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ShareWare OnLine 2
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ShareWare OnLine Volume 2 (CMS Software)(1993).iso
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INSTALL.TXT
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1993-01-20
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257 lines
ALPHA FOUR INSTALLATION
TROUBLE SHOOTING
This document is designed to cover common installation problems
that occur with Alpha FOUR. Even though the installation was
designed to be as simple as possible, there are still areas where
things can go wrong. This document will troubleshoot some of the
problems and give solutions to the most commonly asked questions
concerning the Alpha FOUR installation process.
The document is divided into two major sections. The first
section covers questions and problems related to all
installations, whether single or multi-user. The second section
deals only with the multi-user installation and its pitfalls.
These sections contain separate portions that deal with error
messages that may appear during the installation.
Common Installation Problems
The installation process for the single and multi-user copies of
Alpha FOUR is similar in many respects. There are many problems
which are common to both these installations and will be dealt
with here in one explanation. The document will be presented in a
problem-solution format for easy reference. Just find the
situation that matches the problem and a solution will follow.
PROBLEM: When you type SETUP (or INSTALL in the case of Alpha
FOUR version 1), nothing happens.
1. Make sure you are at the proper drive (A: or B:) when
you type the command. Also, check to make sure the proper
disk is in the drive and the drive door is closed. Do a
directory of the Installation disk and make sure there is
a file named SETUP.EXE. If the installation disk has no
files or if you cannot do a directory of the installation
disk, then the installation disks may be damaged. Contact
Alpha Tech Support and request a set of replacement
disks.
2. If the screen goes blank and the system locks up then
there may be a video conflict between the setup program
and the computer. Call Alpha Tech Support and request a
set of manual installation instructions. If the
installation disks are for version 2.00.04 or later the
manual installation instructions can be found on the
installation disk in a file labeled A4SETUP.TXT. If the
manual installation does not work, this may indicate a
bad disk. Please request a set of replacement disks from
Alpha Software.
PROBLEM: When you answer yes to the question "Do You Have a Color
Monitor?" the machine locks up.
There may be a video conflict between the setup program
and the computer. See paragraph 2 in the answer of the
problem above.
PROBLEM: Type in a path when prompted and an error message
occurs.
Check to see what path the setup program is asking for.
There are two places that the setup program prompts for
paths during the installation. The first prompt asks
where the program will be installed from. This is the
disk drive which contains the installation disk (A: or
B:). The second prompt asks where the files will be
installed to. This is the path and directory where the
setup program will place the Alpha FOUR program files.
The setup default is C:\ALPHA4V2. This can be changed to
any path desired. As long as the file can be created
where specified (a network path may not work if proper
rights are not given to the person doing the
installation), the setup program will accept the path and
install the program files in the specified directory.
PROBLEM: Keeps prompting for the same disk over and over (i.e.
"Please insert disk 4 and press any key to
continue").
1. If booting from a floppy disk when starting the
machine, place the BOOT disk in the drive and press
ENTER. Now place the required installation disk and
proceed. The installation program is searching for the
COMMAND.COM file located on the BOOT disk. Once this file
is found, the installation can proceed normally.
2. If the machine is not booted from a floppy disk (if it
boots from the hard drive), check to make sure
COMMAND.COM is located in the root directory or that
\DOS\ is in the path statement of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
If not, load COMMAND.COM into the root directory of the
hard drive. Otherwise, check the disk that is being
prompted for. Do a directory of the disk and see if files
are there and check the size of the files. The disk may
be damaged. If so, call Alpha Tech Support and request a
new set of installation disks.
At this point the setup program will begin unzipping the files
and installing them in the proper directory. Any problems at this
point will be from error messages which are covered in the
following section.
ERROR MESSAGE: "Cannot Start Windowing System"
1. Make sure the installation program is being initiated
from the proper prompt. If the setup command is typed at
a C: prompt and Windows is loaded on the system then this
error message may appear, or the Windows setup program
may begin. Make sure SETUP is being typed from the proper
floppy drive (A: or B:) containing the Alpha FOUR
installation disk.
2. If setup is being run from the proper drive, make sure
the proper video display of 80x25 is active. Use the DOS
MODE command to insure proper video setup. Type MODE CO80
for a color monitor and MODE BW80 for a monochrome
monitor. These command will insure the proper video
screen display. If this does not work, there may be a
video conflict. Try a manual installation. See the answer
to PROBLEM 1 above for solution.
ERROR MESSAGE: "Not Enough Conventional Memory" or "Not Enough
Hard Disk Space".
