RiscStation R7500 Welcome Manual

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Page 3 This product is not intended for use as a critical component in life support devices or any system in which failure could be expected to result in personal injury. RiscStation Ltd. accept no liability for loss of data or the consequences as a result, direct or otherwise, of using this equipment.
Page 4: Guidelines For Safe Operation
Guidelines for safe operation The equipment described in this guide is intended for use only as a personal computer. It should not be used for other purposes. It is important that the installation and its operation are carried out in accordance with the instructions provided in this guide. Please observe the following guidelines in the interests of continued safe and reliable operation, .
Page 5: Precautions In Use
Precautions in use • Do not spill liquid on the equipment. If you do, turn the equipment off immediately and take it to your supplier for assessment. • Do not drop the equipment or subject it to exessive jarring or bumping. •...
Page 6 Welcome ! Thank you for choosing the RiscStation R7500. This Welcome Guide is intended to be of most use to those who are using a RISC OS computer for the first time. Much of the advice given in this document will apply to other RISC OS computers but it has been written with the RiscStation R7500Lite specifically in mind.
Page 7: Unpacking And Setting Up
Please take a few minutes to fill in your Registration Card and send it back to RiscStation Ltd. (UK) or RiscStation Australasia, as appropriate, so that you can be sent any updates in...
Page 8: Setting Up The Computer
Choosing where to set up your computer It is likely that you might want to use your computer often and for extended periods of time, therefore it is recommended that you position it in a location and aspect which will be comfortable for you.
Page 9 Peripheral connections (ports) Your peripherals connect to the computer via the ports at the back of the machine Before you switch on... Connect the mouse and keyboard to the computer Plug the mouse connector into the socket, at the back of the computer, identified by a symbol for the mouse and the keyboard connector into the socket indicated by a picture of a keyboard.
Page 10: Connect The Printer To The Computer
Connect the printer to the computer If you have a printer, you can connect your printer using a standard parallel printer cable to the parallel printer port. Other peripheral devices such as scanners or zip drives can also be connected via the parallel port. As well as the printer being physically connected to the computer, you will also have to setup the software which communicates with the printer;...
Page 11: Boot Procedure
2. Switching On Switch on ('power on') In order to switch on the computer for use, press the 'power' button, as indicated, and release. Boot procedure When you switch the computer on you will see the following as it goes through its start up procedure (known as 'booting'): •...
Page 12 • a welcome banner, acknowledging the combined efforts and contributions from Pace Micro Technologies plc, RISCOS Ltd., and RiscStation Ltd. • the computer enters the desktop, ready for use.
Page 13: The Risc Os Desktop
3: The RISC OS desktop When using your RISC OS computer, the main screen display you will see and use for most operations is known as the desktop. This can also be referred to as a WIMP environment, which is an acronym for Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointer, all of which are used when operating any computer in its desktop.
Page 14 Icons Each object in a filer window is represented by an icon. There are three types of filer icon: Files, Folders, and Applications. - this is the icon for a drawfile (notice how the picture depicts the type of file it represents) - this is the icon for a spritefile (notice how the picture depicts the type of file it represents)
Page 15: Device Icons
- this is the icon for the !Paint application which creates and edit sprites ( notice the similarity between the application icon and the application's associated file icon, above). - this is the icon for the !Edit application which creates and edits text files (notice the similarity between the application icon and the application's associated file icon, above).
Page 16: Application Icons
Some devices, such as the hard disc, are physical whereas others, such as a RAMDisc, are virtual (or, in the case of a ShareFS mount, a portal of another computer's physical or virtual device being shared over the network and then accessed remotely). *These ROM-based resources are resident in the Read-Only Memory chips inside the computer and cannot be erased.
Page 17: Using The Mouse
4. Using the Mouse What is a Mouse ? A mouse, in computer terms, is a hand-held control device. The mouse has a ball on its under side. When the mouse is moved on a flat surface, the ball is rotated and sensors inside the mouse recognise in which direction the mouse has moved and relay that information to the computer.
