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1999-06-29
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*********************************************************
Totally MAD
Version 1.0.0 for Windows 95/98/NT 4.0
August 1999
*********************************************************
Welcome to Totally MAD!
We would like to thank you for your purchase. It is our goal to
make you a happy and satisfied customer, so we have created this
file with useful information and solutions to problems you may
encounter.
This file contains information that was not available at the
time the User's Guide and on-disc help were prepared. It also
contains other important information to help you use this
product successfully. If you are uncertain how to make a
recommended change, please refer to the documentation that came
with Windows and/or your computer system.
CONTENTS
I. Installation Instructions and Suggestions
II. Troubleshooting
III. Contacting Technical Support
IV. Other Important Information
I. Installation Instructions and Suggestions
*********************************************************
A. Disk Compression
If you are using a disk compression utility, the available hard
disk space reported by the installation program may not be
accurate. Disk compression utilities can only ESTIMATE available
hard disk space. If the installation process is not successful,
you may need to free additional hard disk space by removing
unneeded files or applications from your hard drive.
B. Network Installation
This product is designed as a "stand-alone" application and does
not support use by multiple users over a network.
C. Installation for Windows 95/98
NOTE: Totally MAD will not install/run on a Windows 3.1 system.
We suggest that you exit all applications before installing this
product. Other programs and drivers running on the computer may
interfere with the installation process.
To begin installation, simply place Disc 1 in the CD-ROM drive.
The Windows AutoPlay function automatically offers the option to
install the program. Click on "Install" to begin the
installation.
If the program disc is already in the CD-ROM drive and you have
bypassed the AutoPlay function, follow these steps to begin the
installation: Click on "Start" and select "Run ...". In the
"Open" box, type "D:\SETUP.EXE" and press Enter. If your CD-ROM
drive is not drive "D", substitute the letter of your CD-ROM
drive when you type this statement. For example, if your CD-ROM
drive is drive "E", type "E:\SETUP.EXE" and press Enter.
When the program has finished installing the files, you are
notified that the installation has been completed. Then,
whenever you want to use Totally MAD, simply insert any of
the discs into your CD-ROM drive and click on "OK" when asked if
you want to run the program. To start the program when the CD is
already in your CD-ROM drive, click on "Start", choose
"Programs", choose "Broderbund", choose the "Totally MAD"
folder, and then choose "Totally MAD".
D. Meeting the Minimum System Requirements
The installation program automatically determines if your
computer system meets the minimum requirements to run this
product. If your system fails to meet the requirements, the
installation program tells you exactly which requirements were
not met. One potential problem you may encounter and its
solution is described below:
"Detected: No suitable wave device"
If you get this messages, make sure that you have
installed the Windows drivers that came with your sound
board. Totally MAD requires at least one wave device
capable of at least 8-bit mono at 22.050kHz.
NOTE: Because of their special hardware setup, certain IBM
Aptiva and Thinkpad systems may generate these messages
even though they DO have the proper equipment and software.
If you own one of these systems and encounter one of the
above messages, disregard the message and proceed with the
installation.
To check that your system has met the minimum requirements, you
can run the program CNMSYSI.EXE, located in the "\WIN32"
directory on Disc 1.
II. Troubleshooting
*********************************************************
This product has been successfully tested with a wide variety of
hardware and peripheral equipment. It should be noted, however,
that Microsoft Windows is a "device-independent" operating
system that relies on device drivers to communicate with the
various devices on your system. Occasionally, issues may occur
with one of these drivers. Conflicts with sound cards, video
displays, and printers are often resolved by reconfiguring or
updating the device drivers supplied by the manufacturers. This
product is not designed specifically for compatibility with any
particular hardware item.
A. Troubleshooting for Windows 95/98
1. Movies Do Not Play: "Cannot find VIDS:CVID Decompressor" or
"Cannot find VIDS:IV5 Decompressor"
To address this problem, re-run the installation as described
above to make sure you have properly installed all of the
software necessary to play back movies.
