No special requirements are demanded by microcomputers other than that enough space is available and that temperature, dust and smoke is kept to reasonable limits. Generally speaking, if the environment is comfortable to the operator, its acceptable for the computer.
There must be enough space behind the computer to accommodate cables and to allow cooling air to flow.
The computer may be positioned on its side provided that the cooling extraction fan (normally on the right hand side at the rear of the case) is at the top.
Your computer dealer will normally be responsible for the installation of the hardware (the computer and all visible accessories). Before accepting the installation, check that the cables have been neatly tidied away and that all parts of the system are working.
It is the hardware supplier's responsibility to ensure that all switches and jumpers are set correctly and that all shipping screws and other packing materials have been removed. Not all computer dealers are competent to install the hardware that they supply - choose your dealer with care. It is normally true that the cheapest suppliers do not provide technical support.
Power line conditioning will protect your computer and your data from voltage spikes and power interruption. Multi-user installations, and small-town installations, especially justify the cost of a good UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply).
If overhead power lines supply your area, voltage spikes due to lightning are a major threat and therefore a surge, or spike, protector should be installed in the power line.
Your dealer may install the Shopkeeper and do the initial configuration. You are able to copy the complete system to back-up media and restore it should you need to revert to a former status or in the case of a disk failure.
Should you need to install the system yourself, the following instructions must be carefully followed.
For MS-DOS
Check that your CONFIG.SYS file has at least 27 files, eg:
FILES=27
If your computer has 1Mb of RAM or more, include the line:
DEVICE=[<path>]HIMEM.SYS
and for 2Mb or more, also include:
DEVICE=[<path>]\EMM386.EXE RAM
in the config.sys file. For best results, the program should see at least 512K of free extended memory as well as 512K (LIM) expanded memory.
The program can run in as little as 490K of free memory, but the speed will be affected. Also, some parts of the program may not work if other parts of the program have been run first - in other words, it will be unreliable. We recommend a minimum of 4Mb of RAM to be installed in the computer.
REBOOT to activate new CONFIG.SYS
INSERT THE "JSK LICENCE - 1 of 1" DISK IN DRIVE.
A:SETUP
Follow screen prompts..
Start The Jewellery Shopkeeper with JSK-enter
Allow the program to do initial file preparation and in a few seconds the startup screen with rows of "P"s appears. Enter the dates as requested and type Y to proceed to The Jewellery Shopkeeper Outer Menu.
That completes the program installation. To prepare for use, go to U(tilities, S(et param. (default password is "PASS") and change as required, and also go to I(nventory, R(eports and print the default list of group codes. You can add/delete/edit these to suit your own business - but you must decide on them before you start adding inventory.
Install as described above for DOS, then start windows and proceed as follows: Highlight, or create, a program group that you want to put JSK in From program manager select File, New, Program item for description enter JSK on "command line", enter JSK 1 (or JSK 2, etc.) for "working directory" enter C:\JEWEL Select "Change Icon" After "no icons" message, select "Browse" Find C:\JEWEL directory Highlight JSK.ICO or JSKn.ICO and press enter, or click OK. Save the settings by clicking OK.
New systems are supplied with a fully automatic installer. But if you are upgrading your system from DOS then use the following instructions:
What you must type is underlined, what the computer prompts is in italics. Press enter after each command that you enter. Windows, mouse actions will be described in words preceded by "Mouse:"
With Windows 95 installed and running, and The Jewellery Shopkeeper folder copied onto the hard disk (lets say in C:\JEWEL), proceed as follows:
Mouse: Start, Settings, Taskbar, Start menu programs, Add
For the "Command line" enter:
<path>\JSK.EXE 1 A Wo (where <path> is C:\JEWEL or use Browse to fine the correct path)
Mouse: Next
Change name for the program to "The Jewellery Shopkeeper".
Mouse: Next, New Folder
Name it: "Jewellery"
Mouse: Next
Mouse: Finish
Run The Jewellery Shopkeeper using the new menu icon, an with the program running, adjust the short-cut properties as follows:
Mouse: Properties Icon at top of the window and set Close-on-exit check box.
(Tip: Rest the mouse pointer on the icons one at a time to see the meaning of each one)
The Backup menu item executes a script file names BACKUPDB.BAT. This file is located in the default working directory and may need to be edited to work on your computer.
The command executed by this batch file will depend on your backup software and typically may read "TAPE" or "C:\Program Files\Accessories\BACKUP\MSBACKUP.EXE"
NOTE: New systems no longer use the DOS 6.22 utilities described below. If you are still using these, we recommend that you upgrade to the new version which compresses the backup to save time and diskettes by downloading BU.EXE from here. (To help you identify what you are now using; by default, the new version of backup starts with the prompt "Insert disk #1 of this day's backup set into drive and...", the old version started with "Insert backup diskette 01 in drive A:". If you are not sure, ask for support.
The old DOS backup.exe program was very simple but is not supplied with Windows 95/98. It can still be used if the SETVER utility is used. The following instructions will help you to set up the DOS backup and restore programs:
1) Obtain the two MS-DOS 6.22 files: BACKUP.EXE & RESTORE.EXE and copy them into the \JEWEL directory (folder)
(You may find these files pre-installed in your system but named BACKUP.EX_ and RESTORE.EX_. To use them, simply rename them to ...EXE instead of ...EX_.)
2) Go to the MS-DOS prompt (Start, Programs, MS-DOS)
3) At the MS-DOS prompt, type:
SETVER BACKUP.EXE 6.22
and then
SETVER RESTORE.EXE 6.22
4) Edit the CONFIG.SYS file by typing the command:
EDIT \CONFIG.SYS
and insert the line (it may be the only line, otherwise add it after the last line):
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SETVER.EXE
save it by keying Alt-F Save and Alt-F eXit
5) Restart the computer to make changes effective.
CHECK THAT YOUR BACKUPS ARE WORKING BY RESTORING A FEW FILES TO VERIFY THE TEST.
Screen displays "DOS level menu" or other start-up message
(See also section on "Problems & Solutions" at page 217 in this manual.)
In the case of a multi-user system, Q(uit from all instances of The Jewellery Shopkeeper.
Finish what you are doing and Quit out from the Shopkeeper before switching off.
But please, don't forget your back-ups!
It is safest for your data, to switch of the main computer first, followed by all the rest of the equipment in any sequence that you care to try. Turning off peripheral equipment first could cause interference to the computer which might in turn write spurious titbits to your hard disk.