PENN PRINTOUT
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Volume 8

April 1992
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Questions? editors@isc.upenn.edu

Q: When I format a high-density disk on the Mac Plus in the office and try to use the disk in an SE/30, I get a message saying the disk is formatted incorrectly, and the SE/30 won't read it. What is going on?

A: The problem has two sources. The Mac Plus was not designed to work with high-density 1.44 Mbyte disks, only with double-sided double- density 800 Kbyte disks. Thus it does not recognize or format high- density disks; instead it formats high-density disks to 800 Kbytes. The SE/30, on the other hand, was designed to use high-density disks. Its drive has a sensor that detects the presence of a high-density disk-it senses a second hole that is not found on double-density disks. Because your disk is formatted to 800 Kbytes but should be a high-density 1.44 Mbyte disk according to the drive's sensor, you are getting the error message.

To make the disk readable in your SE/30 you must defeat the drive's sensor by covering the extra hole on the high-density disk with masking tape or a write-protect tab. To eliminate the problem altogether, use only double-sided double-density disks, which both the SE/30 and the Mac Plus can read and format. You can then move information between the two computers without worrying about disk formats. - Caroline Ferguson, CRC

Q: I was trying to format the cells in a Word 4 (Mac) table. Although the entire document was highlighted, the Format Cells option was grayed out. What's wrong?

A: The key to your problem is that you had your "entire document highlighted." In order to use the Format Cells menu option, you must only select table cells. If you have any text outside of the table selected (such as the paragraph marker underneath the table) then you will not be able to select Format Cells. Select the entire table by clicking on a cell and dragging rather than using Command-click in the selection bar. - Joseph Harris, CRC

Q: I recently installed Windows on my PC and noticed two files, SPART.PAR, a 286 byte file in my Windows subdirectory, and a hidden file called 386SPART.PAR. What are these files?

A: SPART.PAR and 386SPART.PAR are both hidden, write-protected permanent Windows swap files that cannot be deleted, moved, or renamed. Swap files reserve space on the hard disk for Windows to use for swapping information from memory. When you're running Windows in 386 enhanced mode and get low on memory, Windows compensates by swapping information from memory to a swap file on your hard disk. For more information about swap files, refer to the Microsoft Windows User's Guide, starting on page 520. - Sheila Fleming, CRC

Q: Why do I get the message "Vi-Spy is checking for viruses..." every time I re-boot during the day? I thought the line "autovs /numberofdays=1 vi-spy /q" in my autoexec.bat file made Vi-Spy check for viruses only the first time I booted.

A: Vi-Spy is performing its check only the first time you boot each day, as the autovs line specifies. During this check, Vi-Spy checks the boot sector, partition table, memory (RAM), and all executable files (e.g., .EXE and .COM files) on your hard drive for the presence of a virus. On subsequent boots during the day, Vi-Spy does not check all the executable files on your hard drive but continues to scan the memory, partition table, boot sectors, and DOS system files for infections that may have occurred between thorough scans. While both scans may look the same because Vi-Spy displays the checking for viruses message, the initial scan for the day actually takes longer than the other scans. To better see the difference, you may temporarily remove the /q from the autovs line in your autoexec.bat file. Without the /q (for a quiet report) you will see each executable file listed when Vi- Spy checks during the first scan of the day, but will not see the list during subsequent scans. - Kristin Nelson, CRC


March 1992
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Questions? editors@isc.upenn.edu

Q: Whenever I send an ALL-IN-1 e-mail message to someone off campus or at certain places on campus, the Postmaster returns my message. What am I doing wrong?

