**********************************************************************
-> This file provides basic information on EASI-PLAN and should be 
   read before running EASI-PLAN.  It is 5 x A4 pages long.

-> Press any key to scroll through the file screen-by-screen.   
   
-> Press CTRL+BREAK to quit and return to DOS. 

-> To print this file, type "PRINT READ-1ST.TXT" at the DOS prompt.

-> To return to EASI-PLAN's introductory program, type "GO" at DOS.
****************************************************************************
                                                                      
                            CONTENTS             
                            ========

                1. Introduction to EASI-PLAN
                2. How to run EASI-PLAN
                3. Memory requirements
                4. Running EASI-PLAN through Windows
                5. Using a LCD display
                6. Using a Hercules display
**********************************************************************
                    
                    1. Introduction to EASI-PLAN                         
                    ============================

EASI-PLAN is a powerful, easy-to-use software package which enables
managers in new, small, medium-size & large businesses to prepare 
fully-integrated and comprehensive three (or 5) year financial 
projections for business plans & budgets or for strategic planning, 
forecasting, appraisals etc.

EASI-PLAN is available in three versions - Micro, Lite and Pro. The
supplied shareware version is Lite.

EASI-PLAN can also be used by professional advisers, consultants, 
training organisations and financial institutions. The three versions
can accommodate any size of business with an annual turnover in the 
range 50,000 to 99 million (pounds or dollars) engaged in manufacturing, 
distribution or services.

Based on a user's forecasts and assumptions, EASI-PLAN compiles 
integrated financial projections (P&Ls, cashflows, balance sheets 
& ratios) for one year ahead on a monthly basis and, in less 
detail, for a further two (or 4) years on a quarterly basis. It 
produces numerous management and financial reports together with 
graphs for many key variables which can be displayed on the screen 
or printed. It also produces reports detailing all the underlying 
assumptions. 

EASI-PLAN incorporates facilities for graphing key results; for
undertaking 'what-if' analysis; for 'rolling-forward' assumptions 
and projections one month at a time; for preparing 'first-cut' 
three-year projections; for generating a textual summary report; 
exporting assumptions and projections to spreadsheets; automatic 
linking to data in spreadsheets etc.

EASI-PLAN is very suitable for users with limited or no prior 
experience of computers or financial planning as well as for more 
experienced users who do not wish to go to the very considerable 
trouble, or waste valuable time, developing their own planning 
system on a spreadsheet. 

EASI-PLAN is very friendly and menu-driven with extensive "on-line" 
context-sensitive help. There is substantial documentation in 
the accompanying text files (over 50 A4 pages). 

This version of EASI-PLAN is shareware and is an operational and 
useful package. It has been developed to encourage users to use
it on a 'try-before-you-buy' basis and, if found useful, to 
acquire the complete version.  EASI-PLAN is NOT free software. 
If you continue to use it after a 30-day trial period, you must 
register with the author, Invest-Tech. 

In return for registering, you will receive a copy of the latest 
full version of EASI-PLAN, a spiral-bound 150-page manual 
incorporating tutorial exercises etc. and access to full support.

Registration of EASI-PLAN Lite only costs 75 pounds (sterling or 
Irish) plus VAT or US$120. Further details about registering
EASI-PLAN Micro, Lite and Pro are contained in the REGISTER.TXT file.
**********************************************************************

                            SPECIAL OFFER

If you would like to secure copies of our other shareware planners 
and a 36-booklet containing detailed descriptions as well as extensive 
easy-to-follow tutorial exercises for all these products, please send a 
cheque or draft for five pounds (sterling or Irish pounds) to Invest-Tech.

** Please note that these planners are only available on 3.5" disks.

**********************************************************************
                     
                     2. How to run EASI-PLAN
                     =======================

The following guidelines assume that you have already installed
(i.e. copied, unzipped, unarchived, uncompressed etc.) the
complete set of EASI-PLAN files onto a hard disk.
  
 a) Get into the sub-directory on your hard disk where you have 
    copied/installed all EASI-PLAN's files (for example if the 
    sub-directory EASILITE was used, type "CD EASILITE" and press         
    RETURN at the DOS prompt).        
    
 b) Run an introductory program called GO.BAT by typing "GO". If your
    PC uses a very old display, do not select this option - choose
    c) or d) below.
 
