Please read this chapter before running Micro-Scope for the first time. The first section describes the documentation contained on the CD, and how to access it. The second section gives the various options for loading and running the Micro-Scope software.
With the system booted up to its resident operating system, insert the CD. If the system features Autoplay, the Attention screen shown on the previous page will appear automatically. If Autoplay is not featured, locate and double-click the autoplay.exe file on the CD.
SCREEN ATTENTION
The Micro-Scope software is intended to be used while booted to its own operating
system, and the screen above is a reminder to anyone attempting to run it under
Windows. The screen will also appear while accessing the on-line documentation.
The information in the README.TXT file is already described in this chapter
of the manual. Since you are reading the manual, README.TXT can be ignored.
To access the rest of the documentation on the CD, click Next to bring up the
Autoplay Menu screen shown on the following page. 
SCREEN AUTOPLAY MENU
The right-hand side of the screen lists the documentation options available on the CD. Click on any selection from this menu to bring up the corresponding content.
Tutorial Video This is the Toolkit Tutorial for using the Micro-Scope software and the Universal Post-Probe card. The video run time is approximately one hour and requires a video player, such as RealPlayer or Windows Media Player that can use the .mpg format. If you are a new user of the Micro-Scope software, the video provides an excellent overview of the programs many features, and tips on when to use them.
Product Manual A duplicate of the hard-copy manual is included in PDF format on the CD. This is a handy field reference in case the hard-copy manual gets left at home. The CD also contains a copy of Acrobat Reader.
RemoteScope Demo The CD contains a free 5-seat copy of the powerful network management and remote control program called RemoteScope. If your duties include network administration, give it a try and see how much easier your job can be.
Other Products From Micro 2000 Open this menu item to learn about other products relating to computers or computer training.
Website Provides a one-click link for access to the Home page of Micro 2000s website.
Loading the Micro-Scope Software
For the full version of Micro-Scope on CD, no installation procedure is required before running the software on any PC with a bootable CD-ROM. Simply put the CD disc in the CD-ROM drive and turn on the computer. Micro 2000s proprietary operating system on the disc includes a boot-load routine, which will bring up the system with that operating system in control. Most brand-name systems sold in the last 5 years will have a bootable CD-ROM drive, but this feature sometimes must be enabled in CMOS, as described below.
CMOS Setup Changes to the CMOS are made through the CMOS Setup program, also called the BIOS Configuration program. This program can be entered by pressing the correct key during system bootup. The right key will vary from one system to the next, but is usually named in an onscreen prompt. Once in the setup program, locate the menu items that set the boot priorities or sequence, and make sure that the CD-ROM drive has a higher boot priority than the C drive. Normally the CD-ROM will be 2nd, after the floppy drive, and the C: drive will be third.
Note: If using the Limited Edition version on floppy diskette, or if the system requires a floppy because the CD-ROM is not bootable, see the appropriate sections later in this chapter.
Boot Selection Menu When Micro-Scope boots up, it will first present the screen shown below.
MICRO 2000. ... ..MICRODOS Ver 4.f. . ..MICRO 2000
Option 0 Errors in Base Memory will often prevent a diagnostic program or operating system from loading. This option provides a way to pinpoint fatal errors in base memory by loading a compact memory test routine that takes up only 2 KB of RAM and performs a basic test on the remainder of the base memory.
Option 1 This is the normal choice when loading Micro-Scope. As the program loads, it will do a thorough inventory and analysis of the system hardware. If the program halts during the loading process, it could be because there is insufficient memory (Micro-Scope requires 512 KB) or an error occurred at the address shown on the screen. If this happens, use Option 0. Once the memory has been checked, the Title Screen shown on the next page will be displayed as the system peripherals are sampled. The amount of time this takes will depend on the speed of your system. Please be patient and dont touch the keyboard while the bottom of the screen displays the line saying "Please Wait While Analyzing", except for the M key which must be pressed at this time if you wish to use the mouse for navigation. When the sampling process is complete, the program will progress to the main menu, covered in Chapters 2-6.
Option 2 Loading the entire Micro-Scope
program requires the use of overlays that are brought into RAM on an as-needed
basis. This requires that the CD remain in the drive while the program is in
use. Options 2 and 3 eliminate the use of overlays by loading only certain portions
of the program. This allows the CD to be removed, which is an advantage when
working on multiple systems. To further save space in conventional memory, Options
2 and 3 are run in Text mode. Option 2 will load the items that are accessed
through the System Configuration menu and Utility menu. The items available
on these menus are described in Chapter 2 and Chapter 5, respectively. 
TITLE SCREEN
Option 3 As with Option 2, this loads a smaller portion of the program so that the CD can be removed for testing additional machines. Option 3 loads those items that are accessed through the Batch menu and Diagnostic menu. These are covered in Chapters 3 and 4, respectively.
Option 4 This provides access to the routine used to make copies of the CD onto a floppy diskette. The copying procedure is covered later in this chapter.
Full Version vs. Limited Edition
Micro-Scope comes in two versions, the full professional version and the Limited Edition. The full version comes on a bootable CD and is the tool favored by most professional PC technicians. The Limited Edition is an introductory version on a floppy diskette, and is included in many educational courses. Both of these versions have the same diagnostic routines, with a few minor exceptions which are discussed at the appropriate points in the text. The full version CD can be used an unlimited number of times, and allows backup copies to be made on floppy diskette. The Limited Edition only allows the software to be loaded and run a specified number of times, and does not allow copies. Also, the Limited Edition must be registered, as described below.
