home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Parenting - Prenatal to preschool
/
Parenting_PrenatalToPreschool.bin
/
readme.1st
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-07-15
|
27KB
|
565 lines
DiscPassage for DOS
Introduction and Troubleshooting Guide
Version 1.5 June 1992
Contents
1. Before You Call Technical Support
2. Printing or Viewing This Document
3. About DiscPassage
4. System Requirements
5. Installing DiscPassage
6. Starting DiscPassage
7. Using DiscPassage
8. Problem-Solving
9. Installing DiscPassage to Run Under Windows 3.1
9. DiscPassage Version 2.0
10. How to Reach Technical Support
1 - Before You Call Technical Support
Creative Multimedia maintains a Technical Support staff to help
customers with problems which occur, and to answer questions
about our products.
Before calling for Technical Support, please be sure to read
this document. Many of the most common problems can be solved
using the information provided here. If you do need technical
help, please make a note of the version of DiscPassage and the
title of the CD-ROM(s) which you are using. Also please note
any details about your system which might be relevant to the
problem. For example, if the problem is that graphics will not
display properly, the manufacturer and model of your video
controller card will be helpful. Your DOS version number,
available memory, microprocessor type and whether you are using
third party memory management, file compression or operating
system software (for example QEMM, Stacker or DR DOS) all may
be relevant to problems which occur.
DiscPassage is licensed for use by various CD-ROM producers.
If your CD-ROM is the product of a company other than Creative Multimedia,
please call that company first for technical support.
1.1 - System Problems
If the problem you are experiencing is caused by a component of
your system that is not a Creative Multimedia product, we
recommend that you call the manufacturer or vendor of that product
for Technical Support. CD-ROM Drive installation or malfunction,
installation of DiscPassage under various menuing or windowing
interfaces, and CD-ROM network implementation are some examples.
2 - Printing or Viewing This Document
There are two ways to print this document. If you are viewing
it under DiscPassage, simply press "F7" while the text is
displayed. If you are in DOS, change to the "DiscPass"
directory and enter the command "printme". The document is
printed to the default printer.
To view this document while in DOS, change to the "DiscPass"
directory and enter the command "readme".
3 - About DiscPassage
DiscPassage is a program which provides a menu-driven user
interface for accessing the information on your CD-ROM.
DiscPassage provides various means of accessing CD-ROM data,
including a hierarchical "Contents" menu and "Search" and
"Browse" facilities. In addition, DiscPassage offers facilities
for displaying graphic images, printing text and images, playing
sounds (if the CD-ROM has audio content) and copying text to
user-named files.
DiscPassage will run properly only if there is a DiscPassage
CD-ROM in the CD drive. DiscPassage CD-ROMs have the word
"DiscPassage" or the word "CMC" printed on the CD-ROM or the
CD-ROM jewel box.
Once DiscPassage has been installed on your hard drive, you
can access any DiscPassage CD-ROMs using the command "DP".
4 - System Requirements
IBM PC or compatible with MS-DOS version 3.1 or later.
CD-ROM drive with appropriate drivers.
Microsoft CD-ROM extensions version 2.0 or later.
512K available free conventional memory.
1 Megabyte free space available on hard drive.
VGA video card and monitor. Super VGA card with VESA driver
recommended.
For CD-ROMs which contain audio content, headphones or amplified
external speakers which connect to the CD-ROM audio jack or
external speaker outputs.
The "files" command in the CONFIG.SYS file should be set to
at least 20 ("files=20").
5 - Installing DiscPassage
Log onto the CD-ROM drive (type the letter of your CD-ROM drive,
followed by ":", then press "Enter"). Type "setup" and press
"Enter". The setup program will prompt you through the
installation procedure. Setup creates a directory on your hard
drive which contains the DiscPassage files. No changes are made
to your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files.