If the problem persists, click on the "Start" menu, select
"Settings", then select "Control Panel". In the resulting
window, double-click on the "Add/Remove Programs" icon, and then
click on the "Windows Setup" tab. Scroll down the list to
"Multimedia" and double-click on it. In the new list that
appears, scroll to "Video Compression" and make sure that the
box next to it is checked. Click on the "OK" button, and then
click on "OK" again.
When you change these settings, you may have to restart Windows
in order for the changes to take effect. Click on "Yes" if you
are offered this option.
2. Color flashes at the Trash Heap screen
On computers with certain video display cards, the animations
playing in the Trash Heap screen can cause the screen to appear
to flash and to display different colors. This has been observed
particularly on video display cards made by ATi. To fix this
problem, change the video settings in Windows to use more than
256 colors. Consult your computer system documentation for
instructions on how to do this.
3. Text Is Illegible or Displays in Wing Ding or Symbol Font
Certain Lotus or IBM products, such as Lotus Wordpro, install a
font that interferes with the fonts used by Windows 95/98. This
problem can be resolved by removing the Monotype Sorts Font
version 2.0 from your system.
To remove the font, click on the "Start" menu, select
"Settings", then select "Control Panel". In the resulting
window, double-click on the "Fonts" icon. In the resulting list
of fonts, find "Monotype Sorts Font" (sometimes listed as
"Mtsorts_.ttf") and remove it by dragging it into the recycle
bin on your desktop.
4. Problems Reading CD
If you have trouble with your CD-ROM performance, the problem
may be solved by adjusting the cache settings on your CD-ROM
drive. To change these settings, click on the "Start" menu,
select "Settings", and then select "Control Panel". In the
resulting window, double-click on the "System" icon, and then
click on the "Performance" tab. Make sure that in the resulting
box both "File System" and "Virtual Memory" indicate "32-bit".
Click on the "File System ..." button, and then click on the
"CD-ROM" tab. Move the slider in the "Supplemental cache size"
setting all the way to "Large". Make sure that the contents of
the "Optimize access pattern for" box matches the speed of your
CD-ROM drive; for example, if you have a double-speed (2X)
CD-ROM drive, this box should read "Double-speed drives".
When you change these settings, you may have to restart Windows
in order for the changes to take effect. Click on "Yes" if
you are offered this option.
5. Optimizing Performance
To make sure your system is operating at its peak graphic
abilities, click on the "Start" menu, select "Settings", and
then select "Control Panel". In the resulting window, double-
click on the "System" icon, and then click on the "Performance"
tab. Click on the "Graphics ..." button. In the resulting box,
make sure the "Hardware acceleration" slider is set all the way
to "Full".
To make sure your hard drive is operating to its fullest
potential, click on the "Start" menu, select "Settings", and
then select "Control Panel". In the resulting window, double-
click on the "System" icon, and then click on the "Performance"
tab. Click on the "File System ..." button, and then click on
the "Hard Disk" tab. Make sure that "Typical role of this
machine" reads "Desktop computer". Also make sure that the
slider bar for "Read-ahead optimization" is all the way to the
right at "Full".
When you change these settings, you may have to restart Windows
95/98 in order for the changes to take effect. Click on "Yes" if
you are offered this option.
6. Locating Possible Conflicts
To find potential conflicts with your hardware that might be
causing problems with Totally MAD, use the Device Manager.
Click on the "Start" menu, select "Settings", and then select
"Control Panel". In the resulting window, double-click on the
"System" icon, and then click on the "Device Manager" tab. In
the resulting list, look for yellow warning triangles with an
exclamation point (!) in them. If you find any such triangle,
click once on the item to highlight it and then click on the
"Properties" button. Windows will display a dialog box that
explains the status of that device. Consult your Windows or
computer system documentation for more information.
7. Working with the Windows Taskbar
If you are using the "Always on Top" and "Auto Hide" settings
for the Windows Taskbar, the Taskbar may obscure some of the
Totally MAD interface. To keep the Taskbar from appearing on top
of the program, turn off the "Always on Top" and
"Auto Hide" settings by clicking on the "Start" button, then
"Settings", then "Taskbar...".
