SUPER SUBNOTEBOOKS TESTED!

I

1

COOL DIAGNOSTICS STEPS TO FIND THE PROBLEM KEYSOLUTIO

Wl

* «►

EASY DATABASES

U.S. $2.95 /CAN. $3.50

ll71486"02193l

04

Finding the right computer for all of you is easier than you think.

Compatibility

"Basically. I'm

buying litis to bring

work home, so it has

to be compatible'.'

Speed

'7 deserve a faster

machine than I've got

at the office"

Reliability

''What trill I hare

to do if the thing

stops working"

Games

"/ wouldn't mind

being able to run that

game that lets you

play Pebble Beach"

Software

"Lots of colleges require word processing, and the programs that

help you with your

SATs are supposed to be

really good"

Connections

"/ keep hearing about

all the things you can do

if you have Prodigy and

America OnL

9"

me :

Simplicity

"Could ire please get a

computer I won't have to

ask my brother the geek

for help with?"

Speed

"It s got to be fast, so we

need a 486, the higher the

megaliert: the belter."

Memory

"Trust me on this.

ive have to have 4MB

of RAM at least!'

Storage

"Tlie bigger the hard disk,

the more stuff' I can do"

Modem

"This is key. It's how

I get into on-line bulletin

boards and the Internet!'

Multi-media

"All the coolest games are on CD-ROM. Oh. and lots of the educational junk is, too!'

The Basics

"Basically, we're buying

it for the kids, so it should

come with the software

they'll need for school."

Fax/Modem

"I'd like to be able

to connect to my clients

and pay our bills

electronically."

Multi-media

"A computerized

encyclopedia would be

a good idea, and I

understand you can

put family pictures on

Photo CDs now!'

Price

"7 wish money were no object, but it is!'

'PS/1 can accommodate up to eight personal workspaces. fRapid Resume is standard on most models, upgradaple on other models IBM and PS/1 are registered trademarks and Rapid Resume and Express Maintenance are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. All other products and company names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders. © 1994 IBM Corp.

Tell us if we've got this right.

You need the power to plow through office work, make sense of the family finances and prep your kids for college. Oh, and your youngest needs to be able to "surf the Internet" (whatever that means).

Okay, what you need is a smail, fast, capable PC that you can buy and use without a Master's Degree in MegaHertz.

Today, the worldwide leader in business computers is using its advanced technology to make the choice easier. Today, IBM" is building PCs with innovations that make them work more the way you (and other members of your nuclear, extended or non-traditional family) expect them to work.

in

,tel

in'

w

The IBM PS/P is a serious computer you can set up in minutes, with many of today's best-selling software packages pre-loaded and ready to go. But more importandy, it's a seri- ous computer you can quickly feel comfortable with.

Everyone* in your family who uses the PS/1 can create a per- sonal workspace (or "desktop") to call their own. Because it's their space, they can furnish it with just the programs they like, organized the way they choose. And like a real desktop, PS/l's exclusive Rapid Resume'4' feature lets you walk away from your work without closing up all your files. PS/1 automatically keeps your place when you shut it off. And brings

m

you back in seconds the next time you switch it on.

Like IBM computers that are all business, PS/1 is built to last. And it's backed by IBM's exclu- sive Express Maintenance™ If the computer misbehaves on a Sunday at 3AM, call us. If we can't solve your (our) hardware problem over the phone, we'll ship out a replacement within 48 hours (which will save you from waiting for a repairman).

Your retader has a hill range of expandable PS/1 systems at very competitive prices. For the store nearest you, or for more information, call 1 800 IBM-3377. And discover power made easy.

PS/1 Power Made Easy

Up to 486DX2 66MHz

8MB RAM

420MB HD

682 MB (with

DoubleSpace installed)

Pre-installed Software

Rapid Resume Express Maintenance

Multi-media Models Include:

CD-ROM Sound Blaster 16™

Audio Card & Speakers

Meets MPC2 Specs

COMPUTE

VOLUME 16, NO. 4, ISSUE 163

APRIL 1994

FEATURES

18

TEST LAB

Edited by Mike Hudnall

This month, we test seven

subnotebooks that are fast,

light, and powerful.

42

TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR PC

By Richard C. Leinecker

A quick

troubleshooting guide

plus 16 diagnostic programs

for DOS and Windows.

53

COMPUTE'S GETTING STARTED WITH™ DATABASES

By Tom Campbell

The inside story on how to

choose and use a database

manager.

76 M

PRODUCTIVITY CHOICE ^

By Richard 0. Mann

Quicken 3 for Windows from

Intuit.

COLUMNS

4 EDITORIAL LICENSE

By Clifton Karnes

A sneak peek at Windows

4.0.

6 WINDOWS WORKSHOP

By Clifton Karnes

A look under Windows'

hood.

8 FEEDBACK

Answers to tough questions.

14

INTRODOS

By Tony Roberts How to make sure your disk is shipshape with ScanDisk.

32

PROGRAMMING POWER

By Tom Campbell

Punch up Visual Basic with

VBAssist.

Cover photo by Mark Wagoner of the seven subnotebook computers reviewed in this issue's Test Lab.

34

TIPS & TOOLS

Edited by Richard C. Leinecker Tips from our readers.

38

HARDWARE CLINIC

By Mark Minasi How to get along with SCSI.

78

ART WORKS

By Robert Bixby The coolest month: cool stuff on its way for April.

136

NEWS & NOTES

By Jill Champion Booth Top computer news.

MULTIMEDIA PC 65

FAST FORWARD

By David English Multimedia power tools.

66

TOUR THE WORLD WITH CD-ROM

By Scott A. May Exploring made easy.

72

NEW MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTS

Edited by Polly Cillpam If it's hot, it's here.

74

MULTIMEDIA SPOTLIGHT

By Richard O. Mann

The New Kid on the Block

from Braderbund.

ENTERTAINMENT

80

DISCOVERY CHOICE

By Clayton Walnum

Math Ace from Magic Quest.

82

GAMEPLAY

By Denny Atkin

SimHealth:

A Democracy and Society

Computer Simulation

and DOOM.

84

ENTERTAINMENT CHOICE

By Scott A. May

Shadowcaster from Origin

Systems.

86

THE FUTURE OF PC GAMES

By Scott A. May

A look at exciting high-tech

games that are just around

the corner.

REVIEWS

97

Sensory System I,

CommWorks for Windows,

Rebel Assault,

askSam for Windows,

Sid & Al's Incredible Toons,

The Even More

Incredible Machine,

IBM MWave WindSurfer,

The Labyrinth of Time,

401 Great Letters

for Windows,

The Patrician,

Scan-in-Dex,

AnyView,

GuitarWorks Advanced

Edition, Home Survival Toolkit,

Pebble Beach:

Links Championship

Course,

PC Vision Pro,

and Innocent Until Caught.

ADVERTISERS' INDEX

See page 121.

COMPUTE (ISSN 0194.357X) is published monthly in the United States and Canada by COMPUTE Publications International Ltd 1965 Broadway New York NY 10023-5965 Vnlump 1K Number * Issue 163. Copyright © 1994 by COMPUTE Publications International Ltd. All rights reserved. COMPUTE is a registered ^^o?COMPUTE^ PuMeatta ISn^onTud ram'™™ Sw ™Vf °fP . Ausl:?la,^ *e UK) by Curtis Circulation Company. P.O. Box 9102. Pennsauken. NJ 081099 Distributed in Aus°raNa b , The Ho™rtf Group PO Box 306' Cammeray NSW 2062 Australia and in the UK by Seymour Press. Ltd., Windsor House. 1270 London Rd„ Norbury. London SW1642H England Second-class oostaoe raid at New York r t^i^T°lf mall,n9 0,f'Pfhs: POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COMPUTE Magazine, P.O. Box 3245, Harlan, IA 51537 3041 Tef (800) P727 6937P Entire Contents copyrighted. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Subscriptions: US, AFO - $19 94 one year Canada $32 04 one year; Fomigr- $29.94 one year. Single cop.es $2.95 in US. The publisher disclaims all responsibility to return unsolicited matter, and all righis in portions publi

Ave PSte So &eefsboro PncSS 1^9^™™°'° *"* '° C°MPUTE " * ed"0rS beC°me "" prap8rty °f ^ maQaZine' Edit°rial °ffiC8S

ished thereof remain the re located at 324 W. Wendover

Printed in the USA by R. R. Donnelley & Sons Ir COMPUTE APRIL 1994

#R126607415

PRESENTING

THE COMPLETE

PC MULTIMEDIA

SOLUTION.

Whether if s business, education, Photo CD, video capture or just plain fun, the world of PC multimedia is exploding. And you can count on Creative Labs to deliver the multimedia solution that's just right for you.

ALL THE RIGHT HARDWARE, ALL THE RIGHT SOFTWARE...

It starts with our award-winning technology. Like the industry-standard Sound Blaster"' family of audio cards- the 16-bit sound standard. And Creative Double Speed Technology'" CD-ROM drives- And state-of-the-art video capture and playback.

Plus, every Creative Labs product comes packed with

best-selling software, from the latest hot games to reference applications and no-nonsense authoring and editing tools.

ALL AT THE RIGHT PRICE.

Day after day, more PC owners choose Creative Labs multimedia products over any other. With our technological innovation, software compatibility, easy installation and bottom-line value, if s no wonder we're the complete PC multimedia solution. Not to mention the best-selling multi- media hardware line of all time.

|o^ CRE TIVI

CREATIVE LAB

||txk i U.S. Inquiries: Creative Labs: TEL 1-800-998-5227 or 408428-6600. International Inquiries: Creative Technology Ltd., Singapore, TEL 65-773-0233 FAX 65-773-0353. Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Discovery CD, |^^P&| Sound Blaster Edutainment CD, Sound Blaster DigitalEdge CD, Creative OrrmiCD, Video Blaster, Wave Blaster, Creative VoiceAssist, Creative Double-Speed Technology and the Sound Blaster and Creative Multimedia PC 'egos are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. VideoSpigot is a registered trademark of SuperMac Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. © Copyright 1993 Creative Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.

Circle Reader Service Number 125

Editor Clifton Karnes Art Director Robin Case Mykytyn

Managing Editor

Features Editor

Reviews Editor

Gazette and Online Editor

Entertainment Editor

Senior Copy Editor

Copy Editor

Editorial Assistant

Contributing Editors

David English

Robert Bixby

Mike Hudnall

Tom Netsel

Denny Atkin

Karen Huffman

Margaret Ramsey

Polly Cillpam

Sylvia Graham, Tony Roberts,

Karen Siepak

ART Assistant Art Director Kenneth A. Hardy Designer Katie Murdock Copy Production Manager Terry Cash

PRODUCTION Production Manager De Potter

Traffic Manager Barbara A. Williams

PROGRAMMING AND ONLINE SERVICES Manager Troy Tucker Programmers Steve Draper

Bradley M. Small

ADMINISTRATION

EDITORIAL LICENSE

President and COO

Executive Vice President,

Operations

Vice President

and Editorial Director

Operations Manager

Office Manager

Sr. Administrative Assistant

Receptionist

Kathy Keeton William Tynan

Keith Ferrell

David Hensley Jr. Sybil Agee Julia Fleming LeWanda Fox

ADVERTISING Vice President Peter T. Johnsmeyer and Associate Publisher (212) 496-6100

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

Full-Page and Standard Display Ads: East Coast— Peter T. Johns- meyer or Chris Coeiho. COMPUTE Publications International. 1965 Broadway. New York, NY 10023; (212) 496-6100. Southeast— Harriet Rogers, 503 A St. SE, Washington, DC 20003; (202) 546- 5926. Florida— Jay M. Remer Associates, 7040 W Palmetto Park Rd., Ste. 308. Boca Raton, FL 33433; (407) 391-0104. (407) 391- 5074 (fax). Midwest— Starr Lane, 7 Maywood Dr., Danville, IL 61832; (217) 443-4042, (217) 443-4043 (fax). Midwest Main Office— 111 E, Wacker Dr., Ste. 508, Chicago, IL 60601; (312) 819-0900, (312) 819-0813 (fax). Detroit— Jim Chauvm, 200 E. Big Beaver Rd., Troy. Ml 48083. (313) 680-4610, (313) 524-2866 (fax). Northwest- Jerry Thompson (415-348-8222) or Lucille Dennis (707-451-8209). Jules E. Thompson Co., 1290 Howard Ave., Ste. 303, Burlingame, CA 94010. Southwest and West— Howard Ben-nan, 6728 Eton Ave.. Canoga Park, CA 91303: (818) 992-4777. Product Mart Ads: Lu- cille Dennis, Jules E. Thompson Co., 1290 Howard Ave., Ste. 303, Burlingame, CA 94010; (707) 451-8209. Classified Ads: Maria Manaseri, 1 Woods Ct.. Huntington, NY 11743; (516) 757-9562 (phone and fax). Sr. VP/Corp. Din. New Business Development: Bev- erly Wardale. VP/Dir.. Group Advertising Sales: Nancy Kestenbaum, 9709 Brimfield Ct., Potomac, MD 20854; (301) 299-4677, (301) 299- 4649 (fax). Sr. VP/Southern and Midwestern Advertising Dir., Pe- ter Goldsmith, P.O. Box 1535, Mason Neck, VA 22199-1535; (703) 339-1060, (703) 339-1063 (fax). Europe— Beverly Wardale. Flat 2. 10 Stafford Terrace. London. England W87 BH; 011-4711-937- 1517. Japan— Jiro Semba, Intergroup Communications. 3F Tiger Bldg., 5-22 Shiba-koen, 3-Chome, Minaio ku. Tokyo 105, Japan; 03-434-2607, J25469IGLTYO (telex), 434-5970 (fax). Korea: Kaya Advertising, Rm. 402 Kunshin Annex 8/D 251-1. Dohwa Dong, Mapo-Ku, Seoul, Korea (121); 719-6906. K32144Kayaad (telex).

THE CORPORATION

Bob Guccione, Chairman and CEO

Kathy Keeton. Vice Chairman and COO

William F. Mariieb, President (Marketing, Sales, and Circulation)

Patrick J. Gavin, Executive Vice President (Operations) and CFO

Richard Cohen, Executive Vice President and Treasurer

Frank DeVino, Executive Vice President and Graphics Director

Jim Martise, Executive Vice President (Circulation)

Hal Halpner, Vice President and Manufacturing Director

William Tynan, Vice President (Technology and Information

Services)

CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION

Sr. VP and CFO: Patrick J. Gavin; VP and Dir., Sales Promotions: Beverly Greiper; Dir, Newsstand Circulation: Maureen Sharkey; Dir., Newsstand Operations: Joe Gallo: Dir., Subscription Circulation: Beatrice J. Hanks; VP and Dir.. Research: Robert Rattner; Adver- tising Production Dir,: Charlene Smith; Traffic Dir.: William Harbutt; VP, Financial Operations: Jim Folio; VP, Budget and Finance: Tom Maley; Production Mgr.: Tom Stinson; Asst. Production Mgr.: Nan- cy Rice: Mgr., International Div.: George Rojas; VP. Retail Sales and Marketing: Glenn Smith; National Marketing Dir.: Anne M, Zink; Ex- ec. Asst. to Bob Guccione: Diane O'Connell; Spec. Asst. to Bob Guccione: Jane Homlish.

Clifton Karnes

Recently, Microsoft released a white paper that offers us an en- ticing sneak preview of Win- dows 4.0, code-named Chica- go. (The complete text of this paper is available in COMPUTE'S forum on America Online with the filename CHI- CAQA.ZIP. To access the forum, use the keyword COMPUTE.)

As you may already know, Chica- go is the next version of Windows, de- signed to replace both Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups. And from reading this paper, it looks like Microsoft is including stuff from al- most everyone's Windows wish list.

The most important news about Chi- cago for most of us is that this new op- erating system is being designed to be completely compatible with cur- rent DOS programs, DOS device driv- ers, and Windows 3.1 apps. This means that everything you're running in Windows now should work fine un- der Chicago. The next question for most people is, Will Chicago run on my current system? Microsoft says that on a 4MB 386, Chicago will run as fast as Windows 3.1 , but with a fast- er processor, more memory, or both, Chicago will be faster than 3.1.

How is Chicago going to be better than Windows 3.1? According to this paper, there will be lots of improve- ments, but perhaps the most impor- tant advantage over Windows 3.1 is that Chicago will be a complete 32- bit protected-mode operating system. In other words, it won't sit on top of DOS the way Windows 3.1 does. And it will support preemptive multi- tasking, which means a faster, smooth- er, and more responsive system.

Microsoft isn't saying too much about Chicago's interface yet, but the system is being designed to be easi- er to use, and the paper does men- tion a system toolbar that will make it easy for us to manage applications. It's also worth noting that although the new interface appears to inte- grate both File Manager and Program Manager into one shell, both of these apps will still be available, in case you'd prefer to use one of them as your interface.

Beyond this, Chicago's design is fo- cused on what Microsoft calls a doc- ument-centric approach. This means

that the operating system will make it easier for us to think in terms of the work we're doing rather than the ap- plications that manage the work. OLE 2 is going to be the main vehicle Chi- cago uses to make documents the fo- cus of our work.

In addition to these features, Chica- go will also, according to Microsoft, ful- ly support Plug and Play, which is a hardware-software specification that makes it easy and foolproof to add hardware options to your system and remove them from it. Using Plug and Play, the computer will figure out how to configure interrupts, ports, DMA channels, and I/O addresses.

Tired of the eight characters DOS gave you for filenames in 1981? Well, we're finally getting long file- names in Chicago. And the system al-

so boasts basic built-in file synchro- nization, so you can move files be- tween computers and make sure your current system always has the most recent files.

Where does Chicago fit into Micro- soft's Windows product line? As I men- tioned earlier, Chicago is designed to replace Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups, so when Chicago ships, there will be just two current Windows operating systems: Win- dows 4.0 and Windows NT.

When will Chicago ship? The Micro- soft paper doesn't give a specific date, but says the second half of 1994. My guess would be the fourth quarter and probably late in that quar- ter. Christmas maybe. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to unwrap this package. □

COMPUTE APRIL 1994

Introducing C Set ++ FirstStep for OS/2

Object

oriented

applications

Now everything you need to begi writing C/C++ applications is at your fingertips - and well within your budget. C Set ++ FirstStep is a state-of-the-art, C/C++ development environment. It includes: 'An ANSI standard conforming compiler for C/C++ *A visual tool for debugging *C++ Collection Class Libraries *A comprehensive Developer's Toolkit (Version 2.1) with all necessary programming tools, and •WorkFrame/2: which provides an integrating environment that increases the effectiveness of those tools In short, with C Set ++ FirstStep for OS/2 from IBM Software Solutions, you can launch yourself right into writing high quality object-oriented applications.

start

FirstStep Technical Features

D □

32-bit C/C++ compiler.

Visual PM Debugger.

C++ Collection Class Libraries.

Developer's ToolKit new V2.1 .

WorkFrame/2 (supports DOS. Windows and OS/2 tools).

Open and configurable integration framework.

Seamless integration of multiple edit, compile & debug tools.

Professional developers may require the additional features of C Set ++ I 2.1, nur professional developer's package including high-end tools, optimization and fall support and service.

right here

To order C Set ++

FirstStep for OS/2, or for

further information call

1-800-342-6672

(U.S.A.) or

1-800-465-7999, ext. 670 (Canada).

Or contact your local IBM software dealer.

IBM and OS/2 are registered trademarks and C Set ++ is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. ©1993 IBM Corp.

WINDOWS WORKSHOP

Clifton Karnes

Let's park under

a shade tree,

roll up our sleeves,

and pop open

Windows' hood.

WINDOWS' SOUL

Have you ever wondered what Windows really is? It's such a strange beast, after all. Is it a DOS program, for exam- ple? It seems to be a COM file (which is the old-fashioned DOS executable format), it runs from DOS, and after you exit Windows, the program re- turns to DOS. In many ways it seems like a DOS program. But it's graphical, and more im- portant than that, it multitasks. And you can use all of your PC's extended memory with Windows, which DOS by itself certainly won't let you do.

To answer some of these questions and really under- stand Windows' essence, we need to talk a little about the Intel 8088, 80286, and 80386 processors, collectively known as the 80x86 family. The 8088, as you probably know, is the brain of the origi- nal IBM PC. It has a 16-bit reg- ister width, an 8-bit data bus, and a 20-bit address bus, all of which means it can operate on 16 bits of data at a time, can access data from memo- ry and peripherals 8 bits at a time, and can address 1MB (220) of memory.

The 8088's 1MB address space is divided between 640K of user memory and 384K of adapter memory. This 640K seemed endless in 1981, when the machine de- buted, but faster than you could sort a big database or recalculate a huge spread- sheet, it was too small.

Intel tried to solve the 8088's memory problems (as well as several other prob- lems) with the 80286, which ap- peared in the IBM AT in 1983. The 80286 is completely com- patible with the 8088, but it's faster (6 MHz originally, com- pared with the 8088's 4.77 MHz), and it can address more memory. In fact, the AT's 24-bit address bus can ad-

dress a whopping 16MB of RAM. The 80286 also features an additional mode, called pro- tected mode, which allows the processor to address this full 16MB address space. The 8088's native operating mode was dubbed real mode be- cause of the way it addresses its 1MB of memory, using the memory's real address. The 80286's protected mode uses aliases to address memory in- stead of real addresses.

Unfortunately, to use protect- ed mode and get at all the memory above the 1MB bound- ary, you have to abandon DOS, because DOS only works in real mode. Intel seemed to think that new op- erating systems would soon be developed to take advan- tage of protected mode and the vast RAM it offered, but these new operating systems didn't appear. There were so many mission-critical applica- tions running under DOS that nobody wanted to switch.

