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Text File | 1995-06-01 | 20.0 KB | 388 lines

V R E A D M E . T X T (Rev. 1.0) This file contains some suggestions for getting The Seventh Guest to run on your computer. It is intended to be the definitive guide for solving problems with The Seventh Guest (T7G.) This file was written by the programmers at Trilobyte (The company that developed T7G.) We will do our best to keep this file updated to include any fixes and or workarounds that we discover or that are brought to our attention. Before using these suggestions, please note the following: LEGAL DISCLAIMER The suggestions below are accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time that this was written. However, some of the suggestions below involve modifications to the hardware of your computer. If you are not familiar with the procedures suggested below, we recommend that you do not perform them, or have someone who is familiar with them perform them. There is always some risk when making changes to the hardware of a computer. In no event shall either Trilobyte or Virgin Interactive Entertainment be responsible for any damages whatsoever (including, but not limited to, damage to equipment, loss of data, loss of profits, business interruption, or other pecuniary loss) resulting from following the suggestions in this file, or the use of the utility programs bundled with this file. Have a nice day. First of all, this text file came with the latest version of V.EXE, the executable file for The Seventh Guest. You should copy V.EXE and the other files that came with this file to the C:\ID\T7G directory and replace the previous version of that file. This new version of V.EXE requires only about 470 K bytes of conventional memory. (more on memory problems and solutions later.) It also solves a whole host of other problems that have occurred with some computer configurations. After loading the new version of V.EXE, try running T7G and see if that solves your problems. If not, you can download updated drivers, or... **************************************************** * Backup your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files! * **************************************************** Whenever you are going to make changes to your AUTOEXEC.BAT or your CONFIG.SYS files it is a good practice to make copies of these files before you alter them. Then, should you have problems, you can always restore the original versions. After backing up your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files try to eliminate all unnecessary drivers from your CONFIG.SYS file, and also eliminate any unnecessary Terminate and Stay Resident programs (TSR's) from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The best way to do this is to type "REM " in front of the DEVICE= of unnecessary device drivers in your CONFIG.SYS file and in front of unnecessary TSR's in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This will "remark" them out, while making it easy to undo the changes. With earlier versions of DOS, putting "REM " in front of lines in the CONFIG.SYS file causes DOS to complain of an error, but it still works because the line is ignored. One of the biggest problems with getting T7G to work occurs when there are IRQ conflicts and DMA conflicts. If you have unused COM ports, you can disable these in order to free up their IRQ's. COM 1 is usually associated with IRQ 4 and COM 2 is usually associated with IRQ 3. The IRQ's for the disabled COM ports can then be reassigned to your sound card or SCSI interface card. Microsoft's MSD.EXE program can be used to detect IRQ usage. This program is shipped with later versions of MS-DOS and Windows. The program that runs T7G can also be used to diagnose and help solve some problems. From your \ID\T7G directory type "V ?" at the command line. You should see something like this: C:\ID\T7G>V ? GROOVIE Player (c) 1993 Trilobyte Version 1.31: 08/10/93 @ 12:43:45 VESA compatible video card Mouse driver installed Running on an 80486DX CPU (running in virtual mode, you may experience problems with PCM sound) XMS driver version 2.0 installed - 2,048 KBytes largest free XMS block 16,384 bytes for DMA transfer 300 ticks per second internal clock C:\ID\T7G>_ Note the Version number on the second line. If yours does not say "Version 1.31: 08/10/93...." then you have not loaded the new version of V.EXE and should do so. If the line after that does not say "VESA compatible video card installed" then you would be well advised to get and install a VESA driver for your video card. You will probably have to do this, even if you have a VESA local bus video card. There are drivers for many of the popular cards on the market located on CD-ROM #2 of T7G. Look in the VESA subdirectory for a subdirectory with the name of your video card. You should also find a text file to tell you about that driver. For instance, many of the popular video cards use Tseng Labs ET4000 chip, or its predecessor the ET3000 chip. (Take