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1996-06-27
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The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game
Read Me File
To read this file on-screen, use the Page Down and Page Up keys.
You can also print the file by choosing the Print command from
the File menu in any Windows word processing program.
This READ ME file contains important information on the following
topics:
1. The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game Quick Start:
- Installing The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game.
- Playing The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game.
- Skipping the introduction.
- Quitting the game.
- Tips and Shortcuts.
2. Problems installing The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game:
- Examining your hard drive.
- Temporarily disabling other applications.
- Checking your system hardware.
3. Problems Running The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game:
- System freeze at the game startup screen.
- General Protection Faults.
- Out-Of-Memory error.
- Special software that is not supported.
- Windows 95 taskbar overlapping the program
screen.
- Conflicts with Screen Savers.
- Turning off Microsoft Office Manager.
4. Performance Issues:
- The program runs slowly.
- Adjusting SmartDrive for better performance.
- Tips for Notebook computers.
- Choppy animation frames and sound.
5. CD-ROM Issues:
- Increasing the CD-ROM drive reading performance.
- Errors reading from the CD-ROM drive.
6. Video Display Issues:
- Basic display requirement.
- Problems when running in 8 bit, 16 bit, 24 bit
or 32 bit color mode.
- The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game looks best in
640x480 resolution.
- Problems with Video for Windows.
7. Audio Issues:
- Conflicts with other applications.
- Audio driver problems.
- IBM Aptiva Mwave sound card.
- Sound Blaster 16 sound card.
- Sounds play, but not very well.
- Sound does not play at all.
8. Manufacturer's Contact Information for Video Display Cards.
9. Manufacturer's Contact Information for Audio Cards.
10. Notices.
- Technical Support Services
- Images in The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game
- Questions in The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game
11. Credits:
- The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game credits.
- Byron Preiss Multimedia Company masthead.
****************************************************************
1. The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game Quick Start:
****************************************************************
- Installing The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game.
With Windows 3.1:
(i) Choose the Run command from the File menu.
(ii) Type the following in the Run dialog box:
D:\setup.exe
(Where 'D' is your CD-ROM drive letter. If your CD-ROM
drive letter is not 'D' then replace 'D' with the
correct letter.)
With Windows 95:
(i) Choose Run from the Start menu.
(ii) Type the following in the Run dialog box and click OK:
D:\setup.exe
(Where 'D' is your CD-ROM drive letter. If your CD-ROM
drive letter is not 'D' then replace 'D' with the
correct letter.)
Restart Windows if a dialog asks you to do so.
- Playing The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game.
With Windows 3.1:
(i) Open The BPMC program Group.
(ii) Double-click The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game Program
Item icon.
With Windows 95:
(i) choose Programs from the Start menu.
(ii) Select The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game item in BPMC
program group.
- Skipping the Introduction.
To skip the introduction, click the mouse button
while it is playing. To view the introduction again, quit and
restart The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game from Windows.
- Quitting the game.
There are two ways to quit from The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game.
Method One:
Hold down the ALT key and press the F4 key.
Method Two:
Go to the Options Menu (click the Options icon) and click Quit.
- Tips and Shortcuts.
You can select question categories using the 1-5 keys on your
keyboard.
****************************************************************
2. Problems installing The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game:
****************************************************************
If you encounter any error during installation, please try the
following:
- Examining your hard drive.
Windows 3.x users:
i) First exit Windows.
ii) Run CHKDSK.EXE or SCANDISK.EXE in DOS to examine your hard
drive.
Windows 95 users:
i) From System Tools group, Click the Scandisk icon to start.
ii) Follow instructions to examine your hard drive.
- If there is a problem in your hard drive, please consult the
DOS manual or other hard disk management manual before you
attempt to fix the problem. You may need to backup your data
and other system files.
- Temporarily disabling other applications.
If you have any DOS TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident)
application (e.g. virus shield) or Windows screen saver running
in the background, please temporarily disable it. You can
enable it again after the installation.
