           Ŀ
             HELP SEARCHING FOR COMPUTER CONFIGURATIONS  
           


                          Important Notes:

     1.  When you perform a search, the items selected by 
         your search criteria will be listed in PRICE order, 
         beginning with the best (lowest) price at the top.

     2   Be SURE to see the hints section at the bottom of this 
         window for help in understanding the abbreviated syntax 
         and assumed standard features used in listing PC 
         configurations. 

     3.  You may find information using any part of the 
         product description.  (You cannot, however, search 
         on the amount of the price.)  You can even search on 
         part of a word, like "Pana" for "Panasonic".   Simply 
         enter into one or all of the text lines (as shown 
         below) words that will be in the product 
         descriptions you want to call up. 

      4. You may print this help file on your printer usning 
         any word processor.  The file name is hhcomp1.

     The search window provides up to 3 sets of text segments 
     you may use.   For example, if you want to see a list of 
     20mhz (20 megahertz) machines that have 1mb RAM (1 megabyte 
     or 1024K of volatile memory), you would enter: 

       ͻ 
        
         S E A R C H   
        
       Ķ 
                                                              
               TEXT 1 >   20mhz          
                                                              
               TEXT 2 >   1mb          
                                                             
               TEXT 3 >   _           
                                                              
                                                              
       ͼ 

     Notes: If you had entered nothing and just touched enter at 
            the TEXT 1 > line, a non-selective listing would 
            ensue, i.e. everything in the category would list in 
            order of price (lowest price first).  When carefully 
            scrutinizing options, this isn't a bad idea. 

            It doesn't matter which you enter first.  You could 
            have just as easily entered 1mb and then 20mhz. 

            Searches are case insensitive.  It doesn't matter 
            whether you use upper or lower case. 

            After you touch ENTER in TEXT 1 > the cursor jumps 
            down to TEXT 2 >, etc.  Note that the cursor is now 
            waiting in TEXT 3 > awaiting further selections.  
            Just touch enter after your last selection and the 
            search will begin. 

            Common sense prevails in choosing text to search 
            on.  The database must assume that it will find a 
            string of data in the database exactly like the one 
            you enter (except for capitalizing).  So, if you're 
            searching for a "KXP4450 PANASONIC" and get no matches, 
            it may be in (backwards) as "PANASONIC KXP4450".  You 
            could: 
               A. Try again as "Panasonic KXP4450" (which works)
                  (Don't enter the quotation marks!)
               B. Enter only "4450" and browse through the resulting
                  listing to see how it looks in the database or
               C. Enter "Panasonic" on one line and "4450" on another.  
                  Then, regardless what order they come in, you'll 
                  find your machine.  This is the example shown 
                  below:

       ͻ 
        
         S E A R C H   
        
       Ķ 
                                                              
               TEXT 1 >   kxp4450          
                                                              
               TEXT 2 >   panasonic          
                                                             
               TEXT 3 >   _           
                                                              
                                                              
       ͼ 
                   THE REASON THIS WORKS IS THAT EACH LINE'S DATA 
                   IS TESTED SEPARATELY AGAINST THE DATABASE.  If 
                   the data for EVERY line you fill in above is 
                   found in the database, that item will be listed. 

                   Use this method (placing just one word in each 
                   line) when you're not sure what order the 
                   database's description is in.

 
                   Be careful about placing spaces between model 
                   prefix and number (like KXP 4450 or KXP-4450).  
                   This will usually frustrate you because the 
                   database typically leaves out punctuation 
                   between model name and number.

                   Spaces can be useful, though.  For example, if 
                   you're in the 386 area but don't want to see any 
                   386sx's, how do you eliminate them.  Just search 
                   on 386 followed by a space as shown below.
            

       ͻ 
        
         S E A R C H   
        
       Ķ 
                                                              
               TEXT 1 >   386           
                                                              
               TEXT 2 >   _          
                                                             
               TEXT 3 >              
                                                              
                                                              
       ͼ 
                   Note that you can see the empty spaces.
                   
  

         
         

                        Editing Features: 

     You may use the left and right arrow keys, tab key and the 
     backspace key to move around within a selection modifying or 
     correcting your text.  You may even use the up and down 
     arrows to jump from selection to selection, say from TEXT 3> 
     back up to TEXT 2> to correct an error.   However, this 
     requires that you move back down to the last selection box 
     (TEXT 3 >) when you finally hit enter to let the system know 
     that you're really through modifying the data and to begin 
     the search. 

     The editor also has an insert and writeover mode.  The 
     default is writeover which means that if you use the left 
     arrow key to move left left and then enter a letter, that 
     new letter will be written over the previous character 
     there.   Touch the INSert key and the bottom line will 
     inform you that you are in insert mode.  Now when you enter 
     a letter, any text to the right of it is moved to the 
     right.  To turn insert off again, just touch the INS key 
     again to toggle it back off.       


