TECHNICAL TIPS

We have found that many of the common problems our customers 
experience with their games have simple answers.  If you 
are having one of the problems listed below, the solution 
provided should be tried first before you search any further 
for answers. 


1. WHY DOES IT SAY "ABNORMAL PROGRAM TERMINATION" WHEN I TYPE IN THE 
GAME COMMAND?
The "ABNORMAL PROGRAM TERMINATION" error usually indicates that a 
program cannot run because the system has not been 
configured to free up enough conventional memory. Under DOS, 
conventional memory is limited to 640 Kilobytes (K) total 
(regardless of how much RAM is installed in the machine) and 
is reduced by DOS and various Terminate and Stay Resident 
(TSR) programs.  Most of our games will comfortably run with 
585K or better of free conventional memory, though some 
configurations might need more.

To find out which version of DOS you are using, type 
"VER<enter>" at any DOS prompt;  this will return a message 
that says "MS-DOS version n.nn" where "n.nn" refers to some 
number, "6.20" for example.

To find out how much conventional memory is free:
Type "CHKDSK<enter>" and find the value of "BYTES FREE".     
If  the free memory value is less than 585k, the system 
configuration needs to be changed to increase the free 
conventional memory.  

Three methods to increase free conventional memory:
a.  For DOS 6.0 or higher, run MEMMAKER (If the drive is 
compressed in some way, make sure the device driver is 
loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file so that it can be properly 
placed in upper memory).  If this doesn't free up enough 
memory, create a boot disk, as described below. 

b.  Alter your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files to load 
DOS, device drivers and other TSRs into upper memory at boot 
up (consult your DOS manual for specifics on how this is 
done).

c.  Create a Game/Boot Disk.  Boot disk instructions are included at 
the end of this file. 

2. WHY DOESN'T MY MOUSE WORK?
If your mouse does not work at all:
-Is the mouse installed for DOS?  Windows uses its own 
drivers, and therefore works without a properly installed 
DOS mouse driver, so you cannot assume that because a mouse 
works with a Windows system that a mouse driver for DOS 
programs is currently installed.

To find out whether or not such a driver is installed:
-enter a DOS application that supports a mouse, such as the 
EDIT utility (DOS 5.0 or later) or a DOS word processor (or 
anything else, besides Windows, that loads from the DOS 
prompt and uses a mouse).  If the mouse does not respond at 
all in such a program, then the DOS driver is not properly 
loaded.  Check the disk or manual that came with your mouse 
for instructions on how to install it.

-Do you have enough conventional memory free?  Some programs 
incrementally sacrifice sound or mouse functionality when 
sufficient memory resources are not available.  Create a boot disk to free 
up more conventional memory.

If the mouse works sporadically (jumping around, not 
clicking properly, etc.):
-You may not have a 100% Microsoft compatible mouse driver 
(This has nothing to do with hardware, only software).  
Check your hard disk for a file called MOUSE.COM, as some 
upgrade versions of DOS include this Microsoft mouse driver 
(type "dir mouse.com /s<enter>" at the C:\ root directory 
prompt).  If not already on your system, such a driver can 
be obtained from either the vendor or manufacturer of your 
computer.


3. HOW DO I SET UP MY SOUND CARD?
Setting sound card parameters:
To use a sound card with an Impressions program, it is 
sometimes necessary to set a number of parameters using the 
setup utility located in the game directory.  

The significant values are the I/O Address, the Interrupt 
Request Channel (IRQ) and the Direct Memory Access (DMA) 
values of the relevant sound card.  These can sometimes be 
found on a line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, which is found in 
the root directory of the main hard disk (C:\);  if, for 
example, you own a Sound Blaster or compatible the line 
might begin with something like: "SET BLASTER"  (if the card 
is something other than a Sound Blaster, it might be 
something else, "SET PROAUDIO" for example) followed by a 
sequence of letter/number combinations including: Annn, In, 
Dn (where n represents a numerical digit);  Annn is the 
address, In is the IRQ and Dn is the DMA value.
	
The setup program allows for specification of the type of 
sound card as well as the Address and IRQ values of the 
installed card (DMA is usually assumed to be 1 which usually 
cannot be changed in the setup utility);  If any of these 
are incorrectly set, sound will not work with the program.
	
If no SET BLASTER, or similar, line is found in the 
AUTOEXEC.BAT file, consult either the sound card manual or 
the technician who installed the device to obtain the 
Address, IRQ and DMA values.

Sound card emulation:
If you are using a card that is not listed as an option in 
the setup program, it probably emulates something else.  It 
is usually a good idea to use the oldest version of whatever 
card your system is emulating (ie. choose SoundBlaster over 
SoundBlaster pro), as the older cards are usually better 
documented so that emulation of those works better.