The DiscPassage Setup program installs two versions of Disc-
Passage: Version 1.5 and Version 2.0. This document refers
primarily to Version 1.5. Version 2.0 is a major upgrade to
DiscPassage which is still in the BETA Testing Phase. See
Section 9 - DiscPassage Version 2.0 for more information.
6 - Starting DiscPassage
Once DiscPassage has been installed, any DiscPassage CD-ROM
can be accessed by placing the disc into the drive and entering
the command "DP" at the DOS prompt. Any new version of Disc-
Passage which you install will be compatible with earlier
DiscPassage CD-ROMs.
7 - Using DiscPassage
After the "DP" command has been entered, a license agreement
is displayed. Press enter to accept the agreement. A title
page illustration is displayed. When you press enter a Database
Menu is displayed. The Database Menu lists the main sections
which are contained in the CD-ROM. When you select an item from
the Database Menu, the DiscPassage Main Menu is displayed.
7.1 - Using Help
The best way to learn about DiscPassage is to use it in
conjunction with the help feature. "Help" is availabe from
any location in the program, beginning with the opening license
agreement screen. To display context-related Help, press the
"F1" key. A window on the screen will provide information
related to the DiscPassage function currently in use. "Help"
provides much valuable information which can help you learn to
use the DiscPassage features more effectively. The "Search"
feature in particular is extensively documented.
7.2 - Using The Main Menu
DiscPassage displays a menu bar at the top of your screen.
The menu includes the selections "Search", "Browse",
"Contents", "Database", "Printer" and "Change/Exit".
"Search" helps you search the database for specific words,
authors, subjects and titles, to identify related documents.
"Browse" helps you review lists of words, authors, subjects, or
titles, then select corresponding documents.
"Contents" lists the table of contents contained in the database,
and allows you to select a document.
"Database" identifies information available on the CD and helps
you select a database. "Printer" lets you specify a printer type
for printing graphic images, and specify a default printer port.
"Change/Exit" lets you change to another DiscPassage CD-ROM disc
or drive letter, or exit DiscPassage.
Use the right/left arrow keys to highlight different selections.
Press "enter" to select the highlighted title.
7.3 - Using The Function Keys
While using DiscPassage, the descriptions of any applicable
function keys are displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Here is a summary of the function keys used in DiscPassage:
F1 provides on-line Help. A Help screen which is relevant to
the current context is displayed.
F2 clears the search template so the user can start a new search
process.
F3 displays the next text article from a search list, when the
user is viewing an article from that list.
F4 toggles the graphics display between VGA and high
resolution monochrome when the graphics mode is standard VGA.
F4 also can be used to jump directly from the opening license
agreement to the main DiscPassage menu, bypassing the title
page graphic.
F7 prints the currently displayed text file or graphic image.
Before printing images, select "Print" from the main
DiscPassage menu to specify "Epson" or "HP Laser Jet". Your
printer must be compatible with one of these two standard
printer types in order to print images under DiscPassage.
When printing a graphic, there will be no message on-screen
while the printing is taking place. When the printing is
successfully completed, three quick beeps (low - high - low)
will sound. If a problem is detected, two beeps (high - low)
are sounded.
F8 copies the currently displayed text file to a user-named
file.
F9 displays a menu of tables, images or audio selections
related to the current selection.
F10 displays the titles found during a search, or moves to the
next highlighted search term in the text.
7.4 - Using the Special Function Keys
"Enter" selects the currently highlighted menu choice.
"Escape" exits the current menu, document, image, or audio
selection and returns to the previous menu or document.
"Home" goes to the beginning of the document or top of the menu.
"Page up" scrolls up one page in the document or one menu screen.
"Page down" scrolls down one page in the document or one menu
screen.
8 - Problem-Solving
If you experience problems while installing or running
DiscPassage, the information which follows may be helpful.
You will also find useful information in your CD-ROM drive
manual, the DOS manual or your computer system manual.
