Following, is a list of subjects you will learn about the that will make your visits to WOL easier and your on-line time shorter. You will read about: - VIEWING FILES & VIEWING ONLY *NEW* FILES - HOW TO FIND THE FILES *YOU* WANT - FILELISTS - Why do we have so many file lists? - WHY WE RESTRICT UPLOADS OLDER THAN 400 DAYS - WHAT IS THE BEST TRANSFER PROTOCOL TO USE AT WOL - MESSAGES & MAIL - What you need to know. - ALL ABOUT CONFERENCES and SELECTING THEM - MAIL COMMANDS & HOW TO READ ONLY *YOUR* NEW MAIL - HOW TO GET MAIL ZIPPED UP FOR DOWNLOADING - BULLETINS CAN BE DOWNLOADED TOO - HOW TO SAVE TIME AND BYTES WITH OUR DEPOSIT DOOR - WHAT IS A MAIL DOOR AND READER AND HOW DO I USE IT - ROBOCOMM (automated communications with WOL) >>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<< -*- For Members Only -*- ************************ Note our Voice/FAX support number to call if you have any problems getting started at Windows Online. (510) 736-4376 (Members Voice/FAX) -*- All Callers -*- ************************ FILES - How to do what *YOU* want to do ======================================= VIEWING FILES IN GENERAL: ------------------------- If you wish to browse file directories one by one, first type the command "F" for FILES and you will see a list of our directories. Example: 1 WINDOWS General 93 2,805,071 2 WINDOWS Applications & Filers 128 37,349,664 3 WINDOWS Accessories 141 5,992,136 4 WINDOWS Video/Printer Utils & Drvs 89 11,961,652 Next, type the number of the directory you wish to browse. Example: "4" will allow you to browse through directory #4. If you are starting from our Main Menu, you could type "F 4" Notice the space between the F and the 4. ^ Many commands require the space in between. (a ; semi-colon can be substituted) Example: F;18 VIEWING ONLY *NEW* FILES: ------------------------- The best way to view NEW files is to use the command "N" for NEW FILE SCAN (by date) from the Main Menu. The bbs software will remember when you last reviewed the new file list and will prompt you with the date since your last scan. Example: You were last on 7/16/91 and did a new file scan from 7/10/91 through the (then) current date 7/16/91. You have called several times since and reviewed mail etc., but you have not reviewed NEW FILES. Now on 7/25/91 you do a "N" New File Scan. The software will remember the dates from your previous scan and will prompt you with "Date 7-16-91?" You can change that date to any other date you wish. Most of the time you will just hit and let the bbs software keep you current. FINDING THE FILES *YOU* WANT: ----------------------------- Lets say that you wish to find the latest ATM Font files or a program by the name of APORIA. You can use the VERY POWERFUL command called ZIPPY SCAN. This command instructs the board to scan the FILE NAMES & DESCRIPTIONS of files for the text you enter. Example: From the Main Menu you use the command "Z" for ZIPPY SCAN. You will be asked "Scan for what text?" You answer with a short version of the exact text you want it to find. You might try APORIA or APOR etc. The software will show you all occurences of that text string in the file descriptions and file names. Scanning for WINDOWS will get you a lot of occurences. Scanning for "WIN" will get you a great deal more. You can also have the software limit its search to specific directories. Example: "Z WIN 80" would have text search for all occurences in WIN in the Recent Uploads Directory #80. FILELISTS: ---------- We offer many filelists... they are located in DIR 100. Why so many file lists? ----------------------- Our filelist is getting so big that I keep trying to find a way to shorten your download time to get them. Shorter, more specific lists make this possible. UPLOADS OLDER THAN 365 days --------------------------- - All uploaded files must have an internal file dated 400 days from todays date. Otherwise the upload will fail, the file will be deleted on-the-spot, and the caller will not get credit for the upload. Why do we have such a strict rule of only allowing very current files? We have one of the best file databases around. We make it easy on our members by not forcing them to wade through tons of junk files just to find one good file. It is our policy to stop free-loaders from uploading old junk to get our recent files. - We are trying to keep the file areas current and free of older junk. If you find a older, out of date, file or a dupe, please point it out to the Sysop and we will kill it. You will be doing everyone a favor. BEST TRANSFER PROTOCOL TO USE: ------------------------------ Generally ZModem is the preferred file transfer protocol. It is the fastest protocol that will error correct and has the ability to resume an aborted download from the point where you left off. Example: You start to download ABC.ZIP (a 350k file) and after 200k of the transfer has been completed you are disconnected. When you call back (if you were using ZModem) you will resume the download