ZoomText for Windows 5.20 Notes

    This file contains information on ZoomText for Windows that
    is not covered in its user guide.


What's New in this Version

    The following is list of changes that have gone into
    ZoomText for Windows since the last major release (5.00).


    Version 5.20

    1.  ZoomText's edge smoothing of text and graphics has
        been greatly improved.  This version now smoothes
        both black and white areas of the screen (the
        previous versions only smoothed black).  In
        addition, the new smoothing is much more rounded and
        removes the waviness of certain characters, such as
        'W' and 'A'.  Edge smoothing is now the default
        option, but you still need to run with a 256 color
        display driver in order to smooth.

    2.  With some new Windows 95 display drivers, ZoomText
        would crash when the mouse cursor was moved to the
        bottom of the screen.  This problem has been fixed.

    3.  A number of new Windows 95 display drivers were not
        working properly with ZoomText.  This is due to the
        display driver illegally patching parts of the
        Windows system code.  If your display driver is
        doing this, you would see rectangular blocks appear
        on the screen in the wrong area, and some text would
        appear transparent, without the proper background
        color.  These problems have been fixed by restoring
        the patched Windows' code.  There is a slight chance
        that the unpatching performed by ZoomText will
        create a problem with future releases of Windows 95.
        If so, this feature can be deactivated by unchecking
        a new setting in the PROFILER called "Remove GDI
        Patches".

    4.  With some display drivers in Windows 95, ZoomText
        would cause extra mouse cursors to appear on the
        screen.  These would usually occur when turning
        magnification on or off.  This problem has been
        fixed with most display drivers.  If the problem
        still persists on your system, move the Graphics
        Performance slider bar to the left one notch.  This
        control can be found by running Start Menu ->
        Settings -> Control Panel -> System applet ->
        Performance tab.

    5.  When running with NetScape (and other programs that
        use device independent bitmaps), video corruption
        would occur when displaying certain images.  The
        corruption would occur in Windows 3.1 with 16 or 256
        color display drivers and in Windows 95 with 16
        color display drivers only. These problems have been
        fixed.

    6.  When running with Microsoft Access in Windows 95,
        the display of horizontal dividing lines in a
        database form would not always be displayed
        properly.  This problem has been fixed.

    7.  When running with WordPad in Windows 95, using the
        standard VGA display driver, some characters would
        only be partially displayed when typed in.  This
        problem has been fixed.

    8.  When running ZoomText in VGA Direct mode (standard
        VGA display driver and single full-screen zoom
        window), exiting from a full-screen DOS session
        would hang the system.  This problem has been fixed.

    9.  On some systems running Windows 95, the ZoomText
        Profiler was not correctly setting the "Fast Scroll"
        checkbox, resulting in poor scrolling performance.
        This problem has been fixed.


    Version 5.12

    1.  Support for tracking the caret in Lotus WordPro has been
        added.

    2.  A "/C=" parameter has been added to the ZTWIN command
        line to let you specify a directory path for ZoomText
        configuration and .INI files.  This feature was added to
        allow ZoomText to be installed on a file server and the
        configuration files to exist on a local drive.

    3.  In previous versions, if a configuration file was
        specified on the ZTWIN command line, it was not being
        processed.  This problem has been fixed.

    4.  In version 5.11, when reviewing a document using
        multi-page review, it was impossible to exit review mode
        after paging down or issuing a keyboard command.  This
        problem has been fixed.

    5.  After pressing [Ctrl]+[Esc] or the [Start] key in
        Windows 95, subsequent use of a ZoomText tool would
        display a distorted tool cursor and the tool mode would
        exit whenever a mouse button was pressed. This problem
        has been fixed.

    6.  When using the VGA display driver in Windows 95,
        pressing [Ctrl]+[Esc] or the [Start] key while in a
        tool mode would cause the system to crash.  With other
        display drivers, this would result in a small area of
        corruption on the screen.  This problem has been fixed.

    7.  When running ZoomText with ReachOut in Windows 95, text	
	would not be properly magnified until the cursor was
        moved over it.  This problem has been fixed.


    Version 5.11

    1.  A compatibility problem between ZoomText and Microsoft
        Works 95 has been fixed.  This problem caused Works to
        lock up when running with earlier versions of
        ZoomText.

