TheAmstrad Portable PPC 512 /640 User Instructions t/t> '-/ E'1~ Krbl/ 5of .J Klov1e ~d. 7 o+r, c e. Pfa 7 a. 1) r, 'v-f -_.,,_._Ta..llu ~u.(Su) ft- ?J").. ?Jo/ ~ 68! '. Ff tl.aA J h.-Of~ I .i rry '2- yoi:;, o/c. >(hoD~ (Cf<c. I AMSTRADplc AMSTRADPPC USER MANUAL (USA) qqq o 11'-/ I 'fOO @ Manual Copyright 1988, AMSTRAD plc Neither the whole nor any part of the information contained herein, nor the product described in this manual may be adapted or reproduced in any material fonn except with the prior written approval of AMSTRAD plc('AMSTRAD'). The product described in this manual and products for use with it are subject to continuous development and improvement. In particular, there may be differences between the messages displayed on your screen and those shown here. All information of a technical nature and particulars of the product and its use (including the information and particulars in this manual) are given by AMSTRAD in good faith. However, it is acknowledged that there may be errors or omissions in this manual. AMSTRAD welcomes comments and suggestions relating to the product or this manual. All correspondence should be addressed to: AMSTRAD INC AMSTRAD National Service Center 1915 HARRISON ROAD LONGVIEW TX 75604 All maintenance and service on the product must be carried out by AMSTRAD authorised dealers. AMSTRAD cannot accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage caused by service or maintenance by unauthorised personnel. This manual is intended only to assist the reader in the use of the product, and therefore AMSTRAD shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from the use of any information or particulars in, or any error or omission in, this manual or any incorrect use of the product. Manual revised for the PPC By J Jones including material written by J Gilmour of Locomotive Software Ltd for AMSTRAD plc. Published by AMSTRAD First Edition 1988 Trademark Acknowledgements MS-DOS® is a trademark of Microsoft® Corporation. CROSSTALK is a trademark of Digital Communications Associates Inc. MIRROR II AND MIRROR are trademarks ofSoftklone Distributing Corporation. Hayes is a trademark ofHayes Microcomputer Products Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp. Compuserve is a trademark of Compuserve Information Service. AMSTRAD PPC, PPC640, PPCS 12, PC 1512, PC1640 are trademarks of AMSTRAD pie. AMSTRAD name & logos are registered trademarks of AMSTRAD pie. All Rights reserved Unauthorised use of the trademark or word AMSTRAD is strictly forbidden. IMPORTANT This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy, and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructuions, may cause interference to radio and television reception. It has ben type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance with the specifications in Subject J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee that the interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause 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: ... re-orient the receiving antenna . ... re-locate the computer with respect to the receiver . ... move the computer away from the receiver ... plug the computer into a different outlet so that the computer and receiver are on different branch circuits. If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions. The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal Communications Commission helpful: 'How to Identify and resolve Radio/I'VInterference Problems' This booklet is available from the US Government Printing Office, Washington DC20402 -Stock No. 004-000-00345-4 IMPORTANT- WHEN CONNECTING ANY PERIPHERAL TO THIS EQUIPMENT, A CORRECTUL?FCC APPROVED SHIELDED CABLE MUST BE USED. WARNING - This equipment has been certified to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device, pursuant to Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules. Only peripherals (computer input/output devices, terminals, printers, etc.) certified to comply with the Class B limits may be attached to this computer. Operation with non-certified peripherals is likely to result in interference to radio and TV reception. INTRODUCTION The AMSTRAD PPC is a compact computer, which is easily transportable between any number of locations, for use in a variety of ways. For example, it could help you to prepare letters or to carry out routine office tasks at work; then at home it could help you budget ahead and so keep in credit at the bank. It can also run computer games when you want to relax. The internal battery pack enables you to use your AMSTRAD PPC anywhere, But, to avoid needless use of battery power, AMSTRAD have designed the PPC to accept power input from a number of alternative external sources. THE PPC MAY BE CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THREE POWER SOURCES ONLY. Where A.C. power is available: a. The external A.C. adaptor supplied with your PPC 640 (U.K.-Model PPC640 AC-B; U.S.A.-Model PPC640 AC-A; Europe· Model PPC640 AC-E). b. An AMSTRAD PC-MD, PC-CD or PC-ECD monitor, if available. Where A.C. power is not available: c. From a 12v car cigar lighter socket, via the car battery adaptor supplied with your PPC. (Model PPC640DC). NO OTHER EXTERNAL POWER SOURCE MAYBE USED. Important Note: Always use 'C' size ALKALINE cells (Duracell or similar type) for your internal power supply. Most other types cannot continuously deliver the current required by the PPC. Rechargeable cells have a lower working voltage, which will give early indication of power failure, so their use is not recommended. Try to organise your work to avoid using the disk drives (and modem, on PPC 640 models) any more than you can help, when using the internal supply, thus minimising power consumption. It is recommended that the PPC640 modem is NOT operated on battery power. The PPC 640 models have a built-in modem, designed to allow the PPC 640 to be plugged directly into a standard telephone socket. It is supplied complete with MIRROR II, a powerful, but simple to use, communications program. This gives you the power to transfer files between your office micro and your current location, to access databases such as CompuseIVe, and to use Bulletin Boards and Electronic Mail. AMSTRAD'S built in LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD) monitor gives a sharp, clear display, making your system completely self-contained. However, switches are provided to allow you to configure your PPC for a choice between internal LCD, or external colour or monochrome VDU. The PPC will accept the AMSTRAD PC-MD, PC-CD or PC-ECD, IBM, or IBM-PC compatible monitors. Choice of colour or monochrome adaptor, to suit an external monitor if used, is made-by dipswitches, as is the choice of whether the initial screen output is displayed on the LCD or an external monitor. Output can then be switched simply from internal to external display, or vice-versa, by software switching controlled by the [Scroll Lock] and right hand [Ctrl] keys. The AMSTRAD PPC has been designed so that it can run the same programs as many of today's microcomputers. For instance, it can run the same programs as an IBM desktop PC. You could, for example, take the 3 1/ 2 inch disk you use to run your word processing program on an IBM PC and use it directly in your AMSTRAD PPC. With the PPC 640, if your office micro is connected to the public telephone service, you can access your files from anywhere that there is a public telephone line, with a standard plug-in connection. If you have a sales force, you can, by suitably programming your office system, allow them to use the PPC to obtain information and enter order details from a hotel or a customer's office, giving a swift and professional service. The MIRROR communications package, supplied with the PPC 640, allows you to access files on any system connected to the public telephone service, provided that you are entitled to use that system. Communication with public services and IBM compatible micros, connected to standard modems, should present little difficulty. Mainframe systems and non IBM compatible micros may present technical problems and require full familiarity with MIRROR !I'S wide range of facilities. Most Systems are protected from unauthorised access by PASSWORDS and if you are planning to access your office system remotely, whether using the AMSTRAD PPC 640 or any other system, you should ensure that it is similarly protected. When MIRROR II is running on the 'host' system, that is, the system holding the files to which a remote user requires access, it is possible to allocate different levels of access to different remote users. For example, you might choose to be able to write to any of your office files yourseH, from any location, whilst allowing some of your staff to have read-only access and allowing others to have write access, but perhaps only to certain files. The Amstrad PPC 640, on-line with MIRROR, makes it easy for authorised users to gain access to the host system at their allocated levels, providing assistance in MIRROR or other compatible communications software. Also supplied to you with the AMSTRAD PPC is Microsoft's MS-DOS Version 3.3 MS-DOS's role is to supervise the work your AMSTRAD PPC carries out.