AT&T 6300 User manual

• ••
II II

User's Guide
Contents
1 Introduction
Welcome 1-2
Organization of the User's Guide
1-3
What You See and What You Should Do
1-3
Which
Computer Do You Have? 1-4
Getting Started Dual Floppy
Users
What You Will Need 2-2
Inserting a Diskette 2-3
Seeing
What Is On Your Diskette 2-9
Correcting Typing
Mistakes 2-11
Preparing a New Diskette for Use 2-12
Copying Files 2-15
Selecting a Different
Diskette Drive 2-17
Starting the Computer With the Copied
Diskette 2-18
The Benefit of Copying Your Diskettes 2-19
Points to Remember 2-20
Getting Started Hard Disk
Users
What You Will Need 3-2
Inserting a Diskette
3-3
Seeing What Is On Your Diskette
3-8
Correcting Typing Mistakes
3-10
Preparing Your Hard Disk for Use 3-11

User's Guide
Starting Up Your Computer from the
Hard Disk 3-15
Selecting a Different Disk Drive 3-16
Copying Files 3-17
The Benefit of Copying Your Diskettes 3-20
Points to Remember 3-21
4 What Every
User Should Know
The Parts ofYour Computer 4-2
All About Diskettes 4-15
Diskette Drives 4-23
Files 4-27
File Maintenance 4-31
Points to Remember 4-45
5
What To Do If Something
Doesn't Work
Introduction 5-2
What Is "Diagnostics?" 5-3
How to Use Diagnostics 5-4
Testing Options 5-7
What Each Test Does 5-10
Selecting a
Test 5-12
Logging
Errors
5-15
Glossary
Index

Introduction
• Welcome
•
Organization of the User's Guide
• What you will see and what you
should do
• Which computer do you have?
1-1

Introduction
WelcoDle
Your AT&T Personal Computer 6300 enables you to
enter a new world of increased productivity, a world
where you have the power to handle large, compli-
cated tasks easily and quickly.
Both your AT&T Personal Computer 6300 and the
User's Guide are designed to be easy-to-use. Together
they provide you with the tools you want and need to
get up and running fast.
Mter using this guide you may choose to either ex-
plore MS
TM
-DOS further in the MS-DOS Guide or
begin to run a software application program.
MS
TM
DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft®
1-2

Introduction
Organization of the User's Guide
Your User's Guide is organized into two parts. The
first part, called Getting Started, continues the in-
stallation of your computer. It starts where the In-
stallation Pamphlet left off and provides hands-on
instructions and examples showing you exactly what
to do. It gets you started quickly with very little ex-
traneous conceptual information.
This first part is separated into two independent sec-
tions: one for
Dual Floppy users, the other for Hard
Disk users. You will only use the section appropriate
for your computer.
To
get a better grasp of computer concepts, turn to
the second part of the manual. It's designed to an-
swer many of the questions that every user asks. It
explains how to adjust your computer to suit your
individual needs and how to handle and care for your
diskettes. It also introduces more advanced concepts
on
disk file storage.
What You Will See and
What You Should Do
In the examples in this book, the indented text rep-
resents what you see on your display screen. The
boldface text is what you should type on your key-
board.
For example, if you see:
Type:
A>dlr
only type the boldfaced dlr. The A> prompt is shown
to help you follow what is happening on your display
screen.
1-3

Introduction
Which com.puter do you have?
Do you have the Dual Floppy version which looks
like
this?
Then turn to the appropriate tab to continue the in-
stallation of your computer.
1-4

Introduction
Do you have the Hard Disk version which looks like
this?
~~ __ ........ __ Hard Disk
A
Then turn to the appropriate tab to continue the
installation of your computer.
1-5

2 Getting Started
Dual Floppy
Users
• What you will need
• Inserting a diskette
• Seeing what is on your diskette
• Correcting typing mistakes
• Preparing a new diskette for use
• Copying files
•
Selecting a different disk drive
• Starting the computer using the
copied diskette
• The benefit of copying your
diskettes
• Points to remember
2-1

Getting Started
Dua_ Floppy Users
What you will need
• Your computer completely set up as directed in the
Installation Pamphlet
• The
MSTM-DOS/GW BASIC System Diskette which is
enclosed
in the MSTM-DOS User's Guide
• A new blank diskette
2-2

Getting Started
Dual Floppy Users
Inserting a diskette
1 Take out the diskette labelled "MS-DOS/GW BASIC
System Diskette" from
its pocket in the back of the
MS-DOS User's Guide. Note how the diskette is
stored in its envelope so that you can replace it the
same way later.
D 1 _
01
From now on the MS-DOS/GW BASIC System Disk-
ette will be referred to as the DOS diskette. DOS
(Disk
Operating System) is the program that runs
your computer. It is read from the DOS diskette
when
the computer is turned on. It also contains
commands
that allow you to perform many tasks
with your computer.
2-3

