Kids FastTips: General Questions & Answers
  
PSS ID Number: Q122427
Article last modified on 04-29-1999
 
MACINTOSH:1.0,1.1,1.1a; WINDOWS:1.0,1.1,1.1a
 
MACINTOSH WINDOWS
 

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1.00 1.10 1.10a | 1.00 1.10 1.10a
WINDOWS         | MACINTOSH
kbother kbfasttip kbfaq
 
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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Creative Writer for the Macintosh, versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a 
 - Microsoft Creative Writer for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a 
 - Microsoft Fine Artist for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a 
 - Microsoft Fine Artist for the Macintosh, versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a 
 - Microsoft How the Leopard Got His Spots, version 1.0 
 - Scholastic's Magic School Bus series: Explores Inside the Earth for Windows, version 1.0 
 - Microsoft Explorapedia series: World of Nature for Windows, version 1.0 
 - Microsoft Explorapedia series: World of People for Windows, version 1.0 
 - Scholastic's Magic School Bus series: Explores the Ocean for the Macintosh, version 1.0 
 - Scholastic's Magic School Bus series: Explores the Ocean for Windows, version 1.0 
 - Scholastic's Magic School Bus series: Explores the Human Body for the Macintosh, version 1.0 
 - Scholastic's Magic School Bus series: Explores the Human Body for Windows, version 1.0 
 - Scholastic's Magic School Bus series: Explores the Solar System for Windows, version 1.0 
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SUMMARY
=======
 
The following is the complete contents of the FastTips Question and
Answers article titled "Q122427: Microsoft Kids FastTips: General
Questions & Answers." This article includes answers to common questions
about the products listed at the top of this article.
 
Q122427 is part of the FastTips Question and Answer section for Microsoft
Home Products.
 
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  Microsoft® Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
Q122427: Microsoft Kids Products: FastTips Questions & Answers
 
======================================================================
                                                  Revision Date: 9/95
                                                      8 Pages, No Disk
 
The following information applies to the products listed at the top of
this article.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
| INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY    |
| ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an            |
| Application Note) IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY      |
| KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO    |
| THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A     |
| PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The user assumes the entire risk as to the     |
| accuracy and the use of this Application Note. This Application    |
| Note may be copied and distributed subject to the following        |
| conditions: 1) All text must be copied without modification and    |
| all pages must be included; 2) If software is included, all files  |
| on the disk(s) must be copied without modification; 3) All         |
| components of this Application Note must be distributed together;  |
| and 4) This Application Note may not be distributed for profit.    |
|                                                                    |
| Copyright 1995 Microsoft Corporation. All  Rights Reserved.        |
| Microsoft is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                 |
| Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.        |
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Q. After installing Explorapedia The World of Nature or How The
       Leopard Got His Spots, I cannot return to Windows. Why?
 
    A. To resolve this problem, perform the following five steps:
 
       1. At an MS-DOS command prompt, type:
 
             edit c:\windows\system.ini.
 
       2. You will need to scroll through System.ini until you find
          the [386Enh] section. Here you need to look for two lines
          that end with Dva.386. (The two lines may be separated).
 
       3. Once you have found the two lines, remove the line that
          contains a full path. For example, c:\windows\system\dva.386.
 
       4. Save the changes you have made to the System.ini file and
          exit MS-DOS Editor.
 
       5. At the MS-DOS command prompt, type "win" (without the
          quotation marks) to start Windows.
 
       For additional information on this topic, please order article
       Q126944 from the Microsoft Home Products FastTips Catalog.
 
Q. When I run Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body, I'm not
       hearing any music. Why?
 
    A. There are three reasons why you might not be hearing any music:
 
       1. If you receive an error message, your audio driver
          (specifically the MIDI portion of your audio driver) is
          either not installed or not configured correctly. It also
          can indicate that your MIDI driver is being used by another
          application.
 
       2. If you are running Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body
          with Windows 95, no sound with no error message usually
          indicates that you do not have the MIDI driver enabled and
          directed toward the correct device. In the Multimedia section
          of Control Panel, click the MIDI tab, and make sure Single
          Instrument and MIDI For Internal are checked. Also on the
          Advanced tab, make sure MIDI For Internal is checked.
 
       3. If you are using Windows 3.x, no sound with no error message
          usually indicates that your MIDI Mapper is not configured for
          Extended MIDI. In the MIDI Mapper, channels 1-10 need to be on
          and mapped to the FM synthesizer chip on your sound card.
 
