[ The PC Guide ]

The PC Guide Disk Edition

Shortly after I created The PC Guide in 1997, a number of people wrote to me asking if it would be possible to get a copy of the web site for offline use. A few months later The PC Guide Disk Edition was born. The Disk Edition is the entire contents of The PC Guide available either by download from the Internet for use on your hard disk, or on a CD-ROM disk. The Disk Edition allows you to peruse the thousands of pages of information on The PC Guide quickly, easily, without needing an Internet connection, and without advertising banners. At the same time you support The PC Guide site and make future work on the site possible.

For a full description of the Disk Edition, and answers to a number of commonly-asked questions about it, please try looking in the Disk Edition FAQ. The following points are the most important things you need to know about The Disk Edition:

• The Disk Edition is the entire contents of The PC Guide web site (with one exception, see below), with a few extras added. The information is available in both HTML (Web) format and PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format. The Disk Edition can be downloaded from the Internet or received on a CD-R (recordable) disk.
• The only significant omission from the web site in the Disk Edition is that there is no search engine in the Disk Edition; you must use the Find facility within Windows (instructions are provided for how to do this.)
• While The PC Guide is a free site, the Disk Edition is a pay option. New download orders currently cost $19.99 and CD-ROMs $29.99, shipping included in North America. Overseas (air) shipment of CDs is $5 extra. Volume and educational discounts are available as well; contact me for pricing.
• The current version of the Disk Edition is Version 2.2, dated May 2001. Anyone who ordered a prior version may download the current version for free by sending me email and letting me know your name and if possible, when you ordered. Those who ordered prior versions may also get an upgrade CD for $9.99 shipped within North America ($5 extra for overseas). Please note that it will be a while before a new version of the Disk Edition is released.
• System requirements are Windows 95/NT/98/2000/ME/XP and either a CD/DVD drive for the disk, or 50-100 MB of hard disk space for the download, depending on the install options chosen and the file system in use (FAT16 will take more space than FAT32 or NTFS).

NOTE: The Guide How to Build Your Own PC is not included in the Disk Edition. It is sold as a separate print book directly by the author.

The Disk Edition can be ordered in two ways: by using my own secure credit card system or by mail. Credit card orders are fastest, because I get confirmation of the order quickly. Please note that Disk Edition orders are non-refundable. I will of course replace a faulty disk if you should receive one--which almost never happens--but since the material on the disk is all here on the web site, you should know what you are getting before you order. The Topic Index lists all the topics on the site, and in the Disk Edition.

The Disk Edition is sold only as a licensed product. As much as I hate the need to deal with legalese, in this day and age I must protect my intellectual rights carefully and also ensure that everyone who orders the Disk Edition is clear about what rights they are (and are not) granted by the license. For this reason, you must agree to the following Disk Edition User License Agreement in order to purchase the Disk Edition. I have tried to keep this as short and simple as possible, but unfortunately, it still isn't really all that short or simple:

1. The Disk Edition User License Agreement is a legal agreement between you (either an individual, organization or corporate entity) and The PC Guide. The purpose of this Agreement is to spell out the terms under which The PC Guide Disk Edition (henceforth known as "The Product") is made available for licensing, and to specify which rights are granted under the terms of this Agreement. You acknowledge that this Agreement is the complete and exclusive statement of the agreement between yourself and The PC Guide as regards The Product, and that it supersedes any prior agreement whether made orally or in writing. No alteration of the terms of this Agreement will be deemed enforceable against The PC Guide unless agreed to in advance in writing by The PC Guide.
2. The ownership and copyright of all materials pertaining to The PC Guide Disk Edition remains with The PC Guide and Charles M. Kozierok, except for those additional materials included on the CD-ROM which have been provided by third parties, whose ownership and copyright remain with their owners. This License Agreement does not convey to you any title or ownership of the materials included in The PC Guide Disk Edition. The purchase of a license is not a sale of any rights to The Product. All materials in The PC Guide Disk Edition, except where explicitly noted to the contrary, are copyrighted by The PC Guide site and Charles M. Kozierok personally. All Rights Reserved. They may not be copied, published, re-transmitted, uploaded or summarized without prior, explicit, written permission. Any and all other rights pertaining to The Product or its use, other than those specifically granted by this Agreement, are hereby reserved by The PC Guide.
3. With the purchase of a Disk Edition license you are granted the right to view the materials using a Web browser or similar document viewing software, to print out pages for personal use. You may also create a copy of The Product for backup purposes, as long as it is not used simultaneously or distributed. You may not copy The Product for any other purpose.
4. You may not distribute The Product in any form, including print, physical media, upload to a bulletin board system, or upload to an Internet or intranet server, without the expressed written consent of The PC Guide. You may not rent or lease The Product under any circumstances unless specifically authorized in writing by The PC Guide.
5. You may place The Product on an internal network only if each computer on the network accessing The Product has an authorized license. You may not place The Product on any network that would allow access to The Product by computers that do not have valid licenses. This would include any computer whose files are accessible to the general public, over the Internet or otherwise, unless The Product is placed in a segregated area that is not accessible.
6. If purchasing a license of The Product in CD-ROM format, you may not install The Product on one computer’s hard disk and then use the CD-ROM on another computer unless that other computer is also in possession of a valid license for The Product.
7. Individual licenses may be transferred if The Product is transferred in full, including all accompanying materials, but the right to upgrade at a reduced price is not transferred with the product. Corporate or educational multi-user licenses may not be transferred.
8. The greatly reduced prices for educational licenses are valid for professors and instructors at educational institutions only. This includes public and private elementary and secondary schools, vocational schools, colleges and universities. It does not include technical training companies, nor those selling hardware training sessions or seminars. Use of material provided under an educational license by any individual or organization other than the licensing educational organization is prohibited.
9. Without limitation to other rights that The PC Guide may have, The PC Guide reserves the right to immediately terminate this license upon notice, in the event that you fail to comply with its terms. Upon termination, you lose any and all rights granted to you by this Agreement, and you must destroy all copies of The Product in whatever form they may exist.
10. There are certain operations described in the materials provided as part of The Product that could, if performed improperly, result in personal injury, damage to property, or data loss. Provided within The Product are several prominently displayed sections describing proper safety procedures and data protection protocols. These are provided to the author's best knowledge, based on a desire to absolutely minimize any chance of injury or damage, but no warranty is made that they will guarantee no possibility of these, especially since it is impossible to enforce their correct use. The user takes all responsibility for any actions that he or she chooses to undertake. Under no circumstances will The PC Guide be held liable for any loss or damages resulting from the actions of any user of The Product.
11. The PC Guide specifically disclaims all warranties with regard to The PC Guide Disk Edition. All of the contents of The Product are provided "as is", without any warranties of any sort, either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, implied warranties for The Product’s quality, merchantability, performance, or fitness for a particular purpose. The PC Guide does not warrant any results that you may obtain from using The Product. All risks arising out of use of the contents of The Product remain solely with the user. The entire contents of The Product are available for perusal and evaluation in on-line form before purchase. The PC Guide also does not provide any warranty of any sort on any additional reference materials provided on the CD-ROM version of The Product.
12. The PC Guide makes no guarantee of accuracy regarding the material contained within The Product. The PC Guide incurs no obligation to provide support, maintenance or updates to The Product.  If there is any doubt as to the accuracy of any claim or information within The Product, the reader is responsible for verifying same against an alternative source.
13. In no event shall The PC Guide or its suppliers or agents be held liable for any damages whatsoever arising from the use of The Product, or the inability to use it, even if The PC Guide has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This disclaimer includes, without limitation, any claims of direct or indirect damages for personal injury, loss of business profits, loss of business information, business interruption, special damages or any other pecuniary loss by yourself or any third party. Because some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply to you. In any case, the entire liability of The PC Guide and your exclusive remedy under any provision of this Agreement shall be limited to the actual amount paid for The Product.

Sorry about all that, I didn't enjoy writing it any more than you did reading it.. :^) Well, you have two choices:

• I agree to the terms of The PC Guide Disk Edition User License Agreement; take me to the Disk Edition order page

OR

• I do not agree to the terms of The PC Guide Disk Edition User License Agreement; return me to the home page of The PC Guide

Next: Disk Edition Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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