Hi out there in binaryland,

For those who may have found DL-101 interesting and informative I present
a second lesson in downloading. I am posting in A.B.M.E. because my server
doesn't make A.B.M.E.d. available and the unknowing wouldn't find it there
anyway.

The information presented here is directly applicable to a fast PC running
Windows95 but should work for any reasonably fast machine using Win3.1 and
the appropriate version of the programs listed.

Title: Learning to Play in the A.B.M.E World (and others) (pt. 2)

Content: Answers to those nagging questions about downloading which you
         have always wanted to know but were afraid to ask, such as:
         1. How do I save a partial file (1 or more sections missing)?
         2. How do I know a good post from one that is questionable?
         3. Where can I find a Virus Checker?
         4. What is the speed of a hummingbird at your feeder in Tahoe?

Well - here we go again!!

1.a How do I save a partial file
    1. Sometimes you may want to d/l a file even if it is missing a section
    or two. Most everything comes around again and if you,ve done your
    homework (made notes) and are lucky - the section(s) you missed will
    post and some you have will not. Depends on the file and your server.
    Any file with more than about 20 sections has little chance of ever
    being completed. Depends on where you are in the server chain.
    So how do I do this? Well, glad you asked!
        a. In FreeAgent (FA) select "Save Article Attachment(s)" and give
        each of them the filename and an extension that denotes the type,
        ie, .a = .avi, .m = .mpg, .o = .mov, .z = .zip or whatever you
        feel comfortable with. This leaves room for a two digit number
        which is the section number. When you get all the sections together
        ViewPro (VP) will decode the set and present you with a complete file.
        b. This is especially handy if you d/l'd a file and found that (5/17)
        is missing. Just don't run FA's "Save binary attachments" first
        because it will decode down to the missing file. Now you don't have
        the ones that decoded. FA should give you an opportunity to decline
        to save binaries if one is missing -- but having invested an hour I
        don't take chances.
    2. Put these incomplete files in a folder by that name so it's not always
    in your way but you can find them easily for searching purposes.

2. How do I know a good post from one that is questionable?
    a. Always look at the article title on your screen. There are clues
    and conventions here.
        1. A multi-section file will not decode automatically without
        having some way to signal the decoder that it is a multi-part
        file. This can be done internally or externally. Most are done
        externally.
        2. This is done with the (1/17), (2/17) signal. FA is programmed
        to ignore the (0/17) signal and assumes this to be a text leader.
        3. FA will not decode a file with missing sections. Make sure
        every one is present if you want a usable file. The easiest way to
        accomplish this is to use the Find File/Find Next feature.
        4. If the signal is missing altogether FA will not decode and the
        little white box will return. You will have to save these manually.
    b. Isn't it better when there is a "b" for every "a"?


3. Where can I find a Virus Checker and why do I need one?
    a. Thunderbyte is found at TUCOWS. Remember them? The Ultimate
    Collection Of Windows Software on the Web. Don't have a clue to
    the zipped name of this file. The .exe is TBW95RUN.
    b. McAfee VirusScan can be located here too. VS95i20e.ZIP for
    Win95.
    c. There are Win3.1 versions of both.
    d. There are .exe files buried in some of the picture files. They
    will decode along with the picture and unless you have a dedicated
    d/l folder - may go unnoticed. Later, wondering what that damn file
    is - you fire it up. If it should happen to have a little surprise
    you will have forgotten where you got it, who posted it, and when,
    etc. Run a virus scanner every time you down load. At least look
    for any .exe or .com file in your picture d/l folder.
    e. Just so you don't get too excited by this - the .exe's I've seen
    are posted by one or more of the commercial spammers and can be
    easily ID'd - but you never know!

4. What is the speed of a hummingbird at your feeder in Tahoe?
    1. Speeding is not allowed in Tahoe - unless you're skiing.
    Have you ever seen a skiing hummingbird?

Thanks for listening, and help stop the whining and spamming,

My special thanks to Shadow (Merlin?), Firerose, Ratso, dicky@, Kid's Mate
Neutrino Man, The Bearman, QB Fox, and recently Web Stired and Wolfgang
for what I know as work putting these little movie gems together. If all
the parts to their posts are present they will run.

I do not profess that these lessons are all inclusive, exclusive, or
encompassing - only what I have learned by trial and errrrror.

Refrigeraider