Epson CW3S20A User Manual

SX386E

OPERATIONS GUIDE

GERMAN RFI DECLARATION FOR CLASS B SELF CERTIFICATION

Hiermit wird bescheinigt, dass der TriGem SX386E in Übereinstimmung mit den Bestimmungen der Vfg 1046/1984 funk-entstort ist.

Der Deutschen Bundespost wurde das Inverkehrbringen dieses

Gerätes angezeigt und die Berechtigung zur Überprüfung der

Serie auf Einhaltung der Bestimmungen eingeräumt.

TriGem Inc.

4 NaengChun-Dong, Seodaemun-Ku Seoul, Korea

English translation:

We hereby certify that the TriGem SX386E complies with the RFI suppression requirements of Vfg 1046/1984. The German Postal Services was the notified that equipment is being marketed. The German Postal Service has the right to re-test the equipment and verify compliance.

Note: Replace 1046 with 1045 for household appliances tested per VDE 0875.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY

TriGem Computer, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to this manual, and shall not be held liable for technical or editorial omissions made herein; nor incidental or consequential damages resulting from the furnishing, performance, or use of this manual. Further, TriGem Computer, Inc. reserves the right to make changes in the specifications of the product described within this manual at any time without notice and without obligation of TriGem Computer, Inc. to notify any person of such revision or changes.

reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any

language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of TriGem Computer, Inc.

iii

TRADEMARKS

TriGem is a registered trademark of TriGem Computer, Inc.

AMI BIOS is a trademark of American Megatrends Inc.

IBM, PC, PC/XT, PC/AT, MDA, Monochrome Display Adaptor,

EGA, Enhanced Graphics Adaptor, VGA, and Video Graphics

Array are trademarks of International Business Machines

Corporation.

Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corp.

Intel 486 is a trademark of Intel Corp.

AMD is a registered trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

EGA Wonder is a trademark of ATI Technologies, Inc.

HP LaserJet Series II is a product of HewlettPackard, Inc.

MS-DOS and GW-Basic are trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Seagate is a registered trademark of Seagate Technologies, Inc.

Hercules is a registered trademark of Hercules Computer Technology, Inc.

Norton SI is a trademark of Peter Norton Computing, Inc.

Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.

CP/M and CP/M-86 are trademarks of Digital Research, Inc.

Western Digital is a registered trademark of Western Digital Inc.

MultiSync is a trademark of NEC information Systems, Inc.

MultiScan is a trademark of Sony Corporation.

FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not

installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from

that to which the receiver is connected.

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for

help.

To meet FCC requirements, shielded cables and power cords are required to connect the device to a personal computer or other Class B certified device.

If you experience problems with radio and/or television reception through the use of this product, the following booklet, published by the FCC, may prove helpful:

How to identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems (Stock No. 004-400-00398-5)

This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

IMPORTANT SAFETY

INSTRUCTIONS

The following instructions pertain to the risk of fire, electric shock or bodily injury. Please read all of these instructions carefully.

Save these instructions for later use.

Follow all of the instructions and warnings marked on this product or included in this manual.

Do not use this computer on an unstable cart, stand or table. The product may fall, causing serious damage to the product.

Slots and openings in the cabinet and the back have been provided for ventilation. To ensure the reliable operation of your computer, and to protect it from overheating, these openings must not be blocked or covered. Don’t use this product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface. This product should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat register. This product should not be placed in a built-in installation unless proper ventilation is provided.

Never push objects of any kind into the computer through the cabinet openings, as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in a fire or electrical shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product.

This computer should only be connected to the AC power source indicated on your computer system’s information label. If you are not sure of the type of AC power available, consult your dealer or local power company. Only connect this computer to a power outlet that matches the power requirements of this computer.

Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not locate this product where people will walk on the cord.

If you have to use an extension cord with this computer, make sure that the total amperage rating of all equipment plugged into it does not exceed the amperage rating of the extension cord. Also, make sure that the total of all products plugged into the main AC power outlet does not exceed 15 amps.

Unplug your computer from the main electrical power outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning.

Do not use this computer near water.

This product is equipped with a 3-wire grounding type plug, a plug having a third (grounding) pin. This plug will only fit into a grounding-type power outlet. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the purpose of the grounding-type plug.

vii

MAINTENANCE

Except as explained in Chapter 7, “Expanding Your System,” do not attempt to modify or service this product yourself. Opening or removing those covers that are marked “DO NOT REMOVE” may expose you to dangerous voltage points or other risks. Refer all servicing problems to qualified service personnel.

If the product does not operate normally, adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions. Improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and may require extensive repair work to restore the product to normal operation.

Unplug this product from the main power outlet and call for service under any of the following conditions:

If the power cord or plug is damaged or frayed

If liquid has been spilled into the product

If the product has been exposed to rain or water

If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged

If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance, indicating a need for service

viii

Stop!

If you ever have to remove the main system unit cover, observe the following precautions:

The power supply cord must be unplugged before the main system unit cover is removed. (Separe le cordon d’alimentation et puis enleve le couvercle.)

Once removed, the cover must be replaced and screwed in position before the power supply cord is plugged back in. (Apres le couvercle a enleve, visse le couvercle en place et remettre le cordon d’alimentation.)

Introduction

Your computer is powerful, versatile, and easy to use. After setting up your system with the simple instructions in this manual, you’ll soon be using your favorite software programs.

This computer is available in these configurations:

The System provides one 1.2MB (megabyte) diskette drive, and an optional 1.44MB diskette drive and/or 40MB (or 80MB) hard disk drive.

This model comes with 1MB of internal memory, a total of four internal option slots, a System Motherboard, an on board IDE interface and built-in serial and parallel interfaces.

Your computer comes with MS-DOS — by Microsoft. In addition to the introduction to MS-DOS provided in this manual, you’ll find a complete reference manual for the operating system packed in the box with the computer.

As your needs grow, so can your computer; you can expand your system by adding a wide variety of options. You can install most option cards compatible with the IBM Personal Computer. If you use software that executes lengthy

mathematical calculations, you may want to install an 387SX™ math coprocessor to speed up processing.

the operating system

Introduction 1

How to Use This Manual

This manual explains how to set up and care for your computer. It also describes how to use your computer.

The instructions in this manual apply to your system, except

where otherwise indicated.

You probably don’t need to read everything in this book; see

the following chapter summaries.

Chapter 1 provides simple step-by-step instructions for setting

up your computer.

Chapter 2 describes how to run the Setup program to setup

your computer’s configuration.

Chapter 3 covers some general operating procedures, including

how to use and care for your disks and disk drives.

Chapter 4 provides basic instructions for using MS-DOS with your computer.

Chapter 5 takes you into the more advanced techniques of floppy disk file manipulation, such as formatting and copying.

Chapter 6 shows you how to set up and use the vast storage

capabilities of this system device.

Chapter 7 contains “how-to” information on adding components (such as additional disk drives or expansion boards), to your computer.

At the end of this guide is a set of Appendices which contain technical information for the advanced user or field technician.

Introduction

Chapter 1

Setting Up Your System

Setting up your personal computer is easy. Just follow the nine steps in this chapter.

When you finish setting up your computer, go on to Chapter 2 and follow the instructions there to run the Setup program. The Setup program updates the list of equipment installed in the computer any time options are added or changed.

Unpacking

As you unpack the different parts of your computer system, be sure to inspect each piece. If anything is missing or looks damaged, contact the place where it was purchased for missing items or replacements. If you cannot obtain the necessary part of parts, call your Computer dealer for assistance. Please have the computer’s serial number ready when you call.

Figure l-l. Unpacking Your System

Setting Up Your System

l-l

Besides this manual, you should have the following:

The computer and power cord

The Keyboard with attached cable

MS-DOS diskettes

GW-BASIC diskette

MS-DOS User’s Guides

GW-BASIC User’s Guide

In addition to these items, you need a compatible monitor to

use with the computer.

Be sure to keep your packing materials. They provide the best protection for your computer if you need to transport it later.

Choosing a location

Before you set up your computer, it is important to choose the right location. Select a spot that provides the following:

1-2

A large, sturdy desk or table that can easily support the weight of your system, including all of its components: Make sure the surface is hard and flat. Soft surfaces like beds and carpeted floors can generate static electricity, which may erase data on your disks and damage the computer’s circuitry. Soft surfaces also prevent proper ventilation.

Good air circulation. Air must be able to move freely under the system as well as behind it. Leave several inches of space around the computer to allow ventilation.

Moderate environmental conditions. Protect your computer from extremes in temperature, direct sunlight, or any other

Setting Up

Your

System

source of heat. High humidity also hinders operation, so select a cool, dry area. Avoid dust and smoke, which can damage disks and disk drives and cause you to lose valuable data.

