IBM PC Assistant - 1996-Jun-28


 * IBM PC ASSISTANT (TM)
 * Developed by Mark T. Chapman
 * IBM PC Company HelpCenter Technical Support Group:
 * Copyright (C) IBM Corp. 1989-1996
 * Latest update: 28Jun96

NOTE: The IBM PC Assistant *used* to be called the IBM Personal Systems (or PS) Assistant. The intent of this file is to explain what the IBM PC Assistant is, how to install it, how to obtain future upgrades, and what problems or limitations you might run into while installing or using it. (Note: Change Bars (|) indicate new or modified information since the last release of this file. They are also used in the body of the INF files described below.) A complete list of the files that you should have is as follows: ASST.ICO               ASST-PPC.INF planned for future editions ASST.TXT (This File)   ASST-PS2.INF ASST-CON.INF               ASST-SRV.INF ASST-GEN.INF               ASST-SVC.INF ASST-MKT.INF                ASST-TP.INF ASST-OPT.INF               ASST-TTL.INF ASST-OS.INF                ASST-VP.INF ASST-PC.INF The purpose of these files is described below.

WHAT IS THE IBM PC ASSISTANT?
The IBM PC Assistant is a series of online books that can be read with the built-in viewers included with OS/2, IBM DOS 7, and IBM AIX, as well as the XVIEW Windows INF file viewer (now bundled with the IBM General Info Assistant. (For limitations regarding the IBM DOS 7 and Windows viewers, see the Known Problems and Limitations section below.

OVERVIEW
There are many sources of information available from IBM, including announcement letters, service manuals, programming and technical reference manuals, how-to "cookbooks," electronic bulletin boards (both public and IBM-use only), and others. The IBM PC Assistant is an attempt to bring much disparate and often difficult-to-find information together into one easy-to-use "electronic book."

The IBM PC Assistant is an online help tool composed of PS/2 and OS/2-related marketing, service, technical and general information. The books include the:
 * 1) IBM Consumer PC Assistant (ASST-CON.INF), which contains:
 * 2) * Aptiva-PS/1 industry awards and reviews.
 * 3) * Hardware and software Q&As for Ambra, Aptiva, and PS/1 systems and bundled software.
 * 4) * Hardware technical tips.
 * 5) * Lengthy technical specifications documents for Aptiva and PS/1 systems, past and present.
 * 6) IBM General Information Assistant (ASST-GEN.INF):
 * 7) * A list of IBM voice and non-voice telephone numbers.
 * 8) * A list of Non-IBM technical support telephone numbers.
 * 9) * A list of OS/2-related BBSes.
 * 10) * A list of OS/2-related PC User Groups.
 * 11) * An acronyms and abbreviations list.
 * 12) IBM OS Assistant (ASST-OS.INF):
 * 13) * OS/2 and OS/2 apps industry awards and reviews.
 * 14) * Thousands of OS/2 and DOS Q&As.
 * 15) * OS/2 and DOS technical tips.
 * 16) * OS/2 compatibility tables.
 * 17) IBM PC Marketing Assistant (ASST-MKT.INF):
 * 18) * Miscellaneous IBM product industry awards and reviews.
 * 19) * IBM PC Factory Outlet catalog.
 * 20) * IBM PC hardware and software part number lists and descriptions.
 * 21) * IBM publication ordering information.
 * 22) * Feature Code/Part Number cross-reference.
 * 23) * Promotion and upgrade information.
 * 24) IBM PC Options Assistant (ASST-OPT.INF):
 * 25) * Monitors, Printers, and other adapters and options industry awards and reviews.
 * 26) * Hardware and software Q&As for monitors, adapters, drives, and other PC-related options
 * 27) * Hardware technical tips.
 * 28) IBM PC Series Assistant (ASST-PC.INF):
 * 29) * PC 300/700 Series industry awards and reviews.
 * 30) * Hardware Q&As.
 * 31) * Hardware technical tips.
 * 32) * Lengthy technical specifications documents for PC 300/700 series systems, past and present.
 * 33) IBM PC Servers Assistant (ASST-SRV.INF):
 * 34) * PC Server 300/500/700 and PS/2 Server 85/95 industry awards and reviews.
 * 35) * Hardware and software Q&As for IBM servers and related network software.
 * 36) * Hardware and software technical tips.
 * 37) * Lengthy technical specifications documents for PC Server 300/500/700 series, and PS/2 Server 85/95/195/295 systems, past and present.
 * 38) IBM PC Service Assistant (ASST-SVC.INF):
 * 39) * Hardware and OS/2 error code information.
 * 40) * Latest DOS and OS/2 CSD information.
 * 41) * Latest Reference and Diagnostic Diskettes list.
 * 42) * Micro Channel adapter ADF file cross-reference.
 * 43) * PC System/Monitor warranty information.
 * 44) * Hardware and software service tips and Q&As, and more.
 * 45) IBM PowerPC Assistant (ASST-PPC.INF) planned
 * 46) * PowerPC processor and systems industry awards and reviews.
 * 47) * Hardware and software Q&As.
 * 48) * Hardware and software technical tips.
 * 49) * Lengthy technical specifications documents for PowerPC-based PC and ThinkPad systems, past and present.
 * 50) IBM PS/2 Assistant (ASST-PS2.INF):
 * 51) * Hardware and software Q&As
 * 52) * Hardware and software technical tips
 * 53) * Lengthy technical specifications documents for PS/2 systems (except PS/2 servers)
 * 54) IBM ThinkPad Assistant (ASST-TP.INF):
 * 55) * ThinkPad industry awards and reviews.
 * 56) * Hardware and software Q&As
 * 57) * Hardware and software technical tips
 * 58) * Lengthy technical specifications documents for ThinkPad systems (except PowerPC), past and present.
 * 59) IBM ValuePoint Assistant (ASST-VP.INF):
 * 60) * ValuePoint industry awards and reviews.
 * 61) * Hardware and software Q&As
 * 62) * Hardware and software technical tips
 * 63) * Lengthy technical specifications documents for ValuePoint systems

