Atari Falcon 030 User manual

OWNER'S
MANUAL

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
NOTE:
This equipment has beentested and foundto comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuantto Part
15, Subpart B ofthe FCC Rules. This equipmentgenerates,uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy. Ifnot installedand used inaccordancewith the instructions,it may
cause interferenceto radio communications.
The limitsare designedto provide reasonableprotectionagainst such interferencein a residential
situation. However, there isno guaranteethat interferencewill not occur in a particularinstallation. If
this equipmentdoes cause interferenceto radioor televisionreception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment on and off,the user is encouragedto try to correctthe interference by one or
moreof the following measures:
Reorientor relocatethe receivingantennaof the affectedradioor television.
Increasethe separationbetweenthe equipmentandthe affectedreceiver.
Connect the equipment and the affectedreceiverto power outlets on separatecircuits.
Consult the dealer or an experiencedradiofrVtechnicianfor help.
MODIFICATIONS
Changesor modifications not expressly approvedbyAtari C rity
to operate the equipment.
SHIELDED CABLES
Shieldedcables must be used wtth this equipment to maintaincompliance with FCC Regulations.
Everyeffort has been made to ensure the accuracyof the informationinthis manual. However,
becauseAtari Corporationisconstantly improving and updatingits computer hardware and software,
it isunableto guaranteethe accuracyof printed material after the date of publicationand disclaims
liability for changes, errors, or omissions. Reproductionof all or any portionof this manualis not
allowedwithout the specific written consent of Atari Corporation.
Atari,the Atari logo, Atari Falcon030,TOS, and MultiTOSare trademarks or registeredtrademarks of
Atari Corporation. GEM and GEM Desktopare trademarksor registeredtrademarks of Digital
Research, Inc. MS-DOSis a registeredtrademarkof Microsoft Corporation.Motorolais a trademark
of Motorola, Inc. LocalTalk is a registeredtrademark of Apple Computer Inc.
Copyright 1992,Atari Corporation
Sunnyvale,CA 94089-1302
All rights reserved.

Contents
Part I: Getting Started
1.The Falcon030, 1 - 1
Introduction, 1
- 1
Standard Features, 1-1
Options, 1-2
Using This Manual, 1-2
Part I: Getting Started, 1-2
Part 11: Using the Desktop, 1-3
Part 111: Appendixes, Glossary, and Index, 1-3
Special Notations, 1-4
Setting Up Your System, 1-5
Preparing a Workspace, 1-5
Connecting the Mouse, 1-5
Connecting the Monitor, 1-6
The Monitor Adapter Block, 1-6
Connecting the Power Cable, 1-6
Starting Your System, 1-7
Booting from a Hard disk, 1-7
Booting from a Floppy Disk, 1-8
Connecting Peripheral Devices, 1-9
Connecting a SCSI Device, 1-9
Contents i

System Orientation, 1 - 11
Front Panel, 1
- 11
Right Side Panel, 1-12
Rear Panel, 1
- 13
Left Side Panel, 1-14
2. Using Your Computer, 2-1
Learning the Fundamentals, 2-1
How a Computer Works, 2-1
Memory, 2-1
System Memory, 2-2
Storage Memory, 2-2
Operating System,2-4
Graphics Environment Manager, 2-4
Getting Acquainted with Your Computer, 2-4
The Screen Display-GEM Desktop, 2-4
The Mouse, 2-5
How the Mouse Works, 2-5
The Keyboard, 2-5
The Floppy Disk Drive, 2-7
Formatting a Floppy Disk, 2-7
Write Protecting a Floppy Disk, 2-9
ii Contents