a close look at the integrated circuit chips on your video card to see if one of them is a Tseng chip.) If you have one of these cards, you would look on CD-ROM #2 in the \VESA\TSENG directory, and copy the file TLIVESA.COM to a directory in your path (for example, you could copy it to your C:\DOS directory.) You would then put the line "C:\DOS\TLIVESA" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you cannot find a VESA driver for your board on CD-ROM #2, try contacting your board manufacturer or the company that sold you the equipment to see if they can get you a VESA driver. If your video card came with a drivers or utilities floppy then you may find a VESA driver on that floppy. ************************************************** * EMS, XMS, EMM386, QEMM, AND ETC. ETC. * ************************************************** This section deals with conventional, extended, and expanded memory usage. In the example of "V ?" above, the line after "Running on an 80486DX CPU" says that the computer is: "running in virtual mode, you may experience problems with PCM sound" This is usually due to the presence of memory managers such as the EMM386.EXE. The "PCM sound" that is referred to is the sound mode that is usually used with the actor's voices. If you are able to avoid using the EMM386.EXE driver (or other memory managers) altogether, then T7G will run faster, and problems with chopped up voices will (hopefully) disappear. THIS IS THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY TO RUN T7G. As long as you are able to load the drivers for running T7G into conventional memory and still have 470 K of memory free, then you should not use any memory managers (such as EMM386, QEMM, or 386MAX.) The 470 K of memory that T7G uses is the OPTIMAL amount. That is to say that if you are able to use a memory manager, load device drivers and TSR's into upper memory, and free up 620 K of conventional memory, T7G is still only going to use 470 K of it. The remainder of the conventional memory will not be used. The easiest way to see what device drivers and TSR's are loaded and how much conventional memory is available to you is by typing "MEM /C | MORE" at the command line. In any event, you should ALWAYS load the XMS driver (HIMEM.SYS or its equivalent) so that T7G can access your extended memory. As a bare minimum, you should have AT LEAST 1024 K (1 Meg.) of extended memory available in order for T7G to run. Performance will be greatly improved if you can provide 2048 K of extended memory or more. There is not an upper limit to the amount of XMS memory that T7G can use. T7G will use as much XMS memory as you can give it. The Seventh Guest does NOT use expanded memory at all, HOWEVER, the MSCDEX program can make use of expanded memory to store sector buffers if you add the /E switch to the MSCDEX command line (usually located in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.) This will mean using EMM386.EXE or its equivalent to get the expanded memory. Using expanded memory in this way can help solve problems with T7G. The MSCDEX command line should also contain the parameter /M:20 which sets up how many sector buffers to allocate. (Use the /M:20 switch even if you do not use the /E switch.) Another switch to add to your MSCDEX command line is the /V switch. The /V switch causes MSCDEX to print extra information about the configuration at load time. You may be using a version of MSCDEX that is in some directory other than the DOS directory. This is not a problem so long as the version that you are using is the most up to date. If you are having problems, you might try using the version that came with DOS (if indeed your version of DOS came with an MSCDEX.EXE file.) You can verify the parameter settings in the DOS version by typing "HELP MSCDEX" at the DOS command line. If you are unable to avoid using EMM386.EXE, then adding the parameter "D=128" might help with running T7G. Using D=128 in the EMM386 command sets DOS's DMA buffer size to 128K. You can check this parameter by typing "HELP EMM386.EXE" from the DOS command line to see if your version of DOS supports the "D=" parameter. ************************************************* * U P D A T E D D R I V E R S * ************************************************* If after trying the suggestions above, you are still having problems, then you might benefit from obtaining an updated set of device drivers. These can be downloaded from Compuserve, America Online, or Genie. The name of the driver file is T7GF3A.ZIP (You can upload it to your favorite BBS and share it with your favorite retailer with our blessings and thanks if you like.) The T7GF3A.ZIP file contains drivers for many cards including: Pro Audio Studio 16 Pro Audio Studio 16 (alternate driver) Pro Audio Spectrum Plus/16 Pro Audio Spectrum 16 (alternate driver) Pro Audio Spectrum Pro Audio Spectrum (alternate driver) Sound Blaster ASP/16 Sound Blaster Pro 2 Sound Blaster Pro 1 Sound Blaster Pro (alternate driver) Sound Blaster or