The very first time the Micro-Scope Limited Edition diskette is loaded, it will stop on the Title Screen to allow for registration of the diskette, rather than going on to the main menu. Once the "Please Wait While Analyzing" prompt has gone away, the cursor will move to the registration line. Type in your name (or the company name, whoever is going to be the registered licensee for the diskette) using alphanumeric characters (no punctuation), and press Enter. The program will go to the main menu. Once registered, each time the diskette is loaded it will briefly display the Title Screen with your registered name, and will then progress to the main menu automatically.
If you have the full version of the program and wish to use it in a system that does not have a bootable CD-ROM, you can make a backup copy of the program on a floppy diskette for this purpose. Backups must be made using the proprietary backup routine included on the diskette. Copying the software with other disk-copy or imaging programs is a violation of the licensing agreement and in most cases will result in an unusable copy. To create a copy of the Micro-Scope program on a bootable floppy diskette:
Because of space limitations on the 1.44 MB diskette the floppy version will run in text mode, which is functionally identical but without the colorful background. Also, when the program boots up from a floppy, it will display the same boot selection options listed on page 10 but in fact Option 4 will not be available, because making a copy from a copy is not allowed. Attempting to do so will bring up a reminder that all copies must be made from the CD.
Major upgrades of the Micro-Scope are usually issued each year prior to the November COMDEX show. These are available for a nominal fee to Micro-Scope licensees in good standing. We recommend staying with the latest upgrade, in order to keep up with the rapid pace of change in PC hardware design. In addition, throughout the year we may occasionally post patches and minor product improvements to our website at micro2000.co.uk. These can be downloaded at no cost to update any floppy backup copies. Look in the Tech Support section of the web site for the latest downloads, and be sure to note the installation instructions posted there for each particular upgrade.
Running under DOS or Windows Micro-Scope is designed for the highest degree of accuracy when the system is booted to the Micro2000 operating system. It is possible to run the MS.EXE file from the command line in DOS, Windows 9x or ME (although not in NT, 2000 or XP), but this can lead to inaccurate results on certain tests and benchmarks due to the masking effects of those operating systems. However, the tests for some hardware devices require the software drivers for those devices to be loaded. Examples are expanded memory and certain high-end sound cards. If Micro-Scope does not report a device that you know is installed, this indicates that the device driver needs to be loaded. If the device drivers are specified in AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS, they can be loaded by booting to DOS or to the Windows option COMMAND LINE ONLY. Then insert the Micro-Scope diskette and type a:ms at the command prompt. This is preferable to running in an MSDOS window within the Windows OS because DOS will cause less interference to the diagnostic than Windows does. However, if necessary you can boot to Windows and start Micro-Scope with the Windows RUN command or by locating and double-clicking the ms.exe file on the diskette. Windows Safe Mode will load the basic Mouse and Video drivers, and is preferable to the full Windows boot if these are the only drivers needed. If Micro-Scope is opened under Windows, it will bypass the Boot Selection Menu and go straight to the Main Menu screen.
Warning: Before using a diskette copy of Micro-Scope under DOS or Windows, it must be Write Protected by using the slider to open the square hole in one corner of the diskette. Using the Micro-Scope diskette under Windows without write-protection can render the diskette unusable, and void the warranty.
Warm Boot There also may be times when it is beneficial to run under Micro-Scopes own OS, but with hardware in the same state it was initialized to by the resident OS. This can be accomplished with the procedure known as a warm boot.
Press CTRL+ALT+DEL (DOS) or choose
Restart
from the Windows shutdown menu.
Help Micro-Scope contains context-sensitive help. Wherever you are in the program, pressing the <F1> key will bring up a screen with information about that portion of the program. Pressing the Escape key will take you out of the Help screen and back into the program at the same point you left it. The further you go down the menu tree or into one of the information or test set-up screens, the more specific will be the Help information that you see. If the information is too specific, return to the program and use the Escape key to back up a step or two. Then press F1 again and see if the Help data at that step is more pertinent.
Navigation All selections within Micro-Scope are made from the Main Menu or one of the sub-menus. The Main Menu is the starting point and has 5 choices:
System Configuration Batch Menu Diagnostics Utilities Quit
If Option 2 was selected during bootup, the Batch and Diagnostics choices will
be missing, and if Option 3 was selected, System Configuration and Utilities
will be gone. Each of these menu items has its own submenu, covered in its own
chapter in the manual. Moving around the screens is done with the Arrow
keys, or with the mouse if the M key was pressed during startup. One item (only
one item) will be highlighted at any time. Menus have gray backgrounds with
black text, within the Micro-Scope program itself (i.e. not the Autoplay or
Boot Selection menus). The highlighted item will be shown in white text with
a black border. However, in this manual the tonal values of most screens have
been altered for clarity. The highlighted item is selected by a mouse left-click
or by pressing the Enter key. This will open up a submenu, start the
selected item (either a test or an information screen), or open a data entry
window for that item. Items with submenus will have an arrowhead pointing to
the right. 
SCREEN MAIN MENU
Press the Escape key to exit the selection and return to the next higher level in the menu hierarchy. In cases where the item consists of a series of screens (such as System Information), moving from one screen to another is done with the Page UP and Page DN keys. Across the bottom of the screen, a prompt will remind you of which keys will do what. Data Entry screens may require Y/N or other alphanumeric data to be entered into boxes. In a few instances, values in a screen can be toggled or incremented by using the Plus and Minus keys. These will be mentioned in the appropriate sections.