Getting Started
Dual Floppy Users
2 Remove the DOS diskette from its protective jacket.
This jacket is designed to protect the diskette from
dust and dirt.
o
Letters (e.g., A, B, C) are used to identify the disk-
ette drives on your computer. The lower drive is
drive
A; the upper one is drive B.
3 Open the diskette drive door. If the drive door is
locked, a
red square appears to the right of the lock
switch. You
unlock the drive door by sliding the lock
switch to the right.
NOTE: Your computer may be equipped with disk-
ette drives that do not have locking doors. If your
drives don't have locks, continue to step 4.
2-4

Getting Started
Dual Floppy Users
4 Hold the diskette by the side that has the label. Gen-
tly insert the diskette with its label facing up into
disk drive A. Drive A is the lower one.
When
the diskette is all the way in, you will hear a
click.
2-5

Getting Started
Dual Floppy Users
5 Close the disk drive door.
6 If you need to, turn on your computer.
2-6

Getting Started
Dual Floppy Users
For about five seconds after your computer is turned
on, it runs a self check to make sure that it is work-
ing properly.
NOTE:
It is extremely important that you never re-
move a
diskette while it is being read from or written
to by the computer. Doing so can destroy the infor-
mation on the diskette. You can tell if the computer
is accessing a diskette by looking at the indicator
light on the drive that the diskette is in.
2-7

Getting Started
Dual Floppy Users
IF THE DRIVE INDICATOR LIGHT IS ON, DON'T
REMOVE THE DISKETTE
When it is done, the results on your screen should
look like this:
Resident Diagnostics
Rev
1.0 May 1984
CPU (i8086) Pass
ROM Module
Pass
DMA Timer
Pass
DMA Control Pass
Interrupts
Pass
128 Kb RAM
Pass
RT Clock
Pass
Fixed Disk
Not Present
Floppy (A:) Ready
Primary Boot-strap ...
AT&T Personal Computer 6300
Copyright (c) 1984 by AT&T, all rights reserved
Compatibility Software Copyright (c) 1984 by
Phoenix Software Associates, Ltd.
Microsoft MS-DOS version
2.11
Copyright 1981, 82, 83 Microsoft Corp.
Command v. 2.11
A>
A>
If you don't get this screen or one very similar to it,
contact your AT&T Personal Computer Dealer
or
your AT&T Service Center.
The
A> on your display screen is a prompt telling
you that the computer is ready, and waiting for you
to give it a command.
2-8

Getting Started
Dual Floppy Users
Seeing what is on your diskette
Your DOS diskette contains information. This infor-
mation is stored in files on the diskette.
In the following example, only type dlr. The A>
prompt is provided to illustrate what appears on
your screen.
1 To display on your screen a list of the files on your
DOS diskette type:
A>dlr
Dir is short for directory. It displays a list or direc-
tory of all the files on a diskette.
2 Since the computer can't tell by itself when you have
finished typing a command, it waits until you press
the RETURN key before reading what you have
typed. Therefore, always press RETURN to enter
what you have typed into the computer.
Press the RETURN key now.
2-9

2-10
Getting Started
Dual Floppy
Users
The RETURN key is the one that looks like this.
~ATIoT
Your screen should look similar to this:
FC
EXE
2585 4-12-84
9:000
FDISK COM 4640
4-12-84
9:000
FIND
EXE
6331 4-12-84
9:000
FORMAT COM
5776 4-12-84
9:000
RESTORE COM 4043 4-12-84 9:000
33 File(s) 150528 bytes tree
A>
...

Getting Started
Dual Floppy Users
Correcting typing mistakes
At some time you will probably make a typing mis-
take. If you do, don't worry. It's easy to correct. Sim-
ply
press the BACKSPACE key to erase any mis-
typed characters. Then re-type them correctly. If you
do not notice your mistake and press RETURN, MS-
DOS
prompts you for another command.
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'lDom
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t:j~
.........
1 Try it now by intentionally mistyping DIR, first type:
A>dri
If you press the RETURN key before correcting dri,
the message shown below is displayed:
Bad command or file name
2 Press the BACKSPACE key twice to erase the i and
the r.
3 Re-type: 1r
4 Press the RETURN key.
2-11
. ~
...

2-12
Getting Started
Dual Floppy Users
Preparing a new diskette for use
Before you can use a new diskette, it must first be
prepared to accept data. This is called formatting the
diskette. Formatting a diskette is like putting a file
folder
frame and empty file folders into a new filing
cabinet because it provides a framework for your
documents to be stored on the diskette.
As a
test, see what happens when you try to use an
unformatted diskette.
1" Insert a new blank disk into the upper disk drive on
your computer. This is called drive B.
2 Close the drive door.
3 Type the following command, making sure to include
the space between the rand b:
A>dir b:
The b: tells the computer to use the diskette in drive
B. You
type a colon (:) by holding down the SHIFT
key and simultaneously pressing the colon key.
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