Copyright 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Welcome to Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now. This file contains additional information about Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now not included in Help.
Multimedia technology, with its array of new hardware and software combinations, can present a variety of potential performance and configuration problems. This README file contains important and helpful information on the following topics:
1. Send Us Your Feedback
2. Problems During Setup
3. Removing Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now
4. Potential Problems Running This Title
5. Labs and Sample Applications
6. Performance Issues
7. Hardware Problems
8. Printing Problems
9. Technical Support
10. INACTION Accompanying Files
To read this file on-screen, use the PAGE DOWN and PAGE UP keys or the scrollbar. You can also print the file by choosing the Print command from your browser's File menu or toolbar.
1. Send Us Your Feedback
Please send comments and/or bug reports to:
Product Marketing
Microsoft Press Interactive
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
Or email mspinput@microsoft.com.
2. Problems During Setup
The Setup program's default settings will load the Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now title to drive C. Setup will copy up to 13 MB of data to your hard drive.
Setup will not complete properly if you remove the Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now CD-ROM during Setup, or attempt to start the application before Setup is complete.
Because Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now installs system files that may be shared with other applications, you must shut down other applications, including Microsoft Office, before running Setup. If you have closed all other open applications and you encounter problems during Setup, make sure your system meets the minimum requirements (see below) necessary to install Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now.
You must have the Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive to run the program. Note that if you choose not to install Visual Basic 6.0 Help files onto your hard drive, you will not be able to later access Visual Basic 6.0 Help while running Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now (unless you have two CD-ROM drives). Before running setup for Visual Basic 6.0, you must shut down all applications, including Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now.
System Requirements
To use Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now, you need:
- MPC2-compatible PC with a 486DX/66 Mhz or higher processor (Pentium or higher processor recommended)
- Microsoft Windows 95 or later or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or later
- 16 MB of RAM for Windows 95 or later; 24 MB for Windows NT Workstation
- Minimum 13 MB of available hard-disk space for full installation
- MPC2-compatible CD-ROM drive
- VGA or higher-resolution monitor; Super VGA recommended
- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
- MPC2-compatible Audio board with speakers or headphones recommended
- To connect to the World Wide Web through URL links provided in the product you will need a modem, an account with an Internet Service Provider or online service, and Internet Explorer 3.0 or greater.
Additional software requirements to complete labs:
- Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Learning Edition required to run lab exercises.
Performance will improve with more RAM or a faster CD-ROM drive.
3. Removing Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now
To remove Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now from your computer, run Setup again and choose the Remove option. Alternatively, you can uninstall Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now by choosing the Add/Remove Programs application in the Control Panel. You may also need to do the following:
- Delete the Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now icon. If you are running Microsoft Windows NT and moved the icon to a different program group since installing the application, Setup will not be able to detect the new location of the icon and cannot delete it. After running Setup (with Remove selected), go to Windows NT Explorer and delete the icon(s).
- Delete the Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now shortcut. If you are running Windows and have created a shortcut, you will need to manually delete them to completely remove references to the title.
- Delete the LVB6 directory. If the LVB6 directory (or the directory you specified as the destination directory during Setup) did not uninstall, you can delete it in Windows Explorer by selecting the directory, and then pressing DELETE. Do not delete the directory if it is being used for another application's files.
4. Potential Problems Running this Title
This section describes problems you may experience when running Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now.
Graphics
This title is designed to run on machines capable of displaying 256 or more colors. Though the title does run on systems displaying 16 colors, there is a noticeable drop in image quality. At a 640x480 resolution some large graphics may display outside the desktop. It is recommended that you run this application at a 800x600 or greater resolution. To change your display resolution, choose Display from the Control Panel.
Media
When running media at a 640x480 resolution, you will need to hide your Windows taskbar in order to use the video controls located at the bottom of the video viewer. Running media at an 800x600 or greater resolution will also remedy this problem.
Navigation and Topic Areas
You can use keyboard keys to move through the Contents and Topic areas (using the View menu Topic Only and Navigation & Topic commands). However, if you are in the Navigation & Topic view, you will need a mouse pointer to switch to the Topic side of the application. If you are in either view, you will need a mouse pointer to select Topic area content (including multimedia elements, pop-up windows, Self-Check answers), and to move through the content by clicking the vertical scroll bars. On some systems, the scroll bars may change size when you scroll through the material.
Palette Flash
Palette flashes can occur when switching between Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now and other running applications.
Printing
The media (graphics, sample code, tips, and answers) represented by icons in the text area will not print when you are printing the current screen, but will print when media is displayed in an active window. To print this information, click the media icon to open the active window and choose the File menu Print command. If you experience problems printing over a network, consult your network administrator to make sure your printer settings are correct. Solutions for common printing problems are described in section 8, Printing Problems.
Text
Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now uses your system settings to display some foreground and background colors. You may want to choose a compatible display combination (such as the Windows Standard color scheme) for best visual results. When displaying pop-up windows within the text, the application will sometimes lose focus. To remedy this, click in the topic area; focus will return to the application.
Video
.AVI files will run only if you've installed Active Movie. If you do not already have Active Movie installed, or have an older version of Active Movie installed, Setup will install it for you. With low-end hardware such as a 486 machine or 1x/2x CD-ROM drive, you may experience long wait times while video files are being loaded, and you may encounter errors in audio and video synchronization during playback.
