Q137127: Encarta 96 for Windows: Readme.wri Contents (Part 1 of 2)
Article: Q137127
Product(s): Microsoft Home Multimedia Titles
Version(s): 96
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s):
Last Modified: 30-DEC-2000
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia for Windows
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SUMMARY
=======
The following information is a copy of the README.WRI file from the Encarta
CD-ROM. This article is part 1 of 2. For part 2, please see the following
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q137128 Encarta 96 for Windows: Readme.wri Contents (Part 2 of 2)
NOTE: This Readme document refers to the Microsoft Download Service (MSDL). As of
12/31/1998, the MSDL service is no longer available. To download support files,
visit one of the following Microsoft Internet sites:
http://www.microsoft.com/support
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles
MORE INFORMATION
================
Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia Tips
This document contains information that will help you get the most out
of Encarta 96 Encyclopedia and your system.
To read this file online, use the Page Down and Page Up keys on your
keyboard. You can print the file by choosing the Print command from
the File menu.
Sending Suggestions, Content Enhancements, and Errors
------------------------------------------------------
If you have suggestions for features you would like to see in future
editions of the encyclopedia or comments about the current version,
please send them to:
Encarta Encyclopedia Program Manager
Consumer Division
Microsoft Corporation
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
FAX: (206) 936-7329
Internet: mswish@microsoft.com
Comments about errors, comprehensiveness, or validity of information
presented are welcome. Please send these comments by FAX, U.S. mail,
or e-mail.
MORE INFORMATION
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Table of Contents
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1. Encarta 96 Encyclopedia System Requirements
2. Problems During Setup
3. Encarta 96 Encyclopedia and Windows Performance Issues
4. Video Cards and Display Problems
5. Audio Problems
6. CD-ROM Problems
7. Word Processors and Encarta 96 Encyclopedia
8. Mouse Cursor Problem
9. General Multimedia Information
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1. Encarta 96 Encyclopedia System Requirements
Multimedia PC:
- 486SX or higher microprocessor (386DX minimum)
- 8 MB of memory (6 MB minimum)
- CD-ROM drive (double speed CD-ROM drive recommended)
- Sound Card
- SVGA 256-color monitor
- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
- Headphones or speakers
Hard-Disk Space:
- For Windows 95, 9 MB (2 MB minimum)
- For Windows 3.1x, 11 MB (4.5 MB minimum)
Operating Systems:
- MS-DOS 3.1 or later with Microsoft Windows operating system
version 3.1 or later, OR
- Windows 95, OR
- Windows NT Workstation operating system version 3.51 or later
NOTE: Encarta 96 Encyclopedia is not intended for use on non-Intel
based CPU's
To use Encarta Yearbook Builder you need:
- A modem
- Access to the Microsoft World Wide Web page on the Internet, OR
- A user account on The Microsoft Network
- 7.5 MB of hard-disk space for a year's worth of Yearbook Builder
files
2. Problems During Setup
Because Setup installs system files that may be shared with other
applications, it is best to shut down other applications before
setting up.
If the online registration for the encyclopedia does not work for some
reason, the only way to try again is to run the setup program once
more. If the problem continues, please use the registration card
included in the encyclopedia box.
Because the encyclopedia requires some changes to the system, it may
not install correctly on a Windows NT system while you're logged on as
a user. To work around this, you should log in as an administrator to
run Setup.
In Windows 3.1, Setup may have problems on a system with the Diamond
Stealth VRAM v.2.31 800x600 video driver. If problems occur using this
driver, please contact Diamond and get an updated version of this
video driver.
The encyclopedia no longer supports the /a and /n switches for
administrative setups on a network. If you use the /n switch you will
get the following messages:
"The command line user name option /n must provide a double quoted
string of no more than 52 characters."
"Note that the /n option does not specify an installation of a
shared version of a product to be run from a network location. To
install a shared version of this product, run setup without the /n
option and follow the instructions on the screen."
"Usage: setup /a Use the /a switch to run setup in
administrator mode."
Refer to your Encarta Encyclopedia User's Guide for minimum system
requirements for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.
3. Encarta 96 Encyclopedia and Windows Performance Issues
There are several ways to make Encarta Encyclopedia run faster. Many
of the methods described below are general tips to improve the
performance of any Windows application. Consult your Windows manual
for more details.