4. MEMORY MANAGERS
Third party memory managers, such as QEMM, 386Max, etc. 
sometimes cause problems.  They make certain assumptions 
about memory use which are not true of many high performance 
graphics intensive programs.  If you are using one of these 
memory managers and encounter graphics distortions, try 
temporarily disabling third party memory managers.  

Creating a boot disk with the instruction in this file will disable 
any third party memory managers. 


5. WHY IS MY CD-ROM GAME RUNNING SO SLOWLY?
CD-ROM drives are much slower than hard drives.  When 
running a program from a CD-ROM, if you don't run a disk 
caching utility, the program may run slowly.  A disk cache program sits 
between the physical disk drive and the program, reserving an area of 
memory that stores the information most recently read from, or sometimes 
written to, the drive.  This speeds the system by keeping data that 
a program might need to look at more than once in memory instead of on 
the disk;  for a computer, looking at memory is much faster than looking 
at the disk.

Some CD drives come packaged with caching software, but the 
most common such utility is MS-DOS Smartdrive 
(C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE), which also caches other disk drives.  
All versions of Smartdrive that come with or after MS-DOS 
version 6.2 (file date 9/30/93) can cache CD-ROM disks.

MSCDEX (C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE) is a program that comes with DOS 
and is packaged with some CD-interface or drive hardware.  
Along with a properly loaded CD-ROM device driver, it lets 
DOS see the CD as a disk drive;  without MSCDEX, you cannot 
access a CD-ROM drive through DOS or Windows.  

To make sure Smartdrive and MSCDEX are set up properly, 
check your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  So long as your CD drive has 
been properly installed, there should be a line that loads 
in MSCDEX and possibly a line that loads in Smartdrive, or 
some other cache program that might have come with your 
drive.  Make sure the line that loads in the caching program 
comes after the line that loads in MSCDEX;  if you don't do 
this, the caching software will not work. 
 
The line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file that loads MSCDEX looks 
something like: "C:\DOS\MSCDEX...", and usually includes 
other things after the "MSCDEX" such as the DOS name of the 
CD device and a number of other things;  assume all these 
things after the "MSCDEX" are necessary if you are going to 
cut and paste between configuration files.  The line that 
loads in Smartdrive should look something like: 
"C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE".  If using a version of DOS later than 
5.0, you should add "LOADHIGH" and a space at the beginning 
of the line

If you have changed or moved lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or 
CONFIG.SYS files you should rerun MEMMAKER, and be sure to 
specify no EMS when asked about it.  If running DoubleSpace 
or Stacker with DOS 6.0 or higher, always be sure that a 
DEVICE or DEVICEHIGH line loads it in the CONFIG.SYS file or 
MEMMAKER will ignore it and it will certainly load low, 
wasting valuable conventional memory. 


STILL HAVING PROBLEMS? BEFORE YOU CALL...
In order to allow us to help you more effectively, please 
try to follow the suggestions below before you call for 
help.  This will assist us in finding the answer to your 
problem as quickly as possible so that you can begin playing 
and enjoying your new game.


1. READ AT LEAST THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS OF YOUR DOS MANUAL.  
The more you know about the operating system your machine is 
running the easier it will be for any technical support to 
help you solve any problems.  You should at least be 
familiar with how DOS commands work, what disk files and 
directories are and what utilities are available on your 
machine for editing text files.


2. FIND OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT HOW YOUR MACHINE IS CONFIGURED.  

What version of what brand operating system is running on the machine?  
(At the command prompt, type "VER" and hit enter to find out what 
version of DOS is running)  What kind of chip is running your machine? 
('486? '386? '286? 8086?)  How much memory is in the system?  How much 
conventional memory is free?  (Free conventional memory should be above 
590k or so)  How much hard disk space is free?  What kind of video card 
is in your machine?  (SVGA? VGA? EGA? Brand name?)  What kind of sound 
card, if any, is in your system?  Do you have a CD-ROM drive?  Are you 
using Stacker, Doublespace or some other kind of disk compression?  
Are you using QEMM or some other third party memory manager?  
If Windows 3.1 is installed on the machine, you can run 
Microsoft Diagnostics to find out some of these things, if 
you do not already know about them (type "MSD", then hit 
<enter> at the command prompt).  If necessary, call whomever 
it was that originally configured your system to answer 
these questions.  It's also a good idea to print out your 
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files (usually in the root 
directory of C:) and keep the printouts handy.