A: The problem is that when sending mail from an ALL-IN-1 account to a non-ALL-IN-1 account you need to add @in (the "in" stands for Internet) at the end of the address of the person to whom you are sending mail. This is true whether the non-ALL-IN-1 account is on or off campus. Thus, for example, if you were to send mail from bill@a1.relay.upenn.edu (an ALL-IN-1 account) to smithers@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (a UNIX account), you would address the message to smithers@eniac.seas.upenn.edu@in. - Joseph Harris, CRC

Q: I keep a FileMaker Pro database of volunteer workers. Due to the nature of our organization we have a very large turnover in membership, and periodically I need to delete many of the records. Do I have to delete them one at a time or is there a better way to manage the file?

A: That depends on how well you designed your database. If there is a field that you can use to determine the usefulness of records, such as skill, domicile or date of membership, then you don't have to delete one at a time.

With the database open, choose Find from the Select menu. In the blank record that appears, fill in an appropriate search string or conditional statement, such as <1/1/91 (before 1/1/91). Click on Find, and FileMaker Pro will produce a set of records that you can either export or delete-your choice will depend on whether you searched for useful or obsolete records.

If you choose to export the set, you will end up with two files: the original, unaltered file and a smaller file containing the records that met the search criteria. Select Export To... from the File menu and give the file an appropriate name in the export dialog box. Ignore the File Type: field and click on New. In the next dialog box, do not change the field order for export, but do make sure that Format output using current layout is selected. Next, before you close the original volunteer database, select Save A Copy As... from the File menu. Click in the Save a: field and select clone (no records). Now name your new recordless FileMaker Pro database and save it. Open the empty database, select Import from the File menu, and open the file containing the exported records. Finally, click OK at the field order dialog box. - Dan Dougherty, CRC

Q: Please explain the Word 5.0I(Mac) term "drag and drop."

A: The term "drag and drop" refers to a new method of moving text within a document. Drag and drop provides the same functionality as cut/copy and paste but requires fewer steps and is best used for moving text a short distance. To enable the drag and drop feature, select Preferences from the Tools menu and check Drag-and-Drop Text Editing in the General Preferences area. To cut and paste text, simply select the text you want to cut and drag the selection to its new location. To copy and paste text, hold the Command key while dragging the selection to another location. - Kristin Nelson, CRC

Q: My colleague and I are sharing a folder of documents using the file- sharing feature of System 7.0. I recently found that others in the office have been able to read the documents. Why is this?

A: When you set up a folder for sharing under System 7.0 using the file-sharing command, the default option permits everyone who can access the network to see and change folders and files. To prevent this, remove the check marks from the boxes next to Everyone in the File- Sharing dialog box.

To limit access, make sure you set up your colleague as a user in the Users & Groups control panel. Then, in the File-Sharing dialog box for the shared folder, check the appropriate boxes near User/Group and make sure the name you assigned your colleague is in the pull-down list box next to User/Group. - Kristin Nelson, CRC

Q: I used the ISPF editor on UMIS to work on a member of a library. When I tried to file my work, the terminal beeped and I saw an error code in the upper right corner of the screen. What went wrong?

A: If the error code you saw was B37 (meaning that the data set has run out of secondary space) or E37 (meaning that the library has run out of directory blocks), you need to compress your library. The easiest way to do this is to remain in your edit session, tab to the command line at the top of the screen, and press <PF2> to split the screen. This will take you to the Primary Option Menu. Select option 3 (ISPF UTILITIES-Perform utility functions). Then select option 1 (LIBRARY- Compress or print data set). Type c in the OPTION field to compress the data set, fill in the blanks to specify the library to be compressed, and press <ENTER>. Wait for a message to appear in the upper right corner of the screen saying that the compression was successful. Type =x in the OPTION field, and press <ENTER> to return to your edit session. You should now be able to file your work. If not, you will need to create a new and bigger library, copy all the old library's members into it, delete the old library, and rename the new library with the old library's name. - Lori Ratajczak, UMIS

Q: I have a mailing label database in Lotus 2.2. How can I merge this file with a WordPerfect 5.0 primary file?