So almost everyone used 80286-powered PCs simply as faster 8088s. And those gi- ant databases and spread- sheets got bigger and bigger and bigger.

After the 80286 had been crunching numbers and sort- ing data for a while, some peo- ple realized that you can run the processor in real (DOS) mode and switch to protected mode to address the extend- ed memory in the system. The trouble is that you have to re- start the system to get back to real mode. For compatibility, In- tel designed the 80286 to start life in real mode (the 80386 and 80486 do the same thing) and made the switch to protected mode an option. Intel obviously couldn't imagine why anyone would want to go back to real mode after having switched to protected mode, so it didn't make the gate between the two modes two-way.

The trick IBM discovered was to put a special byte in the system that the ROM BIOS would read when it was reset. If the byte was a value that said, in effect, "I'm switching from protected mode to real mode, so don't restart this com- puter," the CPU would go back to real mode, and every- thing would be cool.

VDISK, the RAM disk that comes with DOS, was the first application to use this tech- nique. The technique is a little ugly, but it works, and it spawned a whole new catego- ry of programs called DOS ex- tenders. DOS extenders are ap- plications that can run part of the time in real mode and part of the time in protected mode. They, in effect, add memory management to DOS. If you've followed me so far, you may already know where I'm going: Windows is a DOS ex- tender, and in standard mode, it works much like the early DOS extenders. Howev- er, Windows wouldn't be near- ly the operating system it is (or is it an operating environ- ment?) without the magical new features of the 80386.

With the 80386, Intel really got everything right. The proc- essor is completely compati- ble with the 8088 and 80286, and it adds some powerful new features. First, it's faster than the 80286, with speeds ranging from 25 to 33 MHz. Second, it's a full 32-bit proc- essor with 32-bit registers, a 32-bit address bus, and a 32- bit data bus. And it adds two new features that really turned Windows into a suc- cess story: a new form of mem- ory management, called pag- ing, and a new mode, called virtual 8086 mode.

Next month, I'll talk a little more about these new Intel 80386 modes and how Win- dows exploits them to create virtual memory and multitask DOS applications. □

COMPUTE APRIL 1994

It's FinaDy Hotel

A Mario Bros. Multimedia

Geography Adventure!

It's true! MARIO IS MISSING! from The Software Toolworks combines Mario Bros, excitement with world geography lessons!

The evil Bowser has kidnapped Mario and your child must rescue him through a world-traveling, adventure-filled mission.

MARIO IS MISSING! replaces violence and "shoot-em-up" scenes with intrigue and discovery of exotic, real-world places. It will provide your child with hours of spell-binding enter- tainment. During the quest to rescue Mario, your child will discover national treasures, explore exotic locations, collect clues, learn to master maps and much more!

[fill

rj&i&jtSSjS

THESOFTWARETOOLWORKS ("^

CD-ROM live Action Video

Mario is one of the most beloved animated characters of all times. When combined with the technical expertise of the same people who bring you The Chessmaster, you can be assured that this new generation of video games will provide excitement and entertainment, chock- full of discovery and adventure.

MARIO IS MISSING! is a video game your child will play for hours. And without ever knowing it, they will actually learn. What could be better?

For Multimedia CD ROM

Also available [or NES® SNES'\

Macintosh', IBM* PC & Compatibles

For the store nearest you or to buy, caU

1-800-234-3088

The Software Toohvoths "Out Of This Wotid" Sweepstakes!

Win Tiiis

Multimedia

System!

First Prizes

"Out Of This World" has incredible Grand and First prizes for both adults and kids. And super-duper kid second and third prizes. Drawing is scheduled on or about July 1, 1994. Entries must be postmarked no later than May 31, 1994. So, enter to win now!

Grand Prize - Complete Cynergy™ MPC CD-ROM computer system from Swan

Technologies for you and a SI, 000 Shopping Spree for your child.

Includes software (see rules). Total retail value $3,300.

One Schwinn High Plains adult mountain bike and one "Z" bike for kids

from Schwinn to 20 winners. Second Prizes - A set of Microblade® In-line skates from Rollerblade complete with

safety equipment to 20 winners.

Third Prizes - Flik Flak watches from the makers of Swatch to 100 lucky winners.

To enter. Print your name, address, city, state, zip code, phone number, age and the words "Out of This World Sweepstakes" on a 3" x 5" card or piece of paper. Mail your entry to The Software Toolworks "Out of This World Sweepstakes" PO Box 5939, Novato, CA 94948-5939. All entries must be postmarked no later than 5/31/94.

all conlu^s in r=sard ,o ,h,s promo.ion w,„ 1.1. d In a- « t^ ,^

onepnzer^rivw'ri.i.'inily.ordaiii/altonorlioii.ehol'l • Ml III II A1K '\. Wn a... ■'• .it, I. nil i kuoiiikuu y :,.t„rJ(K?ni.in;:.iriOr>romo!io!i lanriisandsimilar

CYCLINO AND FITNESS

dk Rollerblade

-jM-fM

promotions wltbiiui compensation. 4- mu>: ''■'""-" ■""•; ".»" "l'l"''«'''«''s '; "'"[• ".'""I ^ Y"'mi-,,;*™~r>™m^»'K- ,n iia monii," mchidd Software nuMcs MS DOS' i. U, \1S Window's™ .3.1 .MS Mmev. MS Prndiaiivitv Pa.'k. MS En™sinmsmiPack4.PushButton"Works

tad disk. VESA Los IB 1M1 1 CI RIM , . . I, | 1III|I I s

« Uwarl II S / I 1 1 i > ' mR„,|„Madca„uc„n,F4euL^

HtghPlainsadulimountamhkjiSSsi'eadi'a.idoiiyotl'ichildSJtwi.i,, 7 M.s.tl oiKt-^i? I 'Hit ws. !'■" , i,Minni\s ' Toolworks

RoV'«»fhe!lromftcn.Nker,''(S«uiJ,'tal»uS;si.id,'.T'U:'!>al,»olui).hCi,n,^,^:i.i.«.Chin«;',H.'iin,i; d um ' „, warranty,

andthmagcnis d plot INassnoabil,.,.^^ ,„ perm,, al except by spot,,orduc,ou„asailab,l„>. :„ whuhease a priaolcqaal

™ and Copvri-hl 1991 ©Nintendo. Copvriohl © 1993 The Software Toolworks. Inc. All Rights Reserved. MARIO IS MISSING!™. MARIO"

Nintendo Enteftatnmcnl System. Super NES and NES are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. IBM is a registered trademark o fa

Cvnersy is a trademark of Swan Technologies. Microblade. Rollerblade. and the skate icon are tiadenlarks ot

MARIO™. LUIGI™. BOWSER™, and MARIO'S TIME MACHINE™ are trademarks of Nintendo. Super lmemalional Business Machines Corp. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer. Inc. ' Rollerblade. Inc. Flik Flak is a trademark of Swatch watches.

FEEDBACK

Staying on

schedule, mixing

up words, and

patching into your

stereo

Right on Time

I need a simple scheduler to run from my AU- TOEXEC.BAT—just some- thing to show me a daily to- do list and a way to edit it.

BILL SMITH WASHINGTON. DC

Here's a scheduler that won't cost you anything. It displays all the appointments you've en- tered and prompts you to add appointments, delete ap- pointments, and edit the schedule of another day. As long as you remember to en- ter times in military style (for ex- ample, 1730 for 5:30 p.m. or 0900 for 9:00 a.m.), it will keep your times in order.

The variable sensitivity sets a minimum time between appointments. The default is 15 minutes, so if you set up appointments closer together than that, it will print a warn- ing when it displays the sched- ule (not when you're entering it. though). If you want to change this to 30 minutes or an hour, change sensitivity to equal 30 or 60.

The program even incorpo- rates a to-do list that's carried forward from day to day. To add something to the to-do list, just precede it with an ex- clamation point. It will be cop- ied from the previous day to the current day. Items on the to-do list tend to be persistent. If you delete an item from to- day's to-do list and leave it on yesterday's and then run the program again, the item will re- turn to today's to-do list. There- fore, to permanently remove an item from the to-do list, delete it from today's list and yester- day's list. Any other notes (un- less they begin with a punctu- ation mark) will follow the time schedule and will not be brought forward.

You'll be prompted to bring to-do lists forward (rec- ommended for Mondays or any day after you don't use

the scheduler for over 24 hours). This pulls all of the to- do lists from each of the days of the week, places them in the current day, and erases the to-do list from every day ex- cept the current one.

To print your schedule, bring it onto the screen and press the Print Screen key.

CLS

oncethru = 0

OPEN "return.!!!" FOR

OUTPUT AS #1 PRINT #1, CLOSE day$ =

"SunMonTueWedThuFriSat" FOR i = 1 TO 19 STEP 3 a$ = MID$(day$, i, 3) OPEN a$ + ".HI" FOR

APPEND AS #1 PRINT #1, CLOSE NEXT SHELL "date > junk.!!! <

return.!!!" OPEN "junk.!!!" FOR INPUT

AS#1

LINE INPUT #1,a$ SHELL "del junk.!!!" SHELL "del return.!!!" FOR i = 1 TO 19 STEP 3 IF INSTR(a$, MID$(day$, I, 3))

THEN a$ = MID$(day$, I, 3): today$

= a$

i = i - 3: IF i < 0 THEN i = 19 a1$ = MID$(day$, i, 3) CLOSE GOTO check END IF NEXT

PRINT "Error": END check: CLS OPEN a1$ + ".!!!" FOR

INPUT AS #2 OPEN a$ + ".!!!" FOR

APPEND AS #1 WHILE NOT E0F(2) LINE INPUT #2, a2$ IFLEFT$(a2$, 1) = "!" THEN

PRINT #1, a2$ WEND CLOSE

GOSUB organize checkl:

PRINT UCASE$(a$) +

" SCHEDULE" + CHR$(13) OPEN a$ + ".!!!" FOR INPUT

AS#1

WHILE NOT E0F(1) LINE INPUT #1, b$ PRINT b$ WEND CLOSE

IF oncethru <> 1 THEN oncethru = 1 INPUT "Bring forward all to-do

lists?", b$ IF LCASE$(b$) = "y" THEN

GOSUB recollect: GOTO checkl END IF

New/Appointments: PRINT CHR$(13) + "Type

additional entries or press" INPUT "Enter to continue:", b$ IF b$ = "" THEN GOTO deletestuff OPEN a$ + ".!!!" FOR APPEND

AS#1

PRINT #1, b$ CLOSE

GOSUB organize GOTO NewAppointments deletestuff: PRINT CHR$(13) + "Are there

entries in this"

PRINT "file that you would like" INPUT "to delete?<y/N>",b$ IF LCASE$(b$) <> "y" THEN

GOTO makeotherchanges OPEN a$ + ".!!!" FOR INPUT

AS#1 OPEN "junk.!!!" FOR OUTPUT

AS #2

WHILE NOT E0F(1) LINE INPUT #1, b$ PRINT b$

INPUT "Keep? <Y/n/q>",c$ IF LCASE$(c$) = "q" THEN CLOSE

:END IF LCASE$(c$) <> "n" THEN

PRINT #2, b$ WEND CLOSE

GOSUB swapper makeotherchanges: PRINT CHR$(13) + "If you would

like" PRINT "to edit another day's

schedule,"

PRINT "enter the first three" INPUT "letters of day to edit:", b$ IF LEN(b$) <> 3 OR

(INSTR(LCASE$(day$), b$) = 0)

THEN END

8 COMPUTE APRIL 1994

Windows DTP Price Breakthrough.

This ad was created with PagePlus! 4

PagePlus 2.0 - High-End DIP for Everyone. /

Now you can get a high-end Windows desktop publisher for an, industry-shocking $59!

"PagePlus 2.0 has put itself in the league with the big-time players" said BYTE - tremendous power combined with superb ease of use. Check out this ad - designed and produced using PagePlus 2.0 with full color separated output. Get PagePlus and we'll show you how YOU can easily produce beautiful full color pages every bit as good as this one, right on your own computer. NEW! Professional Print Quality with both spot- and process-color separations, and great results from your own dot-matrix, inkjet or laser printer. NEW! Text Frames with unique column blinds give you the ultimate in text flow control. NEW! Styles and Templates with AutoApply for great looking pages in a hurry.

REPORT CARD

Recommendations... _§

Windows Magazine 9$3 S "j

"Pick a Publishing Powerhouse" -g J

by William Hanel. iS-i

SlSi

Easy Working Desktop Publisher Express Publisher fromefnoker PageMaker 5.0 © PagePlus 2.0 © PFS: Publisher Pubtsh It! (TimeWorks) QuarkXPress Ventura Publisher

Copyright Wi by CMP Publication!. Inc. Rqvrinled with permission.

NEW! Export as Picture from PagePlus 2.0 to jazz up your \VP document or spreadsheet. NEW! Free Text lets you drag and drop text anywhere on the page or pasteboard. NEW! Free Rotation of text and graphics. Wow! NEW! ChangeBar technology for dynamic on- screen changes. It couldn't be easier. NEW! Hint Line, Movable rulers, CleanUp, Status Editor, OLE, TrueType and much more...

24-HOUR TOLL-FREE ORDER LINE

800-697-3743

It's a Winner!

New PagePlus 2.0 is as good as (or better than) super high-end DTPs costing hundreds more. In fact, Windows Magazine rated ALL the top publishers (including four $600-plus packages) and recommended... $59.95 PagePlus. The days of paying hundreds for quality DTP are over!

Try PagePlus 2.0 for just $59.95 totally Risk-Free!

The desktop publishing power you'll have is awesome. Right out of the box you'll be

I designing graphics-packed ads, flyers,

I newsletters, forms and more... all for just

11 $59.95. And our 60-day money-back

I guarantee means you've nothing to lose!

New Publishing Packs...

We've also introduced three sensational new Publishing Packs for a phenomenal $29.95 each. NEW! TypePlus a super powerful text effects program for explosive headlines and logos. NEW! ArtPack a professionally drawn collection of over 500 color images for superb results. NEW! FontPack a comprehensive power user's collection of 120 TrueType professional fonts.

Best of all, order the Serif SuperPack collection with PagePlus AND all three publishing packs for an amazing $99.95. Try it for yourself in your own home or office for 60-days risk-free. If, for any reason, you're not completely satisfied, simply return it for a refund.

So call us Direct, or fax/mail the coupon today!

24-HOUR FAX ORDERS

800-869-8909

*Uy d\*v

To run PagePlus, you'll need:

• Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later, with mouse

• 80286 PC or higher, with at least 2 Mb memory

• At least 4 Mb free disk space

• ANY Windows compatible printer

All products shipped on 3.5" (1.44 Mb) disks. Please specify if you need 5.25" (1.2 Mb) disks.

IyES! Please rush me PagePlus. I understand I can return it within 60 days if I'm not completely satisfied.

□ PagePlus 2.0 @ $59.95

□ TypePlus 2.0 @ $29-95

□ ArtPack @ $29-95

□ FontPack @ $29-95

□ SuperPack @ $99.95 (includes all the above)

□ 10-User SuperPack @ $249

I enclose a total* of $

•Add $7 for S&H ($25 International).

Great Software, Direct

j Serif, Inc. • PO Box 803 Nashua NH 03061 • TeL (603) 889-8650 Fax: (603) 889-1127 1 Serif Europe • PO Box 15 Nottingham NG7 2DA England • TeL +44 602 421502 Fax: +44 602 701022 NOTE: Checks/money orders to SERIF. MasterCard/VISA/ American Express/Discover accepted. Cards not charged until dispatch. POs welcome from Education, Federal and Fortune-1000. 10-User SuperPack is a Site License for 10 users in one location. Serif product names are trademarks of Serif, Inc. All other trademarks acknowledged. When you buy any Serif product you get great software and great support. It's both UNLIMITED and FREE! Tech Support is normally available 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week. French and German versions now available.

Chela Reader Service Number 120

Check/Card )

Exp. Date

Signature

Name

Company

Address

City

State

Telephone (..

Please return to: Serif, Inc. PO Box 803 Nashua NH 03061

Fax Toll-Free to: 800-869-8909

ZIP . ..) ....

CPT04

a Nasi tOrl

Get on the info super highway with ChessNet!

ChessNet 3 Single User offers you more features at the most user friendly price. Play against the computer or challenge friends via modem. Network or on Internet! Extra easy heghmer mode! Windows $19.99

ChessNet 3 CM) Edition sup- ports simultaneous remote play on up to eight boards offering teams the opportunity to challenge others to world-wide, live competition! The Club Edition includes a free copy of ChessNet Single User! Windows $49.!

Both support Multimedia Sound. Voice Recognition play via Modem, network and Internet.

Two separately purchased copies are required to play via modem, network or on Internet.

The coolest solitaire game ever!

The 21 best solitaire games ever invented, each with three levels of play, and over 55 animations for loads of fun! Easy to use "double-click" interface and special "send to foundations" controls make this interface the slickest ever.

WindowsQOSMAC $24.99

Check out the full line of high-quality entertainment products from Masque!

FEEDBACK

See your local dealer or call

I -cMlO- #Oi>-4223 Circle Reader Service Number 127 or 303-290-9853 Masque Publishing

MASQUE

a$ = b$

GOSUB organize

GOTO checkl

organize:

SHELL "type " + a$ + ".!!! >

junk.!!! I sort" GOSUB swapper OPEN a$ + ".!!!" FOR INPUT

AS#1 OPEN "junk.!!!" FOR OUTPUT

AS #2 b1$ = ""

WHILE NOT E0F(1) LINE INPUT #1, a1$ IFa1$ob1$ANDa1$<>

CHR$(13)ANDa1$<>"" AND

LEFT$(a1$, 1)<>CHR$(255)

THEN

PRINT #2, a1$ sensitivity = 15 IFb1$o""THEN IF ASC(a1$) < 51 AND ASC(a1$)

>47ANDASC(b1$) < 51 AND

ASC(b1$) > 47 THEN a1min = VAL(MID$(a1$, 3, 2)) +

60 * VAL(LEFT$(a1$, 2)) b1min = VAL(MID$(b1$, 3, 2)) +

60 * VAL(LEFT$(b1$, 2)) IF ABS(a1min - blmin) <

sensitivity THEN PRINT #2,

CHR$(255) + "POSSIBLE

CONFLICT!!!" END IF END IF END IF b1$ = a1$ WEND CLOSE

GOSUB swapper RETURN recollect: a3$ = a$ OPEN a3$ + ".!!!" FOR APPEND

AS#1

FOR i = 1 TO 19 STEP 3 a$ = MID$(day$, i, 3) IF a$ <> a3$ THEN OPEN a$ + ".!!!" FOR INPUT

AS #2 OPEN "junk.!!!" FOR OUTPUT

AS #3

WHILE NOT E0F(2) LINE INPUT #2, a4$ IFLEFT$(a4$, 1) = "!"

THEN

PRINT #1, a4$ ELSE

PRINT #3, a4$ END IF WEND CLOSE 2 CLOSE 3 GOSUB swapper END IF NEXT

CLOSE

a$ = a3$ GOSUB organize RETURN swapper:

SHELL "del " + a$ + ".!!!" SHELL "ren junk.!!! " + a$ + ".!!!" RETURN

Mixed-Up World

I want a program that will mix up words and create an- agrams.

BILL HALLEY LOS ANGELES. CA

Here's a program that asks what word you want ana- grams of and how many ana- grams you want. It would be fairly simple to create a simi- lar program that mechanical- ly creates each of the possi- ble anagrams of a word of any length, but this program takes a slightly different ap- proach, shuffling letters until it finds an anagram different from the anagrams it has pre- viously generated.

Its major limitation is the amount of space the string storage takes up in memory, so if you want to make the program generate more ana- grams, eliminate the routine that makes sure each of your anagrams is unique. This routine begins with the line FOR i = 0 TO counter.

DIM b$(100): DIM c$(g)

RANDOMIZE TIMER

counter = 0

INPUT "How many anagrams do

you want?"; c INPUT "Enter word to mix up.";

a$ IF LEN(a$) < 3 THEN PRINT

"Error. Word too short.": END m = LEN(a$)

FOR i = 2 TO LEN(a$) - 1 m = m * i NEXT

IF LEN(a$) < 8 THEN REDIM c$(m) ELSE

REDIM c$(c) END IF

IF c> m THEN PRINT "Error. You have asked

for too many anagrams." PRINT "You can't have more

than"; m; " different anagrams

for a word "; LEN(a$); " letters

long."

"if you want to go all out for games, the Falcon is the best bet for your money." -Computer Gaming World

k

*&0

THE FALCON MACH V: THE ULTIMATE GAMING MACHINE

o

ata\

If you need the fastest computer

performance for your gaming,

personal, or business software,

you need to fly a Falcon!

The MACH V

Is Complete For

Only $2,495

To Order Call: 1-800-258-6778

VISA & MasterCard Accepted Financing Available On Approved Credit.

Standard features:

Intel™ 486 DX/2-66 Processor, P24T Pentium Upgradable

1 00% Compatible with All IBM™ PC Software

Falcon VESA Local Bus Motherboard, 256K Cache, AMI BIOS

VESA Local Bus Graphics Board with 1 Megabyte - 16.8 Million Colors!

