ReadMe CollegeAssist(tm) Please take time to read this document with up-to-date information regarding CollegeAssist. (Open window to its maximum size for better readability or print this document for later reference.) Viewing HTML files ------------------ CollegeAssist provides approximately 38,000 Web pages (HTML files) on the CD-ROM. There are two ways to view these pages found on CollegeAssist: 1. Through a simulated Internet experience using the viewer included with CollegeAssist. OR 2. Using an Internet browser such as Netscape Navigator(tm) or Microsoft Internet Explorer(tm). Note that the underlined items in CollegeAssist are "links" to other HTML pages. Clicking on an underlined link will take you to the linked page. In this way you navigate through CollegeAssist. In some cases these links link to pages on the Internet. To link to these sites, access to the Internet is required. If you do not already have Internet access, AT&T WorldNet(sm) Service is included with CollegeAssist. This setup installs the AT&T WorldNet Service (which includes access to the Internet and Netscape Navigator Internet Browser Version 3.0). GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS If You Get a Failed Link Message -------------------------------- When using CollegeAssist, you will sometimes link to a site that is "off-CD." (An "off-CD" site is a link to a Web page not included on the CD.) An "off-CD" link is denoted by a gray, "Failed, could not open "/D:/www...html"" status page. To link to these sites, access to the Internet is required. Printing in Windows 3.1x ------------------------ The Windows 3.1x version of CollegeAssist does not support printing. We recommend that you use an Internet browser such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer to print the HTML pages in CollegeAssist. If You Delete Your Browser -------------------------- If you delete your Internet browser after installing CollegeAssist, you'll need to reinstall CollegeAssist. After reinstalling, CollegeAssist will launch and default to its own HTML viewer. Under some circumstances, CollegeAssist cannot launch once Internet Explorer has been uninstalled. If this occurs, try the following: 1. On the appropriate platforms, click and drag the Webste16.ocx (for Win 3.1x) or Webster.ocx (for Win95) to the Regsvr.exe or Regsvr32.exe.(these are on CD) 2. Open the Properties for CollegeAssist's application icon in the desktop shortcut 'and' the START Menu for Win95 or PROGRAM MANAGER. 3. In the Win3.1 COMMAND LINE and WORKING DIRECTORY or Win95's TARGET and START IN boxes type the following ("D" refers to the CDROM drive letter): Target: D:\Webby32\Webby.exe file:///D:\Cadata\Cdrom\Subscrib\index.htm Start in: D:\Webby32 4. In Win95, don't forget to do it also for both desktop shortcut and the Start menu application. The properties are independent of each other. The Keyboard Shortcuts Don't Work (Win 95) ------------------------------------------ It is not necessary to use the control key with the keyboard shortcut keys. Unsupported Windows(r) 95 Hardware ---------------------------------- 1. Be certain that your hardware is supported by Windows 95. A. From the "My Computer" desktop icon, select "Control Panel." B. Select "System." C. Select "Device Manager." D. Verify that all device icons are free of a red X or a yellow exclamation point(!) (This applies especially to the "Display adapter", "CD-ROM", and "Sound, video, and game controller.") E. If an item has a mark, double-click on the item, then read the device status. F. If one of these three devices is missing, then it may not be compatible with all of the features of Windows 95. If Display Problems Occur ------------------------- If you experience graphics problems while running CollegeAssist, contact your video card or systems vendor to obtain the latest version of their video driver. Under Win 3.1 with a Cirrus Logic video card at 256 colors, the graphics display poorly. We have seen it most often on Cirrus Logic but have noted it on #9 and Trident 8900 also. If possible, set your display to "thousands of colors" or use another HTML viewer such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. AT&T WorldNet Service --------------------- If you don't have Internet access or would like to change your Internet provider, separate instructions included in the box explain how to install and set up an AT&T WorldNet Service account. Pricing for the AT&T WorldNet Service is discussed