Dinosaurs: README.TXT Contents
  
PSS ID Number: Q104211
Article last modified on 07-09-1998
 

 

 

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1.00
WINDOWS
kbreadme kbmm
 
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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Dinosaurs for Windows, version 1.0
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SUMMARY
=======
 
This article contains the complete text of the Microsoft Dinosaurs
version 1.0 README.TXT file.
 
README.TXT
==========
 
Contents of the Microsoft Dinosaurs README.TXT file
Microsoft Corporation
June 28, 1993
 
This file contains additional information about Dinosaurs not
included in the User's Guide.
 
To read this file on-screen, use the Page Down and Page Up keys.
You can also print the file by choosing the Print command from
the File menu in any Windows word processing program.  If you
open this file in Windows Write, Microsoft Word, or another
word processor, it will be easier to read if you select the
entire document and format the text in 10-point Courier.
 
This README file contains important information on the following
topics:
 
Section   Description
 
-------   -------------------------------------------------------
   1      DEMONSTRATION MODE
          How to make Dinosaurs automatically and
          randomly demonstrate all of its Dinosaurs.
 
   2      RUNNING IN LOW MEMORY OR RUNNING SLOWLY
          How to make Dinosaurs run on low-memory machines.
 
   3      CD-ROM PROBLEMS
          Hints on solving problems accessing CD-ROM drives.
 
   4      PRINTING AND COPYING
          How to print and copy Dinosaur screens.
 
   5      VIDEO DISPLAY PROBLEMS
          Images don't display properly or video driver
          errors.
 
   6      AUDIO PROBLEMS
          Some common sound problems and how to fix them.
 
   7      MSDINOS.INI AND COMMAND LINE OPTIONS
          What the MSDINOS.INI file contains; options that
          control the way Dinosaurs runs.
 
   8      RUNNING UNDER MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT
          Getting the movies to work; video support.
 
   9      DINOSAUR MOVIES
          How to run movies in a window or full-screen.
 
=================================================================
1.  DEMONSTRATION MODE
=================================================================
 
Dinosaurs has a demonstration mode for use in stores which
begins an automatic random "slide show" of the dinosaur pages
if you haven't used the program for a specified number of
minutes.
 
You can select demonstration mode by pressing CTRL+ALT+R after
starting Dinosaurs.  This will display a dialog box in
which you can turn on the "Start random automatically" check box
and specify the number of minutes to wait before starting the
slide show.  After demonstration mode has been selected,
Dinosaurs will remain in that mode until you press CTRL+ALT+R
again to display the dialog box and turn off the check box.
 
=================================================================
2.  RUNNING IN LOW MEMORY OR RUNNING SLOWLY
=================================================================
 
Dinosaurs uses your computer's system memory to display
pictures.  If you find that Dinosaurs runs slowly or if
you encounter out-of-memory errors, Dinosaurs probably
doesn't have enough memory.  Consider doing the following to
improve your computer's performance:
 
 * Close all unnecessary applications.
 
 * Determine how much total memory your computer has available
   by typing "mem" and pressing ENTER at the DOS prompt.  You
   need a minimum of 4MB (4,000,000 bytes) of total memory to
   use Dinosaurs.  If you do not have at least 4MB of
   memory, you will not be able to run Dinosaurs until
   you add more memory.
 
 * If you are running Windows in Enhanced mode, set up a
   permanent Windows swap file on your hard disk.  See your
   Windows documentation for more information.
 
 * If your computer runs at 20MHz or slower and you have only
   4MB of RAM, it is advisable to use a 16-color driver for your
   display, even if you have a 256-color graphics card.  You can
   change the display driver by running the Microsoft Windows
   Setup program from DOS or from Windows.  See your Windows
   documentation for more information.
 
 * Defragment ("clean up") your hard disk by running a
   defragmentation program.
 
=================================================================
3.  CD-ROM PROBLEMS
=================================================================
 
NOTE - Do not remove the Dinosaurs compact disc from
your CD-ROM drive while Dinosaurs is in the process of
playing a sound or displaying a new picture, or is running in
Random mode.
 
If the Dinosaurs program cannot find the data files
that it needs from the Dinosaurs compact disc, you'll
see a message that asks you to select the drive containing the
files.  To find the source of the problem, do the following:
 
 * Make sure the Dinosaurs compact disc is correctly
   inserted into the CD-ROM drive.
 
 * Make sure that the Dinosaurs program is looking for
   the compact disc on the correct drive.  Check to see if the
   drive letter for your CD-ROM drive has changed.  You can use
   the Windows File Manager to determine which drive letter is
   assigned to the CD-ROM drive.  The Select Drive command in
   the Disk menu will say "CD-ROM" next to the CD-ROM drive
   letter.
 
 * If you have an external CD-ROM drive, make sure that the
   drive is connected to your computer, plugged in, and turned
   on.  If you still see the error message after checking the
   points above, check the documentation that came with your
   CD-ROM drive or contact the company that supplied the drive.
 