    2.  Review mode has been enhanced to support languages
        that read from right to left (such as Hebrew).  In
        earlier versions of ZoomText, reverse panning (invoked
        by [Shift] left-button while in text review mode)
        would move in an upward direction when it reached the
        end of a line.  A new setting in ZoomText
        configuration files now controls whether review mode
        will move up or down lines, when panning in reverse.
        The setting, ReverseTopToBottom=0, appears in the
        [Review] section of ZTWIN.INI (and in all
        configuration files that you create).  By changing
        this setting to 1, review mode will review from top to
        bottom when in reverse panning.

    3.  The Enable radio button in the Tracking dialog box did
        not properly disable tracking when deselected.  This
        problem has been fixed.

    4.  The Controls check box in the Tracking dialog box did
        not properly disable control tracking when deselected.
        This problem has been fixed.

    5.  Review mode has been improved so that it more reliably
        identifies the application and window to be reviewed
        during text review.

    6.  Edge smoothing has been improved to more accurately
        smooth out jaggedness in magnified text.

    7.  When using a ZoomText tool, invoking the Windows 95
        start menu (by pressing [Ctrl][Esc] or the [Start] key)
        caused the tool cursor to continue to display, even
        though ZoomText was no longer the active application.
        This problem has been fixed.

    Version 5.10

    1.  ZoomText now supports Windows 95 along with continued
        support for Windows 3.1 and 3.11.  The same program
        files work in both Windows 95 and 3.1x. ZoomText works
        with full and mini (DIB Engine) display drivers running
        at 16 or 256 colors.  All new Window 95 controls can be
        tracked, including the Start menu, the task bar and
        desktop shortcuts.

    2.  The selection of blocks of text when using the keyboard
        ([Shift] + arrow keys) is now tracked by ZoomText.

    3.  Support for full-motion video playback has been added to
        ZoomText. This allows moving videos from encyclopedias
        and other CD ROMs to be magnified.

    4.  A special caret dectection mechanism was added so that
        non-standard carets can be tracked.  When the
        CaretDetect hotkey ([Alt]+[Shift]+[C] by default) is
        pressed, ZoomText will monitor caret-like drawing to the
        screen. If a caret is detected which is not already
        supported, you will be prompted to keep this new caret
        definition. After caret detection, you can save the
        caret definition in a ZoomText configuration file by
        selecting one of the save options in the File menu.

    5.  During review mode panning, ZoomText now waits for
        vertical retrace before painting to the screen.  This
        improves the smoothness of panning on most systems.  A
        checkbox has been added to the profiler dialog box,
        allowing you to disable vertical retrace waiting. On
        some systems panning may be smoother with this feature
        disabled.

    6.  In Windows 95, ZoomText will automatically turn
        magnification off if you change you display settings
        (resolution and/or colors).  When you attempt to turn
        magnification back on, a message box will display,
        informing you that ZoomText will exit and restart.
        If the new display settings can be supported, ZoomText
        will automatically turn on.

    7.  Previous version of ZoomText would sometimes display
        improper screen colors when other applications changed
        the color palette.  This problem has been fixed.

    8.  Running a second instance of ZoomText (clicking on its
        program icon) will restore the user interface of the
        first instance.

    9.  When running at 1280x1024 resolution, the settings in a
        ZoomText configuration would bot be properly processed
        when loaded. This problem has been fixed.

    10. Color invert features were not being saved properly in
        ZoomText configuration files. This problem has been
        fixed.

    11. Inactivate hotkeys were not being saved properly in
        ZoomText configuration files. This problem has been
        fixed.

    Version 5.01

    1.  When adjusting the zone (of a zone popup window) or
        the tracking bounds, it was possible to become stuck in
        this adjustment mode. This would happen only after
        clicking outside the zone (or track bounds). This
        problem has been fixed.

    2.  When exiting a DOS session (run from Windows) using the
        standard VGA display driver, the screen would become
        corrupted. This problem has been fixed.

    3.  When loading a configuration file that was saved after
        changing hotkey settings, ZoomText would not properly
        load the new hotkey settings. This problem has been
        fixed.

    4.  With some display drivers, it was possible for multiple
        cursors to be displayed each time that ZoomText was
        turned on. This problem has been fixed (hopefully).

    5.  If your display driver implements DeviceBitmaps, a
        warning message will be display whenever ZoomText starts
        up. Most likely you will need to deactive this feature
        (in the display driver) inorder to make ZoomText work
        properly. If you are using an ATI display card, refer to
        the section below for instructions on disabling
        DeviceBitmaps.

