This document contains information not found in the Space Academy GX-1 User╒s Guide.
System Requirements
System 7.5.3 or higher
PowerPC
16 MB RAM
Monitor capable of 640x480 and thousands of colors
Printer (optional)
Edmark TouchWindow, Edmark Touch Free Switch, or other single switch input device (optional)
Shortcuts
<Cmd>+<Opt>+S toggles single switch input on and off, if single switch input is enabled in the Adult Options section.
<Cmd>+<Opt>+A opens the Adult Options section.
<Cmd>+M toggles the background music on and off.
In the Explore mode of Gravity Pilot Trainer, press the Shift key and click the planet at the center of your view to put the ship in orbit around that planet.
Optional Performance Installation
You may increase the performance of Space Academy GX-1 by choosing the custom install option and clicking on Performance Install. This will install some data files in addition to the application to your hard drive. You will need 26MB of free hard disk space. Note that you will still need to have the Space Academy GX-1 CD in the CD-ROM drive in order to play Space Academy GX-1.
To install the enhanced version of Space Academy GX-1, just rerun the installer located on the Space Academy GX-1 CD and chose the custom install option. If you have already installed Space Academy GX-1, all of the user settings will be retained.
Memory
Space Academy GX-1 requires a minimum of 10MB available RAM. (Available RAM is RAM not used by other applications, extensions, or control panels.)
To check the amount of available RAM, quit all open applications and select ╥About This Macintosh╙ or ╥About This Computer╙ from the Apple menu. Note the number next to ╥Largest Unused Block.╙ This number must be greater than or equal to the minimum amount of available RAM recommended.
You can make additional memory available by disabling non-essential Extensions and Control Panels (stored in the Extensions folder and Control Panel folder within your System Folder). To disable a specific extension, use the ╥Extensions Manager╙ Control Panel. (See the ╥Extensions Manager╙ Section, below, for details.)
Do not disable any of the following extensions which are required by Space Academy GX-1:
Ñ Sound Manager (if present)
Ñ CD drivers
If you are experiencing difficulties launching Space Academy GX-1, use the Memory Control Panel to choose the following settings:
Ñ RAM disk: Off
Ñ 32-bit addressing or Modern Memory Manager (if displayed): On
Ñ Cache Size: 96K or lower
Ñ Virtual Memory: On (if desired). Virtual Memory allows you to use unused hard drive space as RAM. If you are using System 7.5.5 or higher, choosing a Virtual Memory setting that is 1 or 2 MB larger than your physical RAM improves overall application performance. However, using Virtual Memory with an earlier system version may affect video and sound quality. You can find your system version number in the ╥About This Macintosh╙ or ╥About This Computer╙ window (accessed from the Apple Menu).
Extensions Manager (System 7.5.3 or higher)
NOTE: The procedures below may be necessary for Space Academy GX-1 to operate properly on some Macintosh computers with 16 MB of RAM and System 7.5.3. You may also find them helpful for ANY computer using System 7.5.3 or higher.
Many Extensions and Control Panels are not needed for normal use, and turning them off can free a significant amount of memory in your system. The Extensions Manager provides a way to create special sets of extensions. You can create a minimal set of extensions to use with Space Academy GX-1 or other memory-intensive applications, while keeping your current extensions set to use when needed.
You can always return to using the full set of extensions if you experience problems with the minimal set, or whenever you want to take advantage of all of the extensions╒ functions.
Ñ Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel and select ╥Full╙ from the Selected Set menu.
Ñ Restart your Macintosh in order for the full set of extensions to take effect.
NOTE: If you depress the Spacebar when first starting your Macintosh, the Extensions Manager will pop up before any extensions are loaded. Choose the appropriate Extensions set from the Selected Set menu and then click the ╥Continue╙ button or close the Extensions Manager.
System 7.5+
To create a set of extensions for use with Space Academy GX-1, follow these steps:
Save your current set of extensions.
1. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel (found in the Control Panels menu under the Apple Menu).
2. Choose ╥Save Set╔╙ from the Sets menu.
3. Type "Full" as the name of your full set of extensions, and click ╥OK.╙
4. Your full set of extensions is now saved. You can use this set at any time by choosing ╥Full╙ from the Sets menu.
Create a new, minimal set of extensions.
5. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel.
6. Choose ╥All Off╙ from the Sets menu.
7. Enable (turn on) the following Extensions and Control Panels by clicking them. (NOTE: Your system may not contain all of these extensions.)
Extensions
CD driver (Apple or third party)
Sound Manager
Control Panels
General Controls
Memory
System Folder
KidDesk INIT (only if you are using KidDesk)
8. Turn on any extensions required for your printer (for example, StyleWriter II).
9. Choose ╥Save Set ╔╙ from the Sets menu.
10. Type ╥Minimal╙ as the name of your minimal set of extensions, and click ╥OK.╙
11. Your minimal set of extensions is now saved. You can use this set at any time by choosing ╥Minimal╙ from the Sets menu.
Use the minimal set of extensions whenever you run Space Academy GX-1 (or other memory-intensive applications).
12. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel and select ╥Minimal╙ from the Sets menu.
13. Restart your Macintosh in order for the new set of extensions to take effect.
14. Launch Space Academy GX-1.
Add extensions to the minimal set of extensions as necessary
(for example, if your computer is missing some desired features when using the minimal set of extensions).
15. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel and select ╥Minimal╙ from the Sets menu.
