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ERRORS
If you receive the following error:
"Another VB application running..."
Please close the Encyclopedia of Games menu and any other program written in Visual Basic
then you can run that particular game
Encyclopedia of Games Trouble-Shooter:
1) If, after installing and running The Encyclopedia of Games, you get a message saying:
"Too Bad... No Matching Files Found", please follow the instructions below:
If you are using Windows 95:
A) Click on Start, then Shutdown, choose Restart in MS-DOS mode and hit Yes.
B) At the c:\windows> prompt, type in "cd\game1000" (without the quotes) and hit Enter.
C) At the c:\game1000> prompt, type in: "copy vb*.* c:\windows\system" (again, no quotes) and hit Enter.
D) If asked to overwrite, type in "a" (without the quotes )and hit Enter. You should get a message saying "2 files copied"
E) Type in "exit" and hit Enter. This will bring you back into windows and the game should run fine after this.
If you are using Windows 3.1, please click on the link below and follow the instructions contained on the text file you download:
Windows 3.1 Encyclopedia of Games Solution for "Too Bad No Matching Files Found" message.
2) Running DOS Games:
(Note: before running any of the games on The Encylcopedia of Games, you should click on View Manual. This will give you an idea of what the game is about, and how to run it.
To running the DOS games on The Encyclopedia of Games, please do the following.
1) Start the Encylcopedia of Games
2) Click on the DOS game in the list you wish to run
3) On the right hand side, note the executable filename for the game you have choosen. NOTE: you can ignore the period and what comes after it, simply note what comes before the period.
4) Click on Install to HD
5) In the message box that appears, note the name of the directory that the game installs into. Click on Yes to install the game.
6) Exit the Encyclopedia of Games.
7) Go to a DOS prompt. For Windows 3.1 users, exit Windows.
8) Type in "cd\" (without the quotes) and hit Enter
9) Type in "cd directory-name" (without the quotes) and hit Enter.
10) Type in the executable filename and hit Enter and the game will begin.
Example:
1) Start the Encyclopedia of Games and list games Alphabetically
2) Click on Astro Fire in the list.
3) Note that the executable file name is "astro" (ignore the ".exe")
4) Click on Install to HD
5) Note that the directory that this game installs into is "astrof" Click Yes to install the game.
6) Exit the Encyclopedia of Games
7) Go to a DOS prompt. Windows 3.1 users should exit Windows.
8) Type in "cd\" (without the quotes) and hit Enter.
9) Type in "cd astrof" (without the quotes) and Hit Enter. This will switch you to the astrof directory.
10) Type in "astro" (without the quotes) and Hit Enter. The game will begin.
(Note: before running any of the games on The Encylcopedia of Games, you should click on View Manual. This will give you an idea of what the game is about, and how to run it.
3) If you cannot see the buttons underneath the list of Games (ie View Manual, Install to HD, Run from CD, Exit) or the display looks "off" or "skewed", please do the following:
If you are using Windows 95:
A) Click on Start, go to Settings and click on Control Panel.
B) Double-click on Display.
C) Click on the Settings tab at the top.
D) On the left side you will see "Font Size". Most likely it will say "Large Fonts." Switch it to "Small Fonts" and then click on OK.
E) Your computer will reboot. Once it is up again, start the Encyclopedia of Games again and the display should be fine.
If you are using Windows 3.1:
If you are using Windows 3.1, and are having this problem, you are using a Large Fonts video driver. You should have a floppy disk, supplied by the manufacturer of your video card, that contains a collection of drivers for your model video card. First consult your video card manual on which driver on the floppy is a small font video driver. If you cannot find this information, contact the manufacturer of your video card and ask for a small fonts video driver for your model video card (or download it from their webpage). Be absolutely sure you have the correct driver and that it is for your model video card. Once you have obtained the correct driver, consult your windows manual on how to switch video drivers. After the switch is made, run The Encyclopedia of Games again and the display should be fine.
How to backup files:
Before editing any system files, it is always a good idea to backup files. This is so that if anything goes wrong with your system as a result of the changes you make, you can simply restore the file. To backup your system.ini file (the first file you need to make changes to), do the following:
1) Go to a DOS prompt.
2) Type in "cd\" (without the quotations) and hit Enter.
3) Type in "cd windows" and hit Enter. You should get the c:\windows> prompt.
4) Type in "copy system.ini c:\windows\system.bku" and hit Enter. You will now have a new file, system.bku, in your windows directory. ItÆs contents will be exactly the same as your system.ini file. With this file backed up, it is now safe to edit your system.ini file.
To edit your system.ini file, do the following:
1) Go to a DOS prompt.
2) Type in "cd\" and hit Enter.
3) Type in "cd windows" and hit Enter.
4) Type in "edit system.ini" and hit Enter.
You should now get a blue screen with writing on it.
5) Notice how this file is divided up into different sections, with the headings of the various sections being in square brackets ( ie [ ] ). Scroll down this file ( you can use the down arrow key on your keyboard ) and see if you can find a section with the heading: [386Enh]. If you find this heading, look through this section carefully and see if it has a line that says: Device=vshare.386 If this line is missing, add the line to the beginning of this section of the system.ini file (right under the [386Enh] heading).
Now save the file by hitting Alt-F and choosing Save. Then exit the file by hitting Alt-F and choosing Exit. Reboot your system and try the Encyclopedia of Games once more. If you are still getting the same error message, go to Step 6.
6) Open your system.ini file again, following steps 1 to 4 above. Go to the [386Enh] section of the file again. Look through this section of the file again to see if it has a line that says: Device=*vshare If this line is missing, add the line to this section of the system, under the line that says device=vshare.386. Now save the file again. Exit the file. Restart the computer and try the Encyclopedia of Games. If it still is not working, go to Step 7.
7) Go to a DOS prompt.
8) Type in "cd\" and hit Enter.
9) Type in "copy autoexec.bat c:\autoexec.bku" and hit Enter. This will backup your autoexec.bat file.
10) Type in "edit autoexec.bat" and hit Enter. You should now get a blue screen with writing on it.
11) Look for a line that has the word "share" in it. If you do not see it, add the following new line to your autoexec.bat file: c:\dos\share.exe /L:500 Once this line has been added, save the file and then exit the file.
12) Reboot your system and try the Encyclopedia of Games again. It should now work.
If you are having problems with your system as a result of the changes you made and want to restore your original system files, do the following: To restore your system.ini file:
1) Go to a DOS prompt.
2) Type in "cd\" and hit Enter.
3) Type in "cd windows" and hit Enter.
4) Type in "copy system.bku c:\windows\system.ini" and hit Enter. If you are prompted to Overwrite, choose "y" for yes. Your original system.ini file will be restored and you can reboot your system.
To restore your autoexec.bat file:
1) Go to a DOS prompt.
2) Typ in "cd\" and hit Enter.
3) Type in "copy autoexec.bku c:\autoexec.bat" and hit Enter. If you are prompted to Overwrite, choose "y" for yes. Your original autoexec.bat file will be restored and you can reboot your system.
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