Below is a list of links to the various sections on this page.
When I load VirtualRPC-SA it asks for my key number, why?
VirtualRPC-SA is protected by an unlock code. You will need to contact VirtualAcorn to obtain the unlock code that matches your Product ID as shown. For more details see the printed Installation Guide supplied with VirtualRPC-SA.
When I try and run VirtualAcorn I get a message saying "The VirtualRPC-SA.exe file is linked to missing....blah blah blah", what's wrong?
Your copy of DirectX is out of date. An up to date version can be obtained from Microsofts DirectX website.
When I start VirtualAcorn I get an error message from Windows, then nothing happens, what's wrong?
This is usually caused by a broken or out of date copy of DirectX or some other driver. We recommend that users install DirectX V8.1 or later for use with VirtualAcorn. This has the benefit of being faster than previous versions. This can be obtained from Microsofts DirectX website. You should also check to ensure that you have the correct graphics drivers and sound drivers installed. Users of some Sony Vaio computers may need to update their graphics drivers from the Intel Support website. Users of Sony Vaio R600 computers may find that VirtualRPC-SA starts correctly if the machine is not docked, but that it crashes if started with the machine docked, if this is the case contact VirtualAcorn technical support.
When I start VirtualAcorn I get an "Unknown Direct Draw Error", what's wrong?
This fault seems to be caused by the drivers for some graphics cards, in particular some NVidia Geforce drivers seem to suffer from this problem. The error message only happens if VirtualAcorn is set to start up in full screen mode. If you re-configure VirtualAcorn to start in a Window, then switch to full screen mode manually using the button on the VirtualAcorn toolbar the problem goes away.
When I try and load VirtualAcorn I get a message saying "Unable to create back buffer", what has happened?
VirtualAcorn requires a PC with at least 8MB (and preferably 16Mb) of video memory. Either your PC does not have enough video memory allocated for VirtualAcorn to grab a section for RISC OS to use in which case you should change the card configuration from the BIOS. Or if that is not the case then it is possible that you have re-installed Windows but have not installed your graphics card drivers when prompted to. You will need to re-install your drivers.
I double click on the VRPC program and just get a black screen, has it crashed my computer?
No. VirtualRPC-SA is reading the processor speed of your computer wrongly. Run VirtualRPC-SA and then press ALT and ENTER to go to windowing mode. Go to the VirtualRPC-SA "Tools" menu and click on "Options". Now go the the "General" tab. You will see what VirtualRPC-SA thinks is the speed of your computer. This figure is most likely wrong. Select the "Manual" button and the type in the correct value. Then click on "Apply" then on "OK". Now quit and re-load VirtualRPC-SA. If you are not sure how fast your computer is then go to the Windows "Start" menu. Go past "Settings" and click on "Control Panel". When the control panel loads double click on "System". This window should show you the speed of your computer.
The other cause of a black screen is a PC firewall detecting a network aware version of VirtualAcorn starting up and wanting the user to confirm that it is OK for VirtualAcorn to access the Internet, switch back to a window and tell the firewall that it is OK for VirtualAcorn to continue.
Why is VirtualAcorn running slow on my PC?
VirtualRPC-SA could be reading the processor speed of your computer wrongly. Run VirtualRPC-SA and then press ALT and ENTER to go to windowing mode. Go to the VirtualRPC-SA "Tools" menu and click on "Options". Now go the the "General" tab. You will see what VirtualRPC-SA thinks is the speed of your computer. If this figure is wrong then you can select the "Manual" button and the type in the correct value. Then click on "Apply" then on "OK". Now quit and re-load VirtualRPC-SA. If you are not sure how fast your computer is then go to the Windows "Start" menu. Go past "Settings" and click on "Control Panel". When the control panel loads double click on "System". This window should show you the speed of your computer.
When I use VirtualAcorn the RISC OS mouse stops responding, what's going on?
This fault occurs very occasionally on some exceptionally fast PCs. Quit and re-load VirtualAcorn and see if the fault appears again. If it does then you can temporarily prevent the problem by turning off the VirtualAcorn sound using the configuration window. Once you have done this then please send an e-mail to Virtual Acorn technical support stating the type and speed of processor in your computer, operating system, graphics card and sound card.
The mouse seems to be working fine but I cannot double click on anything, why?
VirtualRPC-SA has detected the speed of the host PC's processor wrongly. Follow the instructions in the manual for setting the processor speed of your PC in the VirtualAcorn Options window.
I only have a two button mouse, how can I get the RISC OS menus?
We recommend that users of VirtualAcorn invest in a three button mouse. These can be obtained from sites such as EBuyer.com for only a few pounds. However you can also program the Windows 'Menu' key to act as a third mouse button. Typically this has an image of a menu with a pointer on it. Use the Keyboard options to select the button you wish to emulate (you may have to try a few times to get it right). Alternatively you can program your two mouse buttons to act as left and middle and set the menu key to act as the right button.
I have a three button mouse but the middle button doesn't work, what's wrong?
We have seen a problem with some 3 button mice. If you find the centre button on your mouse does not work then check to see if the mouse is a USB device, but connected to the PC via an adapter into the PS2 mouse socket. If this is the case then connecting the mouse via a USB socket will normally solve the problem. If your mouse is a Microsoft Intellimouse then you will need to search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, as problems with these mice are documented there. Also if you have a Logitec mouse you may find that un-installing the mouse driver and installing the MicroSoft driver will solve the problem.
When I try and print I get an error message saying "not open for update", why?
Firstly you need to ensure that you have followed the instructions in the manual for setting up !Printers exactly. Then once you have done this try a test print from !Draw. Some applications such as !Edit,!Zap etc do not use the RISC OS graphics printer drivers and will not be able to print from VirtualAcorn. If !Draw prints then all other programs that use the RISC OS graphics printer drivers will work. One other thing to ensure is that the "Print in background" option in both !Printers and your application are both turned off.
I have configured my copy of !Printers correctly, but when I try and load it I get a message saying "disc not found", why?
The first thing to do is to check the name of your Windows printer, if the name contains any "odd" characters then that will most likely be the problem. For example a Windows printer called "Printer6/6m V1.23" contains both a full stop, which RISC OS sees as a path separator, and a slash, which Windows sees as a path separator. VirtualAcorn will convert this name into "Printer6_6m_v1_23", and this is the name you should type into the printer configuration window. Users of Epson printers should also note that Epson drivers use the US spelling of "Colour", ie "Color" and this could be the source of the problem.
When I double click on a particular program RISC OS stops responding, what can I do?
The program has got stuck in a loop, simply hold down ALT and then press BREAK (top right) on the keyboard. A window will open with an option to STOP the program/task that has locked the machine.
I have run a single tasking program and I cannot find a way of stopping it, what can I do?
The first thing to try is to press ALT and BREAK as shown above. Having pressed these two keys together try pressing the SPACEBAR twice. Hopefully the RISC OS desktop will re-appear. If this doesn't happen then you will need to
reset VirtualRPC-SA. Hold down ALT and press ENTER to bring up the Windows pointer. Now go to the VirtualRPC-SA Action menu and click on Hard Reset.
VRPC manual - draft number 150.001 10th May 2006