The reason for having a number of different books instead of just one large one is two-fold. First, there is so much information provided that it might be awkward to use, and would take longer to search through than smaller books. And second, by dividing up all of this information into related subject matter, those who don't need certain categories of information (such as service tips, for example), can delete entire books to save disk space. Besides, these files can be logically linked together and viewed or searched as one large book, at your preference. (This procedure is explained in the accompanying ASST.TXT file.) For convenience, the files will be collectively called the "IBM PC Assistant" throughout the rest of this document.

Not only is the information more "centrally located" this way than distributed across all the individual documents, but due to its electronic nature, the specific information you seek can be found more quickly and easily. The source information is compiled into binary files that take roughly half as much disk space as ASCII files would. And since the compiler also creates a "data dictionary" of all words and numbers anywhere in the files, all occurrences can be found and displayed on-screen in only a few seconds via the search facility provided. In addition, hypertext links (hyperlinks) allow you to jump from section to section within a book without ever having to return to the Table of Contents. Hyperlinks are also used to display popup footnote windows at the point of the footnote reference, rather than making you have to scroll down to the bottom of a page, or the end of a chapter, to find the footnoted information.

The IBM PC Assistant is created by compiling a scripted ASCII text file, using the Information Presentation Facility (IPF) Tag Language and Compiler. They are included in the OS/2 2.1 or 3.0 Developer's Toolkits, IBM Hyperwise editor (P/N 30H1731--3.5"), and IBM C Set++ First Step V2.1 (P/N 82G3744--3.5"; 82G3746--CD-ROM") packages, among others. The IBM PC Assistant requires OS/2 1.2 or later to operate, because it uses the OS/2 VIEW.EXE command to access the files. This is the same command used to display the online OS/2 Command Reference. Since both files were created with the same compiler, and are displayed by the same command, they look and act very much alike. So if you know how to use one, you also know how to use the other.

