The Story of Creation/The Story of Creation.iso/pc/la_help.txt

Text File | 1996-11-19 | 26.2 KB | 564 lines

Troubleshooting Guide

Please read this document if you are having any problems with this
product. Little Ark Interactive products are tested thoroughly before
they are released. Most of the technical problems we anticipate users
having will be rooted in outdated device drivers for video boards,
sound boards, or CD-ROM drives. Please make every effort to install
the newest device drivers before calling Little Ark Interactive
Technical Support.

Outlined below are some procedures and resources available to help
resolve any problems you might experience. When working in Windows,
it will be helpful if you have a working knowledge of procedures for
changing display and sound drivers.

Windows 95 Troubleshooting Guide

Accelerators, File Compressors, and Other Peripherals
This product is designed to be used on standard Windows 95 configured
PCs. This means that during development and testing, we were unable to
prepare our software for every operating environment our products might
encounter. Accelerators, file compression applications, networked
computers, or any other hardware or non-standard software devices might
affect the performance of the program. If you encounter any
difficulties using this product, disable any such devices to be sure
that they are not affecting performance.

General Troubleshooting - Exit Other Programs
The first step in troubleshooting any problem, especially General
Protection Fault error messages or hanging of the operating system,
is to Exit from any other programs that may currently be running. This
can be accomplished by using the Windows 95 Close Program procedure,
modifying the Startup Folder configuration, and editing the WIN.INI
file for programs running in the background.

Close Program
1. Begin at the Windows 95 Desktop.  Press and hold down the CTRL, ALT,
and Delete keys on the keyboard all at the same time.  When the Close
Program window appears, release all 3 keys.  DO NOT PRESS THESE KEYS
AGAIN AT THIS TIME.
2. Make sure that Explorer and Systray (Systray will only be present on
some systems) are the only items listed here before starting the
program. If there are other items listed here, use the up and down
arrow keys to highlight the name of the program, then click on the End
Task button. The Close Program window will then disappear.
3. If necessary, open the Close Program dialog again and continue to
Exit programs until only the Explorer and Systray are listed.

*Note: Some programs will not quit in this way. Check the instructions
that came with the program for assistance if using the Close Program
procedure is not working for you.

Remove Programs from Startup Folder
The Startup folder allows certain programs to load automatically when
you start Windows 95. These applications usually run in the background
and might be conflicting with the Little Ark Interactive product.
You can stop these programs from loading by doing the following:

1. Select the Windows 95 Start button.  Point to Settings and click
Taskbar. A Taskbar Properties dialog appears.
2. Click the Start Menu Programs tab.
3. Click Advanced button in Customize Start Menu Group.
4. Double-click on the Programs folder.  Select File, New, Folder.
Name the folder Startbk and hit Enter.
5. Open the Startup folder. Click and hold the right mouse button down
on an item in the Startup folder, and drag it to the Startbk folder.
When the Startbk folder highlights, release the mouse button.  When
prompted, choose Move Here.  Repeat until there are no more entries in
the Startup folder.
6. Restart Windows 95 for these changes to take effect. Click Start
button, then select Shut Down In the Shut Down Windows dialog, choose
Restart the computer?  Click the Yes button.

*To reverse this process, do the following:

1. Select the Windows 95 Start button. Select Settings and select
Taskbar. A Taskbar Properties dialog appears.
2. Select the Start Menu Programs tab.
3. Select Advanced button in Customize Start Menu Group.
4. Double-click Programs folder. Double-click the Startbk folder.
Click and hold the right mouse button down on an item in the Startbk
folder, and drag it to the Startup folder. When the Startup folder
highlights, release the mouse button. When prompted, choose Move Here.
Repeat until there are no more entries in the Startbk folder.
5. Restart Windows 95 for these changes to take effect. Click Start
button, then select Shut down. In the Shut Down Windows dialog, choose
Restart the Computer? Click the Yes button.