 * Make sure that your CD-ROM drive is MPC-compatible. An
   MPC-compatible drive "has an average seek time of less
   than one second and can transfer data from the compact
   disc at 150K per second while using less than 40% of the
   CPU bandwidth."  Check the documentation that came with
   your CD-ROM drive to make sure it meets these
   requirements.  An incompatible CD-ROM drive will slow down
   the performance of Dinosaurs.
 
=================================================================
4.  PRINTING AND COPYING
=================================================================
 
All screens in Dinosaurs are large color pictures.  Depending
on the type of printer you have, printing a picture of the
screen may take several minutes.  Also, screen resolution
and printer resolution are often not the same, so the resulting
printout may not match the quality you see on the screen.
 
You should be able to print grayscale images from Dinosaurs.
If you have a black and white laser printer you might need to
upgrade your printer driver; call the dealer from whom you
bought the printer or the printer manufacturer.  It is also
possible to print Dinosaurs screens in color on a color printer.
 
Because the pictures can be quite large, you may have difficulty
copying or printing in low-memory conditions.  In this case,
close all other running applications and try again.
 
=================================================================
5.  VIDEO DISPLAY PROBLEMS
=================================================================
 
Dinosaurs will run in 16-color or 256-color screen
mode.  The program will automatically detect whether you are
running in 16- or 256-color and display pictures accordingly.
If your computer is running in 16-color mode, and the video card
will support 256 colors in 640x480 resolution, you can run
Windows Setup to change the screen driver to see Dinosaurs
at its highest image quality.  Check your Windows documentation
for information on changing video drivers.
 
--------------------------------------
PROBLEMS WITH THE DISPLAY IN DINOSAURS
--------------------------------------
If you encounter problems displaying images or videos when
running Microsoft Dinosaurs, check the currently installed video
driver:
 
        1. Run the Windows Setup application.
        2. Locate the Display driver item in the application
           window.
 
  If the display driver item is VGA:
 
      * Try running Windows in Standard Mode by typing
        WIN /S from the DOS prompt. If Standard Mode Windows
        works, try starting Windows in the enhanced mode with
        the following command:
 
        WIN /D:XV
 
        If this solves the problem, make the following
        modifications to your SYSTEM.INI file in the [386Enh] section:
 
        EMMEXCLUDE=A000-EFFF
        VIRTUALHDIRQ=OFF
 
  If the display driver item is NOT VGA:
 
        1. Choose Change System Settings from the Options menu.
        2. Change the Display setting to VGA.
        3. Choose OK and restart Windows.
        4. Run Microsoft Dinosaurs and determine if the
           display problems still occur. If the problem still
           exists follow the suggestions described for VGA
           drivers, above.
 
If the problem is solved, this would indicate that your current
video driver selection is experiencing problems rendering
images in Dinosaurs.  You might want to consider choosing
another video driver (if available) provided by your video card
manufacturer. To do so, run the Windows Setup application. If
the problem persists, contact your video card manufacturer for
updated video drivers.
 
------------
ATI PROBLEMS
------------
 
Microsoft Dinosaurs is incompatible with some advanced features
used by some video cards such as the Mach32 chip set running the
ATI drivers.
 
For Dinosaurs to run on the ATI driver the "256 color palette"
control in the "Advanced features" of the "ATI Control Panel"
needs to be set to ON.  See your video card documentation for
more information.
 
=================================================================
6.  AUDIO PROBLEMS
=================================================================
 
Audio problems can have many causes. Other applications that
play sounds may interrupt sounds in Dinosaurs, because
your computer cannot play two sounds simultaneously.  This is
generally a temporary clash that will resolve itself. However, a
few applications that play sounds, such as some screen savers,
may remove audio capability from all other Windows applications.
If you suspect you have such an application, turn it off or do
not run it while running Dinosaurs.
 
------------------------------
SOUNDS PLAY, BUT NOT VERY WELL
------------------------------
 
Sounds that are distorted or "fuzzy" have several possible
causes.  The most likely one is simply that your speakers are
not of high quality.  Low-frequency sounds, such as the
dinosaur roars, may not reproduce well on some equipment.
 
It is also possible that the software settings on your sound
board are causing distortion.  For example, if the sound card
volume or "WAVE file input" is set to near its maximum, it will
produce amplification distortion, just as it would on a stereo
system.  To find out how to change your sound board settings,
check the documentation that came with your sound board.
 
Your CD-ROM drive should be MPC-compatible.  An MPC-compatible
drive "has an average seek time of less than one second and can
transfer data from the compact disc at 150K per second while
using less than 40% of the CPU bandwidth."  Check the
documentation that came with your CD-ROM drive to make sure it
meets these requirements.  An incompatible CD-ROM drive may work
but give lower-quality sound or cause the sound to be
interrupted while playing.
 
-------------------------
SOUND DOESN'T PLAY AT ALL
-------------------------
 
If you don't hear any sounds, make sure that the volume for your
speakers is set to an audible level.
 
