Multimedia FastTips: General Questions & Answers
  
PSS ID Number: Q122428
Article last modified on 07-09-1998
 

 
WINDOWS
 

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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Ancient Lands for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Art Gallery for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Bookshelf for Windows, 1993 and 1994 editions
 - Microsoft Bookshelf '95 for Windows 95
 - Microsoft Bookshelf '96-'97 for Windows
 - Microsoft Cinemania for Windows, 1994, 1995, and 1996 editions
 - Microsoft Complete Baseball for Windows, 1994 edition (see below)
 - Microsoft Complete Baseball Guide for Windows, 1995 edition
 - Microsoft Complete NBA Basketball for Windows, 1994-1995, 1995-1996
   editions
 - Microsoft Complete Gardening for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Dangerous Creatures for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Dinosaurs for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia for Windows, 1996, 1997 editions
 - Microsoft Encarta for Windows, 1994, and 1995 editions
 - Microsoft Multimedia Mozart for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Multimedia Schubert for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Multimedia Strauss for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Multimedia Stravinsky for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Musical Instruments for Windows, version 1.0
 - Microsoft Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide for Windows,
   version 1.0
 - Microsoft Sound Bits (all collections), version 1.0
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SUMMARY
=======
 
The following is the complete contents of the FastTips Question and
Answers article titled "Q122428: Multimedia FastTips: General Questions &
Answers." Q122428 is part of the FastTips Question and Answer section for
Microsoft Home Products FastTips.
 
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  Microsoft® Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
     Q122428: Multimedia FastTips: General Questions & Answers
======================================================================
                                                  Revision Date: 12/95
                                                      9 Pages, No Disk
 
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| Copyright 1995 Microsoft Corporation. All  Rights Reserved.        |
| Microsoft is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                 |
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 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
1. Q: When I attempt to run the 1997 edition of Encarta Encyclopedia with
      Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11, I receive the error
      message:
 
         IntelliType for the Microsoft Natural Keyboard is installed on
         your machine. This software is incompatible w/ Encarta
         Encyclopedia. You must uninstall this software before running the
         encyclopedia."
 
   A: This error message is caused by the loading of a software component
      called Pointer.exe. To end the error message,  use the following
      six-step procedure to stop this software from loading.
 
      1. On the File menu in Program Manager, click Run.
 
      2. Type the following:
 
            win.ini
 
      3. Locate the following setting:
 
            LOAD=
 
      4. Modify the "LOAD=" entry, removing the reference to POINTER.EXE.
         For example:
 
            LOAD=C:\MOUSE\POINTER.EXE
 
         is modified to:
 
            LOAD=
 
      5. On the File menu, click Exit. When you are prompted to save
         changes, click Yes.
 
      6. Exit and restart Windows.
 
         Encarta 97 should now start.
 
2. Q. When I download the Cinemania or Music Central monthly
      updates, they don t show up in the product. What s wrong?
 
   A. America Online and some other Internet browsers don t support
      long filenames, and when the updates are downloaded through
      these browsers, the update file is renamed to an abbreviated
      filename, which Cinemania and Music Central are not able to
      recognize or integrate. To correct this, perform the following
      four steps:
 
      1. The downloaded file is generally truncated to something such
         as <mmm>95.cin for Cinemania or <mmm>95.msc for Music
         Central, where mmm represents the month abbreviation. Using
         the Windows Explorer program in Windows 95, locate this file
         in your Cinemania or Music Central directory.
 
      2. Use the right mouse button to click the file and then click
         Rename.
 
      3. For Cinemania, type
 
            <mmm>95.cin96upd
 
         where mmm is the month abbreviation. For example, the
         November 1995 update would be named Nov95.cin96upd.
 
         For Music Central, type:
 
            <mmm>95.msc96upd
 
         where mmm is the month abbreviation. For example,
         the November 1995 update would be named Nov95.msc96upd.
 
      4. Start the program. The update will now integrate correctly.
 
3. Q. How do I view just the new information provided by monthly
      updates in Cinemania 96 or Music Central 96?
 
   A. Perform the following four steps:
 
      1. Within Cinemania or Music Central, click Find.
 
      2. Select the All category.
 
      3. Select Content Source.
 
      4. Choose the Monthly Updates filter
 
      The Find list now contains only those articles and reviews that
      have been provided in monthly updates.
 
4. Q. I have Sound Blaster 16. When I use a product that plays sounds,
      they fail to play or do not sound like I would expect in Windows
      3.x. What should I do?
 
