Contents

Select an item below for help on that topic.

Getting Started...

System Requirements

Installation

Setting It Up

Great! Now What?

The Main Window

The CD Index

Programming Discs

Disc Information

Large & Small Footprint Modes

Other Important Stuff...

Contacting The Author

Registration

Copyrights & Things


Installation

When you download WinDisc (or get in on a diskette), it will include the following files:

   WINDISC.EXE      The main WinDisc executable file. .

   WINDISC.HLP      This is the file you're currently viewing - the WinDisc help file.

   BWCC.DLL          The Borland Windows Custom Controls DLL.

   HISTORY.WRI      A list of changes and bug fixes made in previous versions of WinDisc.

   CONEVERT.EXE  A program to convert CD database files created in previous versions.

   BOING.WAV        A .WAV sound file used by WinDisc.

   LAZER.WAV        A .WAV sound file used by WinDisc.

   CLICK.WAV         A .WAV sound file used by WinDisc.

   BWCC.DLL          The Borland Windows Custom Controls DLL.

To install WinDisc, put the BWCC.DLL in your Windows Directory. The rest of the files can go in their own directory. (C:\WINDISC, for example).

In order for WinDisc to work, it must be able to find the CD-ROM drive. For it to do this, you need make sure the Windows MCI CD-AUDIO driver is installed. To check on this, open up the Windows Control Panel, and double click on the "Drivers" icon. A list of drivers, such as

should appear in the list box. If the MCI CD-AUDIO driver is in the list, you're fine. Click the cancel button. If it isn't installed, you'll need to click the ADD button. You will be presented with a list of drivers. Select MCI CD-AUDIO, then click OK. You may be prompted to insert a diskette containing the driver. (For more information on installing MCI Drivers, consult your Windows Manual)

See Also:

System Requirements

Setting It Up


System Requirements

To run WinDisc, you'll need two things:

 A CD-ROM drive capable of playing audio CDs.

 One of the following:

      Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later or

      Microsoft Windows For Workgroups 3.1 or later or

      Microsoft Windows NT 3.1 or later or

      IBM OS/2 2.1 or later.

   Also, in order to take full advantage of the program's features, it is recommended that you have a sound card capable of software volume control, which you can run your CD-AUDIO output through. (If you have a 3 or 4 wire cable coming from the back of your CD-ROM drive to your sound card, chances are it'll work just fine.)

See Also:

Installation

Setting It Up


Setting It Up

You can click on any of the options in the sample Setup Window below  to display information on what it does.

When you're setting up your copy, select all the options you'd like, then press the OK button to save them, or the Cancel button to exit without saving.

See Also:

Installation

System Requirements


Available Icons

There are several different icons to choose from. Click on the radio button below the icon you'd like to see when WinDisc is minimized on the desktop.


Animate Icons

Checking the Animate Icons option will enable or disable animated icons. While WinDisc is playing and it's main window is minimized, you have the option to have it's icon do wild and crazy things! For maximum enjoyment, I recommend leaving this option checked.


Always On Top

When enabled, The Always On Top option keeps WinDisc as the topmost window at all times. This is especially helpful when you've got lots of windows open, but want to keep WinDisc right in front of you.


Auto Play On Startup and Auto Stop On Exit

These two closely-related options allow you to stop and start the CD. If Auto Play On Startup is enabled when you start the program, the CD will automatically begin playing. (If it is not already playing) If the Auto Stop On Exit option is enabled, playback will halt when the program is exited.


Enable Event Sounds

This feature requires that you have a sound card installed. It will allow you to attach .WAV files to different buttons on the WinDisc window. You can select a .WAV file to be play when the play button, stop button, pause button, and many others are pressed.


Set Event Sounds

The Set Event Sounds button becomes enabled when the Enable Event Sounds box is checked. Pressing the button will take you to the Control Panel's Sounds section, where you can set system event sounds associated with WinDisc, amongst other things.


Enable Volume Control

This checkbox enables and disables the volume control. When enabled, you can adjust the volume of the CD playback by the buttons on the player's main window. A compatible sound card is required for this option to work.

See Also:

System Requirements


Test Volume Control

As you may have guessed, this button brings up a window which will test your sound card with the WinDisc volume control. More information is given in the window itself, so that's all I'll say about it here.

See Also:

System Requirements


MCI CD Audio Driver
MCI CD-Audio Driver

The MCI CD-Audio driver is provided with your copy of Windows. It allows Windows to communicate with the CD-ROM drive, letting you listen to music CDs while in Windows. To Install it, you'll need to go into the Control Panel's Drivers section, and click "add". Select the MCI CD-Audio Driver, then "OK", and you'll be set!


.WAV Files

.WAV (or Waveform) files, are sound clips used by Windows. A sound card is required to play and record them.


Drivers Window

To get to the drivers window, open up the CONTROL PANEL and select Drivers.


