Detective Barbie(R) for Windows(R) 95 and Windows(R) 98 ReadMe file v1.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Congratulations on your purchase of Detective Barbie(R)! We have included this ReadMe file to supply you with up-to-the-minute information about the program. For more information, you can also refer to your computer setup manual. (Please open this window to its maximum size and turn Word Wrap on for better readability.) You may want to print this document for future reference. Detective Barbie(R) Customer Support If you need help or further technical support, call Detective Barbie(R) Customer Support at 1-888-Mattel9 (1-888 628-8359), or visit our web site at http://www.mattelmedia.com. In Canada, call 1-888 Media11 (1-888 633-4211). In Australia, call 1800 800 812. Table of Contents Section 1 ...... System Requirements Section 2 ...... Install and Uninstall Tips A.) Installing the Program B.) Uninstalling the Program C.) General Tips Section 3 ...... System Performance Tips A.) Running the Program B.) Playing the songs on your CD Player C.) If Display or Graphics Problems Occur D.) If Difficulties are Encountered while Printing E.) Slow Program Performance F.) If Difficulties are Encountered with Sound Section 4 ...... Compatibility Issues A.) Third-Party Shells B.) Screen Savers Section 5 ...... Legal Notices ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1: SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Minimum System Requirements: Multimedia PC IBM(R) or compatible: * Pentium(R) 90 MHz or faster processor * Quad-speed (4x) CD-ROM drive or faster * 16 MB of RAM * Minimum of 40MB of free disk space * Color monitor with at least 640x480 resolution and 256-colors * Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95 and Windows(R) 98 * 16-bit Sound Blaster(R) or 100% compatible sound card and speakers * Standard AT-101 keyboard * Microsoft(R) compatible mouse. * Ink jet or Laser printer in order to print out photos & images. Section 2: INSTALL/UNINSTALL TIPS A.) Installing the Program 1. Insert the CD-ROM disc into your CD-ROM drive 2. If you have the Auto Insert notification feature enabled for your CD-ROM, the installation will start automatically and you can skip the following three steps. If this feature is not enabled, perform the next three steps. 3. Select Start and then Run from the Windows(R) 95 or Windows(R) 98 taskbar. 4. In the dialog box, type D:\setup ("D:" refers to your CD-ROM drive. If your CD-ROM drive is not D:, type the appropriate letter.) 5. Click the OK button. 6. Follow the installation instructions. B.) Uninstalling the Program 1. Select Start from the Windows(R) 95 or Windows(R) 98 taskbar and then find the Uninstall icon in the Detective Barbie(R) program group. 2. Click the Uninstall icon. 3. Follow the Uninstall instructions. * You can also uninstall the program by running the Windows(R) Add/Remove Programs program: 1. Select Start from the Windows(R) 95 or Windows(R) 98 taskbar and then find and click the Control Panel icon under Settings. 2. Double click the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel folder 3. Select Detective Barbie(R) from the list of programs and click the "Add/Remove" button. 4. Follow the Uninstall instructions. C.) General Tips 1. Once you have installed Detective Barbie(R) make sure you uninstall it before installing it again on the same system. 2. If you have the Auto Insert notification feature enabled for your CD-ROM, and encounter an error message after placing the CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive before installing the program, you will need to restart your system and then install the program manually. Refer to the instructions for Installing the Program above. 3. The Uninstall program may not remove the Detective Barbie(R) folder and some of the files in it that were installed on your hard drive. To remove this folder manually, first restart your computer, then open the 'Program Files' folder on your hard drive. Locate the 'Detective Barbie(R)' folder, select it, and either drag it to the Recycle Bin on your desktop or click the Delete button on your keyboard. 4. REGISTERING YOUR SOFTWARE: If your text is cut off on the registration screen, set your monitor to small fonts. To do this, follow these steps: a. Click on Start/Settings/Control Panel b. Double click on the "Display" icon c. Click on the "Settings" Tab d. Choose "Small fonts" in the list under Font Size *You may need to restart your computer for the new settings to take effect. Section 3: SYSTEM PERFORMANCE TIPS A.) Running the Program 1. Insert the Detective Barbie(R) CD-ROM disc into your CD-ROM drive. 2. If you have the Auto Insert notification feature enabled for your CD-ROM, the program will launch automatically. 3. If you do not have the Auto Insert notification feature enabled for your CD-ROM, select Start from the Windows(R) 95 or Window(R) 98 taskbar and then find the Detective Barbie(R) icon under Programs. 4. Click the Detective Barbie(R) icon to run the program * If you installed the Detective Barbie(R) icon on the desktop, double-click on it to run the program. * If you have the Auto Insert notification feature enabled for your CD-ROM, but the program doesn't launch automatically, contact your computer manufacturer. If the manufacturer is unable to help you, you may have to launch the program manually. Refer to steps 3 - 4 above for Running the Program. * Repeatedly clicking on the Detective Barbie(R) icon after double-clicking once to launch the program may cause performance problems, including error messages, graphic palette shifts, and slow performance. If this occurs, exit the program, restart your computer, and restart the game. B.) PLAYING THE SONGS ON YOUR CD PLAYER: You can hear full-length versions of the "Detective Barbie(R) Music" songs in this CD-ROM by putting the disc in your CD player, skipping the first track, and hitting "play". C.) IF DISPLAY OR GRAPHICS PROBLEMS OCCUR: If you experience display or graphics problems while running Detective Barbie(R): 1. Make sure that your display setting is at least 640x480 resolution and 256 colors. Refer to your system or Windows(R) documentation. 