If you have other Windows applications running in the
background, please close the ones you are not using.
- Checking your system hardware.
Please check your system hardware and make sure your machine
is functioning properly. Any IRQ or DMA device conflict may
create system instability, which will prevent software from
functioning normally.
****************************************************************
3. Problems Running The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game:
****************************************************************
- System freeze at the game startup screen.
If you encounter system freeze at the game startup screen, this
means there could be a corrupted component in VFW or the version
of the existing VFW is not compatible with the game. Please
read "Problems with Video for Windows" in section 6.
- General Protection Faults.
General Protection Faults may occur when there is not enough
memory available to the application, or if the system is
experiencing a conflict with particular software or hardware.
A frequent cause of General Protection Faults is the use of
outdated video drivers or audio drivers. Check to make sure
you are using the latest video drivers and audio drivers
available from your computer, video card or audio card
manufacturer.
When running the program, if a General Protection Fault occurs,
quit and restart Windows. In many cases, the problem will not
occur again.
- Out-Of-Memory Errors.
If you encounter out-of-memory errors, there is probably not
enough memory available to the program. Consider doing the
following to improve the memory usage.
i) Close all unnecessary applications.
ii) If you are using Windows for Workgroups, try to run windows
without loading the network drivers by typing "win /n" at
the DOS prompt.
iii) Determine how much memory your computer has available by
typing "mem" and pressing ENTER at the DOS prompt. You
need a minimum of 8MB of total memory to use the program.
If you do not have at least 8MB of physical memory, you
may not be able to run the program until you add more
physical memory.
iv) Check the virtual memory setting. Try to use the Windows
recommended virtual memory size; it may help to solve the
out-of-memory problem. Please consult the Windows User's
Guide for more information.
v) If you are using Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11,
you can try optimizing the memory usage by using Memmaker in
DOS.
- Special software that is not supported.
The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game does not support special software
that assigns custom functions to simulate the left, right or
center mouse button. These functions should not be used while
running the program.
- Windows 95 taskbar overlapping the program screen.
If you find that the Windows 95 taskbar is overlapping the
program screen, you can hide the taskbar by doing the following:
i) Click the Start button.
ii) Choose Settings.
iii) Click Taskbar icon.
iv) Check the Auto Hide box.
v) Click the OK button.
To see the taskbar again, move the mouse cursor to the edge
of your screen where your taskbar is located.
- Conflicts with Screen Savers.
It is recommended that you temporarily disable screen savers
of any kind while running The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game. Some
screen savers may have conflicts with the program and cause
General Protection Faults.
- Turning off Microsoft Office Manager.
If you have Microsoft Office installed (either the standard or
the professional version), you should disable the Microsoft
Office Manager (MOM) toolbar while running The Sci-Fi Channel
Trivia Game. The presence of the toolbar in The Sci-Fi Channel
Trivia Game can cuse colors to be distorted. Check your
Microsoft Office documentation for information on how to
temporarily disable the Microsoft Office Manager toolbar.
****************************************************************
4. Performance Issues:
****************************************************************
- The program runs slowly.
If you find The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game runs slowly, your
system may not be optimized for the best performance. Consider
doing the following to improve the system performance.
i) Run Windows 3.1 in Enhanced mode. To see if you are running
Windows in Enhanced mode, from the Program Manager Help menu
choose the About Program Manager (or from the File Manager
Help menu choose About File Manager). In the bottom section
of the dialog box, you should see the phrase "386 Enhanced
Mode." If you do not see this phrase, you can force Windows
to run in Enhanced mode by typing WIN/3 or WIN/E at the DOS
prompt when launching Windows.
Windows for Workgroups always runs in Enhanced mode and no
message is displayed in the About dialog box.
ii) If you are running Windows in Enhanced mode, set up a
permanent Windows swap file for virtual memory on your hard
disk. See your Windows User's Guide for more information.
iii) Defragment ("clean up") your hard disk by running a
defragmentation program (MS-DOS 6.2 and above includes the
program "defrag").