5. Labs and Sample Files
Labs
Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now provides numerous lab exercises that illustrate programming concepts and techniques. These labs are listed at the end of each chapter in the table of contents, as well as in the drop-down list under Labs.
Sample Files
Many of the Labs use sample files to start you off or demonstrate the proper solution. These files are installed to the \LVB6 folder on your first available hard drive (usually the c: drive). If you wish you may move them to a different drive after installation. To reinstall one or more sample files, either delete, move or rename the file(s), then rerun Setup, choosing the Reinstall and Complete installation options.
6. Performance Issues
There are several ways to make Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now run faster. Many of the methods described below are general tips that will improve the performance of any Windows-based application. Consult your Windows documentation for more details.
Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now uses your computer's random access memory (RAM) to display pictures and play video and audio. If Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now runs slowly or if you get error messages stating you are out of memory, you may not have enough RAM available. Here are some tips to make the best use of your available memory:
- Close all applications that you are not using.
- Add more RAM to your computer. You can determine how much memory is available by right-clicking the My Computer icon on your desktop and selecting Properties. The resulting dialog will tell you how much memory you have. You need at least 16 MB of RAM for Windows 95 or later, 24 MB for Windows NT or later.
- If you are using more than 256 colors in your video display, you may want to lower your video colors to 256. For instructions on how to change your Windows display, consult your Windows documentation.
For more details on improving performance, consult your Windows and CD-ROM drive manuals.
7. Hardware Problems
In rare situations, Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now may encounter display problems when using accelerated video drivers, video drivers with more than 256 colors, or high-resolution video drivers. One example of these problems is a video display with garbled images. Another is a crash occurring when trying to play a video. There are several things you can do if you encounter such problems:
- Most problems can be fixed by obtaining new drivers from your video card manufacturer. Contact the manufacturer of your video card to determine if newer versions are available. You may also obtain updated drivers through the Microsoft Download Service (MSDL), an electronic bulletin board that can be accessed by modem at (425)936-MSDL ((425)936-6735).
Drivers provided on MSDL are compressed with the PKWare(TM) utilities and are in the form of executable (.exe) files. It is best to download the file or files you need into an empty directory on your hard disk or a blank formatted floppy. To decompress these drivers after downloading them, either:
- From Windows Explorer, double-click the filename that you downloaded.
-or-
- From the MS-DOS prompt, change to the directory containing the downloaded file, type the filename, and then press ENTER.
An alternative to obtaining a new or updated display driver is to change your video mode to a standard video mode, such as a 640x480 resolution with 256 colors.
To find out what video driver you are using, in the Control Panel, click Display, the Settings tab, and then the Change Display Type button. Your display type will be listed there. For instructions on how to install or change drivers, click F1 or use Windows Help.
8. Printing Problems
Screen resolution and printer resolution are often not the same, so the resulting printout may not match the quality you see on the screen.
If you encounter a general protection fault when you print a topic, check your printer driver. Switch to a more current version of the driver, if one is available. Additionally, ensure that the printer is online and that you can print to it from another application. If the problem persists, one of the following procedures may solve the problem:
In Windows NT:
In the Control Panel, double-click the Fonts icon. Click the TrueType button in the Fonts dialog box, and turn off the Enable TrueType Fonts option.
In the Control Panel, choose Setup and Options for your printer. Turn off the Color option, and restart Windows.
In Windows 95 or later:
Click the File menu Print command, and then the Properties button for the printer you are using. Click the Fonts tab and select the method of downloading TrueType fonts that works best with your system.
If you are using an HP LaserJet printer, make sure that you have the most current printer driver, or try setting the printer resolution to 300 dpi (graphics may not print properly at 600 dpi).
You should be able to print grayscale images from Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now. If you have a black-and-white laser printer, you may need to upgrade your printer driver. Call the dealer from whom you bought the printer or call the printer manufacturer.
9. Technical Support
For help on product features:
a) Check the Help file. From the Help menu, select Help Topics, or click the Help button on the toolbar.
b) Take the Tour, which is accessible through the Welcome screen of the Course or through Help.
c) Consult the following Web sites:
http://www.microsoft.com
http://www.microsoft.com/msdn
http://www.microsoft.com/vbasic
http://mspress.microsoft.com
For phone support:
When requesting support you will be asked for your Product Identification (PID) number. To simplify product support, Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now utilizes the same PID as the Learning Edition of Visual Basic with which you received LVB6. To find the PID, start Visual Basic and select About... from the Help menu.
In the United States and Canada, you can receive no-charge support on the installation of this product via a toll call. Please call (425) 635-7012, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays), 6:00AM to 6:00PM, Pacific Standard Time. You do not receive no-charge support for development issues with this particular product. However, you can reach Microsoft Technical Support through the paid support options offered by Microsoft Priority support.
WebResponse:
WebResponse allows you to submit service requests via the World Wide Web to Microsoft support engineers who receive the requests and work with you to resolve your technical problem. To submit service requests using WebResponse, go to http://Support.Microsoft.com/Support/WebResponse.asp and select the Submit a Question Using a Priority Contract option. You will need your Priority account number to submit your request.
Outside North America, contact your local Microsoft subsidiary.
10. INACTION Accompanying Files
The files located on this CD-ROM in the INACTION directory are for the Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 in Action book shipped with the Visual Basic 6.0 Learning Edition.
