Frequently asked questions (and answers) about UZPower
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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. 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
	   fixes this by ignoring 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 behaviour to us.




Q: Why does UZPower not give any guesses of 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 good). 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 you have a licensing scheme and enforce your licenses?

	A: 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.

	   Other shareware authors rely 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 license key, which we will issue to
	   you upon payment.  You pay only for what you already have,
	   nothing more, nothing less.

	   Still, any shareware approach is much better than the
	   traditional retail approach, where you cannot even try out
	   any of the software before paying.



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 a living. We expect that the 5-10
   	   minutes you take to fill out the registration form, write out
   	   a check, and mail the registration, and upon receipt of the
   	   new license key, to replace the evaluation license, will pale
   	   against the amount of time saved and grief spared when using
   	   our tools.



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 be able to continue using the product. The
	   included instructions will ask you to use a text editor to
	   cut and paste the license key into the software that you
	   already have.

	   The optional floppy will give you the latest version of the
	   product. Even though our license comes with 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), this may be worth
	   it if the version you have is several months old. If there is
	   no later version than the one you are registering 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
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