Scientific American Library: The Planets CD-ROM Read Me File Copyright 1995 Byron Preiss Multimedia Company, Inc. All of the navigational controls for the title are located in the controls button which is located in the lower right corner of every screen. Be sure to access the Viewme file for a video introduction to Scientific American Library: The Planets. If you've installed The Planets, you can double-click the icon for the "Watch Me" in the BPMC Program Group. To read this file on-screen, use the Page Down and Page Up keys. You can also print the file by choosing the Print command from the File menu in any Windows word processing program. This Read Me file contains important information on the following topics: 1. Using the Web Pages located in the Web.Res folder 2. Problems Setting Up The Planets Installing on non-Windows Program Manager systems 3. Problems Running The Planets: General Protection Faults Reinstalling The Planets Right mouse button not supported Space bar not supported 4. Running in Low Memory or Running Slowly Running successfully in low memory Improving performance with SmartDrive 5. Skipping the Introduction 6. Quitting The Planets 7. CD-ROM Problems Problems finding the CD-ROM drive Errors reading from the CD-ROM drive CD-ROM drives that require a swap file 8. Video Display Problems The Planets requires 256-color mode The Planets looks best at 640x480 Video driver problems Compaq Presario chipset Screen savers not recommended Turning off Microsoft Office Manager Orchid ProDesigner II VGA Video Driver problems Problems with ATI Ultra Crystal Drivers Problems with Cirrus Logic Drivers Problems with Dell S3 Drivers Problems with Mitac MVA Drivers Problems with Genoa VGA Drivers Obtaining updated drivers 9. Audio Problems Conflicts with other applications Audio driver problems Sounds play, but not very well Sound does not play at all Problems with Media Vision cards 10. Credits Byron Preiss Multimedia Company masthead ******************************************************************* 1. Using the Web Pages located in the Web.Res folder ******************************************************************* If you have internet access and a World Wide Web browser (such as Netscape, Mosaic, or the Web capability of one of the on-line services), you can link to Byron Preiss Multimedia's homepage and the Scientifictic American Library: The Planets home page. We have included several links to other fun Planmetary sites on the World Wide Web. You will find a Web-ready "html" document on The Planets CD-ROM. Point your browser at "PLANETS.HTM", and enjoy! ******************************************************************* 2. Problems Setting Up The Planets ******************************************************************* Installing on non-Windows Program Manager systems Most Tandy Sensations use WinMate as their default desktop shell. WinMate may cause a conflict with the setup procedure and needs to be disabled by changing the shell= line in the SYSTEM.INI file to read as follows: shell=progman.exe To change the shell= line in the SYSTEM.INI file: 1. From the Windows Accessories group, run Notepad. 2. Open the SYSTEM.INI file and comment out the shell= line in the [boot] section by typing a semicolon (;) at the beginning of the shell= line. This is the line that is loading the Tandy WinMate shell. 3. Create a new line under the commented shell= line that reads: shell=progman.exe 4. After saving the changes to the SYSTEM.INI file, exit and restart Windows. The WinMate shell will now be disabled and your shell will now be Program Manager. 5. Run The Planets Setup. Upon completion of The Planets Setup, you can change your shell back to the WinMate desktop, if so desired: 1. Edit the SYSTEM.INI file again by commenting out the "shell=progman.exe" line (adding a semicolon (;) to the beginning of the shell=progman.exe line). 2. Remove the semicolon (;) in front of the previously commented "shell=" line that loads WinMate. ***************************************************************** 3. Problems Running The Planets ***************************************************************** General Protection Faults When trying to run The Planets, if a General Protection Fault occurs, quit and restart Windows. In many cases, the problem will not occur again. General Protection Faults may occur if you have less than 8MB RAM or experience a conflict with particular software or hardware on your system. A frequent cause of General Protection Faults is the use of outdated video drivers. Check to make sure you are using the latest video drivers available from your computer or video card manufacturer. Or, try installing the SVGA drivers that ship with Windows 3.11 and Windows for Workgroups. See section 7, Video Display Problems, for more information. Reinstalling The Planets While running Windows 3.1 or 3.1.1 and you change the drive letter of your CD-ROM or experience unusual problems when running the game, you should reinstall The Planets. If you should need to reinstall The Planets, you should do so without deleting the existing the Planets directory or The Planets Program Group. Simply run the "Setup.exe" file located in the root drive of your directory. Right mouse button not supported The Planets does not support the use of the right mouse button or the center mouse button (on a three-button mouse). The Planets also does not support special software that assigns custom functions to clicking the right or center mouse button. These functions should not be used while playing The Planets. ***************************************************************** 4. Running In Low Memory or Running Slowly ***************************************************************** Running successfully in low memory The Planets uses your computer's system memory to display pictures and play sounds. If you find that The Planets runs slowly or if you encounter out-of-memory errors, The Planets probably does not have enough memory. Consider doing the following to improve your computer's performance: 1. Close all unnecessary applications. 