Improving Performance in Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11
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Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia uses your computer's memory (RAM) to
display pictures and play animations and sound. If the encyclopedia
runs slowly or you see out-of-memory errors, the encyclopedia may not
have enough memory. Below are some tips to make the best use of your
available memory.
- Close all applications that you are not using.
- Set up a permanent Windows swap file. Windows works best when there
is hard disk space allocated for swapping a file into or out of
your computer's memory. To set up a permanent Windows swap file on
your hard disk, open the Control Panel (usually in the "Main"
program group of Program Manager), and click the icon "386
Enhanced." Then use the "Virtual Memory" button to see if your
current swap file is temporary or permanent, to check the size of
the current swap file, and to make changes. Windows usually creates
a temporary swap file by default, but if your disk is full or
fragmented, this temporary file can become unavailable. If you can,
make the size of the permanent swap file at least 4096 KB.
Look at the Help menu of the Windows Control Panel or in your Windows
documentation for more information.
- Defragment or optimize your hard disk by running a defragmentation
program. For example, MS-DOS 6.0 includes a utility called
Microsoft Defrag. Some other popular utilities are PC Tools, Norton
Utilities, and Mace Utilities.
- Add more RAM (memory) to your computer. You can determine how much
memory is available by starting MS-DOS, typing "mem", and pressing
ENTER. This starts a program that tells you how much memory you
have. You need at least 6 megabytes (sometimes listed as 6144
kilobytes or KB) of RAM, and 8 megabytes is highly recommended.
- Add a cache to your CD-ROM drive. SmartDrive in MS-DOS 6.2 and
utilities like Norton Speedcache+ can significantly improve the
performance of CD-ROM products by helping eliminate unnecessary
seeks and reads. If you have an older or slow CD-ROM drive, the
performance difference is very noticeable.
For more details on improving performance, consult your Windows and
CD-ROM manuals or see the tips in your Encarta Encyclopedia User's
Guide.
Improving Performance in Windows 95
-----------------------------------
Make sure that Windows 95 is optimized to run your type of CD drive.
Windows 95 provides settings for CD caching and for accessing various
CD drive speeds.
To review and modify these settings:
1. Select the 'My Computer' Icon and click it with the right mouse-
button to view the secondary click menu.
2. Choose Properties.
3. Choose the Performance tab.
4. Choose the File System button.
5. Select the CD-ROM tab.
In this box, make sure that the Supplemental Cache size is set to
'Large'. Also, verify that the Optimize access pattern is correctly
set for the type of CD-ROM drive that is installed on your system.
4. Video Cards and Display Problems
Windows 3.1 or Windows 95
-------------------------
Encarta 96 Encyclopedia will not run in 16-color mode. The standard
VGA driver that comes with Windows 3.1 and almost all video cards can
show only 16 colors. However, unless you have a VGA-only video card or
monitor, you can change to a higher color mode. For example, you can
change to a driver that will display 256 colors. Your system may
already have a driver installed that displays 256 colors or more. For
instructions on how to determine what video driver you have installed,
and on how to install or change drivers, refer to your Windows
documentation.
In some situations, the encyclopedia may encounter video display
problems when using high resolution video drivers from various video
card manufacturers. The problems include maps or illustrations in the
article text appearing grainy or flawed, animations breaking up or not
displaying at all, and videos displaying garbled images or crashing
the encyclopedia.
There are several things you can do if you encounter problems like
this:
- Obtain updated drivers from your video card manufacturer. Most
problems can be fixed by obtaining new drivers; contact the
manufacturer of your video card to determine if there are newer
versions available. The phone number should be in the manuals that
came with your video card or personal computer. Another option for
obtaining updated drivers is the Microsoft Download service, an
electronic bulletin board that can be accessed via a modem at (206)
936-MSDL (206-936-6735).
- Change to a different display mode. An alternative to obtaining a
new or updated display driver is to change your video mode to a
standard video mode such as 640 x 480 resolution with 256 colors.
Windows 3.1
===========
Using Encarta Encyclopedia with ATI video Cards
-----------------------------------------------
If you are using an ATI Ultra driver, specifically the drivers
ULTRA.DRV or ULTRABG.DRV, the encyclopedia may "freeze" while running.
