========================================================================= From: Steve Litchfield, 3-Lib, 22 Grays Crescent, Woodley, RG5 3EN e-mail: slitchfield@cix.compulink.co.uk or Compuserve 100640,107 ========================================================================= Dear customer, This text file is designed to help you through several problem areas which often provoke 'Frequently-asked-questions'. In the event of problems, and before contacting either the author of the program in question or myself, *please* make sure that you've read right through this text file AND through the documentation/text file(s) that came inside the ZIP file (i.e. the ZIP file for the program you're trying to install)! This help file covers: (i) How to install your floppy-disk based shareware. You may have ordered the full 'collection' (6Mb of Zipped software) from 3-Lib (on 4 or 8 disks currently), or you may have been given (or downloaded from CIX, Compuserve or a BBS) a subset of the full library, with just a few programs. Either way, you'll now be wondering how on earth to get the software onto your shiny new Series 3 (or 3a!). (ii) Other questions, with much shorter answers. e.g. "Where can I get a PC-based S3a emulator from?" and "I keep getting 'Module not found' errors! Why is this?" and more, please see the question and answer section at the end of this text file. ============== (i) How to install your shareware/PD software ============== You will, of course need either a PC (or Amiga or Atari) and a 3-Link or a Ranger disk unit AND enough disk space (internal or SSD) and enough free memory. Not normally a problem, but some of the 3a programs can get quite large! 1) First steps -------------- I suggest you start by taking a single, simple item from the library (e.g. YNOT100.ZIP from the S3 games area) and trying to install that first. That will give you the confidence to progress and move on to more complicated programs etc. If your disk set hasn't got YNOT100.ZIP, don't worry, pick another ZIP file and use that instead, I only mention YNOT because it's installation so easy! Note that some programs are designed to work on the Series 3a ONLY, and some others are so-called 'twin-mode', which means that they adapt themselves to intelligently run on whichever machine you install them on. All the rest of the library are Series 3 programs and should run on the Series 3a in its compatibility mode [see the Series 3a manual etc]. Before you do any installing, you'll need to be familiar with the concept of files and directories, in particular how to move between directories and how to copy files from one place to another. If you're not happy with these concepts and how to apply them on *your* machine, then please read the manuals that came with the machine, looking up anything to do with directories etc. You'll also need to be familiar with files and directories on your Psion and how it handles them. In particular, look at the 'Files and Disks' section in detail. Anyone ringing me for help and not showing an understanding of files and directories will be given an instant referral to the start of the last paragraph, so please do your homework before calling! If you're finding it all rather had going then console yourself with the thought that you're working your way up a learning curve. You'll get there in the end, and you'll have learnt quite a bit in the process! 2) PC, Amiga etc owners: ------------------------ PC owners: If you've got a PC, copy the appropiate ZIP file into a blank directory on your hard disk, along with the PKUNZIP.EXE (v2.04g) file. You can do this from Windows file manager or PsiWin or from your DOS prompt or using XTREE etc, it's up to you. Now you need to run the PKUNZIP program in order to unzip the ZIP file in question. If you're a Windows user, double-click on the "DOS prompt" icon and then type "CD \directory" followed by , where 'directory' is the blank directory you've copied the file(s) into. If you're a DOS user, you'll probably already be in right directory. At the DOS prompt in that directory, type PKUNZIP xxxxxxx.ZIP (where xxxxxx.ZIP is the file you wanted to unzip). Atari/Amiga users only: If you have one of these, then you no doubt have access to similar 'unzipping' programs on your machine already. You'll also need a 'link'-type program for your machine to communicate with your Psion over the serial link. There are graphical link programs for both Atari and Amiga computers, both of which are available from 3-Lib. I also have the Amiga version of UNZIP. I know nothing about Amigas or Ataris, so if you have problems with these, don't call me! Mac users: The Mac serial link comes with its own drag-and-drop software, but you'll still need a program like STUFFIT DELUXE or similar, enabling you to 'unzip' the ZIP files. Contact your local Mac PD and shareware library (I recommend John Powell, at 96 John St, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 1HF) if you're having difficulties with finding a suitable program. PC owners (again) only: (non-PC owners go to step 4.) If you get any 'Don't know how to handle ZIP file' messages or similar, this normally means that you've got an older version of PKUNZIP.EXE somewhere in your DOS Path that's getting executed, e.g. v1.1, which is quite common still. The cure is to hunt out these old copies of PKUNZIP scattered around your hard disk, delete them and put ONE copy of the PKUNZIP.EXE that I supply in a directory that gets mentioned early on in your DOS Path. [If you don't know what a DOS Path is, then I refer you to your