PowerTools Professional 10.x for AOL 8.0, 7.0 and 6.0
Copyright (c) 1994-2003 BPS SoftWare
http://www.bpssoft.com
---------------------------------------------------------

This readme file is divided up into several sections to 
help you find the information you need quickly:

. INSTALLATION 
. INSTALLATION PROBLEMS
. System Requirements
. Program Description
. Technical Support
. Bug Reports

---------------------------------------------------------
INSTALLATION
---------------------------------------------------------

The PowerTools file contained in the Zip file you downloaded 
is a "Self-Installing" EXE file. This means that, after you 
unzipped it, all you have to do is run the installation EXE 
file to start the installation of PowerTools.

Before you run the installation program be sure you have 
exited any other open programs including America Online. 
This will make sure that all the necessary files get copied 
to your system.

The Installer will prompt you for an installation directory 
which will default to your C:\Program Files\PowerTools 10 
directory. You may select to install into this directory or 
choose a different one if you like. If you are upgrading 
your existing PowerTools installation, then simply select 
your existing PowerTools directory as the installation 
directory. The installer will inform you that the selected 
directory already exists, and want to know if you want to 
install into anyway. Simply click "Yes" to continue. 

After the installation is complete, you should have a Program 
group created with your new PowerTools icons in them. Now, all 
you need to do is double click the new PowerTools icon to start 
PowerTools 10.x.

--------------------------------------------------------- 
INSTALLATION PROBLEMS
---------------------------------------------------------

There are only a couple of things that can go wrong when 
installing PowerTools. 

- First, the file you download might be corrupted during the 
transfer. This can be caused by several factors, and will 
result in the PowerTools installation file either not running, 
or displaying an error message when you attempt to install 
PowerTools. If this  happens, then your only course of action 
is to delete the corrupted file and re-download PowerTools.

- After the installation be sure to reboot your system. This 
is  always a good idea to make sure you don't run into any 
problems when you first attempt to start PowerTools.

- If after double clicking the PowerTools icon, you receive 
an error  message stating that PowerTools can't find AOL, 
this is due to either AOL is not installed correctly, or you 
renamed your AOL directory after installing it. Renaming the 
directory is not a good idea! All 32 bit programs now record 
their installation locations in the Windows Registry, so that 
other programs can find them if needed. PowerTools looks in 
your Windows Registry to find out where AOL is installed. 
The first thing to do is launch AOL alone, do NOT sign on, 
then launch PowerTools. This should reset the AOL directory 
that PowerTools uses and next time, you can launch PowerTools 
and  AOL using the PowerTools icon on your desktop.

- If you receive an error message that a file is missing or 
can't  be found, then the PowerTools installation did not 
complete its function. At this point it is best to restart 
Windows, exit all running applications, and then reinstall 
PowerTools.

If nothing above addresses your installation problem, then 
please refer to the Tech Support section below for more help.

---------------------------------------------------------
System Requirements
---------------------------------------------------------

- Windows 9x/ME/2000 Pro/XP
- Pentium 166 MHz, 64 MB RAM (128 MB RAM for XP)
- AOL 8.0 (US only), 7.0 (US and UK) or 6.0 (US only)

---------------------------------------------------------
Program Description
---------------------------------------------------------

PowerTools Professional, the number one add-on for America 
Online since 1994, enhances all your favorite AOL features, 
gives you the power to customize AOL, and adds many 
time-saving features not found in the basic AOL program! 
Find out why thousands of people are using PowerTools, and 
discover just how much better your AOL time can be, with:

- Fully customizable AOL toolbar and additional menus.
- PowerIM to hold all of your Instant Messages in one window!
- Answering Machine and Log Manager for your Instant Messages.
- Advanced Address Book to manage all your contacts.
- Powerful Custom Editor for form letters, email templates 
and macros.
- Built-in MP3 Player with WAV, MIDI, and CD-ROM support.
- PowerChat window, Logs and Room Managers to enhance your 
online chats.
- Rainbow Chat and other special Color Effects for more chat 
room fun!
- Wallpaper and Color Themes to customize your AOL desktop.
- ... and much more!

---------------------------------------------------------
Technical Support
---------------------------------------------------------

All technical support will be handled through our forum's 
message board on AOL only. We feel this method will prove 
more useful in helping you with your problems or questions 
concerning this new version of PowerTools.

To get to our Tech Support forum, go to keyword "BPS" and 
click the "Customer Support" button from the main window, 
then click the Message Boards button and look for PowerTools 
10.x folder. You can browse existing Message board postings 
to find the answer you are looking for.

In the event that your answer can't be found, then please 
feel free to post your question or problem in the appropriate 
folder. Our techs visit our message board daily and will be 
happy to respond to your questions.

For additional support options, please visit the following 
page on our web site:

http://www.bpssoft.com/support.htm

--------------------------------------------------------- 
Bug Reports
---------------------------------------------------------

In the event you encounter any bugs in PowerTools 10.x, 
please send all your bug reports to BPSCoBugReports@aol.com. 
Please be sure to list how and what you were doing to 
duplicate the bug report.

Remember, there are really such things as "glitches" in 
software, and most of these are cured by simply restarting 
your computer.