If this happens, you will get no error message and will have to use
the Ctrl-Alt-Delete keystroke to close the encyclopedia and return to
Windows. The solution to this problem is to get a newer driver from
ATI (see below for how to contact ATI). A temporary work-around is to
add the following line to your ENCARTA.INI file:
NoWatermark=1
To add this line, use Notepad to edit your ENCARTA.INI file. Add the
line under [96Options]. ENCARTA.INI, found in your windows directory.
This line will prevent the encyclopedia's "Watermarks" from being
drawn, which will remove the source of the failure. Once you install
new drivers, you can remove this line from the .INI file.
Using ATI Mach Drivers
----------------------
If you are using an ATI video card and a "mach" video driver (mach8 or
mach32) as your Windows display driver, the Device Bitmaps setting for
the video card must be set to "Off". This enables the animations in
the encyclopedia to run properly.
To check/change this setting:
1. Launch the Mach FlexDesk Control Panel by double-clicking the "mach
FlexDesk Control Panel" icon usually found in the "mach Utilities"
program group in Program Manager. The "mach Utilities" group is
created when you run the ATI mach video driver setup program.
2. Click the Advanced button.
3. Make sure "Device Bitmaps" is set to "Off", or set it to "Off" if
it is not. (If the Advanced dialog box has no "Device Bitmaps"
setting, read below on changing the setting through your WIN.INI
file.).
4. Click OK to close the FlexDesk Advanced Settings.
5. Click OK to close the FlexDesk Control Panel.
You will need to restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
If the Advanced dialog box has no "Device Bitmaps" setting, you will
have to make the change by altering your WIN.INI file. You can do this
by running Notepad, which is normally located in the Accessories group
in Program Manager. Open the file WIN.INI, which can be found in your
windows subdirectory. With the cursor placed at the top of the file,
search for the word "devicebitmap" (do not enter the quotation marks,
do not use any spaces). To search, select "Search" then "Find". You
should find a line that reads, "devicebitmap=on". Change it to
"devicebitmap=off" and save the file. You will need to restart Windows
for the change to take effect.
You can verify the Windows Display driver selection by launching the
Windows Setup icon found in the Main program group of the Windows
Program Manager.
Also, if the ATI Crystal Fonts option is turned on, the encyclopedia
may not display the correct colors. We suggest turning this option off
if you are running in 256 color mode and are experiencing color
problems.
If you are using the Mach64 video card with the following driver
MACX.DRV V3.0.33 Dated 12/13/94 Size 259,696
there may be some screen corruption in the Tours section that is fixed
by running the SVGA driver on this disc.
For information about ATI video cards or the ATI installation utility
referred to above, contact ATI Technical Support at (905) 882-2626, or
their bbs at 905-764-9404.
Using Orchid Fahrenheit Cards
-----------------------------
If you are running the orchid Fahrenheit 1280 in true color mode,
Encarta Encyclopedia may lock up. You can try running in 256 color
mode or obtaining an updated driver from Orchid.
5. Audio Problems
The following are some suggested solutions for common problems with
playing audio in Encarta Encyclopedia.
Sound Does Not Play At All
==========================
Windows 3.x
-----------
If sound does not play at all
1. Check the volume.
2. If the volume is turned up and you still hear no sounds, something
may be wrong with your audio card installation. Check to see that the
audio card software is installed correctly and reinstall it if
necessary. For further details, see the section below "MAKING SURE THE
SOUND CARD IS INSTALLED PROPERLY"
3. If the software is installed correctly, the audio card may need to
be pressed more securely into its slot or have a jumper setting
changed on the audio card.
4. If you have both an audio card and special software that bypasses
the audio card to play sounds through the PC speaker, we suggest you
remove or disable the special software (the PC speaker driver).
Encarta Encyclopedia requires an MPC-compatible audio; it is not meant
to run with just the PC internal speaker or any combination of that
speaker and special software.
Windows 95
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If the volume is turned up and you still hear no sounds, something may
be wrong with your audio card installation. Check to see that the
audio card drivers are installed correctly and reinstall them if
necessary. For further details, see the section below "MAKING SURE THE
SOUND CARD IS INSTALLED PROPERLY"
Are the speakers plugged in to the computer and to the outlet? Is the
volume turned up?