Falcon VESA Local Bus Hard Drive Controller Card

4 Megabytes of RAM expandable to 32

1 .2 & 1 .44 Floppy Drives

250 Megabyte 1 2 ms Hard Drive with 1 28K Cache

MPC™ Level 2 Compliant 250 ms Double-Speed CD-ROM Drive - NEW

SoundBlaster PRO™ with Multimedia Encyclopedia on CD-ROM - NEW

Shielded Multimedia Speakers

CH Products FlightStick PRO™ 4 Button Joystick with Viewing Control

CH Products Automatic Speed Sensitive Dual Gameport

Mini-Tower Case with 250 Watt Power Supply

Two Cooling Fans with Temperature Sensing

14" Non- Interlaced Super VGA Monitor, .28dp, Edge-to-Edge Display - NEW!

101 Key Keyboard with Dustcover

MS-DOS 6™

3 Button Mouse with Mousepad

One Year Parts & Labor Warranty

One Year On-Site Service Policy - NEW'

Upgrades for Memory, Hard Drives, Monitors and many other components are available - each MACH V is custom tailored to fit your game!

FALCON NORTHWEST

COMPUTER SYSTEMS

263 South Bayshore Dr. Coos Bay, OR 97420

Why Gamble? Get the best!

From the company that has won major industry awards for its gaming software. All products include multimedia sound and voice!

World Series of Poker Adventure

"Simply the finest casino poker simulation ever!" Jim Albrecht, World Series of Poker Director.

Las Vegas in a box! A complete adventure featuring Blackjack, Slots, Video Poker, 7-Card Stud, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hold 'em, Satellite Tournaments and the World Series of Poker event.

DOS (3'h" disk) $39.99

Masque Blackjack

Voted a Top 100 Windoios Product, Windows Magazine

"Simply the best tool to help anyone learn the game." Casino Player Magazine.

Fun to play, easy to learn. Four complete strategies by expert Julian Braun encom- pass basic and advanced play for single and multiple deck.

Windows (3'i2"disk) $39.99

Masque Video Poker

Finalist, Best Strategy Program of 1993, Softivare Publishers Association.

"One of the best video poker games around. " Computer Gaming World.

Learn to play like an expert. Average payback exceeds 100% on selected casino machines when expertly played using the strategies of Lenny Frome.

Windows (3 'is" disk) $39.99

Casino Lite Series

"Your best value in casino gaming software, " Jim Albrecht, World series of Poker Director.

7-Card Stud, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hold'em, Blackjack Basics, Video Poker Wild and Video Poker Jacks provide real casino atmosphere with multimedia sound, voice and on-line strategy tips or recommendations from the world class experts.

(3'i2"disk) $14.99 each

Visit your local dealer or call 800-765-4223. or 303-290-9853.

Video of the actual 1993 World Series of Poker event.

Mention this ad and buy too products direct and get it free! Or, send in two Masque MA SOI F

product registration cards and just $5 to cover shipping and handling. ( $14.95 value)

Circle Reader Service Number 118

Masque Publishing

FEEDBACK

END END IF

FOR i = 1 TO LEN(a$) b$(i) = MID$(a$. i, 1) NEXT

FOR j = 1 TO C FOR i = 0 TO 10 * LEN(a$) top:

a = INT(RND * LEN(a$) + 1) b = INT(RND * LEN(a$) + 1) IF a = b THEN GOTO lop SWAP bS(a). b$(b) NEXT

FOR i = 1 TO LEN(a$) dS = d$ + b$(i) NEXT

FOR i = 0 TO counter IF d$ = c$(i) THEN d$ = " ": GOTO

top NEXT

PRINT counter + 1; d$ c$(counter) = d$ counter = counter + 1 d$ = "" NEXT

Is the Stereo Sound?

I read "Open Windows to Sound" (November 1993 is- sue) and decided to use my stereo in place of either un- powered or powered comput- er speakers for multimedia sound. I placed it on a shelf above my computer and used a patch cord to con- nect the two. I have all the power I need to drive the speakers, I eliminated the need to pay for additional speakers, I can adjust the vol- ume with the stereo amplifier instead of fooling around with dialog boxes, sound cards, or volume controls on the speakers themselves, I can play the radio anytime I want, and I can record sound from the CD-ROM drive. Am I running any risk with this setup?

I also wonder about the hazards of unshielded speak- ers. Are they a problem?

FRANK O. POSPISIL SAN DIEGO, CA

Better call the manufacturer and confirm that what you're doing is safe. Most sound- card output jacks are de- signed to drive unpowered speakers and might be deliv- ering eight watts or more to

the poor overheated transis- tors in your stereo system's preamp. Some sound cards have outputs that automati- cally detect the impedance of the circuit plugged into them and adjust the output to match, but this is relative- ly rare, and if your system doesn't do that, you may be slowly frying your preamp.

As to the question about unshielded speakers, if you keep your speakers a suffi- cient distance from floppy disks, backup tapes, and oth- er media that might be ru- ined by stray magnetism, they f&obably pose no risk. Al- most all speakers have per- manent magnets against which the solenoid action of the voice coil acts, resulting in the vibrations some people call music. These magnets can be very massive, some- times weighing several pounds, and can generate significant magnetic fields. Hold your speakers next to your monitor and see wheth- er the picture or color is dis- torted. If not, then you prob- ably have nothing to worry about. If the image is distort- ed or if it changes color near the speaker, take the precau- tion of keeping the speakers at least a few inches away from your floppies, audio- tapes, and backup tapes.

Do you have a question about hardware or soft- ware? Or have you discov- ered something that could help other PC users? If so, we want to hear from you. Call our special "Feedback" line: (900) 884-8681, exten- sion 7010201 (sponsored by Pure Entertainment, P.O. Box 186, Hollywood, Califor- nia 90078). The call will cost 95 cents per minute, you must be 18 or older, and you must use a touch- tone phone. Or write to "Feedback" in care of this magazine. Readers whose letters or calls appear in "Feedback" will receive a free COMPUTE baseball cap while supplies last. We regret that we cannot pro- vide personal replies to tech- nical questions. O

A PCMCIA Modem Is A Lot Like An Oreo*.

The Stuff That Matters Is Inside.

Anyone can whip up a modem with an off-the-shelf chip set and someone else's technology. In fact, that's exactly what most PCMCIA manufacturers do. The WorldPorC however, is no cookie- cutter modem.

Inside every high-speed WorldPort is U.S. Robotics' Courier" DSP-based tech- nology. The same modem technology implemented by major companies like CompuServe, DuPont, General Electric and US. West. This core technology makes the WorldPort fast, accurate and easy to use.

The WotldPott runs at fax or data speeds up to 14,400 bps. (57,600 bps with And

Only the WorldPort features the revolutionary SmartPlug," eliminating the need for an adapter. And, unlike modems with built-in phone jacks, there are no exposed wires. The WorldPort is inter- nationally approved for use in over 21 countries.

WBRtDPORf

1-800-DIAL-USR

data compression.) And QjxIJlUUU lIuO with QuickConnect,™ a jhe Intelligent Choice in Data Communications

U.S. Robotics' exclusive, it handshakes and gets to work in under 10 seconds.

With Adaptive Speed Leveling (ASL)T another USR exclusive, the WorldPort makes the most of inconsistent phone lines, slow- ing down for bad connections, and speeding right up again when condi- tions improve.

The WorldPort is also highly intuitive. The setup is easy. The commands are flexible. It's very easy to use.

Getting the WorldPort is easy, too. It's just $399, including fax and communi- cation software.

If you'd like to bow mote about the WorldPort and what it can do for you, call 1-800-DIAL-USR today.

US. Robotics and ihe USRoboncs logo arc rem

'.S. Robotics. Inc. Vt'oiUPdn. ASL (Adaptive Speed Lending). QuickConncn and Sitoid^ug aa: uakmailts of US Robotics. Oreo is a teajstercd trademark of NABISCO FOODS, Inc. Circle Reader Service Number 112

INTRODOS

Tony Roberts

ScanDisk brings

high-powered disk

maintenance

utilities to DOS.

ADVANCED DOS SCANNER

Microsoft's DOS 6.2 includes a utility called ScanDisk, a disk repair program that any- one using a DOS-based com- puter should know about.

ScanDisk is similar to disk re- pair utilities found in packag- es such as The Norton Utilities and PC Tools. ScanDisk goes far beyond the capabilities of the aging Chkdsk.

Regular use of the program can help keep your hard drives error-free and working smoothly. I activate the pro- gram via the AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that it runs every time I boot up. This way, problems are corrected shortly after they occur. Left uncorrected, disk structure problems are time bombs.

Disk problems come in two varieties: logical and physical. Logical errors have to do with the way data is stored and tracked on your disk. Physical errors result from a breakdown in the recording ability of the disk itself.

The logical error you're most likely to encounter is lost clusters. In most cases, lost clusters are not serious, but they do occupy disk space and should be eliminated. A lost cluster is an area on the disk that's marked as being oc- cupied but that has no corre- sponding directory entry.

Lost clusters often occur as a result of a system or pro- gram crash. If a program opens a file but is unable to complete the directory entry for that file, lost clusters may result. Under normal circum- stances, lost clusters do no more than occupy disk space. Occasionally, though, some programs behave errat- ically until the lost clusters are removed.

To avoid lost clusters, make sure to properly exit all

your software — including Win- dows— before shutting off your computer.

When ScanDisk finds lost clusters, it gathers up the in- formation in those clusters and saves it to a file with a CHK extension in your root di- rectory. In most cases, this da- ta is gobbledygook. On occa- sion, however, you may be able to recover some impor- tant data from a CHK file. It's usually safe to delete the CHK files unless you discover that you're missing some important data following a system crash or power failure.

Another more serious logi- cal error is file cross-linking. Un- der this condition, two files lay claim to the data in a single cluster, much as two words in a crossword puzzle share the same letter. What works in puz- zles, however, is disaster on a computer disk.

ScanDisk resolves the cross-linked file problem by separating the files and giving each a copy of the shared da- ta. This is a definite improve- ment over Chkdsk's ap- proach, which either truncates or deletes one or both files. De- spite this more benevolent treat- ment, it's likely that one or both files involved in the cross- link will include data that once belonged to the other.

After a cross-link problem is corrected, examine each file for damage. If a program file is damaged, repair is next to impossible, so install a new copy from your original disks. If a text file is damaged, you should be able to salvage all but the area that was involved in the cross-link.

To identify physical errors, ScanDisk performs a surface scan. During the scan, the pro- gram makes sure that each ar- ea of the disk can be written to and read from reliably. If ScanDisk finds any weak area on the disk, it moves the data found there to a safe location,

and it marks the suspect area as bad so no program will at- tempt to store data there again.

ScanDisk works on hard disks, floppy disks, and Dou- bleSpace drives, but not on net- work drives or CD-ROM drives.

To run the program, type scandisk at the DOS prompt. Used without switches, Scan- Disk checks out the default drive and then asks if you want to run a surface scan.

If the program encounters er- rors, it will ask whether you want to create an undo disk. If you agree, ScanDisk will re- cord on a floppy disk any changes it makes.

If, for some reason, things are worse after the repair than before, you can use the undo disk to put things back the way they were and attempt an- other solution.

ScanDisk includes several switches that allow you to change the way it operates. For a full listing, type help scan- disk at the DOS prompt. These switches allow Scan- Disk to do such things as checking all available drives, automatically undertaking re- pairs, and skipping the sur- face scan. These options make it possible to configure ScanDisk to run successfully from a batch file.

Because ScanDisk checks out the structure and integrity of your disks, it needs to do its work when no other disk activ- ity is taking place. Don't run ScanDisk while Windows, Task Swapper, or any other pro- gram that might access the disk is active.

Though once it was conven- tional wisdom to run Chkdsk once a day, now ScanDisk — or a similar disk repair utility — should get regular use on eve- ry system. Preventive mainte- nance pays off. If you don't have such a program, it's worth looking into. □

14 COMPUTE APRIL 1994

Prepare for Kombat on your PC!

Experience all the action of the arcade sensation!

til

A

is

i

i

FREE

Mortal Kombat Tattoos in every box.

X«laim

Distributed by UltraTech

Circle Reader Service Number 214

(MC/VISA/AMEX). IBM/Tandy & 100% compatible PC

WAY Mortal Kombat 1992 licensed (ram Midway Manufacturing Company. All rights reserved. Distributed under license from Acclaim Entertainment. Inc. by UllraTech (212) 941-1224.

^

HE CONTURA AERO

7.5 x 10.25 x 1.5 Inches'

Powerful 486 Processor

Backlit VGA Screen

Up To 6-Hr. Optional Battery

Instant-On Feature

Optional Docking Base

About 3.5 Pounds

Optional PCMCIA Floppy Drive

Free 3-Year Warranty'

Monochrome From s 1,399'

Telephone 1-800-345-1518

COMPAQ

© 1994 Compaq Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Compaq. Coniura Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark office. Aero is a trademark of Compaq Computer limited warranty, contact the Compaq Customer Support Center. Certain restrictions and exclusions apply. Estimated reseller price. Prices will vary. Model 4/B3C

Corporation. 'Size and weight indicated arc lor the Centum Aero 4/25 Mode! 84 and Model 170. Model 4/ JJC pictured here weighs 4.2 lbs. 'Batteries and certain options covered by a one-year warranty. For further information on our pictured here starling at S2,199. The Intel Inside Logo is a registered trademark of the Intel Corporation.

TEST LAB

Edited by Mike Hudnall Reviews by Jean Marchant

Subnotebook computers repre- sent, in many respects, cut- ting-edge technology. To pro- vide more computing muscle in a smaller and lighter package with an acceptable display and longer battery life, manufacturers have had to show real ingenuity in their choice of materials, soft- ware and hardware decisions, and overall design. Our increas- ingly competitive and mobile society demands this kind of inge- nuity, and the subnotebooks in this month's Test Lab go far toward meeting those demands. For the purposes of this round- up, we said that each subnote- book (including battery, but not AC adapter) should weigh five pounds or less. Our review of sev- en units does, however, include one unit, the Panasonic CF- 1000A, which weighed in at just over five pounds, but we felt that it deserved to be included in spite of this slight excess weight. All of the units in our test (and most of those available today) are noncolor units.

All but one of the units in our test include some type of integrat- ed pointing device. While this kind of integration keeps the size and weight of these devices down, most of them leave some-

COMPUTE APRIL 1994

thing to be desired. Many subnote- book users will probably opt to use keyboard shortcuts for most functions.

In all but one unit in our test, a floppy drive is not included in the main unit. An external floppy drive is a reasonable compro- mise for times when weight and size are issues, since some of the most usual uses for a floppy drive include installation of soft- ware and exchange of data, and those tasks are typically done when weight and size are less important concerns.

Because of the small footprints of these machines, their key- boards do tend to be too cramped for typing for a pro- longed period of time. In some cas- es, the design of the keyboard is such that typing for any length of time could cause discomfort. Also, a small footprint limits the size of the display. What you look for in a display or a keyboard is a matter of personal preference, so it makes good sense to try them out if at all possible before you make a decision. If that isn't possible, check out the return policy of the company from which you buy your subnotebook.

As computers have become smaller and smaller, they have also become more and more pow- erful. The units tested are all capable of running Windows (al- though the HP OmniBook runs

Epson ActionNoie 4000 Suggested retail price: $2,099 (direct price: $1,969) Warranty: one year (includes Extra Care Road Service, whereby if a unit (ails, Epson will provide a replacement unit the next business day)

EPSON AMERICA

20770 Madrona Ave.

Torrance, CA 90503

(800) 289-3776 (product into or

dealer referral) (800) 374-7300 (direct phone

orders)

Windows only in standard mode) with quite reasonable perform- ance. All units came packaged with software (minimally DOS and Windows and in some cases a lot more).

Subnotebook manufacturers have designed many features to enhance power management so that longer and longer battery life can be expected. From NiMH bat- teries that provide longer life to dis- play technology that reduces the drain on the battery to advanced power management software, there are a number of ways to obtain longer battery life.

For detailed evaluation of each subnotebook, look to the reviews, where particular strengths, weak- nesses, and recommendations are presented. If you'd like to look at the features of these sub- notebooks side by side, you'll want to study the table of fea- tures. And if you're interested in how well these computers per- form and how long their batteries last/take a look at the benchmark graphs. Whatever your needs in a subnotebook, Test Lab can help you make a more informed decision.

JEAN MARCHANT

EPSON ACTIONNOTE 4000

At 3.85 pounds, the ActionNoie is one of the lighter machines that we tested, and it turned in one of the faster hardware per- formances, coming in second in the Norton Syslnfo performance measurements. Thanks to very good display contrast and sup- port for 64 shades of gray, the ActionNote also has one of the bet- ter screens.

Although this machine comes standard with 4MB RAM, you can upgrade the memory to 8MB. Ep- son offers you two hard drive options, 80MB and 120MB; both are removable drives. The floppy drive is external, which is the norm for subnotebooks. The

ActionNote's single Type II PCMCIA slot supports Type l/ll memory and I/O cards. Two fax/ data modem PC cards are avail- able, one supporting 2400 and 9600 bps and the other support- ing 14,400 bps.

There are times when a small display just won't suit your purpos- es. Fortunately, the ActionNote allows you to attach an external monitor at a resolution of 640 x 480 with 16 colors or 800 x 600 with 16 colors. DOS 6 and Windows 3.1 come preload- ed on the hard drive.

Designing a keyboard for a sub- notebook presents certain chal- lenges. The keyboard on this subnotebook leaves a bit to be de- sired. I find the key placement a little confusing, since the right Shift key is outside the up-arrow key, and reaching the right Shift key is more of a stretch on this key- board than on most keyboards. Also, I find the keys hard to press on this keyboard. The front of the keyboard on this unit is almost an inch above the work surface, which I regard as too high for comfortable typing. Epson in- cludes a port for either a PS/2- compatible pointing device or a keyboard, so if you're using the machine at the office rather than on the road, you can plug in a desktop keyboard if you want.

Pointing devices also present a challenge to designers of these subnotebooks. Like most subnotebooks, the ActionNote in- cludes a less-than-ideal pointing device— in this case, a built-in two-button trackball. Epson has located it in the upper right cor- ner, just above the keyboard. By default, the left button is placed to the right of the trackball, and the right button is placed to the front. Many of COMPUTE's read- ers would probably seriously con- sider using keyboard commands. Light weight, very good perform- ance, and very good display options make the ActionNote a sub- notebook you should consider.

Circle Reader Service Number 371

Gateway 2000 HandBook 486SX-25

Direct price: $1,495

Warranty: one year, parts and labor

GATEWAY 2000 610 Gateway Dr. N. Sioux City, SD 57049 (800) 846-2000

GATEWAY 2000 HANDBOOK 486SX-25

With dimensions of 9.75 x 5.9 x 1 .6 inches, the 2.94-pound Hand- Book from Gateway 2000 is ex- tremely portable. In fact, it's the smallest unit in our roundup. Though small, the HandBook fared well in the Norton Syslnfo per- formance measurements.

Standard on this unit is 4MB memory, expandable to 8MB or 20MB. The 80MB IDE hard drive has a 15-ms average access time. The optional external floppy drive uses the parallel port. There's one Type II PCMCIA slot, which can accommodate option- al cards, including a 2400-/9600- bps fax/data modem, a 14,400- bps fax/data modem, an Ethernet BNC adapter, and an Ethernet Twisted Pair adapter. You also get a serial port and a PS/2-style external keyboard port. Pack- aged software includes DOS 6, Windows 3.1 , and power manage- ment software with four preset bat- tery power settings plus the op- tion to customize settings of the six major power control items.

One of the negatives with this unit is that the display's aspect ratio has been compromised so that a 7.9-inch screen (measured diagonally) will fit into the very trim packaging. On this screen people in a photo look fatter than usual.

Instead of a trackball, Gateway uses a "pointing stick," placed on the right side of the keyboard. The buttons, however, are located on the front of the unit. I found it diffi- cult to feel in control of the point- ing device, and it seemed that up- ward movements required more

pressure than expected. Also, if you're left-handed, you might find this pointing device more of a chal- lenge than you'd like.

At about an inch above the work surface, the keyboard is a little too high for comfortable typ- ing. Some of the special keys (for example, function keys, Insert, De- lete, and arrow keys) are quite small — again a compromise need- ed to fit so much into a small pack- age. Except for the size of some of the special keys, the keyboard has a fairly nice feel.

When running the battery-life tests on this unit, we used the Max- imum Battery Life setting in the Power Management menu, but we needed to use the Auto Low setting for CPU performance. The Maximum Power Savings setting didn't work with our test suite.

The HandBook is an ideal choice if you want a very small and lightweight computer capable of running Windows in 386 enhanced mode and if you can work with (or around) the built-in pointing de- vice. Gateway offers a 40-MHz 486DX2 (Intel Enhanced SL) ver- sion of the HandBook for about $500 more. According to Gate- way, it has the same dimensions, weight, and battery life as the 486SX version, but the hard drive is 130MB rather than 80MB. Gate- way also offers a ColorBook, which is larger (11.7 x 8.5 x 1.77 inches) and heavier (5.7 pounds) than its HandBooks and comes in 25-MHz 486SX and 33-MHz 486DX versions.

Circle Reader Service Number 372

APRIL 1994 COMPUTE

19

TEST LAB

HEWLETT-PACKARD OMNIBOOK 425

A number of unique features dis- tinguish HP's OmniBook from the other subnotebooks in this month's roundup. With software applications preloaded in ROM, the OmniBook is the most ready- to-use unit in the group.

Applications provided by HP in- clude scaled-down versions of Word for Windows 2.0, Excel 4.0, DOS 5, and Windows 3.1. Also packaged with the unit are Lap- Link Remote Access, a phone book, an appointment book, and the HP Financial Calculator. The

A NOTE ON PRICES

With computer products changing more rapidly than ever before and with options more plentiful than ever before, computer prices can be a tricky business.

