XXXX XXXXXX XX XX XXXXX (R) XXXXXX XXXX XX XX XXXXXX XX XX XX XXXXXX XX XX XX XX XX XXXX XX XX XXXXXX XXXX XX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXX XX XXXXX Version 3.4 ATTENTION! If you don't want to change anything in your configuration file, it is the simplest way to copy the whole OXYD-folder on to your hard disk and start the EGA-version. For starting the other versions it is perhaps necessary to change the configuration file... Welcome to Oxyd! Start off on a unique and exciting expedition into the digital world of your computer. You will be surprised! But before you can poke about with your mouse in the enigmatic landscape, you will have to read the following text through. Here you will learn what preparations you will have to make for your expedition and which route to taketo reach the Oxyd world. A. OXYD VERSIONS ================ Oxyd for IBM-PC exists in 3 different versions: OXYD_HGC.EXE This is the version for running with a Hercules graphic card. This Version requires 585 KB free main memory. For sound you need 512 KB EMS memory and an EMS driver. OXYD_EGA.EXE This is the black & white Oxyd version for running with 256KB-EGA or 256KB-VGA cards. This version requires 513 KB free main memory. For sound you need 512 KB EMS memory and an EMS driver. OXYD_VGA.EXE This is the color Oxyd version for running with a 256 KB VGA graphics card and a 386 or 486 processor. This version needs at least 423 KB free main memory and 1 MB EMS memory. Before starting an EMS driver must be installed, for sound you will need an additional 512 KB EMS memory. A T T E N T I O N !!! If your computer has less than 2 MB or a 286 CPU you have to start the EGA-version of Oxyd! This is also advisable if you have a slow computer! If you want to install Oxyd on your hard disk, than you have to create a new folder (e.g. "OXYD") and copy the EXE-file and the file OXYD1IBM.DAT into this new folder. B. WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED? ========================= First of all you need MS-DOS 5.0. Other DOS versions allow no guarantee that Oxyd will work. Version 5.0 is available from your dealer at very little cost. Oxyd is played by mouse. If your mouse is connected via the serial interface, then you will have to use COM1 for this. Furthermore, you should of course make sure the correct mouse driver is installed. Oxyd really comes alive with all the realistic sampled sounds. Sound can be run through the internal loudspeaker, via the parallel interface, or through a Soundblaster card. For sound Oxyd needs 512 KB EMS memory A so-called EMS driver is needed to use this memory. If you have a 386 or 486 computer, you can use the EMM386 delivered with MS-DOS. For 286 computers you will in any case need special additional hardware for an EMS memory. This can be an extra card ir a switch on the main board, if this already has more than 1 MB memory. In either case use the EMS driver supplied with the hardware by the manufacturer. if however your computer has only 1 MB memory, than you have bad luck - no sound! With only 1 MB memory you will of course not need to install a driver for the EMS memory. C. INSTALLING AN EMS DRIVER =========================== The EMS driver is installed by altering the file CONFIG.SYS. You have probably had to alter this file frequently already. If you have no experience in this, don't worry - here's how: The CONFIG.SYS file is located in the hard disk boot directory. Go into this directory and first make a security copy of the file with the command "COPY CONFIG.SYS CONFIG.OLD". You need a text editor to change the file. The simplest thing is to call up the standard editor with the command "EDIT". Bu you can use any other ASCII text editor. Enter "EDIT CONFIG.SYS". The contens of this file then appear on the screen. Look to see whether a line with the program EMM286.EXE (or your 286 driver) is already there. In this case you are fortunate. After the driver name "EMM386.EXE" the size of the desired EMS memory in KB must be given. If the number here is too small or there is no number, then you must put "512" there. Now you just need to save the file thus altered and leave the editor: 1. Press ALT D to choose the "FILE" menu. 2. Press ALT S to save the text. 3. Press ALT D to call up the "FILE" menu again. 