Chip: Special Tips & Tricks for Windows 95/Chip Wintips.iso/sterown/inne/cdr95/readme.txt

Text File | 1996-09-11 | 8KB | 193 lines

                       HP SureStore CD-Writer README

This document contains last minute notes, troubleshooting tips, and other
useful information that may not be available in any other area of the
software or the documentation.

TOPICS INCLUDED
CD-Writer Software information
  - General Software tips
  - Windows 95 (W95)
  -Easy CD 95 Software
  - Alchemy Personal for Hewlett-Packard Software
  - Easy-CD Audio Software
  - Magic Lantern Software
CD-Writer Hardware information
  - Reserving Resources in W95
  - W95's Device Manager
  - Troubleshooting
    - If your system hangs when AdvanCD.sys driver loads
    - If your system hangs when AdvASPI.sys loads
    - If data is corrupted on your recordable CD
    - If "CD-Writer" appears on all but one SCSI ID
    - If you can't view Photo CDs


S O F T W A R E    I N F O R M A T I O N

General Software Tips:

1. NEVER write to the CD disc with other applications running at the same
   time.  This includes E-Mail, TSR's or other applications that could
   interrupt your writing to disc.  If the interruption is long enough,
   you could ruin the CD disc to which you are writing.  It is best to
   log off of any network prior to writing your disc.

2. If you lose power while writing to your CD (CD Writer Red Light On)
     or
   If you exit an application or warm reboot (CTRL-ALT-DEL) while
   writing to CD:

  - You may be able to recover your disc ONLY if you turn your machine off,
   turn it back on, and re-enter the application WITHOUT removing the disc
   or opening the disc tray.  The drive can recover these discs once the
   application tries to access the CD Writer.  The recovery operation will
   make it appear that the last session is there, but in reality, only that
   data that got written to the disc is really there.  You should not rely
   on that session at all, but should do the entire operation again to
   ensure that you have a totally complete session.

3. If you use hard disk compression software, it sometimes reports that
   you have a certain amount of free hard disk space that in reality is
   more than you actually have.  This is because the compression software
   estimates how much free disk space you have based on compression ratios
   that may be user selectable.  Easy CD Audio and Alchemy (both check
   your hard disk for space needed) may think you have the necessary free
   space, when in fact, you may not.  Make sure that the free space needed
   by the applications is available, or don't use compression software.

4. In Windows 3.1 (W3.1), if the Windows File Manager is open and you open
   a DOS box and try to access your CD Writer, the system will hang.  Make
   sure to close the File Manager prior to accessing the CD Writer from a DOS box.


Windows  95

1. The installation automatically disables the auto insert notification feature
for the CD Writer, please do not enabled it. It will cause problems with autorun
files and audio operations.

2. It may take a few minutes for the computer to shutdown after the installation is complete.

3. On the message "Can't open helper.dll for writing", run a:setup from the "Start" then "Run"
 not from the Explorer.


Easy CD 95 Software

1. Use Joliet format for most interchange requirements. (W3.1, W95, UNIX and Mac)

2. Use Romeo format only for long filename going to Windows NT.

3. Using the "test before writing" property will open and close the door at the end
of a "test  before writing" operation.

4. A bug sometimes occurs in which the last session written to the CD does not display.
Normally it does display, but rebooting will always update the display.

5. CD History can not open "pif" files, we recommend always copying the "exe" files
at the same time and then open the associated "exe" instead.


Alchemy Personal for Hewlett-Packard software:

1. To make very large databases with only a minimum of hard disk space,
   read all the documentation and help text associated with the use of
   buffers (See Initiating the Build in the manual).

 2. Do not stop a build operation once it is in progress.  This applies
   to building a database to hard disk OR building a database to CD disc.
   Doing so could ruin your recordable CD disc.


Easy-CD Audio software:

1.  If you type the name of your audio discs and tracks as you create the
   list of songs to be copied to your recordable CD, you will then be
   prompted to insert the correct disc by title, rather than by a 24
   digit code, at the appropriate time in the recording process.


Magic Lantern software:

1.  This is a not a writing application:
   - You cannot create Photo CDs using Magic Lantern.
   - You can view photo CDs made at your local photo shop



H A R D W A R E   I N F O R M A T I O N

The SCSI card defaults (resources) are:
- I/O address 110 (hex),
- Interrupt 11, and
- DMA channel 6.
However W95 will normally select only resources it does not already have in use.
This means it will probably use other resources.

The install software will automatically detect interrupt conflicts
if the driver for the other card is already loaded.  As the
interrupt conflict test is not foolproof, please use the "custom
installation" option if a known conflict with Interrupt 11 exists.


Reserving Resources under W95

1. This is a good way to teach Windows 95 not to use used resources that it can not normally detect.


W95's Device Manager

     Is the Original Configuration checked? Windows 95 sometimes removes the check.
     Yellowed icons - This means the hardware is installed but is not completely configured.
      Redden icons - This means the hardware is in conflict with existing hardware.

Troubleshooting:

Problem:  System Hang when AdvanCD.sys driver loads during bootup
Reason:   Typically indicates an interrupt conflict
Fix:
        1.  Reboot the machine.
        2.  When the Loading MSDOS... line is displayed, press the F8 key.
        3.  MSDOS will ask whether or not to load each driver.  Answer
              'Y' to all lines except for AdvASPI.sys and AdvanCD.sys.
              Answer 'N' to those two lines.
        4.  Insert the CD-Writer install floppy
        5.  Run setup.exe from that disk.
        6.  Choose Custom Installation.
        7.  Choose a non-conflicting interrupt.
        8.  Finish the setup.

Problem:  System Hang when AdvASPI.sys loads during bootup
Reason:   (If only two lines of a sign-on message are displayed) Conflict
          between EMM386 and PCI bios
Fix:    Move the device=c:\hpcdr\drivers\advaspi.sys line to a line before
        the one containing emm386.exe or remove emm386.exe from your
        config.sys.  If you have another SCSI host adapter, be sure to place
    the driver before the advaspi.sys driver.

Problem:  System Hang when AdvASPI.sys loads
Reason:   (If more than two lines are displayed) Resource (IRQ, I/O, or
          DMA) conflict
Fix:    Follow the directions given under "System Hang when AdvanCD.sys
        driver loads," above.

Problem:  Corrupted data in W3.1
Reason:   DMA channel conflict or DMA speed too high
Fix:    Re-run setup.exe, choose custom installation, and select a
        non-conflicting DMA channel and set the DMA speed to 5 MB/s.

Problem:  CD-Writer appears on all but one ID
Reason:   Both the CD-Writer and the host adapter are set to the same SCSI
          ID.
Fix:    The drive's ID is set with the jumpers on the back and the
        host adapter's ID is set with the cfgisa.exe program, which is
        installed in the hpcdr\drivers directory.

Problem:  Can't view Photo CD
Reason:   Initialization problem
Fix:    If you are having problems viewing a Photo CD, reboot the machine
        with a Photo-CD or a CD-ROM disc in the drive.  This will have the side benefit of also
        shortening your boot time.