          For more information about troubleshooting MIDI problems,
          refer to the Troubleshooting Audio Problems portion of the
          "Bus Help" file included with the program in the Microsoft
          Kids program group.
 
Q. I am using one of The Magic School Bus applications and am
       getting error messages about my video. Sometimes the games even
       stop responding. Why?
 
    A. Your video card uses a special piece of software called a "video
       driver" to communicate with your computer. In some instances, the
       video driver does not work correctly, causing your video color
       to remap itself to something that is less attractive. Your
       program may stop working, Windows may stop responding (that is,
       hang), or your computer may stop responding.
 
       In addition, The Magic School Bus series requires that your video
       driver display at least 256 colors (Human Body requires that it
       display only 256 colors). Any of these problems can lead to the
       need to change and/or update your video driver.
 
       If you are having a problem that seems video-related, please
       refer to the Troubleshooting Video Problems portion of the "Bus
       Help - Human Body" file included with the program in the
       Microsoft Kids program group.
 
Q. I am using The Magic School Bus series and am getting an error
       message about my .WAV driver. Sometimes I don't get any sound.
       Why?
 
    A. The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body uses both digital-
       audio waveform (.WAV) files and synthesized-audio MIDI files. The
       Magic School Bus Explores the Solar System uses just waveform
       files.
 
       To hear these sounds, you must have a sound card that is capable
       of playing waveform sounds. Your sound card uses a special piece
       of software called a "sound driver" to communicate with your
       computer.
 
       In some instances, you may not get any sounds when using The
       Magic School Bus. Usually this is because your sound driver is
       not installed or is configured improperly. If you do not hear any
       music, if the characters do not talk when you click on them, or
       if you get an error message when you start the program saying
       that there is a  problem with your sound card, sound driver, or
       MIDI driver, your sound and/or MIDI driver may be either
       improperly configured or not installed.
 
       If you do not get sound or music, please refer to the
       Troubleshooting Audio Problems portion of the "Bus Help" file
       included with your Magic School Bus program.
 
Q. My program takes up only a small square in the center of the
       Windows screen. How do I make it fit the whole screen?
 
    A. Most Microsoft Kids programs are designed for the standard
       Windows resolution, which is 640 x 480 pixels. The higher your
       resolution, the smaller the pixels will be. To increase the size
       of your viewing window, change your video driver to VGA
       resolution displaying 256 colors by performing the following
       four-step procedure. Note that this process changes your system
       settings. Before making any changes to your current display
       driver, it is a good idea to back up your System.ini file, which
       is located in your Windows directory. Make a copy of it and name
       the copy System.old.
 
       If You Are Using Windows 95
       ---------------------------
 
       If you are using Windows 95, perform the following four steps:
 
       1. Click the right mouse button when the pointer is over the
          desktop.
 
       2. Click Properties.
 
       3. Click the Settings tab and move the Desktop Area slider
          control so that the value is 640 by 480 pixels.
 
       4. Click the OK button in this window and follow the instructions
          in the next dialog boxes.
 
       If You Are Using Windows 3.x
       ----------------------------
 
       If you are using Windows 3.x, perform the following four steps:
 
       1. In Program Manager, open the Main group, and run Windows
          Setup.
 
       2. From the Options menu, choose Change System Settings. From the
          Display list box, select VGA with 256 colors.
 
       3. Choose OK. A message should appear stating that the driver is
          already installed. Choose Current.
 
       4. A message will prompt you to restart Windows. Choose Restart
          Windows.
 
Q. In Windows, when I double-click on Creative Writer, Fine Artist,
       or Magic School Bus, I get a message stating that there's no disk
       in the drive, but the CD is there. Why doesn't it recognize the
       CD-ROM? (NOTE: Another related error is "Bad block device...")
 
    A. This message commonly occurs when the compact disc is dirty.
       Gently clean the CD-ROM with a soft cloth. Also, check to ensure
       that the original installation of the application has not been
       moved or deleted.
 
       Try any other CD-ROM programs that you might have to ensure that
       your CD-ROM driver is working properly. If several CD-ROMs
       display the same behavior, contact your hardware dealer for
       further information about installation and configuration of your
       CD-ROM.
 
       For additional troubleshooting tips, please order the article
       Q95821 from the Microsoft Home Products FastTips Catalog.
 
Q. How do I get my cards to print more quickly from Creative
       Writer for Windows? Sometimes they don't print at all.
 
