VISUAL 1050 User manual

Visual 1050 Oser's Guide
Visual Technology Incorporated

Disclaimer:
The information contained in this manual is believed to be accurate and reliable. However,
Visual Technology, Incorporated assumes no responsibility
for any errors, omissions or
inaccuracies whatsoever. Without limiting the foregoing, VISUAL TECHNOLOGY, INC.
DISCLAIMS ANY
AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLlED, INCLUDING THE
WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
FOR APARTICULAR PURPOSE,
WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION CONTAINED
IN THIS MANUAL AND THE
SOFTWARE DESCRIBED HEREIN. The entire risk
as to the quality and performance of
such
information and software is upon the buyer or user. Visual Technology, Incorporated
shall
not be liable for any damages, including special or consequential damages, arising out
of the use of such information or software even if Visual Technology, Incorporated has
been advised in advance
of the possibility of such damages. The use of the information con-
tained in this manual and the software described herein is subject to Visual Technology,
Incorporated's standard Iicense agreement, which must
be executed by the buyer or user
before the use of such information
or software.
This warrantygives you specifie legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary
from state to state.
Sorne states
do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages
or limitations on how long an implied warrantylasts, so the above limitation or exclusion
may
not apply to you.
Copyright ©1983 Visual Technology Incorporated
First Edition: November 1983 (with Update Pack 1A)
WordStar and MailMerge are registered trademarks of MicroPro International Corporation
CP/M Plus and DR Graph are registered trademarks of Digital Research Incorporated
Multiplan is atrademark of Microsoft Corporation
DEC and Rainbow are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation
Kaypro Il is atrademark of Kaypro Corporation
Warning:
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions manual, may cause interference
to radio
communications. It has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for aClass A com-
puting device pursuant to Subpart Jof Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide
reasonable protection against such interference when operated in acommercial environ-
ment. Operation of this equipment in aresidential area is likely
to cause interference in
which case the user at his own expense will be required to take whatever measures may be
appropriate to
correct the interference.

Visual1050
User's Guide
Update Pack 1A
Visual Technology Incorporated
UD 001-001 1A

Contents
Section
Preface
Page
o ••
................................. XIII
1System Setup 1-1
Introduction 1-1
Unpacking and Inspecting
Your System 1-1
Attaching the Pedestal Base
to the Monitor Unit 1-4
Environmental Requirements 1-6
Com ponent Arrangement 1-7
Removal
of Disk Drive 1nserts 1-8
Cable Connections 1-8
Power On Self-Test 1-14
IfSomething GoesWrong 1-19
Printer Set-up and Test 1-20
Repacking the System 1-20
1n Concl usion 1-20
Contents v

Contents (Cont.)
Section
Page
2 Introducing the Visual1050 2-1
Introduction 2-1
What Vou Have 2-1
ADesign for Humans 2-1
Hardware 2-2
CP/M Plus Operating System 2-4
Bundled
Software 2-4
The Uti 1 ity Manager 2-5
Compatibility With Other Disk Formats 2-5
See
For Vourself 2-6
ln Conclusion 2-8
3Some Basics 3-1
Introduction 3-1
The Operating System 3-1
vi Contents

Contents (Cont.)
Section
Page
The Visual 1050 Uti1 ity Manager 3-2
Starting the System (Booti ng) 3-2
Operating System Commands 3-3
Resident vs. Transient Commands 3-4
Talking to the Operating System 3-4
Command Lines 3-5
CP/M Response to Command Lines 3-5
Running a Program 3-5
Of Hangs and Hanging 3-6
Files and
Fi lenames 3-7
A
Note on Passwords 3-9
Using Wildcards When Handling Files 3-9
Disk Drives and Their
Formatted Capacities 3-10
F ormatti ng Diskettes 3-11
Contents vii

Contents (Cont.)
Section
Page
What Kind of Diskettes? 3-12
Handling Diskettes 3-12
The Need to Back Up Your Diskettes 3-15
Keys
and Keyboards 3-15
ln Conclusion 3-18
4Getting Started 4-1
1 ntrod uction 4-1
UP and Ru nnin9 4-1
Getti ng to Know the Uti 1 ity Manager 4-3
The Prudent Th ing to Do 4-4
Formatting Your Blank Diskettes 4-5
Copying the Distribution Diskettes 4-6
Let's Use
the Utility Manager to
Change the Cursor 4-9
viii Contents