It pays to keep the following points in mind:

Street prices and direct prices can be considerably lower than suggested retail prices.

Because consumers are more sophisticated than ever about what they want in computer products and because manufacturers have responded with more options and configurations than ever, one com- puter model may be subject to doz- ens of variations, each with a slight- ly different price. Also, because of the rapid changes in this market, a product and its options may have changed by the time our review sees print.

Remember, too, that you're buy- ing support in addition to the com- puter. Find the support policy that meets your particular needs.

At COMPUTE, we make every ef- fort to verify prices and differentiate between the price for a review con- figuration and the price for a stan- dard configuration. The list price we present is usually for a standard configuration. It's still a good idea, however, to call the manufacturer or vendor to make sure that the con- figuration you want matches the price you have in mind.

—MIKE HUDNALL

20

COMPUTE APRIL 1994

Hewlett-Packard OmniBook 425 Suggested retail price: $2,375 tor

version with 10MB flash disk;

$2,125 for version with 40MB hard

drive Warranty: one year, parts and labor

HEWLETT-PACKARD 1000 NE Circle Blvd. Corvallis, OR 97330 (800) 443-1254 (503) 757-2004

bidirectional infrared port commu- nicates (wirelessly) via LapLink with a handful of other products. The default LapLink speed is 2400 bps.

I found the nonbacklit LCD a lit- tle hard to read in dim lighting, but it's less of a power drain than a backlit model. The pop-out mouse on this unit is the best point- ing device in the group, and the keyboard is one of the best, with a better "feel" and fewer function key combinations than most.

Because of some of the unique features of this computer, there were some difficulties in executing the test suite designed for this Test Lab roundup. The first prob- lem arose with the performance test. The base memory configura- tion for this unit is 2MB, and the database application in our test would not run in this configuration. To remedy the problem, I installed a 2MB RAM expansion card, bring- ing total RAM in the OmniBook to 4MB. It was easy to install and con- figure the memory, and with it, I was able to complete the perform- ance test suite successfully.

The performance of this machine in the database portion of the test was slow, but its perform- ance in the word processor and spreadsheet portions of the test was reasonable. General Protec- tion Faults appeared during the bat- tery-life test with the ROM-based versions of WinWord and Excel, but only after the test loop had com- pleted several iterations. The HP phone and appointment apps were placed in the test script in

place of WinWord and Excel, and the suite then executed without errors. HP claims up to 41/2 hours typical battery life for this hard disk model and up to 8 hours for the flash disk model.

The OmniBook requires sever- al drivers which use a lot of RAM. After these drivers are loaded, you're left with less than 41 5K con- ventional RAM. By fiddling with the software, you can get more memory. The default CON- FIG.SYS does not load DOS into high memory. In addition, Win- dows on the OmniBook is support- ed only in standard mode.

You can connect an optional external 31/2-inch drive to the paral- lel port, but keep in mind that it's not speedy; this one turned out to be the slowest of those we tested. As for the hard drive, the tested model came with a 40MB unit. With DoubleSpace and the apps preloaded in ROM, there's a fair amount of room for data files if you don't need to load too many addi- tional applications. Instead of using the hard drive, you can use a 10MB flash disk, but even with no additional applications loaded and with DoubleSpace, you could run out of disk space quickly.

This sleek unit will be extremely appealing to users whose needs for applications can be met with the bun- dled ROM-based apps. This unit will also be a top choice for sub- notebook users who want the feel and control of a mouse rather than a trackball on their portable units.

Circle Reader Service Number 373

Lowest Prices on the SX, DX & New DX2-50! -,

Rave Reviews! Read what the experts say:

irii!JiiJH^:: "If you're a Windows user on la budget, or just have a bad

y,1 "Scoring high in overall value and j H design, the Micro Electronics WinBook BL ; 1 gives you a lot for your money, includ- MMi'W ing an outstanding integral trackball."

PC MAGAZINE, Guide to Portal* Computing, S/93

case of Mac envy.. .you should take a look at the WinBook. It's a machine that can hold its own with more expensive, less thoughtfully designed systems from other direct vendors."

COMPUTER SHOPPER, This I'owerbook Twin Acls Like a PC, 9/93

"The WinBook is a great example of what a Windows notebook s should be.. ..fast, easy-to-use and a magazine miser on battery life.. ..It's also inex- pensive: nearly 50% less than some compara- ble notebooks."

WINDOWS M.4C.4ZliV£, Transcontinental Portable, 9/93

The WinBook Intel486 SX-25, DX-33 & DX2-50 SL Enhanced Features

Economically

engineered & designed

by award-winning

Palo Alto Design

The WinBook's unique evgonomic features include a sloping wrist rest and key- board with full-size keys, plus a centered, dual-button trackball — allowing you to work in total comfort away from your desk.

Clear, sharp color display

gives you near-active

matrix quality at a

passive matrix price!

Images are sharper and clearer with less cursor loss. And the WinBook's advanced dual- scan color display gives you 99% shadow-free performance compared to other single-scan passive matrix displays. You get a brighter, crisper, wider angle of view with an 18:1 contrast ratio— compared to

13:1 with previous passive matrix technology.

Longer battery life

The WinBook features NiMH 2200 MA batteries with gold- plated contacts, allowing it

to run much longer than units with traditional NiCAD batteries— and there's no memory effect!

The WinBook offers you more features for less!

• 9600 baud send/4800 baud receive fax/2400 baud modem

• Industrv-standard type 11 PCMCIA slot

•512k video RAM

• Fast-acting LCD screen

• Built-in centered dual- button trackball

Docking station gives you desktop power!

Two expansion slots and drive bays let you add peripherals such as moni- tors, hard drives, CD ROMs, I/O cards or an extended keyboard. Includes parallel, serial, PS/2 mouse, external keyboard and VGA ports. Arid it's just $399!

Mouse/keyboard, parallel,

serial and VGA ports plus PCMCIA expansion

T ▼▼ T * ,

WinBook

Micro Electronics

a division ol MEI/Micro Center. Inc.

in

itel

in:

jide>

Upgradable processor!

Monochrome

4MB RAM/2O0MB HDD

Color Dual-Scan

$1599 $1999

4MB RAM/200MB HDD

SL Enhanced Intel 486SX 25MHz

Fax modem included! DOS and Windows

Call for lowest DX-33 & DX2-50 prices!

Convenient payment options

Use your MasterCard, VISA] Discover Card, Micro Center charge, per- sonal check or P.O. with credit approval.

I^Wt- ■■ VISA I

Thank-you for your order!

Service, warranty, support

• 72-hour service turnaround.

• 30-dav unconditional money- back guarantee.

• 24-hour bum-in protection.

• One-year limited warranty on parts and labor.

• Toll-free technical support for the life of the computer.

SXS OX Specifications

Size/Weight

■ trxsyrxw

• sXmonKJirenB 5.4ib;.*ifi battery

• SX siid DX dual-scan color 5.9 lbs. wilh battery

Painting Device

• IrjrrrnAJpstJiHt'saioil.MBiiKOfl- mmpalible trackball

Battery

• $'-.: ' ■ .:?? .\ :ri

management, owej 5 tiouis with

3:j»iiiirypiw=rs-t-s;!:Pil5$5iG minuses tor color) •DX-33 over 2 >icu wn pt",*y ■■■::■--■■ '-■■>-;. - auxiliary po*0 system

• N-WinomsroryeflKt)

• VJotia-y.iiK auto-sensing AC

Processor and Memory

• SLwharrcal Intel486 SX25MH?, DX 33VH2. or :> .:

■ :V---:V .■:;■■•':;:'.■-■

• PbRMrEi«o;EenHVchiosa

• 6k internal cacre Drives

• 1. built-in 1.«H8J5lcfflytlfive

• internal 200MB (16ms) harddrire Software t Comes losdal with f.K-DOS and

Moosol Window

Display	keys and 4 inverted-T cursor	• Parallel pod
coniral keys, 3.0mm keyboard	• Video: 15-pin conroi ■:.;
6-inrj>-scale?0*LCD	spacing	external monitor
Modem	• 160-pin docking station
color display 95' LCD	• Fax-geoQiiaijdsend/UQObaui	• Aunlrary battery port
• 640i48fl resolution	:-.-.:-::. ■: .■•;■!■■.	Options
• 512k video RAM,up to 1024x768	modem	• Docking station
resolution tor external monitor	1/0 Ports	•Car adapter
• Adjustable contist and brightness	• PSr2 mouse inlefface/AT keyboard	• .':.".'- :■!,.;■
• Visi&tLEQ indicatoron coveaJowi	interface
Keyboard • ruB-function keyboard with 85	•PCMCIA, type II Slot	upgrades
• Serial. 3-pin connector

Monday-Friday, 8am-9pm EST • Saturday, 9am-4pm

1160 Steelwood Rd.. Columbus, OH 43212 • FAX: 1-800-448-0308

©1994 MEI/Mrcto Center, Inc Ail rignls reserved Micro Center is a [registered trademark oi Micro Electronics. Inc MEI is a regislered Iradematk and Micro Electronics and WinBcok are trademarks ot MEI/Micrn Center. Inc. All oilier trademarks and registered trademarks are property ol their respective cotporatrons.

30-day unconditional money-back guarantee

Your satisfaction is unconditionally guaranteed for 30 days from date of purchase. If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase from us. we want you to return it. We will be glad to give you your money back.

Hurry! Order today! Call 1-800-468-2459

Circle Reader Service Number 193

TEST LAB

PANASONIC CF-IOOOA

Although heavier than the other units in this roundup, the CF- IOOOA offers a very good display and an internal floppy drive.

According to Panasonic, the CF-1000A weighs a mere five pounds, but on our scales, it weighs just over that. It's the heav- iest notebook in the group.

It's also the only subnotebook we tested that has an internal flop- py drive. You can remove the flop- py drive, however, and replace it with a second battery if you need extra battery life more than access to a floppy.

DOS and Windows disks don't ship with the machine, but you can easily build the disks. This is one of the steps in the Getting Started section of the User's Guide.

The CF-1000A boasts the larg- est display in the group. This side- lit LCD has 64 levels of gray, and I found it bright and easy to read — a real advantage if reada- bility is an issue for you.

This notebook is the thinnest we tested. I found the Panasonic key- board easier to use for an extend- ed period than the keyboards on some of the other computers. While the unit doesn't come with a built-in pointing device, there is a PS/2-style mouse port.

The unit comes with 4MB mem- ory standard, expandable to either 8MB or 12MB. To expand the ca- pabilities of the system, you use an

22 COMPUTE APRIL 1994

Panasonic CF-IOOOA Suggested retail price: $1,999 Warranty: one year, parts

PANASONIC COMMUNICATIONS & SYSTEMS (800) 742-8086

optional docking unit which can hold two AT expansion boards (one long card and one short card or two short cards). The docking unit is an alternative way of add- ing memory, a LAN adapter, or additional ports for desktop use with standard peripherals.

The notebook's setup utility includes a power management menu that allows you to set pow- er consumption settings for a doz- en options. There are four groups of settings: default, long- life, super-long-life, and high-per- formance. We used the super-long- life setting for our battery-life test and the high-performance setting for the performance test.

The CF-1000A is an excellent choice if weight isn't much of a fac- tor for you and if you'd like the readability of a larger display and the convenience of a built-in flop- py drive.

Circle Reader Service Number 374

TOSHIBA PORTEGE T3400

The unit we tested, model T3400, is a sales sample, which is not quite a production unit but close to it. Normally, we test only pro- duction units, but we felt it impor- tant to cover this one. As it turns out, the Portege was the fastest both in our performance test and in the Norton Syslnfo perform- ance measurement. It also had the second-longest battery life.

The design of the keyboard includes some ergonomic consid- erations. The keyboard itself is positioned as far back as possi- ble, which allows for a flat area on which to rest your palms. Also, there are feet that fold out to ele- vate the back of the unit and make for a more natural typing an-

NORTON BENCHMARKS

The Norton Utilities 6.0 served as an overall "window" for viewing the system's configuration, interrupts, and memory addresses. This group of utilities also provided a generic performance baseline, consisting of the CPU speed, the disk speed, and an overall index.

3] Disk Speed

□ CPU Speed

J Computing Index

Better 70

M 60

— i

S 50

Worse

LL

•4

1

\

%

<&

X

%

4

High Powered Software without the High Price

The New

SoftCollection

J from Abacus

Computer Aided Design

Great introduction to CAD. Includes numerous design aids, measuring functions, extensive color palette and 25 drawing levels. Create and print designs accurate within millimeters - even in color. Print your drawings in your choice of standard page formats.

Computer Aided Design -- featuring CADPak Lite Item#B243 $19.95

Astronomy Star Finderfor Windows! Turn your PC into a Windows planetarium. Complete database of 10.000 stars (with technical info) from 200 places worldwide. Item* B2 15 5,19.95.

it:.*:

JiEB

Work Faster and Easier with Floppies One-pass diskette copy, multiple diskettes, copy 3-1/2" to 5-1/4" and vice versa, much more. hem#B21l SI 8.95.

Windows Tune Up

Analyze and reconfigure your system to supercharge Windows with this slick, convenient group of utilities. ltem#B216 $18.95.

Personal Scheduler & Planner

with Time & Date gives you easy- to-use. powerful tools to track your schedule and projects. Locate important dates, notes, addresses and phone numbers quickly. Item* B232 SI 8.95.

Astrology on Your PC

Treat yourself to a look at the mys- teries of Chinese astrology, from the principles of the yin and yang to the effects of the elements of earth, fire and water on your personal destiny. Item* B23I $17.95

"'"".'" :£"■-—-■

The Frugal Desktop Publisher

Create newsletters, brochures, ad literature, and more with this feature- filled Windows page layout package. Drawing, filling, import graphics, change fonts and more. Item#B217S19.95.

Organize Your Graphic & Pic- ture Files

Art Manager organizes and displays images visually. It can even launch an application for the selected pic- ture.

Item #B235 $19.95

RayTrace Designer

Create imagesof nearly photographic quality with Rayfrace's easy-to- learn 3D modeling features. Go from simple line-art to full color, high- quality 3D models!

Item#B218S19.95

Multi-View Illustrator

SolidCAD is a design tool thai helps create realistic quality 3D scenes. It lets you experiment and change views instantly. View objects in 3D. "arrange" furniture and more.

Item #B233 SI 9.95

Original Software, Not Shareware. More than 25 titles. Available at book and software stores everywhere or have your dealer call us. To order directly call 1-800-451-4319.

Order Toll Free 1-800-451-4319

r

Please rush me the following items: item* Title Price

Dept. C4, 5370 52nd Street SE, Grand Rapids, Ml 49512 Phone: (616) 698-0330 • Fax: (616) 698-0325

Circle Reader Service Number 124

Subtotal: .

Ml orders include 4% sales tax: _

In US & Canada add $6.00 shipping: .

Foreign orders add S13.00 per item: _

Total amount (US iunds): .

For fast delivery Order Toll Free 1 -800-451 -431 9 ext. 34, or FAX (616) 698-0325

Or mail this coupon to: Abacus, 5370 52nd Street SE, Grand Rapids, Ml 49512 Method of Payment: QVisa J Master Card JAm.Express j Check /M.O. Card#:l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Expires: /

Name:

Company: Address: .

City:

Phone*: _

State:

.Zip:

Fax#:

□ Yes, please rush your free catalog of PC books and software.

Dept.C4

TEST LAB

gle. While the keyboard is more comfortable to use than most, the keys seem a little crowded, and the space bar is positioned too low for a typical touch-typist.

The pointing device on this unit, the AccuPoint, does a better job than other devices of accommodat- ing both left- and right-handed peo- ple, as both the pointing device and the associated buttons are cen- trally located. However, I found it to be one of the more difficult point- ing devices to use.

Bundled software includes DOS 6, Windows 3.1, UltraFont, CommWorks for Windows, and advanced power management software. The default Windows col- or scheme on this unit uses white characters on a dark back- ground. To me, this is a little hard- er to read than dark characters on a light background, the scheme used by most of the oth- er units. This is one of the two sub- notebooks in our roundup with local-bus video.

As impressive as the perform-

Toshiba Portege T3400 Suggested retail price: $2,599 Warranty: three years, parts and labor

TOSHIBA AMERICA INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Computer Systems Division 9740 Irvine Blvd. Irvine, CA 92718 (800) 334-3445 (714) 583-3000

ance numbers were, the Norton Syslnfo report did show that the disk speed was the lowest, both in overall disk speed and in the data transfer rate. Since our tests involved a fair amount of disk ac- tivity, the rest of the system design seems to have adequately compen- sated for this shortcoming.

This was the only unit with an optional port replicator containing serial, parallel, external video, PS/ 2 mouse, and PS/2 keyboard ports. These ports offer easy, one- touch connection with the desk-

THE BEST LIST

Our philosophy here at COMPUTE is that the best product for you is the one that best meets your particular needs. The following list should help.

Smallest

Lightest (without power supply)

Lightest (with power supply)

Fastest

Fastest of 25-MHz machines

Longest battery life

Shortest recharge time

Best display (subjective)

Largest display

Best keyboard (subjective)

Best pointing device (subjective)

Most ready to run

Fastest disk speed

Most PCMCIA slots

Gateway 2000 HandBook 486SX-25

Gateway 2000 HandBook 486SX-25 and HP OmniBook 425

HP OmniBook 425

Toshiba Portege T3400

ZDS Z-Lite 425L

ZDS Z-Lite 425L

Panasonic CF-1000A

Panasonic CF-1000A

Panasonic CF-1000A

HP OmniBook 425

HP OmniBook 425

HP OmniBook 425

Epson ActionNote 4000

ZDS Z-Lite 425L and hard disk version of HP OmniBook 425

While the ZEOS Contenda did not capture any of the above categories, it was close to the best in several categories: almost the smallest, almost the fastest of 25-MHz machines, almost the longest battery life, one of the two with local-bus video, and one of the two with 64 gray scale.

24

COMPUTE APRIL 1994

top environment. A Type II PC- MCIA slot extends the Portege's capabilities even further.

With the performance this machine offers, it's an excellent candidate for the person who wants to use the same unit both for travel and on the desktop with some full-size peripherals.

Circle Reader Service Number 375

ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS Z-LITE 425L

Of all the subnotebooks we test- ed for battery life, the Z-Lite had the longest life, and it also fared well in the application perform- ance test.

The design of this unit is sleek, with the back slightly thicker than the front (which certainly gives it more of a notebook appearance). Also, the AC adapter connects directly to the external floppy drive, which in turn connects to the left side of the computer, giving the AC adapter and floppy drive the appear- ance of a single unit. The pointing device, called the LITEPOINT, is a separate (and optional) unit that con- nects directly into the front of the computer, also giving this portion of the system the appearance of a single unit.

The benefit of the LITEPOINT design is that it provides a partial palm rest when using the key- board for an extended period of time. The keyboard is positioned at a 3.5-degree slope, which also benefits keyboard users.

I

NEW! Training includes 486sx/25 MHz computer, hard drive, and AutoSketch® CAD software!

Be today's complete drafter.

Now, with NRI at-home training, you can get the hands-on skills and equipment you need for a fast start as today's complete drafter, equally comfortable with both manual and computer-aided drafting techniques.

Transforming rough sketches and calculations into accurate, working drawings, drafters have always been the key link in the chain of creative people who envision, design, and build the world's products. And today, thanks to the computer revolution, a career in drafting offers more job security — and opportunity — than ever before.

It's true! People with computer- aided drafting (CAD) skills are achieving breakthrough success on design teams in all areas of business and industry. In fact, employment experts predict that manufacturers will hire some 300,000 of these computer- savvy drafters over the next decade! And now — whether you want to work for someone else or even be your own boss — NRI hands-on training can help you can get in on the ground floor of this big-opportunity field.

You learn by doing

Working with a full array of drafting tools — drawing board templates, T-square, compass, protractor, trian- gles, scales, and much more — you first master the techniques required to create detailed drawings by hand.

Then, with a firm foundation in traditional methods, you move on to do the same kinds of drawings with greater speed and accuracy — using the IBM-compatible computer and soft- ware also included with your course.

NEW! 486sx/25 MHz and CAD software included!

Only NRI gives you this priceless, practical experience. . .with a complete computer system that's yours to train with and keep! You now learn to create precision drawings using a

powerful 486sx/25 MHz computer system that includes a full meg of RAM, hard disk drive, high-density floppy drive, 14" monitor, mouse, and AutoSketch CAD software.

With these state-of-the-art tools at your fingertips and a few simple com- mands, you'll be able to create precise, professional-quality drawings in a fraction of the time it takes to do them by hand.

Find out how NRI helps you turn your computer into a high-tech drafting tool! See other side, g^

SEND TODAY FOR YOUR FREE NRI CATALO

m

WM Schools

McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center

4401 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008

YES! Send me the FREE catalog I've checked and show me how NRI can give me the state-of-the-art training I need for success.

a Check one FREE catalog only

□ COMPUTER-AIDED DRAFTING

□ Computer Programming

□ Microcomputer Servicing

□ Desktop Publishing and Design

□ Home Inspection

□ Programming in C++ with Windows

□ Interior Design

NAME

(please print)

AGE

ADDRESS

CITY

STATE

ZIP

198-0394

Accredited Member, National Home Study Council

Only NRI gives you the hands-on skills and equipment you need to succeed in drafting today!

Ti here's no doubt about it: Drafting with a computer and software will save you time, increase your accuracy, boost your creativity. . .and open the door to a brand new world of money-making opportunity!

