Configuration Information for - "JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation"
****Quick Setup Instructions*****
1. Simply drag the JFK icon that works the best to your desktop or any folder on your startup hard drive.
2. You may then launch the application by double clicking on the icon for the appropriate version of the Title.
3. After you determine which version of the title performs best on your Macintosh, you may delete the other icons and arrange the window to only show the correct item.
4. You may move this folder and/or rename the icons to suit your preferences. We recommend renaming the preferred icon to simply "JFK".
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JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation contains a wealth of video, animated, photographic, audio and textual information. JFK looks best on a fast Macintosh with a 256 color display or better. Images will display on any Macintosh display, but quality is reduced on 16 color or black and white displays. Even on older Macintoshes, JFK provides a useful textual resource.
There are Four versions on the CD-ROM. They are:
JFK: Larger Video
For faster/newer Macintoshes which can play bigger video windows.
JFK: Smaller Video
For slower/older Macintoshes.
JFK:<3500k, Larger Video
For Macintoshes with less than 3000k free RAM after startup.
JFK:<3500k, Smaller Video
For slower/older Macintoshes with less than 3000k free RAM after startup.
The sections below give more information on how to set up a Macintosh for best performance with JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation.
Sections
1. System Requirements
2. The Four Versions of JFK Assassination
3. Memory
4. Display
5. Quicktime
1. System Requirements
Display: JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation looks best on a 13" or larger color monitor capable of displaying 256 colors. Quicktime movies and photographs won't look as good with 16 color or black and white monitors.
Memory: 4 MB of memory with 2.5 MB free. For best results, turn Virtual Memory off as described below.
System: System version 6.05 or higher is required. Quicktime version 2.0 is recommended. Quicktime 2.0 can be found in the Quicktime folder of the JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation CD-ROM. See below for installation instructions.
2. The four Versions of JFK Assassination
There are four versions on the CD-ROM. They are:
JFK: Larger Video
For faster/newer Macintoshes which can play bigger video windows.
JFK: Smaller Video
For slower/older Macintoshes.
JFK:<3500k, Larger Video
For Macintoshes with less than 3000k free RAM after startup.
JFK:<3500k, Smaller Video
For slower/older Macintoshes with less than 3000k free RAM after startup.
Try a Larger Video version first. If you find that the playback is jerky or the sound breaks up, check the settings below to see if changing them will fix the problem. If it doesn't try a Smaller Video version. If your Macintosh has a small screen, use the Small Monitors version of JFK. It has scroll bars that will allow you to access all menu choices. If your Macintosh has a limited amount of free RAM, use one of the "<3500k" versions of JFK. It will use only 1500k of RAM, leaving the rest for required system functions.
Virtual Memory
Note that if virtual memory is enabled, Quicktime movie playback may appear uneven. See below for information on how to disable virtual memory. RAM Doubler on a 4MB system may also cause this problem.
CD-ROM Drivers
CD-ROM drivers are another possible source of uneven Quicktime movie playback. Drivers that cache CD-ROM information to the hard disk can cause this problem. Check with your CD-ROM driver manufacturer for configuration instructions or an updated version of the driver.
Thousands or Millions of Colors
Finally, if the display is set to Thousands or Millions of colors, try setting it to 256 colors to improve video playback smoothness.
3. Memory
At least 4 MB of memory and 2.5 MB of free memory are required to run JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation. For best video playback, Virtual Memory must be turned off. On a 4 MB system, additional steps may be required to free up enough memory (see below).
Turning Off Virtual Memory:
To turn Virtual Memory off, open the Memory control panel, choose the Virtual Memory Off option, exit from the control panel, and restart the system.
Freeing Additional Memory:
In a 4 MB system with many extensions, fonts, screen savers, etc., there may not be enough memory left to run JFK properly. To see how much memory the system software is using, click the desktop, select the Apple menu from the menu bar (on the far left), and choose the first menu item, "About This Macintosh....". On a 4 MB system, the system software should use less than 1500K of memory when no programs are running. The "Largest Unused Block" should be at least 2500K.
If the System Software uses more than 1500K of memory and the Largest Unused Block is less than 2500K, the amount of memory used by the system software must be reduced. In general, the way to do this is to disable extensions which are not needed, and to make sure that no other programs are running when JFK is launched.
Some suggestions on reducing the amount of memory used by the system are listed below. The Macintosh documentation contains more information reducing the amount of memory used by the system.
- Before launching JFK check to see if other applications are running. If so, close them before launching JFK.
- Remove or disable extensions such as screen savers, desktop picture backgrounds, FAX software, etc. Move these to a new folder so that they can be reinstalled later.
- Check the Disk Cache setting in the Memory control panel. Reduce the cache size to 32K.
4. Display
JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation looks best on a 13" or larger display with at least 256 colors.
On a 16 color display the "Grays" setting is recommended.
Quicktime video will plays best on 256 color displays, and will play poorly on 16 color or black and white displays.
On Power Macintoshes or other Macintoshes with adjustable displays, a 640x480 resolution is recommended for general use. Users interested in extensive textual research may wish to set their display for a higher resolution and expand the JFK window to a larger size. Text will re-wrap to fill the current window size.
5. Quicktime
Quicktime version 2.1 is included on the JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation CD-ROM. If an earlier version of Quicktime is currently installed, you can either install 2.1 or leave your system as it is.
- To install Quicktime 2.1, perfom these steps:
- Open the Quicktime folder on the JFK CD-ROM.
- Drag the Quicktime extension from the JFK Quicktime folder and drop it onto your System folder.
- For Power Macintoshes ONLY, drag the Quicktime Power Plug extension from the JFK Quicktime folder and drop it onto your System Folder.
- Restart the Macintosh.
For addition information about the other Quicktime components, please read the "About Quicktime 2.1" document in the Quicktime folder.