in the enclosed brochure. If you choose to install the AT&T WorldNet Service software which includes Netscape Navigator Internet Browser, you will then be using Netscape Navigator to access the Internet. Once Netscape has been installed, CollegeAssist will launch Netscape, allowing you to use Netscape to view the HTML files on the CollegeAssist CD. AT&T WorldNet Service Installation ---------------------------------- Please note that the insert included with CollegeAssist contains a typo in reference to your registration code. As noted below the code HAS NO SPACES: 1. Double-click on the AT&T WorldNet Service setup file on the CollegeAssist CD. 2. Follow the steps in the setup to connect to the Internet and install the Netscape Navigator Internet Browser. 3. When you are asked for a registration code, these are your choices: * If you are an AT&T Long Distance customer, your code is LLSQIM631. * If you are NOT an AT&T Long Distance customer, your code is LLSQIM632. 4. If you have any trouble, please call AT&T WorldNet Service Customer Care at 1-800-400-1447. Once connected, the AT&T WorldNet Service Home page will appear in the Netscape Navigator Internet Browser. This is your initial gateway to the World Wide Web. If Netscape Navigator Internet Browser is already installed ------------------------------------------------------------ When you install the AT&T WorldNet Service software, it will search for a previous installation of the Netscape Navigator Internet Browser. If it finds one, it saves a copy of the relevant part of the Windows 95 registry in a file called "previous.reg" in the AT&T WorldNet Service install directory (usually C:\Program Files\WorldNet). After you have registered with AT&T WorldNet Service, another copy of that part of the Windows 95 registry is saved in the file "worldnet.reg," in the same directory. CollegeAssist Uninstall - Windows 95 ------------------------------------ 1. In the Start Menu, select Programs, CollegeAssist, CollegeAssist Uninstall, and then follow the prompt. CollegeAssist Uninstall - Windows 3.x ------------------------------------- 1. In Program Manager, open CollegeAssist group window. 2. Select Uninstall and follow the prompt. WINDOWS 95 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE TIPS These tips are designed to improve your overall system performance: If the Program is Very Slow ---------------------------- 1. Close any unnecessary applications that may be running. A. Quit CollegeAssist. B. At the Windows 95 desktop, Press the keys "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" in order, keeping all keys held down until a Close Program box comes up. C. The items on the list are currently running programs. D. Items like "Explorer" and "Systray" are needed for Windows 95. E. Other programs like screen savers, virus checkers, word processors, spreadsheets, and other related programs should be closed. 2. See below: Optimize Your CD-ROM Access Performance. 3. Make sure that your display setting is at 640x480 resolution and 256 colors. (Certain video cards may perform better with higher resolution or colors.) A. Place your mouse cursor on a blank area of the Windows 95 desktop. B. Click the right mouse button. C. Select "Properties." D. In the Display Properties dialog box, select "Settings." E. Notice the settings for Color palette and Desktop Area (there may be a specific location to change settings for your specific Video Card, refer to your system documentation). Optimize Your CD-ROM Access Performance --------------------------------------- 1. From the "My Computer" desktop icon, select "Control Panel." 2. Select "System." 3. Select "Performance." 4. Select "File System." 5. Select "CD-ROM." 6. For Optimum CD access times, change the supplemental cache to "Large." 7. Be certain that the Optimize access pattern is appropriate for your CD-ROM. This should be no lower than "Double-speed Drives." 8. If any changes were made, select "Apply", then restart Windows. Increase the Available Memory for Windows Programs to Run ---------------------------------------------------------- 1. From the "My Computer" desktop icon, select "Control Panel." 2. Select "System." 3. Select "Performance." 4. Select "Virtual Memory." 5. For best results, use the first option: "Let Windows manage...." 