THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS GENERAL TECHNICAL AND TROUBLESHOOTING
INFORMATION FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

1.  MOUSE
2.  PRINTERS
3.  MODE STATEMENT FOR SERIAL PRINTER
4.  INSTALLATION
5.  "VENETIAN BLIND" PRINTING PROBLEM
6.  MEMORY
7.  WINDOWS

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MOUSE   
   
   Many programs need to detect a mouse driver in memory for  the
mouse to  work.  Some programs supply their own mouse drivers (like
Windows) and do not need to detect one in memory.      
   
     If you experience mouse problems, i.e., there is no movement of the
pointer,  the mouse is erratic, etc., please follow the instructions outlined
below BEFORE calling Technical Support.  These problems are usually
resolved by loading the mouse driver into memory.     
   
FOLLOWING ARE INSTRUCTION FOR  DOS 5.0 and DOS 6.0 USERS TO
LOAD A MICROSOFT  MOUSE DRIVER.  These are common DOS commands. 
Please refer to your DOS manual if further explanation is needed.  The
documentation that you got when you purchased the mouse should also
explain how to install it.   
   
    Should you not have a Microsoft driver, the mouse.com file may be
called gmouse.com (for a Genius mouse) or imouse.com (for an Info
mouse), etc.  Replace the mouse.com file in the instructions below
appropriately.   
   
NOTE:  Be sure that your autoexec.bat file resides in the root directory;
NOT the DOS subdirectory.   
   
1.  Locate your mouse.com file.  This file will typically reside in the root
directory or  in its own subdirectory (usually called MOUSE).   
   
2.  To put your mouse driver into memory you must edit your
autoexec.bat file 
 
	Type:   
   
     cd\     (enter)   
     edit autoexec.bat     (enter)   
   
3.  You will get a new screen showing the contents of your autoexec.bat
file.  
 
   
4. Create a blank space by putting your cursor on the first letter of the
first word and  pressing enter.  Arrow back up to the blank space and
type mouse (or c:\mouse\mouse if the mouse.com files resides in a
MOUSE subdirectory).  
   
5. Press Alt + F, then X, then press enter to confirm the save.   
   
6. This should leave you at your root directory again (the c:> prompt) 
    
7. Reboot the computer by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys
simultaneously.  
 
8. Your mouse driver is now loaded into memory.   
   
FOLLOWING ARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR USERS WHO ARE NOT USING DOS 5.0 or 6.0.  
These are basic instructions derived from a DOS manual.  Refer to your 
DOS manual for further assistance.    
   
1.  Locate your mouse.com file.  This file will typically reside in the root
directory or in its own subdirectory (usually called MOUSE).   
   
2. To put your mouse driver into memory you must edit your
autoexec.bat file.  

     Type:   
   
     cd\     (enter)   
     edlin autoexec.bat     (enter)   
   
3.  "End of input file" should now be on your screen.  (If you get a "Bad
command or filename" message be sure that you've typed EXACTLY
what is shown above, and  that the edlin.exe and the autoexec.bat file
both reside in the root directory.)     
   
4.  Press "L" (for list) and you will get numbered lines of information,
followed by an asterisk (*) at the left-hand margin.   
   
5.  Type the number 1, and the letter "i" and press enter.  You will now
be on line  number one.   Type "mouse" (or c:\mouse\mouse if the
mouse.com files resides in a MOUSE subdirectory), and press enter.    
   
6.  You should be back at the * at the left-hand margin.   
   
7.  Type "end" and you will be left at the C prompt.   
   
8. Reboot the computer by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys
simultaneously.  
   
9. Your mouse driver is now loaded into memory.   
   
   
NOTE:  Much of the newer software written will require more current
versions of  device drivers.    
   
The latest version of the Microsoft mouse driver as of August, 1992, is
8.2; the  Logitech is 6.02; the Genius 8.08; the ATI 2.3; the Packard
Bell 8.0  

NOTE: If your mouse driver is more than one year old, you should contact 
the manufacturer to check on the availability of an updated driver.
   
