Welcome to Sidekick 95 Deluxe ============================= README File This file contains important information and helpful details about Sidekick 95 Deluxe. Please read this file carefully. NOTE: You should also be sure to read the separate README files for Sidekick 95 and Dashboard 95. To read the Sidekick 95 readme file, open the Start Menu, Programs, Sidekick 95 Deluxe, and choose the SKREADME item. To read the Dashboard 95 readme, open the Start Menu, Programs, Dashboard 95, and choose the README item. Contents ======== 1. Information about Deluxe 2. Troubleshooting Multimedia Problems 1. Information about Deluxe =========================== Colour ------ For best results, be sure your system uses the video driver called High Colour (16-bit). If you need to change video drivers, right click-on your Desktop and choose Properties. Select the Settings tab and choose the High Colour (16-bit) option from the Colour Palette drop-down menu. Dell S3 video ------------- On Dell computers equipped with the S3 video card in 16-bit colour, some screen flicker occurs. If this is a problem, try a different colour palette. Select the Settings tab and choose a different palette from the Colour Palette drop-down menu. CD-ROM drive performance ------------------------ To obtain good performance with the videos, the Windows 95 CD-ROM properties must be set correctly. To reach the CD-ROM properties dialog box, right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Click the Performance tab, and then click the File System button. Click the CD-ROM tab. Be sure the "Supplemental cache size" is set to Large. Then check that the "Optimise access pattern for" setting is correct for your CD-ROM drive; click the down-arrow and choose the appropriate drive type from the list (the Deluxe videos require at least a double-speed drive). 8-Mb computers -------------- If your computer has 8 Mb of memory, you may experience some slow response or uneven movement during the videos. The reason is that Windows 95 takes over essentially all of the 8 Mb of memory, leaving none available for smoothing the video playback process through buffering. The solution is to add more memory to your computer. Shared CD-ROM drives -------------------- You may need to disable sharing of your CD-ROM drive to run the Deluxe shell. Using the Electronic Documentation ---------------------------------- To read the electronic documentation by clicking it in the Sidekick 95 Deluxe menu, you must install the version of Adobe Acrobat included with Deluxe (version 2.1). If you have an earlier version of Acrobat on your system, you may see an error message when you try to open the electronic documentation from Sidekick. If you see this message, run the Deluxe shell, and choose the option to install the electronic documentation in the Sidekick Extras panel. 2. Troubleshooting Multimedia Problems ====================================== NOTE: QuickTime for Windows installs a file named Read Me which you will find in your QuickTime for Windows program group. Refer to this file, and the information below, if you have any questions or problems with video in the multimedia presentations. To read this file, click Start, Programs, QuickTime for Windows, and choose Read Me. Note, however, that some of the information in this file may not apply to Windows 95. Audio Problems ============== There's no sound, or the sound plays too quietly. ------------------------------------------------- Your speaker volume setting may be too low. Click the speaker icon in your Windows 95 System Tray to see the Volume Control. Drag the slider up or down as needed to adjust the volume. You may also need to adjust the volume controls on your computer's speakers. Make sure your sound card is installed properly. The sound is distorted. ----------------------- Your speaker batteries may be low, or your speakers may be set to a volume level that is too high. Click the speaker icon in your Windows 95 System Tray to see the Volume Control. Drag the slider up or down as needed to adjust the volume. Adjust the volume controls on your computer's speakers as needed. Try experimenting with different volume, treble, or bass levels to correct the distortion. Make sure your sound card is installed properly. If your sound card software has level settings for multiple sound sources, be sure to turn down all channels except the one controlling the CD volume. The sound is not synchronised with the video. --------------------------------------------- The movie's data rate may be too high for your machine. Your system may need a faster CD-ROM drive, hard drive controller card, video card, or CPU to handle the video data rate. Video Problems ============== You may not have enough memory or other system resources available. Close all other applications and try the video again. Refer to the QuickTime for Windows Read Me file, found in the QuickTime for Windows program group. Other Problems ============== Your computer does not acknowledge the presence of the CD-ROM drive. ------------------------------------------------------ Make sure that the CD-ROM drive is plugged in, turned on, and properly connected to your computer. If necessary, open the Control Panel and use Add New Hardware to have Windows 95 recognise the CD-ROM drive. You receive out-of-memory errors. --------------------------------- You may not have the required 8 MB of RAM (Random Access Memory) to run Sidekick Deluxe. Close as many other applications as you can to free up memory. Restarting Windows also may free up some memory. Other Vendors' Drivers ====================== Sidekick 95 Deluxe depends on many different drivers from many different vendors. Older versions of drivers may cause unexpected results. Make sure you have the latest versions of drivers for your audio and video cards to ensure that Sidekick 95 Deluxe functions properly. If you experience problems that appear to be driver-related, contact the driver manufacturer and obtain the latest version of that manufacturer's drivers. (This information is provided for your convenience. Starfish Software is not responsible for its accuracy.) Sound Cards =========== Ad Lib Multimedia 418-656-8742 Crystal Clear WaveTable Cardinal Technologies 717-293-3000 Digital Sound Pro 16 Media Magic 800-627-8654 DSP 16 Plus Turtle Beach 800-645-5640 MultiSound, MultiSound Monterey Roland 213-685-5141 x770 RAP-10, Sound Canvas Diamond Computer 408-736-2000 SonicSound Creative Labs 800-998-5227 Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster AWE32 Ensoniq 215-647-3930 SoundScape Orchid Technology 800-767-2443 Sound Wave Video Cards ATI Technologies, Inc. 905-882-3600 Graphics Pro Turbo, etc. Diamond Computer 408-736-2000 Viper, Viper Pro Matrox Graphics, Inc. 514-685-2630 MGA Impression, Ultima, Ultima Plus 2000 Miro Computer Products 415-855-0940 Crystal 32S Number Nine Computer Products 617-674-0009 #9GXE64 STB Systems, Inc. 214-234-8750 Pegasus VL SuperMac/Radius 408-541-6100 Spectrum 24, Thunder 24 Dell Computer 800-624-9896 Quadtel S3 series ow, if you have any questions or problems with video in the multimedia presentations.