Acorn A3010 Welcome Manual Download Page 1

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Acorn A3010

Welcome Guide

Summary of Contents for A3010

Page 1: ...Acorn A3010 Welcome Guide...

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Page 3: ...Acorn A3010 Welcome Guide...

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Page 5: ...us to keep our valued and growing family of users informed about new developments You are not of course obliged to answer all the questions should you prefer to leave any of them blank The first part...

Page 6: ...authorised personnel If you have any comments on this manual please complete the form at the back of the manual and send it to the address given there Acorn supplies its products through an internatio...

Page 7: ...he correct airflow through the unit DON T attempt to open any display or monitor unit whether supplied with the equipment or not DON T drop the equipment or subject it to excessive bumping and jarring...

Page 8: ...m is made Any costs of carriage to and from the supplier must be paid by the purchaser 4 If ACORN agrees with the supplier that the equipment should be forwarded to ACORN for repair then ACORN will ar...

Page 9: ...Documentation roadmap This roadmap will help you decide which tools and manuals you will need as you start to use your computer and develop your skills vii...

Page 10: ...RISC OS desktop Using the mouse 11 Describes what the mouse does and how to use it Windows 15 Explains the special features of the screen display Menus 23 Explains how menus work within the RISC OS de...

Page 11: ...ect them to your computer In particular it explains how to connect a TV and get the best picture on the screen Appendix C Attaching peripheral devices 77 Explains how to connect other devices to your...

Page 12: ...X...

Page 13: ...enty of room for the carton as well as for the computer Take everything out of the carton making sure you don t break the packaging material as you may need this later to transport your computer Warni...

Page 14: ...original carton Choosing where to set up your computer Bear the following points in mind when deciding exactly where to situate your computer Don t place the computer where it will be exposed to direc...

Page 15: ...he plug on the end of the mouse cable goes into the socket on the back of the computer The plug has an arrow moulded into it this should be uppermost when you push it in The plug won t go in any other...

Page 16: ...rial cable You can connect a colour TV to your computer using the aerial cable supplied Connect one end of the cable into the TV and the other end into the computer s TV modulator socket Connect other...

Page 17: ...d in the previous chapter Before switching on the mains supply Check that the monitor or TV printer and computer ON OFF switches are set to OFF The monitor and printer have separate switches Their man...

Page 18: ...aying a picture generated by the computer If you re using a standard aerial cable to connect your TV you ll find all the instructions for getting a picture on your TV in Connecting a colour TV with a...

Page 19: ...ests The LED on the floppy disc drive will also flash once when the drive is being checked Next you will see an introductory screen After a few seconds you should have a picture on your screen looking...

Page 20: ...itch off the monitor and any other peripherals too Later on when you ve been using your computer a while you ll find that it s better to follow the instructions in Switching off the computer on page 5...

Page 21: ...your computer and be able to see the RISC OS desktop on your screen The desktop is your working area At first it is clear except for the bar across the bottom of the screen As you perform tasks and us...

Page 22: ...ocessing and drawing programs Initially there are only two The pointer Palette The palette enables you to change the colours on the screen depending on your monitor and to set up the way the screen lo...

Page 23: ...you should hold it like this Move the mouse around and watch the pointer move around the screen If you run out of space to move the mouse lift it up and put it down again in a more convenient positio...

Page 24: ...the screen on page 25 includes one instance and the RISC OS 3 User and Applications Guide describes many more Mouse techniques The following mouse techniques are all you need to start using your compu...

Page 25: ...le click on For example point at the Edit icon in the Apps directory display 2 Double click on the object Press and release the Select lefthand mouse button twice in quick succession You have to make...

Page 26: ...top of the Apps directory display The title bar is the part of the directory display containing the words Resources Apps 2 Select it with the mouse Press and hold down the lefthand button of the mous...

Page 27: ...f a window you have seen so far is the Apps directory display which appears when you click on the Apps icon on the icon bar Features of windows Most windows can be moved around the screen hidden behin...

Page 28: ...the toggle size icon switches a window between full size and the last size displayed Full size is either large enough to display everything in the window or such that the window fills the whole scree...

Page 29: ...by dragging its title bar follow the steps in Dragging on page 14 By default you can only drag a window to the edge of the screen before it stops You can however set up the computer to drag windows al...

Page 30: ...ows to the front When you have a stack of windows on the screen you can get at the one you want by sending windows to the back or bringing one to the front First click on the palette icon on the icon...

Page 31: ...lication will usually ask you whether you want to save the changes Saving and loading a file on page 46 tells you how to save files Scrolling A window is so named because it allows you to see all or p...

Page 32: ...indow over the file directory or picture you are viewing Slider The slider size shows what proportion of the file is visible if the slider occupies half the length of the scroll bar half the file is v...