Using you AutoSketch® CAD software, you learn to draft objects with a variety of computer-gener- ated drawing tools — from lines, arcs, and circles to fillets, ellipses, and pattern fill areas. And, once you've discovered how to draw an object, you learn how to quickly stretch it, scale it, copy it, rotate it at any angle, or change its dimensions.

You find out how fast and easy it is to manipulate your work with a single keystroke — moving or adding features such as wheels, doorways, and circuitry on your mechanical, architectural, and electrical drawings. | . ,

NRI Discovery Learning Method

means no experience necessary

NRI's unique at-home training method helps you learn by doing as you build a complete understanding of today's revolutionary drafting techniques

Bite-size lessons expand your knowledge step by step while hands-

You train with and keep all these manual and computer-aided drafting tools... from compass, T-square, and drawing board to a powerful 486sx- based computer system with hard disk drive, mouse, and user-friendly Auto Sketch' CAD software.

,

on Discovery Learning projects give you practical drafting experience with actual tools of the trade. You learn at home, at your own pace, guided by

SEND TODAY FOR YOUR FREE NRI CATALOG!

BUSINESS REPLY MAIL

FIRST CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO. 10008 WASHINGTON, D.C.

NO POSTAGE

NECESSARY

IF MAILED

IN THE

UNITED STATES

POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE

f Schools

McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center 4401 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20078-3543

LUIIm. II. .,!,,, ILL. II, ,1,1,, I.. I. ,11. LI,

A€TIQN LEARNING thmugn

A

your personal NRI instructor from the basics of manual drafting to more advanced computer techniques.

Soon you have the skills and confi- dence you need to draft detailed ren- derings of sprockets, homes, circuit boards — indeed, virtually anything you'll be called on to produce on the job — at the drafting table or your computer terminal.

Send today for your FREE NRI catalog

Whether you want to change careers, advance on the job, or make good money in a business of your own, you can count on NRI hands-on training to give you the fast start you need to suc- ceed. Send today for your free catalog describing NRI's new course in Computer-Aided Drafting.

If the coupon is missing, write to NRI Schools, McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center, 4401 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008.

AutoSketch is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., makers of AutoCAD®. IBM, PC. and AT are

registered trademarks of IBM Corp.

Card 362

Software shipped with-this unit includes DOS 6, Windows 3.1, and PCMCIA card and socket services.

The unit includes two PCMCIA slots, which allow it to be config- ured with both a modem and a LAN adapter for ultimate flexibility.

Interfaces available include one serial port, one Enhanced Par- allel Port (which can perform high- speed bidirectional transfer of data), a mouse/keypad/keyboard port, and an SVGA-compatible vid- eo port (which can be used for simultaneous display).

The Z-Lite has a full-size 81/2- inch black-on-white VGA display

Zenith Data Systems Z-Lite 425L Suggested retail price: $1,599 (or Model 85 (without Windows, pointing device, or external floppy drive); $1,699 for Model 85W (with Windows, pointing device, and external floppy drive) Warranty: one year, parts and labor, with 48-hour Repair and Return service; optional Z-CARE extended service

ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS 2150 E. Lake Cook Rd. Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 (800) 553-0331 (708) 808-5000

The tests for the seven subnote- books in this month's Test Lab include The Norton Utilities 7.0 benchmarks and a suite of applica- tion and battery-life tests specially developed for this roundup.

We chose The Norton Utilities benchmarks of CPU speed, hard disk speed, and overall performance because they are familiar to COM- PUTE'S readers and have been used extensively in past Test Lab roundups.

The specially developed applica- tion and battery-life benchmarks, on the other hand, reflect more in the way of real-world performance.

We came up with comparative per- formance numbers using a suite of Windows application tests scripted using Wilson WindowWare's Win- Batch. The scripts were played back with all power management fea- tures disabled. The first and last ac- tions in this suite involved saving a time stamp to a Notepad time log. We attempted to use the Windows Recorder for the battery-life test suite, since it has an option to play back a macro at recorded speed. Unfortunately, difficulties encoun- tered with Recorder macros and ad- vanced power management on some notebooks forced us to switch to a WinBatch script (with frequent short delays to simulate user key- strokes) to capture battery-life num- bers. The script ran in a continuous loop with all power management fea- tures enabled.

TEST METHODOLOGY

In the battery-life test suite, a time stamp was logged every time an application was launched. The maximum margin of error was four minutes (the longest time between time stamps). It should be noted that since our test script opened and closed applications frequently and wrote to a log file frequently, us- ers should expect at least as much battery life as in our test results.

The test suite included word proc- essor, spreadsheet, and database tests using Windows applications likely to be favorites of the hobbyist and small-business user. Prior to executing the tests, we reformatted the hard disk of each machine (ex- cept the OmniBook) and installed DOS 6. Then The Norton Utilities 7.0, Windows 3.1, and the remain- ing applications were installed. The directory structure and the number of files on each machine were iden- tical with the exception of any ma- chine-specific drivers which need- ed to be loaded.

The word processor performance testing included line-by-line scroll- ing, font changes, word searching, spell-checking, and print preview of a six-page test document contain- ing a bordered table with five col- umns and 33 rows, a section with three newspaper columns, an import- ed graphic, special characters, and text in point sizes ranging from very small to very large.

The spreadsheet test file was a ten-year amortization table, and the

performance test steps included scrolling through the table to select a portion to be highlighted with a pat- tern, changing the typeface for a por- tion of the table, recalculating the monthly payments for a changed loan amount at a different interest rate, and print-previewing the table.

The database file was 1 ,4MB and contained eight tables, 24 forms, and 23 reports. The database per- formance test included performing a query, adding a record, print-pre- viewing all the pages in a report, and browsing all the records in a table where the form contained a picture field. Because of the size of this test file and the complexity of most of the displays in this test, this portion of the test suite required the most time to execute.

The OmniBook from Hewlett-Pack- ard has special design features to prolong battery life and maximize memory and storage. For example, special versions of Microsoft Excel 4.0 and Word for Windows 2.0 are stored in ROM. We were not able to use our regular suite of tests on this unit; however, we did design a spe- cial suite of tests using the OmniBook's own applications so that we could offer results that, though not directly comparable to the results of the other tests, still offer some sense of performance and battery life. So as you look at the bar graphs representing the re- sults of these tests, please keep these differences in mind.

APRIL 1994 COMPUTE

25

TEST LAB

that is backlit. Separate controls adjust contrast and brightness.

A panel of icons above the key- board displays the status of the power source, hard drive activity, floppy drive activity, PCMCIA activity, the battery-life gauge, and so forth.

The Z-Lite comes standard with 4MB of RAM, which you can expand to 20MB with a 16MB memory module.

There are three hard drive siz- es available, the largest of which is 170MB.

The Z-Lite will especially appeal to users for whom long bat- tery life is a key concern but who don't want to make any compro- mises in performance.

Circle Reader Service Number 376

ZEOS CONTENDA

The Contenda is a lot of comput- er in under four pounds. Test results showed both good battery life and good performance. And in this Test Lab roundup of sub- notebooks, it's one of the two machines featuring local-bus vid- eo for Windows acceleration.

The unit supports simultane- ous display of its own screen and an external SVGA color monitor. An optional full-size keyboard is available, which you plug into the parallel port. Software packaged with the unit we tested includes DOS 6, Windows 3.1, Lotus Notes, and advanced power man- agement software. The ad- vanced power management soft- ware runs under both DOS and Windows. Battery-life tests were performed with the maximum pow- er conservation setting.

One particularly useful utility that comes with the Contenda al- lows you to use an optional big cur- sor, which is a lot easier to keep track of when performing opera- tions with the pointing device. This is one of the two units in our test without any PCMCIA slots, but the unit does include an inter- nal fax/data modem slot.

The backlit display is crisp and bright, although the 7.4-inch (di- agonally measured) screen is the smallest in the group. Brightness and contrast adjustments are soft- ware based (made with function key combinations) rather than

BATTERY-LIFE TEST (WINBATCH SCRIPT)

4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0

Better

Worse

3

■ \w

\

X

*A special suite of tests (see "Test Methodology") was used, so results ore not directly comparable. Hewlett-Packard claims typical battery life of up to 4.5 hours for the hard drive model.

26

COMPUTE APRIL 1994

PERFORMANCE TEST

2U
15
10 5 n							~~ f-

Worse

Better

*A special suite of tests was used, so results are not directly comparable.

hardware controlled.

As with some of the other units, this one has a keyboard that I feel sits too high above the work surface — at least an inch. You turn this unit on and off with keypresses rather than a switch. While we were working with the machine, the keyboard and track- ball became inactive. As a result, we couldn't warm- or cold-boot the system (Ctrl-Alt-Delete didn't work, and we couldn't turn the power off because doing so re- quires a keypress). We had to wait until we lost battery power and then reboot.

The trackball on this unit is placed just above and to the right of the keyboard — not an ideal placement for a left-handed user.

The computer has an optional DC-DC adapter that plugs into

Performance testing was conducted by Benchmark Laboratories, Incorpo- rated. BLI is an independent testing and evaluation laboratory based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Every effort has been made to ensure the accura- cy and completeness of this data as of the date of testing. Performance may vary among samples.

FREE MONEY

MANAGEMENT

# SOFTWARE!

(Taking control of your finances has never been easier)

includes 25 FREE*caecks!

Know where you stand at all times with

Money Mate; the money management software

that makes it easy to organize, track and understand

your income and expenses!

Managing finances has never been easier!

With Money Mate, you'll quickly organize your finances and track where your money goes — it's simple! More than a personal finance program, Money Mate is also your personal organizer!

Fill in the blanks and let Money Mate do the rest!

You'll be up and running in minutes — just enter the name of your checking and savings accounts. Money Mate automatically adds the other accounts (electric, cable T.V., etc.) you'll need so you can start adding transactions right away. And you can add or modify the accounts at any time.

Balancing your checkbook is a breeze!

Balance your checkbook to even the toughest bank statement — Money Mate quickly finds common statement balancing errors and suggests how to correct them.

And find out where your money comes from and where it all goes — choose from income and expense, net worth and transaction analysis reports, and more, including colorful 3-D bar graphs and pie charts!

Plan for tomorrow— today!

Gain financial insight, create a budget, even estimate your taxes. In minutes, you'll find out if you're over budget, under budget or right on the money!

Money Mate also comes with a financial calculator and income tax estimator, and online help is just a keystroke away!

Proven performance!

Brought to you by Parsons Technology — the company with 10 years money management software experience — this exciting, FREE offer is our way of introducing you to the newest development in personal finance software and to our family of high-performance products!

But best of all-it's FREE!

To take advantage of this amazing offer, pick up the phone or send/fax the attached coupon. Money Mate is FREE — all you do is pick up the $8 shipping and handling charge! Choose between DOS or Windows versions. Taking control of your finances has never been easier! ■•"8^1 Circle Reader Service Number 168

•;;s£SiH Money Male requires an IBM; or comparable wirl 640K. DOS 3.0 or later and a hard drive wirh 3MB free disk space. Money

;::'fiSPJ Mare for Windows requires an IBMS or comparible PC running Microsoft* Window 3.1 or higher, 2MB RAM and a hard drive

MrrnrKOFT ™h 4MB '"''' uisk >P"- Works "'* a" m<>"i'<"s mi POM* Copyright 8 1994 Parsons Technology. Inc. All rights reserved.

WINDOWS.. Monc? •*" is ■ """"n"* »f Parsons Technology', Inc. All rrademarks or service marks designared as such arc marks or registered

COMFMTBLE marks of their respective owners. Handling charge is nnn-rcjundable.

Elle Edit Accounts IrangadJons Beportg Tooja jeflnrtow flelp

r^Tol IfHriiafCTl [p\ fTTWl I^TtI

i^B^tftriHtfoMio^fc^ifti gga@@]D

5S5

Wto'i Giocvv Hoc***

Ch**~'. 33'

ftttgjjjjon ttggngt _

i::

Endmg Balance: 68234

Available for DOS and Windows (Windows version shown).

Order today! Call toll free

1-800-644-4344

fax your order 1-319-395-7449 or mail the coupon to Parsons Technology.

YES! Please send me Money Mate for ffl FREE !

Offer limited to the first 250,000 orders. 'Add $8 for shipping and handling. Includes User's Guide. Now shipping!

Name

Address_ City

State .

Zip .

Day Phone ( )_

Version: □ DOS Disk Size: □ 3.5"

Evening (_

_j Windows

□ 5.25" Quantify:

We will ship LD 5.25" DOS disks if boxes are unmarked. Method of Payment: □ MasterCard □ Discover □ Visa □ American Express □ Check or Money Order Card # Exp.

Q Just send me your FREE software catalog!

PARSONS

TECHNOLOGY The personal fkante software experts!

/'arsons Technology, Product Development Center, One Parsons Drive, PO Box 100, Hiawotlia, IA 52233-0100

Your priority code is 31 8724D

TEST LAB

SPEAK UP!

Is there a group of hardware

or software products you'd

like to see covered in an

upcoming Test Lab?

Let us know by

calling (900) 285-5239,

(sponsored by Pure

Entertainment,

P.O. Box 186, Hollywood,

California 90078). The call

will cost 95 cents per

minute, you must be 18 or

older, and you must use a

touch-tone phone.

ZEOS Contenda

Direct price: $1,695 for review package; $1,995 lor package with additional 4MB RAM, fax/data modem, extra battery, and custom leather carrying case

Warranty: one year, parts and labor; 30-day money-back guarantee

ZEOS INTERNATIONAL 1301 Industrial Blvd. Minneapolis, MN 55413 (800) 423-5891

the cigarette lighter of any vehi- cle that has a 1 2-volt electrical sys- tem. The adapter can be connect- ed to either the computer or the battery charger.

The Contenda scored close to the top in several key categories, making it an excellent selection —

almost the smallest, almost the best in performance for 25-MHz machines, almost the best in bat- tery life, one of the two with local- bus video, and one of the two with 64 shades of gray.

Circle Reader Service Number 377

AC adapter. The power supply for port- able computers that converts AC (Al- ternating Current— the type of current available in wall outlets) to DC (Direct Current — the type of current available in the rechargeable battery packs used in portable computers), which is the type of power required by the com- puters. The battery pack is being charged when you supply power to the computer with this adapter.

active matrix. Whereas on a mono- chrome display, every dot is a pixel, on an active matrix display, three pix- els—red, green, and blue— are required to form a single dot as per- ceived by the eye. Each pixel has its own transistor. Active matrix displays produce vibrant, fully saturated con- trasts, and it's easier to view an active matrix display from wide view- ing angles than it is to view a mono- chrome or passive matrix display.

backlit. A backlit LCD screen pro- vides its own light source from the back of the screen. This makes the background brighter and the charac- ters sharper.

docking station. An external expan- sion chassis that attaches to a note- book computer and can provide adapt- er slots, drive bays, and ports for attaching an external monitor, a key- board, and a mouse. A docking sta-

GLOSSARY

tion provides access to desktop peripherals and could allow you to use just one computer — the notebook — on the desktop and on the road.

expansion box. A unit that can be attached to a notebook computer. It provides slots for additional cards.

flash disk. A plug-in card used for storing data. It requires no power to maintain its data. Typical capacity ranges from 5MB to 20MB.

gray scale. Shades of gray used to display or record information with more gradations than just black and white. Also represents colors as vari- ous shades of gray. The number of shades represented by an LCD screen depends on the design of the video display electronics.

LCD. Liquid Crystal Display. A type of video display unit involving a liquid crystal medium introduced in- to a finely partitioned glass, with elec- trodes connected to each partition. When voltage is applied differentially to the electrodes, the liquid crystal changes its brightness, allowing the formation of characters and other patterns.

local-bus video. A video adapter that connects directly to the micropro- cessor. With local-bus video, informa- tion moves at a much greater speed than through a traditional bus.

nicad. Nickel-cadmium. A recharge- able battery storage medium,

NiMH. Nickel metal hydride. A re- chargeable battery storage medium.

passive matrix. Each column or row of pixels in a passive matrix dis- play uses three transistors to control the red, green, and blue signals. Pas- sive matrix displays produce slower refresh rates and narrower viewing angles than active matrix displays.

PCMCIA. Personal Computer Mem- ory Card International Association. An industry standard for credit card- size expansion cards that plug into special sockets. The height of one of these devices can range from 3.3 mm to 10.5 mm.

port replicator. A unit which can be attached to a notebook computer to provide additional ports not avail- able on the notebook itself.

power management. A common feature in portable computers that con- serves battery life by temporarily shut- ting down system components such as the hard drive and the display.

ROM. Read-Only Memory. A type of memory device that usually is used to store system BIOS code. This code cannot be altered and is not lost when the computer is pow- ered off. On some notebooks, com- plete applications are stored in ROM.

28

COMPUTE APRIL 1994

DON'T BUY A SOUND BOARD ONTIL YOU'VE HEARD OS TOOT OOR HORN.

SOUNDMAN WAVE: GENUINELY .gel, BETTER SOUNP, FULLY LOADED.

Maybe you've read* how wavetable

synthesis uses actual recordings of instruments to create synthesized sounds. And how fantastic it sounds versus regular FM synthesis. Well it's true. SoundMan Wave lets gamers rock and roll with the real thing for an affordable price. And it comes loaded with great software like Recording Session'and MCS MusicRack".'

COMPLETE COMPATIBILITY GUARANTEE.

SoundMan Wave's Yamaha

OPL4 chip is completely

compatible with the AdLib/Sound Blaster

standard so it is backed by a 1 00% money-back

compatibility guarantee, and to back that up we'll give $500 to the first person that comes across a game with which SoundMan Wave isn't fully Sound Blaster compatible. Right now, hot games like X-wing, 7th Guest, Doom and Space Quest 5 already take full advantage of our wave technology. Dozens more are expected to hit the market each month.

DON'T BELIEVE US? CALL NOW FOR OUR FREE SOUND ADVICE AUDIO CD AND GET A $ 10 REBATE.

Listen to expert advice about adding

sound to PCs, and hear for yourself the incredible difference

between SoundMan Wave and run-of-the-mill 16-bit boards.

Call for our Sound Advice Audio CD before supplies run out,

and we'll enclose a $ 1 0 rebate coupon: ^_» __

1-800-889-0041, offer #6H

'See PC Magazine, 12/21/93, p 95. ™/® -properties of registered owners.

E?

<Q>-

iui«

The Senseware'Company

Circle Reader Service Number 143

TEST LAB

	SUBNOTEBOOK FEATURES
	Epson	Gateway	Hewlett- Packard	Panasonic	Toshiba	Zenith Data Systems	ZEOS
Weight of notebook (in pounds)	3.85	2.94	2.94	5.1	4.1	3.9	3.9
Weight of power supply (in pounds)3	0.912	0.962	0.65	0.73	0.53	0.738	0.656
Dimensions (in inches)	10x7.6x1.5	9.75 x 5.9 x 1.6	11.1 x6.4x 1.4	11.7x9.3x 1.25	9.9x7.9x1.7	9.9 x 7.6 x 1.54	9.7x6.1 x 1.8
Microprocessor manufacturer	Cyrix	Intel	Texas Instruments	Cyrix	Intel	Intel	Intel
Microprocessor name	486SLC	486SX (SL enhanced)	486SLC/e	486SLC/e	486SX (SL enhanced)	486SL	486SL
Speed (in MHz)	33	25	25	25	33	25	25
Display size (diagonally, in inches)	7.5	7.9	9	9.4	8.4	8.5	7.4
Monochrome display capability	640 x 480 x 64 gray scale	640 x 480	640 x 480 x 16 gray scale	640 x 480 x 16 gray scale	640 x 480 x 16 gray scale	640 x 480 x 16 gray scale	640 x 480 x 64 gray scale
Screen lighting	backlit	backlit	reflective	sideiit	backlit	backlit	backlit
Local-bus video	no	no	no	no	yes	no	yes
Simultaneous video display	yes	yes4	no	yes	yes, via port replicator	yes	yes
Hard drive sizes (in MB)	80,120	80	10 (flash disk), 40 (hard disk)	80,170	120	85, 120, 170	80,120
Removable hard drive	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no
Maximum RAM (in MB)	8	20	8	12	20	20	8
Pointing device	built-in two-button trackball	built-in two-button joystick	built-in pop-up mouse	external PS/2-style mouse port	built-in two- button AccuPoint	optional two-button LITEPOINT	built-in two-button trackball
1.44 floppy drive	yes	optional	optional	yes 5	yes	optional	optional
Floppy drive location	external	external	external	internal	external	external	external
PCMCIA slots	one Type II	one Type II	one Type II6	none	one Type II	one Type II	none
Proprietary modem slot	no	no	yes	yes	no	no	yes
Parallel ports	one	one	one	one	one	one	one
Serial ports	one	one	one	one	one	one	one
External keyboard/ mouse port	one PS/2 port for either keyboard or mouse	one PS/2 port for either keyboard or mouse	no	one PS/2 port for either keyboard or mouse	via port replicator	one PS/2 port for either keyboard or mouse	no (optional Genovation parallel-port keyboard is available)
Battery type	nicad	NiMH	NiMH	NiMH	Lithium-Ion	NiMH	NiMH
Time to recharge (in hours)	1.5 (off), up to 6 (on)	2	less than 2	1 .25 (off), 2 (on)	3 (off), 8 to 10 (on)	2.5	1 .5 to 2 (quick charge)
Port replicator option	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no
Docking station option	no	no	no	yes	no	no	no
Expansion box option	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
1 All information in this chart was obtained from the documentation provided by each manufacturer. 2 With battery and hard disk installed. 3 Does not include weight of power cord. 4 Through optional PCMCIA adapter. 5 Can be removed for second battery. 6 For hard disk model; two Type II for flash disk model.