Contents (Cont.)
Section Page
What Files Are On This Diskette? 4-16
Show Me More Information
About the Disk Drive 4-18
Formatting a Diskette 4-18
Copying the Operating System 4-18
Copyi ng the Uti 1 ity Manager 4-20
Copyi ng Fi les 4-20
CP/M Help Files 4-22
Placing CP/M Help on the
'Run Optional Application' Menu 4-22
Placing a Dummy Program on the
'Run Optional Application' Menu 4-26
Removing a Program From the
'Run Optional Application' Menu 4-26
;,
Viewing and Printing Fi les 4-27
Running Applications Software 4-27
Contents ix

Contents (Cont.)
Section
Page
Integrating Multiplan Data with WordStar
and DR Graph 4-29
Cast the
Utility Manager Away 4-29
Bring the Utility Manager Back 4-30
Copies of the Utility Manager 4-31
Setting
the Real Time Clock 4-32
Time and Date Stamping and
Password
Protection of Files 4-32
Reading Diskettes Formatted
for Other Computers 4-33
ln
Conclusion 4-34
5Extensions 5-1
Introduction 5-1
What is aPort, Anyway? 5-1
Logical Deviees and Deviee Drivers 5-1
The Role of the Uti1 ity Manager 5-3
xContents

Contents (Cont.)
Section Page
Telecommunications 5-3
Parallel Port Pin Configuration 5-4
RS232 Seriai Port Pin Configuration 5-5
ln Conclusion 5-5
6Installing Software 6-1
Introduction 6-1
What 1nstallation Programs Want 6-2
Default Values Within
Installation Programs 6-6
Wait, 1Didn't Mean It 6-7
How Installation Programs
Ask For Information 6-7
ASCIl Characters 6-8
Printing Characters 6-9
Control Characters 6-9
Numbers and Bases 6-10
Contents xi

Contents (Cont.)
Section Page
Other Methods Used
To Request Information 6-10
How Installation Programs Deal
With Cursor Addressing 6-11
Words of Warning 6-15
1n Concl usion 6-15
AASCII Conversion Table
............. . A-1
BSoftware Interface
to the Display Screen 8-1
CKeyboard Codes C-1
Glossary G-1
Index 1-1
xii Contents

Preface
This Guide presents information which supports the use of the Visual
10S0 personal computer:
•Section 1"System Setup" provides unpacking, installation, power
up and preliminary checkout instructions.
•Section 2
"Introducing the Visual 10S0" is asummary of the major
features and capabilities of the
computer system.
•Section 3"Some Basics" is included with newer users of compu-
ters particularly in mind. It presents important concepts and prac-
tices associated with microcomputers in general, the CP/M operat-
ing system which is implemented on the Visual
10S0, and certain
Visual 1OSO-specific topics
as weil.
•Section 4"Getting Started" is atutorial-style presentation on the
use
of the Visual10S0, the primary focus of which is the use of the
Visual
10S0 Utility Manager.
•Section S"Extensions" provides additional information pertaining
to system operation, specifically the role
of system ports in relation
to the operating system.
•Section 6"Installing Software" is intended to shed some
light on
the process of software installation, with specific attention being
paid to issues which may arise
if and when the user wishes to pur-
chase and install software packages on the Visual
10S0.
Three appendices are included in this Guide: Appendix Ais an ASCII
conversion chart with decimal, hexidecimal, and octal representations
of
the ASCII code; Appendix Bprovides an enumeration and description of
the command sequences to the display screen of the Visual10S0;
Appendix Cpresents the keycodes generated by the Visu
al 10S0
keyboard.
AGlossary
of terms has been included in this Guide. The first occur-
rence of aterm which is defined in the Glossary has been printed in an
italic typeface. Other terms which do not appear in this Guide have been
included in the Glossary
as weil.
Preface xiii

1System Setup
1ntroduction
We trust that you were directed to this section and have not yet unpacked
your system. Directions are provided here for the unpacking, setup, and
checkout of the Visual 1050.
Unpacking and Inspecting Your System
1. Remove the remaining contents of BOX 1. One of the items in this
box is the Visual1050 Packing List. Refer to the Packing List and
check
off the items listed on it as you unpack your system.
Among the items in BOX 1are the Software License Agreements
and the Visual Customer Support Packet. Set them aside for care-
fui reading.
NOTE: Do not break the seal on the box of diskettes until vou
have read and agreed with the terms of the software
license agreements.
System Setup 1-1

2. Open BOX 2 of 3"System Unit" and carefully remove the items,
checking off the appropriate items on the Packing List.
KEYBOARD
AC POWER CaRO (115 VAC SHaWN)
1-2 System Setup

3. Open BOX 3 of 3 "Monitor Unit" and carefully remove the items.
Check
off the items on the Packing List as you did with the other
boxes.
"-
-: :,:Ei
'.' ,.
,)
/
/
/
/
"" .
-, .. '"
... ~'
.' .' .....
...
" ..
/
-
.. :.
\
MONITOR UNIT
\
\~~~.~-_.
System Setup 1-3

