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                             Disk Usage Meter 3.0
                     Copyright (c)1995 J.B. Langston III
                             All Rights Reserved


Disk Usage Meter 3.0          USER'S REFERENCE                          Page 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         SECTION I:  Welcome and Thanks

     Welcome to Disk Usage Meter 3.0 and thanks for using it.  I wrote this
because of my own need to know what percentage of my hard drive was used.  I
find it very useful and use it daily.  I hope you will too.

                        
                        
                        SECTION II:  System Requirements

    System:            Any system that will run DOS will probably run USAGE
    Memory:            219K free conventional memory
    Display:           Prettier with color but works just fine on monochrome
    Operating System:  MS-DOS, and ONLY MS-DOS Version 5.0 or greater.  If
                       that's not clear enough: NOT Windows '95, NOT OS/2,
                       NOT anything else that is NOT *MS-DOS* 5.0 and up


                     SECTION III:  Installation Instructions

     Since you're reading this file, you've apparently already unzipped the
distribution file, so I won't waste your time explaining how to do that.  From
this point, you need to complete the following steps to properly install:

        1. Copy the file USAGE.EXE to any directory that is in your path.  For
           example, I keep all my handy little utilities in a directory called
           C:\UTILITY, so I keep my copy of USAGE there, but you can copy it
           to any directory you choose; just make sure it's in your path.

        2. Make sure the directory containing the MS-DOS utility CHKDSK.EXE is
           included in your path statement.  Most people won't have to worry
           with this step, but just to make sure, you can type PATH at the DOS
           prompt (aka the C:\>) to check for the presence of the directory
           containing your MS-DOS files.  This directory is usually C:\DOS but
           may be different (possibly C:\SYS or C:\BIN) if you have an older
           version of dos or have been tinkering with the directory DOS was
           installed in.

        3. Make sure you have a valid TEMP variable.  Many people will already
           have one, but you may not.  To check, type SET at the DOS prompt
           and look for a line that says "TEMP=xxx."  The directory that this 
           variable points to is listed after the = sign (where the "xxx" is).
           The TEMP variable must point to a directory that actually exists on
           a non-write protected drive that has enough space on it to hold the
           temporary files created by USAGE (generally, 2K or more free space
           will do).

        4. Type USAGE at the DOS prompt to check the installation.  If you
           encounter any error messages, refer to the ERROR MESSAGES section
           of this file to find a solution.


                             SECTION IV:  ERROR MESSAGES

        #01: Missing Environment Variable
        ---------------------------------
        You MUST have the "TEMP=xxx" environment variable set.  It is NOT
        optional.  There is no way the program will run without it.  To
        check for the presence of the temp variable, type SET at the DOS
        prompt.  A listing of all your variables is displayed.  If the TEMP=
        variable is not listed, or spaces appear between the TEMP and the =,
        correct it by typing "SET TEMP=xxx" with no spaces except between SET
        and TEMP.  XXX refers to the directory where you want the temp files
        to be placed everytime you run USAGE.

        #02: Error Accessing work Disk
        ---------------------------------
        If this error occurs, you have either assigned the TEMP= variable to
        a CD-ROM, Write-Protected, Network, or otherwise un-writeable disk
        drive, or you have assigned the TEMP variable to a directory that
        does not exist.  To fix this, set the TEMP= to a directory that
        actually exists.  For any practical applications, this directory
        would have to be on your hard drive.

        #03: Requires MS-DOS 5.0 or Greater
        -----------------------------------
        This program absolutely will NOT under any circumstances run under
        any operating system other than *MS-DOS* 5.0 or greater.  MS-DOS does
        not mean PC-DOS, it does not mean Novell DOS, it does not mean DR-DOS,
        it does not mean OS/2, it does not mean Windows '95, it does not mean
        any other strange little operating system that runs DOS applications,
        IT MEANS MS-DOS, MADE BY MICROSOFT AND ONLY MICROSOFT, AND ONLY MS-DOS.
        If you don't use MS-DOS, too bad.

        #04: CHKDSK is not responding
        ------------------------------------
        This occurs in two cases, each with its own error message:

        1. If error #04 is preceeded by "Cannot CHKDSK a network drive," it
           means exactly that (sort of).  If you try to run USAGE on a
           network drive, or CD-ROM drive, CHKDSK will not work, and therefore
           USAGE will not work.

        2. If error #04 is preceeded by "bad command or filename," it means
           that CHKDSK is not in your path statement or the default directory.
           USAGE does not go looking through all the files on your hard drive
           to find CHKDSK, it simply issues the command in the default
           directory, and DOS will only find it if the directory containing
           CHKDSK.EXE is in the path (usually C:\DOS).  To set the path, type
           PATH=xxx, where X is the path of the directory of your DOS files.


                                  V. LEGAL @#$@#!%##

           This is copyrighted freeware.  I don't ask a fee for it, and you can
           copy it as much as you want, but don't screw with the code and don't
           claim this program as your own.  Don't use it as part of a commercial
           package, and don't sell it.  I wrote it as freeware, and it should
           remain freeware.  I make ABSOLUTELY NO warranty of any kind about
           this program (express, implied, or any other BS legal terms that
           lawyers can think up to describe warranties).
