















                                What Vehicle History?



                   Service History Tracking, Reporting, and Billing
                          of ground-based mechanical devices
                                 for MS-DOS computers




                            Shareware Edition User's Guide












                               Written by Angel Babudro
                                     P.O. Box 132
                                   Paonia, CO 81428














                            (c) 1991-1995 by Angel Babudro
                                 All rights reserved.
















                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                                       CONTENTS



          I.    DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   1

          II.   COPYRIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   1

          III.  LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   1

          IV.   TECHNICAL SUPPORT (HOW TO REACH ME) . . . . . . . . . .   2
                Official Distribution Bulletin Boards . . . . . . . . .   3

          V.    ORDERING METHODS AND REGISTRATION FEES  . . . . . . . .   4
                A. Benefits of Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
                B. How To Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
                C. Pricing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
                INVOICE & REGISTRATION  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7

          VI.   WHAT DOES THIS SOFTWARE DO? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8

          VII.  SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
                A. Storage Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
                B. Using on a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
                C. Using with MS Windows  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
                D. Using with 4DOS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9

          VIII. FILES WHICH MAKE UP THE PACKAGE . . . . . . . . . . . .   9

          IX.   RUNNING What Vehicle History? FOR THE FIRST TIME  . .    10
                A. Quick Start  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    10
                B. Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    10
                C. Using the Menus  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    11

          X.    MANAGING FILES  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    11
                A. Making Back-up Copies of Your Files  . . . . . . .    11
                B. Restoring Files from a Back-up Copy  . . . . . . .    12
                C. Formatting Floppy Disks  . . . . . . . . . . . . .    13
                D. Re-Indexing Files  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    13
                E. Packing Files  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    14

          XI.   DATA ENTRY  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    14
                A. Service Information  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    15
                B. Departments, Mechanics, Service Types, and
                   Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    15

          XII.  REPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    16


                                         -i-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



          XIII. PREFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    17
                A. Operating Choices  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    17
                   1.  Back-up & Restore Method (17)
                       ________________________
                   2.  Country setting (17)
                       _______________
                   3.  Directory Display Format (17)
                       ________________________
                   4.  Alert Tone (17)
                       __________
                B. Defining your Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    18
                   1.  Laser Printer Soft Fonts (18)
                       ________________________
                   2.  Scalable Fonts (18)
                       ______________
                   3.  Lines per Page (19)
                       ______________
                   4.  Left Margin (19)
                       ___________
                C. Sales Tax Rate and Labour Rate Entry . . . . . . .    19

          XIV.  HELP  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    20

          XV.   ERROR MESSAGES  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    20

































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                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



          I.    DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY

                WVH IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OR
          CONDITIONS, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
          THOSE CONCERNING MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
          PURPOSE.  NEITHER ANGEL BABUDRO NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN
          INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS
          SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR
          INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE
          THIS SOFTWARE EVEN IF ANGEL BABUDRO HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
          POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
          AUTHOR'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR
          THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. 
          THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY
          AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
                Some States do not allow the exclusion of the limit of
          liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above
          limitation may not apply to you.
                This agreement shall be governed by the State of Colorado
          and shall inure to the benefit of Angel Babudro and any
          successors, administrators, heirs and assigns.  Any action or
          proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out
          of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a State
          or Federal Court of competent jurisdiction located in Delta
          County, Colorado.  The parties hereby consent to in personam
          jurisdiction of said courts.


          II.   COPYRIGHT

                WVH is owned and copyright (c) 1991-1995 by Angel Babudro,
          all rights reserved.  You may only use and/or distribute WVH
          under the License terms below.


          III.  LICENSE

                The following terms and conditions apply to the use and/or
          distribution of What Vehicle History?:
                          _____________________

                1. WVH is being distributed as Shareware; it is not free. 
          You are granted a limited license to use WVH for an evaluation
          period of up to 60 days, to determine if it suits your needs. 
          Any other use of WVH or use past this period requires
          registration.

                2. You may keep as many back-up copies of WVH as you wish. 
          The Registered Edition is limited to simultaneous use on the

                                         -1-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



          number of computers indicated on the Use License.  The
          Unregistered Edition may be used on any number of computers for
          the purpose of evaluation as specified in paragraph (1).

                3. All files originally distributed as part of the package
          (including this notice) must be included without modification. 
          The complete list of files can be found in the PACKING.LST file
          which is part of this package.  The Registered Edition CONFIG.WVH
          file is NOT to be distributed.

                4. Individual users may freely copy this disk and share it
          with friends, family, and acquaintances.  Non-profit groups
          (including user groups and BBSs) may distribute copies of this
          disk.  A fee of no more than $5 may be charged to cover disk
          copying costs.  If the files on this disk have dates more than a
          year old please contact the author for a free update to the
          current version.

