Microsoft KB Archive/121036

= MAC Musical Instruments: README Contents =

Article ID: 121036

Article Last Modified on 11/8/2001

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Musical Instruments 1.0 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q121036



The following information is the contents of the Musical Instruments README file contained on the Musical Instruments for the Macintosh CD:

Microsoft Musical Instruments Version 1.0 README File
This README File contains information on the following topics:

1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR RUNNING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS What you need to run Musical Instruments 2. MEMORY USE Musical Instruments memory usage; making it run on low-memory machines 3. PERFORMANCE Tips on what to do if Musical Instruments is running slowly 4. SCREEN SIZES AND COLOR CONFIGURATION What makes Musical Instruments look best 5. SOUND PROBLEMS Common problems playing sounds, and how to fix them 6. PRINTING AND COPYING How to print and copy Musical Instruments screens 7. DEMONSTRATION MODE How to make Musical Instruments run a slide show

1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR RUNNING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

To install and run Musical Instruments you need:

- a Macintosh computer with a Macintosh-compatible color monitor - System 6.0.7 or later - 4 MB of memory - at least 1 MB of available hard disk space - a CD-ROM drive

You can choose to run Musical Instruments directly from the compact disc or install it onto your hard disk. Installing the program makes it load a little faster, but uses space on the hard disk. The sounds and pictures remain on the CD, so you still need to insert the compact disc to use Musical Instruments.

If you run the Installer, it will add any necessary files to your System Folder. It will also copy the Musical Instruments program files to a new folder on your hard disk.

If you run Musical Instruments from the compact disc, you may need to drag certain files from the System Files folder on the CD into your System Folder if they are not already installed. Musical Instruments needs these files (QuickTime is the most important) to play sounds. When you run Musical Instruments from the compact disc, if it cannot find these files, it will prompt you to run the Installer.

- 2. MEMORY USE - Musical Instruments needs a reasonably large amount of your computer's system memory (RAM) to display pictures and play sounds. It should run on any Macintosh with 4 MB (4,096K) of memory. Most users will not have problems, but if you have only 4MB of memory and your system software is large (you have a lot of files in your System Folder), you may need to adjust memory usage to make Musical Instruments run properly. Here are more details on doing this:

Musical Instruments is pre-set to a preferred memory size of 2,500K and a minimum memory size of 1,500K. The program will take up to 2,500K memory if it is available, but use less if it is not. If there is not 2,500K of memory available, you may see a message like

There is not enough memory to open "Microsoft Musical      Instruments" (2,500K needed, 1,960K available). Do you want to open it using the available memory?

You should click OK, and Musical Instruments will run using the available memory. If there is less than 1,500K available, the system may give you a message like

The application "Microsoft Musical Instruments" could not be opened (2,500K needed, 1,230 available)...

You will be returned to the Finder. You can do two things to fix this: A) Free up more system memory for it, and B) set Musical Instruments to use even less memory. Try to free up system memory first.

A) TRY TO FREE UP SYSTEM MEMORY Here are some suggestions:

-  Run only one application at a time. If other applications are running, close them, then start Musical Instruments again.

-  If Musical Instruments asks to change mode, choose "Switch    mode" and it will select the best display mode for your computer.

-  Check the amount of memory being used by your system software. System software and accessories can occupy memory and slow performance. The "About this Macintosh..." box shows how much memory your computer has and how much is being used by the system. (To see this, return to the desktop,    select the Apple menu at top left of the menu bar, and choose     the first menu item, "About This Macintosh...". In System 6,     this box is called "About the Finder..."). If, for example, the dialog box displays

Total Memory        4,096K System Software  3,500K

this indicates that you have 4,096K of RAM, but the Macintosh is using nearly all of it for its operating system. In this case, a number of applications will have problems running. Any applications that are currently running will be listed.

You may be able to reduce the amount of memory used by the system. The process for doing this differs depending on   whether you are running System 7 or System 6; refer to your Macintosh documentation if you are not familiar with how to   do this. (The upper-right corner of the "About..." box, described   above, tells you which version of the system you are running).

You may have system files that you do not need, such as printer drivers for printers you don't have. Under System 6 these files are in the System Folder; under System 7 they are in the Extensions folder inside the System Folder. In either case, taking these files out of your System Folder will save memory. If you remove any files to free memory, make sure to store them somewhere else on your hard disk or on a backup disk so   that you can put them back if you need them later.

You may have many fonts or Desk Accessories (Apple menu   items or DAs) installed, and removing those you are not using will also save memory. Under System 7 you can simply remove them from the Fonts or Control Panels folder; under System 6 you must use the Font/DA Mover to remove them, as described in your Macintosh documentation from Apple Computer. A   number of desktop accessories such as animated screen savers, desk pictures, startup sounds and other INITs occupy memory and slow the system down. If you have any of these, experiment with moving them out of the System Folder. Always save anything you take out of the System Folder! Then restart the computer and check the "About This Macintosh..." box to see if   system memory is reduced.

B) ASK MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS TO USE LESS MEMORY If you still have problems, you can attempt to give Musical Instruments less memory than the minimum 1,500K specified, setting it as low as 1,024K (1 megabyte). Musical Instruments will never run with less than 1 megabyte of memory. Performance problems may result from doing this: for example, not all sounds will play or windows be displayed.