compatibles Sound Blaster (alternate driver) General Midi Roland MT-32 or LAPC/1 Adlib Gold Adlib Gold (alternate driver) Adlib Aria Tandy Sensation Microsoft Windows Sound System ATI Stereo FX Covox Sound Master II T7GF3A.ZIP also contains the 1.31 version of V.EXE that is included with this file. Unzip the T7GF3A.ZIP file and put the unzipped files in the \ID\T7G directory. Then try running T7G and see if the new drivers fix your problems. If not, try running the (new) install program in the \ID\T7G directory. If this doesn't fix it then you may want to retry some of the suggestions mentioned earlier in this file. *********************************************************** * H A R D W A R E M O D I F I C A T I O N S * *********************************************************** It may be that you have a card loaded in one of the slots of your computer that is slowing you down and causing problems with T7G. This can happen with serial cards, modems, network cards, etc. As a last resort, you might try pulling all unnecessary cards out of your computer to see if one of them might be interfering with T7G. (Please note the legal disclaimer above.) Whenever you are going to remove any cards from your computer, there are a couple of rules to follow that will protect both you and your computer. First of all, UNPLUG YOUR COMPUTER FROM ALL POWER SOURCES. Also unplug any peripherals such as printers, external CD-ROMS, external modems, etc. from their sources of power. You not only want to remove all sources of power, from the computer and its connected peripherals, but you also want to disconnect any grounds before opening the computer's case. When working inside the case of the computer, the greatest danger comes from STATIC ELECTRICITY. Static electricity can instantly destroy the integrated circuits in your computer, transforming your powerful personal computer into an attractive, if not somewhat heavy, PAPERWEIGHT. The amount of static electricity that it takes to destroy an integrated circuit is so small that you can destroy an integrated circuit without even feeling the static spark. BE CAREFUL!!!! Before you touch any circuit board or other electrical component, touch the metallic case of the computer or its power supply to bleed off any static charge that you might be carrying. It is then safe to touch the cards in your computer. After removing the screw, gently lift the card from its connector, taking care not to bend or twist the card or the motherboard (from which you are removing the card.) If you need to hand a card to someone, first touch their hand with your hand, and then give them the card. Before setting a card down, touch the surface onto which you will be laying the card and then lay the card down. Before picking a card up, touch the surface that the card is lying on before touching the card. WORK SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY. When inserting a card into the computer, use gentle pressure, and never force the card. Sometimes wiggling the card a bit and readjusting it will align it so that it can slip right into the socket. Some materials (like styrofoam and fuzzy sweaters) tend to create a great deal of static electricity and should be kept away from your work area. If you are not in a great hurry (and you shouldn't be,) boil some water to raise the humidity in the air and thereby reduce the potential for static electricity. (Enjoy a nice cup of tea in a ceramic cup before you start to work.) If you don't have time to boil water, get a plant sprayer, adjust it to a fine mist, and mist the area around your workstation. If after removing some peripherals, you are able to make T7G work correctly, then reinsert the peripherals one by one until you find the offending peripheral. ***************************************** * T U R T L E B E A C H * ***************************************** The Turtle Beach sound cards will work in FM mode only. ********************************************************* * P R O A U D I O S P E C T R U M * ********************************************************* There are several workarounds for PAS user who are having problems. First, try not loading the SoundBlaster emulation driver (by putting a "REM " in front of it in your CONFIG.SYS file as mentioned above.) This should also reduce the amount of conventional memory that you use which might in turn enable you to eliminate your memory manager (such as EMM386.EXE.) as mentioned previously. If that does not fix your problems, then try running the new install program and tell it that you have a SoundBlaster card. You will, of course, have to re-enable your SoundBlaster emulation driver, and also run SB_ON.COM or whatever equivalent program that you have for turning SoundBlaster mode on. ************************************************* * M A K E L I F E E A S I E R * ************************************************* If you have MS-DOS 6.0 or above you can make things easier on yourself by creating a CONFIG.SYS menu system. This will make