  Installation miroCAD Disk for miroCRYSTAL 20SDtwin and MAGIC 20/40/44SVtwin
       <> <PAGEUP PAGEDN> <HOME> <END> = SCROLLING    ESC = END
miro Computer Products AG                        OKTOBER 19, 1995
                    Current Information
                ===========================

General information:

        To use a miroCRYSTAL/MAGIC twin graphics board the 02E8h 
        address must not be used. This address is used by COM3, COM4, 
        and gameport expansions, and by some network boards. In addition, 
        you have to deactivate the VGA on your motherboard (if there 
        is a VGA).

        If the computer does not boot correctly or if the monitor 
        select program does not detect the installed graphics board, 
        these are computerspecific problems. To solve these problems, 
        activate ROM shadowing for the Video BIOS, using the mother-
        board BIOS setup or the corresponding Memory Manager option. 
        For MS DOS 6.0 change the CONFIG.SYS file in the following 
        way:
        DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE ... ROM=C000-C800 ...
        Please also refer to your computer's manual or to the 
        MS DOS 6.0 manual.

Information on the installation

        If you have problems to install from diskette you can also 
        copy them into a directory on your hard disk.Then, assign a 
        drive letter to this directory with the SUBST command. Please 
        refer to the MS DOS manual.

Information on the miroGTI driver for AutoCAD:

        When regenerating faulty drawings it may happen that the MS-DOS 
        prompt is not visible.Then, press <Return> several times.

Information on the miroGTI 12 driver for AutoCAD 13:

Using the Birdeye drivers with AutoCAD/DOS:

        The drivers for displaying the birdeye in a double screen solution
        must not be used if your graphicscard is jumpered to boot from
        board 2. If you intend to use these drivers, please make shure that
        the your videocard is set up to boot from board 1.

Information on the MicroStation PC driver:

        When choosing "MicroStation" during install time, two different
        sets of drivers for MicroStation V4.0 and V5.0 will be copied
        to your system.        
        
        Select the device driver "Board 1" for the monitor that displays
        DOS textmode. 

        If your configurations features two graphics boards or a graphics-
        board with a daughterboard (i.e. you have two monitors attached
        to your system), you should select the device driver "Board 1" for
        the monitor that displays DOS textmode and the driver "Board 2" for
        the second monitor.

        The driver for MicroStation V5.0 does support all the resolution/
        colordepth combinations selectable in "miromat.exe".


Glossary
========

This glossary contains the most important concepts from the field of 
computer hardware. Cross-references are marked by this symbol ~.

Address
All memory positions in a computer have numbers (addresses). Through these 
addresses each memory position can be addressed directly. Some addresses are 
reserved for certain ~ hardware components and must not be used. If two 
hardware components use the same address, there is an address conflict.

ANSI
American National Standards Institute. ANSI character set (~ Font): used by 
Microsoft Windows and Windows applications. The character assignation only 
differs slightly from the assignation of the ~ ASCII character set.

ASCII
American Standards Committee of Information Interchange. ASCII character set 
(~ Font): standard character set used by IBM and compatible computers. 
The ASCII character set consists of 256 characters, the first 128 of which 
are standardized. 

AUTOEXEC.BAT
A special DOS ~ batch file which is processed automatically after the 
computer has been started. The file contains among other things commands 
which load the country-specific keyboard driver (~ Driver), set the time or 
load programs automatically.

Batch file
A ~ DOS file where a sequence of commands is processed one after the other.

BIOS
Basic Input Output System. Number of basic input and output commands stored 
in a ~ ROM, PROM or EPROM. The ~ operating system uses these commands. 
The basic task of the BIOS is to control the data input and output. After 
starting the system the ROM BIOS performs some tests (checking the 
~ interfaces, the disk drives, etc.).

Bit
Binary Digit. Smallest information unit in a computer. One bit can take on 
two states: ®0¯ and ®1¯, two bits can take on two to the second power=
four states and three bits two to the third power =eight, etc. In a computer 
those states are realized by ®0 V¯ (no current = 0) and ®5 V¯ (current = 1). 
To display a character (letter, number etc.), 8 bits = 1 ~ byte are required.

Bus
In a computer, busses provide for the communication between the ~ processor 
and the installed hardware (hard disk, graphics board, etc.). Depending on 
the bus width, the bus transfers a different amount of information. An 8-bit 
bus can transfer 8 ~ bits (= ~ byte = one character) at a time.

Byte
One byte consists of eight ~ bits. One byte represents exactly one character 
(letter, number etc.). The characters are binary-coded with ®zero¯ (0) and 
®one¯ (1). The character ®E¯ has the ~ ASCII code ®01000101¯ or ®45h¯ 
(hexadecimal).

CGA
Color Graphics Adapter (IBM). Graphics board which displays four colors in 
the graphics mode.

Clock frequency
Rate at which individual commands are processed in a processor. The higher 
the ~ clock frequency, the quicker the commands are processed.

CLUT
Color Look Up Table. Color table which contains all indexed color values.

Color depth
Number of ~ bits used to represent the color information for each ~ pixel. 
At a black and white display 1 bit color depth displays two to the first 
power=two colors. At a color depth of 8 bits two to the 8th power=256 colors 
are available and at 24 bits two to the 24th power=16,277,216 (~ TrueColor) 
colors are available.

CONFIG.SYS
A ~ DOS configuration file which is processed automatically when the system 
starts. The CONFIG.SYS file includes ~ drivers which control the output to 
the monitor and the keyboard and the mouse.

DIP switch
Dual Inline Package switch. A row of small switches designed to make certain 
hardware presettings.

DOS
Disk Operating System. The most common ~ operating system for PCs (Personal 
Computer). MS DOS is the Microsoft version of DOS.