30

COMPUTE APRIL 1994

Smooth out

your travel planning

with Automap.

Automap Road Atlas

The Easiest Way to Get From Here to There

Don't let bulky, worn-out maps put a crimp in your plans. Simply load the new version of Automap Road Atlas lot Windows or DOS onto your PC. In seconds, Automap will help you quickly and simply plan the ideal route to more than 120,000 places in the USA and Canada. You'll save time, money, and hassle,

Find places of interest along your route and calculate gas consumption with the new version 3. Or expand your horizons with two exciting new add-ons: Check out more than 8,000 great destinations overseas with Automap Destination Europe. And explore nearly 600 North American ski resorts with Automap Destination Ski.

Automap puts you in the driver's seat for planning travel. Just select how you want to drive— lead-foot or laid back. Ask for the quickest, shortest, or alternative routes. Press a button and print out detailed maps and directions. Automap is fast, fun, and affordable. So drive straight to your nearest software retailer today and ask for Automap Road Atlas, or call 1-800-440-MAPS.

AUTOMAP

Automap Destination Series

More Places to Go

Automap, Inc. 1309 114th Avenue SE. Suite 110, Bellevue, WA 98004. Tel: (206) 455-3552 Fax:(206)455-3667

Automap Road Atlas SRP $99.95. Upgrade to Version 3.0 SRP $39.95.

Automap Destination Europe (SRP $49.95) and Automap Destination Ski (SRP $29.95) are

add-on products to Automap Road Atlas.

Requirements: Windows version: Microsoft Windows 3.0 or above in standard or enhanced mode. DOS version: DOS 3.0 or above, 640K RAM. Destination Series add-ons: Work with any copy of Automap Road Atlas Version 3.

© Copyright 1 988-1 993, NextBase Ltd. Automap is a registered trademark of NextBase Ltd. Circle Reader Service Number 137

PROGRAMMING POWER

Tom Campbel

If you use Visual

Basic, VBAssist

should probably be

found in

your bag of tricks.

VBASSIST 3.0: A VISUAL BASIC ADD-ON

I was going to finish my cover- age of YACC this month, but a new version of VBAssist was brought to my attention, and it couldn't wait. We'll look more at YACC in an upcoming issue.

VBAssist is a Visual Basic add-on that isn't primarily a function library or a set of VBX files. Instead, VBAssist (from Sheridan Software Systems, 65 Maxess Road, Melville, New York 11747; 516-753- 0985) merges almost seamless- ly with the Visual Basic develop- ment environment, working so well that you begin to forget that Visual Basic wasn't like this to begin with.

The main visual difference when VBAssist is running is that a second toolbar with two rows of icons appears below the standard Visual Basic toolbar. But the differences go much deeper than that.

VBAssist comes with DB As- sistant, the tool that Visual Ba- sic Pro's Data Manager should have been; Data Assis- tant, which has a host of fea- tures to let you create and ed- it forms (in particular, a Form Wizard somewhat like the one in Access); a tool that gener- ates a standard Windows re- source file from a Visual Basic form, letting you use Visual Ba- sic as a prototyping tool for C; a control alignment tool that lets you whip together groups of controls effortlessly; a set of ingenious tools for managing control arrays; a group of tools for managing control prop- erties; and much more.

If you don't do a lot of work in Visual Basic, this sounds al- most like a set of randomly cho- ■ sen features — dialog resource generation along with data- base manipulation? But, in fact, what all these things

have in common is that they directly address the day-to- day needs of the Visual Basic programmer. For example, if you've ever had to create a form or group of forms with a lot of controls, you might have found that it gets old fast. In- variably, the grid spacing, but- ton size, and fonts you need to repeat many times bear no re- semblance to the defaults Vis- ual Basic provides. So you end up pointing and clicking all afternoon. VBAssist con- quers problems like this hand- ily by letting you create tem- plate controls and select groups of controls at one time and align them.

Another timesaver that be- came so much a part of my rou- tine that I forgot it wasn't a part of Visual Basic is the prop- erty menu. Click on a control with the right mouse button, and a floating menu pops up right beside the control. This is hardly news to Smalltalk and Borland Paradox users, but it's a revelation for the rest of us. The property menu ad- heres to VBAssist's philoso- phy of dividing like properties into logical groupings, so if you right-click on a text field, you can then choose to view only its color properties, say, or its database properties. (You can also select All to list all properties, but Visual Basic already has the F4 key for that.) A property dialog then ap- pears with only that set of prop- erties shown. This system is so natural and intuitive that I ex- pect to see it in the next re- lease of Visual Basic. One thing I don't like about the VBAssist property windows is that they sport a half-size sys- tem menu icon in the upper left corner, just like "real" win- dows, but clicking on it does the same thing the Escape key does — simply causes the dialog to close. I'd much pre- fer it to act like a "real" system menu and allow the dialog to

be minimized and maximized; some property lists are long enough that you have to re- size the window manually or use the scroll bar. I'd rather just be able to maximize. It's also questionable user inter- face design to take a familiar- looking control and give it a whole new meaning.

I have a pet peeve about Vis- ual Basic, Access, and all the other Windows visual develop- ment systems I can think of: The controls that allow you to display images typically re- quire that you type in a file- name for the ICO, BMP, or WMF image but never give you a convenient way to browse the images. VBAssist gives you a File Open dialog in its control property menu that lets you browse these im- ages before plugging them in- to the form. I hadn't realized how badly I wanted this fea- ture until I started up Visual Ba- sic without VBAssist.

The least sexy and — to me — most useful features of VBAssist are its confusingly named DB Assistant and Data Assistant. DB Assistant lets you create and alter the struc- ture of database tables; as- toundingly, not even Visual Ba- sic Pro's feeble Data Manager lets you change the structure of a table. Data Assistant has a ton of features to make form design easier, but the coolest is Form Wizard, which takes a raw table structure and auto- matically designs a data entry form around it. Form Wizard is familiar to Access users but not to Visual Basic users, and VBAssist's other form design features together make Visual Basic a much better form-build- ing system than Access.

If you use Visual Basic more than occasionally, VBAssist should probably be found in your bag of tricks. At $100 it's well priced, well documented, and superbly designed for the Visual Basic programmer. □

32 COMPUTE APRIL 1994

Explore ttlCI nternet !

F R E E

T

R

I A L

Dial By Modem 1-800-365-4636, Press return once or twice. At Username, enter JOINDELPHI. At Password, Enter CPT44

Complete details are provided during the toll-tree registration

DELPHI is the only major online service to offer you full access to the Internet. And now you can explore this incredible resource with no risk. You get 5 hours of evening/weekend access to try it out for free!

Use DELPHI'S Internet mail gateway to exchange messages with over 10 million people at universities, companies, and other online services such as CompuServe and MCI Mail. Download programs and files using FTP or connect in real-time to other networks using Telnet. You can also meet people on the Internet. Internet Relay Chat lets you "talk" with people all over the world and Usenet News is the world's largest bulletin board with over 3500 topics!

To help you find the information you want, you'll have direct access to powerful search utilities such as "Gopher," "Hytelnet," "WAIS," and "the World-Wide Web." If you aren't familiar with these terms, don't worry; DELPHI has expert online assistants and a large collection of help files, books, programs, and other resources to help get you started.

Over 600 local access numbers are available across the country. Explore DELPHI and the Internet today. You'll be

amazed by what you discover.

DELPHI

Quesiions'CalH-800-695-4005 Send e-mail to INFO@delphi.com

Attention Current Internet Users: See what DELPHI can offer you ! Stock quotes, Grolier's Encyclopedia, newswires, and hundreds of other services are just a few keystrokes away. Telnet to delphi.com and enter the username and password above for a free trial.

Circle Reader Service Number 161

TIPS & TOOLS

Edited by Richard C. Leinecker

Check out those disk drives, and convert ASCII comma-delimited database files to tab- delimited files.

Check That Drive

You've just completed the best batch file in the world. It does all kinds of stuff to the floppy drives. But if there's no disk in the drive, your batch file fails, and the user gets the famous Abort, Retry, Fail? mes- sage. The same thing hap- pens if the disk in the floppy drive isn't formatted.

There is a solution: a small program called DRIVEOK- .COM. It checks to see if the disk and drive are OK. If the disk isn't formatted or the drive door is open, the Driveok program returns a nonzero errorlevel. Otherwise, it returns an errorlevel of 0.

You can use the program from the command line or a batch file. Type driveok a to check drive A, driveok b to check drive B, or driveok to check both drives. If only drive A shows an error, you'll get an errorlevel of 1. If only drive B shows an error, you'll get an errorlevel of 2. If both drives show errors, you'll get an errorlevel of 3.

You can type in Driveok us- ing the DOS Debug com- mand. Make sure the DOS pro- gram called Debug is in your path or the current directory. In these examples, the italic text is what the computer prints; the roman text is what you should type. One way to be sure you get these pro- grams exactly right is to have someone read the numbers to you as you type them in. An- other way suggested by one of our readers is to read the numbers into a tape recorder and then play them back as you enter the program code.

debug driveok.com File not found

-e 100 BD03 00 BE 80 00 AC 0A -e 108 CO 74 1B AC3C 0D 74 16 -e 110 3C20 74 F7 24 DF 3C 41 -e 118 75 05 BD01 00 EB 07 3C -e120 42 75 03 BD 02 00 B4 19 -e128 CD 21 2E A2 8B 01 B8 24

-e 130 25 BA8F 01 CD 21 F7 C5

-e138 01 00 74 1A B4 0E 2A D2

-e140 CD 21 BA8D01 B8 00 43

-e148 CD 21 80 3E 8A 01 00 74

-e 150 05 C6 06 8C 01 01 C6 06

-e158 8A01 00 F7 C5 02 00 74

-e 160 1AB4 0E B2 01 CD 21 BA

-e168 8D01 B8 00 43 CD 21 80

-e170 3E 8A01 00 74 05 80 0E

-e178 8C01 02 8A 16 8B 01 B4

-e 180 0E CD 21 A0 8C 01 B4 4C

-e 188 CD 21 00 00 00 24 00 2E

-e 190 C6 06 8A 01 01 2B CO CF

-RCX

CX 0000

:0098

-W

Writing 0098 bytes

-Q

The checksum value is 13229 (the Checksum pro- gram was published in the Ju- ly 1993 "Tips & Tools" and is available in COMPUTE's area on America Online).

Here's how to use the pro- gram in a batch file (the name of this batch file is CHKDRV.BAT).

©ECHO OFF

REM The batch file expects you

REM to type a drive specifier

REM for testing specific drives

REM or no command line

REM argument to test both drives.

DRIVEOK %1

IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO L3 IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO L2 IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO L1 ECHO No disk errors appeared ECHO using the Driveok ECHO program. GOTO END

:L1

ECHO Drive A has a serious disk

ECHO error.

GOTO END

:L2

ECHO Drive B has a serious disk

ECHO error.

GOTO END

:L3

ECHO Drives A and B have serious

ECHO disk errors. :END

RICHARD C. LEINECKER REIDSVILLE, NC

Better PFS File Conversion

Clark Harper's tip for convert- ing his PFS First Choice files to Works ("Tips & Tools," Octo- ber 1993) assumes that none of his records have any com- mas in them.

The PFS files can be stored as ASCII comma-delim- ited text. Since fields them- selves might contain com- mas, quotation marks are used to enclose the fields. Commas inside pairs of quo- tation marks are treated as text and printed or stored. Commas between fields act as delimiters.

To prevent replacing com- mas in the middle of text fields with tab characters, Harper's code should be modified to the following list- ing. (An indented line is a con- tinuation of the preceding line.)

OPEN "infile" FOR INPUT AS #1 OPEN "outfile" FOR OUTPUT

AS #2 DIM InsideQuotes, True, False AS

INTEGER False = 0 True = NOT False InsideQuotes = False ' Flag is set True when we're ' inside a set of quotation marks. DO WHILE NOT E0F(1) CHARACTERS = INPUT$(1, #1) IF CHARACTERS = CHR$(34)

THEN

IF NOT InsideQuotes THEN ' We weren't inside a set of ' quotation marks, but now we are, ' so set the flag. InsideQuotes = True ELSE

' We were inside a set of quotation ' marks, but we aren't anymore, ' so unset the flag. InsideQuotes = False END IF

CHARACTERS = " " END IF

34 COMPUTE APRIL 1994

IF (CHARACTER$ = CHR$(44)) AND NOT InsideQuotes THEN

CHARACTER$ = CHR$(9)

END IF

PRINT #2, CHARACTERS;

LOOP

PRINT #2, ""

CLOSE

END

NOEL NYMAN SEATTLE, WA

Getting WP Tables Straight

In DOS and Windows, the WordPerfect 5.1 table func- tion is a great improvement over tabbed columns, and con- verting from tabs to formatted tables is a snap.

Start by blocking the tabbed columns. Next, select Table Create (DOS: Alt-F7, Windows: Ctrl-F9, Create). Then select Create Table from Tabbed Column.

Remember that WordPer- fect converts every tab into a column and every hard return into a row. To create symmet- rical tables from tabbed col- umns, be sure that every row has the same number of tabs and that tabbed columns align vertically. (Fill in short rows with empty tabs.) To keep tables compact, sepa- rate rows by a single hard re- turn. (Extra hard returns turn in- to empty, single-celled rows.)

WILLIAM J. WOLFE CHAMPAIGN, IL

Printing on Both Sides

While printing long docu- ments, I like to save paper by printing on both sides. I have an ordinary 9-pin printer, so this involves printing half of the pages on one side of con- tinuous paper, removing the printed pages, turning them over, and feeding them again to print out the other half. While this is a bit cumber- some, the real problem is that the pages are printed out of order. This problem can be solved by printing the odd-

numbered pages on one side of the paper and the even- numbered ones on the other. I wrote a macro for Micro- soft Word which allows me to print odd- and even-num- bered pages. (An indented line is a continuation of the pre- ceding line.)

<Shift Ctrl Esc>Up<Enter>

«MESSAGE»

«SET ECH0="0FF"»

<Ctrl End>

«SET choice=0»

« WHILE choice <>1 AND

choice<>2»

«ASK choice =?1 .odd or 2.even» «ENDWHILE» «SET maxpage=Page» «Set count=choice» «WHILE counk=maxpage» «SET ECH0="0N"» «MESSAGE Printing page «count»

of «maxpage»» «SET ECH0="0FF"» <Shift Ctrl Esofp <Alt S>« count» <Alt A>p <Enter>

«SET count=count+2» «ENDWHILE»

When you run the macro, you're asked if you want to print odd- or even-numbered pages. First, type 1 for odd and press Enter. After the print- ing has stopped, tear off the last page, being careful not to separate any other printed pages at the perforations. Then reinsert the paper so that the first printed page is toward you and facing up. Run the macro again; this time, choose even-numbered pages.

While doing this, you might want to set the mirror margins option so that the printed pag- es can be bound easily in a book form.

FARID AHMAD ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

Instruction Instructions

I have a tip for people who have this same problem. Al-

most every time I get a new software package, there is an instruction manual to deal with. I have found the follow- ing procedure to be a great timesaver.

Obtain a small, 3.V2- x 5- inch, spiral notepad or a spi- ral-bound deck of index cards. Make sure it will lie flat on the desk.

Allow three or more blank pages at the start for an in- dex. Start reading the manual and make notes of those items which concern you. When you make notes on the pad, make sure you include the topic and page number from the printed manual.

On each notepad page, write down headings and brief instructions on the topic from the manual. The first sec- tion should be how to start the program.

If the instructions for any section are long, just write down the page number in the manual where you can find complete instructions.

The second section should be how to quit the program; that's the thing you'll probably need after you know how to start.

Other important topics that you should include in your per- sonal manual are how to load, print, and save files, and the meaning of error mes- sages.

ROBERT MATHIAS BROOKFIELD, IL

If you have an interesting tip that you think would help oth- er PC users, send it along with your name, address, and Social Security number to COMPUTE'S Tips & Tools, 324 West Wendover Avenue, Suite 200, Greensboro, North Carolina 27408. For each tip we publish, we'll pay you $25- $50. All tips submitted be- come the property of General Media International. D

A WordPerfect technique for creating quick tables, a Word macro for double-sided printing, and an idea for writing your own quick-start manuals

APRIL 1994 COMPUTE 35

Ever wonder what It s

ilike to nave your lile Hash j

belore your ears?

You II nnq out when you

play SSN-21 SeaWoIC™ the

I sequel to 688 Attack Sub?'

And the most realistic PC

'	a- submarine simulation this
	£ side ot Annapolis.
■■ -^J-' •* .	I .' As you skipper, the worlds
	K. .newest, most heavily armed
	i nuclear attack sub.. ruoles8':;
	Rithan 100 dnierent sound
'•	t enects' assault your senses
	t via out revolutionary 16- bit
m	I lull digital stereo sound. - -
^-' ■

:

NOBODY KNOWS WHAT HIES. (SI VIE YOU A PRETTY 000

You 11 near the eerie hi^lt-pitene'a whine or ta_rpeao.es- as they home

P

*NAVr

7"

in on int'Jr targets, l he --menacing wrone ol a 'destroyer, passing overncacL.

Aiid damage reports irom the months 01 crewmen I praying they li live to enjoy another liberty call.

Oi course, it pays to.

m

keep your eyes open, too. SSN-21 SeaWolF' features coior motion video, 3^13 underwater mapping, and vivid digitized intakes ol more tnari.50 real,wOrla snips ana aircraft.

Now, take a rinai breatn-"' oi iresn air ana dive into a world where good hearing is your §reffitest asset.

I. LOOKS I. IK IE. BUT WE'LL » I I) IE A HOW IT SOUNDS.

Sure, it 11 test your nerves. But what were you expecting, tne Love Boat?

SlAOTLF

"ELECTRONIC ARTE

Circ.le.-Reade'r Sifvifc'e-toumber 2*7 •

HARDWARE CLINIC

lark

inasi

SCSI IDs and

parity keep

communication on

the SCSI chain

unambiguous and

error-free.

THE CONTINUING SAGA OF SCSI

Last month, we started looking at the techniques necessary to get a PC up and running with SCSI peripherals. Al- though I said last month that I'd cover active termination in this month's column, space considerations have forced me to move that topic to next month's column. This month, we'll look at the next two steps: setting SCSI IDs and in- stalling peripherals.

Each device in a SCSI sys- tem must have a unique iden- tification number called a SCSI ID. The values for this ID range from 0 to 7, and as the numbers must be unique, the SCSI system generally won't work if you attach more than one peripheral that uses the same ID. Typically, the host adapter is set to 7. You can change the host ID, but don't. Changing the host ID will un- necessarily expose you to soft- ware incompatibilities.

Before installing a peripher- al in your system, you should assign it a SCSI ID (usually with a DIP switch, a jumper, a thumbwheel, or the like). There are just a few rules for setting SCSI IDs.

Rule 1: Each device on the SCSI chain must have a unique ID. Putting two SCSI de- vices on the chain with the same SCSI ID number will pre- vent both devices from work- ing and could keep other SCSI devices from working.

Rule 2: Don't use ID 0 or ID 1 for anything but hard disks. Much SCSI hardware as- sumes that anything at ID 0 or 1 is a hard disk. In a pinch, it's OK to assign ID 1 to some- thing other than a hard disk drive, but never assign ID 0 to anything but a hard disk un- less you've got a PS/2 (we'll get to PS/2s shortly).

Rule 3: If you plan to boot

from a SCSI hard disk, make it ID 0. The BIOS on your SCSI host adapter will expect a boot device to have SCSI ID 0 (except for PS/2s, as I'll ex- plain in a minute). This doesn't mean that you. must boot from a SCSI .device if you have a SCSI host adapter, how- ever. A number of computers in my office boot from IDE hard disks and then use SCSI host adapters to access CD- ROM drives. But any SCSI boot device must be at ID 0.

Rule 4: Check the documen- tation for your operating sys- tem to see if it expects a de- vice at a particular ID. For example, my advice to put a hard disk on ID 0 or 1 is really DOS-, OS/2-, and NT-based ad- vice. Other operating systems (SCO UNIX, for example) may not care which ID you use for a boot drive. At the same time, SCO must see any CD- ROM drives at ID 5. Some- times the only way to solve a SCSI problem is to try out dif- ferent ID combinations until something works. I've never fixed anything by fiddling around with the host adapter's ID, but I've fixed things by twid- dling the peripheral IDs.

Rule 5: IBM PS/2 machines with SCSI drives use ID 6 for bootable hard disks.

If some of what I've said sounds vague, it's because SCSI is still evolving.

Keeping track of SCSI IDs isn't as hard as it sounds. One of the really nifty things about SCSI is that SCSI devices will tell you about themselves if asked. When your system pow- ers up, your SCSI host adapt- er says to the other SCSI de- vices, "Identify yourselves!" For example, on a system that I own with a SCSI host adapt- er and an NEC CDR-84 CD- ROM drive, I see a message on boot-up that says Host Adapter #0 - SCSI ID6-LUN 0: NEC CD-ROM DRIVE: 841 1.0. This tells me that on host

adapter number 0 — it's possi- ble to have more than one host adapter — there is a de- vice with SCSI ID 6. Some- times, you'll see a message that refers to a target SCSI ID. Target SCSI ID is the same thing as SCSI ID. So when you see target, ignore it. Don't wor- ry about LUN; I'll explain that in a minute. The device is built by NEC, and it's a CD-ROM drive. The specifics of its soft- ware indicate that it is the NEC 84 CD-ROM drive, version 1 .0. That identifying information makes it easier for software to automatically configure new hardware. For example, when I install a program like Adaptec's EZ-SCSI or Corel's CorelSCSN, I needn't tell the program that I have a CD- ROM drive on SCSI ID 6— it reads that information right off the drive.