To set Musical Instruments to use less memory, you must install the program onto your hard disk. After running the Installer from the CD-ROM disc, return to the desktop, select the Musical Instruments icon in the Musical Instruments folder, and choose Get Info from the File menu in the Finder. The exact form of the information is different in Systems 6 and 7, but all versions have a box at the bottom right in which you can change the preferred amount of memory Musical Instruments should use.

-- 3. PERFORMANCE -- If Musical Instruments seems to be running slowly or gives you interrupted sounds, there are a number of things which may help. Here are the main things to check.

If you are running on a Macintosh with low memory you may have problems--check the previous section, MEMORY USE. If your computer has more than 4 megabytes of memory, you can set Musical Instruments to use more. To do this, you must install the program onto your hard disk. After running the Installer from the CD-ROM disc, return to the desktop, select the Musical Instruments icon in the Musical Instruments folder, and choose Get Info from the File menu in the Finder. The exact form of the information is different in Systems 6 and 7, but all versions have a box in the lower-right corner of the Get Info box, in which you can change the preferred amount of memory Musical Instruments should use. Giving Musical Instruments up to 3,500K memory can improve performance.

If your Macintosh is running in Virtual Memory mode, you may find that sounds are interrupted. When Virtual Memory is turned on, sounds are sometimes placed on the hard disk rather than into true RAM. For best performance, turn off Virtual Memory. To do this in System 7, bring up the Memory control panel, choose the Virtual Memory Off option, and then restart the computer. Virtual Memory is not available in System 6.

If you are using an old or slow CD-ROM drive, it may be not be able to supply audio information to the Macintosh at the speed required by QuickTime. This problem cannot be fixed. If you suspect a problem with your CD drive, ensure that it is properly terminated. If you do not understand SCSI termination, read your Macintosh or CD-ROM drive documentation, or ask your Apple dealer. Drives must be internally terminated or have a SCSI terminator plugged in.

4. SCREEN SIZES AND COLOR CONFIGURATION

When Musical Instruments starts, it checks your monitor and displays the images as best it can on your Macintosh. If your setup can be adjusted to make Musical Instruments run better, the program will prompt you to do so.

Musical Instruments will run on a 12" or 13" monitor, as found on a Macintosh LC or Performa; the program will also run on all larger monitors. Musical Instruments looks best in 256 colors (8-bit mode), although it can run in 16 colors (4-bit mode). If your monitor is set to 16 colors or less, but is capable of running in 256 colors, Musical Instruments will offer to change the monitor setup for you, in order to display the highest-quality images. Using more than 256 colors (16-bit or 24-bit mode) will not improve the images and will slightly slow down display. If you are using one of these modes, Musical Instruments will prompt you to switch to 256 colors. Running Musical Instruments in another mode will cause no damage, but will not provide the best performance.

Musical Instruments is not designed to run in black and white.

-- 5. SOUND PROBLEMS -- If you do not hear any sound at all, make sure that you have QuickTime in your System Folder or run the Installer from the Musical Instruments CD. After adding system files, you may need to choose Restart from the Special menu to make them active.

Sound may be inaudible if the sound level is turned down. To set the sound level, use the Sound control panel, and experiment with the speaker volume setting until you get a comfortable sound level. If you set the sound level to maximum, you may get sound distortion just as you would on a stereo system.

If your Macintosh is running in Virtual Memory mode, you may find that sounds are interrupted. When Virtual Memory is turned on, sounds are sometimes placed on the hard disk rather than into real RAM. For best performance, turn off Virtual Memory. To do this in System 7, bring up the Memory control panel, choose the Virtual Memory Off option, and then restart the computer. Virtual Memory is not available in System 6.

Macintosh computers have built-in speakers. The speakers vary in quality and loudness depending on which Macintosh you have. The quality has improved in later models, so a Quadra will give you better sound quality than an early Mac II.

If you have a sound card installed in your Macintosh, you will get high-quality sound. Musical Instruments sounds are recorded in 16-bit audio, and playback quality is adjusted to your Macintosh capability.

--- 6. PRINTING AND COPYING --- The screens in Musical Instruments are stored and displayed as large color pictures, which are optimized for best screen reproduction rather than for print reproduction. You can, however, print screen images, which will be of the same quality as a screen shot made with a screen-capture function.

If you have only a black-and-white printer, Musical Instruments will not print very well. Musical Instruments can print better grayscale images--if you have a laser printer, choose the Color/grayscale option for better quality. You can also print in color if you have a color printer. Depending on the type of printer you have, printing a picture may take several minutes. Because the pictures can be quite large, you may have difficulty copying or printing in low-memory conditions. In this case, close all other applications and then try again.

The Print and Copy commands affect only the active window.

-- 7. DEMONSTRATION MODE -- Musical Instruments has a demonstration mode that begins an automatic random "slide show" when the computer has been idle for a certain period.

To activate demonstration mode, hold down the Shift key while you click the Random button. This displays a dialog box. Check the "Start random automatically" box and specify the number of idle minutes that must elapse before starting the slide show, then click OK.

To stop the slide show and use Musical Instruments at any time, move the mouse or press a key. Demonstration mode will remain active until you turn it off: to do this, hold down Shift again and click the Random button, clear the "Start random automatically" box in the dialog box, and then click OK.

Additional query words: 1994multi media multimedia multi-media mmtitles

Keywords: KB121036

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