This document contains troubleshooting information and advice on how to
improve the performance of this software on your computer. It is the first
place to refer to if you have any trouble running the CD-ROM. If the answer you need is not here, please check the QuickTime for Windows Read Me file which will be placed on your computer when you install QuickTime 2.03.
CONTENTS
[1] System Requirements
[2] Getting Started
[3] Quick Keys
[4] Improving Video Performance
[5] Configuring Windows for Optimal Performance
[6] QuickTime for Windows
[7] Troubleshooting
[8] Using this CD-ROM with other Operating Systems
[9] Uninstalling Devils Canyon: A Dinamation Adventure
[10] Support
[11] Trademark Notices
[1] SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
This interactive will run on any computer meeting the following
specifications:
* IBM or 100% compatible 486DX-33
* 8 MB of RAM
* Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 3.1 or Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95
* Microsoft(R) compatible mouse or other supported pointing device
* Microsoft Windows compatible sound card
* SVGA video card, capable of 640x480 in 256 colours
* Double speed (300Kb per second) CD-ROM drive
* Apple QuickTime for Windows installed
Note: These are the minimum requirements to run this interactive successfully.
Please note that the specifications given are for optimally configured
systems. Performance on individual systems may vary. For further assistance, including suggestions on how to improve performance on your computer, refer to Section 3 of this document, Improving Performance, and consult the documentation that came with your system.
[2] GETTING STARTED
Before using the software for the first time, you must complete the
installation process. The installation software provided on the CD-ROM will set up the software to run on your computer. Follow the instructions below:
Windows 3.1 Users:
1. Insert the CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
2. From the File menu in the Program Manager, choose Run.
3. In the Command Line box, type D:\SETUP.EXE, where "D" is the letter of your CD-ROM drive, and press ENTER.
4. After the installation program has loaded, follow the on-screen
instructions to complete the installation.
5. If you wish to install Netscape, run Setup again and select the Install Netscape button.
Windows 95 Users:
1. Insert the CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
2. After a short delay, the installation program will load.
3. After the installation program has loaded, follow the on-screen
instructions to complete the installation.
If your system does not support CD AutoPlay, select Run from the Start menu. In the Command Line box, type D:\SETUP.EXE, where "D" is the letter of your CD-ROM drive, and press ENTER.
[3] QUICK KEYS
The following mouse/key functions are available:
Skip QuickTime Movies = <ctrl>-double click
Skip Host Voice Over = click on host in monitor or hold down <ctrl> key
Quit Program = <ctrl>-Q, <shift>-Q, or <alt>-Q
Print Functions:
Preview = hold down <ctrl> while selecting Print
Print Entire Activity = hold down <shift> while selecting Print
[4] IMPROVING VIDEO PERFORMANCE
On most computer systems, this CD-ROM requires your video display to be set to 256 colours to achieve acceptable performance.
To set your display to 256 colours:
Windows 3.1:
In Program Manager, open the Main program group and click on the Windows Setup icon, then, from the Options menu, choose Change System Settings and look at Display. Select a 256 colour display adapter - the generic Windows "Super VGA (640x480, 256 colors)" or similar works with most systems. Click OK to install these files. You may be required to insert your original Windows installation disks to complete this.
Windows 95:
From the Start menu, select Settings, Control Panel. Open the Display control panel, and click on the Settings tab and change the Color Palette settings to "256 Colors". You will need to restart Windows for this change to take effect.
You may wish to experiment to find the best configuration for your system. If you experience blank or corrupted screens while using this CD-ROM, you may wish to obtain an updated version of the drivers used with your video card. Contact your dealer or video card manufacturer for more information.
[5] CONFIGURING WINDOWS FOR OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE
This section contains suggestions which may improve performance of this CD-ROM on your system.
General Information:
Prior to using the CD-ROM, close all other applications, particularly those that use large amounts of memory or make use of network resources. Do not try to run this product across a network from a shared CD-ROM drive.
Ensure that the sound level of your system is set appropriately before using this CD-ROM. Either adjust the volume of your speakers, or use the control or mixer software provided with your audio card. On computers with audio cards that support software volume adjustment (like the Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 or AWE32), Windows 95 provides a volume control on the taskbar. Windows 3.1 users should use the mixer software provided with the audio card. For more information, consult the documentation provided with your system.
Windows 3.1:
If your computer has more than 8 MB memory available, set your SmartDrive read cache to two or more megabytes of memory. If your computer has less than 8MB memory available, turn caching off. To make these adjustments go into Program Manager, open the Main program group and double-click on the Control Panel icon, then double-click on the 386 Enhanced icon; click on the Virtual Memory button then click on the Change button and look at Cache Size.