6. Select "OK." WINDOWS 3.1X SYSTEM PERFORMANCE TIPS These tips are designed to improve your overall system performance. Increase the Available Memory for Windows Programs to Run ---------------------------------------------------------- Change the SMARTDrive cache size to make more memory available. If you have more than 8 MB of RAM, skip this process. 1. Go to the Program Manager. 2. Select Run from the File menu. 3. At the command box, type "sysedit" and click OK. 4. The Sysedit window will appear. Click on the Autoexec.bat window to bring it to the front. 5. Locate the line that shows smartdrv.exe and type in the appropriate sizes. * If you have 4 MB of RAM, add 256 256. Your Smartdrive setting should look like this: smartdrv.exe 256 256 (you have typed in 256 256). * If you have 8 MB of RAM, add 1024 1024. Your Smartdrive setting should look like this: smartdrv.exe 1024 1024 (you have typed in 1024 1024). Note: Leave any other options on the smartdrv.exe line as they are set. For example: (before) smartdrv.exe /q (after) smartdrv.exe 256 256 /q 6. If you've made changes, select Save from the File menu. 7. Select Exit from the File menu. 8. Exit Windows and restart the computer. Set Up Virtual Memory to Give Windows More Memory ------------------------------------------------- (Note: If you are running any disk-compression software, refer to the software manual or call the software manufacturer for assistance in setting up a permanent swap file.) 1. Run Defrag. 2. Start Windows, go to the Program Manager, and double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main group. 3. Double-click the 386 Enhanced icon in the Control Panel group. 4. Click the Virtual Memory button on the right side. 5. If you have 8 MB of RAM, make sure the current settings have the Size set to at least 4000 KB. Also make sure Type is set to Permanent. 6. If it is not currently set, click the Change button. 7. Under New Settings, make sure the Type is Permanent and the Size is set according to #5 above. The bigger the swap file size, the better the performance you will have. We recommend setting the size to at least 8000 KB (but not exceeding 16000 KB). This will improve your system's overall performance. 8. Click OK. Follow the prompt to restart Windows. COMPATIBILITY ISSUES Windows Program Shells ---------------------- If you are using a program shell other than the Windows Program Manager and are experiencing trouble installing CollegeAssist, try changing the shell back to the standard Windows Program Manager. Refer to your shell documentation or call your shell vendor if you need assistance. Screen Savers ------------- If you are running a screen saver in the background and experience video and sound problems during the game, disable the screen saver and the problem should be solved. Refer to your user documentation on how to disable the screen saver. IBM Aptiva(r) ------------- There are known performance issues on 8MB IBM Aptiva computers related to both the Aptiva and the IBM MWAVE sound card using 16bit drivers under Windows 95. Please contact IBM for more information. KidDesk(r) ---------- Installing CollegeAssist 1. Install CollegeAssist. 2. In KidDesk Adult Section, select Application, Add application. 3. Select Search Start Menu option, and click OK. 4. Scroll to CollegeAssist, select it, and click OK. KidSecure(r) ------------ 1. Installing CollegeAssist A. See Installing CollegeAssist B. Follow installation instructions of KidSecure. 2. Using custom data files For users with Limited Access privileges, the data files need to be saved to: c:\program files\kidsecure\users\ directory because the user can only access that directory from CollegeAssist. Technical Support ----------------- If you are continually experiencing problems running CollegeAssist, contact our Technical Support for assistance. Telephone: Call (800) 556-6141 toll-free, or (310) 793-0600, M-F, 7 A.M. to 6 P.M. Pacific Time. Fax: Our fax number is (310) 214-7937, 24 hours daily. America Online Forum-keyword: Davidson E-mail: support@davd.com World Wide Web address: http://www.davd.com CollegeAssist is a trademark used under license from Edworks, Inc. AT&T WorldNet is a service mark of AT&T Corporation. KidDesk is a registered trademark of the Edmark Corporation. Microsoft Internet Explorer is a trademark and Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. Aptiva is a registered trademark of the IBM Corporation. Netscape and Netscape Navigator are trademarks of Netscape Communications. All other products mentioned in this ReadMe file may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged. All rights reserved.