Table of Contents
MBS PC Hardware Inventory

Table of Contents:

Overview

Hardware Settings and General Information

Manual and Automatic Data Update

Exporting Information

Registering

Getting a Hardware Manufacturer's Auto Update feature


Hardware Overview
Overview

MB Scientific's PC Hardware Inventory - Overview

This program will provide a data base in which pc's hardware information will be kept. Such information would include nontechnical info such as name, address, phone, support phone, etc. as well as technical info such as irq number, io address, etc.
The Sharware version allows for manual data entry. The registerd version allows the manufactur's installation process to automatically update it's record in the inventory.

Contents

Adding, Altering and Deleting Record

Registering


Hardware data
Information on Hardware

Detailed Data Fields and Hardware Settings Summary

Hardware Inventory keeps records on your systems hardware resources. This information consists of deailed records on each hardware resource, and a settings summary table for all the hardware resources.

Detiled record form, is selected from mainmenu | Hardware Inventory | Hardware Inventory Detailed. This form contains the following fields:

RESOURCE :  the type of  hardware resource this is, e.g. com1. The records are keyed on resource. To view the records click on the Resource Combo Box arrow to see the list of records, then double click on one; or click on one to get in the list box, then use the cursor up/down key to move to your selection and then press enter. MAX CHARACTERS=40.

CARD TITLE: formal title of the card, e.g. Xtec Super IDE model 54345(not a real product). Notice that a piece of hardware may have more than one resource. In this example a super ide card provides resources: com1, com2, lpt1, game port, as well as ide controller functionality for the floppy and hard drives.
MAX CHARACTERS=40.

MANUFACTURER NAME AND ADDRESS: it says it itself.
MAX CHARACTERS=120.

MISCELLANUOUS: miscellanuous info field, to contain e.g. com1 is used to attatch to seria mouse, com2 for external modem. MAX CHARACTERS=100.

COMMUNICATIONS: ways of reaching the manufacturer. This would consist of voice/fax, bbs, on-line services etc.MAX CHARACTERS=100

DRIVERS: The information which the hardware requires to run. These setting are in autoexec.bat, config.sys, system.ini, win.ini. The file name containing the settings should appear in {}, and the sections within the file in [ ], per windows ini file convention. For example:

{SYSTEM.INI}
[SECTION1]
settings1
settings2
.
.
[SECTION2]
.
.

MAX CHARACTERS=800.

HARDWARE SETTINGS IRQ number,IO address,BASE address and DMA number.  These appear as a field group in the record. Some or all may be used for a given resource. MAX CHARACTERS=20 each.

The hardware settings are also provided in a summary form selectable from Main Menu | Hardware Inventory | Hardware Settings Summary.

Contents


data upgrade
Adding, Altering and Deleting Records

1) MANUAL DATA ENTRY
PC INVENTORY comes with some pre entered records such as com1, etc. To add a new record from any existing record fill in all the fields and click on ADD RECORD. This would add the record to the end of the data base.

To alter a record, select it first(bring it up from the RESOURCE combo box), then go the right field (click the mouse on it) and edit the field. Then click on ALTER RECORD.

To delete a record first select it, then click on DELETE TOGGLE (see the STATUS field change from ACTIVE to MARKED DELETE, reactivate it by clicking on delete toggle again), then click on ALTER RECORD to record to disk storage. Then from menu select MAIN MENU |  HARDWARE IVENTORY | PURGE HARDWARE INVENTORY. The last action physically removes all delete marked records from disk storage.

Without clicking on ALTER or ADD RECORD no data is physically saved.

NOTE: if maximum number of characters per field are exceeded a system error is caused followed by a program prompt informing the user of the error after which the offending field is highlighted. The user should then reduce the fieldd length to under the legal size. SEE INFORMATION ON HARDWARE for field length info.

2)  AUTOMATIC UPDATE
The registered version of PC INVENTORY activates the auto-update feature. This allows a manufacturers installation/update procedure to automatically add/alter it's database record in the inventory. Once this feature is active (the program is registered) the user should rely on the manufacturesinstall / upgrade process to handle the inventory record, i.e. refrain from manual alterations unless necessary. You can use the programs EXPORT feature to produce and send your system profile to manufacturers for trouble shooting help.

Contents

Registering

Exporting Information

InformationonHardware


exporting info
Exproting Information

You can export the entire data base or just the hardware settings summary in to a text file. You can use this for moving any or all of the information to other programs or databases, printers, send it to manufacturers for trouble shooting assistance etc.

To export the entire data base menu select MAIN MENU |  HARDWARE INVENTORY | EXPORT TO TEXT FILE. This creates the text file INFTABLE.TXT in the working directory of PC INVENTORY.

To export the hardware settings summary menu select MAIN MENU |  HARDWARE INVENTORY | HARDWARE SETTINGS SUMMARY. Then click on FILE IT button. This creates the text file SUMTABLE.TXT in the working directory of PC INVENTORY.

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Registering

If you register you get:
1) The auto update feature activated, this would let the manufacturers directly tell you what they have installed in detail, and summary. And when trouble occurs you can send them your machine profile via the export feature so they can help you trouble shoot.
2) All free upgrades, announcements, from MBS
3) A direct EMAIL line to MBS,
3) Steep discounts on upcoming nonshare-ware upgrades including software inventory and system diagnostics.

To register you must fill in your "REGISTRATION TITLE", in REGTITLE.TXT, and send it to MB SCIENTIFIC to obtain a registration number.
Once you have your registration number menu select MAIN MENU |  REGISTRATION | HARDWARE INVENTORY REGISTRATION. Then type in you registration number. If the number is verified (it should happen immediately),  the REGISTRATION STATUS field will change from UNREGISTERED to REGISTERED, other wise it will say WRONG.

NOTE: your registration title requires you to give us you serial number. You get it from the above registration dialog box's SRIAL NUMBER field. It is a 10 digit number.

Contents


manufacturer update
Getting a Manufacture's AutoUpdate

Your hardware manufacturer would normally provide you the module to auto update it's record. Of course not all manufacturers are aware of this program. However, any manufacturer can freely obtain PC INVENTORY MANUFACTURER'S INTERFACE, from compuserve, or us directly. It is a simple  C  code collection that would let the manufacturer add and update it's record in the inventory. If your manufacturer doesn't have this feature ask them to contact MB Scientific. We will gladly get them on line.

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