Page 18: Mouse Techniques
The mouse buttons The mouse used with all RISC OS computer systems, has three buttons. Each of these buttons has a particular role to play. The button which does most of the work is named SELECT; the middle button, when clicked, always produces a menu, and so is called the MENU button; and the remaining button is known as ADJUST, because it performs a number of alternative functions complimentary to the other two.
Page 19 As a general rule, for items which are resident on the Icon Bar (either permanently, or after they have been made active), you would click a mouse button just once. For items not on the Icon Bar you would 'typically' click twice (to activate programs, load documents, open directories etc.).
Page 20: Mouse Maintenance
• If you drag a directory icon to the Icon Bar then that directory will be opened. • If you drag a document (file) icon to the Icon Bar then that file will be opened (if a suitable program has been 'seen' by the computer, which can handle the type of file you are activating - i.e.
Page 21 5. Windows What is a window? A window is an area of the screen which has been reserved by a program or filer for a specific purpose. It is a means of focussing on a particular aspect of the computer's current function.
Page 22 The Title Bar is at the top of the window and shows the name of the document or folder (the leafname) which is preceded by it's location (the pathname). As an example, the leafname for the folder on the hard disc where you would find some helpful utilities would be 'utilities' and the pathname would refer to the hard disc 'Harddisc' and what you would see in the Title Bar would be "IDEFS::HardDisc.$.Utilities".
Page 23 document window, created using a program (rather than a filer directory window) then you will be asked if you want to save that document before closing it, if you have not done so already. Once a document window has been closed you cannot retrieve it (unless you saved it before closing).
Page 24 Moving a window Move a window using SELECT or ADJUST on the Title Bar and dragging the window to the desired position on screen. As before, doing this with SELECT will also bring that window to the front of the stack: using ADJUST will allow the window to retain its position in the stack.
Page 25 then the filer will ask if you want to save that document before closing. Scrolling Up the right side of many windows (and along the bottom of most document window) is a Scroll bar. You can drag this bar up or down (or left or right) to view more of the content of a window.
Page 26 Moving through a file If the file you are scrolling through is, say, a text file, you might consider using the up, down, left, and right arrow (cursor) keys or the 'Page Up', 'Page Down'. 'Home' (top), or 'End' (bottom) keys to navigate through the document, as an alternative method.
Page 27: Menus And Dialogue Boxes
6. Menus and dialogue boxes Menus Displaying a menu Click MENU anywhere in the desktop to open a menu. Menus are contextual, that is to say where the pointer is at the time you click the MENU button determines what kind of menu will be opened and so what options will be available to you.
Page 28 What is a dialogue box? A dialogue box is a window which opens on screen with which you are required to interact This might be for saving a document, changing the computer's settings, or accepting warning or information message. Icons in dialogue boxes A 'Writable Icon' is where you have the opportunity to enter text into a window in order to label an object, such as a file or directory, or to enter a configuration option into the computer' s setting.
Page 29 When you have the opportunity to choose a specific number for a particular option, then there will be 'up' and 'down' or 'left' and 'right' arrows so that you can scroll through a series of numbers until you reach the desired choice. You might also have the option of entering a numerical value via a Writable icon rather than having to scroll through each and every integer.
Page 30: Discs And Disc Drives
7. Discs and disc drives A floppy disc is a rigidly cased plastic disc coated in a thin film of magnetic meterial which is used to record data. Because the magnetic film is very delicate, do not slide back the cover on the disc.
Page 31 Looking after floppy discs Since floppy discs use magnetism, anything which has an effect on magnetism can have an effect on floppy discs (which can lead to loss or corruption of data). Keep your floppy discs away from excessive heat or cold, strong sunlight, magnetic fields (there is a magnet inside your computer monitor), and keep them free from dust.
Page 32 When the write-protect tab is 'open' then the floppy disc is protected and although data can be read from the disc, it cannot be deleted from the disc or updated, and the disc cannot be formatted. When the write-protect tab is closed then the floppy disc is unprotected and you are able to delete data, write new data, and format (or re-format) the disc.
Page 33 • Move up the list of options to 'Format' and follow the arrow to the right to open the submenu. • Either select from the list of RISC OS ADFS floppy disc formats or move to the bottom option in the list 'Other formats' then open the next submenu to select from DOS or Atari formats.