Note: The IBM PC Assistant was tested, and does work, across an OS/2 LAN Server V1.2 or later network, relieving the need for disk space on the requester, not to mention not having to keep all those requesters updated with the latest versions of the IBM PC Assistant books. (For instructions on Setting Up an OS/2 LAN Server to Share Online Books, see the document by the same name in the Networking Tips section of the PS Technical Assistant.) Features include:
 * A Table of Contents listing a number of sections containing PS/1-PS/2-PS/VP, OS/2, DOS, and AIX Marketing information; PS and OS/2 Service information; and PS and OS/2 Technical information, as well as PC Assistant overview and usage instructions (What is the IBM *** Assistant? - Tutorial).
 * A keyword Search capability, which highlights all occurrences of a word or phrase, anywhere in the PC Assistant, and displays all sections containing that string in a selection window.
 * A Print feature allowing you to print the Table of Contents, any section or group of marked sections, or the entire book.
 * A Copy-to-clipboard function for copy/paste use.
 * A Copy/Append-to-ASCII-File capability to save to disk for future use.
 * A Bookmark feature to save a list of the frequently-referred-to sections for quicker access.
 * Contextual online Help for general usage information.

INSTALLING AND STARTING THE PC ASSISTANT ON A DOS SYSTEM
IBM PC DOS 7 USERS: Simply unzip the various INF files and copy them to a directory of your choice. Then use the syntax: XVIEW d:\path\filename (the .INF is optional) to view a book. This can be put in a batch file to simplify viewing a book you often refer to.

INSTALLING AND STARTING THE PC ASSISTANT ON A WINDOWS SYSTEM
WINDOWS 3.1 AND WINDOWS 95 USERS: Refer to the instructions in the XVIEW.TXT file.

INSTALLING AND STARTING THE PC ASSISTANT ON AN OS/2 SYSTEM
For performance reasons I strongly recommend that you copy the files to a hard drive. You may wish to add the PC Assistant to the C:\OS2\BOOK directory, which already contains the online OS/2 Command Reference (and perhaps other online OS/2 books, depending on what you have installed). If you prefer to create a separate directory for the Assistant, you should also change the SET BOOKSHELF= statement in CONFIG.SYS. For example, if you create a directory called PCASST, change SET BOOKSHELF= from: SET BOOKSHELF=d:\OS2\BOOK  (where d: is the appropriate drive letter) to SET BOOKSHELF=d:\OS2\BOOK;d:\PCASST This tells OS/2 where to look for online books.)

Then on an OS/2 2.x or Warp system: Or, use the VIEW command (VIEW ASST-MKT).
 * 1) Open the Information object on the desktop, and use Create Another (or hold down the Ctrl key and drag a book icon elsewhere in the folder and then drop it) to duplicate an existing book object
 * 2) Open the icon Settings and change the Parameter field to the name of one PS Assistant book; then change the icon title and parameters.
 * 3) Repeat steps 1) and 2) for the other books

Finally, you may wish to create a new Folder specifically for the PC Assistant, or other online books. To do this, simply go to the Templates folder and drag/drop the Folder template onto your desktop (or inside another folder) The folder will be created with the name "Folder". You can change this by either going into the folder Settings ("General" tab), or by simply pressing the Alt-Leftmouse button combination.

To install the other PC Assistant books, simply repeat the process, substituting the other titles and file names in the above example.

AUTOSTARTING THE PC ASSISTANT
If you would like to automatically start the PC Marketing Assistant when you boot up your system, add the following statement to your STARTUP.CMD batch file: START d:\OS2\VIEW.EXE ASST-MKT.INF Or, you can add the appropriate book icons to the Startup folder.

LINKING BOOKS TOGETHER
If you would like to logically link the some or all of the books together (to simplify keyword searches of all the information in all of the files) into one big menu, you can type from a command line (or put in a batch file or CONFIG.SYS): SET PCASST=ASST-MKT.INF+ASST-SVC.INF+ASST-OS.INF+ASST-TP.INF+... (Note: The .INF file extension IS necessary here.)

This will create one "virtual" book called PCASST (or any other name you choose to assign). To see the data, just VIEW PCASST as you would with one of the component files, or use PCASST as the parameter name.

OR, you may create an object containing the following information (the file names can be in whatever order you prefer): Program Title: IBM PC Assistant Path:          C:\OS2\VIEW.EXE Parameter:     ASST-MKT+ASST-SVC+ASST-OS+ASST-TP+ASST-VP+ASST-CON+... (Note: The .INF file extension is NOT necessary here.) (The disadvantage to linking files is that the "What is the PC Assistant" menu heading will appear six times each on the combined menu, because it exists in all files. This makes the menu a bit more cluttered, but nothing worse.) In the above examples, the title of the combined book would be "IBM PC Marketing Assistant" because that is the title of the first file in the SET command. If another file were first, its title would be used instead.

