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---------------------------------------------------------------------- E R A D I C A T O R HELP ME!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS 1. Install Problems a. Eradicator and disk compression software. b. The Install program locks up. 1. Using a Boot Disk or Booting Clean. 2. Loading Problems a. DOS Operating System b. Windows 95 Operating System 3. Sound Problems a. There is no sound at all. 4. How to Set Up Your Sound Card a. How to find what kind of sound card you have. b. How to find out what your sound card settings are. c. Entering the correct settings. 5. Memory Problems a. The computer has 8+ MB RAM, but the game says you still need more memory. b. The game locks up for no reason. 6. Controls a. The mouse won't work with the game b. Support and configuration options 7. How to Contact Us... NOTE: Any directions given below assume that you have installed the game in the default drive and directory of "C:\ERAD". If you installed it elsewhere on your computer, adjust the drive and directory accordingly. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Install Problems a. Eradicator and disk compression software. Eradicator does not support the usage of DoubleSpace or other disk compression utilities, and we cannot guarantee their compatibility. b. The Install program locks up. 1. Using a Boot Disk or Booting Clean. On some systems, you may need to try either of these to get the Install program to work properly. Do not Boot Clean with Windows 95. 2. You must have 525K (537,712 bytes) of available CONVENTIONAL RAM for the installer to function properly. To determine how much RAM you have available at the DOS prompt type "mem" and press <enter>. If you do not have 525K available, you will need to alter your startup files to free up more memory or close all unnecessary applications that may be running. If you are NOT comfortable doing this please consult your OS manual and/or contact Accolade Technical Support (information on how to do this at bottom of file). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Loading Problems a. DOS Operating System. Most problems if not all problems can be fixed by Booting Clean. Please refer to Section 6. Memory Problems. b. Windows 95 Operating System. In many cases, the game will run straight under Windows 95 in full-screen mode. To do this, try the following: Double-click on "MY COMPUTER" icon. Double-click on C: drive (or whatever drive you installed on). Double-click the "ERAD" Yellow File Folder. Double-click the "ERAD" file Icon (Blank window screen with Blue Trim). An alternative in Windows 95 is Click the Windows 95 "Start" button. Click "Programs". Click "MS-DOS PROMPT". C: <Enter> CD\ERAD <Enter> ERAD <Enter> If you have problems running the game Click the Windows 95 "Start" button. Click the "Shutdown" menu option. Click the "Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode" option. Click the "Yes" button. This should leave you at a DOS prompt. Here, you would typically enter the following commands to run the game: C: <Enter> CD\ERAD <Enter> ERAD <Enter> If you get to this point, and all you see is two messages repeating endlessly, your CD-ROM drive is likely not configured properly to run in MS-DOS mode. If your computer came with Windows 95 pre-installed on it, contact your computer's manufacturer or retailer to assist you in setting this up. If you installed Windows 95 yourself, you may want to contact Microsoft for assistance. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Sound Problems a. There is no sound at all. 1. Configuring your audio hardware (SETSOUND.EXE). Make sure you run SETSOUND.EXE from within the installed c:\ERAD directory. There is a series of prompts to help you auto-configure your existing sound hardware. 2. Still no sound. Your sound card and/or settings may be incorrectly set up within the game OR there may be a problem with how the sound hardware is installed in your system. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. How to Set Up Your Sound Card To set it up your sound card properly, you need to know several things: - Manufacturer. (e.g., Creative Labs) - Model name. (e.g., Sound Blaster 16) - Settings, such as: - Input/Output Address Port (Port) - Direct Memory Access channel (DMA) - Interrupt Request Level (IRQ) a. How to find what kind of sound card you have. You can find this out in one of several ways: - Check the documentation that came with your sound card. - Contact your retailer or the sound card's manufacturer. - The information may also be on your computer: In DOS: At a DOS prompt, type "SET <Enter>". This will display the DOS environment settings. In some cases, the setting name will be followed by a drive and directory name which could help identify your sound card. For example, if you have a Sound