- Adjusting SmartDrive for better performance.
If your machine has only 8MB of RAM running Windows 3.11 or
Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and having the 32-bit file access
mode turned on in Windows, please set the cache size for Windows
to minimum for optimial performance. For example:
c:\windows\smartdrv.exe 2048 128
where "128" is the only cache size Windows will use in Windows
environment. Please read your DOS and Windows User's Guide for
details.
- Tips for Notebook computers.
Some notebook computers may be still using a display driver,
audio driver and CD-ROM driver that came with the system.
Those drivers are probably the earliest releases, and may
not be optimized for the best data transfer and hardware
utilization. Please check with the manufacturer for up-to-date
device drivers.
If you have Windows 95 running on your notebook computer, try
to use the native Windows 95 32-bit device drivers for your
sound card and CD-ROM drive. This may increase performance
on your machine and make The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game run
smoother.
- Choppy animation frames and sound.
The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game program reads most of its
animation and sound data from the CD-ROM. If choppy animation
or sound still occurs after you have optimized your system,
including updating the CD-ROM driver and sound card driver (read
the following sections for details), this is due to the nature
of your CD-ROM hardware and CD-ROM interface card (including
sound card that comes with a CD-ROM interface). Some earlier
CD-ROM drives and CD-ROM interface cards may be a bottleneck
preventing optimal data transfer, which is something not able to
be fixed by software.
****************************************************************
5. CD-ROM Issues:
****************************************************************
- Increasing the CD-ROM drive reading performance.
Set up enough buffer for MSCDEX by putting /M:25 at the end of
MSCDEX.EXE line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Some CD-ROM drives came with earlier releases of their DOS
drivers. Old drivers may not be optimized for the best data
transfer rate between the CD-ROM drive and the CD-ROM host.
Contact your CD-ROM manufacturer for the latest drivers.
If you are using Windows 95, make sure the CD-ROM Optimized
Access Pattern in File System Properties is set up properly for
the type of CD-ROM drive you have.
e.g. if you have a Quad-speed CD-ROM drive, you should have the
CD-ROM Optimized Access Pattern set up for Quad-speed or
higher.
If you are using Windows 95, try to use the native Windows 95
CD-ROM driver for your CD-ROM drive. Using the CD-ROM DOS driver
in Windows 95 may result in slower performance. The CD-ROM
DOS driver may also impede full 32-bit file system access.
The file system performance may vary if it is not in full 32-bit
pattern.
Make sure that your CD-ROM drive is MPC2-compatible. An MPC2-
compatible drive has an average seek time of less than one
second and can transfer data from the compact disc at 300k per
second while using less than 40% of the CPU bandwidth. Check
the documentation that came with your CD-ROM drive to make sure
it meets these requirements. An incompatible CD-ROM drive will
slow down the performance of the program.
- Errors reading from the CD-ROM drive.
If your system has errors reading from the CD-ROM drive, please
do the following checks:
i) make sure the disc surface is clean.
ii) Look to find out if there are any visible scratches on the
surface of the disc.
iii) check the documentation that came with your CD-ROM drive
or contact the company that supplied the drive in order
to find out if your CD-ROM drive is functioning properly.
Do not remove the CD-ROM while the program is running.
If the program cannot find the data files that it needs from
the CD disc, you will see a message that tells you that your
computer cannot read from the drive letter of your CD-ROM.
If you have an external CD-ROM drive, make sure the drive is
connected to your computer, plugged in, and turned on. If you
still see the error message after checking the points above,
check the documentation that came with your CD-ROM drive or
contact the company that supplied the drive.
****************************************************************
6. Video Display Issues:
****************************************************************
- Basic display requirement.
The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game requires a video card that
supports at least 640 x 480 resolution with 256 colors
- Problems when running in 8 bit, 16 bit, 24 bit or 32 bit color
mode.