2. Run Windows without network support by typing "win /n" at the DOS prompt. 3. Determine how much memory your computer has available by typing "mem" and pressing ENTER at the DOS prompt. You need a minimum of 8MB of total memory to use The Planets. If you do not have at least 8MB of memory, you may not be able to run The Planets until you add more memory. 4. If you are using Windows 3.1, we strongly suggest that you run Windows in Enhanced mode while playing The Planets in order to improve performance. To see if you are running Windows in Enhanced mode, from the Program Manager Help menu choose the About Program Manager (or from the File Manager Help menu choose About File Manager). In the bottom section of the dialog box, you should see the phrase "386 Enhanced Mode." If you do not see this phrase, you can force Windows to run in Enhanced mode by typing WIN/3 or WIN/E at the DOS prompt when launching Windows. Windows for Workgroups always runs in Enhanced mode and no message is displayed in the About dialog box. 5. If you are running Windows in Enhanced mode, set up a permanent Windows swap file (virtual memory) on your hard disk. See your Windows User's Guide for more information. 7. Defragment ("clean up") your hard disk by running a defragmentation program (MS-DOS 6.2 and above includes the program "defrag"). Improving performance with SmartDrive Make sure you have SmartDrive 5.0 and MSCDEX 2.23. This new version of SmartDrive can cache data being read from the CD-ROM drive, greatly improving performance. Make sure smartdrv is after MSCDEX in your Autoexec.bat. For information on the current SmartDrive settings type "smartdrv" at the DOS prompt. For help with SmartDrive type "smartdrv /?" at the DOS prompt or consult your DOS User's Guide. Set up enough buffer for MSCDEX by putting /M:25 at the end of MSCDEX.EXE in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. ***************************************************************** 5. Skipping the Introduction ***************************************************************** To skip the Introduction, click the mouse button any time while it is playing. It is not necessary to click rapidly. To view the Introduction again, quit and restart The Planets from Windows. ***************************************************************** 6. Quitting The Planets ***************************************************************** Quitting rapidly From the "Controls" panel located in the Controls Square located in the lower right corner of the program at all times. Then click the Quit button. ***************************************************************** 7. CD-ROM Problems ***************************************************************** Problems finding the CD-ROM drive Make sure that The Planets program is looking for the compact disc on the correct drive. Check to see if the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive has changed. You can use the Windows File Manager to determine which drive letter is assigned to the CD-ROM drive. The Select Drive command in the Disk menu will say "CD-ROM" next to the CD-ROM drive letter. Do not remove The Planets compact disc from your CD-ROM while the program is running. If The Planets program cannot find the data files that it needs from the compact disc, you will see a message that tells you that your computer cannot read from the drive letter of your CD-ROM. Errors reading from the CD-ROM drive If The Planets is unable to read compact disc data properly, you may see a message that tells you that your computer cannot read from the drive letter of your CD-ROM. If you have an external CD-ROM drive, make sure the drive is connected to your computer, plugged in, and turned on. If you still see the error message after checking the points above, check the documentation that came with your CD-ROM drive or contact the company that supplied the drive. Make sure that your CD-ROM drive is MPC2-compatible. An MPC2- compatible drive "has an average seek time of less than one second and can transfer data from the compact disc at 300k per second while using less than 40% of the CPU bandwidth." Check the documentation that came with your CD-ROM drive to make sure it meets these requirements. An incompatible CD-ROM drive will slow down the performance of The Planets. CD-ROM drives that require a swap file Some CD-ROM drives require a swap file (virtual memory) to be active in order to function properly, even if your computer has 8MB or more of RAM as is required to run The Planets. Check the user's guide