PSS ID Number: 172660
Article Last Modified on 11/21/2003
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft ActiMates Barney 1.0
- Microsoft Barney Goes to the Circus 1.0
- Microsoft Barney Under the Sea 1.0
- Microsoft Fun on Imagination Island with the Microsoft ActiMates PC Pack 1.0
- Microsoft Fun on the Farm with Barney 1.0
This article was previously published under Q172660
SUMMARY
This article discusses reasons that your Microsoft ActiMates Interactive Barney may not be talking along with the Barney software and the troubleshooting steps necessary to resolve this problem.
NOTE: ActiMates Barney does not work with the Barney software titles unless you have purchased the Microsoft ActiMates PC Pack and connected the PC Pack Transmitter to your computer's MIDI/game port.
MORE INFORMATION
If the Barney software is playing on the computer screen but ActiMates Interactive Barney isn't talking along, try the following resolutions:
- Make sure the Barney software title is ActiMates-compatible. Look for the ActiMates-compatible symbol on the software title's product box.
- Squeeze one of ActiMates Barney's hands to make sure he's awake.
- Move ActiMates Barney closer to the PC Pack Transmitter. ActiMates Barney needs to be within 15 feet (4.6 meters) of the Transmitter.
- Make sure the ActiMates PC Pack Transmitter cable is securely fastened to your computer's MIDI/game port. For instructions, see the "Getting Started" manual that came in the Microsoft ActiMates PC Pack product box.
- Make sure ActiMates Barney has fresh batteries installed. If ActiMates Barney has trouble communicating with the computer and/or his movements stop completely, replace his batteries.
If ActiMates Interactive Barney still isn't talking along with the Barney software, answer the following question and then go to the appropriate section ("Light Not On" or "Light Is On") below:
Is the yellow light on the PC Pack Transmitter lit when the computer is turned on?
Light Not On
If the light on the PC Pack Transmitter is not lit when the computer is turned on, the Transmitter is not getting power. Try the following:
- Make sure the Transmitter's game port connector is connected securely to the 15-pin MIDI/game port on your computer, the port is generally located on your computer's sound card. MIDI devices and game devices generally use the same port on your computer. To locate your computer's sound card, look for the Line In/Line Out ports on the back of your computer. Your MIDI/game port should be located next to the Line In/Line Out ports.
- If you connected a game device such as a joystick to the Transmitter's Pass-through port, the Transmitter may be incompatible with the game device. Unplug the game device while using ActiMates Barney with the computer. Turn off the computer and then unplug the game device from the Transmitter's Pass-through port.
NOTE: If these solutions do not work, it's possible that your computer's game port doesn't support MIDI. In this case you will need to buy a new sound card.
For additional information about compatible sound cards and soundcard drivers, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
172870 ActiMates Barney: List of Sound Card Installation Articles
Or, go to the following address on World Wide Web:
Light Is On
If the light on the PC Pack Transmitter is on, your computer's MIDI port may not be enabled. The ActiMates PC Pack Transmitter communicates with your computer and the Barney software title through your computer's external MIDI port, the 15-pin port to which you connected the Transmitter's cable. The external MIDI port is usually enabled when your computer's sound card is installed, but in some instances it may not be. For instructions on enabling your computer's MIDI port, use the appropriate section below for either Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 95/98.
Enable MIDI Port for Windows NT 4.0 or Later
Your sound card's external MIDI port must be enabled for ActiMates Barney and the ActiMates PC Pack Transmitter to work with your computer. Use the following steps to make sure your external MIDI port is enabled in Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 or later:
- Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
- In Control Panel, double-click Multimedia.
- On the Devices tab, double-click MIDI Devices and Instruments to display the list of MIDI devices connected to your computer.
- Click the entry in the list that identifies your sound card, or any entry that refers to MPU-401, and then click Properties.
- Make sure Use MIDI Features On This Device is selected.