For this reason there is one additional .INF file (named ASST_TTL.INF, less than 1,000 bytes bytes) provided, which is merely a title header. If you precede the other file names in the examples above with this file name, your title will show "IBM PC Assistant Series" as the title, instead of "IBM PC Marketing Assistant." This may be less confusing when you sometimes look at just one PC Assistant book, and other times link several books together.

(NOTE: In case you are wondering why the .INF extension was used in some of the examples above, but not others, the answer is that it is optional when using the VIEW command directly, as in VIEW xxxx; however when the START command is used to launch a program, or the SET command is used to link files together, the fully-qualified program and file names are required. Not using the .INF extension in these cases will cause a "Cannot Open Input File" error.)

If you already have the Assistant installed in a group/folder, and want to move the entries to their own group/folder, you can simply drag and drop (using the "alternate" "right" for right-handed users) mouse button) from one window to another. This will save a lot of typing (in the new group/folder) and deleting (from the old location). This "trick" works with any folder or Group menu items.
 * TIP ***

INSTALLING THE PC ASSISTANT ICON
There is one final file, ASST.ICO included with the PC Assistant. It is an icon that can be used to distinguish the PC Assistant books from others you may have. (Note: While you can assign this icon to objects in a folder, when the books are actually being displayed, and are minimized to the desktop, the (default) book icon for the VIEW.EXE program is used.)

For OS/2 2.1 or Warp users:

This is very simple: 1) Use the Drives icon to find the directory (such as C:\OS2\BOOK) containing the icon file, and open that folder/directory so that you can see the ASST.ICO icon.

2) Open the Settings for the book you wish to apply the icon to, and select the General tab.

3) Then simply drag then icon (using the right mouse button) from the folder onto the icon displayed in the Settings. When you drop the icon it replaces the original one in the Settings.

This feature was first added in 2.1. Any icon can be replaced by any other icon in seconds, without knowing the name or location of either the original or replacement icon. You only have to be able to drag one icon onto another, even if it is an application on your desktop that doesn't have a specific icon file. Just drag and drop the application object onto the Settings notebook and the icon will be "absorbed."

For OS/2 2.0 users:

1) Open the Settings for the book you wish to attach the icon to.

2) Click on the General notebook tab, press the Find button and then the Locate button.

3) Click on the Path tab and type in the path where the icons can be found (such as d:\OS2\BOOK).

4) Press the OK button, then the Find button. Use the scroll bar as necessary to spot the icon you want and then click on it to select it.

5) Press the OK button; if the correct icon is now shown in the Settings notebook, close the settings. If not repeat the steps, being careful to follow them exactly. (This process sounds more confusing than it really is, once you get used to it.)

USAGE INSTRUCTIONS
Information on using the PC Assistant is available by double-clicking on the first option (What is the IBM PC Assistant? - Tutorial) on the Contents menu. If you are familiar with using the OS/2 Online Command Reference, then you also know how to use the PC Assistant; however there is some information specific to the PC Assistant contained in this section that should be read before using the first time.

HOT TIP
If you know the name of the section you will be looking in first, you can jump directly to that section from the command line. For example, if you want to look up a part number, rather than typing VIEW ASST-MKT, and then selecting the Part Numbers & Price Lists, then the PC Hardware Part Number/Price List, then Diskette Drives you could type: VIEW ASST-MKT DISKETTE and jump directly to that section. This technique works only for the FIRST menu topic containing that keyword. If, for example, you were looking for Hard Disk Drives and searched on DRIVES you would get the Diskette Drives header, because it preceded the Hard Disk Drives section in the table of contents.

This trick won't always get you where you want to go on the first try, but it can be a time-saver once you get the hang of it.