   A. Sounds may not play properly on some computers running Windows 3.x
      if the Sound Blaster 16 is using the 16-bit DMA channel. To make
      the sounds play as expected, change the High DMA channel to use
      the 8-bit DMA. You can do this by using the SB Configuration icon
      found in the Sound Blaster 16 program group. When you run this
      icon, it displays the DMA and HDMA settings. Change the HDMA
      setting to DMA.
 
      If the SB Configuration icon is not available, perform the
      following 13-step procedure if you are running under Windows 3.x.
      Microsoft is still researching the problem under Windows 95.
 
       1. On the File menu in Program Manager, click Run.
 
       2. Type "notepad autoexec.bat" (without the quotation marks).
 
       3. Modify the SET BLASTER line in Autoexec.bat so the H value
          matches the D value. For example
 
             Set Blaster= A220 D1 I5 H5 T3
 
          is modified to:
 
             Set Blaster= A220 D1 I5 H1 T3
 
       4. On the File menu, click Exit. When prompted to save
          changes, click Yes.
 
       5. On the File menu in Program Manager, click Run.
 
       6. Type "notepad config.sys" (without the quotation marks).
 
       7. If a line beginning with DEVICE=CTSB16.SYS exists in this
          file, edit it so that the H value matches the D value. For
          example
 
             Device=C:\SB16\CTSB16.SYS /Unit=0/Blaster=A:220 I:5 D:1 H:5
 
          is modified to:
 
             Device=C:\SB16\CTSB16.SYS /Unit=0/Blaster=A:220 I:5 D:1 H:1
 
       8. On the File menu, click Exit. When prompted to save
          changes, click Yes.
 
       9. On the File menu in Program Manager, click Run.
 
      10. Type "notepad system.ini" (without the quotation marks).
 
      11. If a section titled "SNDBLST.DRV" exists, it will contain an
          entry that includes HDMAChannel=. Edit this line so that the
          HDMA value matches the DMA value. For example
 
             DMAChannel=1 and HDMAChannel=5
 
          is modified to:
 
             DMAChannel=1 and HDMAChannel=1
 
      12. On the File menu, click Exit. When prompted to save changes
          click Yes.
 
      13. You can now exit Windows and restart. All sounds should play
          correctly.
 
5. Q. When I try to play compressed audio, I receive the error message
      "No wave device that can play files in the current format is
      installed." What should I do?
 
   A. This error message occurs if the Microsoft Audio Compression
      manager is not installed correctly, or one of its components is
      not installed correctly.
 
      If You Are Using Windows 95
      ---------------------------
 
      If you are using Windows 95, order the article Q133365 from the
      Microsoft Home FastTips Catalog.
 
      If You Are Using Windows 3.x
      ----------------------------
 
      If you are using Windows 3.x, perform the following five steps:
 
      1. From the Control Panel window, run Drivers.
 
      2. In the list of installed drivers, verify that the "Microsoft
         ADPCM Codec V2.00" or "Microsoft Audio Compression Manager" is
         listed.
 
      3. If it is not, reinstall the application you are attempting to
         use.
 
      4. If it is listed, exit Windows and delete these files by typing
         the following four lines at an MS-DOS prompt and pressing ENTER
         after each line:
 
            cd\windows
            cd system
            del msacm.drv
            del msadpcm.acm
 
         Restart Windows by typing "win" (without the quotation marks)
         and pressing ENTER.
 
      5. Now reinstall the application and try the same sounds.
 
      If sounds still do not play, perform the following seven-step
      procedure:
 
      1. From the Control Panel window, run Drivers.
 
      2. In the list of installed drivers, check if the "Microsoft
         GSM 6.10 Audio Codec" is installed.
 
         This driver is only installed by newer titles such as Bookshelf
         1994 and 1995, Encarta 1995, Cinemania 1995 and Baseball 1994.
         If you do not have one of these, you will not have this driver
         installed.
 
      3. If it is installed, select it.
 
      4. Choose the Setup button, and choose Auto-Config.
 
      5. After the Auto-Config utility is done, exit Control Panel and
         try the application.
 
      6. If the "Microsoft GSM 6.10 Audio Codec" is not installed or
         gives an error message during the Auto-Config step above, exit
         Windows and delete the file from the Windows\System
         folder by typing the following three lines at an MS-DOS
         prompt, and pressing ENTER after each line:
 
            cd\windows
            cd system
            del msgsm610.acm
 
         Restart Windows by typing "win" (without the quotation marks)
         and pressing ENTER.
 
      7. Reinstall the application, and try the same sounds.
 
6. Q. I am receiving the message "The current MIDI setup references a
      MIDI device that is not installed on your system. Do you want to
      continue?" What does this mean?
 
