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PROBLEMS.DOC
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1992-08-28
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*************************** BUGS ****************************
Oh yeah, in a program of this magnitude, there are bound
to be some surprises, and not all of them good! Please let
me know what mistakes and problems you find because I'm
always working to develop this thing. If you are using the
shareware version, rest assured that I support registered
users in these ways: Generally, large bugs have been
identified and repaired in the registered version. If
anything major slips through to early registered users, they
receive free upgrades.
************************* PROBLEMS **************************
If you have problems, experimentation is the number one
way out. However, I have compiled a few ideas that may help:
It is rare but possible to lock up your computer with The
Multimedia Workshop. Simply reboot and try again should this
happen. As always, your picture file will be saved to the
most recently drawn element.
Here's a couple of things I haven't yet worked out for
this version:
* In VGA-Lo mode, fills don't get all the way into corners on
some shapes. To fill a whole irregular area, you may have to
select FILL a few times to get all the unfilled corners.
* If creating a presentation in CGA-HI (two-color) mode,
and if you change the background color, check your colors in
the finished product because sometimes the background takes
on the 'background' color and sometimes the foreground color
changes instead, depending on various computers. You might
want to try it on a couple of different CGA and VGA-equipped
machines.
* There are TSR's which are incompatible with any graphics
program which can change from one graphics mode to another,
such as The Multimedia Workshop. The one which I found most
troublesome was one called CLK.COM which puts a little
digital clock in the upper right corner. It locks up the
system even though not visible while The Multimedia Workshop
is running.
* TSR's are often not equipped to pop up properly within
graphics programs. For instance, even the well-regarded
SIDEKICK causes funny stuff when popping up in a VGA screen.
You can simply ignore the effects (random red lines) by
selecting something from the VIEW menu after using Sidekick
and similar programs.
* Large fonts are in slightly different proportion when
displayed in Hercules graphics than in other graphics modes,
so check Universal Mode presentations on Hercules equipped
sets if you can.
* Fills are not universal from one graphics mode to another,
so if creating in Universal Mode, keep fills to a minimum and
check your presentations on several different computers.
* Printer support is not yet complete. Some types of
printers will not work. With some other printers, in some
graphics modes, the aspect ratio of the finished picture is
out of proportion, meaning circles become ellipses. Also,
there is not yet support for gray scaling.
In the meantime, a good alternative is to use
GRAPHICS.COM which comes with MS-DOS. Load GRAPHICS.COM
before running TMW.EXE or MSHOW.EXE, then press [Shift] and
[Print Screen] when you want a paper copy.
The Multimedia Workshop is designed to fit within 640k
RAM along with one or two medium size TSR's, but with less
RAM or big TSR programs you might have a space problem. If
you don't have enough space in memory, try dumping your
TSR's. Many times you have TSR (Terminate Stay Resident)
programs taking up part of your RAM. They are invoked from
the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you have a pop-up multipurpose
program such as SIDEKICK, you might have to delete it's call
from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you are running The
Multimedia Workshop from within a menu or shell program, and
have memory space problems, try running it directly from DOS
without the shell program.
If you have only one 360k floppy disk and no hard disk,
you can dump the documentation files (*.DOC), and you don't
need MSHOW.EXE until you are ready to put together a final
product disk. This will leave quite a bit of room for your
picture files. You need only keep the .CHR files
corresponding to fonts you will actually use in your
presentation.
If you don't have a hard disk, and The Multimedia
Workshop writes to the disk too slowly to suit your tastes,
you can create a small RAM disk with RAMDRIVE.SYS, or
VDISK.SYS which comes with MS-DOS. This will speed up The
Multimedia Workshop considerably since it will write to a
picture file stored in RAM and not on a floppy disk, but if
you lose power or have a lock-up, you'll lose your picture
file, so back it up to the floppy frequently. Keep the RAM
disk small, perhaps 64k or so, because The Multimedia
Workshop needs most of 640k RAM to work properly.
In some multitasking environments, such as MS-Windows,
it may be possible to juggle enough programs that you end up
with choppy sound effects. Should this happen, merely exit
programs you are not actively using or reapportion 100% of
CPU time to The Multimedia Workshop.
If you install a WAIT FOR USER in your presentations,
remember that it is there, or you will seemingly lock up your
system or your end user's system until a key is pressed.
If you have any questions that you cannot answer by
reading these files, or by experimentation, you can try
phoning me at 503-846-7884. (or write a letter) I may not
have much time available for unregistered users, but I'll
help when I can. Hours are generally 9-5, Weekdays, West
Coast Time.
I'm also available for consulting. For questions you may
have beyond general use of this program, such as business or
programming advice, I will gladly help. The charge for this
service is $40 per hour, invoiced monthly. There is no
minimum charge and many questions can be answered within a
few minutes.
TROUBLESHOOTING CHART
1. Computer locks up:
a. Have you forgotten about a WAIT FOR USER?
b. Try eliminating TSR programs.
c. Have you edited a picture file with a text editor?
It is possible to make mistakes which will foul up the
program. Delete the file, use a backup copy and try
editing again.
d. Perhaps you have tried to use a .PCX file which is
incompatible with the current video mode. PCX is a whole
family of specifications, and some PCX files may be
entirely incompatible with The Multimedia Workshop.
e. Use of LOOP may be incorrect, or you may have
forgotten you put a LOOP in a script.
f. In most cases, simply reboot and try again.
2. Sounds are choppy, animations are clunky:
a. You are probably using a multi-tasking program such as
MS-Windows. Simply allocate 100% processor time to
The Multimedia Workshop, and MSHOW.
3. Picture fills up with one color or pattern.
a. A FILL has gone wild. The border around a filled area
must be complete and usually of the same color as the
fill. FILL works differently in 256-COLOR VGA-LO mode.
4. Picture is squished into a corner of the screen, or
only a portion of the picture is visible on the screen.
a. This happens when there is confusion about which
graphics mode is being used. Make sure to use pictures or
modify libraried pictures to fit the main picture graphics
mode.
b. If editing a picture file with an ASCII editor, make
sure the "mode" statement on the very first line of a
picture file matches the mode you intend to use.
c. You may be trying to use a .PCX file in the wrong
video mode.
5. Almost all typefaces look alike.
a. If The Multimedia Workshop cannot find the external
typeface files, *.CHR, all but the TRIPLEX typeface will
look like BITMAP typeface. The appropriate .CHR file(s)
for the typeface(s) in your presentation must accompany
your files on disk. More important, MSHOW.EXE must also
have access to the .CHR files when required to present
typefaces you have put into your presentations.
Otherwise, the text you have used in your pictures may be
wildly out of proportion.
6. Colors are all goofy.
a. You have imported a .PCX file which automatically
changes the color palette. If necessary, you can manually
change it back with CHANGE PALETTE COLORS, in the
OPTION menu.
b. After manually changing the color palette or hooking a
.PCX file, you may have to select FORCE POINTER TO WHITE,
in the OPTION menu so that you can see the mouse pointer
and on-screen help, etc. If changed back to white, the
corresponding parts of the picture will also be changed
to white. (Note: You can always delete the FORCE
POINTER TO WHITE with a text editor in the picture file,
when done building the picture file.)
7. All other problems:
a. Try again.
b. Think.
c. Always make backups.
d. Ask a friend who enjoys computer challenges.
d. Phone me: 1-503-846-7884 (I'm not always available, but
you can try.)
_____________________________________________________________
end of chapter