If there is a problem with animation playback and graphics--such
as skipping frames and palette flashes, consider the following
solutions:
i) Set the screen resolution back to 640 x 480 with 8 bit color
mode (256 colors), if the display is already running in 8 bit
color mode, try setting it to 16 bit or other higher color
mode. Please consult your video card user's manual on how to
change your display resolutions.
ii) Update the video card drivers. Make sure you are using the
most recent video drivers available for Windows from your
video card manufacturer; earlier releases of video drivers
may not be optimized for best display performance. Please
consult your video card user's manual on how to obtain the
latest driver. Most of the video card manufacturers provide
BBS, WWW and FTP sites for downloading updated drivers.
- The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game looks best in 640x480 resolution.
If The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game is too small on your screen,
you are probably running in a resolution higher than 640x480.
To make The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game as large as possible on
your screen, change the screen resolution to 640 x 480.
- Problems with Video for Windows (VFW).
During the installation, the installer will check your system
for required drivers. The installer will not launch VFW setup
if there is already a version of VFW existing in Windows.
If you encounter system freeze at the game startup screen, this
means there could be a corrupted component in VFW or the version
of the existing VFW is not compatible with the game. In such
case, please try the following:
Windows 3.1/Windows for Workgroups 3.11:
The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game requires a complete version of
Video for Windows v1.1e to be installed before starting the
game, please reinstall VFW v1.1e from the CD as following:
(i) Choose the Run command from the File menu.
(ii) Type the following in the Run dialog box:
D:\vfw11e\setup.exe
(Where 'D' is your CD-ROM drive letter. If your CD-ROM
drive letter is not 'D' then replace 'D' with the
correct letter.)
(iii) Follow instructions on the screen and finish the
installation.
Windows 95:
During the installation, if the installer reports:
"Missing The Intel Indeo Video Format"
please reinstall video and audio compression drivers from
Windows 95 CD before playing the game.
****************************************************************
7. Audio Issues:
****************************************************************
- Conflicts with other applications.
Audio problems can have many causes. Other applications that
play sounds may interrupt sounds in The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia
Game.
Most sound cards cannot play two sounds simultaneously. In some
cases, playing two sounds simultaneously can result in a system
crash or freeze; in such cases, what you need to do is to
restart your system. However, a few applications that play
sounds, such as some screen savers, may remove audio capability
from all other Windows applications; if this is the case, you
may see The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game start up without any
sound. If you suspect you have such situation, quit the game and
turn off these applications before launching The Sci-Fi Channel
Trivia Game.
- Audio driver problems.
If you experience problems with audio, you may need to update
your sound card driver. It is always a good idea to use the
most recent driver. Contact the manufacturer of your sound
card to find out how to obtain a new driver.
- IBM Aptiva Mwave sound card.
If you own an IBM Aptiva Mwave sound card and are experiencing
'looping' or 'repeating' audio playback, please contact IBM to
update the sound card driver.
- Sound Blaster 16 sound card.
If you own a Sound Blaster 16 sound card and experiencing
distorted audio in Windows 3.1/Windows for Workgroups 3.11,
please contact Creative Lab to update the sound card driver.
- Sounds play, but not very well.
Sounds that are distorted or "fuzzy" have several possible
causes. The most likely one is simply that your speakers are
not of high quality.
It is also possible that the software settings on your sound
card are causing distortion. For example, if the sound card
volume or "WAVE file output" is set to near its maximum, it will
produce amplification distortion, just as it would on a stereo
system. To find out how to change your sound card settings,
check the documentation that came with your sound card.
- Sound does not play at all.
If you do not hear any sounds, make sure that the volume for
your speakers is set to an audible level.
If the volume is set to an audible level, you can perform a
simple test by using the Windows Media Player to play a .WAV
file. If you still hear no sounds at all, something may be wrong
with your sound card setup. Check your sound card IRQ and DMA
settings, make sure those settings are not in conflict with
other hardware devices. Also, check to see that the driver is
installed correctly and, if necessary, reinstall it. Refer to
the documentation that came with your sound card for more
information on installing audio drivers.