WIN.INI File
The WIN.INI file allows certain programs to load automatically when you
start Windows 95.  These applications usually run in the background and
could be using memory needed by the Little Ark Interactive program or
conflicting with it.  You can stop these programs from loading by doing
the following:

1. Begin at the Windows 95 Start button.  Click the Start button and
click on Run.
2. In the Open box type WIN.INI and click on OK.
3. The WIN.INI file will come up on screen in Notepad.  Look for the
lines that start with LOAD= and RUN=.  Place a semicolon (;) in front
of each of these lines so that they now start with ;LOAD= and ;RUN=.
4. Select Exit from the File menu, then click on the Yes button to save
the changes made to this file.
5. Restart Windows 95 for these changes to take effect.  Click the
Windows 95 Start button, then select Shut Down.  In the Shut Down
Windows dialog, choose Restart the Computer? Click the Yes button.

*Note: To restore your WIN.INI file to its original state, follow the
instructions again and remove the semicolon (;) from the beginning of
the LOAD= and RUN= lines.

Disable Screen Savers
Before using the product, you may want to disable any screen savers
that are enabled. To disable the screen saver that is built into the
Windows 95 Desktop Control Panel:

1. Begin at the Windows 95  Start button. Click on this Start button,
point  to Settings, and  select Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Display icon. A Display Properties dialog box will
appear.
3. Select the Screen Saver tab.
4. Locate the Name box in the Screen Saver area. Click on the down
arrow to theright of the Name box and select (None).
5. Click OK.

*Note: To disable screen savers from other software developers,
please refer to the manual that came with the screen saver.

Check Memory
Please refer to the manual that was included with your program for the
amount of physical and available memory your program requires.

To check the amount of free memory currently available to Windows 95,
begin at the Windows 95 Start button.  Click the Start button, point
to Programs and click Windows Explorer.  Select About Windows 95 from
the Help menu.  Check the amount next to Physical Memory Available to
Windows.

Check Sound Drivers
If you are unable to hear music or sound effects, check to see if you
have Windows 95 sound drivers installed and that the sound files are
playing properly.

Checking Wave Sounds
1. Begin at the Windows 95 Start button. Click the Start button,
point to Settings and click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Sounds icon to open the Sound Properties dialog.

*If the items listed in the Events list box are in black, click an
event (for example, Default Sound), and click on the Play button.  If
you do not hear event sounds, then check to make sure your cables are
fastened securely, and that the volume controls on your sound device
and speakers are set high enough to be audible.  For further
assistance, check the manuals that came with your sound device.
*If the items listed in the Events or Files dialog boxes are grayed
out, then Windows 95 drivers for your sound device have not been
installed properly.  Please refer to the manual that came with your
sound devicefor instructions on how to install Windows 95 sound
drivers.

Check Video Driver
If you are experiencing video display problems, it is highly
recommended that you update your Windows 95 video driver to the most
current version available. Please refer to the section below titled
Updating Windows 95 Drivers for instructions on how to acquire
Windows 95 drivers.

To change your Windows 95 video drivers you may
need any or all of the following: your Microsoft Windows 95 User's
Guide, Microsoft Windows 95 CD-ROM, and the manual and/or disk(s)
included with your computer or video board.  The normal method for
installing Windows 95 video drivers is described in your Windows 95
User's Guide.
1. Begin at the Windows 95 Start button.  Click this Start button,
point to Settings, and select Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Display icon. Click Settings tab.
3. Change resolution and colors appropriately.
4. You can also click the Change Display Type button, then click the
Change button in Adapter Type group and/or Change button in Monitor
Type group.

When selecting a driver, do not guess on which driver to choose. If
you are unsure whether you are selecting the proper driver for your
board, contact the manufacturer of your computer or video board for
assistance.

Some video board manufacturers require that you use their
installation procedure to copy and/or decompress their drivers to a
directory on your hard drive from disks provided with your video board.
If this is the case, follow the instructions for your video board
manufacturer's installer, then follow the steps outlined in the
Windows 95 User's Guide.

Updating Windows 95 Drivers

There are many ways to acquire the most recent device drivers. The
dealer who sold you your hardware should have access to the most
recent drivers. Additionally, most hardware manufacturers have BBS
numbers which enable you to download their drivers and other
information via modem. Most hardware manufacturers have forums on the
on-line services and web sites on the World Wide Web where you can
access their technical support or driver libraries via modem. Listed
on page 9 of this guide are the BBS and technical support numbers for
some hardware manufacturers, so you are able to obtain the most recent
device driver for your peripheral.