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PRINTERS   
   
     If you are having problems getting printouts from the program, here 
are some important things to check BEFORE you call Technical Support: 
 
1.  What type of printer emulation does you printer support?      
	
     When a program sends information to the printer, it needs to send it 
in a form the printer can understand.  The types of data the printer will 
understand are known as "emulation" modes.  For example, a Canon
BubbleJet  300 will  emulate both the IBM Proprinter X24e and an Epson
LQ-850.  It is  important to know what types of  data your printer can
accept.  This  information can usually be found in your printer's manual. 
 
   
2. Is the software setup for an appropriate driver?   
	
     Once you know what type of information your printer will accept,
you  need to make sure the software is sending it in the proper form. 
The part  of the program that does this is known as a "printer driver". 
You need to  choose the driver that is appropriate to your printer.  In our
example  above, if the  BubbleJet 300 is set for  Epson LQ-850 mode,
you need to  choose an Epson driver from the program.   
   
     If the printer is printing "garbage", make sure your driver and
emulation mode match.  Many printers will let you change their
emulation  mode using dip switches or a control panel.  Your printer's
manual will  have a listing of the switches and what  their settings do. 
If your printer  is in a mode that does not have a corresponding  driver
in the program, see  if you can change the switch settings to a mode the 
program will support.   Again, if our BubbleJet is in IBM  Proprinter mode
and the  software only  supports an Epson, change the dip switch
settings on the printer to put it  into Epson mode.*   
   
*Note: This may affect other software you have set for a  Proprinter.   
   
     From time to time, a printer will list emulation for a type of printer,
but not fully support it in all modes.  This can be a very  frustrating
situation.  In this instance, you can try some of the other  drivers that
are similar to the one recommended.  For example, if the  printer works
as a 24 pin printer, but has problems with that driver, try  using a similar
9 pin driver instead.  In many instances this will solve  the problem.   
   
	 It may just be that you printer is not in graphics mode.   
   
     Another problem you may encounter is a "Venetian blind" effect. 
This  is where the printout looks like the graphics are printed out as
bands down  the page with white space in between.  The causes for this
vary:   
    
1. On very old printers (~1983), the problems lies with the printer itself, 
not being able to support the newer software.  The program won't be
able to  print to these printers.   
   
2. Some printers have an auto-linefeed mode that will cause this. This 
will be listed in your printer manual's settings options.  This feature 
should be off.  
 
3. Lastly, the printer may have a physical problem with the way the 
linefeed motor  advances the paper.  This is something a service center
must adjust.   
 
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SERIAL PRINTERS
The following are instructions for adding a MODE statement for serial printer 
support.

NOTE:  Be sure that your autoexec.bat file resides in the root directory;
NOT the DOS subdirectory.   
   
THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR DOS 5.0 or 6.0 USERS:

1.  To put your MODE statement into memory you must edit your
autoexec.bat file 
 
	Type:   
   
      cd\     (enter)   
     edit autoexec.bat     (enter)   
   
2.  You will get a new screen showing the contents of your autoexec.bat
file.  
 
   
3. Create a blank space by putting your cursor on the first letter of the
first word and  pressing enter.  Arrow back up to the blank space and
type MODE COM1:9600,n,8,1,p   
   
4.  Press Alt + F, then X, then press enter to confirm the save.   
   
5. This should leave you at your root directory again (the c:> prompt) 
    
6. Reboot the computer by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys
simultaneously.  

7.  Your MODE statement is now loaded into memory.   
   

FOLLOWING ARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR USERS WHO ARE NOT USING DOS 5.0 or 6.0.
These are basic instructions derived from a DOS manual.  Refer to your
DOS manual for further assistance.    
   
1. To put your MODE statement into memory you must edit your
autoexec.bat file.  
   
	 
     Type:   
   
     cd\     (enter)   
     edlin autoexec.bat     (enter)   
   
2.  "End of input file" should now be on your screen.  (If you get a "Bad
command or filename" message be sure that you've typed EXACTLY
what is shown above, and  that the edlin.exe and the autoexec.bat file
both reside in the root directory.)     
   