4. If you have not received ail the items on the Packing List, open the
Visual
Customer Support Packet and use the telephone number
provided there to contact Visual Technology Incorporated.
NOTE: Save the shipping boxes and packing materials in case
the need arises to ship the system again.
Attaching the Pedestal Base to the Monitor Unit
The Monitor Unit is designed to be operated with its pedestal base, which
you
unpacked from BOX 3along with the monitor. Follow the instruc-
tions below to attach the pedestal to the Monitor Unit:
1. Gently place the Monitor bottom-side up on acarpeted floor or
similar non-abrasive surface. Observe the design of the bottom
surface. Note the placement of ahole toward the rear of the base.
Note also that two sections of the base have been cut out at the left
and
right front corners, next to two screws along the front of the
Monitor unit base.
SNAP
FASTENER
HalE FOR
SNAP FASTENER
2. Grasp the pedestal and observe its design. Note that the upper
section of the pedestal (the one with the deep bowl shaped protru-
sion) has two semi-circular cutouts along one edge (the front
1-4 System Setup

edge), as weil as aplastic snap fastener which is set in ahole at the
center
of the other edge (the rear edge).
3. Grasp the snap fastener on the pedestal and "pop" it into its
retracted position. (The movement is upward if the pedestal is
oriented upside-down,
as in the illustration beJow.)
4. Grasp the pedestal and slide its front edge along the Monitor Unit
bottom surface until it contacts the front, inside edge of the Moni-
tor Unit. The semi-circular cutouts of the pedestal should be
aligned with the
two screws at the front, inside edge of the Monitor
Unit base.
System Setup 1-5

5. Set the pedestal base down onto the bottom surface of the Monitor
Unit. The snap fastener should be aligned with the hole in the
Monitor Unit.
6. Firmly press the snap fastener down into the hole in the Monitor
Unit, snapping it into place. Ensure that the snap fastener has
been
fully set into the Monitor Unit by firmly but gently pulling the
pedestal away from the
Monitor Unit. If the snap fastener has not
seated properly, repeat steps
4,5 and 6.
Environmental Requirements
The Visual 1050 requires certain minimal conditions under which to
properly operate. The information provided here may influence where
you place
your Visual1050 system.
•Electrical Power Une: Your Visual1050 has been manufactured
for 115 VAG, 60 Hz input power or for 230 VAG, 50 Hz input power
(not both). The seriai number label, located at the rear
of the Sys-
tem Unit, indicates what
input power is required by your Visual
1050. A
properly grounded power line of the appropriate voltage is
required. The Visual1050 system (with no printer connected)
draws amaximum
of 4amps of current at 115 VAG and 2amps at
230 VAG.
WARNING: The power cord provided with the unit has athree-
prong plug for connection
to aproperly grounded AC
power
Une. The three-prong plus is provided to mini-
mlze the hazard of electrlcal shock
to you. Do not
defeat the purpose of the plug.
•Clean
Air: Any computer equipment requires fairly clean air in its
environment. Afan is used to circulate air from the environment
through the System Unit for cooling purposes. Airborne particles
have been shown to be ahazard to diskettes and disk drives.
•Non-Condensing Air: Sources of moisture should be kept away
from the
computer system. Moisture can wreak havoc on elec-
tronic equipment of any kind, and magnetic media such as
diskettes can be adversely effected. For this reason, be sure to
1-6 System Setup

locate the Visual 1050 away from any sources of moisture, such as
asteam radiator.
Component Arrangement
The components of the Visual1050 can be positioned in avariety of ways
to suit
your personal taste. The Monitor Unit can be placed on top of the
System Unit, in akind
of "piggy back" arrangement.
Alternatively, the Visual1050 can be set up with the
Monitor Unit on the
table and the System
Unit off to the side. Asmall printer can be placed
on top of the System Unit if desired.
System Setup 1-7

Removal of Disk Drive Inserts
Remove the cardboard inserts from the disk drives, which are provided to
protect the drives during shipment. To remove each insert, first release
the
locking mechanism of the drive by turning the drive handle to the
open position, then
gently draw the insert out of the drive. Be sure to
save the inserts
for future use should the need arise to transport the
System Unit.
~~
... ", ~ '"
Cable Connections
WARNING: Do not connect the power cord to the system until told to
do so.
Once you know where you wish to place the components of your system,
you are ready
to cable them together. Each cable used is different from
the others, and the
connectors used are unique, so there is less of a
chance that
something can go wrong.
1-8 System Setup