8.1 - CD-ROM Drive Problems
If you are unable to log onto the CD-ROM drive, just as you
would a floppy drive (by typing "D:<enter>", for example),
the CD-ROM drive is not working properly. Some possible reasons
are (1) the CD-ROM installation process was not successfully
completed, (2) the system was not rebooted following the
CD-ROM installation, (3) the CD-ROM drive was not turned on prior
to booting the system, (4) the cables have been disconnected
or damaged or (5) files on your system have been lost or
changed. If there is a problem with the CD-ROM Drive, check
for these possibilities and, if necessary, contact the CD-ROM
Drive manufacturer for Technical Support.
8.2 - MSCDEX
MSCDEX.EXE (Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions) is an extension to
DOS which allows the system to recognize the CD-ROM drive as
another disk drive, assigning a drive letter to the CD-ROM.
MSCDEX.EXE is included in the software supplied with the CD-ROM
drive, and is added to the system by running the CD-ROM drive
installation program. If you suspect that MSCDEX has not been
properly installed, run the CD-ROM drive install program or
contact the CD-ROM drive manufacturer.
Beginning with version 6.0, MSCDEX.EXE is supplied with MS-DOS.
If you install DOS 6, you may need to edit the line in your
Autoexec.Bat file in which MSCDEX is loaded to show the correct
path name for MSCDEX. For example:
C:\CDROM\MSCDEX.EXE ..... would be changed to
C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE .....
8.3 - Memory Requirements
DiscPassage requires 500K RAM free to run properly. Use the
command "chkdsk" to check the amount of memory which is free.
The last line in the display shows the amount of free memory
in your system. If your system does not have enough free memory,
consult the DOS manual for help in optimizing your system's
memory handling and increasing conventional memory.
8.4 - Command Line Options
Under some cirmumstances it is helpful to enter some extra
information when typing "DP" to start DiscPassage. DiscPassage
provides two command line options which can be used to specify
(1) the CD-ROM drive letter or (2) a video card type other than
the one which is auto-detected.
8.5 - Specifying the CD-ROM Drive
DiscPassage will normally select the first available CD-ROM
drive letter. If there are multiple CD-ROM drives in the
system, use the "-d<drive letter>" option to specify the
drive to be accessed. For example, a multiple CD-ROM player
might have six drives, with the letters D through I assigned
to them. If the DiscPassage CD-ROM to be accessed is in the
second drive, then the command to start DiscPassage would be
"dp -de".
8.6 - Specifying the Video Card Type
DiscPassage will try to detect the type of video card in the
system and supply the appropriate video driver for displaying
graphic images. Use the "-v<video card type>" option to
override the card which is detected and substitute one from
the list below. For example, if the graphics are not
displaying properly, and the user knew that a Trident video
card was installed in the system, the command "dp -vtrident"
would start DiscPassage, overriding the autodetected card,
and supply instead a video driver for the Trident card.
The video card types which can be used as command line options
are listed below:
vesa
tseng (STB, Orchid, Genoa)
tseng4 (Orchid)
paradise (Western Digital, AST)
video7 (Video 7, Headland, VRAM, Fastwrite)
trident
everex
ati (ViewPerfect, ViewSonic)
chipstech (Chips and Technologies, Cardinal)
aheada
aheadb
genoa
zymos
oak
tecmar
stdvga (standard vga, 360 x 480 x 256 color)
mode12 (monochrome)
mode13 (standard vga, 320 x 200 x 256 color)
textonly (no graphic display - may help with EGA)
8.7 - Adding Command Line Options To DP.BAT
If it is necessary to use a certain command line option each
time DiscPassage is run, use the DOS EDIT utility to insert
the option into the DP.BAT file. Go to the root directory (or
whatever directory the file DP.BAT is in. Enter the command "edit
dp.bat". Move the cursor to the line in the file which starts
with "dpsg.exe". Move the cursor to the first "%" and insert
the exact command line option (such as "-vtrident "). The line
will now read, for example, "dpsg.exe -vtrident %1 %2 %3". Save
the file. Test the change by running DiscPassage.