3.  Press "L" (for list) and you will get numbered lines of information,
followed by an asterisk (*) at the left-hand margin.   
   
4.  Type the number 1, and the letter "i" and press enter.  You will now
be on line  number one.   Type MODE COM1:9600,n,8,1,p
   
5.  You should be back at the * at the left-hand margin.   
   
6.  Type "end" and you will be left at the C prompt.   
   
7. Reboot the computer by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys
simultaneously.  
   
8. Your MODE statment is now loaded into memory.   
   
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INSTALLATION   
   
     During installation of multiple-disk programs, you will get a message
prompting  you to enter the next numbered disk and press any key to
continue. If you swap disks and press any key, and you are still being
prompted to insert  the disk, check the following:

1.  Are you, in fact, putting in the right numbered disk? 
   
2.  Sometimes disk caching software/hardware will cache the floppy drive 
and can cause the directory to be read from the cache and  not the new disk.
If you have disk caching software installed, remove it from memory and try the
installation again.  (This may involve editing your autoexec.bat and re-booting 
your computer.)

3.  Sometimes the DOS program SHARE can cause this.  If you are loading SHARE,
edit your autoexec.bat to prevent SHARE from loading, then re-boot your pc
and try the installation again.

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Information from Epson on "Venetian blind" printing problem
Currently there seem to be four types of venetian blind problem:

1. Auto-linefeed control set to on
Symptoms: Very pronounced venetian blind effect.  Lots of space between 
the graphics lines, about the size of a full line of text.  Printout will 
be twice as long as should be.  Particularly common with Tandy systems.  
This will happen in any software, text or graphics, unless the software 
has a specific option.

Cause: The printers auto-linefeed mode is active.  It automatically adds 
a linefeed when the carriage returns.  This was a feature for older 
software that did not specifically advance the printer.

Solution: Need to turn off the auto-linefeed mode.  This is either 
through dip-switch settings (the most common), a front printer control 
panel, or occasionally through switches set through printer control software.

2. Older printers
Symptoms: Gets spaces between lines, but only about 1/16".  The printout 
is elongated, but only by about a quarter of its size.  This won't happen 
with text based output or older graphics software with old print drivers, 
but will probably happen with newer graphic programs.

Cause: This happens only with old printers, about 1980-1984.  Problem lies 
in the way they set up the bit-mapped graphics on the old systems.  These 
are typically 8 pin printers.

Solution: Not really a lot that can be done.  Sometimes you can select 
the MX Compatibles driver which was a printer from that time.  Other than 
that, the software just won't work with that printer.

3. "9 pin stretch"
Symptoms: Makes the printout look like it getting an extra 1/2 line feed.  
This will be a very uniform problem down the whole printout.  The printout 
will be elongated.  It will only happen on certain graphics programs, and 
not with text.

Cause: The problem comes from selecting a 9 pin driver on a 24 pin printer.  
The program sends the graphic info in 9 pin resolution and the printer is 
supposed to translate it into a 24 pin space.  This usually stretches the 
print  Certain printers will only double the bits giving 18 pin information.  
The remaining 6 pins don't fire giving the space.

Solution: This is a difficult one.  The problem usually lies in the printers 
emulation, they'll emulate the 24 mode, but not the 9 pin entirely.  
Unfortunately, they are probably only selecting the 9 pin driver because 
the 24 pin didn't work.  Not really a fix, just try having them check 
emulation, or try setting for a different mode (e.g. Proprinter mode).

4. Physical problems with the printer
Symptoms: Looks like a very pronounced banding problem, almost as if one 
or two pins aren't firing.  The problem will be quite inconsistent, the 
gaps will vary in size.  This is only noticeable on high resolution graphics 
output, and won't show up on text output.  The printout may or may not be 
elongated, if so, only slightly.

Cause: Mechanical problem in the interaction of the platen and the line 
feed motor.  It happens only on push-tractor printers which are all of 
their newer printers.  It doesn't happen on their older friction feed 
printers.  Sounds like a fairly common problem that happens with older 
printers or ones that get substantial use.  Epson is aware of the problem.