- Make sure the status line reads "Driver is enabled and functioning properly."
- Click Settings.
- Make sure the MPU-401 I/O Address does not display "Disable". If it does, change the setting to another value.
Your sound card should now be configured properly. Close Multimedia Properties, restart Windows NT if the computer prompts you to do so, and then restart the Barney software.
For additional information about compatible sound cards and soundcard drivers, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
172870 ActiMates Barney: List of Sound Card Installation Articles
Or, go to the following address on World Wide Web:
Enable MIDI Port for Windows 95/98
Your sound card's external MIDI port must be enabled for ActiMates Barney and the ActiMates PC Pack Transmitter to work with your computer. Use the following steps to make sure your external MIDI port is enabled in Microsoft Windows 95 or later:
- Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
- In Control Panel, double-click Multimedia.
- On the Advanced or Devices tab, double-click MIDI Devices and Instruments to display the list of MIDI devices connected to your computer.
- Click the entry in the list that identifies your MIDI port, such as MIDI for External MIDI Port, MIDI for MPU-401, MIDI for SoundBlaster, and so on.
NOTE: If you have two external MIDI devices listed, for example both MIDI for External MIDI Port and MIDI for MPU-401, then your computer has two external MIDI ports. If you enable one of the external MIDI ports and ActiMates Barney doesn't work with the Barney software, then enable the other external MIDI port and try using ActiMates Barney with the Barney software again.
- Click Properties.
- On the General tab, make sure that Use MIDI Features On This Device is selected.
If your computer's external MIDI port is enabled, the next step is to make sure your computer's external MIDI port is configured properly. Go to the "Configure Computer's MIDI Port" section below.
If your computer's MIDI port did not appear in the MIDI Devices and Instruments list, go to the "MIDI Port Not Listed" section below.
Configure Computer's MIDI Port
Use the following steps to configure your computer's external MIDI port:
- Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
- In Control Panel, double-click System.
- On the Device Manager tab, make sure View Devices By Type is selected.
- Double-click Sound, Video and Game Controllers to display the list of controllers connected to your computer.
NOTE: If your sound card isn't listed here, try looking for an entry under Computer. Some sound cards, such as the Opti 82C930, are listed in their own section. - Click the entry in the list that identifies your sound card or any entry that refers to MPU-401, and then click Properties.
NOTE: If you have two external MIDI devices listed, for example both MIDI for External MIDI Port and MIDI for MPU-401, then your computer has two external MIDI ports. If you enable one of the external MIDI ports and ActiMates Barney doesn't work with the Barney software, then configure the other MIDI port and try using ActiMates Barney with the Barney software again. - On the Resources tab, locate the listing for Input/Output Range in the Resources Settings area. There may be more than one entry. For the external MIDI port to operate correctly, one of the Resource types must have one of the following Setting values.
0300 - 0301
0310 - 0311
0320 - 0321
0330 - 0331
If one of the four required Setting values is listed for one of your Input/Output Range Settings, go to the "Configuration Process Complete" section below. If none of the four Setting values is listed for your Input/Output Range, then go to the "Finding a Configuration that Enables the MIDI Port" section below.
MIDI Port Not Listed
If your computer's MIDI port did not appear in the list, your MIDI port is not enabled. There are two possible solutions:
- Your sound card driver is installed but your external MIDI port is not configured properly. If this is the case, use the Windows Device Manager to configure your external MIDI port. This procedure is described in the "Configure Computer's MIDI Port" section of this article.
- You need to install the correct sound card driver for your sound card.
For additional information about compatible sound cards and soundcard drivers, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
172870 ActiMates Barney: List of Sound Card Installation Articles
Or, go to the following address on World Wide Web:
After installing the new sound card driver, consult your original sound card manual or any documentation that accompanied the new driver for instructions on enabling the external MIDI/game port. If such information is not available, use the steps outlined in the "Enable MIDI Port for operating system" section of this article.