Windows Directory

This is the directory where you've got Windows installed (Usually C:\WINDOWS)


Copyrights & Stuff
Copyrights & Things

WinDisc 6.0

Copyright  1994 PDG Software.

You are free to make copies of WinDisc and distribute them by any means, so long as the you do not add files to, remove files from, or otherwise modify the original archive file. You may convert it from one format to another (i.e. Zip to LZH, etc.).

Registered users may not share their registration keys with others. If you've registered, and want to give away copies, that's fine, as long as you don't give anyone a copy of  your KEYFILE.DAT file.

The creation of unauthorized registration keys & keyfiles is strictly forbidden. Anyone known to have an unauthorized registered copy will be dealt with.

Finally, no guarantees are made about the quality of this product. Use it at your own risk. Any damages or loss of data resulting from the use (or misuse) of this program not the responsibility of PDG Software or Greg Palmer.

See Also:

Contacting The Author


Connecting The Author
To contact the author of WinDisc, Greg Palmer, you can send e-mail to:

America Online: PDGSoft

CompuServe: 74407,3106

Internet: pdgsoft@aol.com

Or, you can write to:

PDG Software

1261 Brook Hill Close

Rockford, IL 61108


Registration

Shareware & Registration...

WinDisc is distributed as shareware. Under this concept, you are free to use the program for 30 days before you decide whether or not you'd like to buy it. After that time, if you find it useful, and would like to continue using it, you are required to register it with the author. If you choose not to register, you must remove the program from your computer.

Great...How Much Will It Cost Me?

I know how much it hurts to part with your money, so I'm trying to keep the price as low as possible. Pricing for WinDisc is as follows:

The cost for registering WinDisc is $ 20.00

If you'd like to receive a copy of the next version on a floppy disk, add $ 5.00. (For shipping, handling, and the cost of the disk).

How Do I Register WinDisc?

To register by mail, print out the Order Form (Click Here to view it, or Here to print it), and send it, along with a check made out to Greg Palmer to:

PDG Software

1261 Brook Hill Close

Rockford, IL 61108

Members of CompuServe have another option - through the CompuServe shareware registration service, where hundreds of shareware products can be registered on-line. The costs of programs registered on-line are automatically added to the user's monthly bill.

To register WinDisc on CompuServe, or for more information on the shareware registration service, type GO SWREG at any ! prompt while on-line. The ID for WinDisc is 2501. The cost of registering WinDisc on-line is $ 20.00. Registration numbers will automatically be sent via e-mail.

If you have any questions about registering, feel free to contact the author.

If you have already registered WinDisc, and haven't received your registration code, please get ahold of me. I've had lots of problems with the distributor, and I think there are quite a few people who have yet to receive their codes.

See Also:

Contacting The Author

Entering Your Registration Number


                                                  WinDisc Registration Form

First Name___________________________ Last Name_____________________________

Address_____________________________________________________________________

            _____________________________________________________________________

City_________________________________ State_____________ Zip__________________

Phone_______________________________ FAX___________________________________

E-Mail address_______________________________________________________________

Delivery Method    E-Mail      Fax     Phone     Mail      Mail+Send Next Version (Add $5.00)

                       (Choose one - I recommend E-Mail, as it's the quickest & easiest method)

Amount Enclosed $____________________ Current Version________________________

Comments:


Registering By Mail
WinDisc Registration Form

First Name___________________________ Last Name_____________________________

Address_____________________________________________________________________

            _____________________________________________________________________

City_________________________________ State_____________ Zip__________________

Phone_______________________________ FAX___________________________________

E-Mail address_______________________________________________________________

Delivery Method    E-Mail      Fax     Phone     Mail      Mail+Send Next Version (Add $5.00)

(Choose one - I recommend E-Mail, as it's the quickest & easiest method)

Amount Enclosed $____________________ Current Version________________________

Comments:

Mail To:

PDG Software

1261 Brook Hill Close

Rockford, IL 61108

And don't forget to make your check out to Greg Palmer...I can't cash it if it's to PDG Software :-)


For information on joining CompuServe, call 1-800-848-8990.


Main Window Controls

Below is a diagram showing all of the buttons available in WinDisc's main window. You can click on any of the controls to get a description of what it does.

See Also:

Large & Small Footprint Modes


The display area shows the current track, position, track name, name of the disc, as well as information on the current play mode.

By double clicking the Left Mouse Button on the display area, you can bring up the Jump To track window, which allows you to jump directly to any track on the disc.

By double clicking the Right Mouse Button on the display are, you can change the information shown in the display. By default, the Current Track and Current Track Position are displayed. Double licking the right mouse button will change this to Remaining Tracks, and Remaining Track time. Doing it again will set the display to show Total Tracks and Total Track Time. Double clicking the right button a third time will bring the display back to the default mode.

Double Clicking the Middle Mouse Button (if available) will take you directly to the Small Footprint Mode.