If the volume is set to an audible level and you still hear no
sounds at all, something may be wrong with your sound board
setup.  Check to see that the driver is installed correctly and,
if necessary, reinstall it. Refer to the documentation that came
with your sound card for more information on installing audio
drivers.
 
Please note that Dinosaurs requires an MPC-compatible
sound board to be installed and is not intended to run with
drivers which use the PC internal speaker, such as the
unsupported "PC Speaker" driver.  Such a driver will in most
cases not play any sounds, and if the driver setup option
"Enable Interrupts" is not checked, the system may crash.
Check the "Drivers" configuration in your Windows control panel.
If you have both a sound board and the PC Speaker driver installed,
it is preferable to un-install the PC Speaker driver.
 
------------------
MEDIA VISION CARDS
------------------
 
A small number of Media Vision sound card drivers (Pro Audio -
Spectrum cards) may cause problems.  If you have a Media Vision
card and don't hear sounds, try upgrading your driver.  You can
find updated versions of the Media Vision drivers in the
XFILES\DRIVERS\MVPAS directory on your Dinosaurs compact disc.
 
The following text (between the asterisks) contain
installation instructions from Media Vision. If you have any
problems, call the Media Vision Technical Support telephone
number listed below.
 
     *******************************************************
 
     NOTE from MEDIA VISION:  "Before adding and/or updating
     Media Vision device control software for Windows 3.1, it is
     important to first remove any Media Vision drivers that are
     currently installed.  After removing all drivers - there
     typically are four installed:
 
        1. Pro Audio/CDPC Wave/Midi/Aux
        2. Pro Audio/CDPC Mixer
        3. Voyetra/Media Vision OPL# Stereo FM and
        4. Media Vision Mixer Control
 
     Restart Windows and load the new drivers using the Control
     Panel.  This additional step is necessary since the Media
     Vision drivers share the services of a dynamic link library
     that can only be unloaded by restarting Windows.
 
     Media Vision's device control software for Windows 3.1
     supports the following audio adaptors:
 
        *  Pro AudioSpectrum 16
        *  Pro AudioSpectrum Plus
        *  CDPC and CDPC XL
 
     To load the driver for one of the products listed above,
     from the Drivers applet in the Control Panel select the
     'Media Vision Pro Audio/CDPC Wave/MIDI/Aux' driver.
 
     However, if you have an original Pro AudioSpectrum, from
     the Control Panel select the 'Media Vision Pro Audio
     (Orig.) Wave/MIDI/Aux' driver.
 
     If you experience any difficulty loading and/or using any
     of the Media Vision drivers, contact Media Vision technical
     support at (800) 638-2807"
 
     *******************************************************
 
Please note that these driver programs are not part of the
Microsoft Dinosaurs product.  Microsoft makes no
warranties or claims regarding the quality, stability or
performance characteristics of driver programs, which are
included AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY.  The included driver programs are the latest
releases available to Microsoft, and are included for your
convenience only.  Should you experience any difficulties with
the driver programs, please contact the manufacturer.
 
=================================================================
7.  MSDINOS.INI AND COMMAND LINE OPTIONS
=================================================================
 
The MSDINOS.INI file is installed by Dinosaurs on your
hard drive.  This file contains information on the default
screen position for the Dinosaurs window (where you
last left it), the default drive letter for the Dinosaurs
compact disc, and the default network connection if
you are running Dinosaurs from a network server.
 
If you add "-d<drive letter>" to the command line, Dinosaurs
will look for its data files on that drive rather
than on the drive specified in the MSDINOS.INI file.  For
example, if you add "-de", Dinosaurs will look for
its data files on drive E.
 
=================================================================
8.  RUNNING UNDER MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT
=================================================================
 
Microsoft Dinosaurs was released before the final version
of Windows NT, thus Dinosaurs has been tested only on Beta
versions of NT.  There are two potential problems with Dinosaurs
running under NT: first, there is no VGA support for Dinosaurs;
if you are running NT you need to be using VGA+ or better display
to use Dinosaurs.  Second, the CompacVideo driver used for movies
for NT was not completed by the time Dinosaurs shipped.
 
=================================================================
9.  DINOSAUR MOVIES
=================================================================
The Dinosaur Movies play full-screen by default.  Some video
drivers don't play movies properly full-screen (on a black
background).  If MS Dinosaurs detects a problem when playing
movies it will switch to playing movies in a window.
 
If you would like to switch between playing movies full-screen or
in a window, change the "VideoInWindow" line in your MSDINOS.INI
in your WINDOWS directory as follows:
 
VideoInWindow=0        (This will make movies play full-screen)
 
VideoInWindow=1        (This will make movies play in a window)
 
KBCategory: kbreadme kbmm
KBSubcategory:
 
Additional reference words: 1993multi media multimedia multi-media
Readme.wri dinos C
======================================================================
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1998.