Please note that The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game requires an
MPC2-compatible sound card to be installed and is not intended
to run with drivers which use the PC internal speaker, such as
the unsupported "PC Speaker" driver. Such a drivers will in most
cases not play any sounds. If you have both a sound card and the
PC Speaker driver installed, it is preferable to un-install the
PC Speaker driver.
*****************************************************************
8. Manufacturer's Contact Information for Video Display Cards:
*****************************************************************
ATI Technologies
Tech Support: 905-882-2626
BBS: 905-764-9404
Internet: www.atitech.ca
Boca
Tech Support: 407-241-8088
BBS: 407-241-1601
Cardinal
Tech Support: 717-293-3124
BBS: 717-293-3074
Celerite Graphics, Inc.
Tech Support: 510-226-6390
BBS: 510-226-7851
Cirrus Logic
Tech Support: 408-435-8808
BBS: 510-440-9080
Internet: www.cirrus.com
Diamond Multimedia
Tech Support: 408-325-7100
BBS: 408-325-7175
Internet: www.diamondmm.com
Genoa
Tech Support: 408-432-8324
BBS: 408-943-1231
Hercules Technology
Tech Support: 510-623-6050
BBS: 510-623-7034
510-623-7449
Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd.
Tech Support: 800-462-8769
BBS: 514-685-6008
Microsoft generic SVGA 640 x 480 256 color driver
BBS: 206-936-6735
Internet: www.microsoft.com
Number Nine Computer Corp.
Tech Support: 617-674-0009
BBS: 617-862-7502
Oak Technology
Tech Support: 408-737-0888
BBS: 408-524-9014
Orchid
Tech Support: 510-683-0323
BBS: 510-683-0327
Paradise
Tech Support: 800-832-4778
BBS: 415-968-1834
Sigma Designs
Tech Support: 510-770-0100
BBS: 510-770-0111
STB
Tech Support: 214-234-8750
BBS: 214-437-9615
Internet: www.stb.com
Swan Technologies, Inc.
Tech Support: 800-468-7926
BBS: 814-237-6143
Trident
BBS: 415-691-1016
*****************************************************************
9. Manufacturer's Contact Information for Audio Cards:
*****************************************************************
Creative Labs (Sound Blaster)
Technical Support
1523 Cimarron Plaza, Stillwater, OK 74075. USA.
Voice: (405) 742-6622.
FAX: (405) 742-6633.
BBS: (405) 742-6660.
Internet: www.creaf.com
Turtle Beach
Customer Support
Voice: (717) 764-5265.
FAX: (717) 767-6033. (Attn.: Customer Support)
BBS: (717) 767-0238. (9600 Baud+, 8N1).
BBS: (717) 767-5934. (2400 Baud, 8N1).
CompuServe: 71333,2432
ESS
No Consumer Support Line
ESS does not manufacture cards, only distributes OEM chips.
Users with an audio card using an ESS chip should contact the
manufacturer of their card.
Roland Corporation US
7200 Dominion Circle
Los Angeles, CA 90040-3696
USA.
(213) 685-5141.
Adlib Gold
Tech Support: (418) 529-6252
IBM Customer Support
US Customer Support: (800) 772-2227
Canada Customer Support: (800) 465-6666
Internet: www.ibm.com
The Microsoft Corporation (Windows Sound System)
Microsoft FastTips, (800) 936-4200
CompuServe, go Microsoft, or go mask (Microsoft Knowledge Base).
Microsoft Download Service: (206) 936-6735 8N1
(905) 507-3022 (Canada)
Internet: www.microsoft.com
FTP: ftp.microsoft.com
Technical Voice Support: (206) 635-7040
(905) 568-3503 (Canada)
Disney Sound Source
Disney Software
Attn.: Customer Service
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-6385.
