DISNEY SOFTWARE SOUND PATCHES ----------------------------- The following file contains information on the new patches for Disney Software programs that allow them to work properly on 486 systems with various high end sound cards. WHAT DO THE PATCHES DO? ----------------------- These new patches will make several substantial changes to your program. These changes are: 1. Expanded (EMS) Memory will no longer cause the sounds in the program to break up and warble when you run the program on a system that has EMS memory present. The information contained in the "Sound Blaster And Expanded Memory" section of your manual no longer applies to the program. This program was designed to use only IRQ 3, 5 or 7 with Sound Blaster and compatible cards. The setting of IRQ 2 can cause problems. Therefore we do not recommend you use this setting with this program. We do not support IRQ's above IRQ 7. Please note the Tandy Sound (DAC) and IBM PS/1 Audio card are no longer supported. Please note that CGA and Tandy Graphics are no longer supported in these new versions. If you have a computer with CGA or Tandy graphics, please contact our Customer Service department. See the Contacting Customer Service section at the end of this file. 2. Lockups on 486 systems. Over the past several months, many of our customers have purchased 486 computers and have experienced a problem with the computer locking up during our programs. This problem is fixed by these new drivers. 3. Many parents have commented to us over the past two years that they didn't want their children to have to navigate DOS to start a Disney program. What they wanted was a way for their children to be able to click on an icon and go right into a game. Many parents chose to run our programs under the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface because its icon based interface gave them what they wanted. Unfortunately, DOS-based programs like those from Disney Software often suffer from poor performance when run from the Windows environment. Well we listened, and now there are Windows program launchers for your Disney Software. The new launchers close Windows down temporarily, and then reload Windows when you exit your Disney Software program with none of the problems associated with running DOS based software under Microsoft Windows. The information contained in the "Running Your Program Under Microsoft Windows" section of your manual no longer applies to the program. 4. MS-DOS 6.0 has been tested and is supported. The original versions of these programs were released before MS-DOS 6.0. MS-DOS 6.02 has not been tested however. We are currently preparing to do some revision testing under MS-DOS 6.02, and results will be available on our BBS when we complete the tests. INSTALLING THE MICKEY'S 123'S SOUND PATCH ----------------------------------------- 1. Move or copy the files PAT123.BAT and PB-123.EXE into the sub-directory where you installed Mickey's 123's (Usually C:\MICK123) IMPORTANT: These files must be run only in the sub-directory where Mickey's 123's was installed. 2. Change to the sub-directory where you installed Mickey's 123's. This is usually accomplished by typing CD\MICK123 at the C: prompt. 3. At the C: prompt, type PAT123 and then press ENTER. The new files will be extracted into your Mickey's 123's sub-directory, overwriting the older versions with the new updated versions. Older files that are no longer needed will be deleted as well. INSTALLING THE MICKEY'S ABC'S SOUND PATCH ----------------------------------------- 1. Move or copy the files PATABC.BAT and PB-ABC.EXE into the sub-directory where you installed Mickey's ABC's (Usually C:\MICKABC) IMPORTANT: These files must be run only in the sub-directory where Mickey's ABC's was installed. 2. Change to the sub-directory where you installed Mickey's ABC's. This is usually accomplished by typing CD\MICKABC at the C: prompt. 3. At the C: prompt, type PATABC and then press ENTER. The new files will be extracted into your Mickey's ABC's sub-directory, overwriting the older versions with the new updated versions. Older files that are no longer needed will be deleted as well. INSTALLING THE MICKEY'S COLORS & SHAPES SOUND PATCH --------------------------------------------------- 1. Move or copy the files PATC&S.BAT and PB-C&S.EXE into the sub-directory where you installed Mickey's Colors & Shapes (Usually C:\MICKC&S) IMPORTANT: These files must be run only in the sub-directory where Mickey's Colors & Shapes was installed. 2. Change to the sub-directory where you installed Mickey's Colors & Shapes. This is usually accomplished by typing CD\MICKC&S at the C: prompt. 