Uploading Your Windows 95 System Properties Report

• Windows 95 contains a System Properties | Print feature. This generates a System Properties Report. The report contains many details about your computer's hardware and software. Providing this report to your support representative is usually essential for solving difficult support problems.
• If you are running Windows 3.1x, you should generate an MSD report instead.

Uploading a System Properties report is not difficult, but it requires several dozen steps. Follow the instructions in this document exactly, and you should not have any trouble.

Your PC Access for Windows Reference Guide already contains some of the instructions you need. You can view the Guide by double-clicking your PC Access Help icon in your PC Access for Windows Program Manager group. You will need to print the following topics:

• Setting up an MFM Support BBS Phone Book Entry
• How to Log in to the MFM Support BBS

1. Click the Search button.
2. The Search dialog appears, prompting you to type a help topic name. Type the first several words of the help topic name. As you do, the Search dialog will highlight help topics matching the words you have typed so far.
3. When the Search dialog has highlighted the topic you want to print, click the Display button.
4. You are now viewing the help topic. Select File | Print Topic... from the help window's menu. Return to step (1) until you have finished printing all the help topics in the above list.
   • Note: the help topics contain some colored text. If your printer does not print the colored text, you will have to change your printer setup in the Windows Control Panel. Many Windows printer drivers have a Setup option that lets you print colored text in a grey scale. See your printer documentation.

Setting up a Generic / Text Only Printer on FILE:

• If you have already followed the instructions under the Windows 95 heading in another MFM standard procedure (Printing to a File in PC Access for Windows), you may skip ahead to Creating a System Properties Report File. Otherwise, do this:

1. Click Start | Settings | Printers.
2. Double-click the Add Printer icon to run the Add Printer Wizard. Click the Next > button to continue.
3. The Add Printer Wizard asks how your printer is attached to your computer. Select Local Printer and click the Next > button.
4. Select Generic in the Manufacturers: list, then select Generic / Text Only in Printers: list. Click the Next > button.
5. Select FILE: Creates a file on disk and click the Next > button.
6. The Wizard suggests a name for this printer. If necessary, edit the name to: Generic / Text Only on FILE:. Click the Next > button. Do not set this printer to be your default Windows printer, and do not print a test page. Click Finish. (Windows may prompt you to insert a Windows diskette or CD-ROM.)
7. You should now have this icon in your Printers folder: Generic / Text Only on FILE:. Close the Printers folder.

Creating a System Properties Report File

1. Click Start | Settings | Control Panel.
2. Double-click the System icon to open the System Properties dialog.
3. Click the Device Manager tab.
4. Click the Print... button to display the Print dialog.
5. Select All devices and system summary for Report type.
6. Click the Setup button to display the Print Setup dialog.
7. On the Print Setup dialog, select the Specific printer: radio button. Pull down the list of printers by clicking on the down-arrow button on the right end of the field.
8. Find your Generic / Text Only on FILE: entry in your printer list and select it. Click the OK button to close the Print Setup dialog.
9. Click the OK button on the Print dialog to print your report file.
10. The Print To File dialog should appear. You use this dialog to specify the path and name of the report file you are about to create. The current folder should be:

    C:\WINDOWS\Desktop

    If it is not, then simply write down the name of your current folder. You'll need to be able to find it again when you upload the report file to the MFM Support BBS.

11. In the File name: field, type a file name that is likely to be different than files that other PC Access users have uploaded to the MFM Support BBS. Usually you can construct a unique file name from your first initial and the first seven characters of your last name. Use the file extension W95 to indicate this is your Windows 95 System Properties Report. For example, if your name is Pat Producer, you would type:

    PPRODUCE.W95

12. After your file finishes printing, click the Cancel button to close the System Properties dialog. (Clicking Cancel instead of OK insures that if you accidentally changed any system properties, it will not matter.)
13. Close the Control Panel folder.
14. Start PC Access for Windows and continue on the following steps.

1. Type U followed by the Enter key to upload a file. The BBS prompts you with:

   Route upload(s) to area #, [L]ist areas, [H]elp, [A]bort upload?

   Type 7 and then the Enter key.

2. The BBS prompts you to select a protocol; type Z for Zmodem and press the Enter key.
3. The BBS prompts you for the name of the first file you want to upload. Type the name of the system properties report file you created earlier.
4. The BBS asks if you want to password protect this file; type N for No and press the Enter key.
5. The BBS prompts you to enter a description for this file. Type something like the following:

   Windows 95 system properties report from Pat Producer

6. The BBS asks if you would like to leave a detailed description about this file; type N for No and press the Enter key.
7. The BBS prompts you for the name of a second file to upload. You have no second file, so press the Enter key to begin uploading.
8. The BBS prompts you with:

   [A]bort upload, [G]oodbye after upload, [C]ontinue?

   Type G for Goodbye after upload and press the Enter key.

9. The BBS begins waiting for you to start uploading the file from PC Access. Press the Upload button at the top of the Terminal window.
10. The Select a File to Upload dialog opens. Browse to the folder where you saved your system properties report file (most likely this was C:\Windows\Desktop ). If you don't know how to navigate a Windows file selector, you desperately need to attend an introductory computer training class. In the meantime, here are more details (assuming you saved your system properties report file to C:\Windows\Desktop ):
    • Make sure the Drives: field shows your C: drive to be the current drive. If it does not, click the down-arrow button on the right end of the Drives field and select C: from the list of drives. (You may have to scroll up to see C: if you are currently looking at a higher drive letter.)
    • Double-click C:\ in the Folders: list to make the root directory on drive C: your current directory.
    • You should now be able to scroll down in the list of folders and find windows. Double-click it.
    • C:\windows should be your current folder. You should now be able to scroll down in the list of folders and find desktop. Double-click it. This should make C:\windows\desktop your current folder.
11. Find your system properties report file in the Files list on the left side of the Select a File to Upload dialog. Click on the file name to highlight it, then click the OK button.
12. The Send (Upload) Files dialog opens. It has a status indicator to show you the progress of your upload. Since the file is not large, the upload should be quick, especially if you have a fast modem.
13. When you finish uploading your system properties report file, the BBS should log you automatically. If it does not, you may log off the BBS by pressing the Enter key to return to the Files Menu on the BBS. Then press the G key and then the Enter key to say goodbye.

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    Last modification date: Friday, March 21, 2003 11:47:29