Windows 3.1 Troubleshooting Guide

Accelerators, File Compressors, and Other Peripherals
This product is designed to be used on standard MPC configured PCs.
This means that during development and testing, we were unable to
prepare our software for every operating environment our products might
encounter. Accelerators, file compression applications, networked
computers, or any other hardware or software device that is
non-standard might affect the performance of the program. If you
encounter any difficulties using this product, disable any such devices
to be sure that they are not affecting performance.

General Troubleshooting-Exit Other Programs

The first step in trouble shooting any problems, especially General
Protection Fault error messages, is to Exit from any other programs
that may currently be running. This can be accomplished by using the
Windows Task List, modifying the Startup folder configuration, and by
editing the WIN.INI file for programs running in the background.

Task List
1. Begin at the Windows Program Manager. Press and hold down the CTRL
key, then press the ESC key. When the Task List window appears,
release both keys.
2. Make sure that Program Manager is the only item listed here before
starting the program. If there is another item listed here, use the
up and down arrow keys to highlight the name of the program, then click
on the End Task button. The Task List window will then disappear.
3.If necessary, open the Task List again and continue to Exit programs
until only the Program  Manager is listed.

* Note: Some programs will not quit in this way. Check the instructions
that came with the program for assistance if using the Task List
procedure is not working for you.

Remove Programs from Startup Group
The Startup Group allows certain programs to load automatically when
you start Windows.  These applications usually run in the background
and might be conflicting with the Little Ark Interactive product.  You
can stop these programs from loading by doing the following:

1. Begin at the Windows Program Manager.  Locate the Startup Group and
double-click on it to open it.
2. Select one icon in the Startup Group by single-clicking on it to
highlight it.
3. From the File menu select Move.
4. Select a group to move the icon into and then click OK.5. Repeat
until there are no more entries in the Startup Group.
6. Restart Windows for these changes to take effect.  From the File
menu select Exit Windows.  Click OK to return to DOS.  At a DOS prompt
type WIN to return to Windows.

*To reverse this process, do the following:

1. Begin at the Windows Program Manager.  Locate the icon you wish to
return to the Startup Group.
2. Single click on the icon to highlight it.
3. From the File menu select Move.
4. Select the Startup Group and click OK.
5. Restart Windows for these changes to take effect.  From the File
menu select Exit Windows. Click OK to return to DOS.  At a DOS prompt
type WIN to return to Windows.

WIN.INI File

The WIN.INI file allows certain programs to load automatically when you
start Windows.  These applications usually run in the background and
could be using memory needed by the Little Ark Interactive program or
conflicting with it.  You can stop these programs from loading by doing
the following:

1. Begin at the Windows Program Manager.  Select Run from the File
menu.
2. In the Command Line type WIN.INI and click on OK.
3. The WIN.INI file will come up on screen in Notepad.  Look for the
lines that start with LOAD= and RUN=.  Place a semicolon (;) in front
of each of these lines so that they now start with ;LOAD= and ;RUN=.
4. Select Exit from the File menu, then click on the Yes button to save
the changes made to this file.
5. Restart Windows for these changes to take effect.  From the File
menu in Program Manager select Exit Windows.  Click OK to return to
DOS.  At a DOS prompt type WIN to return to Windows.

*Note: To restore your WIN.INI file to its original state, follow the
instructions again and remove the semicolon (;) from the beginning of
the LOAD= and RUN= lines.

Disable Screen Savers

Before using the game you may want to disable any screen savers that
are enabled. To disable the screen saver that is built into the Windows
Desktop Control Panel:

1. Begin at the Windows Program Manager. Double-click on the Control
Panel icon, located in the Main program group.
2. Double-click on the Desktop icon. A Desktop dialog box will appear.
3. Locate the Name box in the Screen Saver area. Click on the down
arrow to the right of the Name box and select (None).
4. Click OK.

*Note: To disable screen savers from other software developers, please
refer to the manual that came with the screen saver.

Check Memory

Please refer to the manual that was included with your program for the
amount of physical and available memory your program requires.

