Space Quest VI - Demo MEMORY TROUBLESHOOTING for IBM compatibles using Windows 3.1 or higher and MS-DOS 5.0 or higher revised 11/29/94 Some game players have experienced difficulty getting enough memory to run Space Quest VI. This usually occurs on computer systems with 4 megabytes of RAM. If you are having memory problems or are receiving memory-related errors during the game, here is a list of troubleshooting steps to try. The following instructions have been prepared by Sierra's Technical Support Department as an added service to our customers. PLEASE NOTE: SIERRA DOES NOT MAKE ANY CLAIMS, GUARANTEES, AND/OR PROMISES THAT THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS WILL WORK ON ANY AND/OR ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS. 1) LOWER SCIMINK VALUE: Edit the RESOURCE.WIN file and lower the SCIMINK value to 1900. Do not lower this line below 1900; values lower than 1900 will cause problems during the game. NOTE - Lowering the SCIMINK to 1900 will force the CD drive to access more often, and will result in slightly slower game play, but may help solve memory problems. 3) CHECK THE SWAP FILE: Establish a permanent SWAP file at about 6 MEGS. This will help free up memory. Do not set the swap file too high, 6-8 megs permanent should be enough. 4) CREATE A BOOT DISK: Sierra has included a boot disk maker with the game. The Boot Disk Creator is the last option available in the Setup program. You can run it manually by double-clicking on the boot disk creator icon in the SIERRA program group. In addition, instructions for creating a boot disk manually are included at the end of this troubleshooting guide. 5) DISABLE SMARTDRV: Space Quest VI will actually run faster with SMARTDRV disabled. Making a boot disk will disable SMARTDRV. Boot disk instructions for Space Quest VI are at the end of this document. 6) CREATE A CLEAN WINDOWS ENVIRONMENT: Make sure that there are no other Windows programs running. Disable all screen savers, virus scans, etc. If you are using an alternate Windows desktop (PC Tools, Dashboard, Packard Bell Navigator, etc.), use plain Program Manager instead. If you have sound-related Windows programs installed (IconHearIt, SoundBits, etc.), make sure they are disabled before starting the game. Also, turn off your Wallpaper in Desktop in Control Panel. Wallpaper can sometimes take up a considerable amount of memory. 7) WINDOWS FOR WORKGROUPS v3.11: Because of the memory requirements of Windows for Workgroups, you may experience trouble getting enough memory for the game if you have only 4 megs of RAM. If you are using Windows for Workgroups, we highly recommend that you have at least 8 megs of RAM on your computer. SHOULD YOU STILL HAVE PROBLEMS If you continue to experience any problems with the Boot Disk, or if you have any questions concerning any of the above steps, our Technical Support Department will be more than happy to assist you. Please call (206) 644-4343 between 8:15 am and 4:45 PM Monday through Friday. We can also be reached by fax at (206) 644-7697, by BBS at (206) 644-0112, or by mail at the following address: Sierra On-Line P.O. Box 85006 Bellevue, WA 98015-8506 ATTN: TECHNICAL SUPPORT You can also reach our Technical Support Team on one of the following services: Sierra BBS (206) 644-0112 (settings 8, N, & 1, up to 38,400 baud) Compuserve Sierra: GAMAPUB (ID 76004,2143) Dynamix: GAMCPUB (ID 72662, 1174) America Online Keyword: SIERRA Please outline the problems along with detailed information about your computer system, and we will gladly respond to your fax, letter or message as soon as possible. SPACE QUEST VI BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS for IBM Compatibles using MS-DOS 5.0 or above and Windows 3.1 or higher Revised 11/29/94 The following instructions have been prepared by Sierra's Technical Support Department as an added service to our customers. PLEASE NOTE: SIERRA DOES NOT MAKE ANY CLAIMS, GUARANTEES, AND/OR PROMISES THAT THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS WILL WORK ON ANY AND/OR ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS. STEP 1 FORMATTING THE DISK PLEASE NOTE: It is necessary to format the disk even if the disk is already formatted. The /S switch will transfer files to the boot disk which are necessary for the disk to work correctly. To make a CD- ROM Boot Disk, format a high density diskette in the A: drive. (Use /F:360 or /F:720 parameter if using a low density diskette) For more information on using the FORMAT command, consult your DOS manual. Note: This will not work in the B: drive. Type the command as follows: FORMAT A:/S If after entering this command the system responds with a "Bad command or file name" error, then type: PATH=C:\DOS Now retype the FORMAT command above. If you still receive the same error, the MS DOS FORMAT command may not be on your system or it may have been renamed. Programs such as PC Tools and Norton Disk Utilities can rename the format command to prevent accidental loss of data. If you are using a program like this, check your documentation to find out how to format a SYSTEM DISK, then proceed to Step 2. STEP 2 LOCATING THE MSCDEX CD ROM EXTENSION (skip if not playing a CD game) MSCDEX is the Microsoft extension for CD ROM drives. It must be loaded in order for your CD ROM drive to operate. The following steps should assist you in locating this file on your system To locate MSCDEX, at the C:\> prompt, type: TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT | MORE NOTE: The | is called a "pipe" command and is created by pressing \ (backslash). Now look for the line which loads "MSCDEX". This line should look something like this: : C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 LOADHIGH /L:14429 \DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 Your line may differ from the ones listed above. Please write down the entire line following the drive letter in the space provided below. Be sure and include the full drive and path to your MSCDEX file. For example, any of the above lines should appear as follows: C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 STEP 3 LOCATING THE CD ROM DEVICE DRIVER (skip if you're not playing a CD game) Along with MSCDEX, the CD ROM also needs a device driver. This driver is loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file. To determine the correct CD ROM device driver, at the C:\> prompt type: TYPE CONFIG.SYS | MORE NOTE: If you have a SCSI CD ROM drive, there may be an additional driver in your CONFIG.SYS that must be run for the CD ROM device drivers to load correctly. Check your CD ROM drive documentation for more information. Now look for the line that contains CD ROM device name which immediately follows the same "/D:" switch as the MSCDEX line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Using the example above, we would be looking for a line containing "MSCD001". This line should look something like one of the following lines: DEVICE=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220 DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220 DEVICEHIGH /L:14652 =C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220 Your line may differ from the ones listed above. Please write down the entire line following the drive letter in the space provided below. Be sure and include the full drive and path to your CD ROM device driver. For example, any of the above lines should appear as follows: DEVICE=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220 DEVICE= STEP 4 CREATING THE CONFIG.SYS FILE Now switch to the A: drive and type the following: COPY CON CONFIG.SYS (The cursor will drop down one line and blink) DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS FILES=20 BUFFERS=10 DOS=HIGH Now add the CD ROM driver line as you wrote it down in the "Locating the CD ROM device driver" section above. Complete the file by pressing the F6 Function key STEP 5 CREATING THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE Now create an AUTOEXEC.BAT file by typing: COPY CON AUTOEXEC.BAT (the cursor will drop down one line) ECHO OFF SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM C: PROMPT SIERRA CD BOOT DISK $_$P$G PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS; Add the MSCDEX line as you wrote it down in the "Locating the MSCDEX CD ROM extension" section listed above. Complete the file by pressing the F6 Function key STEP 6 REBOOT THE SYSTEM Reboot your system by depressing the button on your computer or by using the , , key sequence on your keyboard. When you are at a C:\ prompt, type WIN /3 to start Windows.