from the 200k mark. You will not have to start over as you would with other protocols. YModem-G is slightly faster (for error correcting modems only) than ZModem, but will fail in a transfer *Much* quicker than Zmodem. It will not resume an aborted download. Do not continue to use XModem as you will be throwing time and money away. It is too slow! MESSAGES & MAIL - What you need to know ======================================= Most callers call WOL for the multitude of files we offer and never learn to read a message. The problem with never reading messages is that, I can send you a message that says you have won a million dollars and you will never see it. It is important that you learn to read *YOUR* mail. I often will send out messages that tells you of new features. If you do not read your mail you can not use your Membership here to it's fullest. CONFERENCES: ------------ To really understand messaging here you must understand Conferences. The Windows OnLine message base is made up of Conference Areas. Each Conference area is a discussion area arranged by "SUBJECT". WOL Conference: Subject: #0 is the Main Board Anything you wish to discuss #1 is Windows All About Windows #2 is Visual Basic All about Visual Basic Programming #3 is Private Staff Only WOL Staff Only conference #4 is FreeLance Writers Freelance Writers for the Weekly #5 is Reviews Reviews of Software and Hardware #6 is Windows Tips Tips on improving Win and Win Apps. #7 is Members-Only For Members to send Private Messages (private messages) etc. etc. We have about 650 Conferences here. The ones marked "LOC" are Local conferences just for us. The ones marked "I", are ILink Conferences. The ones marked "R", are RIME (RelayNet) Conferences. The ones marked "S", are Smartnet Conferences. The ones marked "T", are Intelec Conferences. Messages in the ILink, Rime, Smartnet and Intelec conferences are exchanged with other bbs's from around the world each night. You can communicate globally by calling locally! You use the "J" for Join command to Join a conference and read and write messages on a given subject for that conference. Example: "J 1" command will enter you into the Windows Conference. If you wish you write a message or read messages about Windows... start with the command J 1. To get back to the MAIN board you can use the command "A" for Abandon Conference or just type "J 0" for Join Conference 0. SELECTING CONFERENCES: ---------------------- Use the "SE", "SEL" or SELECT" command (all are the same) and you will be presented with a list of all our conferences. You may then select the ones you are most interested in. After a Conference is Selected you will be alerted by our software when you have personal mail waiting in a one of your Selected conferences. When you log-on the bbs the software will scan to see if there is mail waiting for you. When you use certain reading commands you will get mail from all conferences selected. So "SE" (Select) your conferences today. MAIL COMMANDS: -------------- TO READ ONLY *YOUR* NEW MAIL: ----------------------------- You are asked at each sign-on if you wish you scan for new messages. Answer YES. Then from the Main Menu use the command "R Y A S" for Read Your All Since. This means... Read All(selected Conferences) mail addressed to You that you have not already read, (Since you were last on), or last read. You will not get old mail that you have read and you will not get mail addressed to anyone else. Therefore, your reading will be short and sweet. TO READ ALL MAIN BOARD MAIL AND KEEP UP WITH EVENTS WITH WINDOWS ONLINE: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Main Board is called Conference 0 and is where Windows OnLine conducts all it's general business. Use the command "R S" for Read Since. Read all mail on the Main Board that you have not already read. This command will get you mail addressed to "ALL" callers. There is a lot of interesting reading in this category. TO READ ALL MAIL IN ALL SELECTED CONFERENCES: --------------------------------------------- Use the command "R A" for Read All... Read All Mail in All Selected Conferences. The commands I use all the time are "R A" -&- "R Y A S" Spend a few minutes and read all that mail to you that you have not read. TO GET MAIL ZIPPED UP TO DOWNLOAD: ---------------------------------- If you are in a hurry, or just starting and want to read all the Main Board mail (there is a lot of main there). You can use the command "R S Z". That will Zip up all the unread mail on the Main Board you have not read and download it to you with your selected protocol. If you wish all mail in all SELECTED Conferences Zipped up and downloaded... use the command "R A Z", Read All ZIP. BULLETINS CAN BE DOWNLOADED THE SAME WAY: ----------------------------------------- Use the command "B 12 D" to download Bulletin #12. Use the command "B A D" to download all of our bulletins. ABOUT TWO OF OUR DOORS? ----------------------- When you use the command DOOR or OPEN