To check the amount of free memory currently available to Windows,
select About Program Manager from the  Help menu in Program Manager.
At the bottom of the information box will be a line titled Memory which
will show the amount of free memory (in KB) available to Windows.
If the total memory available to Windows is less than the required
amount try increasing the size of the Windows Swap File (Virtual
Memory). To increase the size of the Windows Swap File:

1. Begin at the Windows Program Manager. Double-click on the Control
Panel icon, located in the Main program group.
2. Double-click on the 386 Enhanced icon. If you do not see this icon,
make sure that Windows is running in Enhanced mode, and not Standard
mode.
3. Click on the Virtual Memory... button.
4. Click on the Change button. A New Settings dialog box will open.
5. Change the swap file Type to Temporary.
6. Increase the size of your swap file in the New Size box. A good
number to start with would be half the number displayed in the
Recommended (Maximum) Size box.
7. Click OK. A dialog box will appear asking if you would like to
restart Windows. Click Restart Windows.

Check Sound Drivers

If you are unable to hear music or sound effects from the program,
check to see if you have Windows sound drivers installed and that the
sound files are playing properly.

Checking Wave Sounds

1. Begin at the Windows Program Manager.  Double-click on the Control
Panel icon located in the Main program group.
2. Double-click on the Sound icon to open the Sound Control Panel.
If the items listed in the Events or Files dialog boxes are in black,
click on the Test button.  If you do not hear event sounds, then check
to make sure your cables are fastened securely, and that the volume
controls on your sound device and speakers are set high enough to be
audible.  If you are still unable to hear sound, check the manuals
that came with your sound device for further assistance.

If the items listed in the Events or Files dialog boxes are grayed out,
then the Windows drivers for your sound device have not been installed
properly.  Please refer to the manual that came with your sound device
for instructions on how to install Windows sound drivers.

Check Video Drivers

If you are experiencing video display problems, it is highly
recommended that you update your Windows video driver to the most
current version available. Please refer to the section below titled
Updating Windows Drivers for instructions on how to acquire Windows
drivers. In addition, please set your Windows Display Settings to the
color depth and pixel resolution recommended in the product's
documentation.

To change your Windows video drivers you may need any or all of the
following: your Microsoft Windows User's Guide, Microsoft Windows
disks, and the manual and/or disk(s) included with your computer or
video board.

The normal method for installing Windows video drivers is described in
your Windows User's Guide. Look up Setup in the User's Guide index,
and look for the section titled Changing System Settings. Before
changing your video driver, write down the name of the currently
installed display driver in case you want to switch back to this
setting. When selecting a driver, do not guess on which driver to
choose. If you are not sure if you are selecting the proper driver for
your board, contact the manufacturer of your computer or video board
for assistance.

Some video board manufacturers require that you use their installation
procedure to copy and/or decompress their drivers to a directory on
your hard drive from disks provided with your video board. If this is
the case, follow the instructions for your video board manufacturer's
installer, then follow the steps outlined in the Windows User's Guide.

Updating Windows Drivers

There are many ways for you to get the most recent device drivers. The
dealer who sold you your hardware should have access to the most recent
drivers. Additionally, most hardware manufacturers have BBS numbers
which enable you to download their drivers and other information via
modem. Most hardware manufacturers have forums on the on-line services
and web sites on the World Wide Web where you can access their
technical support or driver libraries via modem. Listed below are the
BBS and technical support numbers for some hardware manufacturers who
have offered these numbers so that you will be able to obtain the most
recent device driver for your peripheral and any technical support you
might need.

Video Boards
Matrox             BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
Number 9          BBS#     [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
STB Systems         TS#    [phone]
ATI Technologies, Inc.    BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
            Main#    [phone]
Boca Research, Inc.     BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
            Main#    [phone]
Cirrus Logic         BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
Diamond Computer Systems, Inc.
            BBS#    [phone] 2,400 baud
            BBS#    [phone] 9,600 baud
            TS#    [phone]
Orchid Technology, Inc.    BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
            Main#    [phone]
Technology Works / National Design, Inc.
            BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
            Main#    [phone]
Trident Microsystems, Inc.
            BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
            Main#    [phone]
Tseng Labs        BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
            Main    [phone]
Sound Boards
Creative Labs        BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
            Main#    [phone]
Media Vision        BBS#    [phone]
            BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
            Main#    [phone]
Roland Corp.        Main#    [phone]
Turtle Beach Systems    BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
            Main#    [phone]

CD-ROM Players
Mitsumi            TS#    [phone]
            BBS#    [phone]NEC
            TS#    [phone]
Panasonic        BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    (800) 290-890-3219
Phillips        BBS#    [phone]
            Main#    [phone]
Plextor / Texel        BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]
Sony            BBS#    [phone]
            TS#    [phone]

Macintosh Troubleshooting Guide

Not Enough Memory

If you are receiving error messages indicating that there is not enough
RAM to run this application, you may need to free up some additional
memory.  To check the amount of available memory, go to the Apple menu
and select About This Macintosh, or About this Computer if you are
using a Performa.

