Release Notes for:

                  Track 'n Trend (TM)
                     Version  3.0

      (C) Copyright Sierra Software (TM) (1993-1995)

                    Sierra Software
                     PO Box 215081
                 Sacramento, Ca.  95821
                     (916)641-7910

This document contains release notes for version 3.0 of
Sierra Software's Track 'n Trend for Windows Version 3.1
(and later). Information in this document is more current
than that in the manuals, or help files.

Track 'n Trend is distributed as shareware. The application
is copyrighted and all rights are owned by Sierra Software.
Please read the license and registration topic in the
help file for more information.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
	o  Track 'n Trend must be installed via SETUP.
	o  Read the ACCESS 2.0 Compatibility section.

Minimum Requirements:
	o  IBM-compatible PC (386 minimum).
	o  Hard disk with 3 megabytes of free space.
	o  Mouse, or other compatible pointing device.
	o  VGA compatible display.
	o  4 megabytes of RAM.
	o  MS-DOS 3.1 or later, MS-Windows 3.1, or later.

Please see the order form (Orderfrm.wri) for registration
information. You have 30 days to use Track 'n Trend
without charge; for evaluation purposes.

Sierra Software revises its documentation at the time the
software is released for distribution. Therefore some of the
information in this on-line file may already be included in
your applications documentation and help files.


Contents
============================================================

Part        Description
----        -----------

  1         Software Installation Information

  2         ACCESS 2.0 Compatibility 

  3         Miscellaneous Notes and Tips


Part 1: Software Installation Information
============================================================

Before installing Track 'n Trend you should make backup
copies of all the distribution diskettes.

Also, ensure that the Windows directory, including drive
letter, is in your PATH. If the drive letter is not included
in your PATH statement, Track 'n Trend will be unable to
determine where Windows resides.

SETUP.EXE is a Windows application; that is, it is run from
Windows, rather than from the DOS prompt.  SETUP.EXE will
only run in Windows Standard or Enhanced mode. It will not
run in Real mode. You can determine how Windows is configured
on your computer by choosing About from the Help menu in the
Program Manager.

If your PC is on a network it may be faster to copy the
diskette files to your hard disk and then install the
application from the hard disk.

To install Track 'n Trend, use Program Manager or File
Manager to start SETUP.EXE as you would any other Windows
application. For example, if you are installing from drive
A:

  1. From the Program Manager File menu, choose Run.

  2. In the Run dialog box, type A:SETUP and choose OK.

Some of the files on these disks may be compressed and must
be expanded before they can be used. For Track 'n Trend to
work properly, you must install the files using SETUP.EXE.
You cannot simply copy the files to your hard disk. Later
versions of DLL's and VBX's will not be superseded by the
SETUP on your system.

Some problems you may encounter while installing
Track 'n Trend:

1.  If disk space is very low SETUP may terminate without
    any warning.

2.  If other Visual Basic programs are running, the
    DLL's and VBX's may be locked preventing updating.
    Stop other applications before the installation
    process. It may be necessary to restart Windows
    and install Track 'n Trend before running other
    applications.

3.  If you have DLL and VBX files 'copied' into the
    WINDOWS directory in addition to the WINDOWS\SYSTEM
    directory the installation of Track 'n Trend will
    duplicate these files to ensure that the latest versions
    are available. The correct directory for these files is
    WINDOWS\SYSTEM.

4.  If the SETUP program is terminated (i.e. power failure,
    or diskette read error): one, or more, files being
    loaded might not have been completely copied. These need
    to be deleted before running SETUP again.


Part 2: ACCESS 2.0 Compatibility 
============================================================
VB 3.0 provides an ACCESS 1.1 programming interface, but not
an ACCESS 2.0 interface. Track 'n Trend has been developed
with VB 3.0 and therefore ACCESS 1.1. Accordingly,
Track 'n Trend includes the ACCESS 1.1 DLL's:
VBDB300.DLL (4/28/93), MSAES110.DLL, and MSAJT110.DLL.

A 'VB 3.0 to ACCESS 2.0 Compatibility' package is available
from Microsoft. This will alter existing VB 3.0 programs
(through new DLL's) so that ACCESS 2.0 is the default
standard. This set of DLL's includes: VBDB300.DLL (for
ACCESS 2.0 dated after 4/28/93), MSAJT200.DLL, and
MSAES200.DLL. These DLL's can coexist with ACCESS 1.1 except
for VBDB300.DLL, which is a replacement. There are
ramifications in using this 'Compatibility' software
however, and each person must decide which direction is best
for them. For this reason we do not 'force' this upgrade
upon you.

If you have decided to use the 'Compatibility' layered
product, Track 'n Trend should perform without any
difficulty. The 'Compatibility' layered software can be
installed before, or after, the installation of
Track 'n Trend. The ACCESS 2.0 version of VBDB300.DLL
will not be superseded by Track 'n Trend's SETUP because
it's a later version. Note that once the 'Compatibility'
software is in place, all new Track 'n Trend databases will
be in ACCESS 2.0 format. This includes 'compacted'
databases.

Some applications keep some, or all, DLL's in their
directory. If you have installed another VB application that
may have partially placed the 'Compatibility' software in
your WINDOWS/SYSTEM directory (namely VBDB300.DLL) but left
other DLL's in the application directory, Track 'n Trend (as
well as other VB applications that use ACCESS) will
malfunction with an error message that a DLL cannot be
found.

This can be confusing because one cannot easily determine
which VBDB300.DLL is currently being used (in the
WINDOWS/SYSTEM directory). To help eliminate
confusion the Track 'n Trend SETUP program will check the
completeness of the required ACCESS DLL's. If a problem is
detected a message will be displayed informing you to
manually review the DLL's. The easiest corrective action is
to rename, or delete, VBDB300.DLL in the WINDOWS/SYSTEM
directory and rerun the Track 'n Trend SETUP program.

If you have any questions, please contact us at:
916-641-7910, or
CIS: 73444, 2737 (73444.2737.compuserve.com)


Part 3: Miscellaneous Notes and Tips
============================================================

1.  Use the REVIEW to get familiar with the application.

2.  Please read the license agreement.

3.  Please register and let us know what you like about
    Track 'n Trend; and what could make it better.

4.  Track 'n Trend creates ACCESS database files (mdb's). If
    an mdb becomes corrupt it must be repaired and compacted
    before using it.



Thank you!

