I've worked in a computer lab. I've worked in tech support. Now I write software user manuals. And if there's one thing I've learned about software users, it's that nobody reads the freakin' manual!

During my brief stint in tech support I had callers who would ask how to install the software. "Well sir," I'd answer, "I think I can find that for you on page 1 of the manual."

As a technical writer, this is a heavy burden to bear. Imagine knowing that the books you work on every day for years are probably left in the original packaging and put on a shelf in some forgotten server room. Sigh. Or worse, imagine knowing that users who upgrade to the latest version never even recieve the manual.

So for those users who I failed to reach with my user guides, here are the installation instructions from page 1:

1. At a command prompt, enter format c: and press Enter. The following prompt is displayed:
WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK
DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST!
Proceed with Format (Y/N)?

2. Press... um... Okay, I'm feeling guilty. Don't format your drive! Sigh. Press N.

Damn conscience. You never let me have any fun.

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