
      File-Ex (tm) v3.0 for Windows 95/98/Me/NT4/2000/XP
---------------------------------------------------------------
  Copyright 2002  by Cottonwood Software  All Rights Reserved

          ***  Thank you for trying File-Ex ! ***

What File-Ex Does
-----------------

File-Ex enhances the file dialogs of all of your Windows 
applications.  These enhancements will save you time and 
effort by minimizing the amount of clicking and searching 
for the files and folders you use most.  Since most of these 
enhancements are automatic, it will appear as though every 
program on your computer has been improved.

The most noticeable feature is that File-Ex automatically 
makes the file dialog larger.  This may be a shock at first, 
but you'll quickly get used to the amount of time it saves 
you by seeing more files at once without scrolling.  You 
can control the sizing and positioning of the dialog, as 
well as some of the "internal" enhancements File-Ex makes -- 
like making the drop-down lists longer.

You will also see a number of additional controls at the 
bottom of the dialogs.  Any or all of these may be turned off 
if you prefer, so you can customize File-Ex to your needs.  
These controls provide quick file information, management and 
searching, plus lists of the most recently used files and 
folders.  In addition, you can set up your own lists of 
favorite files and folders.

Another useful feature of File-Ex is that since it remembers 
the last folder used for each application, it can automatically 
switch to that folder when the application is used again.

Using File-Ex for the First Time
--------------------------------

If you have just installed File-Ex and are reading this from 
the Notepad program, try it out now by selecting "File" from the 
menu, then "Open".  You should see a larger file dialog than 
normal, with extra features.  (The default is still fairly small, 
but it can be made as large as the screen if you like.)

File-Ex runs as a taskbar tray icon -- you should see a small 
"FE" icon at the far right of the taskbar.  Right-click on this 
for the main menu, or left-click on it to bring up a dialog 
with configuration and help functions.

Keep in mind that File-Ex is not a stand-alone file manager,
so you don't just run File-Ex when you need it.  It's a system 
enhancement, so for the best results it should be running
all of the time.  If you don't already have File-Ex starting 
when Windows starts (an option when installing), we recommend
that you do so once you're comfortable with it.

For complete information, just click on the "Help" button in 
File-Ex, or open File-Ex Help from the Start / Programs menu.


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

** File-Ex 98 (v2.x) users, see below for upgrading info

If you haven't already installed File-Ex, you need to follow
the simple procedure below.  This assumes that you have already
extracted the files from the downloaded ZIP file, if applicable.

To install File-Ex, run SETUP.EXE from Windows:

1. From the Start Menu, select Run...

2. In the Command Line box, type d:\path\Setup, where 'd' is 
   the letter of the drive and 'path' is the directory where 
   the File-Ex Setup,exe file is.

   For example:
     C:\Download\Setup

3. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

4. If you're not familiar with File-Ex, open the Help file 
   and read through the Overview sections.


Important information for Microsoft Office users
------------------------------------------------

File-Ex will enhance most applications automatically, but
Microsoft Office applications don't use the standard file
dialogs so they have to be "Trained".  File-Ex comes with
pre-trained templates for the English versions of Office 97, 
2000, and XP.  If you use one of these (including MS Word,
Excel, Access or PowerPoint), use the Import function to
load the templates into File-Ex.  Then File-Ex will work
with those applications without manual training.

If you use a non-English version, the templates can still
be used with minor modifications.  You can also check our
web site for the latest templates.

See the Help for more complete information.


Upgrading from File-Ex 98 (a.k.a. version 2)
--------------------------------------------

If you're currently using File-Ex 98, you may wish to
upgrade to version 3 to get a few new features and
continued support.  However, there is also one reason 
you may NOT want to upgrade -- version 3 does not 
enhance old-style dialogs or 16-bit applications under 
Windows 95/98/Me.  (Under Windows NT4/2000/XP you can 
train File-Ex for 16-bit applications and get long file
name support, but not in Win9x.)  So if you're using 
16-bit applications and currently depend on File-Ex to 
use long file names with them, you should not upgrade yet.

If you do wish to upgrade...

File-Ex version 3 is a completely new program, and should
not be mixed with old versions on the same system.  However,
this version will automatically import the configurations,
recent files/folders and favorite files/folders from v2.x if
they are found.

Therefore, BEFORE installing File-Ex v3 you should run the
File-Ex 98 "Remove" program to remove it from your system,
and select the PARTIAL option -- this will leave your
settings and recent/favorites information intact to be
imported by version 3.  Note that trained applications 
will NOT be imported.  You will need to retrain any of 
those necessary, or import the appropriate MS Office
template.  Keep in mond that the old configuration files
will be left intact, and will only be imported to version 3
as needed.  Therefore you could go back to v2 if needed.


About the Evaluation Period
---------------------------

File-Ex is distributed as a shareware trial version.  This 
means that you are free to try it out for 30 days. It will 
be fully functional during that time, so you can try all of 
its functions.


Ordering File-Ex
----------------

For complete ordernig information please see the text file 
ORDER.TXT, or the File-Ex Help file.  You can also order 
online from our web site.


Support
-------

For support, contact Cottonwood Software by phone, fax, mail, or 
E-mail.  (E-mail is preferred, and will get a fast response.)

 Mail:           Cottonwood Software
                 PMB 13166
                 231 Rainbow Dr.
                 Livingston, TX   77399-2031
 Phone:          877-414-8384
 FAX:            877-414-8384
 E-mail:         info@cottonwoodsw.com
 WW Web:         http://www.cottonwoodsw.com


Please see the Help file for more information.


Warranty and license info
-------------------------
Complete Warranty and license information may be found in the
Help file, FILEEX.HLP.

