e-Gatherer README

Welcome to e-Gatherer version 0.7.1.  This README contains the operating
instructions for e-Gatherer version 0.7.1.  

CONTENTS
________

This file contains the following information:

1.0  	Introduction to e-Gatherer
2.0  	Prerequisites
3.0  	Installing and running e-Gatherer from your hard disk drive
4.0  	Trademarks


1.0  INTRODUCTION TO e-GATHERER
________________________________________________

eGatherer is a system information gathering program that assists IBM 
technical staff in remotely diagnosing and subsequently fixing 
problems that customers have encountered with their computer systems.  
All necessary information can be gathered for analysis during one 
operation.

eGatherer interrogates a customer's system for configuration information 
that typically includes:

General system information (model, serial number, operating system)
Hardware and Software configuration information
Error logs

The software will not collect any private data. All information gathered 
will be treated as confidential and will only be seen by IBM authorised 
technical support personnel.

The information gathered is held within a single file which customers 
should attach to an email and send to IBM.  IBM technical staff will 
then process this file and analyse the data that was collected.



2.0 PREREQUISITES
___________________

e-Gatherer will run on any system supporting 
Windows 9x, Windows 2000 and Windows NT.  



3.0 INSTALLING AND RUNNING e-GATHERER FROM YOUR HARD DISK DRIVE
_______________________________________________________________


1.	Download e-Gatherer.

2.	When prompted, type the file path of the directory where you 
	want to save the e-Gatherer executable program file.

	For example:

	C:\My Download Files
	
3.  	Double-click on the file to run the e-Gatherer 
        program. At the DOS window type 'y' to accept the terms and 
	conditions of the disclaimer.  

4.	When the progress bar indicates that the  e-Gatherer program
	has completed it's information gathering operation, close 
	the DOS window.

5.	When e-Gatherer has successfully executed, an output file is
	generated.  This file resides in the same directory 
	as your eGatherer program file.  The name of 
	this output file takes the form IBM-xxxxxxx-ABCDEFG.gth  where:
	  
	"xxxxxxx" denotes a seven digit machine type number and 
	"ABCDEFG" denotes the serial number of your system.

	This output file contains all of your system's configuration 
	information.  

6.	Attach this output file (IBM-xxxxxxx-ABCDEFG.gth) to an e-mail
	and send this e-mail back to IBM's support centre. 
	


4.0  TRADEMARKS 
_______________


The following terms are trademarks of the international Business 
Machines Corporation in the United States, or other countries, or both:

IBM

Windows, Windows 2000 and Windows NT are trademarks or registered 
trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service
marks of others.

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.  
IBM DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, 
INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND MERCHANTABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE 
INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT.  BY FURNISHING THIS DOCUMENT, IBM 
GRANTS NO LICENSES TO ANY PATENTS OR COPYRIGHTS.

(C) COPYRIGHT IBM CORPORATION 1999, 2000.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.