Page 33: ...rrow Position the pointer on the scroll arrow and click the Select lefthand button to scroll by small steps at a time Hold the button down to continue scrolling Click the Adjust righthand button to sc...

Page 34: ...he slider to display the part of the file you want to view Move from one side of a document to the other by using the horizontal scroll bar if the window has one Note If you drag either slider with th...

Page 35: ...s is the main way of doing things in the RISC OS desktop Menu options shown in grey like Clear selection above are not available at that time Often you must perform another action before the option be...

Page 36: ...n each icon in turn with Adjust not Select before you bring the menu up Use Adjust to deselect icons too You can make the menu apply to all the icons in a window by choosing Select all from the menu s...

Page 37: ...ith an arrow An arrow indicates that a submenu is available For example point at the Display option on the Filer menu 2 Display the submenu Move the pointer onto the arrow The Display submenu will app...

Page 38: ...ption in the Filer menu You ll find out how to display it in Creating a new directory on page 45 2 Type in the information requested Use the Delete key or press Ctrl U to remove the default name if th...

Page 39: ...u can obtain these from your computer supplier Floppy disc storage sizes on page 29 tells you which discs to ask for Before you use them you ll have to format them see Formatting a floppy disc on page...

Page 40: ...me passes Label them so that you always know which one holds the information you need Store them carefully and keep them away from extremes of temperature strong magnetic fields e g TVs or loudspeaker...

Page 41: ...r nail Remove write protection by moving the tab back again Floppy disc storage sizes Floppy discs are a bit like audio cassettes they both store or record information Some audio cassettes hold more i...

Page 42: ...nk piece of paper before you start writing on it It tells the computer where to put the information it writes along the lines called tracks Formatting also tells the computer how much information a fl...

Page 43: ...progress of the operation will be displayed The RISC OS 3 User and Applications Guide gives you more information about formatting discs When you ve formatted a disc it s a good idea to stick a label o...

Page 44: ...3 Move the pointer over the floppy disc drive icon and click Menu 4 Move the pointer over the arrow to the right of the Name disc option 5 Type the new disc name in the Disc name writable menu box th...

Page 45: ...Take the following steps to make a backup copy of a floppy disc 1 Write protect the source disc and put it into the floppy disc drive 2 Click Menu on the floppy disc drive icon on the icon bar then cl...

Page 46: ...c in case your hard disc develops any errors This can happen during the lifetime of a hard disc but don t worry it s not usually catastrophic The RISC OS 3 User and Applications Guide tells you what t...

Page 47: ...blocks as follows The typewriter keys are in the main block and are similar to a typewriter keyboard The Return key on the right completes a line either starting a new line of text or sending a name o...

Page 48: ...t or deletes a selected object e g in Draw Ctrl Control changes the meaning of a key when held down while that key is pressed Alt changes the meaning of a key when held down while that key is pressed...

Page 49: ...example F3 to Save a file entering data in a spreadsheet or database Whenever you need to use the keyboard within the desktop a vertical bar appears This is called a caret Any characters you type wil...

Page 50: ...a black area in one corner These keys allow you to accent characters The accent in each case is the character nearest the black area of the key For example to type an e with an acute accent 1 Whilst h...

Page 51: ...lier Starting an application There are two main ways you can start an application Double clicking move the pointer over the application s icon and double click Dragging move the pointer over the appli...

Page 52: ...m for the text Press the Return key to start a new line and press it again to leave a blank line Once you have typed a few lines of text move the caret around the text by moving the pointer with the m...

Page 53: ...the second window Now move the pointer over the first Edit window and click Select to change the input focus Close the second window You don t need it now Quitting applications When you ve finished u...

Page 54: ...If you want to use these extra fonts copy Fonts from the Applications disc onto a disc of its own Bring up its directory display before you start any applications that use fonts like a desktop publish...

Page 55: ...also other directories subdirectories and applications Directory icons usually look like folders to indicate that they can contain files or other directories There is a special sort of directory call...

Page 56: ...king Adjust on an application icon will simultaneously load the application and close its directory display Clicking Adjust on the close icon closes a directory display and simultaneously opens its pa...

Page 57: ...ating a new directory 1 Open a directory display Decide where you want to create the new directory and open a directory display For example put your work disc in the floppy disc drive and click on the...

Page 58: ...box for you to type in the file name you want 3 Type in the file name Type in the name you want to give to the file If there is a name already in the box like TextFile here which you don t want erase...

Page 59: ...he directory you want to hold the copy Its directory display will be opened For example create another new directory on your disc WorkDisc called TestFiles2 follow the instructions in Creating a new d...

Page 60: ...use this option with caution 1 Select the file or directory to be deleted Click Select on the icon you want to delete The icon will be highlighted For example select the copy of EditTest in directory...

Page 61: ...ea of the desktop you will see a menu called Pinboard Don t worry too much about this at the moment It s explained in the the RISC OS 3 User and Applications Guide and enables you to do things like ch...