you are given a menu of different programs you can use here. Simply select (by number) the one you wish to use and you will be taken into the door (the bbs system will load that program for you to use). From the Main Menu you can use the command "DOOR 4" to open our QMail4 door. You can also open that door with its actual name, for example "QMAIL4" will get you "DOOR 4". Members have special priviledges here. Among these privileges are the use of: Deposit Door #1 The Deposit Door is used like a bank account. Save your excess time and bytes to use later when you need them. If you are only going to use 30 minutes today, save the balance by entering the Deposit Door and depositing the balance of your time and unused bytes. Later that month you may see a really large file that you want and it will take more time than you have left. You can then withdraw some time and bytes you saved earlier to get what you want. WHAT IS A MAIL DOOR AND READER AND HOW DO I USE IT? --------------------------------------------------- QMail4 is our mail door and it will make reading and writing messages in all of these conferences a lot of fun. The command to enter Qmail4 is "QMAIL4" or "DOOR 4" or "OPEN 4". QMAIL4 automatically ZIPs up and sends you all the new mail from your preselected conferences. It will also accept uploads of your reply messages. Once in Qmail, you will be presented with a setup screen. It is best to go through it and get setup properly the first time. Use the configuration to "S" Select your conferences *AGAIN*. Why again? Qmail will keep a set of your conference selections seperate from the main BBS. You can have these selections very different if you wish. Most often they will be the same. Features: --------- You can have QMAIL send you any new bulletins we post here. You can have it send you a list (including file descriptions) of all new files we get each day. To use Qmail you will want to first download a Mail Reader program. This Reader will allow you to read and write messages off-line and then upload your reply "packets" in the Qmail door using the command "U" Upload. The way a session goes. ----------------------- You enter the Qmail door: "QMAIL4" or "OPEN 4" or "DOOR 4" You "D" Download all new mail You "U" Upload your replys from the last time you called (if any). You "Q" Quit the door. After you log-off the bbs you run your mail reader program and it will notice that you have a mail packet waiting. You open that packet with the reader and read your new mail. There is an editor built into the mail reader to allow you compose your replies to messages right on the spot. When you exit the reader it creates your reply "packet" that you upload into the Qmail door on your next call. While in your reader you can also review the new files and bulletins we have posted sense you were last on. They were put in your mail packet along with your messages. Pretty slick eh? You will find that reading and writing messages this way is great fun and less costly as you are not on-line as long. ROBOCOMM (automated communications with WOL): --------------------------------------------- What is RoboComm and why do I suggest you use it. Many communication programs will allow you to write what is called a script. A script allows you to automatically log-on to a BBS. It will wait for the BBS to ask for your name, then the script will enter your name for you. It waits for the BBS to ask for your password and then it enters your password for you. A great deal of monotonous work is done for you with a script. Scripts can be created to do most anything online. The ease of writing a script and the power of it depends on the author of the communications software you are using. Most of us do not wish to write scripts, or for that matter, we don't wish to program at all. ENTER Robocomm. Robocomm will do everything at Windows OnLine without your touching your keyboard: - Get your Qmail - Send your replys to Qmail - Capture all our new files with descriptions - Upload a file including your description - Download one or more files - Keep track of which files you have seen before and which you have downloaded from WOL or other bbs's - Keep a complete list of our files off-line for easy downloading simply by tagging the ones you want while off-line. You can also text-search our file-list offline within RoboComm. All without your writing a script. All done through simple menu selections. Many Members use Robocomm to automatically call the board in the mornings. They have Robo pick up new mail, drop-off their replys, scan and capture new files etc. All it takes is a few minutes and they can then call later in the day to download those new files. Suggested downloads: -------------------- ROBOCOM Communications - My Personal Recomendation TELEMATE Communications - Very powerful, full featured, Zmodem - My recomendation EzReader - Off-line mail reader Remember now... your prime directive here is to just... ENJOY YOURSELF!!! Frank Mahaney