Solution: They need to have a service center do a physical adjustment to 
the printer.  They need to have a backlash adjustment and a platen adjustment.

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How to configure your memory:

You try to run a program, but the system says it doesn't have enough memory 
to run, but that can't be true because you've got 4M of RAM.  Sound familiar?  This is actually quite a common problem and really relates to the way your memory is arranged and being used rather than how much you actually have.  This document is meant to shed some light on this often confusing problem, and give you some tips on how you can better make use of your memory.
Here's the scoop: your memory is actually divided into several different 
sections, each of which has a very specific role.  

The most important of these is the conventional memory.  This is the only 
memory immediately available to DOS programs, and all the memory DOS will 
recognize without a memory manager.  All the DOS programs you've ever used, 
need to use this main memory.  Above this block there are a variety of 
memory areas: upper memory, expanded memory, and extended.  

When DOS programs say they don't have enough memory to run, they're saying 
there isn't enough conventional memory free for them to operate.  Why isn't 
it available is the next question.  This happens because there are programs 
that load when your machine starts up that take up part of your conventional 
memory.  These are known generically as memory resident programs.  These 
include drivers for special equipment like mouse, CD-ROM and sound drivers, 
system enhancements like caches and compression programs, and other types 
of system additions.

There are two files which control which of these programs are loaded and 
run and they are called the CONFIG.SYS and the AUTOEXEC.BAT.  If you'd like 
to know how much memory you currently have free, you can type CHKDSK at the 
DOS prompt and the last line of that report (BYTES FREE) will tell you how 
much conventional memory you have available to run DOS programs.

How to get your program to run?  Basically, what you need to do is free up 
your conventional memory to make room for your program.  You can do this in 
two ways.  The first is to not load any memory resident programs in the first 
place.  The second involves using a memory management system to load those 
programs into the other sections of memory.

The easiest way to keep memory resident programs from interfering with your 
program is to make a DOS SYSTEM disk which will start your system up, but 
doesn't load any of your additional drivers.  To do this, put a blank disk 
in the A: drive (it needs to be blank because this operation will erase 
anything on it!) and type the following:

FORMAT A: /S

Once it's done formatting, you can restart your machine with this disk in 
the drive and it will bypass any memory resident programs and you'll be 
able to run your program fine.  While this is an excellent method to allow 
certain programs to run, you need to be aware that it does this by keeping 
drivers from loading, and what that really means for your system.  Because 
the mouse driver doesn't load, you won't be able to use your mouse in the 
program.  

If you're using Stacker or SuperStore, because their drivers aren't loaded, 
you won't be able to access any compressed drives.  To correct this situation, 
you may need to create a minimum system that loads just enough of your 
drivers to allow the system to run, but not so many that your memory is used 
up.  For more information about this, refer to your DOS manual for 
Customizing Your System (chapt. 11 in the DOS 5.0 manual).

The other method to free more memory is to load some of your resident programs 
into the other types of memory, out of your main 640K.  In order to do this, 
you must either have DOS 5.0 or another type of commercial memory manager and 
at least 1M of RAM.  You will also need a 386 system to use these program's 
more advanced features.  This procedure, and the restrictions and cautions 
associated with it, is outlined in chapter 12 of the DOS 5.0 manual, 
Optimizing Your System.  It is highly recommended that you read this material 
before making these changes.

If you have a commercial memory manager, simply follow the instructions 
provided with that program.  If you would like to use DOS 5.0's tools, the 
basic memory management tool is HIMEM.SYS, and it is activated by having the 
following lines in your CONFIG.SYS file:

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH

The first line activates DOS's high memory manager, and the second loads DOS 
itself into that section of memory.  This alone may give you enough memory to 
run your programs, again, you can check to see with the CHKDSK command.  If 
this still isn't enough, then you will have to use EMM386 to free up 
additional memory.  This will involve loading the EMM386 driver, then using 
the DEVICEHIGH and LOADHIGH commands for your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT 
files to load your individual drivers into high memory.  This procedure, 
while not terribly difficult, does involve quite a few steps, and you will 
have to refer to your DOS manual in order to configure the files properly.