8.8 - Graphics Display - VGATEST
If graphics images do not display properly, there are two test
programs in the DiscPass directory which may help. To run
VGATEST, enter the command "vgatest" while in the DiscPass
directory. VGATEST displays a message which tells which video
card type is detected. If a DiscPassage CD-ROM is in the CD-ROM
drive, pressing "enter" will display a graphic from that disc.
Use the video card command line option (see explanation above) to
try out different video graphics drivers. (The -v option can be
used with both the "dp" and the "vgatest" commands.)
8.9 - Graphics Display - VESATEST
If none of the video drivers in DiscPassage work correctly with
your video card, you may want to use a VESA video driver.
VESA is a standard which has been created for interfacing with
super VGA video cards. A Super VGA card may have a VESA driver
built into the ROM (read only memory) of the video card. Older
cards may require a TSR (terminate and stay resident - a program
which, once executed, resides in your computer's memory) driver
to be loaded in order to provide VESA support. This TSR may be
found on the distribution disks from the video card manufacturer,
or may be obtained directly from the video card vendor or
manufacturer.
To determine if a VESA driver is currently available in your
system, run VESATEST from the DiscPassage directory. This
program will tell you if VESA video extensions are loaded,
whether or not DiscPassage will use VESA for image display, and
if not, why DiscPassage will not use VESA. DiscPassage requires
that VESA mode 101H is supported in order to display 640 by 480
by 256 colors.
8.10 - Audio
Some DiscPassage CD-ROM titles contain audio information.
The audio from these discs will come through the CD-ROM
drive's audio outputs. If your system is equipped with a
sound card, the DiscPassage CD-ROM audio will not be heard
through the sound card unless the CD-ROM's audio outputs are
connected to inputs to the sound card. Consult the sound
card vendor for information regarding hardware which may
be available to make the connection.
8.11 - Program Crash
If DiscPassage fails to start properly, exits to DOS
prematurely or "freezes" your system at some point, there are a
number of possible causes to look for.
The first item to check is free memory (see MEMORY
REQUIREMENTS above).
Another possible cause of problems is the interaction between
DiscPassage and your graphics card. Try running DP with the
"-vtextonly" option (see COMMAND LINE OPTIONS above). If the
crash no longer occurs, experiment further with the various
video card options.
A third area to check is conflicts between DiscPassage and
other software already loaded in memory (device drivers or
TSR programs). One way to test for such conflicts is to insert
the word "rem" before each line of the Config.Sys and
Autoexec.Bat files which installs drivers and TSRs which are
not needed to run the CD-ROM unit. The "rem" negates the
line so that when the system is booted, that line has no effect.
If DiscPassage then runs properly, the "remmed out" lines can
be brought back in one at a time, until the conflicting line is
identified. Sometimes changing the order that these lines
appear in the files can eliminate a conflict.
A common conflict which causes DiscPassage to crash is between
some mouse drivers and the VESA video driver. If you press
enter to continue from the license agreement and the system
goes immeditately back to DOS, displaying the CD-ROM drive, or
if after the first graphic is displayed the system freezes and
an error message "memory allocation error..." is displayed,
there probably is a mouse driver/vesa driver conflict. Test for
this by "remming" out the MOUSE.COM line in the autoexec.bat
file. After rebooting the system, run DiscPassage. If
DiscPassage runs properly, the conflict has been identified. The
solution is to obtain an updated driver from the manufacturer of
the mouse, or a different mouse driver.
9 - Installing DiscPassage 1.5 to Run Under Windows 3.1
To install DiscPassage to run under Windows, first install
under DOS, as explained under Installing DiscPassage.
While in Windows, set up DiscPassage as an application:
From your application window (or any window of your choice)
select FILE from the program manager menu, then select NEW.
Click on the circle next to ADD A PROGRAM ITEM, then click OK.
In the box which appears, enter the following properties:
Description: DiscPassage
Command line: C:\DP.BAT
Working directory: C:\DISCPASS
Select an icon for the application, then click OK.