Page 34 you try to cross-format then the format procedure will fail and the disc will need to be suitably reformatted. Cross-formatted floppy discs are at risk of data loss. Low-density formats include: ADFS 640K ADFS 800K (D) ADFS 800K (E) ADFS 800K (E+) 360K (5¼"...
Page 35 Making backup copies of floppy discs Copying the content of one floppy disc onto another for safe-keeping is known as making a ' backup'. In order to make an exact duplication of a floppy disc, you should first ensure that the both the source disc (the original) and the destination disc (the copy) are the same type of format (if the formats do not match, then you might be prompted to insert additional discs in order to back up all the data held on the source disc).
Page 36 Hard Disc The hard disc in your RiscStation computer is connected via the EIDE interface on the motherboard. It has been pre-formatted for you using the RISC OS 4 F+ format which, amongst other benefits, allows it to use long filenames. For further details on altering the...
Page 37 CDFS CDFS (Compact Disc Filing System) supports green and white book Video CDs (MPEG discs). These were particularly common with the Philips CDi multimedia console. CDFS can use the MimeMap module to look up filetypes from filename extensions (this is as a secondary course of action if the standard CDFS tables don't contain a mapping).
Page 38: Using The Keyboard
8. Using the keyboard The keyboard is the main source of input of information into the computer. The layout of the keyboard follows the convention of the typewriter with a few additional keys such as the function keys (labelled 'fl' through to 'f12') along the top, some directional control keys to the right hand side of the main layout, and the numeric keypad (which is like a calculator) at the far right.
Page 39 The 'Delete' key (also referred to as 'Del') deletes the character before (to the left of) the cursor. It has the same function (in RISC OS) as the 'backspace' key. Return is used to send information to the computer for it to process. For example, when making a new directory you would use the mouse to choose to make the new directory via a menu inside a filer directory window, type in the name, and then press <...
Page 40 should hold down the <SHIFT> key then press the corresponding key to get the character you desire. For example pressing the '7' key (on the 'top row' of the keyboard) produces a '7' whereas holding down <SHIFT> then pressing '7' produces the character '&'. Where upper and lower case alphabetical characters are concerned, using <SHIFT>...
Page 41 Pressing the <PRINT> key on the keyboard will automatically bring up on screen the option to print from the currently active application or document (if the particular application supports this). A quick way to print, therefore, might be to press <PRINT> then < RETURN> and (assuming you printer software is running and set up properly) the document currently being worked on is sent to the printer.
Page 42 Special key combinations Key combinations using <SHIFT>, <ALT>, and <CTRL> have been mentioned. Here are a few of the more common key combinations, used by many software applications, which you might find useful. <CTRL>+'X' eXtract or cut <CTRL>+'C' Copy <CTRL>+'V' Paste <CTRL>+'U' - Underline (in a word processor)
Page 43: Using Applications
is generally used to control the computer). 9. Using applications What are applications? An application is a collection of program files and resources which, together, form a co- operative set of instructions and (usually) a user interface in order to perform a specific task. To give an example, a Word Processor application will consist of the program itself to process the information whch is typed into the computer, a user interface for the person doing the typing to control (along with the graphical resources and templates for doing this),...
Page 44 Continuing with !Help as an illustration, clicking SELECT or ADJUST on the !Help icon on the Icon Bar will re-activate the interactive help (its icon is shown in full colour, blue) and clicking SELECT or ADJUST on the icon will suspend it again (the icon will become ' greyed out').
Page 45 Although the computer will multi-task operations, there can be only one focus for input at any time. Quitting applications To quit an active application, move the pointer over the active application icon on the Icon Bar, click MENU, move up the list to the 'Quit' option and then click SELECT to quit. With some software title, if you have any open documents in that application which have not been saved (or which have had alterations made to them since the last time you saved) you will be prompted to save by the appearance of a dialogue box asking if you want to save the...
Page 46 Once an application has been quit, the 'working space' memory (RAM) which it occupied when it was active becomes available once more for use by other programs and applications. The Boot application The Boot application is a structured collection of files, directories, and applications which the computer recognises and implements sequentially on startup.
