Adobe Acrobat Reader
The following tips regarding the Adobe Acrobat Reader program have been included to allow you to get the best out of the CD-ROM.
Opening Documents in New Windows
With the default configuration Adobe Acrobat will open linked documents in the same window, closing the original document. Since this CD-ROM contains an index document that links to all the service data documents, this behaviour is rather annoying. To change the settings start Adobe Acrobat then choose "Edit" - "Preferences" - "General" - "Options" and turn off the "Open Cross-Document Links in Same Window" option (remove the tick). Then choose "OK" to close the dialogue box. Now when you select a service data sheet from the index file the data will open in a new window. When you have finished reading and/or printing it simply close that window and the index file will still be there as you left it.
Printing the Service Data
The service data sheets on this CD-ROM are A4 size. This is longer than American Letter size paper, so some information may be lost from the bottom of each sheet when using this sized paper. To solve this ensure the "Shrink to Fit" option on the Print dialogue box is selected. It is advisable to use this setting when printing onto A4 paper too, in case the used page area extends into the margins on your printer.
The service sheets are arranged for ease of viewing on screen, rather than for ease of printing, since it has become apparent that many people prefer to view a lot of data for interest or research, but only print a few sheets for the sets they are working on. Therefore, in some cases, some pages will be orientated differently so that circuit diagrams etc. are the correct way up for viewing. With Adobe Acrobat 5 and later, simply select "Auto-rotate and center pages" and the software will print everything correctly. With earlier versions you will have to print the different orientation pages separately.
If the software crashes or fails when trying to print a highly detailed page (especially when printing to low-cost laser printers), try selecting the "Print as image" option. The problem is caused by the printer running out of memory and the printer driver failing to detect this error. Check you have the latest driver for the printer.
It is accepted that you may be concerned about damaging your CD-ROMs and may therefore wish to make backup or working copies. You may make up to three copies of each CD-ROM, either onto other CD-R disks or onto other media such as your hard drive, providing these copies are for your OWN USE ONLY. Indeed if you use the CD-ROMs regularly I recommend copying them to your hard drive for convenience and speed.
If you sell or otherwise cease to own the original CD-ROM you MUST destroy all backup and working copies. You may not sell, lend or give your backup/working copies of the CD-ROMs, in whole or in part, to any other person.
The CD-R disks used for my CD-ROMs are good quality branded types, and should give years of trouble-free operation. However, by their very nature, CD-R disks are not as tolerant to abuse as professionally mastered silver CDs. If CD-R disks are used with reasonable care, you should have no problems. There are two main ways CD-R disks can become unreliable or unreadable:-
The main cause of problems, as with any CD, is physical damage. Unlike silver CDs however, CD-R disks can become unreadable if the label side of the disk is damaged. The CD-R disks I currently use have manufacturers silk-screen printing on this side to provide reasonable protection. I do not now use CD labels as I have had some problems with these lifting or the adhesive affecting the silver coating
The other cause of problems is prolonged exposure of the recorded surface to sunlight, bright light, or heat. CD-R disks contain a chemical recording layer which is modified by the intense energy from the laser in the CD-R drive when the disk is recorded. It has been proved by CD-R manufacturers that prolonged exposure to strong sunlight or excessive heat can, in some cases, affect the chemical layer making the disk more troublesome to read. The amount of light and duration of exposure required to cause this problem is much greater than would occur in normal use, but it is worth being aware of the risk and taking care. Always return the CD to its jewel case when not in use. Also avoid storing the CD in excessively warm, cold or damp environments. In particular close proximity to radiators and other sources of heat should be avoided. Some CD-ROM drives become quite warm in use. If your drive does this, please do not leave the disk in the drive when it is not being used.
If you use the CD-ROM(s) frequently and have a large hard drive, you may find it useful to copy the CD-ROM (you only need the root directory and the PDF directory and its subdirectories) onto your hard drive, and access it from there. Such copying is acceptable (see the Backup Copies section above) and allows you to store the original CD-ROM safely.
If you do have any problems with your CD-ROM, firstly make sure it is clean. Clean it using a cleaning product designed and sold for this purpose, and follow the manufacturers instructions carefully. Also try cleaning the lens in the CD-ROM drive, using a CD lens cleaning disk. If problems persist, try the CD-ROM in a different CD-ROM drive (if you have this option).
Some early CD-ROM drives (particularly the original 1X, 2X and 4X types that used a special interface board or connected to a sound card) had problems reading CD-R disks. This is due to the colour or the laser light used and the sensitivity of the detection electronics. Also, the efficiency of lasers deteriorates with age and use, so a drive that is a few years old may have more problems than a newer one. Two customers have had problems with very cheap CD-ROM drives - those sold at computer fairs etc. Any CD-ROM drive made in the last five years should be fine unless it has had heavy use. Older drives may have more problems. Trying a different drive will prove whether the problem is with the drive or the CD.
I have started to see problems with a number of CD-ROMs supplied between 1998 and 2000 that have paper labels. It seems that over time the adhesive attacks the silvering on the CD-ROM, making the disk unreadable. Because this seems to be quite a common problem and is in effect a manufacturing defect, I am offering a lower handling fee to replace them. If you have some of these, it would be worth getting them all replaced now, or making another copy if it is still readable.
Full details of how to get faulty CD-ROMs replaced are on the Lifetime Warranty page.