3. At the C: prompt, type PATC&S and then press ENTER. The new files will be extracted into your Mickey's Colors & Shapes sub-directory, overwriting the older versions with the new updated versions. Older files that are no longer needed will be deleted as well. INSTALLING THE FOLLOW THE READER SOUND PATCH -------------------------------------------- 1. Move or copy the files PATFTR.BAT, PB-FTRA.EXE, PB-FTRB.EXE and PB-FTRC.EXE into the sub-directory where you installed Follow The Reader (Usually C:\READER) IMPORTANT: These files must be run only in the sub-directory where Follow The Reader was installed. 2. Change to the sub-directory where you installed Follow The Reader. This is usually accomplished by typing CD\READER at the C: prompt. 3. At the C: prompt, type PATFTR and then press ENTER. The new files will be extracted into your Follow The Reader sub-directory, overwriting the older versions with the new updated versions. Older files that are no longer needed will be deleted as well. RUNNING DISNEY SOFTWARE PROGRAMS UNDER WINDOWS ---------------------------------------------- Now you can launch these Disney Software programs directly from Microsoft Windows 3.1. Included with these patch files are icons that allow you to launch these programs from Microsoft Windows. These instructions (based on Windows 3.1) tell you how to set up this icon in a program manager group window of your choosing. CREATING A DISNEY SOFTWARE PROGRAM GROUP WINDOW ----------------------------------------------- If you prefer neat and orderly Windows, you may want to create a Disney Software window for these programs. To create a new window called "Disney Software" complete the following steps. 1. In Program Manager, select File from the Program Manager menu bar. 2. Select New on the File menu. 3. The New Program Object window appears, select Program Group from this window and press ENTER or click on OK. 4. The Program Group Properties window appears. In the Description box, type Disney Software. Press the TAB key to switch the cursor to the Group File box. In the Group File box, type DISNEYPR.GRP and press ENTER or click on OK. 5. A new window called Disney Software should now be displayed on screen, ready for you to move your icons into it. ADDING A SINGLE PROGRAM ICON TO A WINDOW ---------------------------------------- If you only want to add a single icon for a Disney Software program to a window, use the following steps to do so. If you are adding more than one program, you may want to use the next section, "Adding Several Program Icons To A Window" to set them up. 1. In Program Manager, select the name of the window where you want to add the icon from the Program Manager's "Window" menu to make that window active. 2. Then select File from the Program Manager menu bar. 3. Select New on the File menu. 4. The New Program Object window appears, select Program Item from this window and press ENTER or click on OK. 5. The Program Item Properties window appears. In the Description box, type the name of the program you wish to add. Press the TAB key to switch the cursor to the Command Line box. In the Command Line box, type in the name of the launcher .EXE file name (A list is shown below). Press the TAB key again to switch the cursor to the Working Directory box. In the Working Directory box, type in the directory where the program you are adding is installed, the launcher should also be stored in that directory. Press the TAB key to switch the cursor to the Shortcut Key box. You can designate a shortcut key if you are running Windows in Enhanced mode. We recommend leaving this box set to None. Leave the Run Minimized box unchecked. At this point press ENTER or click on OK. A new icon should appear in the window with the label of the program you just installed. You are now ready to run that program from Microsoft Windows. PROGRAM NAME WINDOWS LAUNCHER FILENAME ------------------------------------------------------ Follow The Reader wreader.exe Mickey's 123s wmick123.exe Mickey's ABCs wmickabc.exe Mickey's Colors & Shapes wmickc_s.exe ADDING SEVERAL PROGRAM ICONS TO A WINDOW ---------------------------------------- If you are using an alternative Program Shell for Microsoft Windows such as Norton Desktop for Windows or HDc Power Launcher, please consult your manuals for directions on adding program icons. These directions will only work for Program Manager. 1. In the Microsoft Windows Program Manager select the "Window" and choose "Main" from the list at the bottom. 2. In the "Main" window, find the "Windows Setup" icon and double-click on it. This will bring up the "Windows Setup" application. 3. From the "Windows Setup" application window, select the "Options" menu, and choose "Setup Applications..." from that menu. 4. You will be asked if you want the Setup process to find the applications for you or do you want to do it manually. Select "Search for applications" and then select the "OK" button to proceed. 