Copyright: Text (C) 1993 One World Software


Table of Contents

So Much Modem Madness CD-ROM

Thank you for purchasing So Much Modem Madness. We think you will find it to be the best communications-based CD-ROM available anywhere - at any price! To learn more about this program and the CD itself, simply click on one of the topics below.

Learn more about.....

Program Operation

Menu Commands

General Information


Program Operation

WINPOWER is a Windows based menu program that serves as an easy means of accessing the many files on this CD. This program performs many functions, including copying files to your hard drive, extracting .ZIP files to your hard drive, playing .WAV files, and printing the file area lists to your printer. Many other handy features are included to make the program easier for you to learn and use.

This program is not absolutely required to access this CD. All files on this disc are accessible through File Manager, DOS, or through other ordinary means. Using this program, however, allows you to see the organization of the disc more plainly and helps you find what you are looking for in a matter of a few seconds. We recommend it!

How To...

Browse the file list

Change file areas

Search file lists using keywords

Copy a file to your hard drive

UnZIP a file to your hard drive

Peek inside a .ZIP file

Play a .WAV file from this disc

Display a graphic file from this disc

Print a file list

Exit the program

Install the program in a program group


Menu Commands

All program functions are available through drop down menus located on the bar just under the window title. To access any of the menus, either click the mouse on a menu name or press and hold the ALT key and press the first letter of a menu.

You may then select a menu option in one of three ways:

Press the key of the underlined letter in the option of your choice.

Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight an option and press ENTER.

Click the mouse on the option of your choice.

WINPOWER offers the following menus and functions:

File Menu:

Copy File - copy a file to your hard drive

Print List - print a file list to your printer

UnZIP File - decompress a .ZIP file

Play - plays a .WAV file on systems so equiped

View - views a graphics file

Zip File Information - peek inside a .ZIP file

Exit - exit the program

Search Menu:

Text Search - search descriptions for keywords you enter

Again - continue searching

Help Menu:

Contents - displays the Table of Contents

Product Support - in case you need more help

The Shareware Concept - learn more about shareware

Our Other Products - some other discs you may like to own

License Agreement - all that legal stuff

About Screen - about the program

See Also:

Browsing the File Lists

Changing File Areas


Other Information
General Information

This section contains general information about the CD itself and other related topics.

Available Topics:

Product Support

The Shareware Concept

Some of Our Other Products

License Agreement

Disc Structure and Layout

Installing the Program in a Program Group


Contents Info
Table of Contents

The Table of Contents is the main starting point of help. With it you may select broad categories of help, leading to more detailed topics.


About Screen

The About screen provides information about the program. The program version number, title, and author generally appear here.


Product Support

Containing 1000's of programs and well over 600 megabytes we feel this disc to be the most exciting and useful modem compilation anywhere - at  any price! If you would like to be on our mailing list for new CD releases, other CD-ROM products or have questions please call or write:

Power User Software

P.O. Box 89

Erie, Pa. 16512

voice: 814-864-4666   fax: 814-864-3993

Our BBS is "The Bad Attitude BBS!" in northwestern Pennsylvania. You'll find the latest utilities etc. that will help you use our products.

The Bad Attitude BBS!   814-864-1230

U.S. Robotics HST DS v.32bis/v.42bis ASL

Don't forget to send in the product response card enclosed with this disc. This will let us to notify you of updates to this and other discs we will be producing in the future.


The Shareware Concept

Shareware is a distribution method, NOT a type of software and is produced by professional programmers, just like retail software.

"Shareware" is copyrighted software which is distributed by authors through bulletin boards, online services, disk vendors, and copies passed among friends. It is similar to commercial software except you're allowed to try it before paying; this gives you the ultimate money back guarantee. With shareware you know whether it's suitable for your needs BEFORE you pay for it.

The shareware system and the availability of quality shareware products depends on your willingness to register the shareware you use. It's the registration fees you pay which allow the authors to support and continue to develop exciting software products. Information about registering is contained inside the compressed files with names such as README.DOC etc. Please show your support for shareware by registering those programs you actually use and by passing them on to others.