B. Accessing the Internet
To get the most out of this product's online features, we
recommend using Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet
Explorer. Totally MAD can launch any Web browser or commercial
online service you may have, but unless one of these two
programs is used, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to
take you to the proper places on the Internet.
Please make sure that your Web browser or online service is
properly and completely installed before you attempt to use
Totally MAD's online features. Additionally, you may need to
make sure that you have already established an Internet
connection via modem prior to trying to access the Internet
through Totally MAD. Consult the documentation that came with
your Internet software for information about this.
Specific details about using America Online and the "Other"
setting follow below.
1. Using America Online -- Versions Supported
At the time this product shipped, the most recent version of the
America Online software for Windows was version 4.0. America
Online periodically upgrades their software, and they may have
done so since this product was shipped. There is a strong
possibility that America Online will not make the new version
backward compatible with version 4.0, and this could cause
problems when using America Online with this product. For
information should this occur, consult our technical support Web
page as described in "Contacting Technical Support" below for
the most up to date information on this issue.
To use America Online version 4.0 with Totally MAD, select
"America Online" from the list of online applications in the
"Internet" section of the "Preferences" screen. (Make sure that
the "Use Default Internet Browser" checkbox is NOT checked.)
Selecting "Other" and then browsing to your America Online
software will NOT work properly; users with this setup may see
America Online open a text editor instead of launching to the
desired Internet site.
Attempting to use Internet features in Totally MAD with America
Online version 2.5 can result in the following type of error
message: "WAOL caused a general protection fault in module
FILER ..."
Users of America Online version 2.5 or earlier can obtain a free
upgrade to version 4.0; simply contact America Online to inquire
about the upgrade.
For technical support or information regarding the 4.0 upgrade
for America Online, please call 1-800-827-3338.
2. Using America Online -- Making Sure Totally MAD Can Find Your
America Online Software
If you install America Online version 4.0 onto your computer in
one location on your hard drive, and then later move the America
Online program files to a different location on your hard drive,
Totally MAD will not be able to locate your America Online
software. To fix this, re-install America Online to the new
location on your hard drive.
For technical support in using America Online, please call
1-800-827-3338.
3. Using the "Other" setting
If you wish to use a program other than Netscape Navigator,
Microsoft Internet Explorer, or America Online version 4.0 to
connect to the Internet, you must pick "Other" from the list of
online applications in the "Internet" section of the
"Preferences" screen. You will then need to enter or browse to
the location of your online software on your hard drive. Consult
the on-disc help for more detailed instructions.
III. Contacting Technical Support
*********************************************************
We are here to assist you with any issues regarding this
product. The Learning Company Technical Support Center can be
reached via e-mail, U.S. mail, fax, or phone. Support is also
available on an electronic bulletin board system.
When contacting technical support, please provide as much
information as you can about your computer system and the
problem you are experiencing. Include your phone number so we
can reach you if we need more information.
Check our Web site, http://www.learningco.com, for answers to
frequently asked questions and other technical support
information.
A. Fax Support
Fax your questions to (319) 395-9600.
B. E-mail Support
For support via email, please write to help@tlcsupport.com.
C. Mail Support
Send written correspondance to:
The Learning Company
1700 Progress Drive
PO Box 100
Hiawatha, IA 52233-0100
Attn: Technical Support
D. Live Agent Support
Live agent phone support is provided for customers from 9am to
9pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, at
(319) 247-3333.
IV. Other Important Information
*********************************************************
A. Reinstalling or Removing Totally MAD
The operating system can help you remove the program and its
associated files. From the "Start" menu, select "Settings", and
then "Control Panel". Then double-click on the "Add/Remove
Programs" icon. Follow the instructions in the
"Install/Uninstall" section to remove the program. Uninstalling
the program will not remove any files you may have created
yourself, such as Favorites lists; additionally, the folders in
which these files reside will not be deleted.