16. Enable (turn on) extensions whose names describe the features you are missing.
17. Choose ╥Save Set╔╙ from the Sets menu.
18. Type ╥Minimal╙ as the name of your revised minimal set of extensions, click ╥OK,╙ then click ╥Replace.╙
19. Restart your Macintosh in order for the new set of extensions to take effect.
20. Repeat these steps as necessary until the desired features reappear.
Using the full set of extensions
(if you experience problems with the minimal set, or whenever you want to take advantage of all of the extensions╒ functions).
1. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel and select ╥Full╙ from the Sets menu.
2. Restart your Macintosh in order for the full set of extensions to take effect.
System 7.6+
To create a set of extensions for use with Space Academy GX-1, follow these steps:
Save your current set of extensions.
1. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel (found in the Control Panels menu under the Apple Menu).
2. Click the ╥Duplicate Set╙ button.
3. Type ╥Minimum╙ as the name of the set of extensions you will be editing, and click ╥OK.╙
Create a new, minimal set of extensions.
4. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel.
5. Disable all Extensions and Control Panels by deselecting the checked boxes in the ╥On/Off╙ section of the menu bar.
6. Enable (turn on) the following Extensions and Control Panels by clicking them. (NOTE: Your system may not contain all of these extensions.)
Extensions
CD driver [Apple or third party]
Sound Manager
Control Panels
General Controls
Memory
System Folder
KidDesk INIT (only if you are using KidDesk)
7. Your minimal set of extensions will be automatically saved. To begin using your new extensions set, click the ╥Restart╙ button. You can use this set at any time by choosing ╥Minimal╙ from the Selected Set menu.
Use the minimal set of extensions whenever you run Space Academy GX-1
(or other memory-intensive applications).
8. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel and select ╥Minimal╙" from the Selected Set menu.
9. Restart your Macintosh in order for the new set of extensions to take effect.
10. Launch Space Academy GX-1.
Add extensions to the minimal set of extensions as necessary
(for example, if your computer is missing some desired features when using the minimal set of extensions).
11. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel and select ╥Minimal╙ from the Selected Set menu.
12. Enable (turn on) extensions whose names describe the features you are missing.
13. Restart your Macintosh in order for the new set of extensions to take effect.
14. Repeat as necessary until the desired features reappear.
Using the full set of extensions
(if you experience problems with the minimal set, or whenever you want to take advantage of all of the extensions╒ functions).
1. Open the Extensions Manager Control Panel and select ╥Full╙ from the Sets menu.
2. Restart your Macintosh in order for the full set of extensions to take effect.
Sound
To change the sound volume in Space Academy GX-1, open Adult Options. You can access the Adult Options at anytime by pressing the <Cmd>+<Opt>+A buttons on the keyboard. This will allow you to change the volume in Space Academy GX-1 without affecting the volume in other applications.
NOTE: Some music played in the program is being streamed directly from the CD. If you are not hearing music while in the main menu of the program, do the following:
Ñ Under the Apple Menu, open your Control Panel folder and choose the Apple CD Audio Player.
Ñ Adjust the sound level up [or down] as desired.
NOTE: If the CD begins playing sound whenever placed into the CD tray, do the following:
Ñ Under the Apple Menu, open your Control Panel folder and choose QuickTime Settings.
Ñ Disable the Audio CD AutoPlay.
If there is no sound or if it cuts out after playing for awhile, the system has run out of memory. To not have this happen, please free up more memory before you play Space Academy GX-1 again. For more information about freeing up memory please see the memory section above.
Video
We highly recommend that your monitor be set to thousands of colors. When launching Space Academy GX-1, the application will automatically switch your settings, or you may use the Monitors Control Panel to change this setting.
QuickTime¬ & Sound Manager
Older versions of the Sound Manager will not enable you to interrupt animations with a mouse click. If you are experiencing any difficulty with this, you can locate and download a newer version of QuickTime¬/Sound Manager from the Apple¬ website: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/sw/index.html .
Troubleshooting
If your desktop icons are disarranged after exiting Space Academy GX-1, do the following before you relaunch the program:
Ñ Under the Apple Menu, open your Control Panel folder and choose the Monitors/Monitors & Sound control panel.
Ñ In the Monitor Display section, set your screen resolution to 640 x 480.
If there is no sound or if it cuts out after playing for awhile, the system has run out of memory. To not have this happen, please free up more memory before you play Space Academy GX-1 again. For more information about freeing up memory please see the memory section above.
Edmark Technical Support
If you have consulted this document and the Space Academy GX-1 user╒s guide and are still experiencing difficulties, please contact Edmark╒s Macintosh Technical Support department. Please be at the computer when you call, and please be able to provide the exact text of any error messages you are receiving. Our technician will also need to know which version of Operating System you are running. NOTE: The technician will begin with the procedures presented above; if you have not tried these, please do so. It will save you some time on the phone!
Telephone:
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific Time
(425) 556-8822
Fax:
(425) 556-8940
24 hours a day
Internet e-mail:
mactech@edmark.com
Or visit our World Wide Web site at http://www.edmark.com/ts/
In addition to these contact options, Edmark provides technical assistance and answers to many common questions through our automated telephone support system. The system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-320-8381. There is rarely any waiting time to access this system, so it often will get you an answer faster than a technician could have. All the trouble-shooting instructions are presented in an easy, step-by-step format.