Shareware is kept alive by YOUR support!


Our Other Products

Here are some other products you may enjoy owning. See Product Support on how to get more information about current pricing and availability.

So Much for Windows

Using our advanced Windows interface with built-in compressed file viewer, image viewer and WAV sound player, using this CD will be a breeze! What more could the Windows fanatic ask for? This disc includes 1000's of useful Windows applications such as utilities, program launchers, drawing and paint programs, CAD programs, desktop publishing, clipart, sound files, word processing, communications, information managers, programming tools, business and budgeting applications, games, fonts - just too much to name! All this plus an extensive collection of Windows NT and OS/2 applications.

So Much Publishing

How many 'So Called' desktop publishing discs have you purchased only to find they were the same fonts or clipart images you found on other discs? So Much PUBLISHING contains all original fonts and clipart with an almost unrestricted licensing agreement. 1000's of clipart images for brocures, signs, newsletters, letterheads, cards or just to pull into a paint program to have fun coloring. We include a feature not found on any other desktop publishing disc on the market, including discs from the larger publishing houses! Using our specially designed fonts you can literally generate MILLIONS of borders for newsletters etc at the touch of a few keys! If you do any desktop publishing for yourself or in a business environment then this is the CD-ROM you've been waiting for!

So Much Shareware /3

Power User's third release contains over 662 megabytes of programs. No GIF's, printer drivers, video drivers, or Windows wallpaper. Just so much useful shareware (over 5600 programs) it could take you months to go through it all! Arcade games, home & hobby, graphics, paint & CAD, animation, MIDI & Sound Blaster, utilities, word processing, fonts, Windows, Windows NT & OS/2 applications. Topped with Power User's advanced menu system that features Adlib/SoundBlaster & mouse support, file tagging, online help, command-line or runtime toggles, and much more!!

So Much SPACE

Embark on a graphic interstellar mission where few men have gone before! Tread the moons surface with NASA astronauts,journey aboard the Space Shuttle or view distant planets! Over 400 dazzling images in 320x200x256, 640x480x256 and 1024x768x256 resolutions. Our sophisticated menu system features Sound Blaster and mouse support, built-in graphics viewer, file tagging for copying images to disk or viewing slideshows and much more!

So Much SCREENware!

Released in conjunction with $ave On $oftware, widely recognized for their brilliant and original scans, this CD-ROM is sure to satisfy even the most demanding screen-art fanatic. 530 Megabytes of VGA pictures; scenery, animals, art, nature, ray-trace, people, places etc. Really something for everyone! All GIF pictures are photo-quality VGA 640x480x256 and the disc includes many 1024x768x256 pictures. Features an easy menu, filelist print utility and is set-up for BBS use.

Shareware Avalanche!

Warning - by purchasing this disc you could soon be buried alive under an avalanche of shareware! Over 6000 popular programs covering every imaginable category including Windows, OS/2, music, communications, finance, home & hobby, fonts, clipart, graphics, education, arcade games and MUCH  MORE! No knowledge of file compression is required! The user friendly menu  system provides easy access for extracting or copying programs to disk. BBS descriptions in PCBoard and FILES.BBS formats makes for easy BBS use. Includes an online CD-ROM door.

World of Shareware /2

This multiple disc set contains well over 3 Gigabytes of popular shareware programs including VGA arcade games, graphics, sound, clipart, fonts, business and budget, Windows, OS/2, hobby, and communications. If your looking for a certain file, it's probably here - over 20,000 programs! Contains an easy to use menu system for easy access. All discs are BBS ready with file descriptions in standard format. We've searched the world for the best from the world of shareware - and brought it to you at a low price!