Blaster 16, you may see a line that says: SOUND=C:\SB16 Other environment variables you may see (and their related sound card, and what they are compatible to): Setting name Sound card Compatible to ------------ ---------- ------------- ARIA Aria 16 Sound Blaster Pro GALAXY Forte 16 Sound Blaster Sound 144 Sound Blaster/Sound Blaster Pro Sound 16A Sound Blaster Pro ISP16 Voyetra 16 Sound Blaster Pro MAD16 MAD 16 Sound Blaster Pro/MS Sound Sys. SNDSCAPE Ensoniq Soundscape Sound Blaster Pro SONIC Diamond LX Sound Blaster Pro/MS Sound Sys. SOUND Forte 16 Sound Blaster Magic S20 Sound Blaster Pro/MS Sound Sys. Mozart Sound Blaster Pro/MS Sound Sys. Orchid Gamewave Sound Blaster 16 Any Sound Blaster Sound 144 Sound Blaster/Sound Blaster Pro SOUND16 Sound 16A Sound Blaster Pro In Windows 95: Click the "Start" button. Click the "Settings" menu option. Click the "Control Panel" menu option. Double-click the "System" icon. Click the "Device Manager" tab. Click the "+" beside the "Sound, video and game controllers" option. This should tell you what your sound card is, if it is properly set up to operate with Windows 95. b. How to find out what your sound card settings are. You can find these out in one of several ways: - Check the documentation that came with your sound card. - Contact your retailer or the sound card's manufacturer. - The information may be on your computer: In DOS: Follow the directions given in for "In DOS:" in section 6a. to identify your sound card. If there is a setting name called BLASTER, the line may look something like: BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 Where: A# = Port, I# = IRQ, D# = DMA (8-bit), H# = DMA (16-bit), P# = MIDI Port. In Windows 95: Follow the directions given in for "In Windows 95:" in section 6a. to identify your sound card. Then: Click on the sound card. Click the "Properties" button. Click the "Resources" tab. This will display a window with the sound card settings. - Input/Output Range (one of them) = PORT. - Interrupt Request = IRQ. - Direct Memory Access (one of them) = DMA. c. Entering the correct settings. 1. Running the SETSOUND program. Once you know your sound card and settings, you will want to run the SETSOUND program that comes with ERADICATOR. From DOS, you would typically type: C: <enter> CD\ERAD <enter> SETSOUND <enter> Or in Windows 95: Double-click the "My Computer" icon. Double-click the C: drive icon. Double-click the "ERAD" folder icon. Double-click the "SETSOUND" file icon. Either way, this should bring up the SETSOUND program's title screen. 2. Using the SETUP program. The Up-Arrow and Down-Arrow keys are used to highlight the various menu options, while the Enter key selects the currently highlighted option. NOTE: On some sound cards it is not a good idea to use any auto-detection or sound test options. Try to avoid using them if you can. Highlight "Select and configure digital audio driver" and select it. Highlight the sound card you have (or what your sound card is most compatible to) and select it. Now you may either choose "Attempt to auto detect" to have the SETSOUND program try and automatically configure your sound card. OR - you can select "Skip auto detect..." and enter your parameters manually (follow the on-screen prompts). NOTE: Certain sound cards have two DMA settings: a low (8-bit) setting and a high (16-bit) setting. For 16-bit sound cards like the Sound Blaster 16, use the high DMA setting. However, if you have a 16-bit sound card that emulates a card that only has 8-bit capabilities like the Sound Blaster Pro, use the low DMA setting. For example, if you have a Sound Blaster 16, and you have a BLASTER setting that looks like "BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6", you would use the "H" setting of 5 for the DMA, since it indicates the card's 16-bit high DMA setting. At this point, your sound card should be configured and saved for use with ERADICATOR. Run the game to test the sound. You should hear music when the ERADICATOR logo screen appears. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Memory Problems a. The computer has 8+ MB RAM, but the game says you still need more memory. If you have 8 MB RAM in your system, the game will require about 7 MB or a little more of free Extended Memory to run the game. Sometimes, memory managers (such as EMM386) installed on your computer may configure your memory in such a way as to prevent you from using all of your Extended Memory as Extended Memory. The easiest solution for this is to create a boot disk (for your A: drive) or to boot clean. In the INSTALL program on the Eradicator CD, there is an option called "Bootmaker". This is a program that will automatically create a boot disk for you. Note: Don't Run Bootmaker if you have Windows 95. b. The game locks up for no apparent reason. Make sure you are not running the game