 *or*
 c) For guidance about the syntax for loading EASI-PLAN
    etc. type "EP". 
 
 *or*
 d) Type "EP MASTER" to load EASI-PLAN along with a set of
    specimen assumptions in a file called MASTER.ASS.

For more detailed information about EASI-PLAN, refer to the text file
called README.TXT.

To access EASI-PLAN's text files, you can use the EDIT utility 
supplied with DOS or the NOTEPAD accessory supplied with Windows. 
***********************************************************************
                        
                        3.  Memory Requirements  
                        =======================                      

EASI-PLAN Lite needs 560k, or more, of 'free' conventional memory (not 
extended memory). This should not present any problem to the vast 
majority of users as it is well within the capacity of most PCs with 
640k of RAM unless they have been specially configured etc.

Try loading EASI-PLAN. Consult the remainder of this subsection *ONLY* 
if EASI-PLAN appears to load very slowly (i.e. takes more than two 
minutes and the hard disk seems to be continually starting and 
stopping). 

To ship the rest of this sub-section, press "PageDown" four or five
times.

We discuss below some ways and means of running EASI-PLAN with 
different permutations and combinations of memory etc. in order to 
speed up the loading time.

If you are concerned about memory availability and if the shareware 
version of EASI-PLAN Lite loads satisfactorily, the full version of 
Lite will do likewise as it has an identical memory requirement.

When loading, EASI-PLAN may create some "virtual" memory on the hard 
disk if it runs short of conventional memory or expanded memory. If 
it is obliged to create too much virtual memory (because less than 
560k of "free" conventional memory is available), EASI-PLAN may load 
and calculate too slowly to be of any practical use or it may "hang"
when loading. If your PC is a modern one and has a "fastish" hard disk, 
this should not be a problem and you may not even notice that EASI-PLAN 
is using virtual memory.

The amount of "free" conventional memory available is a function of 
the version of DOS being used, the degree to which memory is required 
by devices, TSRs and other programs, and several other factors. After 
you install EASI-PLAN and before running it, check the following:

1. Version of DOS being used. Type "VER" at the DOS prompt. If VER    
   proves to be a 'bad command', you are probably running DOS 3.x.

2. Memory availability and utilisation. Type "MEM" at the DOS prompt.     
   Be careful to identify "free" conventional memory and do not          
   confuse extended (XMS) and expanded (EMS) memory. If MEM is a bad     
   command, try typing "CHKDSK". 

If you encounter an out-of-memory message when loading EASI-PLAN, free 
up some additional hard disk space to accommodate further 'virtual' memory 
especially if you appear to have adequate "free" conventional memory.

If the PC on which EASI-PLAN is being run has some expanded 
memory (e.g. 384k or more), it does not really matter how much 
conventional memory is free as EASI-PLAN will be able to utilise 
both conventional and expanded memory without any deterioration 
in performance.

If the PC has less than 560k of free conventional memory but also has 
extended memory, some of the latter can be converted to expanded. All 
386, 486 computers have at least 1mb of this memory. You can easily 
reconfigure some of its extended memory as expanded (see your PC
or DOS manual or DOS's Help about EMM386.EXE, or contact your dealer)
by entering the following line into your CONFIG.SYS file:

                   device=C:\dos\emm386.exe xxx

      where C is the drive containing DOS and xxx is the amount 
      of 'free' expanded memory (EMS) required e.g. 512.

(Make a spare floppy "system disk" before you change CONFIG.SYS in 
case you make a typing error etc. - see DOS manual for further details)

When inserting this line, place it after the line relating to HIMEM 
and before any lines which refer to drivers which use EMS. If 
appropriate, remove any other lines referring to expanded-memory 
managers. 
                               
You can run EASI-PLAN very satisfactorily as a DOS program within
Windows in its Enhanced Mode without creating any expanded memory. If
you use Standard Mode, you must use EMM386 to create some expanded 
memory and you may need to create/edit a PIF file.

If the PC has no expanded or extended memory but uses MS-DOS 3.x, 
there should be enough free conventional memory provided that no 
memory-consuming devices, TSRs etc. are being used. You may be able 
to disable/remove these in order to create as much as 590k of free 
conventional memory. 
 
If the PC has no expanded or extended memory and it uses MS-DOS 4.x, 
there may not be enough free memory and the only solution might be to 
upgrade to MS-DOS 5 or 6. 