Appropriate power sources. To prevent static charges, connect all your equipment to three-prong, grounded outlets. You need one outlet for the computer, one for the monitor, and additional outlets for a printer and any other peripherals.

If it has the appropriate power cord, you can plug your monitor into the auxiliary power outlet on the back panel of the computer, reducing the number of wall outlets you need. (The current required by the monitor must not exceed 1 amp.) If you need more outlets, you may want to buy a power strip available at any electronics store to provide extra outlets. A power strip with surge suppression is recommended.

No electromagnetic interference. Locate your system away from any electrical device, such as a telephone, that generates an electromagnetic field.

Setting Up Your System

1-3

Figure l-2. System Main Unit

Connecting a Monitor

The procedure you use to connect your monitor to the computer depends on the type of monitor you have. If you have a VGA monitor (or a multi-frequency monitor with an analog connector), you can connect it to the computer’s built-in VGA port. See “Using the VGA interface” below. If you have any other type of monitor, see “Using a Display Adapter Card” below.

Using the VGA Interface

Follow these steps to connect your VGA monitor to the VGA port on the computer:

Make sure your monitor is turned off.

l-4

Setting Up Your

System

Place your monitor on top of or near the computer. For

2. easy access, turn the monitor and computer around so the backs of both components are facing you.

If necessary, connect the monitor cable to the monitor.

3. (Your monitor may have a permanently attached cable.)

Examine the connector end of the monitor cable, and

4. position the plug to match the orientation of the monitor port. Then insert the plug into the port (the connector should fit in easily when properly oriented), as shown below.

Figure l-3. Connecting a Monitor Cable

Caution To avoid damaging the connector, take care not to bend the pins when inserting the plug.

Setting Up

Your

System

1-5

5. If the plug has retaining screws, tighten them by hand or with a screwdriver, depending on the screw type.

6. Plug the monitor power cord into the monitor’s power inlet, as shown below.

Figure 1-4. Connecting a Monitor Power Cable

Plug the other end of monitor’s power cord into an electrical outlet.

Using a Display Adapter Card

If you are using a non-VGA monitor, you’ll need to install a display adapter (video) card in one of the computer’s option slots before you can connect the monitor. (Your dealer may have already installed the video card for you.)

If the video card has not yet been installed, you’ll need to follow the instructions in Chapter 7 to install an option card. But first, check the following table to make sure your display adapter card and monitor are properly matched.

1-6

Setting Up Your System

Monitor/video card compatibility

Monitor Monochrome

Color or EGA

*EGA cards support only EGA monitors.

Video card Monochrome display adapter (MDA)

Multi-mode graphics adapter (MGA) Enhanced graphics adapter (EGA) Hercules graphics card

Color graphics adapter (CGA)

Multi-mode graphics adapter (MGA) Enhanced graphics adapter (EGA)

When you are installing the video card, check to make sure any switches or jumpers on the card are set properly. For example, you may need to change a switch setting to select color or monochrome. See the documentation that came with your monitor or video card for instructions.

Once you have installed your video card, return to this section to connect your monitor to the computer. If your monitor came with its own manual, follow the instructions there.

Otherwise, you can follow the steps in “Using the VGA

Interface” above; just insert your monitor connector into the

video card port instead of the built-in VGA port.

Setting up Your system

1-7

Connecting a Printer, Mouse, or Modem

The computer has a parallel interface and two serial interfaces on the back panel, so you can easily connect a printer or other type of device with either type of interface.

For example, you can use the parallel port to connect a parallel printer (most printers have a parallel interface). You can use

the serial port to connect a serial printer, a serial mouse, or an external modem. Follow the steps in this section to connect a printer or other peripheral device to either the parallel or serial interface.

Using the Parallel Interface

The parallel interface on your computer is Centronics compatible and uses a 25-pin connector. To connect a parallel printer to your computer, you need an IBM-compatible printer cable. If you are not sure which one you need, or whether you

have the right one, check with the store where you purchased the printer.

Once you have the correct printer cable, follow these steps to connect the printer to the parallel interface on the computer.

Place the printer next to your computer.

One end of the printer cable has a 25-pin, male connector.

Connect this end to the parallel port on the back panel of the computer, as shown below.

If the plug has retaining screws, tighten them securely.

1-8

Setting Up Your System

Figure 1-5. Connecting the Printer

Connect the other end of the cable to the printer, as shown below. If the printer has retaining clips on each side of the printer port, squeeze the clips together to secure the cable.

Plug the printer’s power cord into an electrical outlet.

Using the Serial Interface

If you have a serial printer, modem, mouse, or any other peripheral with a serial interface, you can connect it to the serial (RS-232C) port on the back of the computer. Your computer uses IBM-compatible, 9-pin, male connector, so be sure you have the proper cable. If you are not sure which one you need, or whether you have the right one, check with the store where you bought the cable.

Setting Up Your System

1-9

To connect a serial device, follow the same steps outlined above for a parallel device, but connect the cable to the serial

port, shown on figure l-4.

Figure 1-6. Serial Ports

Setting up the serial port for a printer

If you are using a serial printer but your software does not support a serial printer, you must do two things before you can print:

Set up the data transmission parameters for the serial port.

Tell the computer to redirect printer data from the parallel port to the serial port.

1-10 Setting Up Your System

Connecting the Power Cord

Follow these steps to connect the power cord:

Insert the power cord into the AC inlet on the computer’s back panel, as shown below. To avoid an electric shock, be sure to plug the cord into the computer before plugging it into the wall socket.

Figure 1-7. AC Power Connections

2. Plug the other end of the power cord into a three-prong, grounded electrical outlet.

Setting Up Your System

1-11

on the connector is pointing up so it plugs in easily.

Connecting the Keyboard

Your keyboard has only one cable to connect. This simply plugs into the keyboard connector located at the bottom of the main system unit’s rear panel. This connector is designed to prevent insertion if the pins don’t line up, so it

may be necessary to rotate the cable connector until the mark

on the connector is pointing up so it plugs in easily.

Figure 1-8. Connecting the Keyboard

1-12 Setting Up Your System

Adjusting the Keyboard Angle

You can change the angle of the keyboard by adjusting the legs on the bottom. Turn the keyboard over and lift each leg upward until it locks into place, as shown below. You lock the legs into a low or high position, or leave them flat.

Figure 1-9. Adjusting the Keyboard Angle

Turning On the Computer

Before you turn on your computer, read the following safety rules to avoid accidentally damaging the computer or injuring yourself:

Do not unplug cables from the computer when the power switch is on.

Never turn off or reset your computer while a disk drive light is on. This can destroy data stored on disk or make an entire disk unusable. Similar-y, never remove a diskette from a diskette drive while the drive light is on.

Always wait at least five seconds after you switch off the power before you switch it on again. Turning the power off and on rapidly can damage the computer’s circuitry.

Setting Up

Your System

1-13

Do not leave a beverage on top of or next to your system or any of its components. Spilled liquid can damage the circuitry of your equipment.

Do not attempt to dismantle any part of the computer. Only remove the cover to install and remove optional devices.

Note If you ever have to remove the main system unit cover, observe the following precautions:

The power supply cord must be unplugged before the

main system unit cover is removed(Separe le cordon

d’alimentation et puis enleve le couvercle.)

Once removed, the cover must be replaced and screwed in position before the power supply cord is plugged back in. (Apres le couvercle a enleve, visse te couvercle en

place et remettre le cordon d’alimentation.)

Follow these steps to turn on your system:

Turn on the monitor, printer, and any other peripheral devices connected to the computer.

To turn on the computer, press the power switch.

1-14 Setting Up Your System

Power Switch

Figure 1-10. Power Switch

The power indicator on the front panel lights up. After a few seconds, the computer starts to perform an internal self test. This is a series of checks the computer completes each time you turn it on to make sure everything is working correctly. If anything is wrong, an error message appears on the screen.

After the self test is complete, you see a message on the screen similar to the next page:

Setting Up

Your

System

1-15

The computer continually updates this display as it tests its memory. This test takes about 15 seconds to complete.

You may see a message similar to this:

This means that the computer is not yet set up for the

equipment you have installed and you must run the Setup program, described in Chapter 2. For now, press the Fl key on the upper left comer of the keyboard to acknowledge the message and continue.

you cannot

see the screen display clearly, use the controls on

your monitor to adjust the brightness and contrast until

characters on the screen are clear and bright.

The computer then loads MS-DOS, the operating system, from the hard disk into memory. MS-DOS must be in the

1-16 Setting Up Your System

computer’s memory before you can run any program, such as a word processing program or a spreadsheet program.