We hope this helps you in setting up your system to run your programs.  If 
you are still having problems, see if you can find the answers in the manuals 
that accompanied your system.  You can also contact Microsoft's technical 
support for help on using their memory management tools (HIMEM.SYS & EMM386) 
at (206)454-2030, or our technical support team for other problems related 
to our programs at (602)893-8481.  We want you to be able to enjoy our 
programs, and thank you for your support of our company.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
WINDOWS

General Protection Faults (GPF)

The most common cause of GPFs is improper memory access.  Windows manages 
all the memory on your system, and if a Windows application, Windows itself 
or a device driver accesses memory not assigned to it, a GPF usually occurs.

The error message that accompanies the GPF can provide information as to the 
type of problem, based on where the fault occurred.  There are three core 
files that make up the part of Windows that runs Windows applications: 
KRNL386.EXE, GDI.EXE and USER.EXE.  If a GPF occurs in one of these three 
files, the area governed by that file should give direction toward 
discovering the cause of the GPF.

KRNL386.EXE (KRNL286.EXE on a 286 system):  
This file loads and executes Windows applications, and handles their memory 
management.

GDI.EXE 
This file manages graphics and printing.

USER.EXE 
This file controls user input and output, including keyboard, mouse, sound 
driver, timer, communications ports, and window management.


1.  Is Windows correctly configured for your hardware?  
	The Windows Setup detects the type of machine you have,  although in 
	some cases, may not correctly identify your machine.  To verify that 
	Windows is configured correctly for your computer, you need to run 
	SETUP outside of Windows, at the DOS prompt.  
	
	To do this, exit Windows, change to your Windows directory, and type 
	SETUP <Enter>.  After a moment, the Windows Setup screen is displayed.  
	In the System Information section, make sure that the correct machine 
	type appears in the Computer text box.  If it does not, move the 
	highlight to that text box, press Enter, and then select the correct 
	machine type from the resulting list.  If your machine type is not 
	specifically named, choose MS-DOS SYSTEM.
	If you are connected to a network, verify that your network is properly 
	listed in the Network text box in the same manner.


2.  Is the GPF reproducible?  
	GPFs caused by applications are reproducible, making it relatively 
	easy to document when and where the GPF will occur.  Random GPFs at 
	different times usually indicate a memory conflict or hardware problem.  
	Eliminating these GPFs requires you to examine your system carefully.


3.  Where does the GPF occur?  
	You will get an idea of what may be involved in the GPF by noting 
	what module it occurs in.
	KRNL386 has to do with memory
	GDI deals with graphics and printing
	USER deals with user input and output (keyboard, mouse, sound driver, 
	communications ports


4.  If the GPF is random, usually a memory conflict or hardware problem is 
	to blame.  Check for TSR conflicts or device drivers by removing all 
	unnecessary commands from the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files.
	Reduce the Config.sys to the following commands:
		DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
		FILES=60
		BUFFERS=20
		SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /E:2048 /P
	(If your drive and directory differ from the ones in this example, 
	change them to match your system.)

	Reduce the Autoexec.bat to the following commands:
		PROMPT $P$G
		PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\;C:\DOS
		SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP

	Reboot your machine and load Windows as usual.  If you are now able 
	to run without the GPF occurring, you probably have an incompatible 
	TSR or device driver.  Now the tedious part will be adding commands 
	back to your Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files one at a time, to 
	determine which one caused the GPF.


5.  Check for bad sectors in the permanent swap file
	If your system reports occasional read or write errors when accessing 
	the hard drive, there may be bad sectors in the permanent swap file.  
	If Windows accesses a corrupted area of the permanent swap file, it 
	may wrongly report that an application caused a GPF.  This is probably 
	the leading cause of seemingly random GPFs caused by several applications.
	First remove the permanent swap file (Control Panel, 386 Enhanced, 
	Virtual Memory).  Next, run Norton Disk Doctor or PC Tools Disk Fix 
	(or other hard drive utility) to find and mark the bad sectors on the 
	hard drive.  Finally,  re-create the permanent swap file.


