----------------------------------------
	  Microsoft Bob Version 1.00 README File
			
		      February 1st, 1995
	  ----------------------------------------

	  (C) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1995


This document provides information about Microsoft Bob,
as well as answers to questions you might have.

------------------------
How to Use This Document
------------------------

To view README on screen in Windows Notepad, maximize
the Notepad window.

To print README, open it in Windows Write, Microsoft
Word, or another word processor. Then select the entire
document and format the text in 10-point Courier before
printing.

--------
Contents
--------

Changing SmartDrive Cache to make Bob Run Faster
Deleting Files
Getting Technical Help
Hardware that Is Incompatible with the Bob disks
Opening Specific Files When Launching Windows Programs From Bob
Letter Writer Printing using HP DeskJet
Making Backup Copies of the Bob Disks
Modem Troubleshooting
Print Troubleshooting
Running Bob with Windows for Workgroups Version 3.11
Screen/Display Troubleshooting
Video Drivers


------------------------------------------------
Changing SmartDrive Cache to make Bob Run Faster
------------------------------------------------
On computers with 8Meg of RAM, you may get better performance
from Bob using a SmartDrive cache of 1Meg. In general, to 
change your SmartDrive cache do the following:

   a. Click the Windows Notepad (it is part of the Accessories
      group in the Windows Program Manager) and press Enter.

   b. Click "File," and then click "Open" in the File menu that
      drops down.

   c. Type the following (exactly as it appears here):
   
      c:\autoexec.bat

      Click OK and the autoexec.bat file appears.

   d. Scroll down until you find the following line:

      c:\dos\smartdrv
  
      Note that there may be text and/or numbers after this
      text.

   e. Change the SmartDrive line to look like this: 

      c:\dos\smartdrv 2048 1024

   f. Exit Notepad, clicking "Yes" to save the file. 

   g. Exit Windows and turn your computer off and back on.
      Restart Windows and then start Bob to see if this has
      improved performance. If this doesn't help, or you can't
      find this line in your autoexec.bat then contact your
      computer manufacturer directly.

--------------
Deleting Files
--------------

Don't remove any files that are in the \MSBOB directory or any 
of its subdirectories, or you may experience technical problems. 
If you want to delete anything in Bob, go to the appropriate 
program and delete it there. For example, you would open the
Letter Writer to delete a particular letter.

----------------------
Getting Technical Help
----------------------

For technical help, contact your designated support provider.
To find out who your designated support provider is, refer to
page 30 of the Bob Magazine, which came with your Bob disks.
 
------------------------------------------------
Hardware that Is Incompatible with the Bob disks
------------------------------------------------

The Bob disks use Distribution Media Format (DMF). DMF 
increases the capacity of a 3.5-inch floppy disk, reducing
the number of disks needed to install Bob and speeding
up the installation process.  Most 1.44 MB or 2.88 MB floppy 
drives should be able to read the Bob DMF disks, EXCEPT:

   * SCSI floppy drives, including Flopticals
   * Floppy drives attached via older MicroSolutions
     Compaticards
   * Apple Macintosh floppy drives (even via SoftPC)
   * Early Gateway 2000 Handbook or Colorbook notebooks

If your computer has one of the listed floppy drives and it
could not read the Bob disks, please refer to page 30 of the
Bob Magazine for information on how to contact your Designated
Support Provider for a non-DMF disk set.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Opening Specific Files When Launching Windows Programs From Bob
---------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to open a specific file when you launch a Windows
program from Bob, do the following:

1. Click "Other options" in any room.

2. Click "Add something," "Program," and then "Or browse on
   your own."

3. Similar to creating a program item in Program Manager, type
   a description for what you are launching. 

4. Press TAB key and fill in the pathname for your program
   executable (.EXE), followed by a space, and then the
   pathname for your file. For example:

   c:\winword\winword.exe c:\directory\filename.doc

   If you do not know the pathname for your program executable,
   click "Browse the file system" to look for it.

5. Type a path for the working directory (optional) and click
   OK.

You should now have a program starter with the icon for your
Windows program on it. When you click this program starter, it
will open the specified program and the specified file.