The Command Prompt

After the computer has loaded MS-DOS from the hard disk, you see the MS-DOS command prompt on the screen:

The command prompt tells you that your computer is ready to

receive instructions. It also identifies the current operating

drive: A or C, for example. The command prompt appears on

the screen whenever you load MS-DOS, complete an MS-DOS

command, or exit an application.

In your computer, the diskette drive is A and the hard disk is

drive C. If you have an optional second diskette drive, MS-DOS

identifies it as B.

Copying System Diskettes

Perform the following procedure only if your system is configured with a single floppy disk drive. If your system has

two floppy disk drives and/or a hard disk drive, see Chapter 4 “Using MS-DOS with your computer.”

Now that you have started your system and loaded MS-DOS, it is important that you make copies of your MS-DOS diskettes right away. Use the copies (called working copies) as they are needed and store the originals in a safe place.

Each of the system diskettes is formatted for 1.2MB. (Formatting prepares a diskette to store data and is described in Chapter 3 and Chapter 5.)

Setting Up Your System

1-17

To copy them, you need eleven 1.2MB highdensity, 5¼-inch diskettes.

Follow these steps:

The C:\ > prompt should be on the screen. If not, type C: and press Enter.

Type the following

and press Enter:

The screen displays this message:

3. Insert the MS-DOS next page. Hold the diskette

the

read/write slot into the drive.

1-18

Setting Up Your

diskette in drive

with the label

System

A, as shown on the

facing up and

Figure l- 11 Inserting a Floppy Disk

Press any key. The DISKCOPY program copies the

4. contents of the MS-DOS diskette to the computer’s memory, and then you see the following:

Remove the MS-DOS diskette and insert a blank diskette

5. (which is to be the target diskette) in drive A. Then press any key.

If the diskette is not formatted, the DISKCOPY program formats it. Then the program begins copying the data from the computer’s memory to the formatted diskette. When the copy is complete, you see this prompt:

Setting Up Your System

1-19

6. Press Y so you can make a copy of another MS-DOS diskette. Again, you see the prompt to insert the source diskette.

Remove the copy of the MS-DOS diskette which you just made and insert the another MS-DOS diskette into drive A. Then press any key. Follow the prompts on the screen to

make a copy of this diskette as you did for the first MS-DOS diskette.

8. When you finish copying the last diskette and the

prompt appears, press N to return to the MS-DOS command prompt C:\ >.

After you have copied the MS-DOS diskettes, be sure to label them carefully so you know which one is which. Write on the labels before you attach them to the diskettes in order to prevent damaging the diskettes. Store the originals in a safe place and use the copies as they needed.

Resetting Your Computer

If your computer system should “lock-up”, it may be necessary to reset the computer. Resetting the computer causes the CPU to clear its instruction set and the system memory. This ensures there is no “garbage” left in memory to interfere with new program information.

There are two basic ways to reset your computer. They are:

1-20

Setting Up Your System

CONTROL-ALT-DEL (Keyboard Reset)

Press the CONTROL key and the ALT key at the same

time. While holding these keys down, press the DELETE key, then release all three keys. This will reset your computer without running the full self-test diagnostics.

The POWER Switch

Turn the main system POWER switch off, wait ten

seconds, then turn it back on. The computer will then run the complete self-test diagonistic routine.

Caution!

Any time you RESET your computer, the memory will be cleared. This will erase any software programs loaded into the system RAM. You may lose important data or have problems using your software after the system reboots. Only RESET your system if you are sure that all of your data has been saved to disk, or there is no other way to escape a “lockup” condition.

You should now be able to reset your computer if you run into trouble. At this point, you can complete the installation of your system by running the SETUP program. For detailed information on the SETUP program, see the following chapter.

Setting Up Your System

l-21

Chapter 2

The CMOS Setup Program

Introduction

The Setup program keeps a record of the host computer’s system parameters (such as memory amounts, disk drives, video

displays, and peripheral devices). Setup resides in the Read

Only Memory Basic Input/Output System (ROM BIOS) so that

it is available each time the host is turned on. Setup stores the

information in the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) memory. When the host is turned off, a back-up battery retains system parameters in the CMOS memory.

As soon as the host is turned on, the power-on diagnostics

routines check memory, attempt to prepare peripheral devices

for action, and offer you the option of pressing <DEL > to run Setup.

When to Run Setup

During normal daily operation, you do not have to run Setup

when you start your computer.

Under the abnormal conditions, an appropriate message

displays, advising you to run the Setup program. These

conditions indicate that an error has occurred during the

power-on self-tests (POSTS). See Chapter 1 for a complete

description of these tests.

Memory Test bypass

The BIOS performs POSTS of the system and displays the size

of the memory being tested.

The CMOS Setup Program

2-1

Using setup

Immediately after the memory test, you will get the following prompt on the screen depending upon the type of BIOS you have :

Hit <DEL> key to get into the Setup Mode

If you hit <DEL > key, a menu appears on the screen giving

you

the option to:

2-2

The CMOS Setup Program

Use <Up # > and <Down $ > keys to set the reverse video

cursor on the option you want to select and use < Enter > to get into the option.

This means that the SETUP program options have been set at the factory. Since there were no errors detected, the computer tried to load MS-DOS from the floppy disk drive, before you have inserted the MS-DOS main system diskette. For now ignore this message.

Entering SETUP

To enter the setup program, hit < DEL > key at the time the following prompt is displayed on the screen immediately after the memory test.

If you hit < DEL > key, you will see a menu similar to the following.

The CMOS Setup Program

2-3

Set the reverse video cursor on the “RUN CMOS SETUP” using <Up

> and < Down

> and press <ENTER > . Then

the screen will be replaced by the following.

This screen is the SETUP MENU. This lists the parameters

you can change with the SETUP program. A solid cursor bar highlights the parameter currently available to be changed. You can use the following key conventions.

The CMOS Setup Program

2-4

< Enter>

< PgUp > < PgDn > <ESC> < Ctrl > < Alt > <Del >

Parameters

Date and Time Setup

The first entry in the Setup screen is current date. A calendar has been provided for the user to facilitate him in this procedure. Again, simply press the < PgUp > or

<PgDn> keys to select the appropriate value for the

month, date and year.

The procedure for setting the time is similar to that of

setting the date. The time here is 24-hour time so don’t be alarmed when hour 13 shows up on the screen. Simply highlight either the hours, minutes, or the seconds and press the < PgUp > / < PgDn > keys to step through the numbers.

.........................

..................

..........................

..........

proceed to next step

moves the selection bar

scrolls allowable settings exit and save CMOS register

...

exit without save

Floppy Disk Drive Setup

Drives A: and/or B: may be one of the following types:

Allowable Drive Types

360KB

1.2MB

720KB

1.44MB Not installed

l/4”

5 l/4”

3 ½”

3 ½"

The CMOS Setup Program

2-5

Hard Disk Drive Setup

Drives C: and D: are the hard disk drives in the system, 46 drive types have been defined by AMI. If for some reason or other your particular drive is not one of the 46 pre-defined types, simply scroll down to type 47 and enter the following drive specifications: cylinders, heads, WPcom, LZone, and sectors. Please consult the documentation received with the drive for the specific values that will give you optimum performance.

Display Type Setup

The next option is primary display selection. The options are as follows:

Type of Display Allowed

Monochrome Color 40 X 25 Color 80 x 25 VGA or EGA Not Installed

Keyboard Setup

The Keyboard Setup is the next option for the user. You

may either choose to enable or disable the Keyboard test during Power On Self Test by setting keyboard as “Installed” or “Not Installed”.

Start-up Speed

This parameter is used to select the system’s default speed. The options are:

High speed

Under this option, your system is initially booting with

20MHz CPU speed when you turn the power on.

2-6

The CMOS Setup Program

Low speed

Select this option is to boot your system with 1OMHz

CPU speed when turning the power on.

Special memory

This parameter is used to boost your system’s performance by loading the BIOS and/or VIDEO controller code into the RAM space between 640K and lM-byte. The options are:

None Select this option is you are not going to use shadow RAM.

Shadow Use this parameter to copy the system BIOS and Video BIOS into RAM.

Remap This parameter will be available only when you use 1MB or 2MB (using 2ea 1MB SIMM) system memory. You can relocate 384KB to the top of the system memory by using this.

l EMS

This is available just when you

use

1MB system memory.

This is for using 384KB as EMS memory.

EMS Size

The option determines EMS memory size on on-board memory. This EMS memory is not initialized, so EMS driver should do memory initialization.