6.  Check third-party device drivers for conflicts
	If you use a third-party device driver for your video graphics card, 
	mouse, or network, you should configure Windows to use its own device 
	drivers when you troubleshoot for GPFs.  To do so, select Main, 
	Windows Setup, Change System Settings and then configure Windows for 
	a VGA display, no mouse and no network.  If you choose to leave the 
	mouse driver installed,  you must realize that it can be a source of 
	conflict.  Restart Windows for your changes to take effect.  If the 
	GPF no longer occurs, you can use a process of elimination to discover 
	which device driver causes the problem to occur.


7.  If a specific device driver or application causes a GPF, you should 
	re-install it.  If any of the files a device driver or application 
	uses becomes corrupted or damaged, re-installing the software may 
	correct the problem.

8.  Check Windows INI files for additional third-party device drivers.
	Using SysEdit or Notepad, open your SYSTEM.INI file.  In the [boot]  
	section, check to see if any of the following settings differ from 
	these defaults:
	SHELL=PROGMAN.EXE
	SYSTEM.DRV=SYSTEM.DRV
	KEYBOARD.DRV=KEYBOARD.DRV
	MOUSE.DRV=MOUSE.DRV
	DISPLAY.DRV=VGA.DRV     
	
	If any of your settings differ from these, you will need to comment 
	out the differing settings, and add the respective default setting.  
	To comment out a setting, place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of 
	the setting's line.  This tells Windows to ignore that line in the 
	INI file.  After making changes, choose FILE-SAVE.

	Next open your WIN.INI file, and locate the following settings:
	LOAD=
	RUN=
	If these settings don't appear as these defaults, comment them out 
	and add the default settings on a new line.  After making changes, 
	choose FILE-SAVE.

	Now, restart Windows, and if the GPF no longer occurs, you can use 
	a process of elimination to discover which setting causes the GPF 
	to occur.


9. Page Mapping Conflicts
	A page-mapping conflict occurs when Windows (in 386 Enhanced) and 
	a device driver or application attempt to use the same UMB in the UMA.  
	(The UMA - also known as the adapter segment - is the area of memory 
	between 640K and 1MB on your system.)  Fortunately, Windows 3.1 inherits 
	the UMA mapping info from an expanded memory manager, such as EMM386, 
	keeping it from trying to use a UMB that the expanded memory manager 
	is already using.  However, a device driver or application may be using 
	UMBs that the expanded memory manger isn't using, and if Windows tries 
	to use one of those UMBs, a page-mapping conflict occurs.
	
	To test for a page-mapping conflict, start Windows with the following 
	command line:
		WIN /3 /d:x
	The /3 command line switch forces Windows to run in 386 Enhanced mode.  
	The /d:x command line switch tells Windows not to use the UMA.  This 
	switch is equivalent to adding the setting EMMExclude=A000-EFFF to 
	the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file.  
	If the GPF no longer occurs, you probably have a page-mapping conflict.

	To further pinpoint where the page-mapping conflict occurs, you can 
	add EMMExclude= settings to the [386Enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI file.  
	
	To do so, use SysEdit or Notepad to open your SYSTEM.INI file.  Next, 
	move to the [386Enh] section and add the following five settings:

	EMMExclude=A000-AFFF
	;EMMExclude=B000-BFFF
	;EMMExclude=C000-CFFF
	;EMMExclude=D000-DFFF
	;EMMExclude=E000-EFFF

	Note the semicolon at the beginning of the last four EMMExclude= settings, 
	instructing Windows to ignore these lines.  Now, when you save your changes 
	and restart Windows, it will exclude only the UMA area from A000-AFFF.
	
	If the GPF no longer occurs, then the page-mapping conflict involves the 
	area A000-AFFF.  
	
	If the GPF continues to occur, you will need to use a process of elimination 
	to locate where the conflict occurs.  Simply edit the SYSTEM.INI file to 
	exclude only one area of the UMA at a time.