5. Next you're asked where you want the Setup process to search; select the drive where the Disney Software programs you want to add are stored, and make sure that is the only item selected. Then click on the "Search Now" button to start the search. 6. The Setup process will search the drive you selected. During the search you might be asked some questions regarding which is the right name for the application describing the executable program found. Since these questions do not apply to the Disney Software programs, you can click on the "Cancel" to proceed. Of course, if you want to set up the program the question is asking about, select the right choice and click on the "OK" button to proceed. 7. After the search is done you will get a list of "Applications found on hard disk(s)" which will be on the left side of the window and an empty list titled "Set up for use with Windows" on the right. 8. Now we need to select the Disney Software programs you want an icon for from the list on the left and get them in the list on the right. You do this by selecting all of the Disney program names on the left list and then clicking on the "Add" button. The Disney Software programs to look for are: Follow The Reader Mickey's 123's Mickey's ABC's Mickey's Colors & Shapes Note: There might be other programs listed; select them only if you want a launching icon in the "Application" windows for them. 9. When you have all the Disney programs you want a launching icon for listed in the list on the right ("Set up for use with Windows") then select the OK button to have the selected programs put in a program manager group window called "Applications." 10. Once the Setup process is done, close the "Windows Setup" application window. 11. To see the "Applications" window, select "Applications" from the "Window" menu of the Program Manger. You should now see a window with icons representing each Disney Software program you selected. To start one of these programs, double-click on the icon of your choice. If you wish to move these icons to another Window, simply place the two windows side by side and drag the icons over to the new window by placing the mouse cursor over the icon, pressing and holding the left mouse button, and dragging the icon over to the new window. When you let go of the mouse button over the new Window, the icon will be moved there. RUNNING A DISNEY SOFTWARE PROGRAM WITH AN ICON ---------------------------------------------- To start one of the Disney Software programs from Windows, double click on the icon associated with it. If you have any Windows applications open with unsaved changes, you will be prompted to save the files at this point. The launchers completely shut down Windows before they execute the program. Any changes made to currently open documents will be lost if you do not save them at this point. Any DOS-based applications should be closed manually before starting a program with a launcher. If any DOS-based applications are active when you try to start a program with a launcher, Windows will display an error message stating "Application Still Active. Quit the application before quitting Windows", and then return you to Windows when you click on the OK button. Once Windows has been closed down, the program you selected will begin. When you quit the Disney Software program, Windows will restart automatically. DO NOT RUN LAUNCHERS FROM THE WINDOWS 3.1 STARTUP WINDOW -------------------------------------------------------- Do not put any of the Icons for Disney Software program launchers into the Windows 3.1 StartUp window. They will cause problems if set up to run this way. The StartUp window automatically launches the programs associated with any icons in it. If you do this, you will start Windows, Windows will automatically launch your Disney Software program and you will be able to play normally. However, when you exit the program and return to Windows, Windows will automatically launch the program again, effectively preventing you from returning to Windows and using or exiting it. The only way out of this loop is to reboot your system while you are in the program. If your system automatically boots up to Windows, you will need to use a boot disk to stop your system from going into this loop. Users of MS-DOS 6.0 can simply press the F5 key when they see the "Starting MS-DOS message as their system boots up to bypass their normal startup files. To keep Windows from going into this loop, you must delete STARTUP.GRP from the Windows directory to prevent this from happening when you restart Windows. Then when you are back in Windows, you will need to recreate the StartUp window. Please consult your Windows manuals for more information. HOW TO CONTACT DISNEY SOFTWARE CUSTOMER SERVICE ----------------------------------------------- Great customer service depends on how easily your customers can reach you. To that end, Disney Software and Buena Vista Software want you to be aware of all the ways you can