The CMOS Setup Program

2-7

EXTENDED PERIPHERAL SETUP

When you scroll down to this parameter, the following message will be displayed on the right size of the Setup message.

Peripheral Setup IDE interface: Enabled

On-B/D FDC: Enabled

Mouse Serial Parallel

IDE interface

: Enabled : COMl : LPTl

The system has on-board IDE that can be enabled by SETUP. This IDE provides two hard disk chip selects. If any HDC though bus exists, user must disable on-board

IDE.

On-B/D FDC

System has on-board FIX which is enabled/disabled automatically depending on the existance of option board FDC. The FDC has on-chip analog data selector that operates up to lMB/s, and is implemented by all DP8473 Floppy Disk controller functions.

2-8

Mouse The system has on-board PS/2 compatible mouse port which is able to enable/disable by setup.

Serial The system provides on-board one serial ports (COMl and COM2) that is selectable by SETUP. If enabled serial port conflict with off-board serial port, on-board

serial port is disabled and display the message for

conflict.

The CMOS Setup

Program

Parallel The system provides one parallel port that can be selected as LPTl or LPT2 by SETUP. If enabled parallel port makes conflict with off-board parallel port, on-board parallel port is disabled and display the message for

conflict.

Leaving the Setup Program

When you have completed the changes, press the < ESC >

key. The SETUP

If you have made any mistakes, press N for No, then move the cursor back up to the beginning and verify each parameter, making any corrections necessary. When you are satisfied with

the option settings, press the <ESC> key, then press Y to write the new settings into the configuration RAM. Your computer will run through the self test diagnostics again and

try to read a diskette in the first floppy disk drive.

program will display the message:

As mentioned above, you may see an error message if you don’t

have a system diskette inserted into the floppy disk drive.

The CMOS

Setup Program

2-9

Chapter 3

Using Your Computer

This chapter covers the following basic procedure for using your computer:

Changing the operating speed

Using special keys on the keyboard

Stopping a command or program

Using disks and disk drives.

Changing the Operating Speed

Your computer can operate at two speeds; 8MHz or 20MHz.

At 20MHz, the computer performs all tasks faster, and almost

all programs may be run at 20MHz. However, some option

cards and application programs require the slower speed. See

your option card or application program manual to make sure that you can use the higher speed before selecting it.

Keyboard Method

The following keystroke sequences can be used to set the processor clock speed.

l Ctrl-Alt-< - > Hold down the <Ctrl> and <Alt>

keys and press < - > on the numeric

keypad to place the system in low

mode.

Using

Your Computer

speed

3-1

Ctrl-Alt- < + >

Hold down the < Ctrl > and < Alt >

keys and press < + > on the numeric

keypad to place the system in high speed.

Changing the operating speed may be performed with the TriGem Utility TGSS.COM. This program is located on the MS-DOS diskette supplied with the system.

You can find the detailed description of TGSS.COM in your

MS-DOS User’s Guide.

Special Keys on your Keyboard

Certain keys on your keyboard serve special functions when your computer is running programs. The illustration below

shows the TriGem keyboard, and the table that follows

describes the special keys.

3-2

Using

Your Computer

Figure 3-1. Keyboard (101 key)

Key

Purpose

F1-F12

Tab

Ctrl

Shift

Alt

Backspace

( ! )

Enter

Caps Lock

Perform special functions within application program (Some keys also function with MS-DOS. See your

MS-DOS Reference Manual for more information.)

Moves the cursor one tab position to the right in normal mode (and one tab position to the left in shift

mode when using some application programs.)

Works with other key to perform special (control) functions, such as editing operations.

Produces uppercase characters or the top symbols

on the keys when used with the main character keys.

Produces lowercase characters when Caps Lock on.

Works with other keys to enter alternate character codes or functrons.

Moves the cursor back one space, deleting the

character to the left of the cursor

Ends a line of keyboard input or executes a command (may be called the Return key in some application program manuals).

Changes the letter keys from lower to uppercase; changes back to lowercase when pressed again. The numeric/symbol keys on the top row of the

keyboard are not affected.

Esc

Num Lock

Scroll Lock Break

Cancels the current command line or operation in

MS-DOS. Esc can also have special uses in

application programs.

Changes the function of the keys on the

numeric/cursor keypad from numeric entry to cursor

positioning; changes back when pressed again.

Controls scrolling in some application programs. When pressed with the Ctrl key (hold down Ctrl and

press Break), sends a break signal to the computer to terminate the current operation.

Using Your Computer 3-3

Key

Sys Req

Purpose Produces the system request function in certain

applications. PrtSc Home, End,

PgUp, PgDn

!#$"

Ins

Del Deletes the character at the cursor position.

Prints the screen display on a dot-matnx printer.

Control cursor location in some applications. such as

word processors, game programs, and

spreadsheets.

Turns the Insert function on and off in some

application programs.

The Num Lock, Scroll Lock, and Caps Lock keys work as

toggles; press the key once to turn on a function and again to turn it off. When the function is enabled, the corresponding light on the top right comer of the keyboard is on. When the function is disabled, the light is off.

3-4

Figure 3-2. Keyboard LED

Using Your Computer

Stopping a Command or Program

You may sometimes need to stop a command or program while

it is running. Many application programs provide a command you can use to stop or even cancel (undo) an operation. If you have entered an MS-DOS command that you want to stop, try one of the following commands:

Hold down the Ctrl key and press C

Hold down the Ctrl key and press Break

These methods may also work in your application program.

If you cannot stop a particular operation, however, you may

need to reset the computer, as described in a previous section.

Caution

It is best not to turn off the computer to stop a program or command. If you have created new data that you have not yet stored, it will be erased if you turn off the computer. Your computer stores data in its memory until you save it; but the memory area is erased each time you turn off or reset the computer.

Using Disks and Disk Drives

The disk drives in your computer allow you to store data on disk and retrieve it when you want it.

This section explains how disks work and tells you how to do

the following:

Choose diskettes

Using Your Computer

3-5

Care for your diskettes and diskette drives

Insert and remove diskettes

Write-protect diskettes

Make backup copies of your diskettes

Use a single diskette drive

Use a hard disk drive

How Disks Store Data

The diskette you insert in your computer’s diskette drive is made of flexible plastic, coated with magnetic material. It is enclosed in a square jacket. Your computer stores data on the diskette by recording on the magnetic surface.

Unlike a diskette, a hard disk is rigid and fixed in place. It is sealed in a protective case to keep it free from dust and dirt. A hard disk stores data the same way that a diskette does, but it

works faster and has much larger storage capacity.

All disks are divided into data storage compartments by sides, tracks, and sectors. Double-sided diskettes — like the ones you use in your computer — store data on both sides. On your disk there are concentric rings, called tracks, in which a disk can store data. Doubledensity diskettes (such as 360KB diskettes) have 40 tracks, and highdensity diskettes (such as 1.2MB or

1.44MB diskettes) have 80 tracks. But 720KB double density

diskette has 80 tracks.

A hard disk consists of two or more magnetically-coated platters stacked on top of one another, so it has four or more sides with many more tracks than a diskette.

3-6

Using Your

Computer

A disk is further divided by sectors. To understand what a sector is, picture the spokes on a bicycle wheel radiating from the center of the wheel to the tire. The space between one spoke and the next is like a sector on a diskette. (See the figure below.) Each track on a 1.2MB diskette has 15 sectors, and each sector holds 512 bytes.

Figure 3-3. Sectors and Tracks

Your computer uses the read/write heads in a disk drive to store and retrieve data on a disk. There is one head above the diskette and one below, so the drive can write to both sides of the diskette. To write to a disk, the computer spins it in the drive to a position where one of the read/write heads can access the diskette through the read/write slot. The read/write slot on a diskette exposes the diskette’s magnetic surface so the read/write head can write on the appropriate area.

Because data is stored magnetically, you can retrieve it, record over it, and erase it — just as you play, record, and erase music on a cassette tape.

Using

Your Computer

3-7

Types of Diskette Drives

Your computer has at least one 1.2MB diskette drive. With this drive, use 5¼-inch, double-sided, highdensity, 96 TPI, 1.2MB diskettes. These diskettes contain 80 tracks per side, 15 sectors

per track, and hold up to 1.2MB of information, which is

approximately 500 pages of text. You can also format these diskettes for 360KB — see your MS-DOS Reference Manual for

more information.

In addition, you may have a diskette drive of a different type.

The following list describes the types of optional diskette drives

you can use in your computer and which diskettes you should

use with them:

360KB drive — With this drive, use 5¼-inch, doublesided, doubledensity, 48 TPI (tracks per inch), 360KB diskettes. (You can also use single-sided, 160KB or 180KB diskettes). These diskettes contain 40 tracks per side, 8 or 9 sectors per track, and hold up to 360KB of information, which is approximately 150 pages of text. (With 8 sectors per track, a diskette holds up to 320KB.)

