********************************************************************** The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia (WBME) 1996 Windows ********************************************************************** This file contains additional information that is not included in the printed documentation. 1. Customizing the WBME with environment variables 2. Video cards and display problems 3. Increasing the size of the videos and animations 4. How to cite information from an electronic source ********************************************************************** 1. Customizing the WBME with environment variables The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia is normally configured by using the Preferences menu. You can also configure the program with the following environment variables. (A) INFOCD The variable INFOCD specifies the letter of the drive where the World Book CD-ROM disc is located. The software normally searches all CD-ROM drives for the World Book disc. This process can be slow if a CD-ROM changer is used, or more than one CD-ROM drive is attached to your computer. The INFOCD variable allows the program to go directly to the proper drive. As an example, to specify that the World Book disc is on drive G:, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: set INFOCD=g On some computers, you may need to set the INFOCD variable to the specific directory on the CD-ROM disc that contains the database files. The name of that directory is INFO_DAT: set INFOCD=g:\info_dat\ NOTE: the trailing backslash is important. If you leave it off, the software might not be able to locate the database files on the disc. (B) INFOTMP The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia creates temporary files (up to a total of 3 megabytes) that are, by default, put in the directory where the program software is located. The INFOTMP variable specifies an alternate location for temporary files. As an example, to put temporary files in the TEMP directory on drive C:, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: set INFOCD=c:\temp\ NOTE: The program cannot create a directory. If you specify a directory for the temporary files that does not exist, the program will not load. Instead, you will see the error message "cannot create swap file." (C) INFOBOOK The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia stores bookmarks in a file called BOOKMARK.DAT. This file is normally placed in the same directory as the program files. The variable INFOBOOK directs this file to another location. As an example, to put the bookmark file in the DATA directory on drive C:, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: set INFOBOOK=c:\data\ NOTE: The program cannot create a directory. If you specify a directory for the bookmark files that does not exist, the error message "unable to load bookmarks" will appear. (D) INFOUSER The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia normally stores notepad files in the same directory as the program files. The INFOUSER variable specifies an alternate location for notepad files. For example, to use the DATA directory on drive C: as your notepad file location, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: set INFOUSER=c:\data\ NOTE: The program cannot create a directory. If you specify a directory for the notepad file that does not exist, nothing will happen when you click the Save button on the Notepad window. ********************************************************************** 2. Video cards and display problems The pictures and maps in The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia have been designed to be displayed in 256-color mode. The standard VGA driver that comes with Windows and many video cards can show only 16 colors. If the pictures in The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia look "washed out," it is probably because your video driver is only displaying 16 colors. Consult your Windows manual or the manual that came with your video card for instructions on how to switch to a driver that can display 256 colors. Other display problems may be caused by errors in older display drivers. These problems can be solved by obtaining updated drivers from the manufacturer of your video card. For example, older drivers for ATI video cards can cause vertical black lines to appear in the Timeline. This problem can be corrected by installing an updated video driver from ATI. ********************************************************************** 3. Increasing the size of the videos and animations Through the Preferences menu, you can double the size of both the video window and the animation window. However, unless your video card and driver can show 32,000 or more colors, the display may be unsatisfactory. Consult the manual that came with your video card to see if you can switch to a driver that can display more colors, such as 32,000, 64,000, or 16 million. ********************************************************************** 4. How to cite information from an electronic source Here are guidelines for citing information from an electronic source according to the Chicago Manual of Style. Endnote or Footnote "Papaya," in The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia [CD-ROM] (Chicago, Ill: World Book, Inc., 1996.) Bibliography The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1996 [CD-ROM], Ver. 3.2 Windows, World Book, Inc., Chicago, Ill.