Page 62: ...he dropped icon and click Menu 2 Remove the icon Choose Remove icon from the menu If that option is greyed out it means that the pointer wasn t quite over the icon when you clicked Menu Try again This...

Page 63: ...e printer whether you need to change any settings switched the printer and computer on 1f you haven t you can find out how to do this in Switching on on page 5 Follow the instructions in this chapter...

Page 64: ...corresponds to the make of your printer in this case Acorn You ll then see a directory display containing all the available printer drivers Decide which printer driver suits your printer and load it...

Page 65: ...tings are correct click on OK 5 Set the Connection options Click Menu on the printer name in the Printer control window to display the Printers menu again This time choose Connection You ll see the Co...

Page 66: ...It may take some time 1f it doesn t print out follow the rest of the steps in this section 4 Display the application menu Click Menu inside the file s window Do this in the window for EditTest 5 High...

Page 67: ...the file Drag the file s icon over the printer icon on the icon bar and release the mouse button Your file will print out Try this with the file EditTest Not all applications allow you to print this w...

Page 68: ...ver If there isn t one that matches your printer you ll probably still be able to print most printers have an Epson or IBM compatible mode Check in the printer s manual if this is the case and then ch...

Page 69: ...ly This will ensure that you don t lose any work and that the computer is in a safe state before you turn off at the switch 1 Save your work Make sure that you save any work you have been doing or you...

Page 70: ...he back Switch the monitor off If you have any other peripherals connected to your computer check in the manuals supplied with them to see whether you need to switch them off every time you switch off...

Page 71: ...the brightness control on the monitor is not turned down Flickering or flashing display Check that the connectors between the monitor and the computer are tight Switch off both the computer and the mo...

Page 72: ...l this fails try holding down Ctrl and pressing the RESET button on the lefthand side of the computer to start the computer up again The pointer is not visible on the RISC OS desktop If the pointer is...

Page 73: ...ay stay after you switch on and the floppy drive indicator light may flash on and off a few times then contact your supplier There may be a fault with the computer s hardware Note The number indicatin...

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Page 75: ...ths while the computer is not being used If your computer is switched off for this long leave it on for a few hours the next time you use it In the course of time after a few years the battery like a...

Page 76: ...e direction of the arrows by a quarter of a turn see the diagram overleaf 3 Hold one hand over the ball and retainer and turn the mouse right side up allowing the ball and retainer to drop into your h...

Page 77: ...ich may leave lint and do not use cleaning liquid on the ball To replace the ball and retainer take the following steps 8 Turn the mouse upside down and place the ball back in the case 9 Return the re...

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Page 79: ...onitor was supplied with the correct cable if it wasn t refer back to your supplier whether your monitor needs an adaptor and the right one was supplied the MonitorType best suited to your monitor 5 I...

Page 80: ...nector composite syncs Taxan 770 C TV standard with 9 way connector Acorn AKF17 D SCART TV or monitor with SCART connector Acorn AKF12 E TV with standard coaxial aerial connector None2 Standard resolu...

Page 81: ...A and Multiscan Multiscan 1 Red Red 2 Green Green 3 Blue Blue 4 Not Connected 0V See note 1 5 0V or test 0V or test 6 Red Rtn 0V Red Rtn 0V 7 Green Rtn 0V Green Rtn 0V 8 Blue Rtn 0V Blue Rtn 0V 9 Not...

Page 82: ...rk satisfactorily when driven with separate horizontal and vertical sync signals Adaptor type C The cable supplied with some Multiscan monitors requiring composite sync is terminated at the computer e...

Page 83: ...monitor can be displayed Cable type E You need this cable if it s not supplied for use with televisions and monitors using a SCART input socket Note 1 HSync pin 13 linked back to ID 0 pin 11 tells th...

Page 84: ...o a composite monochrome signal you can fit these components into a 15 way connector shell You need an adaptor cable that has a 15 way D type plug on one end and a phono plug on the other The connecti...

Page 85: ...the TV and the other end into the UHF modulator socket on the back of the computer 2 Connect the TV to the power outlet on the wall and switch it on switch the computer on now as well if it isn t on...

Page 86: ...s until you ve got the best possible picture consult the TV s manual Things to look for are correct colours centralisation of the picture picture clarity clear dividing lines between the colour bars a...

Page 87: ...are known as letterbox modes Changing the MonitorType Normally you don t have to worry about this as it is set automatically when you connect a monitor and switch on the computer the default Auto sett...

Page 88: ...e pointer to the right of the Mode menu option 3 Click on one of the screen modes listed or move the pointer to the bottom of the Mode box type in your chosen mode number after the caret then press Re...

Page 89: ...used to attach peripheral devices the Serial port and the Parallel port The characteristics of each of the above ports are described in the following sections along with information about the types o...

