HARD DISC INSTALLATION
                 (c) Brian Stewart, 1994-2000
                     Release:  March 2002



1.  Introduction

1.1.   From the July 1994 release, the package of credit programs
can be transferred to your hard disc by keying F1 from the Link
menu.  The programs on the floppy disc you receive should be set
up so that this runs a small program called INSTALL.BBC which
will carry out the installation for you.

1.2.  As this is basically a `one-shot' program, less work has
been done on the user interface and error-handling than other
programs in the package.  Please read the relevant parts of these
instructions carefully before using INSTALL and take care when
entering details into the program.

1.3.  From the July 1996 release, which was adapted to deal with
network operation, INSTALL will carry out two separate functions:
either install all the files on the disc to your chosen location,
as before, or install the basic files needed by a user who needs
to access the package already present on the network.  Please see
the file TECHNIC.DOC for details of setting up the programs for
network operation.

1.4.  The first thing INSTALL asks you is whether you want to
read various documentation files.  It then asks whether you want
to install the complete package or do a user installation.  In
most cases you will just answer `Yes' to the first question here
and follow the instructions in section 2 below.



2.  Installing the Complete Package to a Hard Disc

2.1.  The program will prompt you for the required drive and
directory location.  A number of basic checks are carried out on
the name you enter - for example entries starting with  `A:' or
`B:' are rejected as these are unlikely to be hard drives and the
program tries to identify and reject obviously invalid locations.
`D:' is accepted, although this might be your CD-ROM drive and
therefore invalid.

2.2.  If you already have a directory of the chosen name you will
be shown a list of the files in it and asked whether they should
be deleted.  I recommend that you use a directory devoted to just
these programs, preferably one called `CREDIT' in the root
directory of your C: drive.  The programs assume they have
exclusive use of the directory in which they are located and
might delete, amend or copy other files you put in it.  The
installation program will suggest C:\CREDIT as a default.  Once
you provide the location, the copying process will start.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
NB:  POSSIBLE BUG - I had some difficulty in getting the routines
which detect and create directories to operate in the same way
under both DR DOS and MS-DOS.  I hope this is now solved - I have
tested it on DR DOS Release 6 and MS-DOS v3.21, 3.30 and 5.0, but
if you experience any difficulties it seems that creating all the
necessary sub-directories manually before running INSTALL will
avoid the problem.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


2.3.  The installation program copies itself to your hard disc
using the name INSTALL.NOT.  This is to stop the copy of the
programs on your hard disc starting the installation process
again if you key F1 when using them.  If another user has not
used the correct procedure to copy the programs for you, the copy
on the floppy disc you receive might still be called INSTALL.NOT
and you will have to rename it back to INSTALL.BBC to get it to
run when you key F1 in the Link menu (or you could simply enter
`RUN INSTALL.NOT' at the DOS prompt).


-----------------------------------------------------------------
NB:  In most cases that's all there is to the installation
procedure, and you can skip to the section on getting the
programs running.
-----------------------------------------------------------------



3.  USER, OTHERS and SAVERS Directories

3.1.  If the disc you have received includes a sub-directory
called USER any additional files in there can also be copied to
your chosen default location.  This is intended to be used for
installing files for network users but will also work in a
complete package installation.  The program will check with you
if it finds a USER directory.

3.2.  Similarly, if the disc contains sub-directories called
OTHERS or SAVERS the installation program will also ask if you
want to install an OTHERS or SAVERS sub-directory on your hard
disc.  If you choose to do this, any additional programs in these
directories will also be copied across to a sub-directory to your
default directory (the one you run the program from) with the
same name.  OTHERS programs are generally small, one-off
additions to the package which can be accessed using the Select
facility in the Link (see CREDIT.DOC for further details).
SAVERS programs are alternative screen savers for the Link.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
NB:  Most setups won't have these additional directories or files
so you won't have to worry about any of this.
-----------------------------------------------------------------



4.  Network User Installation

4.1.  This function can work in two ways.  You can either enter
the necessary information about network and user directories or,
if you create a NETWORK.INI file on the floppy disc, the
necessary information will be taken from this and copied into the
user's default directory.

4.2.  Assuming there is no NETWORK.INI file present, you simply
provide the names of the default, network, user and data
directories (as explained in TECHNIC.DOC).  The required files
will be copied across to the default directory and a NETWORK.INI
file containing the appropriate locations added.  The program
checks specifically whether you want to copy RUN.EXE.  There are
a couple of reasons for this:  first, you might prefer to use the
copy of RUN.EXE on the network; second, in the setups we use at
work the RUN.EXE file is used for several things and is already
present in on the PATH of users' PCs.