- Check the volume control on the speaker itself.
- Check the volume control in Windows as shown in the illustration.
Do you hear sounds in other programs?
If you don't hear anything in other programs, check the sound card
manual or call the sound card manufacturer for help.
Sound Plays But Is Distorted Or "Fuzzy"
=======================================
Windows 3.x
-----------
Sound distortion is often caused by sending a higher volume or
amplitude of sound than the speakers are able to handle. Also, if the
volume control on your audio card is set too high it may cause
distortion from the amplifier on the audio card. Sometimes lower-
quality speakers will distort at a lower volume than better speakers
will (compare a clock radio speaker to a big stereo system; the stereo
speakers can play much louder with no distortion). For example, if the
volume for your audio card or "WAVE file output" is set to near its
maximum, it will produce distortion just like a radio with the volume
turned up too high. To learn how to change your audio card settings,
check the manuals that came with your audio card.
Changing the volume settings is normally done with either a volume
dial on the back of your audio card (in the rear of your computer
where the speakers plug in) or with a program that is often called a
"mixer," which is usually installed in the Windows Control Panel of
the Main program group. Some audio cards use both types of controls,
and they must both be adjusted.
Another possible cause is that you are using a 16-bit sound card set
to a lower Direct Memory Access (DMA). Sounds that appear scratchy
while using a low DMA will sound better using an upper DMA. In the
case of the Media Vision Pro Audio 16 soundcard, a DMA setting of 7
will correct any scratchy sounds. To change the DMA channel you will
have to go to the Windows Control Panel and select drivers. In the
drivers section select the sound card driver and choose setup. You
should be able to select a higher DMA setting here. If the driver will
not allow you to change the DMA setting, you may need to refer to your
sound card manual.
Windows 95
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In Windows 95, you can adjust the volume in one of two ways:
- Turn the volume dial on the back of your sound card (in the rear of
the computer where the speakers plug in).
- Change the volume control in Windows using the volume control on
the Task Bar.
Sound Plays but Has Skips
=========================
Windows 3.x and 95
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If audio breaks up or skips periodically, it is usually an indication
that the CD-ROM drive does not fully meet the MPC (Multimedia PC)
specification for the Data Transfer Rate. The MPC specification states
that the CD-ROM drive needs to be capable of transferring data at a
rate of 150 KB per second while using 40% or less of the CPU. In
addition, Encarta Encyclopedia requires a doublespin CD drive (which
is capable of transferring 300 KB/second). You can continue to use
your CD-ROM drive to run the encyclopedia, but you will continue to
experience this choppiness in audio and animation clips.
Sounds Are Cut Off
==================
Windows 3.x and Windows 95
--------------------------
Most audio cards can play only one sound at a time; therefore, other
sound-producing programs could interrupt the sounds from the
encyclopedia. Some sound-producing programs may take over the audio
capability and prevent other Windows programs from being able to make
sounds. If you suspect you have such a program, do not run it at the
same time as the encyclopedia.
Error Message: "No Wave Device That Can Play Files..."
Windows 3.x
-----------
If you get the error message
"No wave device that can play files in the current format is
installed. Use the drivers option to install the wave device."
when trying to play some sound clips or dialogues, then the Microsoft
audio compression manager and drivers may not be installed correctly.
In order to verify that the necessary files are installed, open the
Control Panel from the Main program group and then open the sound
mapper. The sound mapper should have the following drivers listed as
follows:
Priority Driver
1. Microsoft PCM Converter
2. Microsoft ADPCM CODEC
3. Microsoft IMA ADPCM CODEC
4. Microsoft GSM 6.10 Audio CODEC
If the priorities are out of order, select the driver, choose
priority, and select the appropriate priority.
If any of the drivers are missing from sound mapper, you can either
contact product support or download article Q121132 "MSACM 2.0:
Compressed Audio Will Not Play" from our Fast Tips line at (800)936-
4100. This article is also available on the Microsoft web site
(http://www.microsoft.com), from the knowledge base page.
Windows 95
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If you get the error message in Windows 95, you should open the
Control Panel, choose Add/Remove programs, select Windows setup, then
choose Audio Compression from the Multimedia section.