Page 47: Files And Directories
10. Files and directories Just like a filing cabinet in an office, you can organise the content of your computer's hard disc (or any other writable filing system) by storing your files in folders (directories). When you open a folder/directory its icon changes to show that is is open and a new filer directory window appears displaying the content of that folder.
Page 48: Saving (And Loading) A File
Saving (and loading) a file When a document is ready to be saved (either upon completion, saving it for future reference or distribution, or part-way through, so that it might be continued with at a future time), • open the filer directory window where you want to save your file •...
Page 49: Deleting Files And Directories
Deleting files and directories In order to delete an object (or a collection of objects) be they files or directories or both, • select them using SELECT or ADJUST appropriately • click MENU in the filer directory window where they are located •...
Page 50 EIDE (IDEFS) [or SCSI] - the RiseStation R7500 uses IDEFS as its hard disc filing system so you will not be able to use this feature in conjunction with the hard disc. It will work with RAMFS, MEMFS, and ADFS (floppy discs).
Page 51 Confirm Deletes on Filer menu On the Options sub-menu of the Filer menu is the Confirm Deletes setting. With this set, all copies, renames and other non-dangerous actions will be carried out without asking you for confirmation, but file deletions will prompt you before taking place. Spaces in filenames If you want to insert a blank space into a filename, hold the Alt key when pressing the space bar.
Page 52 The best advice is to keep things as simple and logical as possible to make it easier for you to find the information you wish to keep and retrieve.
Page 53 Load !Printers The application software !Printers which comes supplied with your RiscStation computer is version 1.62. This is located via the Apps icon on the Icon Bar. Double-clicking SELECT on the !Printers application icon will make the printer driver software active. When it is active, it will sit on the Icon Bar towards the left-hand side.
Page 54: Save The Settings
Save the settings Click MENU on the printers application icon on the Icon Bar, move up the list to the 'Save setting' option and click SELECT. Different ways of starting the printing process Printing a file using the Print menu option The long-hand way of printing a document is to position the pointer inside the document window, click MENU, locate the 'Print' option (which might be in a submenu depending on the application being used), and then click with SELECT to open the print dialogue box.
Page 55: Switching Off The Computer
• You are also able to shutdown, and optionally stwich off (go into standby mode) at the same time, at a pre-determined time using the Power Management application software either in the Utilities directory on the hard disc/CD ROM, or available via the RiscStation website.
Page 56 Summary The intention of this Welcome Guide has been to get you started with your new RiscStation R7500 computer. For further guidance, please consult the online User Guide which can be found on the hard disc (there is also a copy on the backup system CD which accompanies your computer). This is in HTML format and can be read using the web browser provided.
Page 57: Appendix A: Configuration
APPENDIX A: Configuration The RISC OS 4 configuration tool gives you great control over your system, making it easy for you to set up the machine according to your own personal preference. In addition, it allows 3rd party developers to add their own windows to simplify the setting up of peripherals and expansion cards or other enhancements.
Page 58 Install: Slightly different from the other options, this enables you to upgrade your !Boot should a new version be released by RiscStation Ltd. Finally, the Desktop boot file button allows you alter your startup file manually. Taking the Add to Apps window as an example, it works as follows: The majority of the window is taken up by a scrolling list of applications and directories.
Page 59 The Discs tool Your RiscStation computer uses the EIDE interface (not the basic IDE interface as in most RISC OS computers). The 'IDE hard discs' and 'SCSI discs' options are greyed since they are not present in this computer.
Page 60 loses it contents when your machine is rebooted or turned off, but which is extremely fast and makes an ideal "temporary" storage space, especially when coupled with RISC OS 4's " save to icon on the Icon Bar" feature. Once you have enabled the RAM disc, you can set its size in the field below.
Page 61 Below these options are the default settings for file operations - copy, delete, move etc. You can choose whether you wish to • Confirm all operations, only deletes or none at all. • Verbose specifies whether a detailed window is displayed showing information on the operation in progress.
Page 62 performance hit, but this is not significant on modern machines. Sub-pixel anti-aliasing goes one step further than normal anti-aliasing by smoothing text together at very small font sizes. This allows kerning to appear correct in such circumstances when a single pixel is too large a measure. You should be aware that it can slow the operating system if set to a large value and is rarely needed for sizes much above 8 point.