A: Highlight the range of cells that contain the merge information and then Print to File to save the data as a text (or ASCII) file. Retrieve the file into WordPerfect as a secondary file and insert the merge e and merge r codes. Finally, merge the primary and secondary files. - Sheila Fleming, CRC

Q: Using the Font button on the Word-Perfect 5.1 for Windows ruler, I noticed that only one font is available Is there a way to add more fonts?

A: There sure is! To add fonts to the ruler, use the mouse to double- click on the ruler. Then choose Assign to Ruler to display the Ruler Fonts Menu dialog box. Select up to 20 other fonts from the font list that appears on the left side of the Ruler Fonts Menu dialog box, and choose Add. Finally, choose OK twice to return to the document window. - Sheila Fleming, CRC

Q: After switching to WordPerfect for Windows, I started to edit a document formatted in landscape mode. In WordPerfect 5.1 I needed to "arrow" through the document. I had the impression that Windows had a scroll bar for this function, but I don't see it. What happened to the scroll bar?

A: WordPerfect for Windows has default features that are activated when you open a document; there are, however, many additional features that are not immediately visible. To activate these features, open WordPerfect, pull down the File menu, and go to Preferences. Here you will see several different options with checkboxes, including horizontal scrolling. Place the mouse pointer in the check box before the scrolling option and click to select it. Any options that you change under Preferences become default settings, and you will not have to repeat this procedure unless you want to alter the defaults again. - Tom Gudmundsen, CRC

Q: How do I FTP PennInfo documents?

A: All PennInfo documents can be transferred from the server penninfo- srv.upenn.edu using anonymous FTP (see page 3). To find the directory path and file name of a document, select or display the document and use the source command if you are using PennInfo's VT100 display mode or Get Info under the File menu if you are using the PennInfo Ethernet Macintosh software. Use the path, the file name, and your local FTP client software to transfer the document. - Valerie Glauser, DCCS/UMIS Publications


February 1992
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Questions? editors@isc.upenn.edu

Q: My office has a small AppleTalk network with four Macs. We've never felt the need for a dedicated server, although we do share files on occasion. Can we share files via the network, or must we continue exchanging disks?

A: One of the features of Apple's System 7 is file-sharing. Any networked Mac running under System 7 can be accessed by other users on the network, even users running System 6.0.x. The "owner" of the Mac determines who can access what information on the hard drive. (Note: Macs running under System 7 require a minimum of 4 Mbytes of RAM and a hard drive.)

To set up a Mac to share files, the owner must:

  • Identify, and give passwords to, other users on the net-work from the Users & Groups control panel in the Control Panels folder in the System folder.
  • Turn on file-sharing from the Sharing Setup control panel, also in the Control Panels folder.
  • Highlight the folder or volume to be shared, and select Sharing... from the File menu. In the window that pops up, select the desired level of privileges for each user or for groups of users.
To maintain information security, each owner should take the following precautions. First, keep file-sharing on only when necessary; do not leave it on all the time. Second, allow access only to those folders that you must share. Finally, disable access by "guests" (those on the network to whom you did not give a password, but who can still access shared folders or volumes by default). Double-click Guests in the Users & Groups window and de-select Allow guests to connect. - Dan Dougherty, CRC

Q: I'm managing a mailing list database using Alpha Four. Can I use the information in a WordPerfect 5.1 mail merge?

A: Yes. Alpha Four has a built-in method for creating a secondary file for a WordPerfect mail merge. From the Alpha Four main menu, select Utilities, then Export data, then WordPerfect merge document. At the WordPerfect file: prompt, type a name for the new WordPerfect secondary document and press <enter>. From the list of field names that pops up, select those you want placed in the secondary file and press <F10>. At the next screen, change the range settings, if necessary, to specify which records to use and press <F10> to initiate the data export. Alpha Four exports your data in the field order you specified and places a WordPerfect end-field code (^R) after each field and a WordPerfect end-record code (^E) after each record. Exit Alpha Four when the export is complete. When you're preparing a mail merge in WordPerfect 5.0 or 5.1, specify the file you created in Alpha Four as the secondary file to use the data exported from your Alpha Four database. - Kristin Nelson, CRC

Q: Why do I get the message "Vi-Spy is checking for viruses..." every time I re-boot during the day? I thought the line "autovs /numberofdays=1 vi-spy /q" in my autoexec.bat file made Vi-Spy check for viruses only the first time I booted.