License Agreement

WINPOWER.EXE is copyright 1993 by One World Software and is licensed exclusively for use by Power User Software, Inc. The name So Much Modem Madness and related images are trademarks of Power User Software Inc. Textfile listings, disc file layout and any shareware programs written by Power User Software are copyrighted material and use on any other CD-ROM is prohibited. All programs on this disc are believed to be shareware and are copyrighted by the program authors.

You are authorized to use this CD-ROM for private, non-commercial use only. Use on bulletin board systems is permitted. This license applies only to the CD itself and does not extend to the programs contained herein. For licensing terms of individual programs contained on this CD, either consult the documentation included with each program or contact the individual authors.


Disk Structure and Layout

Disc Structure and Layout

The files on this disc are arranged into logical groups called file areas.There are many file areas available to you on the disc. Each file area has a title that describes the type files you may expect to find listed in the area. Each file area occupies its own DOS directory.

Within each directory is a file with the name of FILES.BBS. This ASCII text file contains a list of every file in the file area, laid out in PCBoard BBS format. Information included for each entry are: the file's name, compressed size, and file date; and a brief description of the file's contents. This file can be browsed using any ASCII text viewer and can be used for BBS use.

See Also:

Changing File Areas

Browsing the File Lists


Browsing the File Lists

On the left hand side of the screen is a box containing a list of files in the current file area. This list contains the name, size, and date of each file in the area. When you first enter a new file area, the first file on the list is highlighted or selected. The Copy, Unzip, and Zip Info commands use this selected file as focus for the commands.

Located at the bottom of the file list box are two buttons with captions of "< Back" and "Next >". Clicking these buttons moves the highlight bar to either the previous or next file name on the list. You may also click the mouse on a file name or use the up/down arrow keys to change the selected file. The file list scrolls automatically when you reach the bottom of the box. Use the scroll bar at the side of the box to scroll the list more rapidly.

Next to the file list box on the screen is the description box. This box contains a brief description of the selected file's contents and function.

See Also:

Changing File Areas

Disc Structure and Layout


Changing File Areas

The file area selection box is located just above the large file list box on the left hand side of the screen. This box is a drop-down box containing a list of all file areas on the disc. The current file area title is shown in the box. You are automatically placed in the first file area when the program starts.

You may change the current file area in two ways. First, you can click the mouse on the button located at the end of the file area title.This drops the box to reveal a list of the defined file areas on the disc. Click on the file area name you wish to browse. The box closes and the file area list you selected loads into the menu automatically.

You may also press either TAB or Shift-TAB repeatedly until the file area title is highlighted. Pressing the up or down arrow keys moves to the previous or next file area on the list. The new area list is read into the menu.

See Also:

Disc Structure and Layout

Browsing the File Lists


Searching File Areas

Search and Again Commands

The Search and Again commands allows looking for files by searching file descriptions for keywords you enter. Use the Search command to enter the keywords you wish to find, and the Again command to continue searching for the same keywords.

Start the Search command by selecting Search from the Search Menu, by clicking the mouse on the Search button (located on the right-hand side of the screen), or by pressing Alt-S. A dialog box appears, prompting you for keywords. Enter a word or phrase to find and click the OK button. You may enter more than one keyword at once by separating each keyword with a semicolon or comma. Keywords may be either upper or lower case.

The program searches the current file area and highlights the first file whose description contains a matching keyword. Using the Search command again with the same keywords causes the command to continue searching from the location of the last match found. The Search command starts back at the top of the list if you change keywords.

If you wish to continue the search with the same keywords, click the Again button, select Again from the Search Menu, or press Alt-A. The search continues from the location of the last match found, on toward the end of the list. Additional matches may be made by continually using the Again command. When the end of the file list is reached a message box appears containing the message "Search complete".

The Again command can start searching at the beginning of a file list in two circumstances: 1) the end of the current file list has already been reached once, or 2) you change to a new file area.

See Also:

Browsing the File Lists

Changing File Areas


Copy Files

Copy Command

The Copy command copies a .ZIP file from the CD to a drive and directory of your choice. Start the copy command by selecting Copy from the File menu, by clicking on the Copy button on the right side of the screen, or by pressing Alt-C. A dialog box appears to assist you in selecting a destination path for the file.