If it's not obvious how use- ful this is, consider what's in- volved in the installation of a standard IDE hard disk drive nowadays. In order to get the PC to recognize the drive, you have to tell the PC how many cylinders the drive has, how many heads it has, and how many sectors are on each track on the disk. Why can't the drive tell the PC? Or how about the ordeal of installing printer drivers for every new piece of DOS software? It's sil- ly that when I install Windows or OS/2 on a system, the instal- lation program eventually asks me, "What kind of printer do you have?" That's some- thing that a computer and a printer ought to be able to work out between themselves. But they can't, because of the the interface between IDE hard disks and PCs and be- tween printers and PCs.

Now let's get to that mes- sage that included LUN 0. LUN (Logical Unit Number) re- fers to the fact that a SCSI de- vice can have subdevices. Let's take an example. A com-

38 COMPUTE APRIL 1994

■■PHI

-m

The Officially Licensed

Wl

'^m

tTOYOTA

!S

In! 9

w fast can you go INDYCAR™ Racing?

Take the default car and hit the road running Practice all eight tracks, n y o u're good enough, go for more.

©[

More real set-u ps, game play and graphics than any racing simulation ever had before.

IBM PC screens shown. Actual screens may vary.

1-800-874-4607

Distributed exclusively worldwide by Virgin Interactive Entertainment, Inc. • 18061 Fitch Avenue • Irvine, CA 92714 • USA

IndyCar and the helmet logo are trademarks of The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, under exclusive license to Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc.

Indianapolis 500®: The Simulation is a trademark of The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation.

Indianapolis 500 is a registered trademark of The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation.

Papyrus is a trademark of Papyrus Design Group, Inc. • Virgin is a trademark of Virgin Enterprises, LTD.

HARDWARE CLINIC

SCSI parity adds

a little redundancy,

which makes it

easier to spot bad

transmissions.

pany by the name of Iomega makes a cartridge backup de- vice called the Bernoulli Box. One of its offerings is the Iomega 44+44 Bernoulli back- up device. It's a metal case containing two 44MB car- tridge drives, and it's SCSI com- patible. If I connect an Iome- ga 44+44 cartridge device to one of my SCSI systems, then I'll see a new SCSI ID, which refers to the 44+44 system. The two 44MB cartridge drives will be distinguished not by different SCSI IDs but by different LUNs under the same SCSI ID.

This situation is fairly unusu- al in the SCSI world and, as a result, could give your system heartburn. But now you'll know what LUN refers to. Again, the vast majority of de- vices include only one LUN. But suppose a device has more than one LUN; how far could this go?

In theory, each SCSI device can have up to eight LUNs. To make things even worse, each LUN can have a sub-sub- device name called an LSUN (Logical Sub-Unit Number) which can range from 0 to 255. Again, I do not recom- mend trying to use LUNs or LSUNs; it will be difficult to get drivers to use them.

Once you have resolved your SCSI devices' SCSI IDs, you'll probably have to enable or disable a feature called SCSI parity. Parity is a system for detecting transmission er- rors. Transmission errors can arise from faulty cables, bad connections, or electromagnet- ic noise affecting the signal transmission. You may have heard of parity when working with communications sys- tems, which specify odd, even, or no parity. The parity system used by SCSI is a mite complex — more complex than is worth explaining in de- tail, in fact. But let's get an idea of how it works by look-

ing at simple parity as used by communications systems.

Data communications often send textual data — ASCII text files — rather than binary data, such as Lotus spreadsheet files, WordPerfect document files, or program files. Each character of text is represent- ed by seven bits of data; for ex- ample, a capital A, expressed as bits in ASCII, is 1000001. If you transmitted 1000001 over a modem and it was received on the other end as 100001 1 , then the receiver wouldn't get an A; it would get a C instead. Just flipping one bit can change the whole meaning of a message. (Things that can contribute to bits being tog- gled in transmission include static on the lines and sun- spots affecting communica- tions satellites.)

Parity adds a little redundan- cy, which makes it easier to spot bad transmissions. Let's look at even parity. With .even parity, the sending device gets seven bits to send (a char- acter) and then adds an eighth bit — the parity bit. The value of the eighth bit is set to be either a one or a zero, so that after the eighth bit is add- ed, the total number of bits in the eight-bit group will be even. In the A example, the da- ta is 1000001, so there are two ones — an even number. This does not need another one, so the parity bit is a zero. The sender would thus send 10000010.

Assuming that the receiver is set up to expect even parity and seven data bits, it looks at the eight data bits and checks to see if there are an even number of ones. If there are, the receiver assumes that the data was received with- out error and strips off the par- ity bit.

Only the data communica- tions equipment (or the SCSI interface components, in the case of SCSI devices) on ei-

ther end of the communication are interested in this parity bit. The parity bit is added by the equipment on the sending end and interpreted and re- moved by the equipment on the receiving end. The com- puters or terminals on either end are unaware that anything happened in between.

Let's take another example of parity. The code for the char- acter C is 1000011. In this case, the seven data bits con- tain three ones. Three is not even, so the added parity bit in this case should be a one. The eight-bit group is now 10000111, which has an even number of ones.

Again, the receiver would recognize the first seven bits as accurately received and strip off the extra bit before stor- ing the byte.

In order for any device to use SCSI parity, all SCSI de- vices must support it. If any de- vice does not support SCSI par- ity, then you must disable it for all devices on the chain.

This can become vital be- cause some operating sys- tems like Windows NT will not work at all with a SCSI CD- ROM drive unless it supports SCSI parity. Therefore, you should plan to support SCSI parity from the very beginning; buy only devices that support SCSI parity (and SCSI-2).

Next month, we'll look at ca- bling the whole mess up and terminating it. (Don't worry- termination is a good thing in the SCSI world.)

Speak Up!

Do you have a tough hard- ware problem you'd like Mark to tackle? Let him know about it by calling (900) 285- 5239 (sponsored by Pure En- tertainment, P.O. Box 186, Hol- lywood, California 90078). The call will cost 95 cents per minute, you must be 18 or old- er, and you must use a touch- tone phone. □

40 COMPUTE APRIL 1994

Only ICS gives you the faster 486DLC/33MHz microprocessor with modem and color monitor.

Get into a money-making career in personal computer repair

The U.S. Dept. of Labor states that many highly- qualified computer repair technicians are earning over $30, 000 a year. And the PC repair field is targeted for higher-than-average growth throughout this decade and beyond!.

PC Repair Video

Shows you how to repai the most common PC malfunctions.

DOS 6.0

Complete with the Double-space storage expansion program and Microsoft™ Anti-Virus Program.

■ | Mi

State of the Art, Powerful

• Cyrix's 486DLC/33MHZ microprocessor greatly • outdistances Intel's i486SX/25 in benchmark testing •

• Cyrix's FasMathCx83D87" performance-leading coprocessor for true 486 speed. •

• Plus an 80 MB IDE Hard Disk Drive and 1MB of expandable RAM!

486DLC Technology

2400 baud internal modem 1Kb internal cache plus a high- speed 64Kb external cache access to ICS Online with numerous exciting services to choose from

256+ color capacity SVGA high- resolution monitor

T

PC TOOl Kit Includes

screwdrivers, chip inserter/ extractor, torx screwdriver, nut drivers, insulated tweezers and more.

^Professional Diagnostic Card and Diagnostic Software Enables

OU to locate and repair almost any computer problem

rain at home to enter one of the fastest-growing, highest-paying computer careers!

Digital Volt-Ohm

Milliammeter

Provides voltage, current and resistance measure- ments, and checks for circuit malfunctions.

Only ICS, the world's leader in home study, gives you hands-on training with a high-perfonnance 486DLC IBM-compatible computer with Cyrix microprocessor, color monitor and internal modem so you master the latest techniques and innovations in PC servicing and repair. You get the same high- quality training taught at vocational and trade schools but without spending years attending classes. You can complete your training in just months... you'll even be able to start making money doing repair' jobs before you finish your course.

Our computer specialists have spared no effort in ensuring that this is the finest PC repair course available through home study.

Compare ICS training — you get better equipment/lower tuition!

Don't be confused by other schools that try to duplicate ICS training. Check the facts by sending for our free infonnation package. With our course you receive all the professional equipment shown above. ..you learn eveiy facet of PC trouble- shooting and repair.. .and you receive an accredited ICS Career Diploma that identifies you as a qualified PC Service Technician. Employers know ICS because of the over 10 million men and women who have trained with us. All this — better equipment, tetter instruction — for less tuition than other home-study PC repair courses!

You receive a 486DLC IBM-compatible personal computer system!

This is the new, faster, 486 technology you've heard about — it's all you'll need to learn PC servicing and repair. Step by step you're taught how to troubleshoot, repair/replace all of the major components of this amazing system.

ICS hands-on training is the key

to your successful future in PC repair!

You receive practical, real-world computer servicing experience on your 486DLC computer using the professional tools and diagnostic hardware and software that's included with your course. Everything is explained in step-by-step detail. ..from the basics of computer maintenance to advanced microcomputer technology.

Learn to service and repair every type of personal computer!

ICS makes you competent with the latest technology in personal computers, so you'll be able to handle any computer servicing job that comes your way. You'll learn how to set up and configure PC systems... how to replace central processing unit (CPU) components, hard drives, floppy drives, keyboards, monitors and printers... how to detect and deal with computer viruses... how to upgrade PCs by installing modems, graphics cards, coprocessors, additional

memory and much more. Your career in PC repair begins with the big, full- color FREE information , package we send you. Get all the facts you need | on our revolutionary PC repair course. Send for free infonnation that describes how ICS training can start you toward a high-paying career as a PC Service Technician. M Mail the postage-paid card at left today. ^ If card is missing, mail coupon below. OR CALL TOLL FREE:

1 -800-596-5505 &i

Call anytime— 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

ICS Sc1mK)1 of Computer Training,

SJNcf 1890 DePL PDZS34S, 925 Oak Street, Scranton, PA 18515

I £/c)! Please send me free facts that tell how I can train at home to learn PC repair. I understand f there is no obligation and no salesman will visit me. Name Age

Address

City/State_ Phone (

. Apt. # _ _Zip

It's every computer user's nightmare: You turn your computer on, and instead of the usual boot sequence, it just beeps at you. In severe cases, you might not even get beeps. On the other hand, if you're lucky, you might get a message on the screen indicat- ing the problem. In any case, your computer has died. Is it time to take it up to boot hill? Maybe not.

The most important thing to remem- ber is not to panic. Don't scream. Don't pull your hair out. Instead, stop and think before you do anything to your comatose computer. Otherwise, you might make a bad situation worse.

Rather than give you a long list of things to try when you encounter vari- ous problems, I'm going to take you through a problem-solving sequence that will probably lead to success — or at least to an accurate assessment of the failure — in most cases. I couldn't possibly cover — even in a lengthy book — all of the situations that may arise. I will, however, use examples to illustrate my points.

1 . The first step is to clearly identify the symptoms. The symptoms are dif- ferent from the root problem. The root problem might be that the video card has gone bad while the symptom is that the screen is completely blank.

You must focus on the symptoms first; you must study the evidence before you can determine what the problem is. There's an anecdote about a researcher conducting an experi- ment in which he teaches a frog to jump when it hears a certain sound. After each jump, he cuts off one of the frog's legs and repeats the procedure. Once all the legs have been removed, the frog doesn't jump when the researcher prompts it with the sound. The researcher concludes that frogs without legs can't hear. This illustrates how misleading conclusions can be if you don't consider all of the available information.

One of the best ways to make sure you factor all of the available informa- tion into your thinking is to take the time to write down your computer's symptoms.

Suppose you turn your computer on and absolutely nothing happens. Your first thought might be that your com- puter's power supply has gone bad. But by making this judgment, you've bypassed the problem-solving process by jumping to a conclusion that may not be correct. To systematically attack this problem, try to avoid drawing any immediate conclusions. Instead, sim- ply note that after turning on the power switch, nothing happens, Now you have no preconceived notions that might lead you astray later.

2. The next thing to do is to think about the entire system that is experi- encing the failure. If your computer does nothing when turned on, you must consider the entire route of the electri- cal circuit from the generating plant to your computer's internal workings.

Electricity enters your building from the power lines. Your computer plugs into an outlet that's a branch of the building's wiring network. The power goes from the room's outlet to the computer's power supply through a cord. The power is converted in the power supply and then goes to the motherboard. There may be other items in the path, such as a power strip or an extension cord. Whatever your individual situation is, make sure that you've included every step of the process in your consideration of what might have gone wrong.

3. The third part of the process is to eliminate links in the chain as causes. Some people prefer to start at the beginning and work forward, others prefer to start at the end and work backwards, and still others prefer to start somewhere in the middle.

Let's start at the beginning. Since the first part of your chain is delivery of electricity to your building, see if you have power: It's possible that the power in your area is out. The next thing to consider is the outlet. Plug a lamp into the outlet to see if it works. The fuse for that outlet might be blown. If you're using a power strip, make sure it's on and isn't defective. Plug a lamp into the power strip to test it.

Once you've established that the power is reaching the power supply, there are three major things that may

have gone wrong.

• Something in the system may be drawing enough current to shut down the power supply.

• The connections between the pow- er supply and the outlet may be bad.

• The power supply may be defective. At this point you should consider

contacting trained service personnel. If you're not comfortable working inside your computer, have it repaired. But if you don't mind getting under the hood, here are some things you can try that aren't too difficult.

Before opening the case, pull the power cord out of the outlet (or dis- connect it from the power supply). When the case is open, put your hand on the power supply casing to dis- charge any stray voltage you might be carrying around in the form of static. These are two safety rules — for you and your machine — that you should always follow when you open the case.

Check for loose wires and connec- tions, especially near the power sup- ply. If you see a connection that's loose, try to tighten it and then restart the computer. Sometimes there are extra cables coming out of the power supply that are unused. Make sure you don't try to plug one of these in somewhere.

Try removing all of your peripheral expansion cards and then powering back up with them out. Sometimes a bad expansion card will draw so much current that the power supply shuts down and doesn't deliver any juice to the system. I've even had experiences where boards in low-profile cases touched each other and caused shorts that overloaded the power supply.

4. The last step in the process is to try solutions based on your observa- tions. Many times, you'll need to try several things just to narrow the possi- bilities down. However, don't try any- thing that you're not sure about. Paying a technician to fix a problem is far cheaper than replacing an entire system should you venture into uncharted waters and make a major mistake.

The steps I've set forth should see you through most difficulties.

If Richard C Lelnecker

TROUBLESHOOTING

I

• Identify the symptoms of the problem.

• Think about the entire system that is experiencing the problem and the sequence of events in which some- thing may go wrong.

• Systematically work your way through the sequence to eliminate links and thus focus on the real problem.

• Attempt solutions based on your observations.

Specific Strategies

Now that I've given you a generic approach, I'd like to suggest some spe- cific tips based on my own experience.

Problems with expansion cards. Turn the power off, make sure the expansion cards are securely in their slots, and then power back up. Many times the cards become loose when the computer is moved or cables are plugged in or unplugged.

No color on your monitor. If you don't have any video or the colors are wrong, make sure the monitor cables are in securely. Check the pins in the plug. If one or more have become bent or broken (they're very fragile), you might need to pay a tech- nician to install a new monitor cable. If your monitor is distorted or the picture jiggles, look for other objects in the vicinity that produce a magnetic field. They wreak havoc on a monitor's sen- sitive magnetic structure.

Printer (or other external pe- ripheral) won't work. If your print- er doesn't work properly, try a different cable. For some reason, parallel cables seem particularly susceptible to malfunction. If a peripheral such as a printer doesn't come on or work prop- erly, shut down the entire system and wait for 10-15 minutes before restart- ing. A number of peripherals such as HP laser printers have circuit breakers that turn back on after a period of about ten minutes.

External modem won't modu- late/demodulate. If an external modem doesn't work properly, try a different cable. Make sure the power cord is plugged in and the modem is turned on. Check your power supply output with a voltmeter. Have your tele- phone company check your telephone line. A bad telephone extension cord

YOUR

HOW TO BECOME A PC MD

can make your whole telephone sys- tem operate below par.

System demands a boot disk. If you get a message that asks for a boot disk during startup, the setup values may have been lost from your CMOS. Restart and bring up the setup screen. Check to make sure your hard drive's specifications are correct. (It's for times like these that you should write down all the values in your CMOS setup and store them in a safe place.)

Hard drive failure on startup. If you get a hard drive failure or con- troller error when you first boot, turn the computer off and wait for several minutes before turning it back on. I've encountered many computers that occasionally give these errors but are fine when restarted after a short wait- ing period.

Poor disk performance. If you're having trouble with your disk drive, run Chkdsk. It's a DOS program that checks the logical structure of your hard drive. It can be run alone (by typ- ing chkdsk at the command line) or with the /f switch (by typing chkdsk /f) to attempt repair of lost allocation units and cross-linked files. I usually run it without the /f switch first in case there are files that are cross-linked. If the Chkdsk report indicates that I have cross-linked files, I usually try to back them up to a floppy before I use the /f parameter, since it may destroy one of the files and render it unrecoverable. (See "IntroDOS" in this issue for an additional DOS 6.2 alternative.)

Prepare for Disaster

Make sure you always have a boot disk with the version of DOS your computer is running. It's a good idea to have a text editor (EDIT.COM, for example) on it in case you need to edit your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEX- EC.BAT files. Also put CHKDSK.EXE, F0RMAT.COM, and FDISK.EXE on this disk. All of these files should be either in your root directory or in your DOS directory.

If your computer boots and hangs up while it's running the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file, start by boot- ing with the system floppy described in the previous paragraph. Use the text editor on the disk to systematical- ly remove items around the area in either file where you think the problem is occurring. Once you've found the cause of the hangup, you'll probably be able to deduce what the problem is and how to deal with it.

The next line of defense is diag- nostic software. This is one of the faster-growing categories of software.

It's important that you use the right

44 COMPUTE APRIL 1994

diagnostic tool. Some programs are good for solving Windows problems and conflicts. Some are good with floppy and hard drive problems. Some are good for determining hard- ware problems. I've collected and reviewed a number of current pack- ages to help you decide which one meets your needs.

DOS-Based Diagnostic Software

These are the programs to use on DOS-based systems. Often, you don't have enough functionality in a failing machine to run Windows, and in that case DOS is your only option.

QA Plus. QA Plus is the most pop- ular diagnostic software. It's been on the market for years and has entrenched itself as a leader. I found it capable, but not to the degree that it eclipses the other DOS-based diag- nostic programs.

The same interface has been around for years. It's simple and text- based. But diagnostic software doesn't need to be pretty to work. QA Plus per- formed admirably on all tests. It per- formed well on the IRQ identification functions over a wide range of systems.

Here are the features that could make this your program of choice: It can save report data to a DBF file (that's nice if your company has a large number of systems and it's important to collect the data in one place), and it has a number of com- mand line switches that enhance the program's operations, allowing you to create batch files for a wide variety of systems with different command line switches so that you don't have to worry about remembering a system's exact hardware configuration every time you run QA Plus.

Within the next year DiagSoft will be incorporating remote control software that will enable a user to contact DiagSoft's Electronic Technical Sup- port Center (ETSC) for remote profes- sional assistance. (The remote soft- ware has been a part of QA Plus for two years; the change is that it will be more tightly incorporated into QA Plus.)

Checklt PRO: Syslnfo. If you're having interrupt conflicts, Checklt PRO: Syslnfo will probably help you solve them. It made one mistake in reporting my setup. My modem is on COM4 at address 2E8 and uses IRQ 3. The program reported it on COM3 at address 2E8 using IRQ 3. Except for that, it correctly identified the ports and IRQs on my screwball system. That's no small task, since every slot is occupied— by CD-ROM controller, Sound Blaster, scanner interface, extra serial port, modem, network

card, and MIDI card. I have some conflicts I'm aware of that I work around, and one I didn't know of until Checklt told me about it.

The program does more than show you interrupts and ports. Among many other things, you can view and edit your CMOS, run CPU and video benchmark tests, test memory, and test hard drives. Its tests cover all the bases. I didn't find anything lacking.

One especially nice feature is the Windows setup information it pro- vides. You can view a list of setup information, view and edit INI files, and view information about Windows 386 enhanced mode.

The full package, called just Checklt PRO, includes Syslnfo plus Test Tools (a collection of additional tests) and sells for $149.95.

Manifest. Quarterdeck Office Systems ships Manifest with all of its DOS products. It's a complete diag- nostic guide to your computer's opera- tion that quickly and easily displays the contents of your DOS system files (which you can edit within Manifest), the performance of your system and of installed cards, and the location of dri- vers in memory. It offers helpful hints for improving system performance (including a prompt to install QEMM, Quarterdeck's memory manager), along with detailed instructions that include reasons for and against insti- tuting the recommended changes.

Placing the maximum amount of information on the DOS screen in the most readable manner seems to be Manifest's goal, and this is accom- plished through logical grouping of tests and information under menu headings. A concise manual is provid- ed, but the information the manual supplies is too sketchy to be made use of by a neophyte, a criticism that can also be leveled at the help screens. A solid grounding in PC architecture is needed to make sense of much of the information given.

Manifest can be used from the command line to return specific infor- mation from single benchmarks. For example, to see the status of your interrupts, you can type mft f /', and the information needed will scroll up on the screen. Or you can generate a complete report from the command line by typing mft * * > filename.