Next, a PIF FILE needs to be created. From the MAIN window,
select PIF Editor. From the menu, select FILE/NEW. Enter the
following settings:
Program filename: DP.BAT
Window title: DiscPassage
Startup directory: C:\.
Video memory: text
KB required: 536K
Display usage: full screen
Execution: exclusive
(No advanced settings).
Otherwise, leave the default settings as they are. Select
FILE/SAVE AS and enter the name of the file as DP.PIF. Save
changes and exit the PIF Editor.
The path names used in this example assume you used the default
DiscPassage setup. If you did not take the default DiscPassage
directories, your directory names here will need to reflect that.
DiscPassage should run properly under Windows using these
settings. For more information about PIF files and running DOS
applications under Windows, consult your Windows manual. Some
systems may not support DiscPassage in the Windows environment.
10 - DiscPassage Version 2.0
The Setup program for DiscPassage Version 1.5 also installs
DiscPassage Version 2.0. DiscPassage Version 2.0 is a major
revision of DiscPassage which is still in the BETA testing
phase. If you encounter problems with Version 2.0 you may want
to switch Version 1.5. As Version 2.0 is updated, new versions
will be available to download from the Creative Multimedia
Technical Support BBS. (See section 10 for details).
10.1 - Features of DiscPassage Version 2.0
DiscPassage Version 2.0 provides several new features, including
mouse support, pull-down menus and display windows.
10.2 - Starting DiscPassage Version 2.0
You can use DiscPassage Version 2.0 with any DiscPassage CD-ROM.
With the DiscPassage CD-ROM in the drive, start DiscPassage by
entering the command "DP2". A license agreement is displayed.
Press "enter" to accept. Next, the title page illustration is
displayed. Press "enter" to move to the Main Menu.
10.3 - Help in DiscPassage Version 2.0
Help can be accessed by selecting Help from the Main Menu or by
pressing F1 at any time while using DiscPassage.
10.4 - The DiscPassage Version 2.0 Main Menu
The Main Menu displays four options: FILE, SEARCH, BROWSE and
HELP. For information about these options, select Main Menu
Help from the DiscPassage Main Menu. For more specific
information about how to use these features, press F1 while
using the appropriate section of DiscPassage.
10.5 - DiscPassage Version 2.0 Keyboard Commands
If you do not have a mouse, or choose not to use one, Disc-
Passage Version 2.0 provides a set of commands which make it
easy to use from the keyboard:
Close a window . . . . . . . . . . . ALT/F4 or ESC
Menu selection . . . . . . . . . . . ALT/<underscored letter>
Scroll display . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE UP or DOWN
UP or DOWN ARROW
Search - Clear titles . . . . . . . ALT/C
Search - Move between fields . . . . TAB or SHIFT/TAB
Search - Show titles . . . . . . . . ALT/S
Select highlighted item . . . . . . ENTER
Select related document . . . . . . ALT/R
11 - How To Reach Technical Support
The phone number for Creative Multimedia Technical Support is
503-241-1530. The hours are 8 AM to 6 PM, Pacific Time, Monday
through Friday. Our Technical Support voice phone line also
has recorded messages which give solutions to some of the most
frequently encountered problems. You can call any time to listen
to the messages or leave a message for us.
The Creative Multimedia BBS number is 503-241-1573. Explanations
to many frequently encountered problems are available to either
read or download on our BBS. The BBS is available 24 hours a day.
In addition, you can download current versions of software,
leave messages or browse through other people's messages to
gain helpful information.
Creative Multimedia also maintains a forum on Compuserv which
provides the same information and services available through
our BBS. Customers using Compuserv can reach our forum by
entering the command "GO CREATIVEM". Creative Multimedia's
Compuserv address is 71333,3143. The Internet address is
71333.3143@ COMPUSERV.COM.
Creative Multimedia's fax number is 503-241-4370. If you let us
know your fax number, often we can fax information about common
DiscPassage problems to you immediately.