NOTE: Be aware that sound cards differ and the steps outlined in this article may differ slightly from sound card to sound card.
Finding a Configuration that Enables the MIDI Port
Before you begin, note ALL the Resource Types and Settings listed in the Resource Settings area in case you need to restore them later.
If the Use Automatic Settings check box is not selected, select it and then click OK. Windows will attempt to configure your sound card for all available resources. It may be necessary to restart Windows to complete this process.
If the Use Automatic Settings check box was already selected, go to the "Try a New Basic Configuration" section below. If you just selected the Use Automatic Settings check box, then go to the "Check New Configuration Settings" section below.
Check New Configuration Settings
If the Use Automatic Settings check box was already selected, do the following:
- Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
- On the Device Manager tab, make sure View Devices By Type is selected.
- Double-click Sound, Video And Game Controllers, click the entry for your sound card or the entry that refers to MPU-401, and then click Properties.
- On the Resources tab, look for one of the following values listed as an Input/Output Range Setting:
0300 - 0301
0310 - 0311
0320 - 0321
0330 - 0331
If one of the four required values is listed as an Input/Output Range Setting, go to the "Configuration Process Complete" section below. If none of the four values shown above is listed as an Input/Output Range Setting, go to the "Try a New Basic Configuration" section below.
Try a New Basic Configuration
If none of the four required values is listed as an Input/Output Range Setting, try using a different Basic Configuration setting. To change your Basic Configuration setting, do the following:
- Click the Use Automatic Settings check box to clear it.
- Select Basic Configuration 0000 from the Setting Based On box.
- Check the Resource Settings list again to see if the necessary Resource Type and Setting are listed.
Remember to look for one of these four values:0300 - 0301
0310 - 0311
0320 - 0321
0330 - 0331 - If none of the Input/Output Range settings match the required values, select the next Basic Configuration setting from the Setting Based On box. For example, Basic Configuration 0001, 0002, and so on.
- Repeat this process until you find an Input/Output Range setting that matches one of the four required values.
- If you find a matching Input/Output Range setting, but a device conflict message appears in the Conflicting Device List, launch the Windows Hardware Conflict Troubleshooter.
To launch the Windows Hardware Conflict Troubleshooter, click Start and then click Help. Double-click Troubleshooting, and then click If You Have A Hardware Conflict.
NOTE: For some sound cards, such as the Toshiba Tecra Crystal Chip Set, it is possible to set both the Crystal's codec and the MPU-401 to the same Interrupt Setting, without Windows indicating a conflict. For these cards, make sure the interrupts don't conflict. If they do conflict and Windows is unable to start properly, restart Windows in Safe Mode and change your interrupt settings so they do not conflict.
For more information about performing this in Windows, please see your printed documentation or online Help.
If none of the Basic Configurations have the required Input/Output Range setting, your sound card does not have an external MIDI port that is compatible with this product. If this is the case, you will need to purchase a compatible sound card before you will be able to use the PC Pack Transmitter.
For additional information about compatible sound cards and soundcard drivers, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
172870 ActiMates Barney: List of Sound Card Installation Articles
Or, go to the following address on World Wide Web:
Configuration Process Complete
When one of the Input/Output Range settings for your sound card matches one of the four required values, your sound card should be configured properly. Close the Device Manager, restart Windows if the computer prompts you to do so, and then restart the Barney software.
If you still encounter problems, your sound card may not be compatible with the ActiMates PC Pack Transmitter or you may need new sound card drivers from your sound card manufacturer.
For additional information about compatible sound cards and soundcard drivers, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
172870 ActiMates Barney: List of Sound Card Installation Articles
Or, go to the following address on World Wide Web:
For more information about performing any of the tasks described in this article in Windows, please see your printed documentation or online Help.
The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.
REFERENCES
For information about how to solve problems related to Microsoft ActiMates characters, use the ActiMates Troubleshooter located at the following Microsoft Web site:
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