A: Vi-Spy is performing its check only the first time you boot each day, as the autovs line specifies. During this check, Vi-Spy checks the boot sector, partition table, memory (RAM), and all executable files (e.g., .EXE and .COM files) on your hard drive for the presence of a virus. On subsequent boots during the day, Vi-Spy does not check all the executable files on your hard drive but continues to scan the memory, partition table, boot sectors, and DOS system files for infections that may have occurred between thorough scans. While both scans may look the same because Vi-Spy displays the checking for viruses message, the initial scan for the day actually takes longer than the other scans. To better see the difference, you may temporarily remove the /q from the autovs line in your autoexec.bat file. Without the /q (for a quiet report) you will see each executable file listed when Vi- Spy checks during the first scan of the day, but will not see the list during subsequent scans. - Kristin Nelson, CRC

Q: I use folders in ALL-IN-ONE to store messages, but sometimes I mistype the folder name, and ALL-IN-ONE creates a new folder with the misspelled name. How can I stop this from happening?

A: Type US to go to the User Setup Parameters screen. Then enter SWC to go to the Set Working Conditions screen. Press <clear,a> on a Mac, <F1,A> on a PC, to move to the second screen. Tab to Change the Confirmation: New Folder, type Y, and press <return> to accept the new option. ALL-IN-ONE will now ask you to confirm any new folders. - Tad Davis, UMIS

Q: Sometimes when I answer an e-mail message using ALL-IN-1, I want to refer back to the text of the message I received. Is there an easy way to see that original message?

A: Yes there is. When you use the (A)nswer command, you can review the message you are answering without leaving the editor. In the editing screen, type <Gold-O> (<Gold> is the <F1> key in Procomm or the clear key in Microphone II). ALL-IN-1 displays the original message so that you can read it. Type <Gold-O> again to resume editing your response. - Kristin Nelson, CRC


November 1991
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Questions? editors@isc.upenn.edu

Q: I have a direct PennNet connection to the DIAL: prompt. Can I use it to connect to any electronic bulletin boards?

A: You can connect to bulletin boards (BBSs) that have a local or 800 number via the PennNet outbound modem pool. (You cannot make a toll call via the modem pool.)

Here are the basic steps for using the outbound modems. Type modem at the DIAL: prompt and press <Enter> (or <Return>, depending on your keyboard) a few times. You will see several lines of text on screen, including RINGING, ANSWERED, Dial, enter command or h for help, and finally, a colon (:) prompt. Just type the number of the BBS (preceded by 9 for an outside line) and press <Enter>.

If the host's communications settings differ from the PennNet settings (7 data bits and Even parity), an interim step is required before you type the host's phone number. You must change the settings in your communications software to match those of the host. In MicroPhone, select Communications... under the Settings Menu; in ProComm, press <Alt-P>. After changing the settings, type set <Enter> at the : prompt; at the resulting : prompt type the number of the BBS. (Don't forget to change the communications settings back to the PennNet settings after you log off from the BBS).

For users who access PennNet at the annex: prompt and must type telnet isn to get to the DIAL: prompt, changing the communications settings is more complicated and will be addressed in a later issue.

NOTE: The Penn's Landing BBS on campus can be accessed via the outbound modem pool. Dial 9-898-8511 (8 databits, No parity). -Dan Dougherty, CRC

Q: I'm running DOS 3.3 and getting the message "Out of environment space" when I try to load a program. Is there anything I can do to solve this?

A: In version 3.1 and higher you can use the SHELL command in your CONFIG.SYS file to increase the environment space, which is a block of memory used by DOS as a storage area for programs like PATH and PROMPT and also some batch file commands.