DOS manual - it's about time you learned!] There are now several PC programs designed to transfer programs across from PC to Psion and back again, and you may be using any of them. I'll spend a moment to summarise the implications of using or not using each of the possibilities: PsiWin:- this is a Windows File Manager look-alike, and allows full 'drag and dropping' of files between the two computers. This is very pretty and easy to use, but has the disadvantage that it doesn't automatically create directories for you (so you may have to create \APP\ or \APP\XXXXX\ directories etc on your flash disk manually, using the 'Create Directory' menu option). Also, it keeps trying to CONVERT everything when all you want is to COPY files! Ah well, that's progress. You can get round the convert thing by holding the Control key down while you drag the files around. You also won't be able to use RCOM and MCLINK installation scripts that shareware authors often provide to make installation easier. WINLINK:- this is kind of a 'poor man's PsiWin'. I know nothing about it except that it probably works in a similar way to PsiWin. RCOM:- this was a hybrid DOS/WINDOWS program. It basically gives you a DOS window on your Windows screen, with the Psion's drives available as I:, L: or R:. It's all a bit unfriendly in that file copying etc either has to happen through typing DOS commands (e.g. COPY FRED.OPA L:\APP\) or through the Psion's own file copying menu options. On the other hand, if the author of the program you're trying to install has provided an RCOM installation script, you can just do CALL INSTALL.SCR and hey presto, the program's (more or less) installed for you! Note that you should inspect any scripts in Windows NOTEPAD before CALLing them, as you may want to change the Psion drive names to suit your particular situation. If the author supplies an MCLINK script file, then you can run this, but may also need to make the appropriate directories yourself, as RCOM doesn't do this for you. MCLINK:- this was the original PC-to-Psion program and in many ways is still the most versatile. It has the disadvantage that file copying etc has to be done with DOS-like commands (e.g. COPY FRED.OPA REM::A:\APP\) or through the Psion's menus. Note the final backslash in the above example, it's important in all MCLINK file COPY commands. MCLINK is handy for running installation scripts that may be supplied, you can do this by typing @INSTALL.SCR (or whatever) at the MCLINK prompt. Note that different people will find different programs to their liking and way of working. Me, I use both PsiWin and MCLINK, depending on whether I'm in DOS or Windows at the time! Go to step 4) 3) What to do if you've only got a Ranger disk: ----------------------------------------------- If you've got a Ranger disk, you'll have to do all the hard work on the Series 3 or 3a itself! It's a lot more hassle than using a bigger computer to take the strain, but it is possible. Read on .... I have put a copy of the Series 3 Unzip program (UNZIP.IMG) in its own subdirectory on this disk, together with RUN.APP, which is needed to run the program on the Series 3 or 3a. Read the documentation file, copy the UNZIP program across to a \RUN directory on your Series 3, and the RUN.APP to your \APP directory, install it and then try unzipping the ZIP file of your choice. There are several documentation files to help you in the \UZIP directory on the UTILS disk, but in brief, say you wanted to unzip FAIR10.ZIP (or FAIR22.ZIP, of course, if you've got a 3a) : - Make a new directory on your M drive called \TMP (or whatever). - Run the RUN application from its icon - In the dialog:- Command line: m:\tmp\fair10.zip Initial path: m:\tmp\ - This will now 'explode' the files neatly into your \TMP directory - If all worked OK, delete the file FAIR10.ZIP (to save space) - Examine the documentation files that were produced, in this case FMAN.TXT and READ.ME using TXTVIEW or the built-in WORD program - Follow the instructions given, e.g. move the OPA file to an \APP directory, make an \APP\FAIRWAY directory and move the OPO, FON and PIC files into it. *** NOTE *** When I say 'move' I of course mean COPY the file and delete the original! **** - Do Psion-I on the FAIRWAY.OPA file, and you're away! 4) Note on program complexity! ------------------------------ Different authors use different techniques, and Psion shareware and PD programs can be as simple as one OPA file to install, or as complicated as 200 or so smaller modules which have to be carefully relocated in the correct directories before the program will run. As a guide as to where to start, the following programs (among others) have proven to be simple and trouble-free to install and you may wish to try these first: (for the S3) YNOT100.ZIP, (for the S3a) FO120.ZIP, FAIR22.ZIP Do NOT attempt to install something as large as Mapper-3a on day one, if you're feeling at all nervous, you'll only confuse yourself! 