Micro-Scope 5.0. There's some- thing very attractive about a diagnos- tic program that boots from a disk with its own operating system and takes charge. By using its own operating system, Micro-Scope 5.0 from Micro 2000 eliminated a host of potential problems and at the same time elimi- nated several links in the sequence of

With All the Games

ONLY ONE HAS

Knocking at Your Door...

THE POWER TO,

SPEAK UP!

Is there a feature topic

you'd like to see covered in

COMPUTE?

Let us know by calling

(900) 285-5239 (sponsored

by Pure Entertainment,

P.O. Box 186, Hollywood,

California 90078).

The call will cost 95 cents

per minute, you must

be 18 or older,

and you must use a

touch-tone phone.

events, helping to narrow the focus and spot the problem faster.

Micro-Scope was the most accu- rate in IRQ and port identification. Not only did it get everything right, but it identified my network card and its IRQ. it didn't look for my Sound Blaster card, though. I was surprised, given the number of systems that have sound cards.

I had trouble with the hard drive on the network server where I work. A lot of things can go wrong in such a com- plex system. We were at our wits' end until I brought in Micro-Scope. It didn't identify the problem, but it did elimi- nate a number of possibilities that we could have wasted hours pursuing. The program was worth every penny of its retail price. There is a $100 dis- count to resellers and institutions.

PC Probe. PC Probe from Landmark Research International delivers most of what you'd expect from diagnostic software, but it really stands out in one area: Its memory tests are the best I've ever seen. I had to pull out the manual and do some serious reading before I understood what the long list of tests did. You don't have to do that yourself to use them. You can simply select the option that runs all memory tests and wait for the results. If any of the tests fail, you can use the manual to discov- er what the failure means.

A useful program option is the Landmark Benchmark System Speed Test (available separately for $29). On a single screen it shows you basic system information along with perfor- mance graphs for the CPU, math

46 COMPUTE APRIL 1994

Products
Rescue— $399	Glendale, CA 91205
AIIMicro	(818)547-0125
18820 U.SHwy. 19N, Ste. 215
Clearwater, FL 34624	Manifest— $79.95
(813)539-7283	Quarterdeck Office Systems
	150 Pico Blvd.
WinSleuth Gold Plus— $99.95	Santa Monica, CA 90405
Dariana Software	(800) 354-3222
5241 Lincoln Ave., Ste. B5	(310)392-9851
Cypress, CA 90630
(800) 892-9950	Skylight 3.0— $99.95
(714)236-1380	RenaSonce Group
	51 73 Waring Rd., Ste. 115
QA Plus— $159.95	San Diego, CA 92120
QA Plus/WIN— $159.95	(619)287-3348
DiagSoft
5615 Scotts Valley Dr., Ste. 140	SofPak
Scotts Valley, CA 95066	Sofwin Laboratories
(800) 342-4763	613 Old Farm Rd.
(408) 438-8247	Columbus, OH 43213
	(800) 339-2579
PC Probe— $189
WINPROBE— $99	Checklt PRO: Analyst— $149.95
Landmark Research	Checklt PRO: Syslnfo— $99.95
International	Touchstone Software
703 Grand Central St.	2130 Main St., Ste. 250
Clearwater, FL 34616	Huntington Beach, CA 92648-2478
(800) 683-6696	(800)531-0450
(813)443-1331
	The Modem Doctor 5.2— $19.95
Dr. Watson	Hank Volpe
Microsoft Diagnostics	P.O. Box 43214
Microsoft	Baltimore, MD 21236
One Microsoft Way	(410)256-5767
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
(800) 426-9400	^PC-Doctor— $129.95
	Watergate Software
Micro-Scope 5.0— $499	2000 Powell St., Ste. 1200
Micro 2000	Emeryville, CA 94608
1100 E. Broadway, Ste. 301	(510)596-1770

coprocessor, and video system. This is a good way of quickly checking a system's performance. It's especially handy if you're responsible for main- taining a group of similar machines. If one doesn't seem to be performing adequately, you can run the Landmark test on several and do a comparison.

The system information PC Probe gives you isn't as complete as that supplied by many of the other pack- ages. There's no list of interrupts and port assignments, so you'll have to work harder to identify conflicts.

|iPC-Doctor. Besides all of the regular tasks (hard drive diagnostics and testing, COM port and IRQ identi- fication, memory testing, and identifi- cation of basic system components), uPC-Doctor does two things I found especially useful. It offers specific tests for systems with non-Intel chips such as AMD, Cyrix, and Weitek. One of my systems has a Cyrix 486DLC,

and this program not only correctly identified it as such, but offered tests specific to that chip. The second thing I found useful was its extended and expanded memory benchmarks. I've been through the HIMEM versus 386 Max versus QEMM wars everywhere I've ever worked. I could have quickly settled the issue with the set of bench- marks that measure the performance of high-memory drivers.

The program correctly found my sound card, but didn't find my modem on COM4. On the other hand, it didn't mistake the modem's location for COM3, as some of the other programs did. It only showed the existence of COM1 and COM2. Sorting out the interrupts and the COM ports is a major problem for most systems today.

This was the only DOS-based package I found that tested my Sound Blaster card. It also tests Stacker, if you have it installed. The 1.1 version

■;.««■

FLIGHT SIMULATORsFLIGHT SHOP - THE ADVANCED AIRCRAFT & FLIGHT DESIGN SOFTWARE FROM MALLARD & BAO

You're a simulator pilot who's looking for something more in an air- craft than just two wings and an engine. You're a power pilot that's looking for a power airplane to take on a power trip. That's why Mallard Software and BAO bring you Flight Simulator Flight Shop; the advanced aircraft and flight adventure design program that gives you the tools you need to create the flight experience you've always dreamed of.

With Flight Simulator Flight Shop you can build, from scratch, a visual airplane model to your personal specifications for use in Microsoft's® Flight Simulator v. 5.0. Combine aircraft flight aero mod els from Microsoft's Aircraft & Scenery Designer®, or fly one of sever- al great airplanes that are included and ready to fly in any one of the precompiled adventures. If interactive multimedia adventures are what you seek, you can use the adventure factory to set a course for danger, random events, rewards and endless thrills. And for your plane's exterior treatment, there's a new paint shop that will let you give any of the aircraft your personal, artistic touch. Add digitized sound, a flight path editor and other great tools to the list of features and you've got a ride that requires more than a seat belt!

So if you're a power pilot looking for a power ride, look to Flight Simulator Flight Shop from Mallard Software and BAO and push your own envelope!

Millard

1-800-WEB-FEET

Circle Reader Service Number 246

© 1993 Mallard Software, Inc.

of the product covers IDE and SCSI testing and an I/O address list.

Rescue. If you're looking for a program that performs a long list of tasks, this isn't the one. Rescue does only one thing: It recovers data from damaged floppies and hard drives. But if you're in need of such help, that's all you care about. And Rescue performs its single task with great skill.

Rescue goes directly to the hard- ware. That's why it works even when you get a General Failure Reading error. You can't recover a sector that's been physically damaged, but you can recover everything around it. Even, AIIMicro claims, if there's a hole punched in the disk.

The new 4.5 version supports DOS 6.2 DoubleSpace, Stacker, and SuperStor.

Windows Diagnostic Software

These are the diagnostic programs to use under Windows.

Checklt PRO: Analyst. This version of Checklt for Windows does everything well. It correctly identified hardware and software components on a variety of systems. It contained several pleasant surprises. And because of them I'll make sure I keep

this program close at hand.

The first notable feature is the Setup Advisor. It attempts to recom- mend IRQ, I/O port, memory locations, and DMA channels for almost every common hardware expansion. To see its recommendations, click on the device name in the program window.

I wish I'd had this program when I installed all of my network cards; it would have saved me a tremendous amount of time. It lets you know what IRQ and I/O port it thinks you should use for NE2000 cards. Registering the software and receiving regular updates is an important part of main- taining this feature.

There's another nice feature called the Software Shopper. It lists the most common software available today. Once you select a software package from the list, it shows you the system requirements, such as the processor, memory, storage space, and graphics. Since the system capabilities are listed right there as part of the package, you can easily determine if you have what it takes to run a particular software package. This would be perfect for MIS personnel or purchasing agents.

QA Plus/WIN. Ten large icons greet you when QA Plus/WIN for Windows runs. Because of this graph-

COMPUTE APRIL 1994

ical look, it's easy to figure out how to access each test and information area. Clicking on the icons reveals capsule information that provides per- tinent facts about each of your com- puter's subsystems.

The areas covered are the system board, video system, multimedia inter- face and components, hard disks, floppy drives, keyboard, COM ports, printer, mouse, and any existing LAN interface. When you access informa- tion about the LAN interface, besides showing you standard information such as the server name, the software version, and the maximum number of connections, QA Plus/WIN will also tell you who's logged on to the network.

QA Plus/WIN also includes a remote diagnostic TSR that lets you log on to a system from another com- puter via a modem. With it, you can diagnose problems in a remote sys- tem, or you can show remote loca- tions how to perform tasks.

WINPROBE. WINPROBE isn't fancy. But diagnostic software needs to be useful and accurate, not fancy. WINPROBE correctly reported IRQs and I/O ports, memory and system re- sources, and other installed hardware. There are plenty of reports that give you the scoop on your system.

One thing Landmark Research spent time with was providing lots of information on the Windows system metrics. This is useful when you need to know the exact settings and capa- bilities of subsystems such as your installed video or printer.

There's an interesting part of the main display that graphs the system processor usage. I wrote a similar program several months ago that ran in the background. I wrote it to com- pare the amount of processor time that different Windows applications took. This information was important to me because I was comparing similar software packages for Test Lab. You can also use this information to decide whether running a particular application in the background will sig- nificantly degrade performance.

A complete toolbox called the Windows Troubleshooter's Toolbox contains WINPROBE, Landmark DOS for Windows, and PC Certify and is available for the suggested retail price of $247.

WinSleuth Gold Plus. Diagnostic software can seem complicated. To use it, you must have a knowledge of hardware systems, or the software must present the information clearly, in a way that's easy to understand and use. WinSleuth Gold Plus is easy to under- stand and use, even for relatively inex- perienced people.

Between The

§

i

jjl!

jf

m

'+*?&£

•- ;„#*

They WERE DESPERATE, DARING AND DEADLY!

The relentless gunfire of Japanese Zeros. Gravity- twisting dive-bomb attacks. Dropping torpedo "fish" on unsuspecting carriers. There's no room for error when you're a naval aviator in 1942, The Pacific Air War, the ultimate simulation of air combat in the South Pacific.

Taking on the same challenges that World War II fighter pilots faced, your tour of duty includes some of the most heroic battles ever fought. Battles that will have you chasing down Wildcats, Corsairs, and Zeros in death-defying dogfights. Performing high-speed dives upon heavily defended carriers. And pushing your skills to the limit as you master WW II air combat in an innovative virtual cockpit.

The outcome of the war in the Pacific turns upon your actions. Your task force is depending on you. And the skies are yours to control in 1942, The Pacific Air War.

CHALLENGE the enemy at the battles of Coral Sea, Midway, Eastern Solomons, Santa Cruz, and the Philippine Sea!

COMMAND U.S. or Japanese forces!

PILOT any often historically-accurate planes, each with its authentic cockpit and flight characteristics!

SWEAT over the comprehensive strategy for all naval forces!

EXPERIENCE the thrill of head-to-head dogfights with a friend via modem connection.

PROSE

Circle Reader Service Number 111 © 1993 MicroProse. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. For IBM-PC/Compatibles.

The program designers figured out how to show options and present the information from a single screen. Along the top is a row of buttons with icons that indicate the computer sub- system that's being displayed in the information window. Along the right side of the information window is a column of buttons that let you perform tests and see various kinds of infor- mation for the selected subsystem.

Each subsystem has an animation that appears in part of the screen. The animations are not only attractive, but give you a better idea of what's in the subsystem you're looking at. When you look at the memory information, for example, you see a cross section of a person's head with electrified memory chips. This isn't essential, but it's a nice touch.

The program performs well. It had no trouble identifying the parts of my system and provided all of the impor- tant information, such as memory lay- out and testing, interrupt usage, spe- cific video system information, and hardware configuration.

Skylight 3.0. The folks at Rena- Sonce Group took a different route to arrive at their idea of the perfect diag- nostic software. The program has almost no graphics. Each report win- dow opens and gives you information as pure text. The only exceptions are the memory maps, which are depicted graphically. After I became accustomed to not seeing any pictures, I began to appreciate what the designers had done. They opted to concentrate on text so that they could present as much information on the screen as you need.

Most of the other Windows diag- nostics give you a report in a singl window. To get other reports, you must discard the window you're looking at. (With these other programs you can print the report, if you want the information to remain available, but that not as useful as having several re- ports onscreen at once

Skylight opens a separate w i n do

for each report. You can size the report windows and view all informa- tion simultaneously. This might be important in tracking down problems that your system is having. I found it useful to view the program memory report in one window while looking at the resource usage for current tasks in another.

One bonus is a utility called Sal- vage. It helps you figure out why Windows won't start. (That happens to me sometimes after software installa- tions or configuration changes.)

A new version of Skylight is due out before this appears in print. It promis- es more video detection (detecting video memory size for products from more than ten video card manufactur- ers), SMARTDrive reporting, Double- Space reporting, Windows for Work- groups support, and a separate editor with drag and drop.

and see what you can get for a small registration fee — or even for nothing at all.

SofPak. This set of four programs identifies basic system components and lets you perform sever- al measurement tests. You can test your video sys- tem, hard drive, disk drive cache and memory, and the corn-

Freeware and Shareware

Many useful tools are available on the nets. Like their commercial cousins, all of these programs have idiosyncratic strengths and weaknesses Let's take a close I o o

ACCESS

Brings You

a Virtual World

Interactive Movie!

What Reviewers are Saying:

"Lots of games claim to be pushing the envelope — Under a Killing Moon blows it to smithereens!"

— William Trotter, PC Entertainment

"Under a Killing Moon...the most — elaborate graphic adventure to date. A ground breaking CD adventure!"

— Joyce Worley, Electronic Games

"Under a Killing Moon combines the best w$M$Jft I elements of movies and computer games and creates an amazing interactive experience that's better than either of them. It literally pulls you into the screen."

— Denny Atkin, Entertainment Editor, Compute Magazine

Ihis category-creating Interactive Movie from ACCESS Software goes light years beyond any other product labeled "interactive." Under a Killing Moon takes you to the streets of post World War III San Francisco and casts you into the role of Tex Murphy, Private Investigator, who first appeared in Mean Streets, then Martian Memorandum. Under a Killing Moon is a Virtual World full of people and places so richly detailed, you'll feel like you're actually there.

puting engine. The file can be found on CompuServe in the IBM Hardware forum, in the library section under Gen- eral, filename SOFWIN.ZIP. There is no registration charge for SofPak. But there are profession- al measurement tools available from the com- pany that do carry a reg- istration fee. The

current releases are dated July 1993.

PCAUDIT measures basic system performance and does a survey of your system. PCMEASURE is an engi- neering performance measurement and analysis tool. CORSPEED mea- sures and displays core engine per- formance. Each of these advanced tools is $350. PCSELECT is a special version of PCMEASURE used by members of the High Performance Team on CompuServe. PCSELECT is $69, which includes High Perfor- mance Team membership. In Jan- uary, Softwin Laboratories released RUNSPEED, which measures software running speed for Windows, Windows NT, OS/2, and DOS applications. The price of RUNSPEED is $39.

The Modem Doctor 5.2. A com- prehensive program that tests serial ports, UARTs, and modem hardware, The Modem Doctor is very thorough and will probably give you more information than you thought you'd ever need about your modem's operation. The file can be found on Com- puServe in the IBM- COM forum, library 7, filename MDR52- .EXE. The pro- gram is share- ware and the registration fee is $19.95.

*tI

Q: What do film stars Brian Keith, Margot Kidder, & Russell Means all have in common?

At They all star in ACCESS Software's new CD thriller Under a Killing Moon!

Microsoft Diagnostics. This is a fantastic program for finding out what's going on in your system. It offers most of what many commercial packages offer and can be downloaded free. The file can be found on CompuServe in the MSDOS forum, library 3, filename MSD.ZIP, and it's available with most versions of DOS 5.0 and higher. To see whether you have it on your hard disk, just type MSD at the command line. The odds are in favor of its being in your DOS directory.

Dr. Watson. This is a Windows diagnostic tool that updates a log file when there are unrecoverable errors. When the error occurs, a dialog box appears in which you can type in comments about what you were doing prior to the error. You can review the log file with Notepad later. The file can be found on CompuServe in the ZENITH forum, library 15, filename WATSON.ZIP, and it's included with every copy of Windows 3. 1 .

Computer Healthcare

As in caring for your own health, keep- ing your computer in the pink involves nearly equal measures of preparation and prevention. When something goes wrong, let patience and logic be your watchwords. Usually, it's something you can fix yourself. The moment you become uncomfortable, however, sens- ing that you've ventured out of your depth, close up the case and call a professional. If you suspect the type of problem that can be determined by diagnostic software, use the package recommended in this article for that particular kind of problem. Always practice electrical safety precautions when the computer case is open — your health is far more important than your computer's.

Above all, take the time to think before attempting to dive into solutions. Your computer was designed to give you many years of service, but every- thing breaks down eventually. Just bear in mind that most things that break can be fixed. □

Format: 2 CD's for MS-DOS

Coming Soon

to a Software Dealer Near You!

4910 W.Amelia Earhart Dr.

Salt Lake City, UT 841 16 1-800-800-4880 i

ACCESS

SOFTWARE INCORPORATED

NEW! NEW! NEW! NEW!

Limited Time Offer!

FREE FREE FREE FREE

Windows Software!

We're giving away 8 MILLION copies of our four new exciting management & negotiating programs.

Muafcfi! Ins*.	Favorite Foods	Cotieciino 15;."-, [-jEmt™**, fl Pa.ni.ng O Garttan.ng □ KniUng QSeynng Dm™ B Hunting B Bat/ Bu>idrrvQ	Favonifl Teams
B Era,. Sk„iig □ Stow Boarding □ SrahvMoOkng D Wamre^ng B Canoeing □ Bailing n ttovitoating B SaiBa c.v-a D Camera □ Traveling DSwmmng	□ SfcyQinng Q Roiiorakakng D RMOtWOtlifig B Hc-rtebart ffidi.ng ■ ton n -■■■■■■ D Sottlra'i n T»™. D B^kaltau QUMtoy 1 i	Favorite Music 1 TS
Favorite Pes 1 OHveGtnSn
Conim
Buy Utah Ja zz-Cti.cago	■

Thoughtful Moments is aoout people. It's about knowing who they are and what they want out of life. It's about making oth- ers teel important.

It's about knowing when to send roses or simply say "We appreciate the job your doing". And it's about being able to identify, review and respond appropriately and within moments to any event in the lives of employ- ees, clients, family and friends.

Thoughtful Moments is a relationship management program designed to help you stay up to date in 9 areas of your personal and business relationships. After being prompted of a need and reviewing data on a person, Thoughtful Moments allows you to quickly respond with a card, letter or gift. It's gift database catalog allows you to fax, mail or call toll-free to order products ranging from flowers to tropical cruises with just a click of a button.

Ultimately, Thoughtful Moments is about your success. As you focus on the needs of others, they will begin to open doors of opportunity to you. For a FREE copy of Thoughtful Moments, a powerful relationship manager complete with JUST DO IT, a life- time goal management program. Regular price $129.00 Yours FREE! Call today!

Instant Credit

A Powerful Credit Management System Credit Repair Program. Credit Management: Fill out one major credit appli- cation and Instant Credit automatically fills out over r 300 bank, retail, & gas credit applications. Including the leading Gold and secured bank credit cards. Each application includes: Fax#, 800#, & mailing address, allowing you to fax, mail or phone in applications.

Search the card database by: Current rates, annual fees, geographic area or type of card including gold, student, rebate, retail, gas or secured.

Credit Repair. Use Instant Credit to automatically order free personal credit reports & contest negative credit information. Instant Credit follow-up forms will insure con- tested items have been permanently removed from your credit file.

Credit Negotiations: Instant Credit pro- vides forms that allow you to negotiate with creditors:

1 . A reduction in debt;

2. More favorable payment terms;

3. Full or percentage payment if nega five items are removed from credit file.

Bonus: Information on how to legally establish a credit file. Regular price $1 1 9.00 Yours FREE! Call now! Use credit cards to finance, mail order, travel, education,

home improvements, furnishings, businesses, hobbies, dining, flowers, Christmas, hotels, rental cars or just keep- ing track of financial records. Plus: Save hundreds of dol- lars on interest and credit card fees each year with lower

interest rate/no-fee credit cards listed in Instant Credit credit card database. Order today!

CALL FOR YOUR FREE COPIES

1-800-975-6300

Intelligent new Car Buyer

1 . Choose the exact car color and options,

2. Arrange leasing and financing,

3. Set up a bidding war between new car dealers, guaranteeing you the absolute lowest price and best service on the

car of your dreams. Save thousands! Without ever leaving your computer.

When ordering, specify foreign or domestic car version or both.

Regular price $179.00 Yours FREE! Call now!

Intelligent Computer Buyer

allows you to set- up a bidding war between vendors, guaranteeing you the best price and service.

Select the exact computer(s). Choose brand, speed and size of memory/ or resolution of every component, including printer and software. Save hundreds!

Specify type and length of support and warranty. Regular price $99.00 Yours FREE! Call now!

Fax, mail or phone in bid sheet to your choice of

over 250 computer hardware S software

resellers to guarantee you the best price on any