3. SET UP THE COMPUTER NEAR THE PHONE WITH THE PROGRAM INSTALLED ON THE HARD 
DRIVE.  It is very difficult for technical support to troubleshoot a 
computer problem over the phone without having access to the machine in 
question while it is running.  If this is not an option, list every 
detail about the occurance of the problem, including all pertinent system 
configuration information (such as that described in the previous 
paragraph), and keep this list handy when calling tech support.


4. DEFRAG YOUR HARD DISK.  Non-contiguous files on a hard 
disk can sometimes cause strange and mysterious things to 
occur.  While in the game directory, type "CHKDSK *.*", then 
hit <enter> at the DOS prompt to find out if all the game 
files are contiguous or not.  A hard disk can be 
defragmented, or defragged, by using a disk utility program 
such as SPEEDISK, which is packaged with Norton Utilities, 
or DEFRAG, a program included with MS-DOS version 6.0 or 
above.  This reorders disk space, making stored files 
contiguous.  If a hard drive has not been defragged for more 
than a month, and has been used even moderately, it is 
likely that many of the files on the disk have become non-
contiguous. 


5. CHECK FOR VIRUSES.  Viruses can mess up even the most 
carefully configured system.  Use a memory-resident virus 
checker (such as VSAFE, a utility that comes with MS-DOS 
version 6.0 and above) whenever you insert new disks into 
your machine, and run an anti-virus utility (such as MSAV, 
another utility that comes with MS-DOS v.6.0 and above) 
before you call.


TECHNICAL SUPPORT



	       
MS-DOS Boot Disk Instructions for IBM compatibles using MS-DOS 5.0 or above 
			   (revised 6/1/95)

Sierra Technical Support provides this documentation as a reference to 
Sierra customers using Sierra software products.  Sierra Technical Support 
makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the information contained in this 
documentation is accurate.  However, Sierra makes no warranty, either 
express or implied, as to the accuracy, effectiveness, or completeness of 
the information contained in this documentation.

SIERRA ON-LINE, INC. DOES NOT WARRANTY OR PROMISE THAT THE INFORMATION 
HEREIN WILL WORK WITH ANY OR ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS.  SIERRA DOES NOT ASSUME 
ANY LIABILITY, EITHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, FOR THE USE OF THE 
INFORMATION HEREIN, INCLUDING ANY AND ALL DAMAGE TO OR LOST USE OF COMPUTER 
HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, LOSS OF WARRANTIES, OR LOST DATA BY THE 
CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY.  NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE 
GIVEN BY SIERRA, ITS EMPLOYEES, DISTRIBUTORS, DEALER OR AGENTS SHALL 
CHANGE THE RESTRICTION OF LIABILITY OR CREATE ANY NEW WARRANTIES.  IN NO 
CASE SHALL SIERRA'S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE SIERRA 
SOFTWARE PRODUCT.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read the entire instructions prior to starting at 
Step 1.  You can skip Steps 3 and 4 if you are not playing a CD game.


STEP 1
FORMATTING THE DISK
To make a boot disk, format a high density diskette in the A: drive.  
(It is necessary to reformat the disk if it is already formatted.) 
Formatting the disk with the /S switch will transfer the "system files" 
to the disk and allow the computer to boot up correctly.  The disk must 
be in the A: drive; the computer will not boot from the B: drive.  Type 
the FORMAT command as follows:

FORMAT A: /S <ENTER>

If you get a "Bad command or file name" error message, type: 

PATH=C:\DOS <ENTER>

Then retype the FORMAT command above.  If you receive the error again, 
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 sometimes 
rename the FORMAT command to prevent accidental loss of data.  If you are 
using a program of this type, check your documentation to find out how to 
format a SYSTEM DISK, then proceed to Step 2. 


STEP 2
LOCATING THE MOUSE DRIVER
If you are playing a game that uses a mouse, the Microsoft compatible 
mouse driver must be loaded into memory with the boot disk. There are two 
kinds of mouse drivers available: those that load in the CONFIG.SYS file 
and those that load in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  CONFIG.SYS mouse drivers 
have an extension of .SYS (MOUSE.SYS) and AUTOEXEC.BAT drivers have either 
a .COM or .EXE extension (MOUSE.COM, MOUSE.EXE).  You must load at least 
one of these drivers, but it is not necessary to load them all. 

