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1994 New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia
Technical Support

WINDOWS

Installation

If you cannot install the NGME by running the SETUP.EXE file located in the root directory of the NGME CD-ROM, you should first make sure your system meets the minimum system requirements listed in the manual and that you are running your Windows in Enhanced mode. To switch to Enhanced mode Windows from a DOS prompt C:\, simply type win /3 (Enter).

"Shadow caused a General Protection Fault in Module...."

If you receive this type of error message while installing the NGME, you are probably running Windows in Standard mode. Windows must be run in Enhanced mode to install the NGME. To determine which mode Windows is running in, you can select HELP from the menu bar of the Windows 3.1 Program Manager, and then select ABOUT PROGRAM MANAGER.

Manual Installation Instructions

If you cannot install the 1994 NGME by running the standard SETUP.EXE file, you may be able to perform a Manual Installation following the steps below:

  • Go to the root directory of your "C" drive if this is the hard drive that you wish to install the program on by typing CD\ (Enter) at the "C" prompt.
  • Create a directory called NGME on your hard drive by typing MD\NGME (Enter).
  • Copy the following 4 files from the CD-ROM into C:\NGME directory on your hard drive: NGME.INI, NGME.HLP, NGME.EXE, and EESC.DLL.
  • Now, edit the NGME.INI file. First switch to the NGME directory you created by typing CD NGME (Enter) and type EDIT NGME.INI (Enter) at the C:\NGME>. Make sure the correct CD-ROM drive letter is shown following the equal sign in the line reading "DISK=" . Also, make sure that the lines NOTES=C:\NGME and HELP=C:\NGME\NGME.HLP are present.
  • Switch to your Windows directory by typing CD\WINDOWS (Enter) from the C:\ and type EDIT WIN.INI (Enter). Add the following lines to the file:

    [NGME]
    DIR=C:\NGME

  • Next, you must install Video for Windows by running the SETUP.EXE from the 0MSVIDEO directory on the Grolier CD-ROM.
  • Now Create a Program Group (from the Program Manager) by clicking on File/New, then select PROGRAM GROUP and click on "OK."
  • Create a Program Item for the group you created in the step above by clicking on File/New, then select PROGRAM ITEM. In the Description field, give the program item a name. For the Command line field, type in C:\NGME\NGME.EXE.

    VIDEO DISPLAY AND DRIVER ISSUES

    Blank Animations and Maps

    The 1994 NGME uses Microsoft Video for Windows (VFW) as its multimedia vehicle. When this file was written there were 3 incremental versions of VFW in use in the marketplace. Differences between versions of the Video for Windows (VFW) application in conjunction with some accelerated video cards have been found to cause problems in the display of Animations, Multimedia Maps, and/or Videos in the NGME. This problem manifests itself most commonly in the form of blank playback screens when attempting to play Animations, Multimedia Maps, and/or Videos. To fix these conflicts we recommend the following.

    Animations, Multimedia Maps, and Knowledge Explorer Fix - Instructions

    Copy and expand the following 4 compressed files from the NGME CD-ROM into the NGME directory on your hard drive.

  • Go to the DOS prompt.
  • Make sure the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia CD-ROM is in the CD-ROM drive.
  • Go to the drive letter where the encyclopedia was installed into. If you installed the program into your "C" drive, type C: (Enter).
  • Change to the directory the program was installed into. If it was installed into a directory called NGMEB, you would type: CD\NGMEB and (Enter).
  • Type your CD-ROM drive letter followed by a colon and (Enter). If your CD-ROM drive letter is D, you would type D: (Enter).
  • You now need to change to the Microsoft Video for Windows directory. It is called either 0MSVIDEO or MSVIDEO. You would type either CD\0MSVIDEO or CD\MSVIDEO (Enter) depending on the name of the directory. Please note the first character of 0MSVIDEO is the number zero.
  • Now you need to type these commands:

    EXPAND MCIAVI.DR_ C:MCIAVI.DRV (Enter) Please note that C: is the drive letter the program was installed into. The _ may be typed by holding down the shift key and hitting the dash key.