Alpha FOUR needs at least 512K conventional RAM memory
free and at least 3 MEGS hard disk space for a quick
installation (5.4 MEGS for a full installation). Use a
DOS CHKDSK command to find out how much conventional
memory and hard disk space is available. If less than
512k of conventional memory is available, then memory
must be freed up. Try removing any memory resident
programs (TSRs) to free up extra RAM. IF not enough hard
disk space is free, then files will need to be removed
from the hard drive to make enough room for the Alpha
FOUR program.
ERROR MESSAGE: "Error Unzipping file.ext"
The setup program may be looking for the COMMAND.COM
file. See problem 4 above. If it is not looking for
COMMAND.COM then the file may be damaged. Contact Alpha
Software Tech Support and request a new set of
installation disks.
ERROR MESSAGE: "Data CRC Error"
One of the files on the installation disks is corrupted.
Please contact Alpha Software Tech Support and request a
new set of installation disks.
Multi - User Installation
The Alpha FOUR multi-user installation is more complex than the
single user installation because there are more options
available, thus there is more chance for problems in a multi-user
installation. The problems specific to this type of installation
will be covered below, along with certain error messages specific
only to the multi-user installation.
The first question when doing a multi-user installation is
whether it will be for a single user on a network, or if many
people will share the program. If a single user will be using the
network copy, then the SETUP program will be used for the
installation. Please refer to the section above on general
problems if the SETUP program is being run. If many people will
share the program, then a MASTER installation will be run. This
is done by typing MASTER at the drive prompt (A: or B:) from
which the installation will take place. Most network
installations use the MASTER setup program.
There are three steps to completing a MASTER installation.
1.The first step is to run the MASTER installation program.
2.The second step is to create users using the USER program
which will be available in the Alpha FOUR program directory
once the MASTER installation is complete. Type USER at the
program prompt and follow the on screen instructions to create
user sub directories. If you want to create user sub
directories on a local computer (the individual work station),
be sure to start from that computer so the local C: drive can
be entered when the installation program prompts for the
location of the user sub directory.
3.The third step is to increase the user count. There are a few
ways to increase the user count depending on how many network
licenses were purchased and in which form they were purchased.
If a bump disk was purchased then all that needs to be done is
to run the BUMP program located on the bump disk itself. Just
put the bump disk in the floppy drive (A: or B:) an type BUMP.
This will initiate a program that walks through the user count
increase. If a single copy or a 3 for 1 of the multi-user
program was purchased, then a different procedure will be
followed. Place the disk labeled INSTALLATION DISK into the
floppy drive and type MASTER. It will prompt for some
information including the installation path. You will then see
a menu with the choices Master Installation and Increase the
User Count. Choose Increase the User Count. This will run
through an automated process that merges the A4.NET files and
increases the user count for the network copy of the program.
Below are some of the problems and error messages that are
specific to the multi-user installation. If the problem being
experienced is not listed here, check the problems in the section
above.
PROBLEM: When you type MASTER the screen goes blank or nothing
happens.
This is the same as typing SETUP and having nothing
happen. Please see the answer to the first problem under
Section One.
PROBLEM: You type in a path and directory to indicate where you
want to install the program, and the
installation program won't accept it or it gives an error
message.
1. You may not have rights on the network to create the
directory on the requested drive and path. Check with
your network administrator to make sure that you have the
proper rights to create directories. Also check to make
sure there is enough room on the drive you specify.
2. If the installation program won't accept the path or
if it terminates your network connection, check to see
what type of network card you are using. If it is an
Arcnet card, then there may be a memory address conflict
between Alpha FOUR and the Arcnet card. Both programs use
the memory address of 2EOH, thus a conflict occurs when
trying to load Alpha FOUR. To remove the conflict you can
change the address setting for the Arcnet cards, or
request a copy of the 2.1 Upgrade.
ERROR MESSAGE: When you go to run Alpha FOUR you receive the
message "Lan Error Reading Lan Pack: A4.NET
file".
The A4.NET file may have become damaged. Rename the
A4.NET file located in the program directory on the file
server. Copy the A4.NET file from the original
installation disk into the Alpha FOUR program directory.
If necessary increase the user count again by merging the
Lan Packs as described above. If no A4.NET file is found
on the server or the installation disks please contact
Alpha Tech Support and request a new set of installation
disks.
The above suggestions cover many of the most common installation
problems, but is by no means an all inclusive reference, and
should not be used as a replacement of the original installation
instructions. If any problems being experienced are not covered
in this document, or if problems persist after trying suggestions
contained herein, please contact Alpha Software Technical Support
for further assistance.