If you do not know where the mouse drivers are located on your system, the 
command below should help you locate them.  Type the following at the C:\ 
prompt:

DIR MOUSE* /S <ENTER>

This command will cause the system to search all subdirectories for a file 
called MOUSE.  If the system locates a MOUSE file, it will display the path 
where the file is located.  For example, if the MOUSE.COM file is located in 
a C:\MOUSE directory, the system will display:

Directory of C:\MOUSE
	MOUSE.SYS               55160   03-10-92        3:10a
	MOUSE.COM               56408   03-10-03        6:00a

If this procedure does not locate a MOUSE file, your mouse driver may have a 
different name. Some common names for mouse drivers are IMOUSE, GMOUSE and 
HPMOUSE.  Your should check your mouse documentation for the exact file 
names and how to install them. 

Once you have located the mouse driver, you must copy it to the boot disk.  
The following example assumes that the mouse drivers are located in the 
C:\MOUSE directory as shown in the step above.  To copy the MOUSE files to 
the boot disk, type:

COPY C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.* A: <ENTER>

Substitute the appropriate path and file names for your mouse drivers in 
the command above.  After you press ENTER, you should see a message 
indicating that some files were copied.


STEP 3
LOCATING THE CD ROM DEVICE DRIVER (skip if not playing a CD game)
The CD ROM drive requires a device driver loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file.  
This driver must be loaded correctly or you will be unable to access your 
CD ROM drive. To make sure that the device driver loads correctly on the 
boot disk, look at the CONFIG.SYS on the hard drive and copy the driver 
line from there.  At the C:\ prompt, type:

TYPE CONFIG.SYS|MORE

NOTE:     The | is called a "pipe" command and is created by pressing 
	  <SHIFT> <BACKSLASH>.


Step 3 continued...
The CONFIG.SYS file will display on the screen.  Look for the line that 
loads the CD ROM device driver.  This line will contain the same "/D:" 
switch as the MSCDEX line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  Using the MSCDEX 
example above, you would be looking for a line containing "/D:MSCD001".  
The line should look something like this:

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

The device driver in your CONFIG.SYS may differ slightly from those listed 
above.  Carefully write down the line for use in your boot disk.  Leave out 
the "/L:" information, if any.  Your CD ROM device line should appear as 
follows:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220

NOTE:  If you have a SCSI CD ROM drive, there may be an additional driver in 
your CONFIG.SYS that must be loaded for the CD ROM device drivers to load 
correctly.  Check your CD drive documentation for more information. 


STEP 4
LOCATING THE MSCDEX CD ROM EXTENSION (skip if not playing a CD game)
In addition to the CD ROM device driver in the CONFIG.SYS, your CD ROM drive 
requires MSCDEX, the Microsoft extension for CD ROM drives.  If this 
extension is not loaded correctly in the AUTOEXEC.BAT, you will be unable 
to access your CD ROM drive.  To make sure that MSCDEX loads correctly on 
the boot disk, look at the AUTOEXEC.BAT on the hard drive and copy the 
MSCDEX line from there.  At the C:\ prompt, type:

TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT|MORE <ENTER>

The AUTOEXEC.BAT file will display on the screen.  Look for the line that 
loads the MSCDEX extension.  It should look something like this:

C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001
LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 
LOADHIGH /L:14429 C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001

The MSCDEX line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT may differ slightly from the ones above. 
Carefully write down the line for use in your boot disk.  Leave out the "/L:" 
information, if any. If the "LH" is missing, add it.  For example, any of 
the above lines will appear on your boot disk as follows:

LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001


STEP 5
LOCATING THE SOUND CARD DRIVERS
Many sound cards have drivers or initialization lines that must be loaded 
in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS.   Some sound cards that require these 
drivers or initialization routines are the SoundBlaster 16, MAD16 and the 
Aria 16.  Check your sound card documentation for information on what needs 
to load in the AUTOEXEC.BAT and/or CONFIG.SYS.

STEP 6
CREATING THE CONFIG.SYS FILE
To create the CONFIG.SYS file on the boot disk, switch to the A: drive and 
type the following:

COPY CON CONFIG.SYS <ENTER>  (the cursor will drop down one line and blink)
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS <ENTER>
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS <ENTER>  (Skip this line if you're playing 
					 PowerHouse, Front Lines, or 
					 High Seas Trader)
DOS=HIGH,UMB <ENTER>
FILES=30 <ENTER>
BUFFERS=20 <ENTER>

If you are using the MOUSE.SYS file to load your mouse, add the following 
line to the CONFIG.SYS:

DEVICEHIGH=A:\MOUSE.SYS <ENTER>

If you're playing a CD game, add the CD ROM device driver as you wrote it 
down in the "Locating the CD ROM Device Driver" section.  For example:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220  <ENTER>

If you need to load any sound card drivers, copy them from the "Sound 
Cards" section now.  The following example lines are for the SoundBlaster 16:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\SB16\DRV\CTSB16.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220 I:5 D:1 H:5 <ENTER>
DEVICEHIGH=C:\SB16\DRV\CTMMSYS.SYS <ENTER>

Complete the file by pressing <F6> <ENTER>.