it much easier for you to run T7G. Along with the V.EXE program you will find files named AUTOEXEC.60 and CONFIG.60. These are template files. Copy them onto the root directory of your boot drive, and then type "COPY AUTOEXEC.60+AUTOEXEC.BAT" from your root directory. this will append a copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to the AUTOEXEC.60 file. Then type EDIT AUTOEXEC.60 and cut and paste the copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file into the section after the line that says, "rem copy the contents of your original AUTOEXEC.BAT file below this line" Save this file, exit the editor, make a backup copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and then type "COPY AUTOEXEC.60 AUTOEXEC.BAT". Follow the same procedure to copy your CONFIG.SYS file into the CONFIG.60 file and then rename CONFIG.60 to CONFIG.SYS (after moving the contents of your file into the designated space.) When you reboot, your computer it will come up with a menu that enables you to select NORMAL boot up or T7G boot up. If you do not make a choice within 10 seconds it will default to NORMAL boot up. If you want to, you can add other menu choices by following the example of the "T7G" sections. If you have a copy of DOS that does not support CONFIG.SYS menuing (such as MS-DOS 5.0 or below,) you can use the RUNT7G.BAT file that is enclosed to start T7G, but first you will have to copy CONFIG.T7G, AUTOEXEC.T7G, and RESETT7G.BAT to your C:\ID\T7G directory. REBOOT.COM can be copied to either the C:\ID\T7G directory or somewhere else in your path. Then edit CONFIG.T7G as if it was the CONFIG.SYS file that you will use to run T7G, and edit AUTOEXEC.T7G so that it contains the TSR's and commands that you need to run T7G. Executing the RUNT7G.BAT file will then do the following: 1) It will place a copy of your original CONFIG.SYS file in C:\ID\T7G. 2) It will then copy the file C:\ID\T7G\CONFIG.T7G to C:\CONFIG.SYS, thus overwriting your original CONFIG.SYS file. 3) Then it will place a copy of your original AUTOEXEC.BAT file in C:\ID\T7G 4) After which it will copy the file C:\ID\T7G\AUTOEXEC.T7G to C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT, thus overwriting your original AUTOEXEC.BAT file. 5) It will then execute the REBOOT.COM file which will reboot your computer with the ".T7G" versions of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. 6) After the AUTOEXEC.BAT file loads the TSR's to run T7G it will run the file C:\ID\T7G\RESETT7G.BAT. 7) RESETT7G.BAT will copy the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files from C:\ID\T7G thus returning your boot up files to their normal condition. 8) RESETT7G.BAT will pause, and then run T7G, after which it will reboot the computer, thus restoring the system to normal operation. This method of starting T7G has the added benefit of automatically backing up your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files each time you play T7G. The enclosed programs REBOOT.COM and COLDBOOT.COM perform a warm and a cold boot of your computer when executed. We hope you find them useful. ************************************************* * From README.TXT file in T7GF3A.ZIP * ************************************************* Windows 3.1 sound drivers -------------------------- If you have been running Windows, and using a Windows sound driver, it is recommended that you reboot your machine before playing The Seventh Guest, these drivers sometimes leave the sound card in an unstable state. General MIDI devices --------------------- Please reset your General Midi device before starting The Seventh Guest. Pro Audio Spectrum 16 devices ------------------------------ Before playing The Seventh Guest, please adjust your mixer settings using the PAS program, the best way of doing this is to type "PAS *". No sound during introduction ----------------------------- Sound is playing throughout the introduction, but it is playing from the CD drive itself. Make sure that your CD-ROM drive is hooked up for sound as well as your sound card(s). Using IBM OS/2 or Microsoft Windows NT --------------------------------------- Under OS/2 2.1 it is possible to play The Seventh Guest, although it is recommended that you use MS-DOS. If you are experiencing problems running under OS/2, try booting DOS before calling Virgin Games Customer Service. Windows NT is not compatible at this time with The Seventh Guest. Aborted Games are saved ------------------------ If your game should for some reason abort (playing from a Windows shell for instance), the game will save a file called "save.z". Rename this file to save.0 through save.9 (just one) and you will be able to load back your current game. This may not always work, so save often anyway. Open House! ------------ Once you have completed The Seventh Guest, it will save a special game in your save game zero (0) slot. This saved game will be called "OPEN HOUSE" it allows you to roam the house freely and play all the puzzles as many times as you want.