Part 11: Using the Desktop
3. The GEM-Desktop
Basic Desktop Skills, 3-1
Using the Mouse, 3-1
Holding the Mouse, 3-2
Moving the Pointer, 3-2
Selecting, 3-2
Selecting an Icon, 3-2
Dragging, 3-3
Dragging an Icon, 3-3
Selecting Multiple Icons, 3-4
Using the Rubber-band Box, 3-5
Using Shift-clicking,3-5
Combining Rubber-banding and Shift-clicking,3-6
Controlling the Pointer with Keystroke Combinations, 3-6
Moving the Pointer with Keystrokes, 3-7
Selecting with Keystrokes, 3-7
Dragging with Keystrokes, 3-8
Windows, 3-8
Opening and Closing a Window, 3-9
Scrolling a Window, 3-10
Sizing a Window,
3- 1 1
Moving a Window, 3-12
The Top Window,
3- 12
Using Menus and Pop-ups, 3-13
Opening a Menu, 3-13
Opening a Pop-up, 3
- 14
Contents iii

4. A Guided Tour of the Desktop, 4-1
The Menu Bar, 4-1
Desk Menu, 4-2
Desktop Info, 4-2
Control Panel, 4-2
File Menu, 4-3
Open, 4-3
Show Information, 4-4
Search,4-5
Delete, 4-6
Create Folder, 4-6
Close Directory, 4-7
Close Top Window, 4-7
Bottom to Top, 4-7
Select all Items, 4-7
Set File Mask, 4-8
Format Floppy Disk, 4-9
View Menu, 4-9
Show as Icons or Show as Text, 4-10
Sorting by Name/Date/Size/Type,
4- 10
Size to Fit, 4-11
Set Color and Style, 4-11
Options Menu,4-12
Install Icon, 4-13
Install Application, 4-17
Install Devices, 4-22
Set Preferences, 4-23
Read .INFFile, 4-24
Desktop Configuration,4-25
Save Desktop, 4-26
iv Contents

Desk Accessories, 4-27
The Control Panel, 4-27
About..
., 4-28
Setup
..., 4-28
Advanced Setup Options, 4-3
1
Open CPXs ..., 4-33
CPX Info, 4-33
Unload CPX
..., 4-34
CPXs,4-34
General Setup,4-34
Status,4-34
Audio Feedback, 4-35
Chip Select,4-35
Sound,4-35
Keyboard Response, 4-35
Double-click Response, 4-36
Modem Setup, 4-36
Serial Port Selector,4-37
Baud Rate, 4-37
Parity, 4-37
BitsIChar,4-38
Stop Bits, 4-38
Flow Control,4-38
Printer Setup, 4-39
Printer Type, 4-39
Color, 4-39
Pixelslline, 4-40
Quality, 4-40
Paper,4-40
Contents v

Falcon030 Qkzmer's Manual
Port, 4-40
Color Setup, 4-41
True Color, 4-42
Sound Setup, 4-42
Window Colors, 4-42
Configure CPXs, 4-44
Accelerator, 4-45
5. Desktop Management,
5-1
Working with Directories, Folders, and Files, 5-1
Identifying a Directory, Folder, or File, 5-1
Displaying a Directory or Folder, 5-2
Files and Filenames, 5-2
Pathnames, 5-5
Opening a File, 5-6
File Selector, 5-7
Opening a Data File, 5-10
File and Folder Management, 5-11
Copying Files and Folders, 5-12
Name Conflict During Copying, 5-13
Moving Files and Folders, 5-13
Renaming Files and Folders,
5- 14
Deleting Files and Folders, 5-14
Updating a Directory, 5-15
6. MultiTOS, 6-1
The Advantages of MultiTOS, 6-1
New Features, 6-2
Multitasking, 6-2
vi Contents

Con ten k-3
Expanded Desk Menu, 6-3
Adoptive Menu Bars, 6-3
Foreground and Background Applications, 6-3
More Desktop Control, 6-4
Ease of Use, 6-4
Launching Applications, 6-4
Running an Application in the Foreground, 6-5
Running an Application in the Background, 6-5
Part 111: Appendixes, Glossary,and Index
A. Pointer Control & Quick Reference, A-1
B. Advanced Hard Disk Utilities, B-1
Parking and Unparking the ReadfWriteHeads, B-1
Parking Drive Heads on All Units,
B-2
Unparking the Drive Heads
Installing and Removing the Hard Disk Driver File, B-3
Installing the Hard Disk Driver File, B-4
Removing the Hard Disk Driver File, B-4
Bypassing the Hard Disk Driver File, B-5
Formatting and Partitioning the Hard Disk, B-5
Formatting, B-5
Partitioning, B-7
Selecting a Unit to Partition, B-8
Selecting a Partitioning Scheme, B-9
Creating a Customized Partitioning Scheme, B-9
Selecting a Preset Partitioning Scheme, B-11
Contents vii