5) General ---------- A ZIP file typically contains several files, including a documentation file (look for a file with a DOC or TXT or WRD extension), which you can view with Notepad or Write or EDIT or TYPE or any other editor or file lister you happen to have on your machine, or copy onto your Psion and view with WORD, as appropriate. If the author of the package has done his job properly, then the documentation file will contain clear instructions for installing the software. If he hasn't, well, let's just say that you might be better off trying a different program and coming back to the ambiguous one at a later date when you are more experienced and should be able to make a few guesses about what goes where. All I (Steve Litchfield) do is *compile* the library, I 've only tried in depth about half the programs myself, and cannot therefore offer any kind of technical support. For that, you should approach the authors concerned, who usually leave contact details in their documentation files or in the help screens. =========== (ii) Other frequently asked questions ======================== Q. What PC-based emulators are available? A. Psion have made the Series 3 and 3a emulators freely available, with only the proviso that if they don't work, then not to blame them or contact them in any way. They do in fact work very well, but please read the documentation *carefully* before installing! The emulators are available from 3-Lib on a separate disk. Q. What Psion hot-keys do I not know about? A. The most useful are Control-Tab-Space (on a Series 3 only) to go to the system screen, Control-Shift-Psion-K to kill the current process, and Control-Shift-Psion-S to capture the current screen to a PIC file in the root directory. Shift-System will cycle you through all apps currently running. Q. What bulletin boards have Psion software on them? A. Well, 3-Lib should have more or less everything that's on *all* the boards, but if you're really serious about this sort of thing, try Flight Path on 0181 759 3332 or best of all (but you have to pay for this one) CIX on 0181 390 1244 (which is where Psion offer official on-line support). On the Internet, try the comp.sys.psion newsgroup or the src.doc.ic.ac.uk ftp/www site. Compuserve (various access numbers) is also good for Psion stuff (the Palmtop forum), and has recently reduced all its pricing. Q. I keep having battery problems! What should I do? A. Battery low warnings, or batteries appearing to get exhausted far too soon, are often symptoms of dirty connections or under-size batteries. Try cleaning up the batteries and the contacts inside the Psion, a piece of toilet paper mops up any grease quite nicely! Some makes of battery are actually under-size and don't make proper contact in the battery bays. I recommend Panasonic's alkaline batteries, which have proven very reliable. There is also a known problem with S3/3a battery compartments where the battery wires fray and break, so if cleaning your contacts and replacing your batteries doesn't work, then contact Psion to get the battery lead replaced. They *may* even do this free of charge even if out of warranty as it's a known design fault! Q. When running a program from its icon on the system screen, I get a 'Module not found' error! Why? A. This is almost always because you've moved a program from one disk to another. For example, you install (Psion-I) TETRIS from the internal (M) disk and lo and behold, up comes its icon. Later on, you decide that this program is just what you wanted, and so copy the TETRIS.OPA file to your flash disk and delete the file on your internal disk. *BUT*, the icon still thinks the program ought to be where it first found it! You need to 'Remove' the application from the system screen and then Re-install it from the flash disk. Other 'module not found' errors may be due to you not having copied parts of a program to the right directories. e.g. LIFEGUI2 needs its main program in \APP\ and three other files in \APP\LIFEGUID\ . If you put the three modules in the wrong place, or miss one of them out, you'll get a 'not found'-type error! Q. How do I get 'online' with a 3-Fax or other modem from my Psion? A. Well, this is more like a general computer/modem question, but I'll give some pointers. Firstly, get hold of a computer magazine and look in the small ads for the phone numbers of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) near you. The best way to learn is to try real BBSs and the more local it is, the cheaper the phone bill! Especially so while you're learning! And the chap who runs the BBS will be only too pleased to help you out and advise you. Beware the 'premium rate' BBSs which are rip-offs as they charge high phone tariffs. Most good BBSs are on normal phone lines .... Read the 3-fax manual section on using it for data-communications (as opposed to fax) and open up a terminal/comms session. Type AT{enter} and you should get back an 'OK' message to signify all is well. You can dial a number by typing ATDT0734727262{enter} or whatever. Once connected to a BBS, you may need to press {Enter} a few times to get a response. Once you've tried a few local BBS and are getting the hang of things, you may wish to consider using one of the main 'subscription' services, giving you access to the Internet and world-wide e-mail. I recommend CIX for its range of conferences, especially Psion stuff, and because there is an off-line-reader (OLR) for it available for the 3a. OLRs are essential on most services when phone time/cost is an issue, as they download mail and messages etc in the shortest time possible. You're on a steep learning curve when you enter the world of comms from a 3a, but it's great fun and very rewarding! When you're finally on-line on a system with worldwide e-mail, send me a message! My address is at the top of this text file! Q. What other FAQs are there? A. There is another larger Psion Series 3 Frequently Asked Questions in 'PSIONFAQ.ZIP' in the main 3-Lib library. Also see specific OPL and comms FAQs in the 'Programming' section. ========================================================================== Any suggestions as to other FAQs to add here are welcomed!