                5. Disk distributors and dealers must have written
          permission before selling copies of this software.  When you
          contact me you will receive a free copy of the latest version and
          you will be placed on my mailing list to receive updates as they
          are released.  Disk distributors may charge no more than $10 per
          disk for copies of this software.  If, as a distributor, you
          supply copies to other resellers, the end price to the user may
          not exceed $10.

                6. You must obtain written permission prior to distribution
          as part of any "bundled" packages (e.g., CD-ROM, placing on new
          computer systems, etc.).  Such permission is often granted; the
          author is a nice guy - please write to him with your ideas.

                7. If the software is packaged for retail sale the
          packaging must explain that the software is Shareware, that the
          purchaser is receiving a trial version, and that use beyond the
          trial period requires registration with the author.

                8. You must immediately stop selling/distributing copies of
          this software upon notice from the author.


          IV.   TECHNICAL SUPPORT (HOW TO REACH ME)

                If you have questions or need help, just send a note to me
          through the mail or a BBS listed below.  Registered users, those
          intending to register within 30 days, vendors, and sysops may
          contact me via telephone as well.  Sysops and shareware vendors
          please see VENDOR.DOC for distribution information.

                                         -2-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                Mail        Angel Babudro, "Organic Computer Wizardry",
                            PO Box 132, Paonia, CO 81428 USA
                Phone       (303) 527-6756 Tue-Fri 10am-6pm Mountain Time

                I am normally available by phone during the hours stated
          above.  If you get the answering machine please leave a message. 
          Unregistered users: please try again later; I am happy to answer
          your questions but I cannot afford to pay for the call.

                Official Distribution Bulletin Boards

                   My software packages are "free" downloads on the BBSs
          listed below - you need not subscribe to download my shareware
          (although other files or functions may require subscription).  I
          use the first name "Angelo" on BBSs since it avoids gender
          confusion (I'm used to both names anyway).  Scan for the file
          name WVH*.* to locate the latest version.

          West Coast   Researcher's BBS (CA)        USR Dual (805) 949-8151
                       Enter "J;136" to join the OrganicSftwr conference
                       before downloading, browsing for topics of interest,
                       or leaving messages to me.  This board is huge, by
                       the way; anything you want is here.  One of their
                       specialties is extensive WordPerfect support. 
                       Messages can be sent to me via FidoNet 1:102/1310.

                       Expanding Horizons (CO)    14.4k V.32 (303) 241-2847
                       This is my local BBS so it is the one I most often
                       update and check for messages.  Log on to this board
                       with the name "OC WIZ" and the password "WHAT" -
                       this will bypass the usual questionnaire so you can
                       begin downloading right away.  If you log on using
                       your own name enter "J;3" to join conference #3,
                       then type "F" to view the list of my software.

          Midwest      Rusty 'n Edie's BBS (Ohio), six phone numbers:
                              HST 16.8                       (216) 726-1804
                              Hayes 28.8                     (216) 726-3642
                              Hayes V-series                 (216) 726-3610
                              2400/V32/ZyXEL 19.2            (216) 726-2620
                              USR HST Turbo 21               (216) 726-3628
                              CompuCom Speed                 (216) 726-3584

          East Coast   Excalibur (Central NY)       USR Dual (315) 736-3792
                       FREQ (File REQuest) from this board via RBBS address
                       A:954/401, FIDO address 1:26501, or ICN address
                       91:315/101.


                                         -3-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                       WhiTech BBS (NC) ZyXEL 14.4 V32b/V42b (910) 944-1165
                       File Request (FREQ) via Fido address 1:3636/2.


          V.       ORDERING METHODS AND REGISTRATION FEES

                   WVH has been under constant development since 1991 in
          the hopes that many people will be willing to pay for a small
          part of the development.  If you use this software past the 60-
          day trial period you are asked to pay the registration fee. 
          There are many benefits to registering WVH, as explained in the
          following section.

                A. Benefits of Registration

                The Shareware (unregistered) version of WVH is fully
          functional so that you may try all of its features and know
          exactly for what you are paying.  Past the 60-day evaluation
          period WVH will display reminders to register your copy or
          discontinue use of the software, but it will always continue to
          be fully functional.