At the top of the dialog box is a text box containing the current drive and directory. You may type a destination path directly into this box and press ENTER. If the path you specify does not exist the program asks if you wish to create a new directory of that name. Press ENTER to create the directory and copy the file, or ESC to cancel the operation.

You may also use the drive and directory boxes to select a destination path. Change the destination drive by using the drive box located at the bottom of the dialog box. Click on the button to pull down a list of all drives on your system. Click on a different drive name to change drives (you will note the directory box changes to reflect the directory structure of the newly selected drive).

Change the destination directory by using the directory box. The current directory on the drive is highlighted, and is also shown in the text box at the top of the dialog box. Change directories by double clicking on a directory name. The new directory appears in the text box at the top of the dialog box. The directory box changes to show directories under the currently selected one. Continue navigating the disk directory structure until the text box at the top shows the drive and directory in which to put the file.

It is important to remember the program copies the file to the path shown in the top text box. The directory box can highlight different directories without changing to them. The text box at the top reflects the actual drive:\directory destination.

See Also:

UnZIP Command


UnZIP File

UnZIP Command

The UnZIP command "UnZIPs" or decompress a .ZIP file to a drive and directory of your choice. All .ZIP files on this disc are industry standard .ZIP files. You do not need to use this program to decompress files on to your hard drive; however, you will need to provide your own separate utility for decompressing the files.

Start the UnZIP command by selecting UnZIP from the File menu, by clicking on the UnZIP button on the right side of the screen, or by pressing Alt-U. A dialog box appears to assist you in selecting a destination path for the contents of the compressed file.

At the top of the dialog box is a text box containing the current drive and directory. You may type a destination path directly into this box and press ENTER. If the path you specify does not exist the program asks if you wish to create a new directory of that name. Press ENTER to create the directory and decompress the file, or ESC to cancel the operation.

You may also use the drive and directory boxes to select a destination path. Change the destination drive by using the drive box located at the bottom of the dialog box. Click on the button to pull down a list of all drives on your system. Click on a different drive name to change drives (you will note the directory box changes to reflect the directory structure of the newly selected drive).

Change the destination directory by using the directory box. The current directory is highlighted, and is also shown in the text box at the top of the dialog box. Change directories by double clicking on a directory name. The new directory is listed in the text box at the top of the dialog box. The directory box changes to show directories under the currently selected one. Continue navigating the disk directory structure until the text box at the top shows the drive and directory to put the contents of the file.

It is important to remember the file is decompressed to the path shown in the top text box. The directory box can highlight different directories without changing to them. The text box at the top reflects the actual drive:\directory destination.

See Also:

Viewing .Zip File Contents

Copy Command


Print File List

Print Command

The Print command prints the current file list to a printer connected to your computer. Start this command by selecting Print from the File menu or by pressing Ctrl-P. A dialog box appears containing a percentage bar and a Pause button. The percentage shown is the amount of the list that has been printed.

Pressing the Pause button presents a dialog box stating that printing has been paused. You can either resume the printing task or cancel the job. Click on the Resume button to continue printing, or click on the Cancel button to stop the printing.

For more information on setting up your printer for Windows or changing printer settings, consult the help for Print Manager, your Windows manuals, and your printer's documentation.


Exiting the Program

This command exits the program and returns to whatever application was active before WINPOWER. There are several means by which you may exit the program. From within the program, you may click on the Exit button, select Exit from the File menu, press Ctrl-X, or press ESC. Using these methods presents a dialog box asking you to confirm the exit. Press ENTER or click on the Yes button to exit, or press ESC or click on the No button to stay in the program.

You may also exit the program from Windows by selecting Close from the application control menu (located in the upper left corner of the program window), by pressing Alt-F4, or by selecting End Task from Task Manager. Exiting the program by these means does not produce the dialog box to confirm the exit.