4.3.  As with a complete installation, USER, OTHERS and SAVERS
directories will be checked for and copied across.  The reason
the program operates this way is so that, in addition to enabling
you to install users onto the network from a `standard'
distribution disc (eg the one sent to you), you can also create a
customised disc for adding users to the network in your preferred
configuration.



5.  Getting the Installed Programs Running

5.1.  DOS Installation and CREDIT.BAT

5.1.1.  Once installed on your hard disc the programs can be
started by changing to the appropriate drive and directory and
entering the command `CREDIT', eg by entering the following
sequence of commands at the DOS prompt:

     C:
     CD \CREDIT
     CREDIT

5.1.2.  You may wish to include these commands in a small batch
file located in one of the directories on your PATH or add their
equivalent to any menu or shell system you are using (you will
have to consult your manuals for details of how to do this).

5.1.3.  The command `CREDIT' at the end of the above sequence
will run a batch file in the package called CREDIT.BAT to start
the Link for you automatically.  A standard or example version
is supplied with the programs.  It contains the following
commands:

        @echo off
        cls
        run !link %link% $=%1
        if exist action.bat action
        set link=


5.1.4.  The first line starts with an `@' symbol to stop `echo
off' appearing on screen when you run the file (echo off itself
stops the other lines appearing).  If you are using an early
version of DOS (before 3.30) this won't work properly:  the `@'
will cause an error and, although the package will still work
okay, it will look untidy because lines from the batch file will
appear on screen before the package starts.  You can use a text
editor to remove the `@' so that just `echo off' appears briefly,
before the second line clears the screen and the third line runs
the !Link program.

5.1.5.  The `%link%' bit of the third line passes the contents of
the enviroment variable `LINK' to RUN.EXE and on to the !Link
program, this variable is created by !Link and simply retains
some of the menu settings the user might have altered (the
LINK.INI file tells !Link to use this variable name).  The final
`$=%1' bit is to allow for running other menus with !Link.  These
two bits aren't needed in most cases.

5.1.6.  The fourth line is part of the system which enables the
Link to run other programs added to the menu options and, again,
isn't strictly needed in most cases.  The Link runs other DOS
programs etc. by writing a batch file called ACTION.BAT (again,
LINK.INI tells !Link to use this filename).  This line checks to
see if that file is present and, if it is runs it.  The
ACTION.BAT file will usually also contain a command `CREDIT'
(also specified in LINK.INI) to restart the link after the other
program has finished so that the credit menu reappears.  The last
line in CREDIT.BAT simply clears the environment variable when
you have finished using the package.

5.1.7.  Don't regard the CREDIT.BAT file provided as fixed, you
may need to alter it for your particular needs, and it is more
elaborate than it needs to be so it can cope with more complex
implementations.  Remember however, if you change LINK.INI you
should retain the original version for passing on to other users.

5.1.8.  Probably the best approach to a DOS installation is to
put the version of CREDIT.BAT you are using in a directory on
your PATH, say your C:\UTILS directory, if you use one with that
name for your general utilities.  If you do this you must add a
couple of lines to select the drive and directory where you keep
the !Link program.  Assuming the package has been installed in
C:\CREDIT and doesn't run anything other than the standard
programs you could use a batch file like this:

        @echo off
        c:
        cd \credit
        run !link


5.2.  Windows 3.11 Operation

5.2.1.  You can install the package under Windows 3.11 by opening
A: in the the File Manager and double-clicking on START.BAT to
take you to the startup screen.  See above for further details.

5.2.2.  Once installed, you can set the Link up so that an icon
named, say, `Credit Programs Link' appears in a program group and
double-clicking on it runs the CREDIT.BAT program on the user's
PATH.  You can set this up by selecting `New' from the Program
Manager's `File' menu and then selecting `New program item'. Fill
in the dialogue box with `Credit Link' as the item name, `credit'
as the program name and `c:\credit' as the start-up directory
(assuming that's your default directory).

5.2.3.  You shouldn't have to do any more than that to use the
package under Windows 3.11, but you could also click on the
`Change Icon' button:  I use a version of the `%' symbol from the
front of the OFT's old "Credit charges" booklet - now replaced by
"Credit Charges and APR".  This icon is included in the package
under the name CREDIT.ICO - click on `Browse' and go to directory
where the package is installed.  You could also set a hot-key
option (say to `Ctrl-Alt-C') and mark the `Run Minimised' box so
that the package sits in the background until you call it up with
the hot-key.  You could also customise the operation further by
creating a CREDIT.PIF file with the `PIF Editor' to, for example,
run the package in a window rather than full-screen, or use a
shorter hot-key combination (we use `Alt-C' because we were used
to calling up the programs from WordPerfect v5.1 for DOS with
this combination).