                When you register you have the following benefits:

                -  You get the latest version with the latest features and
                   enhancements direct from the author.
                -  You get a complete introductory course in using
                   computers for business which includes sections on
                   hardware, DOS, Windows, and WVH.
                -  Telephone support - you can talk to the software author
                   who can help you right away and is committed to making
                   the software work well for you.
                -  Updates are free - get them from a local BBS or vendor.
                   As new features are added, WVH's price is sometimes
                   adjusted to reflect the dramatic increase in its value
                   to users. By registering now, you pay the current (low)
                   price and are entitled to the higher-priced features.
                -  You can subscribe to receive updates & upgrades as soon
                   as they are released so you will always have the latest
                   features & enhancements.
                -  The Shareware License display and Unregistered Edition
                   delay go away.
                -  It rewards the author for thousands of hours of software
                   development done without pay and from which you are
                   deriving benefit.  It's the right thing to do and will
                   surely come back to you in blessings & good karma.



                                         -4-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                B. How To Order

                Send cash, check, or money order in U.S. funds; Canadian
          cheques or foreign cash are also acceptable.  No Purchase Orders
          please; instead use the invoice (below) and, since you are (and
          have been) using the Unregistered Edition, consider it the case
          that you are paying for already delivered merchandise.

                If you prefer to use a credit card, you can order WVH from
          Public (software) Library with your MC, Visa, AmEx, or Discover
          card by calling 800-242-4PsL (from overseas: 713-524-6394) or by
          FAX to 713-524-6398 or by CompuServe to 71355,470.  THESE NUMBERS
          ARE FOR ORDERING ONLY.  I CANNOT be reached at those numbers.  To
          contact me for information about dealer pricing, volume
          discounts, site licensing, the status of shipment of the product,
          the latest version number, or for technical information, call
          303-527-6756 or write me at PO Box 132, Paonia, CO USA 81428. 
          The idea behind Shareware is that you try it before buying and,
          therefore, product returns are not allowed.

                When ordering from PsL ask for product #11518.

                C. Pricing

          Use License with Disk, Manual, and Computer Course -- $159. 
                License to use one copy of WVH along with the latest
                Registered Edition on disk with automated installation, the
                latest version of this documentation on disk, notification
                of major updates, and a printed 3-ring-bound manual.  The
                manual contains an introductory course in computers plus a
                complete guide to using WVH.  The course covers computer
                components (hardware), DOS & software basics, Windows, etc.
                Companion course disks are also provided.  This course is
                for the newcomer and covers all the topics necessary to
                understand and maintain your computer.  Manuals are printed
                on tree-free paper (50% hemp/50% cereal straw).

          Wholesale & OEM -- If you want to resell WVH or bundle it with
                your product or service please write me with your idea.

          Site License -- If your firm has multiple computers on which WVH
                will be installed you may opt to purchase a Use License
                (above) plus a site license.  With a site license you are
                provided with a disk for each computer but just one printed
                manual which may be photo-copied (although additional
                copies may be purchased).  Discounts range from 30% to 80%. 
                Please write for a copy of the agreement.


                                         -5-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



          Free Updates -- When you register I will send you a "key" which
                will allow future releases to work as Registered Editions. 
                You can download from a BBS or otherwise obtain an updated
                copy and it will recognize your registration key.1

          Updates Through The Mail -- An update disk with the latest
                versions of all my shareware costs $7.00 (plus the normal
                shipping outside the continental U.S.).

          Update Subscription -- I will send important updates as they are
                released.  In return you will be expected to send $7 plus
                foreign shipping, if any, to me within 15 days or return
                the disk to cancel this service.  There is no time
                commitment and this subscription can be cancelled by either
                party at any time with written notice.

                Prices and specifications are subject to change without
          notice.  Vendors and sysops see VENDOR.DOC and SYSOP.DOC.

                     Angel Babudro   "Organic Computer Wizardry"
                          Box 132, Paonia, CO 81428-0132 USA
                    (303) 527-6756 Tue-Fri 10am-6pm Mountain Time

                           Register the Shareware you use.

















                              
          ____________________

               1 When  you share  copies with  BBSs and  others be  sure to
          delete  your CONFIG.* file  from those copies.   Not only does it
          contain all the  settings on  your system and  certain pieces  of
          your  data, but it also  contains your registration  key and your
          name.

                                         -6-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                                INVOICE & REGISTRATION
                     Credit card orders see "How To Order" above

          REMIT TO:                       FROM:

            Angel Babudro                   Name___________________________
            "Organic Computer Wizardry"
            PO Box 132                      Company________________________
            Paonia, CO  81428
            USA                             Address________________________

                                            _______________________________

                                            Phone__________________________



          Use License      Registration, disk, & manual      ($159) _______

          Shipping &       Continental U.S. - add $3
           Handling        Canada, AK, HI, VI, PR - add $5
                           Outside U.S.A. & Canada - add $9         _______

                                                  *** T O T A L  = $_______


          Update        Do you want to receive updates in the      YES [__]
          Subscription  mail every 2 to 4 months?  Updates are
                        $4 plus shipping; you'll have 15 days       NO [__]
                        to pay or return the disk to cancel.