    6.  After jumping to a target by using a HitTarget hotkey,
        the cursor was displayed improperly and the mouse would
        not act properly when clicking on Windows controls. This
        problem has been fixed.
    
    7.  The viewport of each zoom window is now saved in 
        ZoomText configuration files.  This allows you to save
        the viewport of static zoom windows.

    8.  When loading a ZoomText configuration from a LoadConfig
        hotkey, the current settings of LoadConfig hotkeys are
        no longer changed.  This allows you to continue 
        switching configurations (via hotkeys) according to the
        LoadConfig settings from the initial configuration file.

    9.  If a previous version (1.xx) of ZoomText Plus was
        installed to run automatically (whenever Windows starts)
        and other software was also loaded this way in your
        WIN.INI file, you may have gotten several "Cannot find
        file specified in WIN.INI" messages when starting
        Windows. ZoomText will no longer cause this problem to
        occur. If this problem occurs on your system, edit your
        WIN.INI file (in your C:\WINDOWS directory) and remove
        the spaces between program names in the LOAD= statement.

    10. The Install program will now automatically remove
        previous versions of ZoomText for Windows (ZTWIN) from
        your StartUp group. This will only occur if Install is
        run from Windows.

    11. When reinstalling ZoomText for Windows, the Install
        program will now save the default ZoomText configuration
        (if one exists). The old configuration file will be
        copied to a file named ZTWIN.Zxx, where xx represents
        01-99.

    12. If you request the Install program to automatically 
        start ZoomText for Windows whenever Windows starts up,
        a StartUp group will now be created if one does not 
        exist.

    13. The ZoomText hardware profiler can now be run with
        ZoomText active. Although Profiler will not analyze your
        system when ZoomText is running, it will display its
        dialog box, showing the setting from the previous
        profile.


Changing Your Windows Display Driver

    If you encounter video problems when running ZoomText for
    Windows, you may want to change your display driver. There
    are a number of standard display drivers that come with
    Windows (or Windows for Workgroups) that can be used with
    most Super-VGA cards. ZoomText works well with the following
    drivers:

        SuperVGA (1024x768, 256 colors, large fonts)
        SuperVGA (1024x768, 256 colors, small fonts)
        SuperVGA (800x600, 256 colors, large fonts)
        SuperVGA (800x600, 256 colors, small fonts)
        SuperVGA (640x480, 256 colors)
        SuperVGA (800x600, 16 colors)
        VGA
        Windows 95 mini drivers (DIB Engine drivers)


   To change your display driver in Windows 3.1:

    1. Select the Windows Setup icon in the Main group of the
       Program Manager. The Windows Setup dialog box will
       display.

    2. From the Options menu, select Change System Settings. The
       Change System Settings dialog will display.

    3. Click on the down arrow of the Display listbox. A list of
       display drivers will display.

    4. Choose the desired display driver from the list and
       select OK.

    5. If the display driver exists on your system, select
       Current.

    6. Restart Windows.


   To change your display driver in Windows 95:

    1. Right-click on an open portion of your desktop screen
       and select Properties from the popup menu.

    2. Select the Settings tab in the Display Properties dialog
       box.

    3. Select the Change Display Type button.

    4. Select the Change button for the Adapter Type.

    5. Select a new display driver from the Select Device
       dialog box. By clicking on the Show all devices radio
       button, you will be able to see all available drivers.

    6. Restart Windows 95.


Display Speed Problems

    When running ZoomText for Windows with a full-screen zoom
    window, the display speed may be unsatisfactory on slow
    computers (or computers with slow video cards). You can fix
    this problem by switching to the standard VGA display driver
    (VGA.DRV). Special optimizations have been included in
    ZoomText to improve its performance when running with this
    driver.

    After switching your display driver, the ZoomText Hardware
    Profiler will automatically run. If the Profiler detects the
    standard VGA display driver, it will automatically configure
    ZoomText to write directly to VGA memory.

    You can tell if the VGA optimization has been enabled by
    clicking on the Profiler icon. When the Profiler is done
    examining your system, a dialog box will display, showing
    your current ZoomText hardware profile. The "VGA Direct"
    checkbox will be checked if the standard VGA display driver
    was detected.

