============================================ FreeMail, Copyright 1995 by FreeMail, Inc. This is version 4.0 of FreeMail for Windows95 ============================================ Terms of EVALUATION of FreeMail for Windows95 FreeMail products are provided for use for 30 days for evaluation purposes. If you use the software longer than 30 days or for any commercial purpose you must obtain a license by calling 406-586-4200. At the end of this document there is a list of recent additions to FreeMail. There is also a list, before the list of additions, of known problems that sometimes occur with FreeMail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FMW95R4.TXT 11/15/95 copyright 1995 by FreeMail, Inc. (406) 586-4200 Hello, and thank you for taking the time to evaluate FreeMail. FreeMail is available for several different platforms: Windows, Windows95, WindowsNT, and Macintosh. The file called FMW95R4.ZIP contains FreeMail Extended Family Router for Windows95. This is version 4.0 of FreeMail. Installation instructions: 1) Save FMW95R4.zip to any temporary directory. 2) Use an unzipping utility and unzip FMW95R4.zip in the temporary directory: pkunzip fmw95r4.zip 3) From the Windows95 Start button, choose the 'Run' Menu, and then type 'a:setup' 4) FreeMail will setup on your computer's hard disk. It will take about 1 megs of space. When prompted for the directory that FreeMail will be installed to, choose the default c:\freemail, or enter a new directory; do NOT enter the same temporary directory where you have unziped fmw95r4.zip. NOTE: Your copy of FreeMail for Windows95 creates Window95 child disks. These Window95 Child disks will NOT work on Windows 3.x machines. If you have someone you need to communicate with who is using a Windows 3.x computer, they will need to get a copy of FreeMail for Windows 3.x. Running FreeMail for the first time: 1) To run FreeMail, click on the Windows95 Start button, and then choose the 'Programs' menu choice . 2) Double click on the FreeMail Group Item, and then double click on the FreeMail icon (a small bird in a blue circle). 2) You will be asked to supply information about the FreeMail site you are creating in the 'This Site's Information' dialog box. 3) Enter your Site Name. Your site name can be up to 20 characters long. Do not use spaces or special characters. 4) Enter the area code and phone number of your modem. Press the OK button. 5) Fill in the 'Personal Information' dialog box that appears. 6) Make sure that your modem, if external, is properly connected to your computer is turned on and plugged into a functioning telephone jack. Using FreeMail. Basic Concepts: 1) Writing a message and transmitting it are two separate operations. Similarly, choosing a file and sending it are two separate operations. 2) When a modem-to-modem connection is made between two FreeMail sites, mail is transmitted in both directions. Thus, mail can be sent actively at any time, or can be left waiting for the recipient site to call and pick up. 3) Parent - Parent communications, and Parent - Child communications are unlimited and can be direct between each other. Child - Child communications must be made by calling `through' an Extended Family Parent (This evaluation copy of FreeMail is an Extended Family Parent). 4) FreeMail has a great depth of powerful features and is easy to customize for yourself. This evaluation copy of FreeMail, and all child copies as well, have a full on-line help system. Terms of the Evaluation: FreeMail products are provided for use for 30 days for evaluation purposes. If you use the software longer than 30 days or for any commercial purpose you must obtain a license by calling 406-586-4200. ============================================== The most recent changes and improvements to FreeMail are described in the on-line help system. The on-line help system will almost always be more up-to-date than our printed user manual. For those of you who are not familiar with Windows on-line help system, you can get on-line help at any time when you are using FreeMail by pressing the F1 key, or by selecting the 'Help' menu choice in the upper right of the FreeMail screen. Once you are viewing the on- line help, you can search for any subject, print any subject, and jump to related subjects by Clicking the mouse pointer on any green text (underlined if you are not using a color display). You can move back and forth between FreeMail and the on-line help by pressing , and then letting go of, the Alt and the Tab key at the same time. You can view, search and print the online help system from FreeMail, as well as from the installed FreeMail Group box. We have also included an introduction help system for FreeMail, which is accessible from the FreeMail Group box. Please note: do not make diskcopies of any FreeMail disks (either Parent or Child) for the purpose of giving to other people. If you do so, these copies will all have the same serial number as your own copy of FreeMail, and will complicate message sending and receiving for you. If you need additional Child copies of FreeMail, please make them from the 'Create Child Diskette' button on a FreeMail Parent. If you need to test your copy of FreeMail, or if you need to ask a technical support question, you can send FreeMail E-Mail to either of these two sites: FreeMail-Inc (406) 586-4774 14.4 baud this is the main business support line for FreeMail Inc. FreeMail (406) 549-7457 14.4 baud this is the secondary technical support line. These three sites should already be in your Sites and Address list. If they are not, you can add them. Please note: calls to FreeMail and FreeMail-Inc are most likely long-distance calls; you are responsible for all of your own long-distance phone charges. ============================= Known problems ============================= FreeMail uses the interrupts on the modem and or the serial card in your computer. Most communication programs do not use interrupts, but instead use an inefficient method called 'polled mode' communications. If FreeMail can not locate or initialize your modem, but you are able to use other communication programs (such as Procomm or the Windows Terminal), most likely you have and IRQ conflict, which you must get resolved. Commonly, a multi-port / IDE disk controller cards are installed incorrectly, which will lead to IRQ conflicts. On these multi-port cards there are two serial ports. If you have an internal modem, you must make sure that one of the two ports on the serial card(s) is disabled. Please, if you have what appears to be an interrupt conflict, make a good attempt at resolving your hardware problems with the people who installed or sold you your computer. However, we will certainly try to help you. Other modem problems: We have had several tech support call from people who had the phone line from the wall plugged into the "phone" modem jack. Make sure that the phone line from the wall is plugged into the jack called "line," or "wall." If you are having trouble connecting with your other FreeMail sites, please locate the documentation for the modem you are using, and then call us. ==================================== Errors when starting FreeMail. ==================================== If when first starting FreeMail you receive the error(s) Error Opening XXXXX.NTX files, exit FreeMail. You do not have enough file handles to run FreeMail at this point. To correct the problem you may need to do either the first or both of the following items. First look at the line: FILES=XX in your CONFIG.SYS file. (This file is usually in your root directory on your C: drive.) Make sure you edit this with a simple ASCII or text editor. Change the value of the XX to 80 or greater. FILES=80 Save and exit this file. Next, if you are running the program SHARE in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or sometimes in the CONFIG.SYS file, you need to add or modify the /F parameter. For example, if you have the following line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE Modify it, adding the /F parameter with the following value: C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE /L:80 /F:8096 You should now save the files and reboot the entire system. This should solve your lack of file handles problem ================ end of readme.txt