DosEA 4 -- Find That Command! by Chet Langin Langin Software 532 W. 3rd St. Centralia, IL 62801 CIS: 73770,615 _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER <<< Page 2 >>> DosEA 4 -- Find That Command! Copyright (c), 1990, 1991 by Chet Langin, all rights reserved MS-DOS, and GW-BASIC, are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Users of "DosEA 4 -- Find That Command!" must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "DosEA 4 -- Find That Command!" is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of it. <<< Page 3 >>> Table of Contents Welcome 4 What is DosEA? 4 Who is DosEA for? 5 What is DosEA 4? 6 Installation 6 Tutorial 7 Appendix A -- A list of files 9 Appendix B -- Troubleshooting 9 <<< Page 4 >>> *************** ** Welcome ** *************** Welcome to "DosEA 4 -- Find That Command!." ********************** ** What is DosEA? ** ********************** The series name, "DosEA," is a play on words which means a dossier on DOS. But, what is it? Specifically, DosEA is a series of hypertext programs which explain DOS. The series, so far, consists of . . . DosEA 1 -- For Absolute Beginners DosEA 2 -- What is DOS? DosEA 3 -- 10 Easy Commands DosEA 4 -- Find That Command! More programs are under development. A key element in the presentation of the DosEA series is hypertext. Once you get the idea behind hypertext, you can read and comprehend material extremely fast. Hypertext lets you select just what you want to read. If you understand what you are reading, just keep at it. Otherwise, the hypertext leads you immediately to further explanations. Understanding hypertext is so crucial to the DosEA series, that the first program, "For Absolute Beginners," is all about how to use hypertext. Even though the DosEA series is about DOS, the first program isn't about DOS, at all. Rather, it's about using hypertext. The second program in the series, "What is DOS?", then uses hypertext to introduce DOS. This and the succeeding programs in the series also use hypertext to explain further details about DOS. <<< Page 5 >>> ************************* ** Who is DosEA for? ** ************************* DosEA is for people who want an easy way to learn about DOS. It is for people who need to use personal computers, but do not have the time to get a degree in Computer Science. This includes . . . > Business people who need to get business done. > Employees who need to get work done. > Students wanting to get ahead fast. > Home computer users trying to get up to speed. > User groups helping new members. Experienced computer users may find this program helpful in another way. When you are asked those endless streams of questions about . . . "how does this . . . " . . . or . . . "why is it that . . ." . . . just pass along this program. The recipient will be grateful and you will save yourself a lot of explanations. <<< Page 6 >>> ************************ ** What is DosEA 4? ** ************************ "DosEA 4 -- Find That Command!" is a utility which helps the user determine which DOS commands can perform certain tasks. The user does this by pressing to get an index. Then, the user selects a word in the index that has something to do with the task which needs to be done. The program then either lists commands which perform this task or else offers further explanations to narrow the search. The program does not explain how to use the commands, but rather is a "compass" which points the user in the right direction to get things done. ******************** ** Installation ** ******************** What this program needs: > 512K of memory > Any monitor > MS-DOS 2.0 or higher No installation is required. <<< Page 7 >>> **************** ** Tutorial ** **************** You should already know about hypertext before you use DosEA 4. If you need a hypertext tutorial, one is provided with DosEA 1, which you can get with the order form in the ORDERFRM.TXT file. What follows is a brief tutorial on how to use DosEA 4 to find a command. It is assumed that DosEA 4 is located on a disk in the "A" disk drive. Goal: You have been reading about DOS and have come across something called the "DOS environment." You want to learn more about this "DOS environment," and you wonder if any DOS commands have anything to do with it. Solution: The solution is a series of numbered steps. 1. Make the "A" disk drive the default. Enter: A: 2. Start the program. Enter: DOSEA4 3. Select the index. Press 4. Look for "DOS environment" in the index. Press: Press: Press: 5. Highlight "DOS environment" in the index. Press: Press: Press: Press: Press: Press: Press: Press: <<< Page 8 >>> 6. Select "DOS environment." Press: 7. You see that the SET command views and changes variables in the DOS environment. You wish to move the cursor over the word "SET" and to select it in order to learn more about this command. Press: Press: 8. You see a short summary of the SET command. You are ready to exit the program. Press: Enter: y Press: <<< Page 9 >>> ****************** ** Appendix A ** ****************** The files included with DosEA. DosEA4.EXE The program, itself. DosEA4.OVL An overlay. MANUAL.TXT This file! PRINTMAN.BAT A batch file to print the manual. README.TXT A file with important information about DosEA. README.BAT A batch file which displays README.TXT. ORDERFRM.TXT The order form to register. REGISTER.BAT A batch file which prints the order form. VENDOR.DOC A text file with information for vendors. ****************** ** Appendix B ** ****************** Troubleshooting. >>> You get a "file not found" message. The default disk drive and directory may not be correct. Assuming that the program is installed on the "A" disk drive in the DOSEA directory . . . Enter: A: Enter: CD \ Otherwise, you did not get all of the program files. See Appendix A for a list of files. >>> You get a "window failed" message. Probably the defaults are not set correctly. The program must be able to access the DOSEA4.OVL file. See the explanation directly above on how to set the defaults. Otherwise, you may not have enough memory in your computer.