               ͻ
                         H   I   N   T   S           
               ͼ

     GENERAL HINTS:
     If you are seriously looking for the best configuration for 
     you, don't make your searches too restrictive.  It's better 
     to make restrictions minimal (which means more PC's will be 
     listed) and spend some time paging through them.   
     FREQUENTLY you can find a configuration that has all you 
     want except, say, a VGA monitor, for so much less than 
     those shown with a VGA that you could take the savings, 
     look under Monitors and buy one separately for much less 
     total investment. 

     The alternative consideration is assembly, handling and 
     freight.  If, for example, you find a PC and a Hard Drive 
     from separate vendors and save only $30 over a vendor who 
     offers them together, the two separate freight and C.O.D. 
     charges added to the grief of having to install the hard 
     drive yourself will probably make such a small additional 
     cost a good investment. 
     

     HINTS SPECIFIC TO COMPUTER CONFIGURATIONS: 
     Most of the categories of computer peripherals are very 
     simple to search on.   Pulling up a Seagate ST225 hard 
     drive requires only that you enter all or part of the name 
     or model.  You can enter ST225 alone and get it since there 
     are only 2 versions and just a few configurations easily 
     understood as they list on the screen.  You could even just 
     search on Seag and find it, although you would have to page 
     through a few screens of Seagate hard drives. 

     Vendors of the computer boxes themselves, however, are less 
     organized that the peripheral parts houses.   With the 
     exception of some IBM PS/2's and some fixed configuration 
     laptops, computers themselves are configured and labeled in 
     a fashion reminiscent of the Wild West.  Remember that many 
     of the prices included here come from advertisements.   
     Caveat Emptor. 


                         Ŀ
                           ABBREVIATIONS:  
                         

386SX 22MHZ 2MB 1.2/1.44FD 40MBHD-28MS VGA-C 1024X728 1PP 2SP GP SVC

     Abbrev.     Translation: 
     386SX       80386sx compatible.  If the SX isn't there, 
                 it's a regular 386.  Other options are XT, 286 
                 and 486.  If the manufacturer is a major brand, 
                 the brand will precede this. 
     22MHZ       operating at 22 megahertz (cycles/second) 
     2MB         with 2 megabytes(2,048,000 bytes) or volatile 
                 RAM memory 
     1.2/1.44FD  EITHER a 1.2 megabyte OR a 1.44 megabyte floppy 
                 drive (1.2 & 1.44 means you get one of each) 
     40MBHD-28MS 40 megabyte hard drive with 28 millisecond 
                 response time 
     VGA-C       With VGA monitor (which assumes presence of 
                 video card). The C means Color. An M after VGA- 
                 means monochrome. Other options are: 
                   MMON  Mono Monitor (TTL unless labeled composite)
                   CMON  Color monitor. CGA, the old IBM 640x200
     1024x728    The resolution of the monitor listed.  The bigger 
                 the better.
     1PP         Has 1 Parallel Port
     2SP         Has 2 Serial (RS-232) ports
     GP          Game Port
     SVC         Service.  They provide on site service usually 
                 through a third party.  Sometimes spelled out 
                 as SERVICE. 
     


                         ͻ
                           WHAT IS INCLUDED?   
                         ͼ

     Inexperienced buyers may want to avoid items marked 
     "Barebones".   Barebones (see summary box below) means that 
     if it isn't listed in the description, it probably isn't 
     there.  However, the mother board, box, power supply and 
     power cable are included even when not listed.  Gray areas 
     to look for are keyboards and disk controller cards.  Look 
     for RAM (640K, 1MB, etc).  Some barebones have  0K.  Very 
     rarely one has no processor chip included.  How do you 
     tell?  If it has a megahertz rating, it has a processor 
     chip.   
      
     Despite all that, an experienced person can get some 
     exceptional buys by buying barebones and adding on. 

     Even for those whose description does not say "Barebones", the 
     monitor and video card must be listed for us to expect there to 
     be one.  This is simply because vendors have chosen this 
     convention in their advertisements.  Their defense is that 
     everybody seems to want a different monitor anyway.  If it 
     doesn't say Barebones you CAN, however, generally assume it has 
     a keyboard even though it is rarely mentioned.  Also, DOS and 
     OS/2 operating systems are almost never included in any listing 
     unless it's mentioned. 


  Ŀ
                   SUMMARY OF WHAT IS INCLUDED:                   
  Ĵ
    BAREBONES: Includes case, power supply and motherboard with   
    processor chip (but possibly with 0K RAM) plus anything       
    else that is specifically LISTED.                             
                                                                  
    NORMAL: (Barebones is not mentioned in the description)       
    You can generally assume that it has the barebones assembly   
    plus :Keyboard                                                
          Floppy disk                                             
          Floppy disk controller.                                 
          286 and up usually include hard disk controller.        
          plus anything else specifically listed.                 
                                                                  
    NEVER assume that Monitors, monitor cards or hard drives      
    are included unless specifically listed.                      
  

     Finally, in the Wild West, simply check before you buy.  Ask 
     the vendor specifically what is included and if it will run 
     when it arrives without further investment.  (If the answer is 
     "no" ask what you need to add to make it work). 

              Touch ESCape to exit or PgUp to review.



     
         