Erasing the Contents of a Logical Drive, B-11
Extending the System Wide Folder Limit, B-12
Marking Bad Sectors, B-13
Organizing and Maintaining your Hard Disk, B-15
Backing Up the Hard Disk, B-16
OptimizerPrograms, B-16
Extended Partition Schemes, B-16
Other Advanced Hard Disk Utilities Disk Files, B-18
C. Troubleshooting and Maintenance, C-1
Troubleshooting, C-1
The Computer Will Not Start Up, C-1
No Desktop, C-2
Software Problems, C-2
Bombs, C-3
The Hard Disk Drive, C-3
Optional Internal Hard Disk, C-4
Common Problems, C-4
Identifying and Replacing Corrupted Data, C-5
Error Messages, C-6
Preventive Maintenance, C-13
Caring for the Computer, C-13
Caring for Roppy Disks, C-13
Caring for the Mouse, C-13
A Final Note, C-14
D. Falcon030 Specifications,D-1
viii Contents

Con tents
E. ConnectorSpecifications,E-1
DSP Connector,E-1
SCSI Connector,E-1
Serial Port, E-2
Parallel Port, E-3
Monitor Connector,
E-4
SCC Connector,E-5
Enhanced Joystick, E-8
MIDI Port. E-9
F. Customer Support, F-1
Glossary
Index
Contents ix

Part I: Getting Started

Part I: Getfkng Started
1
The Falcon030
Introduction
Congratulations on the purchase of your Atari computer. The Falcon030 is a
state-of-the-art personal computer, offering uncompromised performance and
affordability. Combining a fast microprocessor architecture with digital signal
processing and true-color graphics capabilities, the Falcon030 is an ideal platform
for today's applications, such as multimedia, desktop publishing, graphic arts,
games, and educational software.
Your Falcon030 is available with the following standard features and options.
Standard Features
16MHz 68030 microprocessor
32MHz Motorola 56001 Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
lMB,4MB, or 14MB of Random Access Memory (RAM)
Video color palette of 262,144 (65,536 sin?ultaneous)colors
1.44MB PC-compatible internal floppy diskette drive
An array of ports which include: SCSI, RS232, Parallel, RF, Video, MIDI,
Cartridge, L,AN, Microphone, Headphone,Joystick (expanded),and DSP
The Falcon030 1-1

The Atari MultiTOS pre-emptive multitasking operating environment
A control panel that allows you to customize the different features of your
desktop
A sophisticated desktop that displays your favorite executable files as
smart icons, wbich you can link to a directory, resource files, and custom
setups
Options
16MHz 6888112 Floating Point Unit (FPU)
Internal hard disk drive
Using This Manual
This manual is divided into several parts, which explain in clear, nontechnical
language how to use your computer and its operating environment. After you
become more familiar with your computer, this manual will continue to be a
helpful guide for individual procedures and specific information. Below is
summary of the manual's contents.
Part I: Getting Started
Chapter 1, The Falcon030, provides a list of your computer's standard features,
and available options. This chapter also gives you simple directions for setting up
the computer and connecting peripherals.
Chapter 2, Using Your Computer, explains a number of fundamental concepts,
which help you understand how a computer works. This chapter
also introduces you to the keyboard, mouse, and floppy disk drive.
1-2 The Falcon030