   A. This message occurs when the MIDI setup you are using does not
      match the sound card you have installed. To correct this, you
      should copy the appropriate configuration file from your sound
      card directory on your hard disk by exiting Windows and typing the
      following three lines at an MS-DOS prompt, and pressing ENTER
      after each line
 
         cd\windows
         cd system
         copy <path> midimap.cfg
 
       where <path> is the directory into which your sound card
       files are installed.
 
7. Q. When I play long sound passages or video clips, the playback is
      choppy and there are interruptions. What is causing this?
 
   A. These interruptions are usually the result of a slow transfer
      rate from the CD-ROM drive. This can be caused by one of the
      following three factors.
 
      1. There may be a terminate-and-stay resident (TSR) program or
         disk-caching program that is slowing the transfer rate from the
         drive. Remove unnecessary TSRs from your Autoexec.bat and
         Config.sys files, and from the LOAD= and RUN= lines in your
         Win.ini file.
 
      2. The CD-ROM drive is not Multimedia PC (MPC) compliant and
         does not meet the transfer rate requirement. Upgrading to an
         MPC compatible CD-ROM drive eliminates the problem.
 
      3. A lack of available memory (RAM) can cause choppy playback.
         Adding additional RAM speeds up the playback.
 
8. Q. Why do I get a general protection fault in Bookshelf 1994 or 1995
      when I play a video clip?
 
   A. Video cards using the Cirrus Logic chipset and Cirrus Logic video
      drivers may have problems running the video clips in Bookshelf.
      These problems may occur if you are using outdated video drivers.
 
      To resolve this problem, perform one of the following two
      procedures:
 
      1. Download the SVGA driver from the Microsoft Download Service
         (MSDL). This driver works correctly on many video cards. The
         number for the MSDL is (206) 936-6735. This service is
         available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The highest download
         speed available is 14,400 bits per second (bps). Each file is a
         compressed, self-extracting file. To download the file, use the
         filename Svga.exe. After you download the file, run it in an
         empty directory to extract the files it contains.
 
         -or-
 
      2. Contact Cirrus Logic for updated Windows drivers. The current
         version is 1.43. To obtain these drivers, contact Cirrus Logic
         at (510) 623-8300. You may also access these drivers from the
         Cirrus Logic bulletin board service (BBS) by calling (510) 440-
         9080.
 
9. Q. When running a multimedia application, I get a general protection
      fault in the video driver or the system may hang.
 
   A. When you get a general protection fault in the video driver, the
      most common problem is old or incompatible video drivers. If you
      are using Windows 95, order the article Q131806 from the Microsoft
      Home Products FastTips Catalog for information about how to change
      your video driver. If you are using Windows 3.x, try one of the
      following four solutions:
 
      1. Use a lower color setting for your video driver. By running
         Windows Setup from the Main Windows program group, you can see
         what Display option you have installed. Try a 256-color setting
         that matches your video card.
 
         -or-
 
      2. Use a lower video resolution for your video driver. By running
         Windows Setup from the Main Windows program group, you can see
         what Display option you have installed. Try a 640 x 480
         resolution setting that matches your video card.
 
         -or-
 
      3. Obtain the most up-to-date drivers from the video card
         manufacturer. This will ensure that older drivers are not the
         cause of the problem.
 
         -or-
 
      4. You can use a generic 256-color driver for Windows. To do so,
         download the SVGA driver from the Microsoft Download Service
         (MSDL) using a modem. This driver works correctly on many video
         cards. The number for the MSDL is (206) 936-6735. This service
         is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The highest
         download speed available is 14,400 bits per second (bps). Each
         file is a compressed, self-extracting file. To download the
         file, use the filename Svga.exe. After you download the file,
         run it in an empty directory to extract the files it contains.
 
10. Q. When I try to play a video in Microsoft Encarta, I get an error
      message that says "The specified file cannot be played on the
      specified MCI device. The file may be corrupt, or not in the
      correct format." How can I correct this?
 
    A. This problem may occur with many of the video clips in Encarta,
       and is caused by an incompatible version of the Windows video
       driver. To correct it, exit Windows, and recopy the driver from
       the application CD-ROM by typing the following three lines at an
       MS-DOS prompt, and pressing ENTER after each line.
 
          cd\windows
          cd system
          copy d:\encarta\mciavi.drv
 
       NOTE: You must exit Windows entirely to complete this
       successfully.
 
       Click Yes when you are prompted to overwrite the existing
       version. You may now restart Windows and play the Encarta videos
       without error.
 
Additional query words: kbhowto msn_encarta mmtitles gp fault gpf
hangs
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Platform          : WINDOWS
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1998.