from within Windows 3.x. If you are running the game from DOS, then the most common cause of games locking up are conflicts in memory. Put simply, the game isn't getting along with one or more programs currently loaded into memory. The easiest solution for this is to create a boot disk (for your A: drive) or to boot clean. In the INSTALL program on the Eradicator CD, there is an option called "Bootmaker". This is a program that will automatically create a boot disk for you. Further information about making a boot disk and booting clean can be found in the Troubleshooting section below. Note: Again Don't Run Bootmaker if you have Windows 95. It is also possible that after creating a boot disk or booting clean, that the game may still lock up. In this case, you may have to actually edit the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files on your boot disk to remove more unneeded programs from your startup configuration, or to say no to more programs in the boot clean process. WARNING: Only do these changes if your are comfortable with making changes of this nature as serious system problems may occur if your settings are incorrect. The only statements and programs you need to run the game are: CONFIG.SYS ---------- - HIMEM.SYS - DOS=HIGH,UMB - FILES=40 - <Any statements/programs pertaining to your sound card> - <A mouse driver> (optional) - <Any other statements/programs necessary for the normal operation of your computer> AUTOEXEC.BAT ------------ - <Any statements/programs pertaining to your sound card> - <A mouse driver> (optional) - <Any other statements/programs necessary for the normal operation of your computer> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Controls a. The mouse won't work with the game. Check your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files (if you are using a boot disk, check the files there) to see if either one is loading your mouse driver when starting up. If not, you will need to make sure it is being loaded by the startup files, or by yourself manually, prior to running the game. NOTE: Bootmaker will not remove the Mouse Lines. NOTE: Even if the mouse works in Windows 3.x or 95, it does not necessarily mean that the mouse is set up for use in DOS. b. Support and configuration options For this pre-release demo, Eradicator only supports use of the keyboard and the mouse. There is no joystick or joypad support at this time. However, from the MAIN MENU you can select OPTIONS and further select CONFIGURE KEYS at which point all default key assignments and all possible commands are listed. Follow the on-screen instructions to remap (configure) your keys. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *********************ADVANCED HELP************************************* GENERAL HELP 1. TROUBLESHOOTING 2. WHAT'S REQUIRED FOR MAKING A BOOT DISK 3. MY BOOT DISK DOES NOT WORK 4. MY MOUSE DOES NOT WORK 5. UNINSTALL DID NOT REMOVE THE GAME 6. ADDITIONAL HELP FOR ADVANCED USERS ------------- 1. TROUBLESHOOTING ----------------------------------- If you are having problems installing or running ERADICATOR, please read through this troubleshooting section for tips than can get you up and running. If you have looked through this general help file and still have problems, please refer to the Customer Service section information covering how to contact Accolade Customer Service. Please have the following information available when contacting customer service: The error message when the problem occurred (if any) A listing of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files A description of your computer's type and installed hardware The publisher and version of DOS that you are running The version and publisher of your mouse driver The type and speed of your CD-ROM drive The results of a CHKDSK (or SCANDISK) and MEM /C check The manufacturer, IRQ, I/O address, and DMA settings of your sound card 2. WHAT'S REQUIRED FOR MAKING A BOOT DISK: ----------------------------------- The basic idea here is that once the boot disk is created, via the "boot maker" option in the main menu, it should be used whenever you start your computer and want to play this specific game. You need to provide your own disk that will be used with your boot drive, this will be a 5 1/4 inch or 3 1/2 inch drive. Beware that all information currently on this disk will be lost forever, so be careful! 3. MY BOOT DISK DOES NOT WORK: ----------------------------------- Problems can occur with any automated device and the boot maker is no exception. A few known anomalies with boot maker are: 1. Disabling a memory manager other than EMM386. If you are using one of these memory managers, you should modify the boot disk to disable the memory manager so as to free up more extended memory. 