Part II: Usingthe Desktop
Chapter 3, The GEM-Desktop, teaches you how to do basic tasks on the
desktop, such as moving the cursor and working with windows.
Chapter 4, A Guided 'Tour of the Desktop, introduces you to all the desktop's
menus, commands, and features. This chapter also explains how to customize
your desktop environment using the Control Panel and its various CPX modules.
Chapter 5, Desktop Management, teaches you how to work with directories,
folders, and files. This chapter also tells you how to develop and maintain an
efficient desktop environment.
Chapter 6, Advanced Desktop Features, introduces you to MultiTOS, your
computer's advanced pre-emptive multitasking environment.
Part Ill:Appendixes, Glossary, and Index
Appendix A, Cursor Control Quick Reference, describes the cursor actions that
you can control using the mouse or keyboard.
Appendix B, Advanced Hard Disk Utilities, describes the features of the
Advanced Ilard Disk Utilities (HDX) program.
Appendix C, Troubleshooting and Maintenance, offers solutions to problems
you may encounter while setting up or operating your computer. This appendix
also provides guidelines for proper maintenance of your system.
Appendix D, S~ecifications, summarizes your system's major features and
requirements.
The Falcon030 1-3

Fa1con038 Owner's Manual
Appendix E, Connector Specifications, gives specifications for the various
ports and connectors on the system.
Appendix F, Customer Support, tells you where to find more information
about your Atari computer and other Atari computer products.
Glossary defines common technical terms used in this manual as they relate
to your computer.
Index helps you locate terms and procedures used or explained in the
manual.
Special Notations
This manual uses special notations to communicate information efficiently.
Following are examples of the special notations as they appear throughout
this manual.
Characters enclosed in square brackets
([ 1) represent keys on the keyboard.
For example, when this guide instructs you to press [Return], you should
press the Return key on the keyboard.
When a procedure requires you to use two or more keys at the same time, the
keys are grouped together (e.g., [Control] [XI).
Notes: These contain useful hints and other information relevant to the topic
being discussed.
Cautions: These alert you to potential problems and suggest ways to avoid
those problems.
Filenames are capitalized. For example, the NEWDESK.INF and
DESKICN.RSC files are located on your computer's Language disk.
1-4 The Falcon030

Part and chapter titles are enclosed in quotation marks and/or appear in bold-
face type (e.g.,
Chapter 1, The Falcon030, and Part I: Getting Started).
Selectable items appear in a different font than standard text. For example,
desktop commands, such as
Open, Cancel, and OK.
Setting Up Your System
Setting up the Falcon030 is easy. Use the information in this section to set up
your system and any peripheral devices.
Preparing a Workspace
Before going any further, take a moment to prepare a workspace for your
computer. Start by finding a flat, stable surface area near an electrical outlet.
The surface area should be able to support the weight of the computer, and
any device that you want to connecting to it. Be sure to protect the system
from dust, grease, extreme temperatures, prolonged exposure to direct
sunlight, and high humidity. Use a surge protector to protect the computer
against damage caused by abnormal flows of electricity.
Connecting the Mouse
Note: Werecommend that you purchase a mouse pad to use with your Atar-i
mouse.A mouse pad provides
a clean,even surface that prevents dust and dirt
from collecting inside the mouse.
The Falcon030 1-5

There is a 9-pin plug with two rows of holes on the end of the mouse cord. This
plug fits into the joystick/mouse port in one dhection only, so you don't need to
worry about making a wrong connection.
The mouse connects to the system through the joystick/mouse port, which is one
of two ports located underneath the keyboard. (The other port underneath the
keyboard is a dedicated joystick port.) You can identify the mouse port by its
icon located on the bottom of the keyboard.
Connecting the Monitor
Since there are a variety of monitors available for use with the Falcon030, you
should consult the setup instructions that come with your particular monitor.
The Monitor Adapter Block
Before you can use a monitor with the Falcon030, you need to purchase the
correct monitor adapter block. The monitor adapter block allows you to use a
variety of monitors with the Falcon030. The monitor block is easy to use.
Connect one end of the block to the monitor's video adapter cable and the other
end to the Video port. For more information about the monitor adapter block,
contact an Atari dealer.
Connecting the Power Cable
After you connect the monitor and mouse, use the following instructions to
connect the power cable.
1. Connect the power cable's female end to the three-pronged socket on the back of the
system.
2. Plug the power cable's male end into a power source, such as a surge protector
plugged into a power outlet.
1-6 The Falcon030