2. Contact your video card or systems vendor to obtain the latest version of their video driver. (Note: the latest video drivers may be available for download via the Internet.) 3. Make sure no other applications are running while Detective Barbie(R) is running. 4. Make sure that you do not click repeatedly on the Detective Barbie(R) icon after double-clicking it once to launch the program. D.) IF DIFFICULTIES ARE ENCOUNTERED WHILE PRINTING: 1. Make sure your computer is not connected to a Network printer. This program may not print on a Network system. 2. You may encounter an error message while attempting to print with no printer installed or connected to your computer. Make sure there is a printer installed and connected to your computer, and that it is turned on. 3. On some printers, you may encounter slowed down program performance or an error message after many hours of doing nothing but printing. If this occurs, you will need to restart the game before continuing to play. 4. Make sure your computer's color palette is set to 256 colors. E.) SLOW PROGRAM PERFORMANCE: 1. If the program seems to be running slowly, make sure your system meets the minimum requirements. A system with a single-speed CD-ROM or a processor below the minimum requirement may not be able to play all the animations properly. 2. If your system meets the other minimum requirements, it may have insufficient RAM. The program performs best with at least 16 MB of memory. Close any open programs to free up RAM. 3. Your virtual memory setting may also affect the program's performance. 4. Repeatedly clicking on the Detective Barbie(R) icon after double-clicking once to launch the program may cause slow performance. Try exiting the program, restarting your computer, and restarting the game. 5. Try adjusting your graphics acceleration: a. Right click on "My Computer" located on your desktop and select "Properties." b. Within the "System Properties" dialog box, select the "Performance" tab. c. Click on the "Graphics" button. d. Within the "Advanced Graphics Setting," adjust your graphics acceleration to the "Basic" setting (second level from the left). e. Click on "OK" and restart your computer for the changes to take effect. 6. Save your game, exit the program, restart your computer, and then launch Detective Barbie(R). F.) IF DIFFICULTIES ARE ENCOUNTERED WITH SOUND: Music, Sound Effects & Dialog 1. Make sure that the volume level is adjusted properly. 2. Make sure that your computer speakers are plugged in, turned ON, and the volume is adjusted properly. 3. Make sure that you do not have the sound muted. Double-click on the small speaker icon in the Windows(R) Taskbar at the bottom right of your screen to check. 4. If your sound system is configured with an incorrect or outdated sound driver, the sound may not play properly. Contact your sound card manufacturer to obtain the current sound drivers. (Note: You may be able to download this from the Internet.) 5. Try adjusting your Read-ahead optimization: a. Right click on "My Computer" located on your desktop and select "Properties." b. Within the "System Properties" dialog box, select the "Performance" tab. c. Click on the "File System" button. d. Within the "File System Properties," adjust your Read-ahead optimization to the "None" setting. e. Click on "OK" and restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Section 4: COMPATIBILITY ISSUES A.) THIRD-PARTY SHELLS If you are using a program shell other than the Windows(R) Explorer (e.g., Norton Desktop(TM) and are experiencing trouble installing or playing Detective Barbie(R) try changing the shell back to the standard Windows(R) Explorer. Refer to your shell documentation or call your shell vendor if you need assistance. On Compaq(R) Presario(R) 3000, 4000, 6000, & 8000 series computers, you can disable the Compaq Home Base shell using the REMOVEHB.EXE program. This program is available at the Compaq website: http://www.compaq.com/athome/ie40/hbmodels.html If you do not have access to the World Wide Web, contact your computer manufacturer for details on how to disable the Compaq Home Base shell. B.) SCREEN SAVERS If you are running a screen saver in the background and experience video and sound problems during the program, disabling the screen saver should resolve the problem. Refer to your user documentation on how to disable the screen saver. Section 5: LEGAL NOTICES (P) and (C) 1998 Mattel, Inc. El Segundo, CA 90245. U.S.A. All Rights Reserved. The Barbie doll, Ken doll, and Becky doll likenesses and characters, the color "Barbie pink" and other trademarks designated by (R) and (TM) are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Mattel, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries, except for the following: Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; Sound Blaster is either a registered trademark or trademark of Creative Technology Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries; Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation; IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States; Compaq Presario is a registered trademark of Compaq Computer Corporation in the U.S.; Norton Desktop is a trademark of Symantec Corporation. Certain software engines and utilities (C) 1998 Gorilla System Corporation. Retain this address for future reference: Mattel Australia Pty., Port Melbourne, Victoria 3207. Consumer Advisory Service 1800 800 812 (Valid only in Australia). Mattel Canada Inc., Mississauga, Ontario L5R 3W2.