UPDATES
The PC Assistant is updated approximately every 3-5 weeks, and available from a number of electronic sources:

World Wide Web Download:
 * IBM PC Company BBS, www.pcco.ibm.com/files.html
 * IBM Software Manufacturing Solutions, www.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/info/pcasst
 * OS/2 Shareware BBS, www.os2bbs.com

FTP Download:
 * IBM PC Company BBS, ftp.pcco.ibm.com {IBM Software...OS/2 Software... OS/2 Utilities}
 * IBM Software Manufacturing Solutions, ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/info/pcasst (198.17.57.66)

BBS Download:
 * IBM PC Company BBS (919-517-0001), Directory 10 (OS/2 Utilities)
 * IBM OS/2 BBS/TalkLink (800-547-1283 for subscription info), Software Download library, Tools section
 * OS/2 Shareware BBS (703-385-4325)
 * Various other BBSes with significant OS/2 content

CompuServe Download: Note: When looking for the Assistant files on these sites, look for filenames like ASST*.ZIP or ASST.EXE, ASST*.INF, ASST.ICO, and ASST.TXT.
 * IBM OS/2 Support forum - All files (GO OS2SUPPO, section 23 (IBM Files))
 * IBM Options By IBM Forum - IBM PC Options Assistant, General Info Assistant only (GO IBMOBI, Customer Uploads section)
 * IBM PC Servers Forum - IBM PC Servers Assistant, General Info Assistant only (GO IBMSVR, User Uploads section)
 * IBM PS/1 & Aptiva Forum - IBM Consumer PC Assistant, General Info Assistant only (GO APTIVA, User Uploads section)
 * IBM PS/2 Forum - IBM PS/2 Assistant, General Info Assistant only (GO IBMPS2, User Uploads section)
 * IBM ThinkPad Forum - IBM ThinkPad Assistant, General Info Assistant only (GO THINKPAD, User Uploaded Files section)
 * IBM ValuePoint/PC Desktop Forum - IBM ValuePoint Assistant, IBM PC Series Assistant, General Info Assistant only (GO VALUEPOINT, User Uploads section)

Direct access:
 * A subset of this information is also available on CompuServe as an online database (GO PCASSIST) in a series of ASCII files.

Internal IBM Download:
 * PCWIN tools disk (PS2ASST3 PACKAGE)

IBM Developer Assistance Program (IDAP) members, and customers registered as Technical Coordinators, who have access to IBMLINK also may download the PS Assistant, using the instructions provided (from the Software Mall). End users may also download the PC Assistant from a number of other public and commercial sources, as follows:

IBMers may type in the following command from the VM command line to get the latest copy of the PC Assistant: TOOLCAT PCWIN GET PS2ASST3 PACKAGE    <-- note the 3 If this doesn't work, use the following: TOOLS SENDTO BCRVMMS1 PCWIN PCWIN GET PS2ASST3 PACKAGE <-- note the 3 To subscribe to the PC Assistant (and receive future updates automatically), repeat the previous command, substituting SUB for GET.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Due to some technical problems with MKTTOOLS, some long-time subscribers have had trouble receiving the PC Assistant from MKTTOOLS. Those users should try subscribing via the PCWIN disk as an alternative.

FEEDBACK
If you have any comments, suggestions, or find any errors, please let me know. I can be reached through the IBM PC Company BBS as follows: Dealers registered with the IBM Technical Advisor program may use the 800 # to call the IBM PC Company Technical Advisor BBS (TA BBS) set up for them. Others may call 919-517-0001. All modems are V.32bis (14.4Kbps). Communication parameters supported are 300-14400 bps, N, 8, 1, except for the V-Series modems (9600). In addition, I can be reached via Internet as MCHAPMAN@VNET.IBM.COM. My fax number is 919-517-1229. IBMers can reach me internally at T/L 255-0484 or MCHAPMAN at RALVM8. There is also a PS2ASST FORUM available on the IBMPC disk. Finally, I can also be reached by mail at the address contained in the Tutorial section of each PC Assistant book, and don't forget about the survey included in each PC Assistant book!

KNOWN PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS

1) It appears that you cannot print from the Assistant if the OS/2 1.x Spooler is disabled. If you receive printing errors, check to be sure the spooler is enabled, or type SPOOL at a command prompt to enable it.

