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      STACKER NOTE                                         STACKER NOTE
         STAC ELECTRONICS ELIMINATES HOLIDAY HEADACHE FOR MULTIMEDIA
                                   GAMERS
         Multimedia Stacker Averts "Batteries not Included" Syndrome
      STAC FAX  1125 (10-25-1994)
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      SAN DIEGO, Calif., October 10, 1994 - The expected explosion of
      multimedia home computer sales this holiday season should lead to
      exciting adventures with new CD-ROM applications, but it could
      result in thousands of frustrated users.
      
      Just as new home users are loading up their multimedia games and
      applications, they are realizing that the systems they bought may
      not support the games they want to play - right out of the box.
      
      Stac Electronics (NASDAQ:STAC), the leading supplier of
      compression products for data storage and communication, today
      announced a solution for this problem - Multimedia Stacker.
      Optimized for speed, it gives users not only more disk space but
      also more memory for
      today's multimedia-based systems by including a free copy of
      Helix Software's Multimedia Cloaking.
      
      Many multimedia- and CD-ROM-based games and applications require
      large amounts of space on a system's hard drive in order to
      operate (see figure 1).  What may seem like sufficient disk space
      can fall short, forcing users to choose between deleting files,
      not running their new
      software or replacing their hard drive.  Multimedia Stacker
      offers an easy, inexpensive alternative, providing more room to
      work, and more room to play.
      
                           Figure 1 - Disk Space Needed
      
        Title              Publisher            Space Required
        
        DOOM II            id Software               15 MB
        Strike Commander   Origin                    11 MB
        KidPix             Broderbund                 9 MB
        3-D Dinosaurs      Knowledge                  8 MB
                           Adventure
        Quicken            Intuit                     8 MB
        Flight Simulator   Microsoft                  7 MB
        Encarta            Microsoft                  6 MB
      
      "The last thing you want to do on Christmas morning is to try to
      figure out why the game you've bought won't run," said Anne
      Galdos, Stac's senior product manager, "or to spend the day
      trying to learn memory management.  The combination of Multimedia
      Stacker and Multimedia Cloaking gives you all the room you need
      to play your favorite games."
      
      Installing multimedia hardware lowers the available conventional
      memory (the critical first 640 kilobytes) to the point where many
      applications simply won't run.  Now Multimedia Stacker actually
      gives back the memory needed by using Multimedia Cloaking.
      
      Multimedia Cloaking uses 32-bit technology to free up extra
      memory by moving system drivers to a protected area of extended
      memory.  Even if a memory manager is installed, Multimedia
      Cloaking can free an additional 80 kilobytes in three speed-
      enhancing ways:
      
      *    Powerful Mouse Driver - Saves 20K and works with any
      Microsoft,  Logitech or compatible mouse.
      
      *    Enhanced CD-ROM Extensions - Saves 30K with an improved
      version  of MSCDEX licensed from Microsoft, (CD-ROM drive
      software), which runs games and entertainment software faster
      than before.
      
      *    Fast Disk Cache - Saves 30K while improving system
      performance and safely accelerating CD-ROM, hard and floppy
      drives.
      
      "With the growing popularity of multimedia systems for the home,
      users are enjoying interactive education and entertainment," said
      Gary Clow, Stac's president and chief executive officer.
      "Unfortunately, many will also face the twin headaches of
      insufficient disk space and memory.  This new Multimedia Stacker 
      bundle solves these problems."
      
      Multimedia Stacker is now available on either CD-ROM or 3.5"
      disks and is expected to sell for under $100 at retail.
      
      Stac Electronics is the leading supplier of high performance
      compression products for data storage and communications.
      Implemented in software and silicon, Stac's products are sold
      direct from the  company and through retail and OEM sales
      distribution channels.
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      Copyright 1994 Stac Electronics
