About the CD

Here�s some of what you can find on the Wills and Estates For Canadians For Dummies Planning Kit CD-ROM:

• Adobe Acrobat Reader: Lets you view and print Portable Document Format, or PDF, files.
• AOL Canada: Online service provider for Canada.
• WinZip: an invaluable file compression and decompression Windows shareware utility.
• Forms and other documents: Author created forms and documents from the text.
• Financial Calculators: Scotiabank Financial Calculators.

What You�ll Find (on the CD)

Note: We have included an "easy install" in these HTML pages. If your browser supports installation from within it, go ahead and click on the links of program names you see below. You�ll see two options: to run or open the file from the current location or to save the file to your hard drive. Choose to run or open the file from its current location, and the installation procedure will continue. A Security Warning dialog box appears. Click Yes to continue the installation. If your browser doesn't support this feature, you can always fall back to the installation instructions in the Readme file on this CD and install directly from the software folders.

Acrobat Reader

Folder: Acrobat Reader

Commercial Version

Acrobat Reader 4.0, from Adobe Systems, is an evaluation version that lets you view and print Portable Document Format, or PDF, files. The PDF format is used by many programs you find on the Internet for storing documentation, because it supports the use of such stylish elements as assorted fonts and colorful graphics (as opposed to plain text, or ASCII, which doesn't allow for any special effects in a document).

For example, a document on the CD-ROM is the sample will.

To install Acrobat Reader, follow Steps 1 through 6 in the section "Installing the Programs from Microsoft Windows," near the beginning of this appendix. When you see the main menu, click the Working Offline category, click the Acrobat Reader option, click the Install button appropriate for your version of Windows, and follow the prompts that appear on-screen to complete the installation.

You can now run Acrobat Reader at any time by clicking the Start button, choose Programs and then Adobe Acrobat, and then click the Acrobat Reader icon. To find out more about using Acrobat Reader, choose Reader Online Guide from the Help menu. You can also get more information by visiting the Adobe Systems Web site at www.adobe.com.

AOL Canada

Folder: AOL Canada

Commercial Version for 95/98/Me

AOL Canada 6.0 is a commercial online service provider that has local telephone access from most areas of Canada. The software provided by AOL Canada on the CD-ROM includes an easy-to-use interface to the Internet programs you will want to use, as well as a large selection of the Internet client programs.

Before you sign up for an account with AOL Canada, check whether it's accessible from your location as a local telephone call. If you have access to the Web, you can check the AOL Canada Web site, at www.aol.ca, or call 1-888-AOL-HELP to speak to a customer service representative. While you're on the phone with AOL Canada ask about local phone numbers, and check to see whether its pricing has changed.

Some of the programs on the CD-ROM can also be found in the AOL software. In most cases, the ones on the CD-ROM are more recent versions, so you may want to install them rather than the versions from AOL Canada.

To install the AOL Canada programs, follow Steps 1 through 6 in the section "Installing the Programs from Microsoft Windows" near the beginning of this readme. On the main menu, choose the Connecting category and then the AOL option, click the Install button appropriate for your version of Windows, and follow the prompts that appear on-screen to complete the installation.

The installation program asks whether you want to make a New or Custom installation. A New installation installs all the programs in the preceding list; a Custom installation enables you to pick the ones you want. The installation program prompts you for all the information necessary to open an account with AOL Canada, including a credit card number. The program checks your modem, dials a toll-free or local number to register you, and returns with your password and other groovy information.

The AOL Canada installation reboots your computer. Make sure that you're not running any other applications while you're installing it.

To run the AOL Canada program in Windows 95 or Windows 98, press the Start button, and then choose Programs and then AOL Canada.

WinZip

Folder: WinZip

Evaluation Version

WinZip 8, from Nico Mak Computing, is a shareware version of an invaluable file compression and decompression Windows shareware utility. Many files you find on the Internet are compressed, or shrunken in size via special programming tricks, both to save storage space and to cut down on the amount of time they require to be downloaded. You may also occasionally receive compressed files (ZIP files) as e-mail attachments.

After you have a compressed file on your hard disk, you can use WinZip to decompress it and make it useable again.

To install WinZip, follow Steps 1 through 6 in the section "Installing the Programs from Microsoft Windows" near the beginning of this appendix.

When you see the main menu, choose the Working Offline category and then the WinZip option, click the Install button appropriate for your version of Windows, and follow the prompts that appear on-screen to complete the installation.

To run WinZip, click the Start button, choose Programs and then WinZip, and click the WinZip 8 32-bit icon.

The first time you launch WinZip, it displays a bunch of messages and configuration questions. When you're asked whether you want the program to operate in WinZip Wizard or WinZip Classic mode, we recommend that you choose WinZip Classic, which we consider easier to use. After you've answered all the questions, WinZip is ready to go.

For information about using WinZip, choose the Contents option from the program's Help menu or double-click the program's Online Manual icon in its folder. To find out even more about WinZip, visit the program's Web site at www.winzip.com.

Forms and other documents

Folder: Author files

Author files is where you'll find forms and documents from the text. The forms on the CD-ROM come in a couple of flavours:

• Rich Text Format files. Use this version if you use a version of Microsoft Word prior to Word 95 or if you use another word processing program such as WordPerfect, WordPro, or WordPad. After you install these forms, they appear in the following folder: C:\Wills&Estates.
• Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. Some files (such as the sample will) can only be seen if you install the Adobe Acrobat Reader. You cannot modify these forms, but you can print them out. The forms in Adobe Acrobat format that come with Wills and Estates For Canadians For Dummies are installed along with the Word 95 forms or the RTF forms. Look for them along with your other forms.

Financial calculators

In addition to the tables mentioned above, the CD includes several links to interactive financial calculators from Scotiabank. Use this financial software to calculate your net worth and your cash flow and to plan for your retirement.