The default environment space in DOS 3.1 is 160 bytes. In DOS 5.0 it has been increased to 256 bytes. Environment space may be increased to as much as 32,767 bytes, but you should increase it judiciously, since it does take up available RAM.

To change the environment space add the following command to your CONFIG.SYS file: SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /P /E:<size of space> This command tells DOS where to find the file named COMMAND.COM; /P indicates that COMMAND.COM is permanent, and /E: gives the amount of space you will require.

In versions of DOS higher than 3.1, replace <size of space> with the exact number of bytes required for environment space, for example: SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /P /E:512

In DOS 3.1, the environment size is handled in blocks of 16 bytes each, so you need to enter a multiplier that will produce the total number of bytes you want for environment space. For example, to set an environment space of 512 bytes the command would look like this: SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /P /E:32 -Tom Gudmundsen, CRC


October 1991
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Questions? editors@isc.upenn.edu

Q: Can I use the print command (P) within ALL-IN-1 to print to a printer connected to my Mac? I'm using MicroPhone II.

A: It depends on the type of printer you have and the length of the message. When you use the P command and specify "port" as the destination, ALL-IN-1 quickly ships the message data to the printer port. If the printer can keep up with the data flow, or a spooling facility such as background printing in MultiFinder is available, the entire message may be printed. If the printer can't keep up with the flow of data, short messages may be printed successfully, but longer documents may lose significant portions of information.

To ensure that your important information is printed, use one of the following methods:

  • Select the portion of text you want to print (MicroPhone allows you to scroll to previously displayed information) and then select Print Selection from the File menu.
  • Save the information to a file on your Macintosh and then use your word processor to open, edit, and print the file. To save, either select the portion of text you want to print and choose Save Selection As. from the File menu, or download the message after reading it by typing DD (Download Document) at the Electronic Messaging menu.
Note: Printing with the P command places characters that appear in bold type on the screen on two separate lines in the printed document.

MicroPhone II, v. 3.01 is a maintenance update that fixes some problems previously encountered using the Print command. To obtain an update to v. 3.01 bring your original v. 3.0 disk and a blank floppy disk to the CRC's Locust Walk facility. -Kristin Nelson, CRC

Q: The Main group in Windows on my PS/2 was deleted accidentally. Is there a way to recreate the groups that were created when Windows was first set up?

A: Yes, there is. In Windows, select Run from the File menu. Type SETUP /P as the command to run and click OK. Windows will rebuild the three groups that are created during the initial Windows setup: Main, Accessories, and Games.

In Windows, be careful with your icons. If you select a group or program icon and press the delete key, Windows allows you to remove the group or program. -Kristin Nelson, CRC

Q: I have a huge report on the UMIS mainframe. I need to see the whole thing to check the final totals but only need to print a small part of it to check the formatting. How can I do that?

A: First use IOF to browse the report you want to print. Now, with the report online, enter the command SD (Snap to Disk). ISPF will display a screen asking you to fill in the Snap options. If you take the defaults, ISPF will create a dataset with the name logonid.jobname.IOFLIST with a record length of 255 and record format of VBA. Press <Enter> to return to the report view. Now scroll to the point where you want to begin printing. Enter the command SNAP x PAGES, where "x" is the number of pages you want to print. You can scroll elsewhere in the report and snap additional pages; they will be appended to the first set. When you have snapped all the pages you want, go to ISPF panel 3.6, the Hardcopy Utility. (If you have never been to this screen before, you will need to fill in the jobcard parameters.) Enter the name of the file you created: logonid.jobname.IOFLIST. You have the option to print and keep the file, or print and delete it. Enter the option you want. Press <PF3> to exit the panel and submit the print job. If you leave the default settings when you create the file, the pagination will be preserved. - Tad Davis, UMIS

Q: When I switched to System 7.0, I found that one of my favorite menu commands, Set Startup, was gone! How do I get my applications and DAs to start up when I boot up my computer?

