Installation
------------

If you have a fully installed WINDIS installation, skip everything
round WINDIS setup and avvWINDISsetup and do only the wcINS part of
adding and setting up newsgroups.

For all other without an existing WINDIS installation, follow these steps:

Use addnews.exe in the wildcat home directory to add the newsgroups
you want to import from your nntp server. See the MSI docs about the
use of addnews.exe and dont forget to use wcConfig and the "Conference Areas"
"Global..." Change function to give the newly added confs the Global Settings
"Use long address headers" and "Allow high ASCII characters" and first of all
the "Conference Message Type" MUST be set to "usenet newsgroup, public" or
to "usenet newsgroup, moderated".

Use the Networking setup of wcConfig to define a host and toggle the added
newsgroups as active. 

Get the WINDIS32 package (might be on a demon.uk mirror or somewhere
else, try archie for windis32_v3_1.zip or something like this).

Create a directory for running all these programs and keep the data files,
eg. c:\windis or c:\wins\windis or c:\wc5\windis or what you like.

Copy the two avvWINDIS programs in this directory.

Start avvWINDISsetup.exe

It connects to your wildcat interactive netserver (wcINS or WINS), if it
tries to start your PPP/SLIP connect deny this as you do for other
utilities connecting to wcINS.

The setup program presents you three check boxes:

[ ] create WINDIS directory structure
[ ] collect usenet newsgroups from wcINS
[ ] replace ACTIVE.DIS

For the first run select all three by marking them.

Then fill in the directory path you used in the above mentioned
procedure (line 7 of this file) into the first field for the
new WINDIS home dir.

The name of your newsserver should be placed into the second field.
This must match the URL you place in the WINDIS setup.

The path for the existing ASCII list with all areas should go
into the third field.

Click START and avvWINDISsetup grabs all confs from wcINS which are
marked as usenet newsgroup and creates the files and directories
WINDIS needs.

Start WINDIS32.EXE now, go through the setup.

Some hints for this:

The "Mail" part need nothing except the beginner setup in Mail Policy
with your name.

The "RAS Dialer" part can be set as you wish for automatic connect
with no manual interaction activate the check boxes. Try it out,
may be different from ISP to ISP.

The "Preferences" part should only be "Enable News" activated and the other
Components disabled. Startup should be Kick Everything, and Miscellaneous
as you like it.

The "News" part should show the same URL for the newsserver as you
used in avvWINDISsetup and as you defined in the wcINS network setup.

Other settings as default, the values can be changed as you like
it. Look into the WINDIS document for proper use.

The "Time" part might show a URL of a server in your neighbourhood.
Remember light or electricity travels slow and a server on Mars
has a delay of some seconds and will result in a not so exact time ;-)

The "Finger" part is something you should look for in the WINDIS docs
and of no use for gating newsgroups into wcINS.

The "Tracing and Logging" should be set to level 1 and if your
newsserver is slow activate the "Timeout disable" checkboc to prevent
timeout disconnects.

In the Directories section put the WINDIS homedir into the first entry
(KA9Q dir) and the subdirectory spool\articles into the "batch spool"
entry. The news server and news reader entry should point to the
spool\news subdirectory. (both directories are created by avvWINDISsetup).

The "batch spool directory" is the working directory for avvWINDISconvert
(use this as working dir in conjunction with the desktop icon or the
wcEvent entry) and must be the same as the "alt. spool path" in the
wcConfig networking setup for the news server. This directory is the
central space for collecting, gating, converting and should have enough
free space for twice the amount of bytes you get from your nntp news server.

!!! ATTENTION !!!

The "Unbatch" section MUST contain all entries UNSELECTED.
If the "remove batch when finished" is checked and marked,
you will loose the file and messages to convert. WINDIS will
convert them for its newsreader format if you click on the
UNBATCH button or activate the automatic unbatching and delete them
afterwards. Everything vanishes and no .BAG files are produced.

Add an icon for avvWINDISconvert with the working directoy to the
batch_spool_directory/alt_spool_path which is usually the SPOOL/ARTICLES
subdirectory in the WINDIS directory.

Same can be placed for automated mode in the wcEvent or other
program shedulers for both programs, first run WINDIS and after it finished
run avvWINDISconvert. Look into the sheduler docs how to do this.
Might be with a DOS batch and "start" commands with /W option.

Now run WINDIS32 and slurp your news.

Result should be a BATCH.TXT file in the SPOOL/ARTICLES directory.

Run avvWINDISconvert.

It should convert the batch.txt file to a news9999.bag file.

wcMAIL should grab this file automatically and import it to wcINS mailbase.

If you have started wcMAIL and changed the wcConfig/networking/host setup,
you should close wcMail and restart it to reflect all changings in the setup.

If there are more questions or problems or you are sitting in front of
your computer and thinking what does this dumb german means, excuse my
use of english language, write me an eMail and ask me.

eMail addresses:

FidoNet        2:2468/6700.0  "Alexander Vollmer"
other fts networks just look into the nodelists for system "Kurpfalz BBS"
or sysop/user "Alexander Vollmer"

internet       sphaeroid@msn.com

telco-faxnet   +49-6233-506129 Group3 fax

subspace       sorry, no frequencies yet, no gold channel addresses...

Warranty
--------

This program is dedicated to manipulate binary data and stored contents
on your system. It will do so and if you dont like it, it is on your side
to make a backup and prevent loss of data. If it is corrupted you can
replace it with another copy you should find somewhere.

And think of the silver plate in the room of your birth: "Life IS dangerous"

Registration
------------
Only $5, send it as real money folded into a paper (the following
registration sheet).

What you get? No key, no more functions, but if there will be a newer
version you will be informed of the ftp-site or fts-freq nodes. And
only registred users can get future versions, til MSI releases a wc6
or something else which didnt run with this version.

And you get support, people not on the list will be placed at the end
of the support queue and served at last (if I have spare time).
People on the list will get direct response to their personal
eMail address. No public support except this file.

--- cut here ----------------------------------------------------------------

Registration Form for avvWINDISconvert/setup version 0.92


send this to the postal address:

     Alexander Vollmer
     Hauptstrasse 51
  D  67245 LAMBSHEIM
     Germany



My name    is: _______________________________________________ (mandatory)

My address is: _______________________________________________

               _______________________________________________

               _______________________________________________

My phone   is: _______________________________________________

My fax     is: _______________________________________________

eMAIL address: _______________________________________________ (mandatory)


               [ ] I have enclosed a $5 bill or

                   eurocheque (DM 8) or german stamps value DM 8.

                   If you have it at hand I accept also other
                   european currencies with this value.

               [ ] I need a bill (add 2$ for P&P and handling)


(You can add a description of your system aso. if you think its
 of need in case of problems.)