See Also:

Large & Small Footprint Modes


Pause Button: Pressing the Pause Button stops disc playback. The current position of the disc is not changed, meaning that if you press the play button again, it'll begin playing right where you left off. After the Pause Button is pressed, it becomes hidden, and is replaced by the Play Button.

 Play Button: Pressing the Play Button, as you probably guessed, causes the CD to begin playing. When pressed, this button disappears, and is replaced by the Pause Button.


Stop Button: Like the Pause Button, this control stops disc playback. However, it also returns the position to the beginning of the first track in the playlist. Pushing this button will hide the Pause Button, and bring the Play Button back into view.


Previous Track Button: Pressing this button will switch to the previous track in the play list. If the current track is the first in the play list, nothing will happen. (Unless Repeat Mode is turned on, in which case it will skip to the last track of the playlist)


Scan Back Button: Press and hold this button down to scan backwards toward the beginning of the current track.


Scan Ahead Button: Press and hold this button down to scan ahead toward the end of the current track.


Next Track Button: Pressing this button will move to the next track on the play list. If the current track is the last track in the play list, nothing will happen. (Unless Repeat Mode is engaged, in which case it'll go back to the first track in the play list)


Eject Button: This button will open and close the CD-ROM's drive door. (On drives capable of using software eject)


Volume Up/Down Buttons: These buttons raise and lower the loudness, if the volume control item has been turned on. The current volume level is indicated by the vertical bars between the buttons. For more information on the volume control, see Setup.


Shuffle Mode Toggle: When pressed for the first time, this button will turn on the Shuffled playback mode. Tracks will be played back in a random order. Pressing the button again will return to sequential playback mode. When Shuffle mode is on, the Mode: indicator will change from [N] to [S].


Program Mode Toggle: Pressing this button the first time will bring up a window allowing you to choose what tracks you'd like to play back. Pressing it again will allow you to edit the program or return to sequential playback mode. For information, see Programming Discs. When Programmed mode is enabled, the Mode: indicator will change from [N] of [P].


Repeat Mode Toggle: This button turns the Repeat mode on and off. With Repeat engaged, when the current playlist is done, it starts over again. If Repeat is on and Shuffled playback is complete, tracks will be re-shuffled and playing will re-start. When Repeat mode is on, a [R] will appear in the Mode: indicator.


Programming Discs

After pressing the Program button on the main window, the Program CD window will appear. It allows you to create a custom play list with only the tracks you'd like to hear.

To add a track to your play list, you can either double click on it in the Available tracks list box, or you can highlight it in this list box, and click the "Add" button.

To remove a track from your playlist, double click on it, or just select  it and click "Remove". To remove all the tracks from your playlist, just click the "Clear" button.

When you've selected all the tracks you want to hear, click OK, and they'll start playing. If you want to exit without creating a custom playlist, just click the Cancel button.


CD Index

Whenever you insert a disc that you have not added to WinDisc's database, the CD Index window will come up. You may either enter the disc's information and press Save, or click the Cancel button and not worry about it. If you wish to enter the disc information at a later time, you can always bring up the window by selecting CD Index from the main window's system menu.

Just enter the disc's title in the Title field, then go ahead an fill in the track names. When you're done, click save. You will then be asked if you wish to update the database. Choose Yes.


Disc Information Window
The Disc Information Window

Click on any item in the Disc Information window for information on what it does or shows!


The system menu is the menu that is displayed when you click the [image] box at the upper left corner of a window.


The Disc Title field shows the title of the disc that is currently in the CD-ROM drive.


The Tracks field shows the total number of tracks on the disc that's in the drive.


The Total Length field shows the total length of the disc.


The Play Mode field shows what playback mode is currently being used: Programmed, Shuffled, or Sequential (Normal).


The Status field shows the current status of the drive: Playing, Stopped, Paused, or No Disc.


The Track Info list box shows the length and title of each track on the disc.


The Playlist list box shows the list of tracks to be played.


This shows who the product is registered to.


Large & Small Footprint Modes

By default, the WinDisc main window is in it's large footprint mode. By choosing the "Small Footprint" item on the main window's system menu, or by double clicking the middle mouse button in the display area, you can put WinDisc into it's small footprint mode.

In the small footprint mode, several of the controls are hidden so the window takes up less space. The visible controls on the small window are the same as with the large one. Because this window has no title bar, the system menu can not be accessed. Instead, you can click the right mouse button, which will bring up a menu.

As in the default mode, double clicking the left mouse button will bring up the Jump To Track window, and double clicking the middle button will switch back to the larger window.


Entering Your Registration Number

Be sure to enter you name exactly as it is on the sheet with your registration number. Putting in extra initials or spaces will throw off the program, and it probably won't recognize your number as valid. If you have problems getting your registration number entered, feel free to contact me, and I'll help you out. It's also possible that when I sent you your number, I made an error in copying it (Yes, even programmers make mistakes...rarely, though :-D)

See Also:

Contacting The Author