HOW TO USE THESE FILES For those with average or better computer "know how", this may seem overly simplified. We take the simplified route for those who may benefit from it. You computer wizards are free to do as you please. We recommend you make a backup copy of our diskette and OPEN THE WRITE PROTECT WINDOW of the diskette you are using to protect it from possible accidental changes. You have the choice of reading the text files (those with file extension .TXT) in either DOS or Windows as explained below. DOS OPERATION We will assume for this instruction that you have our diskette or your backup copy in Drive A: (or B: if that is your 3.5 inch floppy drive). We further assume that you will be operating from the DOS prompt in drive A: or B:. Get into Drive A: by typing (at the DOS prompt) A: and enter (or Drive B: if appropriate per above paragraph). HOW2USE.TXT is this file. A "batch" file will bring it up so you can read it. Just type HOW2USE and enter. With these batch files you don't type .TXT after the filename. PISTOLS.TXT is a discussion of pistols, mostly English military pistols, from about 1600 to 1800. First comes a general discussion which is followed by more specific and detailed information on the individual pieces. About each, several paragraphs discuss the weapon, followed by a list of dimensions applicable to it. Just type PISTOLS and enter to bring up this file. GUNLIST.TXT lists all the individual files of drawings of the pistols and locks. It explains the filename system so that the desired illustration may be chosen for viewing or printing. To bring up this file, type GUNLIST and enter. GLOSSARY.TXT is a brief glossary identifying some of the terms for those who may not be weapons wise. Typing and entering GLOSSARY will bring this up. MORESTUF.TXT gives our address and phone number and offers some incentives for your contribution. It also gives some back ground of the project. Just type and enter MORESTUF to bring it up. WINDOWS OPERATION FOR READING TEXT .TXT FILES We will assume for this instruction that you have our diskette or your backup copy in Drive A: (or B: if that is your 3.5 inch floppy drive). Our .TXT files can be imported into the Windows WRITE program. WRITE is a simple word processor in the Windows ACCESSORIES group (unless it has been moved). Double click on WRITE to bring up the program. Click on File, then click on Open to bring up the selection screen. Click on Drives, then click on the drive your diskette is in, click on List Files by Type, then click on TEXT FILES. Our text filenames will appear in the box. Click on the one you want. A screen will come up giving the choice to convert it to WRITE format or not. If you intend to copy the file into the WRITE program, you select that option. Either selection will give the same screen presentation of the file you want to view. BE SURE you have opened the WRITE PROTECT window on your diskette. Otherwise if you save the displayed file it may overwrite the original file. DRAWINGS IN THIS PROGRAM (.PCX FILES) AND HOW TO DISPLAY AND PRINT THEM All the drawings have a file extension .PCX. This indicates a specific kind of graphics display format. It is one of perhaps a dozen that exist. PCX is one of the most common and is readily received into WINDOWS display and most Paint programs and Word Processors. A word of CAUTION: If you use your mouse on the screen in the drawing and press the left button you may alter your drawing. To avoid altering the drawing on your diskette, be sure you DO NOT save the altered drawing. To be doubly safe, OPEN THE WRITE PROTECTION window on your diskette. Be sure you have made a backup copy of your diskette before you start. To view and print the drawings in WINDOWS: Activate your Windows program and get into the Paintbrush program. It is in the ACCESSORIES group if it has not been moved. When the Paintbrush screen comes up, Click on File then Click on Open. This brings up the Open screen. Click on the arrow below List Files by Type, then Click on .PCX. Then click on the arrow below Drives and Click on A: (unless you have our diskette in B:). This brings up a listing of all the .PCX files on our diskette. Click on the one you want and then Click on OK (or just double click the file you want). It will appear in the Paintbrush screen, greatly enlarged. You will see only a part of it at first. To see the complete drawing, Click on View, Click on Zoom Out, which will reduce the size of the drawing to fit the screen. To get back to where you were, you will have to Click on Zoom In. If you want to print the drawing, Click on File, Click on Print. A screen comes up in which you make selections. Our equipment produces a drawing that is too big for the page and it goes to a second page. To avoid this make a selection in the Scaling box of something less than 100 percent. We found 90 percent to be OK for the GLOSSARY.PCX lock drawing. You can experiment with other selections and get various results. The better Word Processors have the ability to import pictures such as clipart. Since they have different procedures, we will offer only general comments. They have a means of bringing up a frame for the picture, after doing so you will go through a procedure similar to the above to locate your drawing. You will probably have to select .PCX as the file type because most word processors use some other default format. Some word processors allow you to change the picture size and move it around as you wish. You then print your drawing. We found printing through the word processor was simpler and with a lot more options and flexibility than through the Paintbrush program. We are using a Windows word processor, the Lotus Amipro. OTHER Word processors can import both .TXT files and .PCX files. Since all of them have different procedures, we will not try to give instructions other than suggest you refer to your documentation for your word processor. If you will be working with these files you probably will want to print some of them to avoid having to keep going back them while you are in another program. You can print the .TXT files by typing PRINT FILENAME.TXT and then enter. Your computer may ask you which printer, in which case type LPT1 and enter. This works with a lot of computers. If it doesn't you might try LPT2, otherwise you will have to go to your manual for the answer. In the foregoing, you type the actual filename rather than how we typed them.