PSILink 3.2 Installation rev. Aug 1, 1992 Copyright 1992 Performance Systems International, Inc. All rights reserved. ______________________________________________________________________________ *** ORDERING *** You are using the copyrighted Shareware version of PSILink. Shareware is a low cost distribution mechanism for useful software applications. PSILink service is activated when you order. There is a one time activation fee plus a fixed monthly service fee. There are no usage or connect time charges. Consult the PSILink Order form for prices. To order service you must fill out a PSILink Order Form and send it to PSI Inc. This order form can be obtained by: 1) Printing out the file order.ps (found on your installation diskette). This REQUIRES the use of a postscript printer. You will NOT be able to print this document intelligibly on a non-postscript printer. 2) Calling 1.703.620.6651. Be sure to have a FAX number (preferred) or postal address ready. ______________________________________________________________________________ *** DISTRIBUTION *** PSILink is distributed on a single 3.5" high density floppy disk. Copies can be made if the disk contents are copied in entirety and are not altered. For users with Internet access the contents of the distribution diskette are also available using anonymous FTP from ftp.psi.com under the psilink directory. All files must be retrieved in binary (image) mode onto either a blank formatted diskette or a empty directory on a hard disk (preferably NOT named \PSILINK). ______________________________________________________________________________ *** INSTALLATION *** PSILink is an integrated program for sending and receiving Internet electronic mail, USENET news and for accessing Internet anonymous FTP archives. To install: + Change to this drive Type the drive letter followed by a colon (e.g. a:) and press ENTER. + Change to this directory Use cd or chdir. + Type INSTALL then press ENTER If you encounter trouble see TROUBLE REPORTING below. After you install PSILink, type PSILINK /H for help on command line options. ______________________________________________________________________________ *** VERY QUICK USER GUIDE *** + F1 activates Help + ESC cancels a command + ALT+x exits PSILink Make menu selections by: + Using a mouse and clicking on a menu selection, or ... + Pressing F10 and using the arrow keys, or ... + Using ALT+Letter. For example, pressing ALT+p will activate the PSILink menu and then pressing 'x' will select Exit. If the Main Menu is hidden, it can be activated by: + Using the mouse and clicking the up-arrow in the upper right corner, or .. + Pressing F10 twice, or ... + Using ALT+p, ALT+m, ALT+w or ALT+h (the highlighted Main Menu letters). + F3 - to write mail + ALT+c - connects to PSINet + F4 - to read mail ______________________________________________________________________________ *** JUMP START *** All PSILink subscribers can use electronic mail. There are three main email activities in PSILink: + Writing new mail + Connecting to PSINet to send mail you have written and get mail addressed to you + Reading mail addressed to you To use PSILink: + Type PSILINK at the DOS prompt and press ENTER + If PSILink asks you about the time, answer y or n + Press F3 (Messages:Write Mail) and compose some mail to yourself Address it to 'your account'@psilink.com (e.g. pl9999@psilink.com) + Press F3 to put your message in the *outbox* + Press ALT+c to connect to PSINet + Press ALT+c to connect again to get the mail you sent + PSILink should automatically put you into Read Mail / News (F4) if you got your mail. Make sure you spell your account name and password correctly. Your account name can be corrected with PSILink:Setup (the Setup selection in the PSILink menu). If you do not have an account you may try account 'guest' and password 'guest'. The account is unsuitable for normal use since anyone can access it. To use USENET news you must be subscribed to 'Basic' PSILink service. Steps for use are: + First you must get the current list of news groups + Enable Recieve News and Send News in your Connect Configuration. + Connect to PSINet at least once to get the list of USENET news groups. + Now you can get news + Subscribe to news groups. Use the Subscribe to News selection in the Messages menu. You only have to do this once. + Connect to PSINet to get news from the news groups you subscribed to. + Use Read Mail / News to read the news. Item:Reply All will address your reply to the news group. + Use Write News to post an original news article. To use Batch Anonymous FTP to access Internet archives you must be subscribed to 'Basic' PSILink service. Steps for use are: + Use the 'Request file (Anon FTP)' selection in the Services menu to specify what file you want retrieved. Leave the file name blank to get a listing of files in that directory (path) on the host you specify. If you leave the directory (path) blank the host's default directory is used. + Connect to PSINet to place your file 'orders'. + Periodically examine the 'Status of File Requests' selection in the Services menu to see what files are ready. If you have any outstanding orders, PSILink checks on their status everytime you connect. + Enable 'Recieve Files' in your Connect Configuration. The next time you connect, PSILink will retrieve any files that are ready. ______________________________________________________________________________ *** TROUBLE REPORTING *** If PSILink misbehaves, send a note to: psilink-help@psi.com A built in 'help' mail alias is available so you don't have to remember the exact address. Please include: + Your PSILink account name + A concise description of the problem + The version number of PSILink you are using (see PSILink:About) + The type of PC you are using: + Brand & Model + Processor type + Amount of memory installed + Peripherals installed + The version of DOS you are using + The names and versions of any TSR's you may have installed. PSILink requires at least 512k of free memory. If PSILink is failing for you, make sure you have tried it without any TSR's installed to determine if you have a memory problem. The number in the upper right-hand corner of the menus indicates how much DOS memory is left. On systems with slow disks a disk caching program, like Microsoft's SMARTDRIVE, can improve performance. Having BUFFERS=40 in your CONFIG.SYS will improve performance also. For timely response, use electronic mail (psilink-help@psi.com) to communicate with PSI. Our customer support structure is optimized around electronic communications, and can be responded to 24hours/day, 7 days/week, depending on load and availability. However, if you can't send or receive mail with PSILink call 1.518.283.8860 (available Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm EST) and ask for Customer Support.