Page 63 When active, the !Help application sits on the right-hand side of the Icon Bar. The help it provides can be suspended by clicking either SELECT or ADJUST on the icon which will become greyed-out when suspended and return to its usual blue colour when active. Alternatively, you can click MENU on the !Help icon on the Icon Bar and SELECT the "...
Page 64 Setting the password to nothing unlocks a disc "permanently" (persistently) as opposed to for that session only, until a new password is set. In general, you should only consider locking your system if you need to restrict others from deleting content from your hard disc or from altering the computer's settings, otherwise it is better left unlocked.
Page 65 • Mouse Speed The first icon is a slider to allow you to set how rapidly your mouse moves. At larger screen resolutions you might well want to set this to a slightly faster value in order to travel around the screen without running out of mouse mat! •...
Page 66 • Bring Icon Bar forward automatically The Icon Bar to front option sets how long you have to leave your pointer at the bottom of the screen before the Icon Bar pops to the front of the stack. The Network tool This Configure tool allows you to set up all aspects of inter-computer communication.
Page 67 This window provides all the options necessary to set up your Pinboard backdrop and the behaviour of pinned items. The R7500 comes supplied with a range of standard "tiles" - attractive low-memory images which tile nicely to produce a clean, crisp background to the desktop. They are provided in both dark and light varieties.
Page 68 In addition to this positioning, you can enable an Iconise button on all windows by setting the appropriate option in the Windows Configure tool. Whenever you click on this button, the window will be iconised. Simply double-click SELECT on an iconised window to reopen it. •...
Page 69 The Screen tool The top half of this window allows the selection of monitor type, colour depth and resolution. If your monitor isn't listed, don't be afraid to use one of the other definitions, as there is nothing inherently monitor-specific in the files. However, if you are using a monitor type that doesn't match your actual display, you should refer to the documentation supplied with your monitor to make sure that you don't select a resolution/refresh rate which might exceed the specifications.
Page 70 The Sound Setup tool Since all RISC OS machines have built-in sound systems, there is very little to change here. In general RISC OS will autodetect what sound hardware is fitted to your machine. A tick box option allows you to set the master clock rate to 44.1KHz ifor improved playback quality of sampled audio (e.g.
Page 71 Starting at the top left, the Solid dragging box controls which dragging options have " instant effect solid dragging" and which merely drag an outline box. The outline box requires less processing power, but your RiscStation computer will give smooth solid dragging.
Page 72 • Textured window backgrounds Sets whether windows have a marbled background or are displayed as plain grey. • Beep when an error occurs When an error occurs the computer will issue a warning sound (a beep'). • Instant-effect buttons With this enabled, clicking the left mouse button over window frame icons (eg. close, send to back, scroll etc.) results in the action occurring the moment the button is depressed.
Page 73 • Alternative menu background Gives menus an alternative, paler texture which makes them look more like textured equivalents of the traditional white menus. It also distinguishes them from other windows, which is generally desirable. • No icon boxes in windows Allows or prevents icons consisting of text and sprites to be plotted where the text is given a solid background overlaying the window background texture.
Page 74: Year 2000 Compliance
You can now see and select the refresh rate you wish to run your screen at via the third icon down. There are several reasons why you might wish to change the refresh: • Your monitor may be struggling to display the screen at the present refresh rate. •...
Page 75: Appendix B: Write-Protecting Your Configuration
Appendix B: Write-protecting your configuration IMPORTANT: Take care to observe anti-static precautions if you are to open the computer's casing and ensure (for your own safety's sake) that you disconnect from the mains first ! Once you have set your computer's configuration and are happy with those settings, you might choose to protect those settings by breaking the link which the RED jumper makes ( you can leave the jumper attached to just one pin without it making the connection).
Page 76: Appendix C: Virus Protection
If you discover a virus which VPROTECT fails to detect, or wish or need to obtain software to remove an existing virus, contact your suppier or refer to the RiscStation website for further advice.