If the PC has no expanded or extended memory and it uses MS-DOS 5 
or 6, the best approach is to load DOS high and remove/disable 
sufficient devices etc. to create at least 560k of free conventional 
memory. For guidance, refer to the your DOS manual, PC supplier or 
local support person. 

If you are still encountering problems loading EASI-PLAN and the
hard disk to which it has been installed uses file compression
(e.g. DoubleSpace, Stacker etc.), re-install EASI-PLAN to the 
uncompressed portion of the hard disk and the loading time should
improve (especially if the PC is a "slow" one).
**********************************************************************

                4.  Running EASI-PLAN through Windows      
                =====================================              

If you are running EASI-PLAN with Windows in Enhanced Mode, there is
no need to configure any expanded memory as Windows should do this of 
its own accord (review the default PIF file if it does not).

If you are running EASI-PLAN with Windows in Standard Mode *AND* if 
you use a slowish hard disk *AND* it takes more than two minutes to 
load EASI-PLAN, you may need to create some Expanded (EMS) Memory, 
as explained in an earlier sub-section. 

To set up EASI-PLAN to run within Windows, install it using the DOS 
commands etc. before you load Windows. 

Next, run the Windows Program Manager and proceed as follows:
  
  1. Select the Applications Group which you want to contain EASI-PLAN.
  2. Select File and New options from the Program Manager's menu. 
  3. When the New Program Object box appears, select Program Item
     and OK.
  4. When the Program Item Properties box appears, proceed as
     follows:

     - Type "EASI-PLAN Lite r3" as the Description.
     - Type "C:\EASILITE\EP X" as the Command Line. Make sure you enter
       a single space between EP and X. This command assumes that 
       EASI-PLAN has been installed to the EASILITE sub-directory on 
       a hard disk called C.
     - Enter "C:\EASILITE" as the Working Directory. 
     - Select Change Icon and select OK when the Change Icon message
       box appears. 
     - When the next Change Icon box appears, enter 
       "C:\EASILITE\EASIPLAN.ICO" as the File Name and select OK. 
     - Once you return to the Program Item Properties box select 
       OK twice to complete installation.

To run EASI-PLAN within Windows, double-click on its icon and wait 
while it loads. Press RETURN to ignore the 'File does not exist' 
message and then use the cursor keys and RETURN to select the desired 
*.ASS file in response to the instruction 'Enter Data File Name" which 
appears at the top of the screen. If more than five such data files 
exist, press the F3 Function Key to display them in a larger window.

If using Windows, you can view any of EASI-PLAN's text files using 
the Notepad accessory.

                       ***** WATCH OUT ****

If you try to display graphs when running EASI-PLAN in a DOS Window 
(i.e. less than full screen) when running in Enhanced Mode, the graphs 
may not show and the display may lock. To unlock it, return to a full 
DOS screen by pressing ALT+RETURN. Always use a DOS full screen when 
displaying graphs.
**********************************************************************
                      
                       5. Using a LCD display         
                       ======================

If you are running EASI-PLAN on a portable PC with a LCD display, you
will probably need to change EASI-PLAN's video setting once it has 
loaded in order to clearly distinguish the rectangular cursor which 
appears when you are viewing reports on the screen. To do this, 
press I (for Initialise) at the Main Menu, V (for Video) and L 
(for LCD/B&W). The Manual explains how to make these changes permanent.
**********************************************************************
                      
                     6. Using a Hercules display         
                     ===========================

If you are using a Hercules-type monitor, you should run the supplied
program, MSHERC, immediately before loading EASI-PLAN in order to
display graphs.
**********************************************************************
EASI-PLAN (c) Copyright Invest-Tech Limited 1992-95   
All Rights Reserved     

    Invest-Tech Limited  
    27 Ardmeen Park, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland
    
    Irish Tel: 01-283 4083      UK Tel: 01232-315454
      (Call 9 to 9 weekdays and 10 to 6 weekends - GMT/BST)  
    Fax: 278 2391 
      Fax codes: Irish:01-  UK:00-353-1-  Inter'l:+353-1-
    CompuServe: 100606,2665
    Internet: 100606.2665@compuserve.com
**********************************************************************
                   ** End of READ-1ST.TXT file **

   To view this file page-by-page, type "TYPE README-1ST.TXT|MORE".
             To print this file, type "PRINT READ-1ST.TXT".
