Introducing Solitare XP!

Here is the README.TXT file from Microsoft’s latest software product.

Microsoft Solitaire XP
README file, v4.3

Welcome!

Congratulations!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Microsoft Solitaire XP! This classic game has been a Windows fixture for many years, and after a long period of development, we are pleased to announce that it has been updated to take advantage of many exciting, Microsoft-pioneered technologies, such as “long filenames!”

For years, our users have made demands, and Microsoft has listened. You told us that you wanted an operating system in which Solitaire was a seamless, integrated component. You wanted to blend in Solitaire with how you worked, how you played, and in general, you wanted Solitaire to *define your computing experience.*

Solitaire XP brings this dream to a blissful reality.

System Requirements

  • 266 MHz Pentium II or better
  • 800 megabytes of free hard drive space (2.1 gigabytes recommended)
  • 128 megabytes of RAM (256 megabytes for Vegas scoring)

Installation Procedure

  1. Insert the CD-ROM entitled “Microsoft Solitaire” into your CD-ROM drive. You will need to make sure that the drive door is open before you place the disc in the tray.
  2. An installation dialog box should appear on your screen. If it does not, you may need to purchase more memory or a larger hard disk drive. See your local Microsoft-certified dealer.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions. If you cannot read, have somebody else sit through the installation procedure.
  4. Insert the CD-ROM entitled “Microsoft Solitaire, Disc 2” into your CD-ROM drive. As before, ensure that the drive is open before inserting the disc in the tray.
  5. An installation dialog box should appear on your screen. If it does not, you may need to upgrade to a Microsoft “Natural” keyboard, which you can obtain from your nearest dealer. As before, follow the onscreen instructions.
  6. After the installation program has completed, check your “Programs” menu for a new Solitaire XP entry. If the program entry was not successfully created, you may need to uninstall all local copies of Netscape Navigator and/or Communicator and restart the Solitaire installation process from scratch.

Playing The Game

Assuming that Solitaire XP has been properly installed, you should be able to find it in your “Programs” menu (you should have verified this as part of the installation process.) Microsoft recommends that you shut down all other programs that may be running on the system before starting Solitaire XP.

To start the game, simply select it from the “Programs” menu. If the game does not start within five to seven minutes of selection, you may need to upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft Office to ensure that your system has the proper DLLs that Solitaire needs.

For game rules, refer to the .HLP files for the Windows 3.1 version of Solitaire. If you don’t have these files, you can purchase them online from Microsoft at very competitive rates.

Coming Soon

Minesweeper XP !!

Watch this space.

[ snip millions of blank lines inserted to balloon README file up to Microsoft mandatory one-megabyte minimum file size. ]