720KB drive — With this drive, use 3½-inch, double-

sided, doubledensity, 135 TPI, 720KB diskettes. These diskettes contain 80 tracks per side, 9 sectors per track, and hold up to 720KB of information — approximately 300 pages of text.

1.44MB drive — With this drive, use 3½-inch, doublesided, highdensity, 135 TPI, 1.44MB diskettes. These diskettes contain 80 tracks per side, 18 sectors per track, and hold up to 1.44MB of information, which is approximately 600 pages of text.

If your computer has more than one type of these drives or if you use diskettes from other computers, you need to be aware of certain incompatibilities between the drives and the diskettes they use.

3-8

Using Your Computer

Drive and diskette incompatibilities

Because of the size difference, you cannot

use

3½-inch

diskettes in a 5¼-inch drive or vice versa. There are also

certain limitations on using diskettes that are the same size

the drive but have different capacities. The following tables summarize the possiblities and limitations.

5¼-inch drive/diskette compatibility

Drive type 360KB

1.2MB

Diskette types it can read from and write to 180KB, or 360KB

180KB. 360KB. or 1.2MB

3½-inch drive/diskette compatibility

Drive type Diskette types it can read from and write to 720KB

1.44MB

720KB 720KB. or 1.44MB

Using Your Computer

3-9

Because of these incompatibilities, you should indicate the density and diskette type when you label your diskettes. (Usually this information appears on the manufacturer’s label.)

you have any combination of the above drives (36OKB,

1.2MB, 72OKB, or 1.44MB), you can copy files from one drive to another —

as the correct diskette type is in each drive. You can use these commands to copy files between the hard disk and any type of diskette. You cannot use the DISKCOPY to copy from one drive to another if the two drives are not the same type.

using the COPY or XCOPY command — as long

Caring for Diskettes and Diskette Drives

Follow these basic precautions to protect your diskette and

avoid losing data:

Do not remove a diskette from the diskette drive or turn off the computer while the drive light is on. This light indicates that the computer is copying data to or from a diskette. If you interrupt

this

process, you

can destroy data.

3-10

Remove all diskettes before you turn off the computer.

Keep diskettes away from dust and dirt. Small particles of dust or dirt can scratch the magnetic surface and destroy data. Dust can also ruin the read/write heads in a diskette drive.

Never wipe, brush, or try to clean diskettes in any way.

Keep diskettes in a moderate environment. They work best

at normal room temperature and in normal humidity. Do not leave your diskettes sitting in the sun, or in extreme cold or heat.

Using Your Computer

Keep diskettes away from magnetic fields. (Remember that diskettes store information magnetically.) There are many sources of magnetism in your home or office, such as electrical appliances, telephones, and loudspeakers.

Do not place diskettes on top of your monitor or near an

external disk drive.

Never touch a diskette’s magnetic surface. The oils on your fingertips can damage it. Always hold a diskette by its protective jacket. If you are using a

3½-inch

diskette, do

not slide the metal shutter; this exposes the diskette’s

surface.

Do not place anything on top of your diskettes and be sure they do not get bent. A diskette does not rotate properly in the drive if it has been damaged.

Carefully label your diskettes. Attach labels firmly but gently, and only along the top of a diskette (next to the manufacturer’s label). Do not stick several labels on top of one another-too many labels can make it difficult to insert the diskette into the drive.

It is best to write on the label before you attach it to the diskette. If you need to write on a label that is already on a diskette, use only a soft-tip pen, not a ballpoint pen or a pencil. Always indicate the storage capacity and density

type on the label.

Store diskettes in a proper location, such as a diskette

container. Do not store diskettes flat or stack them on top of each other. When you are not using them, keep your diskettes in their protective envelopes.

Follow these additional precautions to protect your hard disk

drive and its data:

Using Your Computer

3-11

Never turn off the computer when the hard disk drive light

is on. This light indicates that the computer is copying

data to or from the hard disk. If you interrupt this process,

you can lose data.

Never attempt to open the hard disk drive. The disk itself is enclosed in a sealed container to protect it from dust.

Inserting and Removing Diskettes

To insert a diskette into the drive, hold it with the label facing up and the read/write slot leading into the drive, as shown

below.

Figure 3-4. Inserting a Diskette (5¼”)

Slide the diskette into the slot until it is in all the way. Then turn the drive latch down to lock it in a vertical position. This keeps the diskette in place and enables the read/write heads in

the diskette drive to access the diskette.

3-12

Using Your Computer

If a diskette is in the drive but the latch is up (horizontal) and you enter a command for that drive, the computer cannot tell there is a diskette in the drive and displays an error message such as:

Close the latch and press R.

To remove the diskette, turn the drive latch up until it is

horizontal and the edge of the diskette pops out. Carefully pull

out the diskette, place it in its protective envelope, and store it

in a proper location, such as a diskette container.

If you have an optional 3½-inch diskette drive, insert the diskette with the label facing up and the metal shutter leading

into the drive, as shown below. Slide the diskette into the

drive until it

clicks into place.

Figure 3-5. Inserting a Diskette (3½")

Using

Your

Computer

3-23

To remove a 3½-inch diskette, press the release button to release it. When the edge pops out of the drive, pull out the diskette and store it properly.

Write-protecting Diskettes

You can write-protect a diskette to prevent its data from being altered. When a diskette is write-protected, you can read it and copy

data from it, but you cannot

diskette stored on a write-protected diskette, MS-DOS displays an error message.

To write-protect a 5¼-inch diskette, cover the small, rectangular notch (shown below) with an adhesive write-protect tab. Write-protect tabs usually come with new 5¼-inch diskettes when you buy them.

delete any files it contains. If you try to change data

store new data

on the

3-14

Write Protect Tab

Figure 3-6. 5¼” Diskettes & Write-Protect Tab

Using Your Computer

On a 3½-inch diskette, the write-protect device is a small switch on the lower-right comer on the back, shown below. To write-protect a 3½-inch diskette, slide the switch toward the edge of the diskette until it clicks into position, exposing a hole

in the comer.

Figure 3-7. 3½" Diskette & Write-Protect SW

To remove the write protection, slide the switch toward the center of the diskette so the hole is covered.

Making Backup Copies

It is important to make copies of all your data and system diskettes. Copy all diskettes that contain programs, such as the original MS-DOS diskettes that come with your computer, and

use only the copies. Store your original MS-DOS diskettes in a safe place away from your working copies. Backup your data diskettes regularly, whenever you revise them, to keep them

up-todate, and store them away from your originals.

Using Your Computer 3-15

Chapter 1 describes how to use DISKCOPY to copy your MS-DOS diskette. For more detailed information to make backups of other diskettes, refer to Chapter 4 “Using MS-DOS with your computer”.

It is best to put most of the programs and data files you use regularly on the hard disk. Keep backup copies of all your program files on diskettes, however, and regularly copy important data files to diskettes as well.

Using a Single Diskette Drive

The operating system expects the computer to have at least two diskette drives, and it displays prompts and messages accordingly. If the computer has only one diskette drive, MS-DOS treats the one drive like two logical drives. This helps you perform operations that normally require two diskette drives.

Usually, MS-DOS recognizes the first diskette drive (the top drive) as drive A and the second diskette drive as drive B. If you have only one diskette drive, MS-DOS recognizes it as both A and B.

For example, if you give a command to copy from A to B, MS-DOS copies data from the diskette you place in the single drive (A) to the computer’s memory. Then MS-DOS automatically prompts you to insert another diskette in the same drive, which it now identifies as drive B. It copies the data from memory to the new diskette. When the copying is complete, MS-DOS identifies the drive as drive A again, and you see a prompt to insert the original diskette into drive A.

You can load the operating system and application programs

from the hard disk, create and store your data there, and use

the diskette drive just for copying data to and from diskettes.

3-16

Using

Your Computer

Using the Hard Disk Drive

You can create and revise files on a hard disk just as you can on a diskette. The hard disk, however, provides several

advantages:

The 20MB hard disk can store more data than 16 x 1.2MB diskettes and the 4OMB hard disk can store twice as much.

Your computer can perform all disk-related operations faster.

You can store all your frequently used programs and data files on the hard disk, eliminating the inconvenience of

inserting and removing diskettes to access different files.

The added storage capacity makes it easy to move back and forth between different programs and data files. However, because it is so easy to add programs and files to your hard disk, you may find yourself trying to organize hundreds of files.

MS-DOS lets you keep related files together in directories and subdirectories so they are easier to find and use.