Anthem Volume Is Too Low
Windows 3.x
-----------
When playing anthems in the encyclopedia, you may hear softer sounds
than when playing other audio. To increase the sound level, you need
to adjust your mixer settings. To do this you must first locate your
mixer. It should be in the group where your sound software is loaded.
Refer to your audio card's software manual for the exact location.
Once you find and run the mixer, you can independently raise and lower
the levels of the different types of sound. For example you can turn
up wav audio and turn down the CD-audio. To get the anthems to play
louder, turn up the MIDI setting.
Windows 95
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When playing anthems in the encyclopedia you may hear softer sounds
than when playing other audio. To increase the sound level, you need
to adjust your mixer settings. To do this, from the start menu choose
accessories, then multimedia. In the multimedia section you will see
Volume Control. Select this and adjust the volume level(s) to the
desired volume.
Audio Does Not Play During Animations
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Windows 3.x
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If you install the encyclopedia from a network using UNC path names,
the animation audio may not play. An example of a UNC path name is
"\\netloc\encarta". When you install from a network location, you
should use File Manager to connect to the network drive and install
using the drive letter assigned for that connection, rather than the
UNC path name. For instructions on using a drive connection, see Help
within the Connect Network Drive dialog box found under the Disk menu
in File Manager.
Error When You Play Audio You've Copied to Another Application
==============================================================
Windows 3.x
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If you receive an error message when you try to play audio that you've
copied to another application, you may have one of the following
problems.
1. If you have run the software package called Sound Impressions since
you copied the audio, you need to run Sound Recorder, which can
usually be found in the Accessories group in Program Manager. Sound
Impressions makes changes to your system that running Sound Recorder
will repair. Simply start Sound Recorder and, once it is open, close
it.
2. If you have removed the file SOUNDREC.EXE from your windows
subdirectory, you need to replace it in order to hear the copied audio
clips. If you do not have a copy of the file elsewhere, you will need
to re-install Windows. Consult your Windows manual for more
information.
Making Sure The Sound Card Is Installed Properly
================================================
Windows 3.x
-----------
To make sure that your sound card is properly installed
1. Check to see that you can play MIDI from MS-DOS. Most sound cards
come with a test utility or an MS-DOS program for playing MIDI or
testing the card configuration. If MIDI does not work with these, then
the MIDI will not work in Windows either.
2. Verify Port and IRQ settings by looking at the sound card and
comparing the way it is set up to the way that the audio card software
thinks it is set up. The audio card manual should explain how to
configure the audio card settings.
3. Make sure the sound card does not conflict with other hardware.
This is done by comparing the setup of the audio card with the setups
of other cards in your computer. It is important that no two cards try
to use the same port or IRQ. This is a common source of problems when
you are getting no sound at all.
4. If you have a Sound Blaster 16 sound card, and you can't hear
sounds play, you may have to disable the 16-bit audio by switching the
High DMA channel to match the Low DMA channel. Sound Blaster has
utilities programs to help you do this. If you need to do this
manually, you must change the current settings in both the
AUTOEXEC.BAT and the SYSTEM.INI.
Windows 95
----------
Do you have a sound card? If you don't have one there will be no
sound.
To find out if you have a sound card
1. Point to My Computer and click the right mouse button.
2. Click Properties and then click the Device Manager tab. If you have
a sound card, you'll see its name in the Device Manager box. If you
don't have one, there will be no mention of a sound card.
Other Software Conflicts
------------------------
On a machine with a Reel Magic sound card and running Windows 95, the
short button-click sounds hang the encyclopedia. This is a driver
conflict that occurs in media player as well. Sigma Designs is looking
into this.
With Microsoft SoundBits installed and enabled, you will not hear any
audio on the "Home" screen. To resolve this problem, select the Sound
icon from the Control Panel and select "Your Old Scheme" from the
Window Schemes list box. Click OK and this will disable SoundBits.
Additional query words: kbhowto 1996 96 multi media multimedia multi- media mmtitles kbmm
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Keywords :
Technology : kbHomeProdSearch kbHomeMMsearch kbEncartaSearch kbEncartaEncycSearch kbEncartaEnCyc1996
Version : 96
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