contact us for Customer Service and Technical Support. You can always write to us! We can be reached at the following addresses. Disney Software c/o Customer Service 500 South Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521-6385 You can call us from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at: (818) 841-3326 Disney Software Customer Service (818) 846-0454 FAX (Please address FAXes to Customer Service) FAXes are accepted 24 hours a day. Messages can be left in Voice Mail 24 hours a day. Please be patient, due to the volume of calls we receive, it can take up to three business days to respond to messages. You can order software from our catalog at these toll free numbers (Patch files are only available from Customer Service): (800) 688-1520 Catalog Ordering - (Master Card, VISA or American Express) (800) 668-4839 Catalog Ordering - (Canadian Residents only) You can find support on our Bulletin Board System (BBS) 24 hours a day! (818) 567-4027 Disney Software/Buena Vista Software Support BBS Settings are 8 data bits, No Parity and 1 stop bit. VT-100 or ANSI Terminal Emulation. Please see Bulletin #2 for more information or download BBSTIPS.TXT. BBS INFO: Running Wildcat BBS Software on two lines with Hayes V-Series ULTRA Smartmodem 9600 modems. Running since 1990. We currently have 5000 active users, many file areas and message conferences to choose from. Echomail links to FIDOnet, with other message systems like DisneyNET, RIME, Internet and Compuserve to be added soon. We can also be reached on many other information services for your convenience. Here is a listing of all our service I.D.'s on national information services. You can send us E-Mail at any of these addresses: SERVICE I.D. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ America On-Line DisneySoft You can leave private E-mail for our Customer Service Representatives or leave a public message in the Disney Software area of this service (CTRL-K: DISNEY SOFTWARE). We now have a support area available on this service with a library of files related to our products, as well as a message area for support. Compuserve 71333,14 You can leave private E-Mail for our Customer Service Representatives, or use our public Disney Software/Buena Vista Software support area on Compuserve in the Game Publishers B+ Forum (GO GAMBPUB). We have a library of files related to our products, as well as a message area for support. Delphi DisneySoft You can leave private E-Mail for our Customer Service Representatives. FIDOnet Disney SYSOP Messages posted in the Disney Conference of this service will be answered by Disney Software/Buena Vista Software Customer Support. Our BBS is connected to this system, and messages are answered as quickly as possible. FIDOnet Netmail 1:102/841.0 If you have access to this feature of FIDO you can send messages to this node address. You can also perform FREQs if you have access to that feature. GEnie Disney You can leave private E-Mail for our Customer Service Representatives, or post public messages in either the Games Bulletin Board (M805 - Category 3, Topic 28) or Disney RT (M195 - Category 30, Topic 6). Internet DISNEY@f841.n102.z1.fidonet.org 71333.14@COMPUSERVE.COM DisneySoft@AOL.COM DISNEYSOFT@DELPHI.COM You can leave E-Mail for our Customer Service Representatives. Any of the addresses shown can be used to contact us. The first ID is the best one to use since it comes straight to our BBS. Prodigy JVNX63A (Disney Software Private Email ID) JVNX63B (Buena Vista Software Private Email ID) BWBF40A (Public Bulletin Board ID of Disney SYSOP) You can leave private E-Mail for our Customer Service Representatives by posting messages in the PC Connections (JUMP: SOFTWARECONNEX) area or posting private Email from the Communications area. The Disney SYSOP also covers the Game Club, Computer Club, Arts Club and Education Bulletin Boards. Use our public I.D (shown above) to get a response in the Bulletin Boards. We hope you will find this information useful. HOW TO GET THE LATEST INFORMATION ON OUR PROGRAMS ------------------------------------------------- In the Helpful Information and Troubleshooting Guide section in our manual we have tried to cover the basic questions we get asked most frequently, but there are always new situations, hardware, software, configurations, etc. that we cannot cover in the manual. Disney Software's Customer Service department has created a document to cover late breaking issues and answers to commonly asked questions. This document is updated on a regular basis, and can be obtained by mail or by modem. To receive a copy, call our Customer Service department and ask for the Disney Updates. To download this information, call our BBS and download the file DISUPDTE.ZIP from the file area. We will also make this file available on the various on-line information systems we support.