    EXPAND MSVIDEO.DL_ C:MSVIDEO.DLL (Enter)
    EXPAND DISPDIB.DL_ C:DISPDIB.DLL (Enter)
    EXPAND MSVIDC.DR_ C: MSVIDC.DRV (Enter)

  • Start Windows and try to run the program. If you notice any problems with the graphics, go to the drive letter and directory the program was installed into (usually C:\NGME) and type DEL MSVIDEO.DLL (Enter).
  • Go back to Windows and run the encyclopedia and the problem will be solved.

    Video Driver Settings

    Your Video driver should be set to a 640 X 480 (256) color setting rather than using a higher resolution such as 1024 X 768 or greater. To check this setting, go to the Main icon in Program Manager and choose Windows setup. When you are in Windows setup, look at your display. The display shows your current video driver. To adjust the driver, go to Options and Change System Settings. Scroll the listing of display drivers using the down arrow to the right of the display listing. Select the appropriate driver and hit OK. Use the currently installed driver as opposed to installing a new one. Restart Windows when prompted.

    Obtain the latest video drivers for your video card from the manufacturer of the card. Drivers can be obtained directly from the video card manufacturer, from an online service such as CompuServe, America Online, or from this Web Site in the near future.

    For test purposes, Windows 3.1/3.11 users may want to download Microsoft's generic Super VGA 256 color driver for Windows which is available from the Microsoft Download Service BBS at (206) 936-6735 as well as the Grolier BBS at (203) 797-6872. The driver is called SVGA.EXE.

    Split Screen Video

    Split screen video sometimes occurred in the Knowledge Explorer Essay section of the 1994 Encyclopedia. To correct this type of problem do the following:

  • Open the Control Panel (located in the "Main" Program Group).
  • Double-click on the "Drivers" icon.
  • Next, double-click the [MCI] Microsoft Video for Windows driver. In the Video Playback Options box that appears, click on "Window" as the video mode rather than full screen.
  • Also if the Zoom by 2 option is checked, uncheck that option. If the option "Skip Video Frames if Behind" is not checked you should check this. If "Skip Video Frames if Behind" is not checked this sometimes results in choppy sound playback in multimedia sections of the encyclopedia. Finally, click on the "Set Default" button and hit OK. Then exit the "Video Playback Options."

    Choppy Video

    Files\Buffers - Try increasing the number of files and buffers in your config.sys file to 35. You can edit the config.sys file by typing edit config.sys (Enter)from a DOS prompt (C:\). Save the changes made to the config.sys file by going to File on the menu bar and down to Exit. You will be prompted to Save the changes to this file, say yes. Reboot your computer to make the changes take effect.

    CD-ROM Buffer Settings

    Increase the number of buffers loading with your CD-ROM extensions which load from the autoexec.bat file. The autoexec.bat file can be modified by typing edit autoexec.bat from a DOS prompt (C:\). The line that loads the buffers will read something to the effect of C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE. Add the parameter /M: 20 to make the line read C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /M:20. Save the changes made to the autoexec.bat file by going to File and choosing Exit. Save the changes made to the file when prompted. Reboot your computer to make the changes take effect.

    MMTASK Errors in Multimedia Maps

    This error message has been known to occur in the Multimedia Maps section of the NGME release 6, version 6.0 - 6.02, particularly in the "Gulf War" multimedia map. It is a software problem that was corrected by the NGME version 6.04 or later. Technical Support should be contacted at 203-796-2536 if you encounter this error.

    MMTASK error in all Multimedia sections

    Try expanding the 4 Microsoft Video for Windows files per the instructions listed in the Animations, Maps, and Knowledge Explorer Fix.

    SOUND ISSUES

    No Sound

    You may not be setup properly for sound in Windows. To test your sound setup in Windows 3.1/3.11 do the following:

  • Open the Control Panel (located in the Main Program Group) and then double-click on the Sound icon. You will see a list box on the right side of the dialog box containing files ending with the extensions "WAV."
  • Use your mouse to highlight one of these files and then click on the button labeled TEST. If you do not hear the sound you selected, then your soundcard is not set up properly to run "WAV files" under Windows.
  • If the "WAV" files do not produce sound, you may also want to try reinstalling the drivers for your sound card. If reinstalling the drivers does not work, you will need to consult the manual for your soundcard and /or contact the sound card vendor.