Using

Your Computer

3-17

Backing up hard disk files

While the hard disk is very reliable, it is essential to back up your hard disk files to diskettes in case you lose some data accidentally. Make copies of all your system and application program diskettes before copying the programs to the hard disk. After you create data files on the hard disk, be sure to copy them to diskettes whenever you revise them to keep your backup diskettes up-todate.

You can see the more detailed information of backing up hard

disk files in Chapter 6.

Preparing the hard disk for moving

Before you move the computer, you need to secure the read/write heads inside the hard disk drive. Securing the read/write heads moves them to a region of the disk surface that does not contain data, and locks them in position. This prevents the disk from being damaged if it is bumped accidentally.

To secure the read/write heads

program. Follow these steps to run TGSHIP:

Exit

any program you are using so the MS-DOS command

prompt is on the screen.

Insert the MS-DOS diskette in drive A.

3. Type the following and press Enter:

Using

3-18

Your Computer

for moving, run the TGSHIP

You see a message on the screen that tells you the disk drive’s read/write heads will remain locked until you reset the computer or turn the power off and on again. The computer locks the heads and disables the keyboard. You can now turn off the computer and prepare to move it to the new location.

The TGSHIP command should be run whenever you are going

to move the main system unit. This command moves the read/write heads inside the hard disk drive to a “safety zone,”

where they won’t accidentally scratch the surface of the drive

platters. TGSHIP.COM is a special DOS command file included with your system. You should copy this file into the root directory of your hard disk drive.

See MS-DOS reference manual for more information TGSHIP command.

Using Your Computer 3-19

Chapter 4

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

Once you have your computer system “up-and-running,” you

may begin to work with MS-DOS.

Virtually all application software available for IBM PC/XT and

PC/AT-compatible computer systems runs “under” MS-DOS.

Therefore, in order to use these programs, you need to learn

how to use MS-DOS. This chapter will give you a basic

understanding of MS-DOS and provide you with the basic

tools you need run application software on your computer

system. For more detailed explanation of the MS-DOS

operating system, see your MSDOS USER’S GUIDE.

MS-DOS is an acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System.

The disk operating system is a collection of programs that allow you to control all the elements of your computer. When booting

up, the MS-DOS command file is copied from the MS-DOS

main disk into your computer’s memory. From there, it controls the rest of the system.

During a normal operating session, you will want your computer system to boot up in MSDOS. Before that can happen, however, you may need to install MS-DOS on your system.

If your system does not have a hard disk system, you must perform the installation routine to configure MS-DOS for

floppy disk-based operation.

If you do have a hard disk drive, but MS-DOS has not been installed you must perform the installation routine to configure MS-DOS for use on the hard disk system.

For complete instructions on installing MS-DOS, see your

MS-DOS User’s manual.

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

4-1

MS-DOS Diskettes

Your MS-DOS software package contains of the following items:

One MS-DOS Install Diskettes

One MS-DOS Select Diskette

Three MS-DOS Operating Diskettes

One MS-DOS Shell Diskette

The MS-DOS User’s Guide & User’s Reference

The MS-DOS Shell User’s Guide

Begin the installation procedure by placing the MS-DOS Install diskette in the A drive and turning your computer on.

Disk Drive Letters

The

various disk drives on your

As you work with MS-DOS, you will see that these letters are

used to identify which drive is to be used at any given time.

computer

are assigned

letters.

The microcomputer industry has standardized

identification for MS-DOS-type machines as follows:

The first floppy disk drive is referred to as the “A” drive.

The second floppy disk drive is referred to as the “B” drive.

The first hard disk drive is referred to as the “C” drive.

4-2

Using

MS-DOS With Your Computer

the use of letter

To insert a diskette into the drive:

Open the drive door

If you haven’t already done so, remove the protective cardboard insert from the drive.

Gently insert the diskette into the drive entry slot with its

label facing up, and the write protect notch to the left.

When the diskette is all the way in, close the drive door by

turning the door latch handle down.

To remove a diskette from a floppy disk drive:

Be sure the drive indicator light is off

Turn the door latch to open the drive.

Remove the diskette and insert it into its protective envelope.

Using

MS-DOS With Your Computer

4-3

Starting MS-DOS

Skip this section if MS-DOS 4.01 has already been installed on the optional hard disk drive.

To start MS-DOS 4.01 on a floppy disk-based system (that is, on without a hard disk drive), follow these steps given below. For a detailed description of how to start MS-DOS 4.01, consult the Getting Started section in your MS-DOS 4.01

User’s Guide.

Remove the MS-DOS Install diskette from its protective envelope and insert it into the A drive.

Close the disk door and turn your computer on.

Remove the Install disk and insert the Select disk.

Press ENTER.

Remove the Select disk and insert the Install disk.

Press ENTER.

The Welcome screen appears. This screen contains information about the number of disks required to install the operating system.

Press ENTER

The Introduction screen appears. This screen contains information about the function keys used to run the Select

program.

Press ENTER

The first screen of the Select program appears. For more information about the Select program, consult the Getting Started section in your MS-DOS 4.01 User’s Guide.

4-4

Using MD-DOS With Your Computer

If your computer has a hard disk drive, and MS-DOS has been installed, simply turn your system on. Your computer will

perform

its self-test diagnostics and display the DOS Shell

menu screen.

Notice that the words “Command Prompt” are highlighted by a solid bar. This is a DOS Shell option that allows you to work

directly with MS-DOS.

Your computer system is now “running under DOS”.

For now, press ENTER to run the Command Prompt option.

System Prompt

After you press the ENTER key to either accept the time shown or enter a new one, MS-DOS will show a new prompt

on the monitor:

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

4-5

This is the system prompt. When it is displayed, it means that MS-DOS is waiting for you to tell it what to do. This is

done by typing a DOS command, then pressing the ENTER

key.

Cursor

Following the system prompt, you will see a blinking underline

( _ ) character. This is the “cursor”.

character you type will appear on the screen. As you can see, any command you type will appear immediately to the

right of the system prompt and on the same line. Application software often uses the cursor as well, allowing you to use the cursor control keys to move the cursor around on the screen.

The cursor shows you where the next

MS-DOS Commands

DOS commands instruct your computer to perform tasks such

as display a disk directory, copy a file, delete a program, etc. These are called internal commands and can be used anytime

after the system has loaded MS-DOS into memory. They do

not require the MS-DOS main system diskette to function.

More complex DOS commands are actually separate programs that provide powerful features for your computer. These are called external commands, and perform such tasks as formatting a diskette, comparing files on different disks,

4-6

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

backing up a hard disk, etc. These commands require one or

more of the MS-DOS diskettes.

Hard disk system user’s can diskettes because the programs are stored drive.

run

any DOS command without

the hard disk

Case Sensitivity

MS-DOS does not differentiate between upper and lower case letters in commands in upper case for clarity, but you may enter them either way. For example, both of these commands will generate a directory listing of a diskette:

and

commands

and filenames.

This manual will show

Function Keys and MS-DOS

As mentioned earlier, MS-DOS uses several of your keyboard’s function keys to provide you with shortcuts. When you press the ENTER key after typing a command, MS-DOS copies the command into a “buffer” memory. By using the function keys, you can edit and reuse the command without having to retype the entire line.

— F1 key Copies one character at a time from the buffer to the command line

Using MS-DOS With Your

Computer

4-7

— F2 key Copies the entire buffer up to the next character you type

— F3 key Copies the entire buffer to the command line

— F4 key The opposite of F2, deletes all characters from the buffer up to, but not including, the next character you type

— F5 key Moves the current line you are typing into the buffer without ENTERing it

— F6 key Places an “end-of-file” marker when you copy from the monitor to a disk file

— ESC key Cancels the current command line without changing the buffer

— INS key Inserts characters into the command line as you copy characters from the buffer

— DEL key Deletes characters from the buffer

BACKSPACE Key

From time to time, you may make a typing error. This is not usually a problem if you correct the error before you ENTER

the command. You can use the BACKSPACE key for this

purpose.

4-8 Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

The BACKSPACE key on your keyboard works just like a backspace key on a regular typewriter: it moves the cursor back one position. In addition, however, it erases the last character typed. Press the BACKSPACE key as many times as necessary to erase the typing mistake, then type out the command correctly. For instance, type the following (but do not press ENTER):

Press the BACKSPACE key twice to erase the I and the R.

Retype:

Then press the ENTER key. Your computer will respond by producing the directory of the disk in the A drive. Now type this:

Then press the ENTER key. Your computer will respond:

Using MS-DOS With

Your Computer 4-9

Default Drive

MS-DOS will only look at one disk drive at a time. Normally, this is the “default” drive. You can tell which disk drive is the current default drive by looking at the system prompt.