Page 77: Appendix D: Ascii Character Codes
Appendix D: ASCII character codes Hold down either <ALT> key and type in the corresponding ASCII character codes on the numeric keypad on the right-hand side of the keyboard. The following are shown using Trinity.Medium font.
Page 78 These characters can either be entered via the keyboard or selected using the mouse from the ! Chars application located in Apps on the Icon Bar. The chosen character will be entered into a document or writable icon at the carat.
Page 79: Appendix E: Glossary Of Terms
Appendix E: Glossary of terms The following is a GLOSSARY OF FREQUENTLY USED ACRONYMS AND TERMINOLOGY (not all of these are present in this Welcome Guide but you might find their inclusion useful). This glossary details the more frequently used industry acronyms and terminology Application Software which performs a particular function for a user e.g.
Page 80 CMOS Acronym for Complimentary Metal Oxide Silicon. A variety of MOS technology. CMOS (Complementary MOS). This retains some configuration details about the computer. Compression A method of digitally encoding audio and/or video through a variety of computer algorithms and other techniques to reduce the amount of data required to accurately represent the content, and thus the space required to store the content.
Page 81 Acronym for Input/Output. A term used to describe the external connections to a chip or electronic system. ISDN Acronym for Integrated Services Digital Network. A set of world-wide communications network standards aimed at providing standardised interconnections for all types of voice and data communications.
Page 82 Memory The part of a computer that controls data storage so that the computer Management primarily accesses its high-performance cache memory rather than its Unit (MMU) slower main memory. Often abbreviated to Microprocessor The central control unit that directs the processing of data (arithmetic and logic functions) in computer systems by directing the flow of electrical impulses, thereby co-ordinating the efforts of other parts of the machine.
Page 83 Peripheral Equipment that is connected to a computer, such as printers, terminals, and disc drives. Platform A generic type of computer system categorised according to its operating system software (such as Windows, Mac OS, RISC OS, Amiga, Atari, Unix etc.) Printer A device which converts documents or data in digital or electronic format from the computer to hard copy on paper (usually).
Page 84 UNIX A computer operating system developed by AT&T. Unix works across a wide range of computers, from mainframes and workstations to personal computers in various forms (e.g. Linux and BSD) Acronym for Visual Display Unit (see also Monitor). Acronym for Video Graphics Adaptor (see also, SVGA). WIMP Acronym for Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer - the operational features of the Desktop.
Page 85: Appendix F: External Connectors
Appendix F: External connectors: Both the keyboard and mouse share the same fused supply and are powered at all times, even when the computer is in standby mode. This allows a programmable keyboard sequence to typed to turn the system power on. It does not matter which way round the keyboard and mouse are connected, but the "wake-on-keypress"...
Page 86 This connector allows direct connection to any 10baseT ethernet network via its RJ-45 locking connector. Two diagnostic LEDs are provided, one orange and one green. When lit, the green LED indicates that the LINK is good and that the network cable and hub are capable of transferring data.
Page 87 VGA Video connector: This port outputs the computers video signals, various control lines and a +5V supply to power an external modulator. The 15 pin high density D female socket connector allows direct connection to most SVGA monitors and has the following pinout: Function (0.7v peak to peak VIDEO) GREEN...
Page 88 PARALLEL - IEE1284 compliant printer port: The parallel port supports both standard, EPP and ECP modes of operation. The 25 way female "D" type socket has the following pinout: Function *STROBE D(0) in/out D(1) in/out D(2) in/out D(3) in/out D(4) in/out D(5) in/out...
Page 89 Audio connectors: There are three 3.5mm jack sockets mounted beneath the Joystick/MIDI connector. Starting on the left is the Stereo Line-out (headphones), middle is Stereo Line-in, and on the far right is the Mono MIC socket. The line-out output has sufficient drive to be able to fully drive 70mW into a standard 32 Ohm pair of stereo headphones while still maintaining correct voltage levels when driving into a high impedance "line-in"...
Page 90 Phantom feed/Mic in Ring Mic bias Sleeve GROUND MIDI / Joystick connector:...
Page 91: Appendix G: Troubleshooting
"wake-on-keypress" functionality. If you have any other difficulties getting to grips with your new RiscStation R7500 computer, please contact your supplier who will be happy to help and offer friendly...