, we fully support and encourage users to 
register directly with the program's respective authors...so that they will 
create new, exciting and affordable shareware programs in the future. Public 
Domain is software where the author has given up all intellectual property 
rights and his or her right to control the use of the product. You do not 
have to pay a registration fee to use this software.

Certain programs on these CD-ROM Discs, such as hard drive optimizers and 
low level disk editors, can potentially damage your equipment. We will not 
be held responsible for damages incurred through the use of these discs, or 
any programs, information or data contained on these discs.

All efforts have been made to insure that these discs are 100% Virus Free. 
No Known Executable Viruses (ForBidden Subjects contains virus source code 
only) are on any of our discs. Similarly we have tried to insure that No 
Known Commercial Software is present.

Enjoy all of our CD-ROM Discs and Support Shareware


FOR BBS INSTALLATION
MegaDoor Setup & MegaTerminal Setup: Under the CD-ROM directory of your 
disc, there is a file called MDORxxxs.ZIP (where xxx=the version number of 
the program.) which is the door program itself. Decompress this file on your 
hard drive under its own sub-directory. (For help on creating 
sub-directories, consult your DOS manual). Run MSETUP (may not work with 
DesqView). Full mouse and keyboard support is included. Keyboard commands 
are: F1 for help (at any time). F10 to access the menu. TAB switches between 
entry fields. SPACE executes a button. ENTER executes the menu or the 
default button. If you are using a high speed modem, adjust the locked baud 
rate in Standard³Comm. Set the DORINFO or DOOR.SYS path and CD-ROM drive 
letter in Standard³Path. (optional) Set up your systems security in the 
Standard³Other menu, the Restrictions menu, and the Protocol³Ratios menu. 
Exit MSETUP. (Quit or Exit in Standard³Other or Alt-X). Run "MEGADOOR LOCAL" 
to make sure the path were setup correctly. Add MegaDOOR to your BBS menus 
and make sure to set it up as a DORINFO or DOOR.SYS compatible door. Have 
someone log on at your systems minimum and maximum supported speed to ensure 
that the locked baud rate is set correctly and that your BBS is passing the 
proper information to MegaDOOR. The requirements for MegaDoor are as 
follows: - 256K of free RAM (less when EMS is available) - 300K of disk 
space - DOOR.SYS or DORINFO.DEF compatible BBS software - Any supported 
CD-ROM disc and a CD-ROM drive - The appropriate CD-ROM support files The 
terminal program may be setup as an external protocol from within your 
telecommunication program. Please refer to your terminal program on the 
proper procedure of enabling external protocols. (In case of problems when 
the MegaTerm is correctly setup as an external protocol, make sure enough 
memory is allotted to it by your communications program) There are complete 
document files for both MegaDoor, and MegaTerm located in the door software 
.ZIP file.