Having problems running 500 Nations? Read the text below. If you don't find the information you need here, check the README file on the 500 Nations CD-ROM.
PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS
========================
500 Nations uses your computer's system memory to display pictures. If you find that 500 Nations runs slowly or if you encounter out-of-memory errors, the program probably doesn't have enough memory. Consider doing the following to improve your computer's performance:
* Close all unnecessary applications.
* Determine how much total memory your computer has available.
At the MS-DOS command prompt, type "mem" and press ENTER.
500 Nations will run best if you have at least 8MB (8192 KB)
of total memory.
* If you are running Windows 3.1, make sure you have a permanent
swap file on your hard disk. A swap file of greater
than 4MB (4096 KB) is recommended. See your Windows
documentation for more information.
* Defragment ("clean up") your hard disk by running a
defragmentation program such as DEFRAG, which comes with
MS-DOS version 6 or higher.
A disk defragmenter is also included in Windows 95.
CD-ROM PROBLEMS
==================
NOTE - Do not remove the 500 Nations compact disc from your CD-ROM drive while 500 Nations is in the process of playing a sound, movie, or slideshow, or is running in Random mode.
If the 500 Nations program cannot find the data files that it needs from the 500 Nations compact disc, you'll see a message that asks you to select the drive containing the files. To find the source of the problem, do the following:
* Make sure the 500 Nations compact disc is correctly
inserted into the CD-ROM drive.
* Make sure that the 500 Nations 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.
* If you have an external CD-ROM drive, make sure that 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 MPC-compatible.
MPC-compatible drives meet the following criteria:
1. An average seek time of less than one second;
2. A transfer rate of 150KB 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. A CD-ROM drive that does not meet the MPC specifications will exhibit slow performance, audio blips, or interruptions when sound is played.
PRINTING AND COPYING
=======================
The screens in 500 Nations are large color pictures. Depending on the type of printer you have, printing a picture of the screen may take several minutes. Also, screen resolution and printer resolution are often not the same, so the resulting printout may not match the quality you see on the screen.
You should be able to print grayscale images from 500 Nations. If you have a black and white laser printer you might need to upgrade your printer driver. Call the dealer from whom you bought the printer or the printer manufacturer. It is also possible to print 500 Nations screens in color on a color printer.
Some Dot-matrix printers may not print pictures properly with the "Low / Faster" quality setting in the Print Dialog. On these printers change the quality setting in the Print Dialog to "High / Slower".
Because the pictures can be quite large, you may have difficulty copying or printing in low-memory conditions. In this case, close all other unnecessary running applications and try again.
ATI PROBLEMS
=============
500 Nations is incompatible with some features of video cards such as the Mach32 chip set running the ATI drivers. For 500 Nations to run on the ATI driver, the "256 color palette" control in the "Advanced features" of the "ATI Control Panel" needs to be set to ON. For more information, see the documentation for your video card.
AUDIO PROBLEMS
===============
Audio problems can have many causes. Other applications that play sounds may interrupt sounds in 500 Nations, 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, deactivate it or do not run it while running 500 Nations.
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. Low frequency sounds may not reproduce well on some equipment.
It is also possible that the software settings on your sound board 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 board settings, check the documentation that came with your sound board.
Your CD-ROM drive should be MPC-compatible. MPC-compatible drives meet the following criteria:
1. An average seek time of less than one second;
2. A transfer rate of 150KB 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; however, it may produce low-quality audio or cause the sound to be interrupted while playing.
If you are running 500 Nations on an EISA machine and experience audio problems, try changing the DMA channel on the sound card to DMA 7.
SOUND DOESN'T PLAY AT ALL
==========================
If you don't hear any sounds, make sure that the volume is set to an audible level.
If the volume is set to an audible level and you still hear no sounds at all, something may be wrong with your sound board setup. Check to see that the drivers are installed correctly and, if necessary, reinstall them. To determine if the sound drivers are installed, check the Drivers section of the Windows Control Panel. For more information on installing your sound drivers, refer to the documentation that came with your sound card. If you have any problems, contact your sound board manufacturer for assistance.
Please note that 500 Nations requires an MPC-compatible sound board and is not intended to run with drivers which use the PC 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, the system may lock up. Check the "Drivers" configuration in your Windows Control Panel. If you have both a sound board and the PC Speaker driver installed, it is recommended that you remove the PC Speaker driver.
MEDIA VISION CARDS
===================
A small number of Media Vision sound card drivers (Pro Audio - Spectrum cards) may have problems with sound in 500 Nations. If you have a Media Vision card and do not hear sounds or are having other sound problems, you might require updated drivers. Contact Media Vision for current driver information.