          Disk size            [__] 5"                [__] 3"
          Drive density        [__] Low (DD) required  [__] High (HD) okay
          FDFORMAT/FDREAD      [__] FDFORMAT extended densities okay

          Printer make(s) & model(s)______________________________________

          Which version are you using now?________________________________

          I got it from ________________BBS ________________Vendor __Other

          I saw a review in_______________________________________________

          Upon receipt of this paid invoice the latest Registered Edition
          disk and any options ordered above will be sent.  Mail with your
          cash, check, or money order in U.S. funds (Canadian cheques and
          foreign cash are okay).  Put comments on back.  Allow 1-4 weeks
          for delivery.  Thank you for registering!

                                         -7-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



          VI.   WHAT DOES THIS SOFTWARE DO?

                What Vehicle History? (WVH) was originally designed in
                _____________________
          October 1991 to track maintenance records for construction
          equipment.  Over the years it has been expanded to track the
          maintenance history of just about any ground-based mechanical
          devices - cars, trucks, tractors, motorcycles, big rigs, power
          generators, or anything else that is tracked by miles or hours. 
          (An aviation version is being researched - please write if you
          are interested in this.)  Each "vehicle" has an owner, division,
          or department identified with it, which makes WVH perfect for
          companies who own many vehicles or shops who maintain other
          people's vehicles.

                WVH will track parts, labour, and comments pertaining to
          each service incident for a vehicle.  In addition, you may enter
          your parts inventory and WVH will track stock levels and sales
          history (including profit margin) on parts.


          VII.  SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

                You will need:

                *   An 8088 or faster PC (a 286 or faster is recommended)
                *   At least one disk drive with at least 720k storage
                    capacity (a hard disk is recommended)
                *   MS/PC-DOS 3.1 or higher (v3.3, 5, or 6.x recommended)
                *   At least 400k free RAM
                *   A dot matrix or laser printer if you wish to print
                    reports

                A.  Storage Requirements

                Although the system is capable of handling 5.5 millions
          entries per file, you would need a super-computer or a lot of
          time to manage it.  Here are some practical guidelines for your
          computer system:

                PC/XT (8088 or 8086) - perhaps 10 vehicles
                80286 - 10 to 20 vehicles
                80386 - 20 to 50 vehicles
                80486 - Over 50 vehicles

                These are just recommendations, though.  You can track a
          thousand vehicles on a 4MHz XT if you want to; it'll just make
          molasses look fast...


                                         -8-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                B.  Using on a Network

                With version 2.2 of WVH I have installed network file locks
          for networks that use the DOS SHARE.EXE file sharing method.  I
          only have one computer so I am unable to test how WVH will work
          on a network, so if you have a network and experience problems
          (such as error 70), please give me your input.  I will gladly
          send a free update in return for useful information.

                C.  Using with MS Windows

                WVH can be run as a DOS application under Windows 3.1
          although it is not a Windows application (in other words, it runs
          the same in DOS or Windows).  If you don't use Windows or use it
          only occasionally (as I do), then use WVH from DOS since it will
          work faster without Windows' overhead.  If you normally have
          Windows loaded, however, then go ahead and set up an icon for
          WVH.  To do this, highlight or create a group, then use File/New
          to create a program item and define it as C:\WVH\WVH.EXE (or
          whatever directory you are using) and set the data directory to
          C:\WVH or some other, as you desire.

                D.  Using with 4DOS

                WVH has been successfully tested on 4DOS versions 4.0 and
          5.0 - there are no special considerations or procedures
          necessary.


          VIII. FILES WHICH MAKE UP THE PACKAGE

                What Vehicle History? consists of the following files:
                _____________________

                WVH.EXE       Main programme
                WVH.HLP       Help file
                WVH.SCN       Screen definitions
                WVH.TXT     * The ASCII text file of this document
                WVH.WP      * The WordPerfect file of this document (so you
                              can format it for your printer)
                PRINTER.DAT   Printer definitions
                FKEY.LST      Function key definitions
                READ.ME     * A file containing late-breaking news
                ORDER.FRM     Order form for all of my software
                FILE_ID.DIZ * BBS description file
                DESC.SDI    * BBS description file
                SYSOP.DOC   * Information for BBS sysops
                VENDOR.DOC  * Information for Shareware vendors


                                         -9-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                These are the files which make up WVH.  If you distribute
          evaluation copies to friends and bulletin boards please be sure
          to include all of these files.  However, additional files will be
          created by WVH which contain your data and should not be
          distributed (unless you intend to share your data files).  The
          files marked with an asterisk (*) can be deleted if disk space is
          a premium.

