Commodore Amiga Reference manual

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AMIGA
In troduction to
Amiga
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COPYRIGHT
This manual Copyright © 1985, 1986 Commodore-Amlga, Inc., All Rights Reserved. This document may not, In
whole or In part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine
readable form without prior consent, In writing, from Commodore-Amlga, Inc.
All software described In this manual Copyright © 1985, 1986 Commodore-Amlga, Inc., All Rights Reserved. The
distribution and sale of these products are Intended for the use of the original purchaser only. Lawful users of these
programs are hereby licensed only to read the programs, from their media Into memory of a computer, solely for
the purpose of e)(ecutlng the programs . Duplicating, copying, seiling, or otherwise distributing these products Is a
violation of the law.
DISCLAIMER
COMMODORE-AMIGA, INC., MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLlEO, WITH RESPECT TO
THE PROGRAMS DESCRIBED HEREIN, THEIR QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS
FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THESE PROGRAMS ARE SOLD "AS IS." THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THEIR
QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE IS WITH THE BUYER . SHOULD THE PROGRAMS PROVE DEFECTIVE
FOLLOWING THEIR PURCHASE, THE BUYER (AND NOT THE CREATORS OF THE PROGRAMS,
COMMODORE-AMIGA, INC., THEIR DISTRIBUTORS, OR THEIR RETAILERS) ASSUMES THE ENTIRE COST OF
ALL NECESSARY DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT WILL COMMODORE-AMIGA, INC., BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT,
INDIRECT , INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY DEFECT IN THE PROGRAMS
EVEN IF IT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBLITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME LAWS DO NOT ALLOW THE
EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LlABLITIES FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY.
Amlga and Graphlcraft are trademarks of Commodore-Amlga, Inc.
Commodore and CBM are registered trademarks of Commodore Electronics Limited.
Alphacom Is a registered trademark and Alphapro Is a trademark of Alphacom, Inc.
Brother Is a registered trademark of Brother Industries, Ltd.
Centronics Is a registered trademark of Data Computer Corporation .
Diablo Is a registered trademark of Xero)( Corporation.
Epson Is a registered trademark and FX-aO, JX-80, and RX-aO are trademarks of Epson America, Inc.
Hayes Is a registered trademark of Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc.
IBM Is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
LaserJet and LaserJet PLUS are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company.
Oklmate 20 Is a trademark of Okldata, a division of Okl America, Inc.
Qume Is a registered trademark of and LetterPro 20 Is a trademark of Qume Corporation.
WARNING: Thl ,s equipment has been certified to comply with the limits for a Class 8
computing device, pursuant to subpart J of Part 15 of FCC rules. Only peripherals
(computer Input/output devices, terminals, printers, etc.) certified to comply with
the Class B limits may be attached to this computer. Operation with non-certified
peripherals Is likely to result In Interference to radio and TV reception.
The last four digits of the Amlga serial number Indicate the month and year of manufacture.
Printed In U.S. A.
CBM Product Number 372100-04 Rev. D 2-12-86

Contents
Chapter 1:
Chapter
2:
Chapter
3:
Chapter
4:
Chapter
5:
Chapter
6:
Chapter
7:
Appendix
A:
Appendix B:
Appendix C:
Glossary
Index
Introducing the Amiga 1-1
Setting Up the Amiga 2-1
Getting Started 3-1
Using the Workbench 4-1
Adding to the Amiga 5-1
Caring for the Amiga 6-1
Reference 7-1
Workbench Tools
A-1
AmigaDOS Messages
A~23
Changing the Pointer A-25
G-1
1-1

Chapter 1
Introducing the Arrtiga
Welcome! You're about to meet an extraordinary personal
computer. It's powerful, yet it's easy to learn and use. It's
agile: it can work at several tasks all at the same time. It's
colorful and musical. In this manual, you'll meet the
Amiga and learn how you can use it both at work and at
play.
Introducing the Amiga 1-1

About This Manual
This manual is for everyone who uses an Amiga. Chapter 2, "Setting Up
the Amiga," shows how to put your Amiga together. If you're using an
Amiga for the first time, read Chapter 3, "Getting Started," to learn the
basics.
Chapter 4, "Using the Workbench," describes many of the important tasks
you perform when using an Amiga.
Chapter 5, "Adding to the Amiga," describes printers, extra memory, and
other add-ons available for your Amiga.
Chapter 6, "Caring for the Amiga," tells how to keep your Amiga in good
working order.
Chapter 7, "Reference," includes specifications for the Amiga, as well as
information about:
• how to change many of the settings for your Amiga
• the Amiga input/output connectors
Appendix A, "Workbench Tools," tells about:
• the Amiga's built-in clock, calculator, and notepad
• tools that demonstrate the Amiga's graphics
• a tool for changing Workbench icons
Appendix B, "AmigaDOS Messages," lists Amiga error numbers and what
to do if you get one.
Appendix C, "Changing the Pointer," shows you how to modify the image
that moves on the display when you move the Amiga's mouse.
1-2 Introducing the Amiga

At the end, you'll find a glossary of important terms and an index. Terms
from the glossary are shown in italics where they first appear in the text.
For More Information
See the Graphicraft, Textcraft, and Amiga Basic manuals to learn how to
use these tools. If you are interested in developing software for the Amiga,
or if you'd like to learn the details of how the Amiga works, see the Amiga
Hardware Manual, the Amiga ROM Kernel Manual, the AmigaDOS
Manual, and Intuition: The AMIGA User Interface. These manuals are
available from your Amiga dealer.
Introducing the Amiga 1- 3

Chapter 2
Setting Up the All1 iga
Your Amiga takes only a few minutes to put together. Here
are the things you'll find packaged with the Amiga:
• the main unit
• the AC power cord
• the keyboard
• the keyboard cable
• the mouse
• three microdisks
• manuals, including the one you're reading now
• warranty information
Setting Up the Amiga 2-1