Ensure that your system is operating in 386 Enhanced Mode. To find out which mode Windows is running in, choose the About command on the Help menu in the Windows Program Manager. When you start Windows by typing "WIN", Windows starts in the most appropriate mode for your system; a 486 with 8MB RAM or more should automatically start in Enhanced mode. If Windows is running in Real or Standard mode, you can force it to start in Enhanced mode by typing "WIN /3".
Set your swap file type to Permanent and, if possible, enable 32-bit disk and 32-bit file access. Although this does not directly affect the operation of most CD-ROM drives, it improves the speed and efficiency of your computer when it accesses its swap file, which is stored on your hard disk drive. In the Windows Program Manager, open the Main program group and double-click on the Control Panel icon, then double-click on the 386 Enhanced icon; click on the Virtual Memory button, then click on the Change button and look at Swapfile Settings and the Disk and File access settings.
Windows 95:
Enable or increase caching for your CD-ROM drive. In the Control Panel, click on the System icon to display System Properties. Select the Performance tab and click on the File System button. You will then see a CD-ROM tab which displays options related to CD-ROM drive caching.
Increase the amount of memory allocated to buffering audio data. In the
Control Panel, click on the Multimedia icon to display Multimedia Properties. Select the Advanced tab and click on the + sign for Media Control Devices to display those devices, then double-click on the Wave Audio Device to display Wave Audio Device (Media Control Devices) Properties; click on the Settings button and use the slider to increase the number of seconds to be buffered.
It is possible to stabilise graphics performance by reducing video hardware acceleration. In the Control Panel, click on the System icon to display System Properties. Select the Performance tab and click on the Graphics button. You will then see a slider which adjusts hardware acceleration.
[6] QUICKTIME FOR WINDOWS
To display digital video and photographs in this interactive, you must have QuickTime installed on your system. QuickTime is a software technology developed by Apple Computer, Inc. to allow your computer to play digital video without requiring additional hardware.
The easiest way to have QuickTime for Windows installed is to select the
Install QuickTime button during installion.However, if you wish to install
QuickTime 2.03 onto your computer manually, follow the instructions below:
Windows 3.1
1. From the File menu in the Program Manager, choose Run.
2. In the Command Line box, type D:\QTIME203.EXE, where "D" is the letter of your CD-ROM drive, and press ENTER.
3. After the installation program has loaded, follow the on-screen
instructions to complete the installation.
Windows 95
1. Click the Start button on the taskbar.
2. Select Run.
3. In the Open box, type D:\QTIME203.EXE, where "D" is the letter of your
CD-ROM drive, and press ENTER.
4. After the installation program has loaded, follow the on-screen
instructions to complete the installation.
If your system already contains a previous version of QuickTime for Windows, the installation will ask you if you would like to replace the currently installed version with version 2.03. Answer "Yes" to replace the version on your system with version 2.03. In all cases, you should use the most recent drivers. If you wish to use the CD-ROM under Windows 3.11 and Windows 95 on the same computer, you must install QuickTime separately under both operating systems.
Once QuickTime has been installed, additional technical information can be
found in the executable Read Me file installed by QuickTime for Windows.
This CD-ROM was been thoroughly tested with QuickTime 2.03 for Windows.
However, it may not work correctly with a different version of QuickTime. If you have any problems viewing digital video files on this CD-ROM, install the version of QuickTime provided. You can do this by following the installation instructions above, or by running the QuickTime for Windows install program directly from the CD-ROM.
If you experience difficulties with other applications that use digital video after installing QuickTime 2.03, you may have to reinstall the version of QuickTime that came with the specific application you wish to use.
Important:
If you operate this interactive without QuickTime installed, significant
functionality will be lost.
[7] TROUBLESHOOTING
Symptom: During installation an error occurs in copying files onto your hard disk drive.
Solution: Ensure that there is sufficient disk space available for the files to be installed. Clean the CD-ROM and make sure that it is sitting correctly on the drive platter. If you have a third party desktop manager or shell, make sure that it is turned off prior to beginning installation.
Symptom: I cannot view photographs or digital video.
Solution: Make sure you have QuickTime for Windows correctly installed on your system.
Symptom: When I try to install QuickTime for Windows, a message comes up
saying "Could not write to C:\windows\viewenu.dll".
Solution: Installation of QuickTime is being prevented due to the existence of an old version of the file VIEWENU.DLL. Windows is trying to use the file at the same time as the installer is trying to update it. Find and rename the file currently on your system, then go back and repeat the installation procedure.
Symptom: My Windows 3.1 system keeps reporting that a "General Protection
Fault" has occurred.
Solution: Try reinstalling the driver for your video card. Contact your dealer or the manufacturer of your video card for a more updated version of the video card driver.
Symptom: My Windows 95 system keeps reporting that an application has
"performed an illegal operation", and that it will be shut down.