Install WINPOWER in Windows

Installing the Program in a Program Group

WINPOWER.EXE can be installed into a program group, just like any other application. It is not necessary to copy the program from the CD to your hard drive; in fact, the program is not intended to run from your hard drive at all. This does not present a problem for Windows, as Windows will tell you if it cannot find the program (that is, if you have the wrong CD in the ROM drive).

To install WINPOWER in a program group, first choose a program group for the program by clicking on its title bar. Then, in Program Manager, select New from the File menu. Select Program Item. You may either enter the name WINPOWER.EXE manually in the form of E:\WINPOWER.EXE (assuming E:\ is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive), or select Browse to use Program Manager's file controls to locate WINPOWER.EXE on the disc.

Now, click on the OK button in the New Item box. Windows may complain that you have selected a program on removeable media. Choose Proceed to ignore this message. The icon for the program appears in the program group you selected. Whenever you wish to use this CD in the future, all you will have to do is plop this disc into your CD-ROM drive and click the icon!

For more information on managing program groups please consult your Windows manuals or the on-line help available from within Program Manager.


Viewing .ZIP File Contents

.ZIP File Information

Most files on this CD are stored in a compressed format called ".ZIP". Each .ZIP (or archive) file may contain many different files "inside" it. This command takes a peek inside a .ZIP file to give you more information about it.

Start the Zip Info command by clicking on the Zip Info button located on the right side of the screen, by selecting Zip Info from the File menu, or by pressing Ctrl-Z. A percentage window appears briefly as the program scans the contents of the selected file. Next a dialog box displays information about the selected file. Some information shown about a .ZIP file is the file's path and name, the number of files inside it, and the amount of free disk space it would take to decompress it.

Also shown is a complete list of the files contained in the .ZIP file. This list shows each internal file's name, size, date and time. If more files are inside the .ZIP that what fits in the box, a scroll bar appears to provide access to the remainder of the list.

When you are finished browsing the file contents, click on the OK button or press ESC. This closes the dialog box and returns to the program.

See Also:

UnZIP Command


Playing .WAV Files

WINPOWER.EXE can play .WAV files directly from the the CD. When the file list box highlights a .WAV file, the UnZIP command turns into the Play button. Clicking on this button, selecting Play from the main menu, or double clicking on the file name plays the .WAV file through the installed sound hardware. Play continues until the end of the file is reached or you perform some other action that produces sound.

There are a few criteria your system must meet before you will be able to play sound files. These criteria are:

1.	You must be using Windows 3.1, or Windows 3.0 with the Multi-Media extensions installed.

2.	You must have a sound card or other suitable sound producing device installed in your computer.

3.	You must have the appropriate Windows sound drivers installed.

If your system does not meet these criteria, highlighting  a .WAV file in the file list box disables the UnZIP and ZipInfo buttons without changing their function. These buttons automatically re-enable themselves when you highlight a .ZIP file.

The installation and set up of sound cards is beyond the scope of this text. For more information, please consult your Windows and sound hardware manuals.


Viewing Graphics
Viewing Graphics Files

WINPOWER.EXE has the ability to view graphics files directly from the disc. When the file list box highlights a Windows supported graphic file, the UnZIP command turns into the View button. Clicking on this button, selecting View from the main menu, or double clicking on the file name produces a window displaying the graphic file. Click on the Cancel button when you are finished viewing the picture.

WINPOWER.EXE can display the following graphic file formats (as denoted by the file extension:)

.BMP - bitmap file

.DIB - device independent bitmap file

.WMF - Windows metafile

.RLE - Run-length encoded graphic file

.ICO - Windows icon file

NOTES:

1.	All graphics files are displayed the same size. As such, large pictures may appear somewhat distorted, and small files (such as icons) appear larger than normal.

2.	You may display 256 color pictures if you have the appropriate video drivers installed on your system. If you do not have a 256 color system, the program attempts to reduce the image to the number of colors currently available on your system.