                Registered users:  Be sure to delete the file CONFIG.WVH
          from copies you share with others since it contains your
          registration stamp, serial number, your name, and some historical
          information pertaining to your data.


          IX.   RUNNING What Vehicle History? FOR THE FIRST TIME

                A.  Quick Start

                To get started in a hurry just type "WVH" from the DOS
          prompt and set each of the Preferences screens.  Most importantly
          set the Sales Tax and Inventory preferences.  All Preference
          information can be changed as needed.

                B.  Installation

                Before you can use WVH you will have to install it on your
          hard disk or create a working floppy disk.  Since almost no
          business uses dual floppy disk systems anymore I won't bother to
          explain the procedure here.  If you have a lap-top computer with
          dual floppy disks simply place the necessary files (as listed
          above) on one disk and use the other one for data files.  The
          full Printed Manual contains details on this.  Contact me if you
          need help with this in order to evaluate WVH before registering.

                If you received your copy of WVH on floppy disk it came
          with an INSTALL programme.  If INSTALL.EXE or any other of the
          files which make up the software are not on your disk please
          contact me so I can make the distributor aware of the problem.

                To use the automated installation programme, go to the DOS
          prompt (usually "C:\>" or something similar), and type
          "d:INSTALL" where "d:" is the letter of the floppy disk drive
          with the WVH disk (e.g., "A:INSTALL" to install from floppy A:). 
          You will be asked to supply the destination drive and directory. 
          If you have an existing version of the software on disk you will
          be informed that it will be updated with the new disk.



                                         -10-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                After INSTALL is finished you will see some helpful
          information for setting up your computer well, and directions on
          how to run WVH.  A batch file called WVH.BAT is created in your
          root directory if you so permit, and your CONFIG.SYS and
          AUTOEXEC.BAT files are not touched at all, not one little bit -- I
          wouldn't invade your system that way.

                While in the root directory you just type "WVH" to start
          the programme.  WVH is a batch file which merely changes to the
          proper drive & directory then runs WVH.  You can delete this file
          if you are using a menu or would rather type the commands
          yourself.

                C.  Using the Menus

                WVH uses the familiar pull-down menus which are common to
          QuickBASIC, Windows, and Macintosh applications.  Basically,
          there is a horizontal menu of choices -- File, Data Entry, etc. 
          Under each of the horizontal choices is a menu of functions
          pertaining to that item -- it is a two-dimensional menu, in other
          words.

                There are two ways to select an item from the main menu:

                1.  Press the letter which is highlighted in the option
                    description
                2.  Use the Up/Down/Right/Left arrows to highlight the
                    option you want then press ENTER (a.k.a. RETURN or CR).

                Some menus do not have highlighted options.  On these menus
          you must use the arrow keys to highlight your choice then press
          ENTER.

                If you want to cancel an operation you selected, just press
          the Esc ("Escape") key.


          X.    MANAGING FILES

                The choices under the File menu have to do with your system
          set-up, file management, and ending the programme.

                A.  Making Back-up Copies of Your Files

                Your computer is a machine and one day it will probably
          break down.  File/Back-up protects your information by making a
          copy of it on another disk.


                                         -11-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                You must have a formatted disk ready.  You can use the same
          back-up disk over and over again (the new copy will over-write
          the old one), but it is a good idea to alternate at least three
          back-up copies just in case you have a problem while creating a
          back-up, in which case you have two copies on which you may rely. 
          When the work you've done since your last back-up would be heart-
          breaking to lose, it's time to make another back-up.

                Using compression software packs more information in less
          space (so you can use fewer floppy disks) but requires more
          memory (RAM).  The compression software WVH is programmed to use
          and their memory requirements are as follows:

                ARJ 2.41 needs at least 300k free
                LHARC 2.13 needs at least 189k free
                PKZip 2.04g needs at least 157k free

                After you select File/Back-up a summary window pops open
          and a menu of methods will be presented, starting with "DOS Copy"
          and including each compression technique for which you have
          enough free memory.  Once you choose a method you are asked to
          enter the back-up destination (which is typically a floppy disk
          drive, such as A:, but you may decide to back-up to another hard
          disk, a network drive, etc.).  All WVH data files will then be
          backed-up to the destination disk and directory using the method
          shown in the window.

                B.  Restoring Files from a Back-up Copy

                If you ever need to recover data files from a floppy disk
          you made using the File/Back-up command (above), just place the
          floppy disk in its drive and select File/Restore.  The first
          thing you will be asked is to specify the disk drive from which
          to restore files.  Once you highlight a drive and press ENTER the
          list of files on that disk will be shown - individual data files
          as well as any compressed archives.  Highlight each file you wish
          to restore and press the SpaceBar key; you will see an arrow
          appear next to each file as it is selected.  If you change your
          mind, just press the SpaceBar again and the arrow will go away,
          indicating that the file will not be restored.  Alternately, you
          may use the mouse and click the left button instead of using the
          arrow keys and SpaceBar.