---------------------------------------
Letter Writer Printing Using HP DeskJet
---------------------------------------

If the borders on your letters look wrong (e.g., they are boxed
in by extra lines), and you are printing on an HP DeskJet, you
may need an updated printer driver. There is a known problem
with printing borders using version 4.10 of the HP DeskJet
driver. Please contact HP's Technical Support directly at
800-858-8867 for an updated printer driver.

-------------------------------------
Making Backup Copies of the Bob Disks
-------------------------------------

The Bob disks use Distribution Media Format (DMF). DMF 
increases the capacity of a 3.5-inch floppy disk, reducing
the number of disks needed to install Bob and speeding
up the installation process.

But, because DMF is a read-only format, you cannot use 
MS-DOS DiskCopy, Microsoft Windows Copy Disk (File Manager), 
or any other method to make backup copies of the Bob disks.
Instead, use the original set of Bob disks as your backup; 
store them in a safe place after installing Bob.

Also, DO NOT do any of the following:

1. Write or copy anything to a Bob disk when it is in the
   floppy drive. This will destroy the disk.

2. Because DMF is a new format, many existing utilities, such 
   as Norton Disk Doctor, Microsoft ScanDisk, MS-DOS DiskCopy,
   and Microsoft Windows Copy Disk do not recognize DMF. You 
   should NOT use disk utilities to examine a DMF formatted 
   disk, as these utilities can corrupt the DMF disk. 

---------------------
Modem Troubleshooting
---------------------

If you are having problems connecting to E-Mail, you may not
have the correct modem settings. Please try the following:

Choose a lower baud rate by clicking "Other Options," and
"Change Modem Settings." Click a lower baud rate and try
connecting again.

If you are still having problems, please contact your
designated support provider. To find out who your designated
support provider is, please refer to page 30 of the Bob
Magazine that came with your Bob disks.

---------------------
Print Troubleshooting
---------------------

If you use the following checklists and you still can't print,
look for a "Troubleshooting" section in your printer's manual
for more help.

If you turn on your printer and nothing happens:

* Is your printer plugged firmly into your computer and into a
  power outlet? If you're using a power strip, it must be 
  plugged in and turned on, too.

* Is your printer on? A button labeled "On Line" should be lit.
  If the light isn't on, press the "On Line" button.

Your printer is on, but it won't print or it takes a long time to
print:

* Do you need to add paper, or is the paper jammed?

* Is the correct printer selected? You can check by finding
  "Print" in any program (usually under "Other Options"). When
  you see the printing balloon, click "Set up printer." The
  name in the "Default Printer" box should match your printer.
  If you don't know which printer to look for, check your
  printer manual or contact your printer manufacturer for that
  information.

  If the correct printer isn't on the list, look for printing
  topics in the index of your Windows manual to find out how to
  add it.

* Do you have a lot of pictures in your document? If so, try
  printing one page at a time, or take out some of the pictures.

Part of the document is cut off when you print:

* Part of your document may have spilled over into the
  printer's non-printing area (the part of the paper the
  printer can't use). Try making the margins bigger until
  you solve the problem. Click "Other Options," and then click
  "Change Margins."

----------------------------------------------------
Running Bob with Windows for Workgroups Version 3.11
----------------------------------------------------

To help improve Bob's performance when running on Windows for
Workgroups version 3.11, try one or more of the following:

*  If you are running on an 8MB (or lower) computer, starting
   Windows with "win /n" so that the network drivers do not
   load, should make Bob run faster.

*  If you have 32-bit file access turned on under "386
   Enhanced" in the Windows Control Panel, try turning it off,
   or reduce the size of the cache to 512K. To turn it off,
   do the following:
   
   a) Open the Windows Control Panel, which is in the Main
      group in Program Manager.

   b) Double-click the "386 Enhanced" icon.

   c) Click "Virtual Memory" button, and then "Change" button.

   d) Click the "Use 32-Bit File Access" checkbox so that it is 
      clear (i.e. deselected).

   e) Click OK and then click "Restart Your Computer." Be sure
      to close other programs before restarting your computer.