A: Don't panic. To get the the functionality of the old Set Startup menu command, you have to change some things in the System Folder. In the System 7.0 System Folder you will find a folder called Startup Items. Place the items-the applications and DAs-that you want to run at startup in this folder. They will now be available when you start up your computer, just as if you had chosen them via the Set Startup menu command. -Caroline Ferguson, CRC


September 1991
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Questions? editors@isc.upenn.edu

Q: I have a hard time remembering my off-campus ALL-IN-1 correspondents' addresses, which tend to be long and complicated. Is there any easy way to manage these addresses?

A: You can use ALL-IN-1's nickname feature to make addressing easier. Any e-mail address may be given an alias, or nickname, that you type instead of the full address. For example, instead of typing an e-mail address such as jones@flint.bucknell.edu@in for your friend Bob Jones, you can set up the nickname "Bob." Whenever you type Bob in the TO: or CC: field of a message, ALL-IN-1 will use the corresponding full address. A similar capability exists on many other e-mail systems as well. -Kristin Nelson, CRC

Q: I would like to set up odd and even headers in a Word 4.0 (Mac) document. How can I do this?

A: While in your document, select Document from the Format menu and click on Odd/Even Headers. Then open the document menu. You will now see four options referring to odd and even headers and footers, instead of simply Open Header and Open Footer. -Pattie Devlin, CRC

Q: Using WordPerfect 5.1, I have created a document with footnotes. Now I need to convert the footnotes to endnotes. Is there a quick way to do this?

There certainly is! WordPerfect includes some useful built-in macros. While in your document, press <ALT-F10>, then type in FOOTEND, the name of the macro that changes footnotes to endnotes. The macro ENDFOOT will change the endnotes back to footnotes. A list of built-in macros can be found in Appendix Q of the WordPerfect 5.1 manual. -Pattie Devlin, CRC

Q: I just tried to log on to TSO, and I got a "password not matched" message. I think I typed in the wrong account number. What should I do?

A: Don't "try, try again"! If you're getting the "password not matched" message, you may have typed in a different, but real, account number by mistake. If you enter the wrong password three times in a row, the other person's account will be suspended. As soon as you realize the mistake, press <Escape> followed by a comma. (If you're using a terminal with a PA1 key, press that instead.) This will interrupt the logon process, give you a LOGON prompt, and allow you to start again. You can either LOGOFF from there or LOGON with the right account number.

You can follow a similar technique for CICS. As soon as you realize the mistake, clear the screen and send the CSSN command again. -Tad Davis, UMIS

Q: An Excel spreadsheet that is extremely important to my department has been damaged and I can't open it. Can I retrieve the information ?

A: Yes, you may be able to get most of the information back. Start by opening a new spreadsheet using the version of Excel in which the damaged document was created (Mac version 1.5, 2.2, or 3.0, or PC version 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, or 3.0) and follow these steps:

  • Highlight a range of cells that you know were used in the damaged spreadsheet (start with a small section) and do not exceed 1,600 cells.
  • Type in the formula: ='xxx'!$first_cell_column $first_row_#:$last_cell_column $last_row_#, e.g., ='xxx'!$a$1:$c$100
  • On the Macintosh press <Command-Return>. On the PC press <Control-Shift-Enter>. You will see a message saying that the file xxx cannot be found and what file should Excel copy from.
  • Choose the damaged file. The values from the damaged worksheet will appear in the corresponding cells of the new worksheet.
  • Then highlight the range of cells in the new worksheet, choose Copy from the Edit menu, select Paste Special, Values, and click on OK. This step will enable you to edit the cells.
  • Repeat the entire process as many times a necessary, using additional ranges of cells.
Note that any blank cells you may have had in your damaged worksheet are now zeros. You may erase these. You will also need to reenter any formulas you had in the original worksheet. -Tom Gudmundsen, CRC