4. Press ALT B to leave the editor. If all this doesn't work, the you have a DOS version older than 5.0. In that case you hopefully know what you are doing or you will now have to look for help ("Where was that manual now?..."). If you establish that an EMS driver is still not installed, the you must insert a new line in the file. Check whether a line with the driver "HIMEM.SYS" already exists. If so, insert the EMS driver directly onto the next line; if not, use the first line. Write... ...if you want to start the VGA-version with sound output: "DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 1536" ...if you want to start the VGA-version without all sounds: "DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 1024" ...if you want to start the EGA- or HGC-version with sound output: "DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 512" This line assumes that your hard disk is under "C". If that is not the case, use whatever letter it is under. Futhermore, a subdirectory named "DOS" will be expected, in which the driver "EMM386.EXE" is located. If you have WINDOWS, you may have to write "DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE 1536" or "DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE 1024" or "DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE 512" However, you must use the name of the directory, where the drivers are located. To test an alteration, save the altered file an leave the editor. After the next boot the changes will be activated. D. ENLARGING THE MAIN MEMORY ============================ Oxyd is a very large and complex program, which requires a correspondingly large amount of memory. Probably you will have to reconfigure your computer to obtain the necessary amount of memory. Here we describe how this is done: First you need to know how much main memory is free. This can be established with the DOS command "MEM". Now you must compare the value shown for the largest program to run with the amount of memory needed. PROGRAM VERSION MEMORY NEEDED DRIVER NEEDED OXYD_HGC without sound 599 000 Byte ( 585 KB ) HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE OXYD_HGC with sound 599 000 Byte ( 585 KB ) HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE 512 OXYD_EGA without sound 525 000 Byte ( 513 KB ) OXYD_EGA with sound 525 000 Byte ( 513 KB ) HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE 512 OXYD_VGA without sound 433 000 Byte ( 423 KB ) HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE 1024 OXYD_VGA with sound 433 000 Byte ( 423 KB ) HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE 1536 If the memory, against all expectation, should suffice, check to see that the necessary drivers in "CONFIG.SYS" have been called up. If the memory is insufficient, check first whether the driver "HIMEM.SYS" in the "CONFIG.SYS" file is being executed. (Section B tells you how to look into this file.) If the driver has not been executed, then insert the following as first line in the file: "DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS" Remember that your hard disk may be under a different letter than "C" and that you may have to give "WINDOWS" or something else as a directory, rather than "DOS", depending on where the driver "HIMEM.SYS" is located. In computers with more than 1 MB memory check whether you can find the line "DOS=HIGH". If this line cannot be found, the insert it after the line with "HIMEM.SYS". There alterations in the "CONFIG.SYS" will enable you to load DOS high. Don't forget to save the changes, then leave the editor. Afer that you must boot your computer. Now the command "MEM" will (hopefully) show more memory than before. If the memory is still insufficient, you will have to remove some other drivers and TSR programs. Of course you wonžt remove any drivers vital to the computer! (e.G.: COMMAND, KEYBOARD and MOUSE drivers). Good candidates for removal are "RAMDRIVE", "SMARTDRV", and "FASTOPEN". To remove a driver, write "REM" in front of the corresponding line in "CONFIG.SYS". Later you can just remove this "REM" to reactivate the driver. It is possible that some of the above-named drivers are not located in the "CONFIG.SYS" file, but in the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file. This is processed with the editor in the same way as "CONFIG.SYS". After removal of the unnecessary drivers, you must of course boot again in order to activate the changes. D. TROUBLESHOOTING ================== - Where is the file OXYD1IBM.DAT? Is it in the same folder as the EXE-file? - If you have problems with your mouse, try to change the mouse port. (e.g. connect the mouse to port COM2) If you still can't get Oxyd up and running, please ask us: You can reach the USA-Oxyd-SOS telephone service... ...Thursdays between 4pm and 7pm (EST). Call (USA)-(617)-497-1130 DONGLEWARE PUBLISHING, INC. P.O. Box 391829 Cambridge, MA 02139, USA You can reach the UK-Oxyd-SOS telephone service... ...Thursdays between 17:00 and 20:00 hours. Call (UK)-0795-435594 CACHET UK, INC. P.O. Box 170 Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3NG England