                Once you have selected all the files you wish to restore
          press the ENTER key or click on the "Ok" button with a mouse. 




                                         -12-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



          Each file will be copied into the current data directory.2  Any
          compressed archives being restored will automatically be
          expanded.

                C.  Formatting Floppy Disks

                This option is for those times when you have decided to
          make a back-up copy of your data but don't have a formatted disk
          handy.  File/Format Floppies lets you format a floppy disk to
          your computer's standard density without exiting WVH.  If you
          have a high density drive you can only format high density disks
          (in other words, WVH doesn't pass any parameters to DOS FORMAT).

                If you have What Floppy Format? (WFF.EXE) available
          somewhere in your search path WVH will automatically access it
          for formatting floppy disks (so you can do whatever you want). 
          You will receive a complimentary copy of the latest version of
          WFF with your WVH registration.

                D.  Re-Indexing Files

                If you ever notice that information is missing or appears
          in any way wrong, it is probably because something has damaged an
          index file.  WVH will automatically catch and fix most index
          problems (like if power goes out in the middle of the programme),
          but there are times when only you will know that the file indices
          need to be re-built.

                One common example would be if you restored files from a
          back-up disk.  When you make a back-up (using WVH's File/Back-up
          option) you are only storing the data files.  This saves space on
          your back-up disk.  However, it means that if you restore from a
          back-up the index files may be mis-matched to the files.  So you
          would use the File/Re-Index option.

                If you have large files (thousands of records) re-indexing
          can take a minute or more, depending on your computer's speed. 
          Aside from that, though, it is harmless to re-index as often as
          you like.


                              
          ____________________

               2  The directory from which WVH is started is considered the
          data  directory -  it is where  the data  files are  stored.  For
          example, if you are in the C:\WVH\DATA directory and you  run WVH
          from  there, then files will  be created in,  backed-up from, and
          restored to this directory.

                                         -13-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                E.  Packing Files

                Whenever you delete information from the files WVH marks
          the "slot" (record) in the files as being "available" so that the
          next new piece of information will use that slot.  If you delete
          a lot of information (for example, if you delete a vehicle that
          had a lot of service history & parts information) there may be a
          lot of disk space being used to store old information.  This is
          where pack comes in handy.

                Packing makes a new copy of all of your files which does
          not include deleted records.  For every deleted record between
          128 and 512 bytes of disk space will be freed.


          XI.   DATA ENTRY

                This menu of What Vehicle History? lets you enter vehicles,
                             _____________________
          mechanics and other information into the data base.  The Data
          Entry menu is split into three sections:

                1. Regular data entry for vehicle service information

                2. One-time data entry for vehicles, mechanics,
          departments, and service codes

                3. Rarely needed data entry (schedule next maintenance) --
          this function is run automatically after you enter service for a
          vehicle, so you would normally not need to access the function
          directly.  This option is not yet completed.

                All data entry screens use the same method of asking you to
          choose a code (vehicle, service type, etc.).  There are two
          windows on the screen: the left-hand one showing the codes and
          the right-hand one showing the details.

                As you move through the codes in the left-hand window, WVH
          shows you the details for the code which is highlighted.  You
          move with the arrow keys, PgUp and PgDn keys, or by pressing the
          letter or number of a code.  For example, if you press the "G"
          key WVH will jump to codes beginning with the letter "G".  If
          there are no codes that begin with "G" the next code after "G"
          will be highlighted.

                You can back-up one step (cancel an operation) by pressing
          the Esc key.  Otherwise, just press ENTER to select the code
          which is highlighted and continue with an operation.


                                         -14-






















          service information.

                Once you select this option you will see the menu of
          vehicle choices.  To quit just press the Esc (Escape) key,
          have set up your vehicles, owners, etc. you can enter the actual
                This is normally the most used function in WVH.  After you
                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                A.  Service Information







          otherwise highlight a vehicle and press ENTER.



          enter and press the ENTER key.
                Next you will see the menu of service types.  Choose a
          service type which describes the information you are going to



          vehicle then you will see a menu of dates.  The first item in the
          menu is "New date."  Highlight your choice and press ENTER.
                If there is already some service information for that



                Finally you are on the service entry screen.  There are
          three windows here:  One for parts, one for comments, and one for



          save it.

                When you exit the service screen you are back at the
          When you are finished entering information press the F7 key to
          (Jump) key.  Within a window use the arrow keys to move around. 
          everything else.  You can jump between the windows using the F6





          vehicle menu (as above) and the cycle starts over.  Just press
          the Esc key to stop entering service information.

