emme I.C.E. Multimédia User's Guide PC This guide will be useful to users who want to make sure their CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) game runs smoothly. New users will find it a valuable reference that will allow them to efficiently meet the requirements of multimedia programs. This ReadMe is more than an installation guide; it puts the emphasis on computer-related issues and covers a variety of tips and recommendations to help answer frequently asked questions. Please consult it and send us any comments you might have. TABLE OF CONTENTS Installation and launch Troubleshooting Tips and hints For more information How to reach us INSTALLATION AND LAUNCH It is very easy to install a CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) game. Simply follow the instructions below. INSTALLING THE PROGAM 1- Insert the CD-ROM disk in the drive. 2- In the window that appears, click on Install, then follow the instructions on the screen. If no window appears, the autorun feature may be deactivated. Follow one of the procedures below: 1- Insert the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) disk in the drive. 2- Double-click on My Computer (icon usually in the upper left-hand corner of the screen). 3- In the window that appears, double-click on the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) icon (usually D:). 4- In the window that appears, double-click on Install.exe and follow the instructions that appear on the screen. or 1- Insert the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) in the drive. 2- Go to Start to pull up the Windows® taskbar (usually at the bottom left of the screen). From the pop-up menu that appears, click on Run. 3- Type D:\install.exe in the command line (if D: is not your CD-ROM drive, replace D: with the corresponding letter). Click OK to launch the installation, then follow the instructions that appear on the screen. LAUNCHING THE PROGRAM 1- Insert the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) in the drive. 2- In the window that appears, clink Launch. If no window appears, the autorun feature may be deactivated. Follow this procedure: 1- Insert the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) in the drive. 2- Go to Start to pull up the Windows® taskbar (usually at the bottom left of the screen), select emme (or the corresponding program name, if you changed it during installation), then select the game by its name. TROUBLESHOOTING This troubleshooting guide addresses the problems that are most frequently encountered. Note: Words followed by an asterisk (*) are explained in the For More Information section. Program does not install correctly - If you cannot access your CD-ROM* (or DVD-ROM*) drive from My Computer, check to see if the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) is properly inserted in the drive. - If installation is unsuccessful, close all other open applications. Installation of a CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) program while other applications are running under Windows® (i.e. word processing, screen saver, etc.) can create conflicts and cause error messages to appear (e.g. "insufficient memory"). In that case, quit all open applications* to free up memory (RAM*) and try to install again. - If no shortcut appears in the programs list (from the start menu), the list may be full (contains too many icons). In that case, delete or move a few icons and try to install again, or install again after choosing Custom Installation and change the name of the programs list. Program does not launch - If you do cannot access your CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) drive from My Computer, check to see if the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) is properly inserted in the drive. - The program may not have installed correctly. In that case, uninstall the program (in My Computer, double-click on your program icon, and click Uninstall in the window that appears, then reinstall it by selecting Standard Installation. - Ensure that the disk is clean (i.e. free from scratches, stains, etc.). Clean it with a soft, dry cloth or use an appropriate cleaning product; do not use solvents or products containing alcohol. Program requires particular display parameters (message appears during launch). The colours are not clearly defined, the features are irregular, flashes of light appear. - Change the screen resolution* by increasing or decreasing the number of pixels* (i.e. 640x480, 800x600, etc.) and/or the colour palette (i.e. 256 colours, 16-bit colour, etc.) under Windows®. Change these settings to reflect the recommendations on the product package. - To change the screen settings: ? Click on Start to pull up the Windows® taskbar. ? Go to Settings, then select Control Panel. ? Double-click on the Display icon. ? Click on Settings, and change the Colours and Desktop area. ? Ensure that Font Size is set to Small Font. ? Click OK. Alternatively, right-click on any free area of the desktop (i.e. anywhere on the background free of icons), select Properties from the pop-up menu, select Settings, change colours, pixel count (desktop area), and font size, then click OK. Printing problems (can't print tables, pictures, etc.) - Some programs allow you to print images directly from the application. If the image will not print out, set the printer resolution to 300 dots per inch (dpi). ? Click on Start to pull up the Windows® taskbar. ? Select Settings, then Printers. ? Double-click on the printer icon. ? Pull down the Printer menu, then select Properties. ? Alternatively, instead of going through the previous two steps, it may be narrowed to one step by right-clicking the Printer icon and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu. ? Click on the Graphics tab (may be labeled colour/quality or quality) at the top of the window, then in the Resolution command line, select 300 dots per inch. ? Click OK. - If some images still do not print (usually because they are too big), go to Paper (while still in Printer Properties) and select Landscape. Video sequences do not run - The program uses QuickTime For Windows™ to run video sequences. The program add-on may not have been correctly installed. Reinstall it. The directory containing the installation program is in the root directory of your CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) application. No sound or poor sound during video sequences Some programs use QuickTime™ 4 to read video sequences. Some problems may be caused by conflicts between QuickTime™ 4 and Directsound and your computer's video card. To prevent such conflicts, use the following procedure to deactivate QuickTime™ 4's use of Directsound: ? Click on Start to pull up the Windows® taskbar. ? Go to Settings, then select Control Panel. ? Double-click on the QuickTime™ icon. ? Select Sound Out from the pull-down menu at the top. ? In the Choose a Device for Playback menu, select WaveOut. ? Close the window by clicking on the X in the upper right-hand corner. Audio is jerky, crackling noises are heard - Is the sound card in your computer Sound Blaster® compatible? Is it configured correctly? Check the card's drivers; if possible, use the latest drivers available. - Check the audio playback settings: Start / Settings / Control Panel / Multimedia / Audio. - Verify that all components are checked off: Start / Settings / Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs / Windows® Installation. The computer freezes, the screen freezes - Ensure that your computer meets the program's technical specifications (Windows® version, screen resolution, RAM, etc.). To do this, compare your configuration with the minimum configuration parameters listed on the game packaging. - The CD-ROM or DVD-ROM may conflict with other existing applications* (anti-virus, word processing, scanner, fax-modem, etc.). Quit all open applications. - Some video cards can also cause conflicts while the application is running. An occasional update of the driver* is required; ask your supplier. Windows® has a selection of drivers: on the desktop, right-click the mouse and select, in this order: Properties / Settings / Change Display Type... - Make sure that the video display size is set to Window, rather than Full Screen (Start / Setting / Control Panel / Multimedia / Video). - Some memory management programs may interfere with the operation of the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM). Microsoft Windows® comes with its own memory manager, EMM386. In the event of technical difficulties (primarily when launching the program), we suggest you use only the Windows(r) manager and uninstall or deactivate any other existing manager. General note: To restart Windows® without shutting down your computer, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete simultaneously. This command allows you to quit an application that is not responding (for example, after an error message). Warning: All unsaved information will be lost. HINTS AND TIPS These recommendations will help you make optimal use of your CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. Note: The words followed by an asterisk (*) are explained in the For More Information section. ? The CD-ROM* and DVD-ROM* are fragile; handle them with care. Return each disk to its case after use. Avoid getting scratches, dust, and fingerprints on the readable surface of the disk. ? All multimedia programs have a Help section and/or a ReadMe file. Consult them for important information about using the program. ? To prevent memory overload, click just once on the "active" zones of a game and wait while the game loads (when the hourglass appears on the screen). ? Before installing, make sure that the programs folder into which you will be installing the game does not contain a large number of existing preinstalled icons. The icon for the new CD-ROM or DVD-ROM may not appear. If this occurs, delete or move some of the icons out of the programs folder. ? Press the Windows® key (or Ctrl + Esc simultaneously on the keyboard) to display the taskbar. This function tells you which applications are currently running. ? When exiting a multimedia program or quitting Windows®, never shut down your computer directly. This can damage your system. ? CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives are equipped with a light that comes on when a disk is inserted into the drive to indicate that the program is loading. The light stays on for approximately 1 to 4 seconds. If you click on the program icon or install icon during this intermediate phase, the system may not be able to detect the disk. Wait for the light to go out before launching the application. FOR MORE INFORMATION This section provides a list of key words used in this guide: ? A CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) is a digital disk read by a laser beam. The information on the disk is recorded, or written, by a ray of concentrated light that carves tiny, permanent holes onto the heat-sensitive surface of the disk. The reading laser is then reflected back (being read) when the disk is played. A disk can hold up to 650 million bytes (650 megabytes), the equivalent of 452 regular 1.4 MB floppy diskettes. ? A DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk - Read Only Memory) is a digital compact disk with a capacity ranging from 4.7 GB (the equivalent of 7 CD-ROMs or 3,000 1.4 MB floppy diskettes) to 17 GB. This new support can hold several hours of video in addition to photos, text, music and audio. All DVD-ROM drives can read CD-ROM disks. ? The path describes the route to a program or a file. During the installation of a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, a default path suggestion appears on the screen. For example: Path: C:\Program Files\emme ? An application (software, as opposed to hardware) is a computer program designed to process information. There are three categories of software: operating systems (MS-DOS, Windows(r), OS/2, Unix...), programming languages (Cobol, Fortran, C, Assembly, Basic, etc.), and data processing (word processing, spreadsheets...). ? Virtual memory is storage space (swap file) on the hard drive. It frees up random access memory (RAM) to improve the run-time of applications. ? A bit (stands for Binary digIT) is the basic unit of information. It is composed of zeros and ones (the binary system). The numerical signal is comprised of a series of rectangular impulses (i.e. a square wave), and represented by a discontinuous physical variable that can only have the values of "0" or "1". ? A byte is a unit of information composed of eight binary digits (bits). Alphanumeric characters are represented by bytes. The byte is the basic unit used to measure a computer's memory capacity (kilobyte, megabyte). ? A driver is software that manages a peripheral, or any device that can be connected to the central unit: a sound card, printer, CD-ROM drive, etc.). ? RAM (Random Access Memory) is the computer's main memory. This storage space can be changed, unlike ROM (Read Only Memory), which is fixed memory that can be read but not modified. ? Screen resolution is represented by the number of lines and columns defining the number of image points on a screen. These points, called pixels (an abbreviation for PICture Elements), determine the quality of the image. A VGA screen with 640 columns by 480 lines, and the standard PC display (14") screen, has 307,200 pixels. ? Sound Blaster® (from the card by the same name) is a sound card standard that is the benchmark in the realm of multimedia. HOW TO REACH US We have described the most frequently encountered technical problems in this user's guide. For further assistance or information, feel free to contact the emme support team. Have the following information on hand when you call: the type of computer (brand, microprocessor, operating system...), available memory, brand and type of CD-ROM drive, screen resolution, version of operating system. Technical support: Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Technical assistance is available by telephone for all of our products. To better serve you, we stronglyrecommend that you mail back the warranty card that comes with each of our products. If you are unable to reach us by phone, fax us, being sure to indicate your system's configuration and the technical difficulties you encountered. You can also write to us at: Customer Service I.C.E. Division Multimédia inc. 2775 Rolland, suite 100 Sainte-Adčle (Québec) J8B 1C9 Phone : (450) 229-9220 Fax : (450) 229-9322 support@icemultimedia.com Internet : http://www.icemultimedia.com Thank you for buying our product. We wish you many hours of multimedia enjoyment. (c) emme - 2000 - All rights reserved - All products mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective companies. =====================================