------------------------------
Screen/Display Troubleshooting
------------------------------

If you encounter problems with your screen/display, such as
missing pieces of words, incomplete balloons, or anything else
that looks strange or incorrect, try the following:

1. Sign out of Bob and close Bob. 

2. Close Windows and restart your computer by turning it off
   and back on.

3. Restart Windows, and then open and sign into Bob.

If your display still looks odd to you, your video driver
(which is the software that makes your monitor display your
programs) may not work correctly with Bob. Please refer to the
Video Driver section below, or contact your designated support
provider by referring to page 30 of the Bob Magazine that came
with your Bob disks.

-------------
Video Drivers
-------------

If you experience crashes when running Bob or a crash directly
after starting Bob, the problem is most likely a video driver
flaw. Certain versions of some video drivers contain flaws that
will cause Bob to not run correctly. In general, more recent
versions of these drivers correct the problems mentioned.


General Points
--------------

1.  Some video cards have a "Virtual Desktop" feature. It is
    best to turn off the Virtual Desktop feature when running
    Bob. Refer to your video card manual that you received
    when you bought your video card or computer.

2.  If you are using a "large fonts" video driver, which makes
    the writing on your screen larger than normal, and you
    experience any problems with your display/screen when
    using Bob, you may need to switch to another video driver
    when using Bob.


ATI Video Driver Incompatibilities
----------------------------------
There are many known flaws with the ATI video drivers which in
some cases will crash Bob. You should call ATI Customer
Support directly at 905-882-2626 for the latest news on the
ATI drivers. Potential fixes include:

1. There are several flaws in all versions of the Mach64 video
   drivers that will cause Bob to crash. Use the standard
   640x480 resolution 256-color SVGA driver to work around
   these flaws.

2. There is a flaw in the 24-bit (16.7 million colors) Mach32
   video driver on the ATI video card that will crash Bob. Use
   the 256-color Mach32 video driver to work around this
   problem.

3. The Mach8 video driver on the ATI Ultra video card has
   several problems. Use the standard 640x480 resolution
   256-color SVGA driver.

4. Some ATI drivers have a "Crystal Fonts" option, which will
   slow the speed at which Bob can run. Turning Crystal Fonts
   off may alleviate this problem.


Cirrus Logic Video Driver Incompatibilities
-------------------------------------------

1. Because of a problem in the Cirrus 542x chipset in some
   older video drivers, the Cirrus company has released new
   drivers which eliminate some problems. Bob Setup will update
   the drivers for you automatically if you click "Yes" when it
   asks you to update your drivers. Microsoft recommends that
   you choose to update the video drivers during Bob Setup, so
   Bob will run correctly. 

   If you choose to update the drivers, Setup will copy the
   original 256_1280.drv and 64k_1024.drv files to
   256_1280.bob and 64k_1024.bob before replacing the
   originals with the 1.43 version of the drivers. If you need
   the original drivers back, you can rename 256_1280.bob and
   64k_1024.bob to have the .drv extension.

2. Cirrus drivers before version 1.30 with the 62x5 chipset
   cause Bob to crash (experience a GP Fault). Contact Cirrus
   directly at 510-623-8300 to obtain version 1.30 or later
   of the 256_62x5.drv.


Phoenix VGA Video Driver Incompatibilities
------------------------------------------

1. The Phoenix VGA S3 cards will not display text correctly,
   and may cause Bob to crash. Contact your video card
   manufacturer directly to obtain the latest version of
   their drivers, or use the generic S3 801 chipset drivers.


Diamond Stealth Video Driver Incompatibilities
----------------------------------------------

1. The Diamond Stealth s64 DRAM (864 controller) drivers
   version 1.30ai and before will cause Bob to crash. Contact
   Diamond directly at 408-325-7100 for a driver to fix the
   problem, or use the generic S3 864 chipset drivers.


#9 Video Driver Incompatibilities
---------------------------------

1. Some #9 drivers have "TurboCopy" and "AutoCenter" options,
   which will cause Bob to not run correctly. Turning
   TurboCopy and AutoCenter off by using the #9 Control Panel
   will alleviate this problem.

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