                B.  Departments, Mechanics, Service Types, and Vehicles



          right which has the details about the highlighted code.
                These data entry windows all work similarly.  You will see
          two windows:  One on the left which has codes, and one on the


                Highlight a code and press ENTER to edit it's information






          and "AG05" are both valid codes, though "AG05" has room for 100
          numbers, or symbols.  Only upper-case letters are used.  "AG-5"

          variations while "AG-5" has room for 10 variations.  It's a good
          (insert) key.  To delete (erase) a code press the Del (delete)
          (in the right-hand window).  To enter a new code press the Ins

          key.

                The codes you define can contain up to five letters,



          idea to give some thought to your coding system before entering
          all of your data!



                                         -15-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                WVH sorts codes in typical ASCII fashion.  One character at
          a time is compared, going left to right.  For example, here is a
          list of codes in ASCII order:

                1A
                A001          It is best to pad your numbers
                A002          with zeroes (like these three examples)
                A015          so they come out in order.
                A1
                A100
                A1000
                A2
                B001


                Service Types examples:  Use whatever works for you.  If
          you have an existing system, just use those same numbers or
          letters.  Perhaps you have abbreviations you use on invoices. 
          You can use "BR" for "Brakes", or you might just have service
          type "1" for all types of service if you don't care to separate
          the service history by service types.  Avoid getting too detailed
          because you will have to enter a separate service record for each
          type of service you want to track.  This might mean splitting one
          service into two entries - perhaps you replaced a radiator and
          replaced brake pads at the same time.  If you want to print a
          report in the future which shows just the brake work (or
          whatever), then make a service type for it.


          XII.  REPORTS

                Highlight the report you want and follow the instructions
          on the screen.  For reports which ask for dates - enter the date
          in month-day-year order, entering just the numbers and using a 4-
          digit year.

                You can choose to print a report on the screen, on your
          printer, or to a disk file.  If your print to a disk file you
          will be asked for a file name (which may include the drive and
          path, if necessary) and the file will be created using the codes
          for your printer.  If you want a "raw" ASCII file without printer
          codes then define your printer to be a "Generic/Daisy-wheel"
          printer.






                                         -16-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



          XIII. PREFERENCES

                The Preferences menu contains options which help you
          customize the operation of WVH and set necessary parameters, such
          as the type of printer you have.

                Please check each Preferences screen before making full use
          of WVH, otherwise something might seem wrong with the software
          whereas it is due to the set of conditions under which WVH is
          operating.

                A.  Operating Choices

                    1.  Back-up & Restore Method
                        ________________________

                    Under the File menu are options which allow you to
                back-up and restore your data to/from other disks for
                safety.  These operations will use the DOS COPY command
                unless you use this option to change it.

                    You will see a menu of four choices of methods to use
                when backing-up and restoring:  DOS COPY (the default),
                ARJ, LHARC, or PKZIP.  In order to use ARJ, LHARC, or PKZIP
                compression software you must have the compression
                programme available in your DOS PATH.  In addition, you
                will also need enough free memory (RAM) to run both WVH and
                the compression software.

                    2.  Country setting
                        _______________

                    This setting is not currently used.  I plan to use it
                in the future to determine whether to use english or metric
                measurements.

                    3.  Directory Display Format
                        ________________________

                    This option is not yet used and can be set to anything. 
                For now, it is included to maintain a standard "look and
                feel" of my packages.

                    4.  Alert Tone
                        __________

                    When some type of error or warning message is displayed
                on the screen, you reach the end of a field, press a wrong
                letter in a menu, etc., WVH can alert you with one of three
                sounds or you may select "No sound" for silent operation.



                                         -17-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                B.  Defining your Printers

                WVH lets you use a laser or dot matrix printer, but you
          must first define it and the fonts you want to use for printing. 
          Until you define your printer and fonts there will be a flashing
          message at the bottom of the screen and you will not be able to
          print anything.

                The Preferences/Printer window shows the current settings. 
          Use the arrow keys to move around, and press the F3 key to change
          anything.  For example, to set your Title Font move the cursor to
          that line then press F3 and a menu of choices will appear. 
          Highlight a font to use and press <Enter>.  When you are
          finished, highlight the "Ok" button and press <Enter>. 
          Alternately, you can use a mouse (click on "Ok") or press F7 to
          save the screen and exit.

                    1.  Laser Printer Soft Fonts
                        ________________________

                    You will need portrait (SFP) fonts for reports.  Once
                you define your font choices on this screen WVH will
                automatically use them for all reports.