Solution: If you have recently changed your system configuration or added a new video card, try running the "Install New Hardware" wizard in the Control Panel, to ensure your video card is using the correct driver. Make sure you are using a video driver written for Microsoft Windows 95. Finally, try contacting your dealer or the manufacturer of your video card for a more updated version of the video card driver.
Symptom: The message "Cannot Find LINGO.INI" appears on my screen.
Solution: On Windows 3.1 systems, change the video card driver to the generic "SVGA 640x480, 256 colour" driver that is provided with Windows. If this corrects the problem, contact your dealer or the manufacturer of your video card for a more updated version of the video card driver.
Symptom: The screen periodically goes blank, and sometimes the hard disk makes a lot of noise.
Solution: This may be caused by your screen saver program. Disable it or
prevent it's activation before using this CD-ROM. Some screen saver programs may adversely impact system performance, even when not visible.
Symptom: Cannot print from the interactive.
Solution: Close down the interactive and try printing from a word-processor or text editor. If that fails, check your printer settings and consult the documentation that came with your printer.
Symptom: Under Windows 3.1, graphics on my screen appear distorted or don't appear at all.
Solution: Change your display configuration to 256 colours, using the Windows Setup program, in the Main group of your Program Manager. If you are still having problems, change your video card driver to the generic "SVGA 640x480, 256 colour" driver that is provided with Windows. If this corrects the problem, contact your dealer or the manufacturer of your video card for a more updated version of the video card driver.
Symptom: Videos play, but horizontal sections of the video appear above or
below the correct video area. Moving the mouse around accentuates this effect.
Solution: This is a result of the way QuickTime interacts with your video
card. You may have to modify the QTW.INI for compatibility with your
hardware. See the QuickTime for Windows Read Me file for more information.
Symptom: Under Windows 95, graphics on my screen appear distorted or don't
appear at all.
Solution: Change your display configuration to 256 colours. Right-click the mouse on the desktop, select Properties, and choose the Settings tab of the Display window. Change the "Colour palette" setting to exactly 256 colours.
Symptom: Under Windows 95, the CD-ROM does not AutoPlay.
Solution: If your CD-ROM does not AutoPlay, double-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and double-click on the icon for your CD drive, then double-click on the program SETUP.EXE.
Symptom: Sound and video playback is jumpy on my computer.
Solution: Free up as much memory as you can and make sure you have shut down other applications. If sound and video still don't run smoothly, consider installing more RAM into your computer. If you are experiencing problems under Windows 3.1, consider upgrading to Windows 95, which offers improved support for multimedia applications. For more information about upgrading to Windows 95, contact your local software retailer.
Symptom: Everything on the screen is dark, and difficult to see.
Solution: Some combinations of monitors and video cards do not display
information as brightly as others. Simply adjust the brightness and contrast controls of your monitor to suit. If you are using a notebook or other portable computer with an LCD display, consult the documentation that came with your system for more information on adjusting your display. On desktop computers, changing to a lower display resolution can sometimes help.
Symptom: On running the application the sound track starts and the screen goes black. A white rectangle with a thin border appears and then a dialog box reading "Director player - problem opening startdir" appears.
Solution: This error indicates your system has insufficient memory available to load the interactive. Make sure that you don't have any background applications running at the same time as the CD-ROM. If you still experience problems, consult your dealer or system vendor for information on how to upgrade the amount of RAM installed in your computer.
Note:
If you are still having difficulty, check the QuickTime for Windows Read Me file. Also examine the Technical Support section later in this document.
[8] USING THIS CD-ROM WITH OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS
This CD-ROM is designed to run on an Apple Macintosh computer, using Macintosh System 7.1 or later; or on an Intel-based IBM-compatible system running Microsoft Windows 3.1 or Windows 95. It should run without difficulty on the majority of personal computers meeting the hardware and software requirements.
It has not been tested and is not guaranteed to operate correctly (or at all) on other operating system and hardware platform combinations, including (but not limited to) Microsoft Windows NT, IBM OS/2 2.0, 2.1, and OS/2 Warp. The quality of technical support that can be provided to users experiencing difficulty with this product on systems not meeting the specifications stated above may be limited by this and other factors.
[9] UNINSTALLING THE INTERACTIVE
Start up the TimeBlazers Installer and select Uninstall.
[10] SUPPORT
If you require help or information for TimeBlazer products, please phone our support desk at:
1-800-548-7346
It will greatly assist our support staff if you register first. The address for registration is:
TimeBlazers
co RomNet
1660 Soldiers Field Road
Boston, MA
02135
USA
[11] TRADEMARK NOTICES
"IBM", "OS/2" and "OS/2 Warp" are trademarks are registered trademarks of
International Business Machines Corporation. "Apple", "QuickTime" and
"QuickTime for Windows" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc. "Microsoft Windows", "Windows NT" and "Windows 95" are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective copyright holders.