For example:

indicates that the A drive is currently the default drive. Unless you specify otherwise, MS-DOS will direct any disk activity to the A floppy disk drive.

You can easily change the default drive with an internal DOS command. For instance, to change from the A drive (floppy

disk), to the C drive (hard disk), enter:

The computer will respond:

As you can see, the system prompt has changed to show the new default drive letter.

Using

4-10

MS-DOS With Your Computer

From the A> prompt, try the command:

The computer will respond:

Press ENTER after you insert the diskette into the drive, then the system prompt will be:

If you have a dual floppy disk drive system, the second, or “B” drive is now the system default drive, as indicated by the new system prompt. If performed on a single drive computer system, this command will still change the system prompt to B>, even though there is only one physical drive present. The BIOS “pretends” there are two disk drives present. It routes all commands intended for the B drive back to the A drive.

This feature is intended to allow owners of single drive systems to use application software designed for dual drive systems.

Copying Your MS-DOS Diskettes

The first important task you must complete with your new system is to make a “backup” copy of your MS-DOS diskettes. To do this, you will need seven blank diskettes. It is a good

idea to prepare seven diskette labels at this time. Write the

following on those diskette labels, using a felt tipped pen:

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

4-11

Write down the MS-DOS version number on label. This will avoid confusion later if you upgrade your operating system to a new version. As you finish copying and checking each MS-DOS master diskette, peel the correct label off of the backing paper and place it on the upper left-hand side of the front face of the new diskette.

The following procedures will show you how to make backup copies of your MS-DOS master diskettes on both single and dualdrive systems.

each

diskette

Copying on Single Drive Systems

MS-DOS uses the external command DISKCOPY to copy

entire diskettes. DISKCOMP is used to compare the original

and backup diskettes to ensure that the copy is accurate.

To copy your master diskettes, first turn your computer on and

oose

boot up MS-DOS. Ch the DOS shell menu. The system prompt will appear. Enter the following command:

the Command Prompt option from

The following message will be displayed:

4-12 Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

The “SOURCE”

diskette is the disk that you will be copying

from. Insert the MS-DOS master diskette into the A drive.

Press any

key,

such as the SPACEBAR.

The floppy disk drive

will be activated, and your computer will display:

The contents of the disk are being read into your computer’s memory. After a few moments, the following message will appear:

When the drive indicator light goes out, remove the MS-DOS

master

diskette from the floppy disk drive. Insert a new, blank

diskette into the drive. This is the “TARGET” diskette.

Press the SPACEBAR key. The drive will turn on, indicating

that the computer is formatting the new diskette, then writing

the copied information onto it. After a few moments, the drive

will

turn

off. When

copying a 1.2MB disk, multiple disk swaps

are necessary. When finished,

Using MS-DOS With Your

Computer

4-13

For now, type N. The system prompt will reappear. To compare the backup diskette with the original, you will use the DISKCOMP command. Enter the command at the system prompt:

The computer will respond:

Remove the backup diskette from the drive, and put it in its protective jacket. Set it aside for a moment, making sure that

you don’t mix it up with the second blank diskette. Put the

original “master” MS-DOS main system diskette back into the

floppy disk drive, then press the SPACEBAR key. As with the

DISKCOPY command, your computer will read the entire

contents of the diskette into system memory, and will display:

When the computer is finished reading, the drive will rum off,

and the following message will appear:

4-14

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

Remove the master MS-DOS diskette from the floppy disk drive, and put it in its protective envelope. Take out the backup copy diskette, insert it into the disk drive, and press the SPACEBAR key.

The computer will read the contents of the backup diskette,

and compare them with the copy of the master diskette that it has stored in memory. If the information on the two diskettes is identical, the computer will respond:

Compare another diskette (Y/N)?

Type N to return to the system prompt.

If there is a problem with the backup diskette, or if you put the wrong diskette into the drive by mistake, the computer will respond:

Compare error on side x, track x

If the computer shows compare errors, start the copying procedure over again at the beginning. The backup copy of the MS-DOS diskette must be identical to the original. After you have confirmed that the backup diskette is a good copy of the master MS-DOS diskette, you may put your master diskette away in a safe place. From now on, only use the master MS-DOS diskette to make copies. For all other purposes, use the backup copy of the MS-DOS diskette. By using the backup copy, you

ensure

that any accidental erasures can be replaced.

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer 4-15

Copying on Dual Drive Systems

To make backup copies of your MS-DOS diskettes on a dualdrive system, follow the instructions below:

First, turn your computer on and boot up MS-DOS. Choose the Command Prompt option from the DOS shell menu. The system prompt will appear. Enter the following command:

This command indicates to MS-DOS that you want to copy the contents of a diskette in the A drive to a new diskette

located in the B drive.

The following message will be displayed:

from. The “TARGET” diskette is the one you will be copying to. Put your master MS-DOS diskette in the A drive, and a new, blank diskette in the B drive.

4-l6

Using MS-DOS With

Your Computer

Close both drive doors. Press any key, such as the SPACEBAR. The A drive will be activated, and your

computer will display:

The contents of the disk are being read into your computer’s memory. After a few moments, the following message will appear:

For now, type N. The system prompt will reappear. To

compare the backup diskette with the original, you will use the

DISKCOMP command. Enter the command at the system prompt:

The computer will respond:

Since both diskettes are already in their correct locations, press the SPACEBAR key. While the comparisons are being made,

the computer will display:

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

4-17

When the computer is finished comparing the diskettes, the drives will turn off, and the following message will appear:

Type N to return to the system prompt.

If there is a problem with the backup diskette or if you put the wrong diskette into the drive by mistake, the computer will respond:

After you have confirmed that the backup diskette is a good copy of the

master

MS-DOS diskette, you may put your master diskette away in a safe place and put the label on the backup diskette. From now on, only use the master MS-DOS diskette to make copies. For all

other

purposes, use the backup copy of the MS-DOS diskette. By using the backup copy for everyday computing, and saving the master diskette, you

ensure

that any

accidental erasures can be replaced.

4-28

Using MS-DOS With Your

Computer

From now on, when this manual refers to the “main system

diskettes,” use the backup MS-DOS diskette.

In the same way that you can keep information grouped together in manila folders, MS-DOS organizes data into files. While you may store these folders in a cabinet, your computer stores these files on disks. Separating information into files allows you to work with that information more efficiently.

File Types

There are two basic file types:

Cl Program files

0 Data files

Program files are files that perform a task. They manipulate the computer and data files in order to achieve a result. MS-DOS is a collection of program files, as are the control programs found in application software.

Data files are files that contain the information (data) used by program files. A file containing a list of names and addresses

would be a data file.

The two types of files are closely related. Program files usually create data files. These may be the documents created by a word processor, the numerical array created by a spreadsheet, or some other collection of information.

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

4-19

A data file containing a written report can’t do anything by itself. On the other hand, a word processor is useless without

documents to work on.

Filenames and Extensions

Needless to say, each file on a disk must be uniquely identifiable. To achieve this, MS-DOS requires that you name every file you create, as you create it.

In order to be able to manipulate files easily, MS-DOS has certain rules that you must follow when naming files. As you will see, these rules leave you a great deal of freedom in your selection of filenames.

Each filename can be up to eight characters long. To this eight character name can be added an “extension”. Extensions always begin with a period ( . ) which is followed by up to three characters.

The format for a valid MS-DOS filename is:

ABCDEFGH.JKL

Most of the characters and symbols on your keyboard are available for use in filenames. These are:

The letters A through Z

The numbers 0 through 9

The following symbols:

(exclamation point)

(“at” sign)

(number sign)

4-20

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

(dollar sign)

(percent sign)

(ampersand)

(parenthesis)

(minus sign or hyphen)

(brackets)

(underline character)

The following are examples of allowable filenames:

JANUARY

CHAPTER.001

MEMO.APR

MAYSALES. %&$

$$_SALES.OCT

These filenames are valid because none of them are too long, and only legal characters have been used. The following are examples of illegal filenames, along with an explanation:

3RDQUARTER.SALES

This is too long. MS-DOS will accept this filename, but it will be shortened to fit the size limits. The altered filename would read 3RDQUART.SAL. As you can see, both the filename and its extension have been shortened to the legal length.

CHAPTER/4

The slash ( / ) is an illegal filename character. MS-DOS will reject the filename and ask for another.

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

4-21

NEW EMPL.LTR

This would be rejected by MS-DOS because of the space in the filename.

Certain filename extensions have been set aside so that MS-DOS can recognize program files. These are:

COM

EXE

BAT

(for COMMAND file)

(for EXECUTABLE file)

(for BATCH file)

Program files should always have one of these three filename extensions. Data files should never use these reserved

extensions. They can, however, use any other extension.