Driver
Programs which integrate the hardware (e.g. driver for a CD-ROM drive) in 
the computer and which adapt the software to the hardware (e.g. driver for 
a graphical user interface, such as Microsoft Windows). The software then 
uses the features of the graphics board.

EGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter (IBM), graphics board which displays 16 colors 
in the graphics mode.

EISA bus
Extended Industry Standard Architecture. 32-bit bus: The EISA bus can 
transfer an amount of data of 33 ~ MB per second at a ~ clock frequency 
of 8.33 MHz.

Fixed-frequency monitor
Monitor operating at a very small frequency range (~ multifrequency monitor).

Font
Character set in a certain type, size and style, e.g. 
Times New Roman 11, normal; Times New Roman 11, italics; 
Times New Roman 11, bold; Times New Roman 11, bold, italics.

Graphics board
Graphics boards are the ®link¯ between the computer and the monitor. Without 
a graphics board no image appears on the screen. Graphics boards operate 
in two modes: the text mode and the graphics mode. In the text mode only 
~ ASCII characters are displayed. The ASCII character set includes some 
simple ®graphical¯ characters to display simple graphics. The graphics mode 
uses individual ~ pixels. The more pixels are available (the higher the 
~ resolution) the more detailed characters and graphics can be displayed.

Hardware
The hardware includes all computer components which are ®hard¯, such as 
the monitor, the hard disk, the keyboard, the mouse and the printer.

HGC
Hercules Graphics Card, monochrome (black and white) graphics board.

Horizontal scan rate
Number of horizontal scans of the electron beam per second required to 
create a new line. The higher the ~ resolution the higher the required 
horizontal scan rate.

Interface
Link between two parts of a system or between two systems where information, 
pulses and signals are adapted in a way that the receiving part can 
understand the sending part. For example, signals which the computer sends 
to the printer have to be adapted by an interface so that the printer 
®understands¯ what it has to print.

Interlaced
Image refreshing technique: the screen is subdivided into lines. When 
refreshing the image first all even lines and then all odd lines are 
refreshed.

ISA bus
International Standard Architecture. 16-bit bus which transfers 8 ~ MB of 
data per second at a ~ clock frequency of 8 MHz.

Jumper
Jumpers can set up or interrupt electrical leads. To establish electrical 
leads with a jumper, the jumper has to be mounted, to interrupt the lead 
the jumper has to be removed.

KB
1 KB (Kilobyte) is equal to 1024 ~ bytes. Here ®K¯ (kilo) is always equal 
to ®1024¯.

MB
1 MB (Megabyte) equals 1024 ~ KB.

MDA
Monochrome Display Adapter. Monochrome (black and white) graphics board.

Multifrequency monitor
A multifrequency monitor adapts itself automatically to different 
frequencies supplied by the graphics board (~ fixed-frequency monitor) and 
can display different ~ resolutions.

Operating system
The operating system provides for the communication between ~ hardware, 
~ software and the user. The tasks of the operating system are among others 
the file and the program management.

Parallel interface
The parallel or Centronics ~ interface transfers data through an 8-bit data 
line. This means that 8 ~ bits (1 ~ byte) can be transferred at a time. 
The transfer through the parallel interface is considerably faster than 
the transfer through the ~ serial interface, over long distances the 
parallel data transfer is, however, more susceptible to interference. 
Parallel interfaces are designated by LPT and a number (e.g. LPT1).

PCI Local Bus
Peripheral Component Interconnect. Local Bus concept by IBM: 32-bit bus, 
a PCI bus can transfer 132 MB per second at a ~ clock frequency of 33 MHz.

Pixel
Picture element. Pixels are the smallest elements of a monitor image 
(~ resolution).

RAM
Random Access Memory. An RAM is a read-write memory component from which 
data can be read and to which data can be written any time. The computer 
memory is equipped with RAM components. The memory is a so-called ®volatile¯ 
memory meaning that the memory contents are removed as soon as the computer 
is switched off.

Refresh rate
Also vertical scan rate. Number of image refreshes per second measured in 
Hertz (Hz). The higher the vertical scan rate the less flicker.

Resolution
Number of ~ horizontal and vertical pixels. 1408 x 1024 means that 
1408 horizontal pixels and 1024 vertical pixels are displayed on 
the monitor. The higher the resolution the more details the monitor 
can display.

ROM
Read Only Memory. A ROM is a memory component which can only be read but 
which cannot be modified. The ROM's contents remain in the component also 
after the computer has been switched off. All functions which have to be 
available immidiately after switching the computer on, e.g. the data for 
the system test, the character output on the screen, etc. are stored 
in ROM components. There are also PROMs (Programmable ROM) EPROMs (Erasable 
PROM) and EEPROMs (Electric EPROM).

Serial interface
Also RS232. The serial interface transfers data through a data line bit 
by bit (all ~ bits of a ~ byte one after the other). The serial data 
transfer is considerably slower than the transfer through the ~ parallel 
interface but it is less susceptible to interference. Serial interfaces 
are designated by COM and a number (e.g. COM1).

Software
General term for all programs a computer can run (system programs, 
application programs, ~ drivers etc.) and files.

TrueColor
16.7 million colors can be displayed at a time (~ color depth).

VESA
Video Electronic Standards Association. Committee founded in 1988 in 
the USA which establishes common standards for the computer technology. 

VESA Local Bus
Bus concept defined by the ~ VESA committee: 32-bit bus operating at 
a ~ clock frequency of up to 50 MHz. At a clock frequency of 33 MHz 
the VL bus transfers up to 132 ~ MB per second.

VGA
Video Graphics Array (IBM), graphics board which displays 256 colors in 
the graphics mode.