2) In some instances (such as searching through fixed-pitch text, such as the price list, and some tables) a multi-part search string (for example, MATH COPROCESSOR) may not return all valid matches. This is a limitation of the VIEW.EXE command, and thus outside my control. If you do not get as many "hits" as you expect, try a shorter search string (such as MATH), or use wildcards (MATH CO*). Single-word searches appear to work correctly. This is still a problem as of OS/2 2.0, but was fixed in OS/2 2.1.

3) If you try to use STARTUP.CMD to start more than one .INF file (whether PC Assistant, CMDREF.INF, or other online help file) you may receive an OS/2 error message for each attempt after the first. This is due to a timing problem (the second copy trying to load before the first finishes) in OS/2 1.2 and 1.3. The fix for this bug is in OS/2 V1.30.1 (also called CSD 5015), and later versions.

4) There may be a problem trying to print (from VIEW.EXE) INF file information on a PostScript printer. If you encounter strange wrapping problems on a PS printer, try changing your printer into IBM Proprinter (or other ASCII printer) emulation mode if your printer has such a mode (or any other emulation mode that is known to work with the PC Assistant). Then set the Print Manager Application Default (from Setup) to use an OS/2 driver compatible with this printer mode. (If this works, don't forget to reset your printer mode and OS/2 driver back to their original settings when done printing from the Assistant. If your printer is capable of printing ASCII files, another approach is to use the Copy to File pulldown option. This will save the selected sections to a file called TEXT.TMP, in the same directory as the INF file you are copying from. Then simply use the File Manager to drag-and-drop the file to the Print Manager icon. Then answer the prompt for the device driver to use, and when prompted whether the data is Graphics or Text, specify Text. (The reason for doing it this way, rather than using the Print command, is that many PS printers do not automatically switch from PS mode to ASCII mode, and tend to "eat" the ASCII file instead of printing it. The drag/drop method forces the printer into ASCII mode, if the printer has an ASCII mode.)

5) If you are using the Assistant on an OS/2 LAN Server 1.3 network, make sure that all INF files are set up with read-only attributes, otherwise all users trying to share a file that is already open will receive "access denied" error messages. This is true of any INF files you might be sharing (Command Reference, etc.).

6) OS/2 1.30/1.30.1 servers attempting to share common INF files, while using the "local" copy of VIEW.EXE from the requester will either need to install CSD 5050 or later (1.30.2), or upgrade to LAN Server 2.0 or later. This feature was added after the 1.3 base code was released.

7) The 2.0 ServicePak introduced a bug that renders wildcard (*) searches inoperative. OS/2 2.1 fixes it. So until you upgrade to 2.1, don't use wildcard searches, which will always return "Cannot find Search Text" messages.

8) If you are trying to concatenate file names in the Parameters field of a book object (such as: ASST-TTL.INF+ASST-MKT.INF+ASST-SVC.INF+ASST-OS.INF+...) on a 2.0 system, but get a "Cannot open input file" message, try removing all the .INF extensions from the file names (they are not necessary). There appears to be a limitation to the length of this string in 2.0. So don't try to link more than about 6 file names this way, even without the .INF extensions. 2.1 corrects this limitation.

9) Warp 3.0 fullpack introduces a bug that requires the .INF extensions in the Parameters field when concatenating multiple filenames. This problem doesn't esixt in Warp 3.0 for Windows.

10) IBM DOS 7 users, like OS/2 users, have a built-in INF file viewer. However, DOS imposes some limitations that do not exist in OS/2. Because of this DOS 7 users will be unable to view the IBM Marketing Assistant and IBM OS Assistant books, due to their size. Also, because the DOS viewer runs in text mode, bitmap graphics will not be visible.

11) The Windows XVIEW program has similar limitations to those of the DOS 7 viewer, except for the bitmap graphics which should be visible.

I hope you find this tool to be useful. Good luck!


 * Mark Chapman
 * Advisory Marketing Support Representative
 * IBM PC Company HelpCenter

NOTE: The information contained in the IBM PC Assistant is copyrighted by IBM and may not be modified in any manner, or for any reason. In addition, the name "PC Assistant" and derivatives thereof have been trademarked. See the "What is the IBM xxx Assistant" menu option in the PC Assistant books for trademark information and additional disclaimers.