AFTER READING THIS FILE, CLICK THE "FILE" MENU (IN THE WINDOWS PROGRAM) AND CLICK OFF "PSL-NEWS". DOS Games Section ================= The Section of the Month on this CD-ROM is "Games, Sounds & Music for DOS". However due to space limitations (there are about 400MB of new programs received during the last month, leaving only about 250MB for the Section of the Month), we only had room to include games and sounds files since the last DOS Games/Sounds CD-ROM (Vol. 3, Num. 10). If you do not have the V.3, N.10 CD-ROM with thousands of other games, sounds and music files on it, you can get it for a special price of $6 plus $4 shipping. Don't forget that we have thousands of great games, sounds, and music files for Windows on the Vol.3, Num.9 and Vol.4, Num.7 CD-ROMs. Those CDs are still available at our regular prices. PsL Hot Picks of the Month ========================== (Double-click on a file name to install it.) ---WINDOWS: The Apple Tree [WIN\GAMES\APPLE10.ZIP] challenges you to guess a randomly selected word before all of the apples fall from the tree. Features include digitized sound, stats for multiple players, three skill levels, three word lists, and more. Requires VBRUN300. Easy Personal Labels [WIN\PRINTING\EZLABELS.ZIP] allows you to quickly print one address label, a series of labels with different addresses, or a complete sheet of return address labels in Windows. A database is provided to store your addresses, or you can simply type or paste an address that you wish to print. You can use any of your Windows True Type fonts, select from left justified or centered text, and print in color. Requires VBRUN300. File ToolBox for Windows [WIN\UT_DSKFI\FILETB.ZIP] contains several tools for manipulating and viewing files, including a directory printer, icon to bitmap converter, icon extractor, graphic file finder, AVI and MIDI file locator and player, and more. This is a very handy set of utilities. Requires VBRUN300. Fine Print [WIN\PRINTING\FINEPRT.ZIP] is a printer driver for Windows that prints multiple documents on a single page, watermarks, headers, and footers. It also provides the ability to create electronic stationery. This is an excellent way to help conserve paper. GTI WordGrid [WIN\GAMES\GTIWRD21.ZIP] is a "hidden word" puzzle generator for Windows. You can play puzzles on-screen, print them out to play later, or export them to a file. Features include sound effects, animated buttons, a "cheat" option, and more. This is an excellent tool for teacher to make puzzles of spelling or vocabulary words. Requires VBRUN300. Juno [WIN\COMMUNIC\JUNO.ZIP] is an innovative E-mail service for Windows that allows you to send and receive messages without cost. The point and click interface is extremely easy to use. The program displays product/service advertising and you will receive occasional market surveys from the advertisers. NotifyMe [WIN\COMMUNIC\NOTIFY10.ZIP] is a simple yet powerful messaging system for the WIN31 desktop. It provides a scrolling display at the bottom of the screen, and can be used on a network or used as a simple reminder system on a stand alone PC. TopMeme [WIN\UT_SYSTM\TOPMEMO.ZIP] allows you to keep up to seven notes/memos on your Windows desktop. Features include a stay-on-top option, cut and paste support, the ability to use any Windows font for notes, and more. The Royal Game of Ur [WIN\GAMES\UR.ZIP] is an interesting game for Windows based on an ancient Sumerian board game. You must throw pyramid-shaped dice in an effort to move your game pieces around the board, gathering rewards and sending your opponent back home. Features include excellent graphics, MIDI background music, and digitzed sound effects. Requires VBRUN300. ---DOS: Change Signature [DOS\COMMUNIC\CHNG_SIG.ZIP] lets you easily change the "tag line" on your email messages. A tag line is some cute saying above your name, such as "A lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math." Even if you don't use email, you should look at the CHNG_SIG.TXT file in this archive for a good laugh at the list of alternative tag lines. TIRAMISU [DOS\UT_DSKFI\DATA_REC.ZIP] is a sophisticated data recovery program for repairing crashed hard drives. It scans, analyzes and reconstructs drives without readable boot sectors, readable FAT or readable directories and no longer recognized by DOS. Escape From Delirium [DOS\GAMES\DELIRIUM.ZIP] puts you in a beautiful and unbelievable world in the style of Monkey Island and Indiana Jones! Hearts Attack [DOS\GAMES\HEARTS10.ZIP] is a Hearts games for DOS. It has hi-res VGA graphics and plays a reasonable game. Although there are better Hearts games for Windows, this is at least as good as any of the other DOS games, and it is freeware. CD-ROM Sections Of The Month: ============================ Following is a list of the sections from the most recent CDs. By getting all of these CDs, you would have every program/file in PsL's collection. Programs for both DOS and Windows are included in each group. Vol. Num. 4 8 Games and Sounds & Music for DOS (since V.3, N.10) 4 7 Games and Sounds & Music for Windows (since V.3., N.9) 4 6 Programming (new programs since V.3, N.8) (assembler, Basic, C, Cobol, Fortran, Pascal, Modula, Visual Basic, general tools, and more.) 4 5 Communications & Networking 4 4 Education 4 3 Words & Graphics (word processing, drawing program, clip art, desktop publishing, spelling/grammar checkers, hypertext, fonts, printer utilities, and more.) (new programs since V.3, N.5) 4 2 Home Apps for DOS 4 1 Utilities for DOS & Windows and All OS/2 Programs (new programs since V.3, N.4 CD) 3 12 Home Apps for Windows 3 11 Business (accounting, finance, general business, time managers, general business, database, spreadsheet, mailing list managers, and more.) (Some older files on 2/95 Business CD not on this CD.) 3 10 Games and Sounds & Music for DOS (up to 10/95) 3 9 Games and Sounds & Music for Windows (up to 9/95) 3 8 Programming (up to 8/95) 3 7 Communications & Network (comm programs and utilities, BBS systems, programs for FAX cards, pagers, etc., plus networking pgms.) 3 5 Words & Graphics (up to 5/95) 3 4 Utilities for DOS & Windows and All OS/2 Files (up to 4/95) FUTURE CD's: Following is the schedule for the section-of-the-month for coming CDs. Because the number of programs in each section continues to grow each month, it may be necessary to split up one or more of the following sections onto separate months' CDs. If this is important to you, check before ordering. ("Num." indicates the month of the year. "Vol.4" is 1996 and "Vol.5" is 1997. Volume 1 appeared in 1993, so Volume 2 is 1994, Volume 3 is 1995, Volume 4 is 1995. The "Number" is the month number.) Vol. Num. 4 09 Business 4 10 Home Apps for Windows 4 11 Home Apps for DOS 4 12 Utilities for DOS & Windows plus all OS/2 Problems: ======== In all the years of producing the PsL Monthly CD, we have NEVER found a single problem caused by a "bad CD copy". If you cannot get a CD to work on your machine, please try it on another machine if possible. Otherwise, please read the following Q&A's. If none of this works for you, return the CD and we will check it and replace it if necessary. (1.) "My machine locks up or reboots when I try to install a program." You have one of the small percentage of systems with a CD-ROM driver that is incompatible with PKUNZIP. To get around that problem, we have placed a public domain unzip program on the CD. To invoke it with the DOS-based program, run it using the syntax: "PSL_SHRD /U" (without the quotes). In the Windows based program, select UNZIP in the window that appears after pushing the Install button. In Windows, you can also elect to use WinZip to dearchive files. (2.) "There are no files on the CD." "There are no files in one of the directories." "I get an error trying to copy a file from the CD." We have only had a few such complaints, but in all cases, there was nothing wrong with the CD. Some of the users who made the complaints were able to read the CDs without error on other machines or even when trying later on the same machine. We suspect that the problem is with dust or dirt in the drive or, more specifically, on the laser lens, or on the CD-ROM disc itself. If you do not have a CD lens cleaner, get one from your dealer. Also inspect the non-printed side of the CD for dust or debris. One caller took the CD out, wiped it off, put it back in, and it worked. Maybe it was dirty or maybe just re-seating it helped. (3.) "When I install from the Windows access program, it tells me FILE NOT FOUND." Some combination of flukes in Windows/DOS cause some systems not to be able to find PKUNZIP.EXE on the CD-ROM drive. The solution is to copy PKUNZIP.EXE into your WINDOWS directory on your hard disk. SOUND BLASTER PRO OWNERS: On the January 1995 CD-ROM, we went over 600MB on the CD for the first time and a couple of people with Sound Blaster Pro cards and CD drives were unable to get a directory on the CD. If you have a Sound Blaster Pro and have this problem on a future CD-ROM, ask Creative Labs for a new CD-ROM driver. Frequently Asked Questions: ========================== (1.) "Why don't you install the programs on the CD ready to run instead of in ZIP format?" There are many reasons: - Many programs try to write back to the directory that they are installed in, which cannot be done on a CD. - Many programmers require that their programs be distributed in archived format. - Some installation programs configure the software to the system they are installed on, so that a program installed on our system may not work on yours. - Because we add a section of PsL's disk-based library to the CD each month, there is not room to have all the programs dearchived. - For use of the CDs on BBSs, files must be in archive format. Distributing the programs in archive format makes for a much neater package, making programs easier to find. Dearchiving a program to hard disk only takes a few seconds and by using a temporary directory, you can easily delete the files when done. (2.) "Are the same programs repeated on each month's CD?" No. The \DOS, \WIN, and \OS2 directories contain only the new programs received by PsL during the last 30 days. In addition, we put a different section of our disk-based library on each month's CD. (3.) "I'm not interested in the section of PsL being added to the CD this month. Why should I have to pay for a CD with a section I don't want in order to get the lower subscription price?" The majority of each CD contains new programs received during the last 30 days. These are programs of ALL types and now usually total over 400MB. Rather than leave the rest of the CD empty (as we did during the first year of producing the CD, we fill it in with a different section of our library each month. Even if you don't care for that section, there are tons of programs on each CD for all interests. (4.) "After the PSL_NEWS program installs a file, the program sometimes has to be installed again from those files. Why can't it just be installed once directly from the CD-ROM?" Some shareware authors have custom installation programs which create directories, put files in specific directories, configure the program to the user's specific hardware, etc. We cannot have multiple INSTALL programs in the same directory and it would be cumbersome to have a separate directory for each program, so we are forced to archive such programs, resulting in their having to be dearchived from the CD-ROM before they can be installed with the author's installation program. Contacting PsL: ============== Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. We are striving to make this the ideal CD for sysops and vendors, as well as for individual and users. We will implement every possibly suggestion which will still allow us to produce the CD in a timely manner and which will not degrade the CD is some other way. If you are a programmer and want your program distributed on this CD, simply send it on disk to the address below or if it is a Windows program, upload it to our forum on Compuserve (GO PSLWIN). Public (software) Library P.O.Box 35705 Houston, TX 77235-5705 Voice: 713-524-6394 FAX: 713-524-6398 CompuServe: 74777,3465