that came with your CD-ROM. If you encounter this problem, set up a permanent Windows swap file on your hard disk. See your Windows User's Guide for more information. ***************************************************************** 8. Video Display Problems ***************************************************************** The Planets requires 256-color mode The Planets is an 8-bit, 256-color application. In order to view The Planets properly, you need a video card which supports at least 256 colors in 640x480 resolution. The Planets requires that you run in 256 color mode. If you are not in 256-color mode, please exit, reset your display settings to 256 colors and restart Windows. If your computer is running in 16-color mode, or in high-color modes greater than 256 colors, and your video card will support 256 colors in at least 640x480 resolution, you should run Windows Setup* to change the screen driver to see The Planets at 256 (8-bit) colors. Check your Windows documentation for information on changing video drivers. The Planets looks best at 640x480 resolution If The Planets is too small on your screen, you are probably running in a resolution greater than 640x480. To make The Planets as large as possible on your screen, run Windows Setup and change your video driver to run in 640x480 resolution with 256 colors. You will then need to restart Windows. The next time you launch The Planets it will be the desired size on your screen. * NOTE: Some Video cards have a separate program you may have to run to change the display mode. See your video card user's manual to check how to change your display resolutions. Video driver problems The Planets may encounter display problems when using outdated video drivers, video drivers with more than 256 colors, or high resolution video drivers. Make sure you are using the most recent video drivers available for Windows from your video card manufacturer. To find out what video driver you are using, go to the Windows Program Manager Main group window and double-click the Windows Setup icon. To the right of "Display" you will see the name of the video driver currently in use. Make sure you are using the most recent Windows video drivers for your video card. Contact the manufacturer of your video card to determine if newer Windows video drivers are available. Screen Savers not recommended If you are using a screen saver of any kind, it should not activate while The Planets is running in the foreground. However, if you experience any conflicts with screen saver programs, it is best to turn them off while playing The Planets. Turning off Microsoft Office Manager If you have Microsoft Office installed (either the standard or the professional version), you should disable the Microsoft Office Manager (MOM) toolbar while running The Planets. The presence of the toolbar in The Planets can cause colors to be distorted. Check your Microsoft Office documentation for information on how to temporarily disable the Microsoft Office Manager toolbar. Compaq Presario chipset If you are using a Compaq Presario, you may encounter irregular orbit patterns in the Virtual Solar System. You may see these patterns using the following system: Compaq Presario CDS 633 and the bundled ET4-W32 video card. Orchid ProDesigner II VGA Video Driver problems If you are using an older Orchid ProDesigner II VGA video driver, Setup may fail. Contact the manufacturer or your dealer to obtain an updated driver. Problems with ATI Ultra Crystal Drivers The ATI ULTRA CRYSTAL driver will allow you to select a 256-color 1024x768 display for a video card that has 512K of memory. However, 512K of memory will not support 256 colors at this resolution. Because The Planets requires 256 colors to run properly, you must select a driver that will support a 256-color display. You must also make sure the video driver is compatible with your specific video card. For details on selecting an appropriate driver, see your ATI documentation or contact ATI technical support. A 256-color SVGA driver is included with Windows for Workgroups. For details on installing this driver, see your Windows for Workgroups documentation. For more information on the latest ATI drivers, you can contact ATI Technologies Inc. at (905) 882-2626, or connect to the ATI DOWNLOAD BBS at (905) 764-9404. Problems with Cirrus Logic Drivers If you are using a Cirrus Logic video card and encountered a General Protection Fault when starting The Planets in 256 color mode, be sure you are using the newest driver. If upgrading the driver does not fix the problem try running in 64k color mode or using the SVGA drivers available with Windows 3.11 and Windows for Workgroups and on the Microsoft Download Service at (206) 936-MSDL. For more information on the latest Cirrus Logic drivers, you can contact Cirrus Logic at (510) 623-8300, or connect to the Cirrus Logic bulletin board service (BBS) at (510) 440-9080. Problems with Dell S3 Drivers, versions 1.3 and 1.3a If you have a Dell computer with S3 video and are using the Dell S3 video drivers version 1.3 or 1.3a, you should install the latest driver. For details on installing this driver, contact Dell. Problems with Mitac MVA Drivers If you have a Mitac MVA-CL5428-1MV video card with R00 drivers (CL-GD5428), you may encounter a General Protection Fault when