2. Not formatting the boot disk. This can occur during the boot maker process just after you give the "Y" response to the warning message "WARNING: this procedure will destroy all...". An error message will be displayed: "Insufficient memory to load system files" "Format terminated" "Press a key to return to the installer" To solve this problem, do a system format of the boot disk (format a:/s) then reenter the install program and make a boot disk this time ignoring the error message. PLEASE BE CAREFULLY YOU DO NOT FORMAT YOUR HARD DRIVE BY MISTAKE! 3. Drive A: is not my boot drive. Two solutions: (1) make drive A: the boot drive via the Setup program. Enter Setup by pressing the <delete> key at the appropriate time after a system reset (a message will prompt you). The command can usually be found in an area that's referred to as either an advanced or a BIOS feature, then look for a control that configures the boot sequence. Like most of these setting, you can really get into trouble if you don't fully understand an operation and start guessing. A safer method is to make a boot disk on drive A:, then perform a system format on your actual boot disk and copy the config.sys and autoexec.bat files from drive A: (these were made by the boot maker) to the actual boot disk, then reboot your computer. One common problem occurs when your system has Windows 95 installed. If this is the case, you don't need to make a boot disk(!). If you have problems making a boot disk, please contact customer service. Customer service is staffed with friendly, courteous people who can usually get you up and running in a relatively short amount of time. Please refer to the manual for the phone number and hours of operation. 4. MY MOUSE DOES NOT WORK WHEN I START THE GAME: ----------------------------------- Does the mouse normally work? Try it with another application such as Windows. If it doesn't work then carefully check the mouse connection to the computer. If your mouse is working and you have a boot disk, make sure that the mouse driver is still enabled in the boot disk's autoexec.bat file (you can examine this file with either a text editor or just use the DOS "type" command: TYPE A:AUTOEXEC.BAT|MORE<ENTER>). The mouse command(s) should exactly match what's in your normal (hard disk root's) autoexec.bat file (often the word "mouse" can be found somewhere within this command line eg. LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM). If the mouse driver is not there you could try inserting it with a text editor (eg. EDIT A:AUTOEXEC.BAT). 5. UNINSTALL DID NOT REMOVE THE GAME: ----------------------------------- This game is relatively easy to remove since it consists of only one sub-directory and does not modify the config.sys or autoexec.bat files. Simply remove the game's sub-directory, this will usually be "C:\ERAD" unless you requested a different drive and/or a different directory name during the installation. Please refer to your DOS documentation for details on how to remove a sub-directory. hint: reference either the "RMDIR" and "DEL" DOS commands or just the "DELTREE" DOS command in newer versions of DOS. CAUTION: please be careful when removing files and the directory since it is very easy to remove the wrong stuff (sometimes the DOS "UNDELETE" command can save you from disaster but don't count on it). 6. ADDITIONAL HELP FOR ADVANCED USERS: ----------------------------------- Eradicator requires 8 MB of extended memory. The most frequent problem when trying to run this product for the first time is the "not enough memory" error message. If this happens, you must free up additional extended memory, the "MEM/C/P" command may be helpful. The biggest memory hogs are RAM drives, memory managers, and smartdrive: remove the command line(s) in the config.sys file that enable RAM drives (the ramdrive.sys command) the memory manager (usually this is emm386.exe), also remove smartdrive from the autoexec.bat file (smartdrv). Additional space can be freed up by adjusting or removing within the config.sys file: buffers (via the "BUFFERS"command), files ("FILES"), stacks ("STACKS"), and environment variables ("COMMAND/E"). Of course always make a backup of your config.sys and autoexec.bat files before making any changes to these files. All of the above processes are performed automatically by the boot maker. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. How to Contact Accolade... America Online: Keyword: "Accolade", go to "Message Boards". E-mail address: "Accolade" Compuserve: "Game Publishers A Forum" (GO GAMAPUB), go to "Accolade". E-Mail address: "76004,2132" Internet: accolade@netcom.com accolade@aol.com 76004.2132@compuserve.com World Wide Web: http://www.accolade.com Mail: Accolade Customer Support 5300 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Suite 500 San Jose, California 95129 Telephone: (408) 296-8400 (Mon-Fri, 8am to 5pm Pacific) Fax: (408) 246-0231