STEP 7
CREATING THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE
To create the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the boot disk, switch to the A: drive 
and type the following:

COPY CON AUTOEXEC.BAT <ENTER>  (the cursor will drop down one line and blink)
@ECHO OFF <ENTER>
C:\ <ENTER>
SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM <ENTER>
PROMPT SIERRA BOOT DISK $_$P$G <ENTER>
PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\SIERRA <ENTER>

If you are using the MOUSE.COM or MOUSE.EXE file to load your mouse driver, 
add the appropriate line:

LH A:\MOUSE.EXE <ENTER>

If you're playing a CD game, add the MSCDEX line as you wrote it down in 
the "Locating the MSCDEX CD ROM Extension" section.  For example:

LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 <ENTER>

If you need to run any sound card initialization programs or load any 
drivers, copy them from the "Sound Cards" section now.  The following 
example lines are for the SoundBlaster 16:

SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 T6 <ENTER>
SET SOUND=C:\SB16 <ENTER>
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E <ENTER>
C:\SB16\SB16SET /M:220 /VOC:220 /CD:220 /MIDI:220 /LINE:220 <ENTER>
C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S <ENTER>

Complete the file by pressing <F6> <ENTER>.


STEP 8
REBOOT THE SYSTEM AND START THE GAME
Reboot your system by pressing the <RESET> button on your computer or by 
using the <CTRL> <ALT> <DELETE> key sequence on your keyboard.  Refer to 
your game documentation for the steps to start the game.


IF YOU STILL HAVE PROBLEMS...
If you continue to experience any problems, or if you have any questions
concerning any of the above steps, our Technical Support Team will be
more than happy to assist you.  Please call (206) 644-4343 between 8:15 a.m.
and 4:45 p.m., Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday.  We can be
reached by Fax at (206) 644-7697, or by mail at the following address:

Sierra On-Line
P.O. BOX 85006 
Bellevue, WA 98015-8506
Attention: Technical Support

You can also reach our Technical Support Team on one of the following
services:

Sierra BBS          (206) 644-0112 or telnet bbs.sierra.com  
Compuserve          GO SIERRA
America Online      Keyword: Sierra
Internet            support@sierra.com or http://www.sierra.com

Please outline the problems along with the specific information about your 
computer system, and we will gladly respond to your letter, fax, or BBS 
message as soon as possible.  When contacting us by fax or BBS please 
allow 24-48 hours for turnaround.  During weekends or holidays, there may 
be some delays.

To better serve our European customers with technical problems and disk 
replacements, Sierra U.K Customer Support or Coktel Customer Support can 
be reached at the following address:

Sierra On-Line Limited                  Coktel Vision
Unit 2, Theale Technology Centre,       Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Station Road                            Immeuble "Le Newton"
Theale, Berkshire RG7 4AA               25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
United Kingdom                          92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex
Main: (44) 1-734-303171                 France
Fax : (44) 1-734-303201                 Main: (33) 1-46-01-4650
BBS : (44) 1-734-304227                 Fax : (33) 1-46-31-7172


If you decide to write or fax, please fill out the attached "Technical 
Support Request" form and return it to "Sierra Technical Support.  This 
will give us the information we need to help you as efficiently as possible.  
Thanks!



Sierra Technical Support Request

To help us help you, please fill out this information and return it to 
Sierra Technical Support.

Name:
Fax number:
Phone number:
Address:

Game name, version number and S/N number (from disk #1): 

What problem are you having?  Be VERY specific.  Is there an error message?  
What is it?  Where does it occur? Does it happen the same way each time?





Floppy or CD?

Are you playing in Windows or DOS?

Type of computer (386, 486, etc.)

Brand of video card (Trident, Diamond, etc.)

Amount of RAM (4 meg, 8 meg, etc.)

DOS version (MS-DOS 6.0, PC-DOS 6.2, etc.)

Windows version (3.1, WFWG, Win95, etc.)

Brand of sound card and sound card settings (SoundBlaster Pro, Forte16, 
Mozart, etc.  Please be VERY specific with the brand name. Sound card 
settings include DMA, IRQ and I/O values.)

Any disk compression?  What kind? (Doublespace, Stacker, etc.)

Any third-part memory manager?  What kind?  (QEMM, 386MAX, etc.)

Largest executable program size or bytes free after booting with the boot 
disk. (Type MEM to find out.) 

What have you tried so far?  (Boot disk, no sound, etc.)



Please attach copies of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT from your hard 
drive and the boot disk.