    It is possible that the VGA Direct optimization will work
    with other VGA display drivers, but they MUST be running in
    a 640x480 resolution and with 16 colors.

   To try the VGA optimization with a non-standard VGA display
    driver:

    1. Click on the Profiler icon in the ZoomText group. The
       Profiler will display a pattern of enlarged ZoomText
       icons.

    2. Examine the ZoomText Hardware Profiler dialog box to make
       sure that your display driver is running in a 640x480
       resolution with 16 colors.

    3. Check the VGA Direct checkbox.

    4. Select OK.


Low Memory Problems

    Depending on several factors, including your system memory
    and Windows configuration, you may encounter low memory
    problems. Most likely, this will only occur when running
    several applications at the same time.

    The memory requirements of ZoomText for Windows depend on
    the resolution and colors of your display driver. By
    decreasing the display resolution and/or number of colors,
    you may alleviate low memory problems.


ATI Display Drivers

    Problems exist with ZoomText in Windows 3.1 when using
    certain ATI display drivers. If you encounter problems with
    your ATI driver, you will need to disable the DeviceBitmaps
    feature of the display driver.

   To fix the ATI display driver problems:

    1. Run the ATI Desktop program in the ATI Desktop group.

    2. Select the FlexDesk+ icon. The FlexDesk+ control will
       display.

    3. Hold down the [Ctrl] and [Shift] keys while typing OPT.
       The Extra Options dialog box will display, showing the
       display driver settings.

    4. Disable the DeviceBitmaps checkbox and select OK.

    5. Close the ATI Desktop and restart Windows.

    6. Run the ZoomText Hardware Profiler by clicking on its
       icon in the ZoomText 5.0 group.


Matrox MGA Millenium Display Driver

    Problems may exist with ZoomText in Windows 3.1 when
    using a Matrox MGA Millenium display driver. If you
    encounter problems with your Matrox driver, you will
    need to disable the DeviceBitmaps feature of the display
    driver.

   To fix the Matrox display driver problems:

    1.  In Program Manager, open the MGA PowerDesk group.

    2.  Select the Control Panel icon.  The Matrox control
        panel will display.

    3.  Select the Advanced button.

    4.  Disable the Device BitMaps checkbox.

    5.  Click on the OK button.

    6.  Restart Windows.

    7.  Run the ZoomText Hardware Profiler by clicking on its
        icon in the ZoomText 5.0 group.
       

Using Multiple Resolution Display Drivers

    In Windows 95, your display settings (resolution and color)
    can be changed from the Display applet in the Control group.
    If ZoomText is running, magnification will be automatically
    turned off. When you attempt to turn magnification back on,
    a message box will display, informing you that ZoomText
    will exit and then restart. If the new display settings can
    be supported, ZoomText will automatically turn on.

    In Windows 3.1, some display drivers have the ability to
    switch video resolutions without restarting Windows. Since
    ZoomText does not know that the display driver is about to
    change its resolution, you will not be able to switch
    resolutions while ZoomText is running.

   To switch resolution using a Windows 3.1 driver that supports
    multiple resolutions:

    1. Exit ZoomText, by selecting Exit from the File menu.

    2. Using your display driver software, select a new display
       resolution.

    3. Restart ZoomText.


Virtual Desktops

    Some Windows display drivers have virtual desktop features
    that allow you to pan across the desktop that is larger than
    current display resolution. This feature is not compatible
    with ZoomText for Windows and should be disabled before
    running ZoomText.


Review Mode with Word 6.0

    When reviewing Microsoft Word 6.0 documents (using the
    text review feature of ZoomText), make sure that Word is
    configured in normal view mode. Text review will not
    function properly with Word's page layout mode.


Smooth Panning

    During review mode, the zoom window should pan smoothly.
    If panning is blurry or jittery on your system, there
    are some settings in ZoomText that you can experiment
    with to fix the problem.

   To improved the smoothness of panning:

    1. Decrease the size of the zoom window.

    2. Select Text review type from the Review dialog box.

    3. Disable vertical retrace sync in the Profiler dialog box.


ZoomText Hotkeys in a DOS Window

    The ZoomText hotkeys do not function while a DOS Window
    is active.  To get the hotkeys to work while running a
    partial-screen DOS program, click outside of the DOS Window.
    This deactivates the DOS Window and allows the ZoomText
    hotkeys to function, without having to close the DOS Window.

