Frequently asked questions (and answers) about UZPower ------------------------------------------------------ Q: What laptops does UZPower run on? A: There are too many models to check at UZful. UZPower has either been verified at UZful Software, or our customers have registered it on the following models: Altima SLC33 AMS Soundwave AST Bravo 486 Compaq Contura 4/25cx Dell Latitude LX 4100 D Epson 866C FutureTech FutureMate 9000 Gateway 2000 Colorbook IBM 425C PS Note IBM 450SL PS Note IBM Thinkpad 350 IBM Thinkpad 500 IBM Thinkpad 510 IBM Thinkpad 720C Jetbook 486 MEI Winbook Midwest Micro 486 Packard Bell Sharp 8900 Toshiba T1950CS Toshiba T1910CS Zenith Znote 325L Zeos Color Notebook Zeos Contenda Q: Does UZPower run on Windows 95? A: Yes, it runs on Windows 95. The icon is a little small on the task bar, but otherwise it is fully functional. Q: I'm running Windows 3.11 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11, and my system hangs when I run UZPower. A: There are problems with the 3.11 version of both Windows products as it relates to Advanced Power Management on some laptop models. See the LIMITATIONS section of UZPOWER.TXT for details. Q: Why does UZPower pop up an error message with "No Advanced Power Management!"? A: Your computer does not have APM. See the LIMITATIONS section in UZPOWER.TXT. Q: When UZPower runs, it does not switch from the initial icon to any other. Also, it does not pop up any warning when the battery goes low. A: This is because the APM does not correctly indicate that it has enabled APM (test #2 in APMEXAM fails). Version 1.20 and later have fixed this condition. Q: After displaying a "LOW battery" warning, why is the needle still on high? A: UZPower only does what the APM BIOS of your computer tells it to. In this case, the BIOS says that battery charge is still high after indicating that it went low. Please verify this by running APMEXAM immediately after the LOW battery warning, or display the "Control Panel" Power settings. If they do say that the battery status is "High", it is a problem with your laptop, and you should report this to the vendor. In either case, please report the behavior to us. Q: Why does UZPower not give any guesses on remaining battery time? A: If the APM BIOS on your laptop does not provide this info (test #6 and 7 in APMEXAM), then UZPower has to guess. It can only guess, when it knows for sure that the battery is full (otherwise the guess would not be too accurate). The only way it knows the battery is full is if the computer has been charging for 2 consecutive hours, or if you tell it so with the "Full Now" menu item. Then, when the battery LOW indication comes on, UZPower will remember how long it took to get there, and display it the next time it knows the battery is full. Anytime that UZPower guesses, it will display the word "approximate" (or "approx."). Q: UZPower does not give accurate guesses at remaining time. A: If your APM does not provide it, UZPower has to guess, and puts the word "approximate" in all displays. The only way to guess is to extrapolate from past performance, and this is exactly what it does: it remembers the past 5 durations to get from a FULL battery indication to the LOW battery level, and takes an average of the 5 for the next guess. Q: Why do UZful Software users have to be licensed? A: In contrast to the traditional retail approach, shareware gives the user the software to try before paying. We need to prevent unlimited free usage of our software, because it is the only hope of making a living in selling inexpensive, useful software. With this type of software, it is common for potential customers to "forget" to register. In an ideal world we would not have to restrict our distribution. In this one, our licensing mechanism encourages a choice, after a reasonable trial period, on whether you want to continue using the software or not. Instead of relying on nag screens ("nagware"), limited demonstration versions ("crippleware") or other (costly?) incentives (manuals, support, ...) to encourage users to register, we believe these approaches are not in your best interest, because they are annoying, do not allow you to fully explore the product before paying, or cost you more. With our no-nonsense approach, you get the fully functional product before you lay out a penny. In fact, the registered version and the software you have in your hands are identical, except for the permanent license key, which we will issue to you upon payment. You pay only for what you already have, nothing more, nothing less. Q: It is cumbersome to fill out the registration form, and to plug in the license key. Isn't there an easier way? A: We're sorry, it is the only way for us to continue developing low-cost software for you, the user. The 5-10 minutes that it will take to fill out and mail the registration form and a check, and to replace the evaluation key with the new license key, will ensure your continued enjoyment of our time-saving tools. And now, with registration through the Compuserve Shareware Registration service (GO SWREG), it is even simpler. Q: Do I need to buy the optional floppy? A: No. Upon payment, we will e-mail (or postal mail) you the license key to enable continued use of the product. The enclosed instructions will ask you to use a text editor to cut and paste the license key into the existing software. The optional floppy contains the latest version of the product. Our license provides free limited upgrades (that is, if you download a newer version of the product, it will continue to work with the license key you have, and you will not need to reregister). However, it may well be worth it to purchase the floppy, if your version is several months old. If there is no later version to the one registered for, we will wait with the floppy until the next version is released. In addition, it will already contain the license key issued to you, and will include evaluation copies of our other products, saving you the cost and time of downloading. Thank you for your support. UZful Software, Inc. PO Box 2089 Merrimack, NH 03054-2089 ------------------------