Page 90: ...ve alternative flow control mechanisms involving ETX ACK different control characters from XOFF XON transmitted under slightly different circumstances or RTS CTS signals on additional wires on the int...

Page 91: ...ell you the communications package to use that best suits your modem Parallel port The parallel port is commonly used to connect a printer or to send receive data to from a device using eight data pin...

Page 92: ...ction Printing on page 51 tells you how to configure your computer to use a Acorn JP 150 printer You ll find more information in Printing in the RISC OS 3 User and Applications Guide and the manual su...

Page 93: ...dicator light This light comes on when you turn the computer on Floppy drive indicator light The indicator light comes on when the floppy disc drive is being accessed by the system WARNING When the fl...

Page 94: ...iscs Disc eject button The disc eject button releases the floppy disc so that you can remove it from the drive When you press the button the disc pops partially out of the slot allowing you to remove...

Page 95: ...ibe the connectors on the back of the computer an asterisk after a signal name denotes active low Parallel port A parallel printer needs a 25 way D type plug to go into the 25 way D type socket on the...

Page 96: ...ere is also some information in Appendix C Attaching peripheral devices Important note Do not connect serial devices to the joystick port especially if RTS is connected to CTS This could blow the comp...

Page 97: ...cket allows you to connect stereo headphones or your stereo amplifier system to the computer through which you can hear sound produced by the computer The lead must have a 3 5mm stereo jack plug as us...

Page 98: ...at work with the computer Computer power cable Use this to connect the computer to a standard power outlet ON OFF switch This is the computer s power switch When you switch it on the ON OFF indicator...

Page 99: ...e done to the product during the installation of internal upgrades whether or not carried out in accordance with the instructions in this chapter If you don t feel confident about carrying out any of...

Page 100: ...the three screws 2 Turn the computer the right way up again 3 Lift up the front of the top cover The case is in effect hinged at the back by six plastic clips moulded to the inside of the top plastic...

Page 101: ...sion card Some expansion cards provide extra connectors on the back of the computer when they re fitted Before you fit such expansion cards you ll need to remove the two expansion card blanking panels...

Page 102: ...RAM upgrade cover and follow any instructions supplied with the upgrade to fit it Make sure you replace the metal cover when you ve fitted the RAM upgrade Reassembly 1 Replace the metal RAM upgrade co...

Page 103: ...rt an application Apps icon An icon that is always present on the lefthand side of the icon bar Clicking on this will give you access to the applications stored permanently in the computer s memory RO...

Page 104: ...vice icons Devices really means storage devices places where information files directories or programs is kept Click on the device icon on the lefthand side of the icon bar to see what is stored on th...

Page 105: ...uctured way of storing and manipulating files See the RISC OS 3 User Guide for more information floppy discs Removable discs for storing information Your computer uses 3 5 inch floppy discs fonts Type...

Page 106: ...tor Demodulator A device that allows the computer to send and receive electronic signals via a telephone monitor Screen unit like a TV set used to display communications from the computer Monitors can...

Page 107: ...it and remove its window from the screen RAM Random Access Memory part of the computer information storage system which is accessible for storing or retrieving information without using discs Informa...

Page 108: ...application Contains some of the resources that are common to all applications Task manager Icon on righthand side of icon bar Use it to control how the computer uses its memory title bar Along the t...

Page 109: ...using 39 42 using from floppy discs 39 Apps directory 15 39 icon 15 B back icon see windows backup see floppy discs and hard discs battery internal 63 C CapsLock key 40 Caps Lock key see keyboard care...

Page 110: ...ictions on names 46 subdirectories 43 disc eject button 28 disc format errors see floppy discs discs and disc drives 27 34 double density floppy discs 29 98 double clicking 12 13 loading a file 47 ope...

Page 111: ...t out of applications 42 H hard discs backing up important files 34 disc errors what to do 34 headphones 32Ohm socket 85 high density floppy discs 29 Home key see keyboard icon bar 9 bringing to the f...

Page 112: ...erial port 78 monitor connecting 4 monitors supported types 75 switching on 5 MonitorType Auto setting 75 100 setting 75 mouse buttons 12 connecting 3 dragging 14 holding 11 moving the pointer II tech...

Page 113: ...ing 55 printing an Edit file 54 problems 56 troubleshooting 56 problems with application 61 problems 59 problem solving 61 Q quitting applications 41 R RAM Random Access Memory 95 removing top cover 8...

Page 114: ...ion 10 title bar see windows toggle size icon see windows tools see applications troubleshooting 59 printing 56 TV modulator socket 4 typewriter keys see keyboard typing special characters 38 102 U un...

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Page 117: ...nted Do you like the way the information is presented General comments If there is not enough room for your comments olease continue overleaf How would you classify your experience with computers Firs...

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