    A. Try switching to the VGA display driver using the following
       procedure. This process changes your system settings. Before
       making any changes to your current display driver, it is a good
       idea to back up your System.ini file, which is located in your
       Windows directory. Make a copy of it and name the copy
       System.old.
 
       If You Are Using Windows 95
       ---------------------------
 
       If you are using Windows 95, perform the following nine steps:
 
       1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click
          Control Panel.
 
       2. Double-click Display.
 
       3. Click Settings.
 
       4. Click Change Display Type.
 
       5. In the Adapter Type section, click Change.
 
       6. Click Show All Devices.
 
       7. Under Manufacturers, click Standard Display Types.
 
       8. Under Models, click Standard Display Adapter (VGA).
 
       9. Click OK. Click Close in the following two windows and restart
          your computer.
 
       If You Are Using Windows 3.x
       ----------------------------
 
       If you are using Windows 3.x, perform the following five steps:
 
       1. In Program Manager, open the Main group, and run Windows
          Setup.
 
       2. On the Options menu, click Change System Settings. In
          the Display list box, click VGA.
 
       3. Click OK. A message should appear stating that the driver is
          already installed. Choose Current.
 
       4. A message will prompt you to restart Windows. Choose Restart
          Windows.
 
       5. Try printing the card again.
 
   For additional information on this topic, order the articles
   Q115071, Q109863, and Q133291 from the Microsoft Home Product
   FastTips Catalog or see the core article.
 
Q. What can I do when my text types over itself or doesn't appear in
      Creative Writer for Windows?
 
   A. Using a fax printer driver or having an incorrect paper setting
      can cause this behavior. Correct this by doing the following.
 
      If You Are Using Windows 95
      ---------------------------
 
      If you are using Windows 95, perform the following five-steps:
 
      1. Click the Start button, point at Settings, and then click
         Printers.
 
      2. Use the right mouse button to click the appropriate printer.
         Under Printer, make sure Set As Default is checked.
 
      3. With the right mouse button, click the printer again. Click
         Properties.
 
      4. Click the Paper tab.
 
      5. Make sure that Letter is selected in the Paper Size section.
 
      If You Are Using Windows 3.x
      ----------------------------
 
      If you are using Windows 3.x, do the following:
 
      1. In Program Manager, open the Main group.
 
      2. From the Control Panel window, run Printers. Verify that the
         default printer driver is not a fax driver.
 
      3. If the default printer is a fax driver, select another driver
         for your printer under Installed Printers, and choose Set As
         Default.
 
      4. Choose the Setup button.
 
      5. Make sure that the paper size selected is Letter or 8 1/2 x
         11, and choose OK.
 
      6. Close the Printers dialog box. When you return to Creative
         Writer, you should see neatly spaced text when you type.
 
      For additional information on this topic, order the articles
      Q109864 and Q130255 from the Microsoft Home Product FastTips
      Catalog.
 
Q. When I print to my color ImageWriter II from my Macintosh, the
       output is black and white. Why?
 
    A. When you print to an Apple ImageWriter II, colored items print in
       black and white. This occurs because Creative Writer uses Color
       QuickDraw routines that the ImageWriter II driver does not
       support.
 
       The ImageWriter II uses an older technology, called QuickDraw,
       and its printer driver has not been updated to Apple's current
       Color QuickDraw specifications. Therefore, applications that use
       the older technology will print in color to these printers, but
       Kids products will not.
 
       For additional information on this topic, please order article
       Q109862 from the Microsoft Home Products FastTips Catalog.
 
Q. How do I save to a floppy disk in Creative Writer and Fine
       Artist?
 
    A. You can save a file to a floppy disk through the Control Room in
       Creative Writer or Fine Artist.
 
      1. Open the desired document within the program.
 
      2. Press CTRL+SHIFT+A in Windows, or COMMAND+SHIFT+A on the
         Macintosh. This will open a Creative Writer dialog box.
 
      3. Click OK. You will now see the Control Room Toolbar.
 
      4. On the File menu, click Save As.
 
      5. In the Save As dialog box, specify the drive in which your
         floppy disk resides, and type a name for the file. Click Save.
         Your file should now be saved to your floppy disk.
 
      6.  On the File menu, click Return to <Creative Writer or Fine
          Artist> to return to your program.
 
Additional query words: 1.00 1.10 1.10a kbhowto mac wm_writer wm_artist human body solar system world of nature people winmsbsolar msbsolar mskids
 
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Keywords          :  
Version           : MACINTOSH:1.0,1.1,1.1a; WINDOWS:1.0,1.1,1.1a
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbinfo
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1999.