You can free up additional memory by quitting other
applications that may be running, or by disabling System Extensions.
Other programs running on your system at the same time might affect its
performance.  We recommend that you exit all other applications before
running this program.  For additional information on disabling System
Extensions, please refer to the section listed below.

You can also adjust the Disk Cache settings in the Control Panels to
free up additional memory. To do this, open the Control Panels in your
Apple menu and double click on Memory. Then adjust the disk cache size
to the lowest setting possible (32k) to gain additional memory.

Disabling Extensions

Extensions can cause conflicts with programs by interfering with their
installation or functionality or causing system lock ups. In order to
determine whether an extension or extensions are causing problems, the
normal troubleshooting step for each system software is to disable all
system extensions. Use the following procedure below:

For system 7.0 and above:  Hold down the Shift key while you restart
the system.  Keep your finger down on the Shift key until a message
appears that says Welcome to Macintosh, Extensions Off.  Then, release
the Shift key and wait for the computer to finish booting up.

Some programs require certain extensions such as Quicktime, Sound
Manager, and a CD-ROM extension in order to run (check your manual for
information on which specific extensions you need to run the program).
Use the following procedure for booting the computer with the required
extensions:

System 7.0  to 7.1 p6:  Open the Macintosh hard disk.  Open the System
Folder.  Go to the File menu and select New Folder to create an empty
folder in the System folder.  Call the untitled folder Extensions
Disabled.  Now open the Extensions folder located inside the System
Folder in your hard disk and drag all unnecessary extensions out of the
 Extensions folder into the Disabled Extensions folder.  Close the
System Folder and restart the Macintosh.

System 7.5 or higher:  Go to the Apple menu and select the Control
Panels folder.  Look for the Extensions Manager and click twice to
open it.  Go to the Sets option located at the top of the window.
Click on the arrow pointing down to display the menu and select Save
Sets...  Type in the name Normal in the save set dialog box and click
on OK.  Go to the save sets option again and select All Off.  Go
through the extensions listing and put a check mark next to the desired
extensions by clicking on them.  Go to the Sets option again and select
Save Sets and give this new set a name (for example, Little Ark).
Close the Extensions Manager window and restart the Macintosh.
(Note: You can switch your sets back to Normal at any time.)

If the program functions properly, it means that there may be something
(either an extension or control panel) in the system folder that is
causing a conflict with our product. You will need to find out which
extension or control panel is causing the problem and determine if you
need to keep it active.

Sound Problems

If you are unable to hear music or sound effects from the program, you
should check to see that the volume control in your Sound Control Panel
is high enough to be audible.  To do this, select Control Panels from
your Apple menu, double-click on the Sound icon, and set the volume to
a higher level.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS

If you have worked through these troubleshooting suggestions and still
need assistance, you can contact Little Ark Interactive Technical
Support at Broderbund Software by using the options listed below.  It
will be very helpful if you can tell us your computer make and model.
If possible, have the computer both positioned near your phone and
turned on. Please also be prepared to give us a detailed description of
what happens when you try to run the program.

You can contact us in any of the following ways:
Internet - Contact our World Wide Web site at
http://www.broderbund.com
Phone - Call us at [phone] from Monday through Thursday between
the hours of 6 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and Friday from 6 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.,
Pacific Time.
CompuServe - Type GO BB at any prompt to access Br®derbund's area in
CompuServe, or send your questions to 70007,1636.
America OnLine - Use the Keyword: BRODERBUND to find our Product
Support Boards, or address your questions to BBund Tec1 or BBund Tec2
using AOL's electronic mail.
Mail - Send your questions to  Little Ark Interactive, at
P.O. Box 6144, Novato, CA  94948-6144
Copyright c 1997 Little Ark Interactive.  All rights reserved.
Little Ark Interactive is a trademark of Little Ark Interactive,
a Random House/Broderbund Company. Patent pending.
116  5339919B