5.2.4.  If you do use the package in a window (or perhaps
inadvertently switch to a window with Alt-SPACE) you may find it
looks rather squashed or stretched in the default font.  You
might like to change to a font with a better aspect ratio by
clicking on the `-' button top-left of the window and selecting
`Fonts...'. The 5 x 12 font looked okay on our systems at work
when we had 3.11.  If you want to stop the package running in a
window, you could use the `Advanced' options in the PIF Editor to
stop Windows responding to Alt-SPACE.


5.3.  Windows95/98 Operation

5.3.1.  At work we currently use the package under Windows 95 and
I use it under Windows 98 at home, so you should experience no
problems with either of these.

5.3.2.  To install the package place the floppy disc in your A:
drive and open the `My Computer' window on your desktop.  This
should contain an icon for your 3«" Floppy (A:).  Double-click on
this to see the files in the package.  You may find Windows95/98
thinks it recognises some of them and doesn't display their file
extentions (the dot and the three characters after it) so there
are two called `Start' with different icons.  You need to
double-click on the one called `Start.bat', this is probably the
first one in the list and has an icon that looks like a small
window with a gear-wheel in it.  If you click on the wrong one,
don't worry, you'll probably just get a rather odd-looking copy
of the start up message in a document which you can close down
again (DON'T save it!) before double-clicking on the other
`Start' file icon.  This will open a window containing the
package's startup screen.  See above for further installation
details.

5.3.3.  Once the installation is completed, end the program as
requested. You will probably find the window remains on screen,
so click on the `X' close button to get rid of it - you can also
close the A: and `Your Computer' windows at this point.

5.3.4.  To add a shortcut icon for the installed Link to the
desktop screen, start by clicking on the wallpaper/backdrop with
the right mouse button and select `New' and then `Shortcut' from
the resulting menu.  The `Create Shortcut' wizard will appear.
Click on `Browse' and locate the directory containing the credit
programs (normally C:\Credit, unless you changed it) and
double-click on the one called `Credit.bat' (again it might just
appear as `Credit' with the gear-wheel icon).  Now click on the
`Next' button to select a name for the shortcut - I suggest
`Credit Programs Link', but it's up to you.  Click on `Next'
again to select an icon (you can also `Browse' and choose
CREDIT.ICO provided with the package's files).  The Link's icon
will then be added to your screen.

5.3.5.  Further refinements can be made by clicking on the icon
with the right mouse button and selecting `Properties'.  You can
change the font to, say 5 x 12 or, depending on your screen
resolution, the 10 x 18 font.  In the `Screen' options you might
want to remove `Display toolbar' and it may be useful, in the
`Misc' options, to remove `Warn if still active' - it's natural
to click on the close icon rather than choose the quit option on
the Link when you've finished using the programs, and you don't
really need the resulting message, but remember, any unsaved data
will be lost.

Note:  With the introduction of the new "Credit Charges and APR"
booklet an alternative icon in the form of the Sigma symbol from
the new statutory formula was produced but, due to an oversight,
this was not included in the package until the February 2000 v.3
release.



5.4.    Windows NT, 2000 and XP Operation

5.4.1.  All I can tell you is that, contrary to some reports that
it is not possible to run DOS applications such as this under NT
or 2000 it apparently is, and at least a couple of Local
Authority Trading Standards Department are using the package
under NT and XP.  You might find some useful information on the
Microsoft Website by searching for, say, "running dos programs
under nt".

5.4.2.  Fortunately, the language in which the programs are
written, BBC BASIC, is not operating system specific and the
recently released BBC BASIC for Windows has made it possible to
produce a patch which will allow the programs to be used on more
recent versions of Windows.  Further details are available from
the Credit Programs website at:

        http://brian-stewart.members.beeb.net/credit/



6.  Other Points to Note

6.1.  IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE ORIGINAL DISC AS A BACKUP!
Write something meningful on it and open the write protection tab
so it doesn't get wiped accidentally.

6.2.  If you want to copy the programs to someone else, either
use the Distribution Menu (you may not have this, if you have,
please see DISTRIB.DOC for details) or copy the disc you were
sent, rather than the files on your hard disc.





Brian Stewart
March 2002