starting The Planets in 256 color mode. Make sure you are using the newest driver. If upgrading the driver does not fix the problem, try running in 64k color mode or using SVGA drivers available with Windows 3.11 and Windows for Workgroups and on the Microsoft Download Service at (206) 936-MSDL. Problems with Genoa VGA Drivers If you have a Genoa VGA 24 8500VL video card with v1.45 drivers (CL-GD5426), you may encounter a General Protection Fault when starting The Planets in 256 color mode. Make sure you are using the newest driver. If upgrading the driver does not fix the problem, try using SVGA drivers available with Windows 3.11 and Windows for Workgroups and on the Microsoft Download Service at (206) 936-MSDL. Obtaining updated drivers Make sure you are using the most recent Windows video drivers for your video card. Contact the manufacturer of your video card to determine if newer Windows video drivers are available. ***************************************************************** 9. Audio Problems ***************************************************************** Conflicts with other applications Audio problems can have many causes. Other applications that play sounds may interrupt sounds in The Planets, because your computer cannot play two sounds simultaneously. This is generally a temporary clash that will resolve itself. However, a few applications that play sounds, such as some screen savers, may remove audio capability from all other Windows applications. If you suspect you have such an application, turn it off or do not run it while running The Planets. Audio driver problems If you experience problems with audio, you may need to upgrade your audio card driver. Contact the manufacturer of your audio card to find out how to obtain a new driver. Sounds play, but not very well Sounds that are distorted or "fuzzy" have several possible causes. The most likely one is simply that your speakers are not of high quality. It is also possible that the software settings on your sound card are causing distortion. For example, if the sound card volume or "WAVE file input" is set to near its maximum, it will produce amplification distortion, just as it would on a stereo system. To find out how to change your sound card settings, check the documentation that came with your sound card. Your CD-ROM drive should be MPC2-compatible. An MPC2-compatible drive "has an average seek time of less than one second and can transfer data from the compact disc at 300k per second while using less than 40% of the CPU bandwidth." Check the documentation that came with your CD-ROM drive to make sure it meets these requirements. An incompatible CD-ROM drive may work but give lower quality sound or cause the sound to be interrupted while playing. Sound does not play at all If you don't hear any sounds, make sure that the volume for your speakers is set to an audible level, and the sound level is set to 5 or higher in The Planets (see user's guide for how to do this). If the volume is set to an audible level and you still hear no sounds at all, something may be wrong with your sound card setup. Check to see that the driver is installed correctly and, if necessary, reinstall it. Refer to the documentation that came with your sound card for more information on installing audio drivers. Please note that The Planets requires an MPC-compatible sound card to be installed and is not intended to run with drivers which use the PC internal speaker, such as the unsupported "PC Speaker" driver. Such a driver will in most cases not play any sounds, and if the driver setup option "Enable Interrupts" is not checked, your system may crash. If you have both a sound card and the PC Speaker driver installed, it is preferable to un-install the PC Speaker driver. Problems with Media Vision cards A small number of Media Vision sound card drivers (Pro Audio Spectrum cards) may cause problems. If you have a Media Vision card and do not hear speech but do hear music, you may need to upgrade your driver. Contact Media Vision Technical Support to find out how to obtain a new driver. ***************************************************************** 10. Company Masthead ***************************************************************** A Byron Preiss Production Byron Preiss Multimedia Company, Inc. Byron Preiss >>> President James R. Dellomo >>> Chief Financial Officer John Mayo-Smith >>> Technical Director Jackie Snyder >>> Marketing Director Tim Nolan >>> Director, Digital Bauhaus Founded in 1992, Byron Preiss Multimedia Company develops and publishes a wide range of interactive multimedia software under several imprints. The Planets appears under the Digital Bauhaus imprint. Other Byron Preiss Multimedia discs appearing under the Digital Bauhaus imprint are The Ultimate Frank Lloyd Wright, Isaac Asimov's The Ultimate Robot, The Ultimate Einstein, and American Heritage: The Civil War. Copyright 1995 Byron Preiss Multimedia. All rights reserved. Digital Bauhaus Multimedia is a trademark of Byron Preiss Multimedia. Windows, Windows 95 and Microsoft are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel and Indeo are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. Exploring Planetary Worlds (c) 1993 Scientific American Library, Inc. a division of HPHLP (distributed by W.H. Freeman & Company).