QUICK START

             This section  is for  the LoanPmt  user who doesn't want to
        initially wade  through all  the  program  documentation.    The
        experienced PC  user will  find LoanPmt  very intuitive and thus
        very easy  to learn  and use.  It is likely that most users will
        only need  to read this section and use the on-line help (F1) to
        become proficient using LoanPmt.

             If you  will be  running the  program from  floppy disk, we
        recommend copying  the program files LOANPMT.EXE and LOANPMT.OVR
        to another  floppy disk.  Always run the program from a diskette
        other than  the distribution  disk.  This preserves the original
        files in case something goes wrong with the working copies.

             If you will be using a hard drive, we recommend copying the
        LoanPmt files  to a  directory named \LPMT, but any name of your
        choice will  work.  If you are upgrading from a previous version
        of LoanPmt,  you can  simply copy the new version over the older
        version.   If you  want to  keep the  older version on your hard
        disk you  must create  a new  directory to  install this version
        into (i.e., \LPMT20, etc.).  If you need further help setting up
        the program,  see the section titled "Installing LoanPmt" in the
        manual.

             Although LoanPmt  is a  DOS  application,  it  can  run  in
        Microsoft Windows.   See  the section  titled "Using  LoanPmt in
        Windows" for  instructions on  how to  setup LoanPmt  to run  in
        Windows 3.x.

             LoanPmt uses  program overlay  files.  Program overlay code
        is loaded  into RAM  only when  it is  needed by  LoanPmt.   The
        program uses  this technique  to conserve  precious RAM.    This
        leaves  more  RAM  available  to  LoanPmt  for  such  things  as
        displaying help  pages, amortization tables, and loan comparison
        tables.   There is  one drawback to using program overlay files.
        It substantially  degrades the  performance of the program if it
        is running  from floppy  disk.  To offset this drawback, LoanPmt
        can load  the overlay  files  into  expanded  memory  (EMS,  not
        extended memory, XMS) whenever it is found.  There is NO program
        degradation when  the overlay  files use  EMS.   Running LoanPmt
        from  a   hard  disk   without  EMS   will  barely  degrade  its
        performance.   See the section titled "Overlays and LOANPMT.OVR"
        in the manual for more information.

             To run  LoanPmt, LoanPmt's  drive  and  directory  must  be
        selected or  they must  be in  the computer's  path.  At the DOS
        prompt, type  LOANPMT and press ENTER.  The overlay manager will
        initialize and the data entry screen will appear.

             To exit the program and return to DOS, simply pull down the
        Exit menu  and select  Yes.  This can be accomplished many ways.
        The  easiest   way  is   to  press   the  "Alt"   and  "X"  keys
        simultaneously to pull down the menu.  Then press the "Y" key to




        select Yes.   If  you have  a mouse, left-click on "Exit" in the
        menu bar, and then left-click on "Yes" in the pull-down menu.

             Use the  ENTER, TAB,  SHIFT TAB,  UP ARROW,  and DOWN ARROW
        keys to move between LoanPmt's data entry fields.  If you have a
        mouse, you  also can  make your  selections by  left-clicking on
        them.   Then, simply  enter the appropriate value in each field,
        menu, etc.

             Each LoanPmt  pull-down menu option and data field also can
        be selected  by using  its hotkey.   Each  item's hotkey  is the
        highlighted character  that appears  in its  name.    To  use  a
        hotkey, press the Alt key and the hotkey simultaneously.

             The currently selected compute field is highlighted and its
        name is  displayed near  the upper  left  area  of  the  screen.
        LoanPmt recomputes  and updates the selected field each time new
        data is  entered at  any other  field.   To change  the computed
        field, pull  down the  Settings menu by pressing Alt+G (or left-
        click the  mouse on  "Settings").  Next, select "Computed field"
        from the  pull-down menu,  and then  select  a new compute field
        from the pop-up menu.

             The loan data currently on the screen can be saved to disk.
        To save loan data, pull down the File menu by pressing the "Alt"
        and "I"  keys simultaneously  (or left-click  on "File" with the
        mouse).   Next, select "Save" from the pull-down menu.  A dialog
        box will appear to accept a filename for the data file.  LoanPmt
        supplies its  own file  extension  of  ".PMT"  for  data  files.
        (Note:  The F2 key is a short-cut key for saving loan data.)

             Previously saved  loan data files can be reloaded.  To load
        loan data, pull down the File menu by pressing the "Alt" and "I"
        keys simultaneously  (or left-click  on "File"  with the mouse).
        Next, select  "Load" from the pull-down menu.  A dialog box will
        appear.   Key in a known filename or enter wildcards to access a
        file selection menu.  A sample loan data file named EXAMPLE1.PMT
        is on  the distribution  disk.   Place the  distribution disk in
        drive A,  key in A:* in the dialog box, and press ENTER to see a
        selection menu.   (NOTE:   The  F3 key  is a  short-cut key  for
        loading loan data.)

             Amortization tables  (or loan  payoffs, if  Payoff  is  the
        computed field)  can be  displayed, printed,  or saved.    Press
        Alt+L (or  left-click "Table"  with the  mouse) to pull down the
        Table menu.   Then  select the type of output from the pull-down
        menu.   Finally, enter  or select  the appropriate  items in the
        resulting pop-up  menu.   Results saved to disk are ASCII (text)
        files and can be edited and printed the same as any ASCII file.

             Loan comparison tables can be displayed, printed, or saved.
        A loan  comparison table's  initial values  are taken  from  the
        currently  entered   loan  data.     Comparison  tables  can  be
        constructed using  two different  methods.  One method shows the




        incremental effects  of both  loan principal  and the  number of
        payments.   The second  method shows  the incremental effects of
        both loan principal and annual interest rate (APR).  To create a
        loan comparison  table, press  Alt+A (or left-click the mouse on
        "Comparisons") to  pull down  the Comparisons menu.  Next select
        the comparison  method from  the pull-down  menu; principal  vs.
        payments (or  years) or  principal vs.  APR.  In the next pop-up
        dialog box,  enter the  incremental  values  for  the  two  loan
        parameters displayed  and press ENTER (or double-click the mouse
        in either  field).   From the  next pop-up  menu  select  either
        display, print,  or save.  Depending on this selection, enter or
        select the appropriate items in the resulting pop-up menu.

             LoanPmt uses  the file LPMTINIT.PMT to initialize each time
        it is started.  If the file is not found, LoanPmt initializes to
        predefined defaults.  Since this file is a standard LoanPmt .PMT
        file,  its  contents  can  be  edited  to  contain  user-defined
        defaults.  Along with the loan data fields, currency symbol, and
        the date  format are saved to the file.  To change its contents,
        load it  and make  the changes  to LoanPmt's  screen you want as
        your user-defined  defaults.  Finally re-save it as LPMTINIT and
        answer "Yes" to overwrite the previous version of the file.

             All these  topics, and  more, are covered in greater detail
        within the  manual.   See the  table of  contents to  locate the
        appropriate item.