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Take it for a test drive! |
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| Requirements |
In order
to run Surf - Timer, you need to meet the following requirements:
- Windows 98,
Win 98 2nd Edition, Win ME ,Windows NT / Windows 2000
(No longer
tested with Windows 95 )
Internet Explorer 5.0.
Surf - Timer will not run without this.
- An Internet connection - either
dialup or LAN.
- Display resolution set to 800 x 600
or higher, with 16 bits true color or better.
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| Extract |
Run
SurfXXX.exe. This will extract at least 3 files , in the demo version
with ready to use buttons they are more (by default the files will be extracted in the
directory c:\Surf - Timer):
Double
click on the kiosk.reg in C:\surf-timer to add the settings to the Windows
registry.
- Setsurf.exe - program required to
set all the characteristics of the kiosk.
- Surf.exe -
The kiosk software itself.
- account.exe
- utility to create,
update, or view access codes.
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| Setup |
Run
Setsurf.exe (to configure the kiosk) This will set default values. By default it will
be set to run with a LAN connection. If you are using a dialup connection (such as a phone
line), you should go to the connection tab and specify the connection to use and the
corresponding password. You only need to specify a primary connection. You should specify
your SMTP server (used to send mail), and your newsgroup server. Leave the
payment attribute set to "Free Access" for now. |
| Run
Surf - Timer |
WARNING:
Surf - Timer will close all active applications when quitting. Run
Surf - Timer.exe. You should then be
able to launch the applications. |
| Secure mode |
Windows
NT: Make sure your auto logon works before you reboot in secure mode. If you reboot in
secure mode and your auto logon does not work, you will have to reinstall Windows NT. You
can set the auto logon from Setsurf.exe. Windows
98: When running in secure
mode, Surf.exe replaces Explorer.exe as the Windows shell. Make sure that you are
running Surf.exe from a directory which is supported by DOS (8 character long, no
space). If you run Surf.exe from a directory with a long name or with spaces, Windows will
tell you that you have to reinstall Windows. If it happens, don’t reinstall Windows.
All you have to do is boot with a floppy and edit the file system.ini to restore the shell
value to explorer.exe.
To try the secure mode, run
Surf.exe. From the main menu, type the kiosk password - for the evaluation version the
password is password. You won't see the password on the screen while you are typing it but
the keystrokes are captured. Once the password has been typed, a small window will be
displayed giving you the option to reboot in secure mode. In secure mode,
Surf - Timer automatically loads as the shell and keys such as Control-Alt-Delete are disabled. |
| Access codes |
When not
running in "Free Access" mode, access codes are used to control the
access. Access codes can be generated using the account.exe utility which is one of the
3 files extracted in step 2. Connect
to the Internet then run setsurf.exe. Click on generate. This should generate the
number of access codes specified (1 by default).
For the evaluation copy, the first
part of the access code will always be 000000. This would normally be a number identifying
the owner of the kiosk. By checking the value "Restricted" under the payment
tab, only access codes starting with 000000 can be used. Note that data generated for PCs
using the evaluation copy will be deleted daily.
Once you have generated an access
code, you can go back to the kiosk software and enter this code. Note that you don't need
to enter the leading 0's for each of the 3 parts. For example, for 00000013, you can type
13 then TAB. This should give you the number of minutes specified in
setsurf.
Access codes are stored on a
central database. Therefore you can run account.exe from any PC connected to the Internet.
This also means that one access code can be used on any of your kiosks, but only one at a
time. |
| Advertising |
Web Banner
- in Setsurf.exe, under the Advertising tab, check the "Displayed" value under
Web Banner. Also check the "Navigate To" value. When you run
Surf - Timer.exe
again, an advertising banner will be displayed. If you click on that banner, it will take
you to the site specified beside "Navigate To". If a usage is not in progress
and the kiosk is not running in "Free Access" mode, the web browser will
automatically restrict the user to the advertising site. Web Full Screen - in
Setsurf.exe, under the
Advertising tab, check the Web Full Screen radio button then specify a web site to be used
as a screen saver.
Slides and AVIs (small screen) - in
Setsurf.exe, under the Advertising tab, check the "Small Screen" radio
button then add some AVIs or bitmaps to be displayed in sequence. Selecting "Small
Screen" means that the advertising will be displayed in the box left to the
application buttons. Click on the button below to download some sample bitmaps (333 x 237)
to experiment with. Run Surf - Timer again and enjoy the special effects.
Slides and AVIs (full screen) - in
Setsurf.exe, under the Advertising tab, check the "Full Screen" radio
button then add some AVIs or bitmaps to be displayed in sequence. Click on the
button below to download some sample bitmaps (800 x 600) to experiment with.
Full screen
advertising can also be displayed on a secondary monitor (Windows 98 and Windows 2000
only). |
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