    Choppy Sound

    Video for Windows Settings - Some settings for Microsoft's Video for Windows can affect sound playback. To access and change these settings do the following:

  • Open the Control Panel (located in the "Main" Program Group).
  • Double-click on the "Drivers" icon, double click the [MCI] Microsoft Video for Windows driver.
  • If the option "Skip Video Frames if Behind" is not checked in the Video Playback Options box, you should check this box.
  • If "Skip Video Frames if Behind" is not checked it sometimes causes choppy sound playback in multimedia sections of the encyclopedia.
  • Finally, click on the "Set Default" button and hit OK. Then exit the "Video Playback Options."

    Video Drivers and Sound

    Very often sound problems can be related to video driver conflicts. Changing the video driver can be worthwhile to test if the current driver is causing the sound problems (i.e. changing from 800 X 600 256 colors large fonts to 800 X 600 256 colors small fonts or to a different resolution of 640 X 480 256 colors willl sometimes help for this problem). To test if your video driver is causing sound problems, you can change your current driver to the generic VGA driver in Windows setup. After you change the video driver to generic VGA try to run the NGME and see if the areas with sound are still choppy.

    Sound plays faster than the Video

    We have seen this problem with the NGME when an NEC triple speed CD-ROM drive is used in combination with a Media Vision (ProAudio Spectrum) sound card. It is likely that the DMA setting of the ProAudio Spectrum card is 5. You will need to change this DMA setting to a 1 or a 3. If you are unsure about changing the DMA setting for the ProAudio Spectrum sound card, you should contact the sound card manufacturer Media Vision for assistance in doing this.

    PRINTING

    Copyright prints normally, but the Text prints out Extremely Small

    The problem of "tiny printing" occurred with version 6.0 and 6.01 of the New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (NGME). The resulting print is extremely small and sometimes just the Copyright heading will print out rather than the full article. The fix for this problem is to obtain the NGME version 6.02 or higher and install the new version so it does not run off the old software.

    "Keycaps" print out instead of the desired text

    Edit the WIN.INI file located in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. Look for the section called [FONTS] and move the line that says KEYBD.FOT further down in the [FONTS] section or simply put a semicolon ( ;) at the beginning of the KEYBD.FOT line to disable that line. Save this file, exit Windows and reboot.

    MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES

    Many problems with the NGME result from a CD-ROM that has dirt or dust on it. To clean the CD, use a soft cloth to wipe the unprinted side of the CD and work from the center to the outside edge in a straight line. Proceed to clean the rest of the disk in this manner. You can use water or other CD-ROM cleaning fluids on the compact disc. The following error messages can be caused by a disk that has dirt, dust, or fingerprints on it:

  • Picture Not is Appropriate Format

    Note: If cleaning the disk is not successful in eliminating this message you should edit the NGME.INI file located on your hard drive in the directory you installed the NGME (usually C:\NGME). Change the line LOGO=1 to LOGO=0 and changethe line BBOX=1 to read BBOX=0.

  • Database cannot be found Note: Be sure you have the correct CD in the drive, this can also cause this error. Sometimes reinstalling the program will also solve this problem.

  • Cannot read from drive X: (where X is the CD-ROM drive letter).

  • Insufficient memory messages during installation of the NGME.

    LAUNCHING THE PROGRAM

    The NGME goes back to Program Manager without starting the program

    Try reinstalling the program and say yes to both the sound card and Microsoft Video for Windows. Not installing Microsoft Video for Windows can also result in an insufficient memory message when trying to run sections of the program with video. You should say yes to the sound card options even if you do not have a sound card in your computer.

    "Assertion failed caused a General Protection Fault in Module ..."

    To correct the assertion failed error try running Windows in Enhanced mode. You can switch to Enhanced mode by typing win /3 at the DOS prompt (C:\).

    MACINTOSH VERSIONS

    No information is available on the 1994 Macintosh versions at this time, but this will be added in the future.