                    Example: Highlight the "Titles Font" line and press the
                <F3> key - a window of font choices will appear.3  You may
                choose any of the built-in fonts or a soft font.  If you
                choose "Select a soft font," a window will pop open in
                which you may enter a drive and/or path which contains the
                soft font files (whatever you enter here becomes the
                default response for next time).  Next you will be shown a
                list of the soft font files (*.SFP) in that directory.  Use
                the arrow keys and PgUp/PgDn keys to move around, highlight
                the one you want, and press <Enter>.  The soft font file
                name will now be shown on the screen.

                    2.  Scalable Fonts
                        ______________

                    A scalable font is a single font (e.g., CG Times,
                Univers, etc.) which can be printed in practically any
                size.  PCL 5 printers like the H-P LaserJet III and IV have
                scalable fonts built in.  This means you can pick a font
                and print in practically any size you want.

                    When you select a scalable font WVH will prompt you for
                the pitch (cpi) or the point size, depending on whether it
                              
          ____________________

               3 You must define the printer before you can set any fonts.

                                         -18-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                is a fixed-pitch or proportionally-spaced font.  In general
                numbers between 8 and 14 work best.  My favourite font for
                both my laser and dot matrix is a Helvetica-Univers-Swiss-
                etc. (sans serif) font at 12cpi or 12 points.

                    3.  Lines per Page
                        ______________

                    Enter the number of lines which may be printed on a
                page in your printer.  Most of the time you will be working
                with 66 lines total (11-inches of paper printed at 6 lines
                per inch).  On laser printers the total number of lines of
                often 60 due to half-inch top & bottom margins.

                    I recommend that you set this to 55 lines, which is a
                common setting leaving an inch margin at the top & bottom
                of each page.

                    4.  Left Margin
                        ___________

                    This setting is the same as it would be for a
                typewriter - it is the distance from the left margin, in
                inches, at which printing will begin.  If you would like to
                leave space at the left edge (e.g., to 3-hole punch the
                pages) then set this as you wish.  If you use a 10 cpi font
                (or 12 points for lasers) there will be no room for a left
                margin on most reports.  However, a 12 cpi (or 10 point)
                font, such as Prestige Elite, will give you room to set a
                one-inch margin or so.  Experiment to find what works best
                for you.

                C.  Sales Tax Rate and Labour Rate Entry

                    This window lets you set two important items:  The
                sales tax rate for your area and whether or not you want to
                enter the labour hourly rate on the Maintenance Data Entry
                screen.

                    If you do not need to track sales tax, just enter zero
                for this.  Otherwise, enter your sales tax rate as a
                percentage (i.e., 7.50 for 7.5%).

                    When you are entering service information for a vehicle
                you are asked to indicate the mechanic or place of service
                which, in turn, indicates the hourly rate for labour.  If
                you wish you can enter the labour rate on the service data
                entry screen, which allows you to over-ride the rate set
                for the mechanic or place of service.  This can be handy if
                you don't want to track mechanics, only the service done. 

                                         -19-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



                In this case you could set up a single mechanic and enter
                the hourly rate as it pertains to each incident of service.


          XIV.  HELP

                The Help menu has two options:  About and Index.

                Help/About gives some information about the programme, free
          memory, and file usage.

                Help/Index presents a menu of help topics.  Use the up and
          down arrow keys to highlight a topic then press ENTER and a
          window of information about that topic will pop open.  It's a
          handy (albeit brief) on-line manual.


          XV.   ERROR MESSAGES

                WVH has three types of errors which you may experience:

                1.  Logical error - this is a minor problem, not really an
                    error at all.  An example of this type of error is if
                    you try to enter a duplicate vehicle code.  These
                    "errors" will appear in a window and, once you press
                    ENTER or click on "Ok" WVH will continue its operation.

                2.  File error - these problems cause an error screen to
                    appear which suggests a possible solution to the
                    problem and, if you can't fix it, my address and phone
                    number is shown so you can mail me the error or call
                    me.  A common reason for this error is that an index
                    file contains a bad entry (perhaps due to a power
                    outage).  The most common solution to these problems is
                    to re-index your files (File/re-Index).

                3.  Programme error - this is a mistake of mine and will
                    cause the programme to abruptly end with a one-line
                    error message and a message like "Press any key to
                    return to system."  Report these errors to me right
                    away, please.  WVH is thousands of lines long, so the
                    bigger it gets the more likely it is that a few bugs
                    will creep in there somewhere.  These errors get top
                    priority and are usually fixed and a new version
                    released within a day.

                If anything happens that you don't understand, or if you
          can't get WVH to do what you want, I would appreciate knowing

                                         -20-














                                What Vehicle History?
                                _____________________



          about this so I can fix the software or update the documentation
          as necessary.  Thank you for your help and support!  :)















































                                         -21-