Filename extensions are optional with data files, so you can

leave them off entirely, if you want. Using filename extensions with data files allows you to have many different variations for a set of filenames. For instance, different chapters of a book might be named:

CHAPTER.001

CHAPTER.002

CHAPTER.003

and so on.

Like MS-DOS commands, filenames and extensions can be

entered in either upper or lower case, but are always displayed on the screen in upper case. However, since MS-DOS converts

lower case filenames into upper case, it is possible to

inadvertently erase an existing file by saving a new file with a lower case name. To be safe, always make sure that you have given a unique name to each file on a disk.

4-22

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

Disk Directories

MS-DOS keeps track of the files stored on your disks by maintaining a “directory” on each disk. These directories are listings of the filenames and extensions, along with certain information about the files themselves, such as when the file was created or updated last.

The DIR Command

MS-DOS provides a simple command that allows you to look at the directory of any particular disk. This is the DIR command. Enter the command as follows:

The computer will display a listing similar to the following:

Some of the names and symbols may be different, but the

screen should show these five columns, and a similar last line.

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

4-23

The information presented by the DIR command is as follows:

The filename & extension

The file sire (in bytes)

The date the file was created or last updated

The time the file was created or last updated

The number of files listed in the directory

The number of unused bytes of space remaining on the disk

See the MS-DOS User’s Guide for details.

File Searches

You can also use the DIR command to search for specific files on a disk. To do this, enter the DIR command in the following format:

For instance, if you want to find the directory entry for a file named “MAYSALES.RPT” on the diskette in drive A, enter the command:

The computer will search the entire directory of the diskette for a file named MAYSALES.RPT. If a file is found, it will

appear as the only entry in the diskette’s directory. If there is no MAYSALES.RPT file on the diskette, the computer will display:

4-24 Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

Multiple Disk Drive Systems

The DIR command can be used to read the directories of other drives in your system, if any are installed. For instance, to read the directory of the B drive, when you are logged onto drive A, enter the command:

The computer will display the directory of the diskette inserted

in the B drive. A similar command:

will cause the computer to display the directory of your hard disk.

Note that in both examples, the A drive remains the default drive. To change the default drive from A to B, and then display a directory listing, enter the command series:

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

4-25

The computer will display the B drive diskette’s directory, then remain logged to the B drive.

Wildcards

Quite often, when dealing with disk files, you may find yourself looking through directories for a particular file or group of files. MS-DOS has a way to help you sort out those files you want without having to read through the entire directory listing. This is through the use of “wildcard” characters. Wildcard characters are used to make a single command cover a number of similarly named files.

While MS-DOS provides several wildcard characters, the one you will be using most often is the asterisk ( * ). The

asterisk matches any number of sequential characters in a filename or extension.

For instance, to look at a listing of all the .EXE program files on your main system diskette, enter the command:

This will produce a directory that looks like this:

4-26

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer

Application Software

Now that you know how to make backup copies of your diskettes and how to work with MS-DOS, you can proceed to

use application software. Most software packages come with detailed instructions for their set-up and use. These instructions will often ask you to use the information in this chapter to find specific files in the disk directories, or back up the master diskettes provided with each package. Most software packages can be backed up simply by using the MS-DOS DISKCOPY

command, as described previously.

Using

MS-DOS With

Your

Computer

4-27

Chapter 5

Using Floppy Disks

Description

Your computer works with a large electronic memory array

called RAM. This stands for Random Access Memory. Your

system’s RAM is actually an array of electronic circuits. As

long as the computer is powered up, this circuit array will

“remember” whatever is placed in it. When you turn the power off, however, these circuits will “forget.” Therefore, you need some way of retaining your programs and data after you turn the system off. The most usual way of storing data, at least on DOS-based computer systems, is on floppy disks.

Virtually all commercially available programs are distributed on floppy diskettes. Before you buy an application software package for your computer, you should make sure that it will run under MS-DOS. Products labeled “for IBM PC,” “for IBM PC/AT,” “PC-compatible,” or “MS-DOS-compatible” should run properly. Products intended for other types of computer operating systems, such as CP/M or Apple, will not run on your system.

The most frequent use that you will have for diskettes is to save the data, text, files, etc. that you create. You will use diskettes to store your data between sessions on the computer, as well as to back up your valuable software.

Using

Floppy Disks

5-1

How Floppy Disks Work

Floppy disks, or diskettes, are made from a flexible plastic that

is coated with a magnetic oxide. The floppy disk drive encodes

this oxide with the data generated by the computer. After you turn your system off, unlike electronic RAM, the encoded oxide retains this data. Your data can then be read by the floppy disk drive at a later time.

The magnetic oxide coating on the floppy disk will hold its encoded data almost indefinitely unless you deliberately erase

it. This is done intentionally when you want to update the

information stored on the diskette.

The plastic disk is safely protected by a thin jacket. The diskette spins inside this jacket, allowing the entire surface of the diskette to be scanned by the drive’s circuitry. Data is

read from or written onto the diskette through the oval-shaped slots in the jacket.

Normally, the computer will write new information onto the

unused space on the diskette. If there is no unused space, your computer will inform you that the disk is full.

You can instruct the computer to write over the information that is already on the diskette. You might do this to update an

inventory file, or change an address and phone number in a

database.

5-2

Using Floppy Disks

Formatting Diskettes

When you get a new carton of diskettes, they ‘are not yet ready

to be used. First, they must be prepared to accept data. This is

called “formatting” the diskette.

MS-DOS uses the same formatting method regardless of the computer used. This is one of the keys to intermachine compatibility. Since all PC-compatible computers use MS-DOS, they can read all disks created by any other PC-compatible machine.

To see what happens when you attempt to use an unformatted disk, insert a new blank diskette into the A drive and close the drive door. Then enter the following command:

Since the new disk hasn’t been formatted yet, your computer cannot read it. After failing three times, your computer will respond:

If you type R (for Retry), or A (for Abort), the computer will

attempt to

same message.

read the diskette again, and will finally display the

Using Floppy Disks 5-3

When you type F (for failure) the computer will automatically cancel the attempt and will return display the following message.

Remove the unformatted disk from the drive.

The FORMAT Command

MS-DOS provides an external command program called FORMAT.COM, that will format your blank diskettes. When running this program, there are options available that allow you to format several different types of diskette.

The following routines will show you how to use the FORMAT command. These procedures assume that you are

formatting double-sided, high-density, 1.2M-byte diskettes (AT-compatible). Information on formatting 180K-byte and 360K-byte diskette will be discussed under the /l and /4 switch

options below.

First, if you have a hard disk installed MS-DOS on your system, then enter:

The computer will load the FORMAT command file into

system memory, then will respond:

5-4

Using Floppy Disks

Insert the new diskette to be formatted and press the ENTER

key.

The computer will display:

The formatting process takes a minute or two. The computer will wait until the formatting process is complete, then display:

Press

ENTER if you don’t want to have a label of your disk.

Then the screen will display the following message.

Don’t be concerned if the message displayed is slightly different

from the example. Enter N to return to the system prompt.

The new disk is now formatted and is ready for use. Remove it from the disk drive and replace it in its protective envelope.

Using Floppy Disks

5-5

Epson CW3S20A User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Introduction

How to Use This Manual

Unpacking

Choosing a location

Connecting a Monitor

Using the Parallel Interface

Using the Serial Interface

Connecting the Power Cord

Connecting the Keyboard

Turning On the Computer

The Command Prompt

Copying System Diskettes

Resetting Your Computer

Introduction

When to Run Setup

Memory Test bypass

Using setup

Entering SETUP

Parameters

Leaving the Setup Program

Changing the operating speed

Special Keys on your Keyboard

Stopping a Command or Program

Using Disks and Disk Drives

How Disks Store Data

Types of Diskette Drives

Caring for Diskettes and Diskette Drives

Write-protecting Diskettes

Making Backup Copies

Using a Single Diskette Drive

Using the Hard Disk Drive

MS-DOS Diskettes

Disk Drive Letters

Starting MS-DOS

System Prompt

Cursor

MS-DOS Commands

Case Sensitivity

Function Keys and MS-DOS

BACKSPACE Key

Default Drive

Copying Your MS-DOS Diskettes

Copying on Single Drive Systems

Copying on Dual Drive Systems

File Types

0 Data files

Filenames and Extensions

Disk Directories

The DIR Command

File Searches

Multiple Disk Drive Systems

Wildcards

Application Software

Description

How Floppy Disks Work

Formatting Diskettes

The FORMAT Command