Voice: (818) 841-3326
BBS: (818) 567-4027 8N1
Media Vision (Pro Audio Studio 16, Win Sound System, Jazz)
Customer Support:
Voice: (800) 638-2807
(510) 770-9905
BBS: (510) 770-0968 (2400 Baud, 8N1)
(510) 770-0527 (9600+ Baud, 8N1)
Internet: www.mediavis.com
Logitech (SoundMan Wave)
Product Support:
Voice: (510) 795-8100
BBS: (510) 795-0408
FaxBack: (800) 245-0000.
Packard Bell (Sound 144)
Customer Service:
Voice: Hardware (800) 733-4411
Software (801) 579-0161
(800) 263-0099 (Canada)
Fax: (801) 579-0092
(905) 564-1142 (Canada)
Auto Phone: (800) 733-4411
BBS: (801) 250-1600 8N1
(905) 542-7359 8N1 (Canada)
Mediatrix Peripherals, Inc. (AudioTrix Pro)
Voice: (819) 829-TRIX
(800) 820-TRIX
Fax: (819) 829-5100
BBS: (819) 829-5101
****************************************************************
10. Notices:
****************************************************************
- Technical Support Services
For help using this disc, click the "Options" icon and then
select "Help." If you still need assistance, please call our
technical support line at (212) 886-2340, Monday through Friday,
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.
- Images in The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game
The images contained is this product are copyrighted and owned
by their respective proprietors. All rights reserved. No part of
this product may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means electronic or otherwise.
Please see the document "credits.txt" for additional information
concerning the copyrights, trademarks, and registered trademarks
of the properties represented in The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game.
- Questions in The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game
All brands used in this product are trademarks and registered
trademarks of their respective proprietors. While every effort
was made to verify the accuracy of the questions contained in
this product, there are nearly 5,000 questions, and nobody's
perfect! If you think you know better then we do, send your
comments to us in care of The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game.
****************************************************************
11. Credits:
****************************************************************
- The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game credits.
Chris Colborn Producer
Artrix Interactive Studios Programming
Manhattan Center Studios Morphix Animations
Rebecca Wilkins Editor
Steve Winfield Morphix Voice
Gina Caroddo Manager of Quality Assurance
Alan Wong Technical Testing Manager
- Byron Preiss Multimedia Company, Inc.
Byron Preiss President
James R. Dellomo Chief Financial Officer
John Mayo-Smith Technical Director
Bill Wentworth Creative Director
Jackie Snyder Marketing Director
Tim Nolan Director, Arts and Commerce
Chris Colborn Manager of Online Services
David Lane Contracts & Licensing Director
- USA Networks/The Sci-Fi Channel
Special Thanks: Andrew Besch, Ellen Kaye, Jason Korfine
and the Dominion staff.
About Byron Preiss Multimedia Company
Founded in 1992, Byron Preiss Multimedia Company develops and
publishes a wide range of interactive multimedia software under
several imprints. The Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Game appears under the
Arts and Commerce Imprint.
Other Byron Preiss Multimedia titles appearing under the Arts and
Commerce Imprint are The Seinfeld« CD-ROM, The Melrose Place«
CD-ROM, The Multimedia Cartoon Studio, and The R. Crumb
Screensaver & Companion.
The Sci-Fi Channel features classic science-fiction, science fact,
fantasy, and horror series and movies, and is available in more
than 29 million homes.
Please address any questions regarding this product to:
Byron Preiss Multimedia Company, Inc.
175 Fifth Avenue
Suite 2122
New York, New York 10010
welcome@bpmc.com
http://www.byronpreiss.com.
⌐1996 Byron Preiss Multimedia Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
Arts and Commerce is a trademark of Byron Preiss Multimedia
Company, Inc. The Sci-Fi Channel and the Sci-Fi Channel logo are
registered trademarks of USA Networks. Windows and Microsoft are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel is a
registered trademark and Indeo and the Indeo logo are trademarks
of the Intel Corporation.