Pinball Arcade: Contents of the Readme.doc File
  
PSS ID Number: Q194659
Article last modified on 05-20-1999
 
WINDOWS:1.0
 
WINDOWS
 

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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Pinball Arcade, version 1.0 
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SUMMARY
=======
 
This article contains a copy of the contents of the Microsoft Pinball Arcade
Readme.doc file, which is located in the root folder of the Microsoft Pinball
Arcade CD-ROM and in the Pinball Arcade folder on your hard disk
 
MORE INFORMATION
================
 
Microsoft (c) Pinball Arcade Readme
September 1998
(c) & (p) Microsoft Corporation 1998. All rights reserved.
 
Welcome to Microsoft Pinball Arcade!
 
This file contains late-breaking information not included in the jewel
case leaflet or online Help.
 
Contents
 
A.   Hardware and System Requirements
B.   Getting Help
C.   Audio Troubleshooting
D.   Video Troubleshooting
E.   Performance Troubleshooting
F.   Other Troubleshooting
G.   Online Gaming
 
A. Hardware and System Requirements
 
To play Microsoft Pinball Arcade you need:
 
Multimedia PC with a Pentium 90 MHz or higher processor
Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating system or later; or
   Windows NT Workstation operating system version 4.0 or later with
   Service Pack 3
16 MB of RAM for Windows 95 or Windows 98; or 24 MB of RAM for
   Windows NT
15 MB hard disk space required for minimum installation; additional
   20 MB required for installation process. Swap file must be a minimum
   of 30 MB
Microsoft DirectX[ASCII 174] 6.0-compatible sound card
Microsoft DirectX 6.0-compatible 1 MB PCI video card capable of at
   least a 640 x 480 256 color display
Double-speed CD-ROM drive
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
Microsoft DirectX 6.0-compatible joystick or game pad (optional)
 
B. Getting Help
 
Complete information about Microsoft Pinball Arcade is in Help. To display
Help, on the main menu, click Help. You can also press F1 at anytime when
Microsoft Pinball Arcade is running.
 
C. Audio Troubleshooting
 
Though audio problems can arise from a variety of circumstances, old audio
drivers are usually the cause.
 
To find out what brand of sound card you have:
 
Right-click the My Computer icon, and then click Properties.
 
Click the Device Manager tab.
 
Double-click Sound, video and game controllers.
 
The name of your sound card will appear below Sound, video and game
controllers.
 
To get the latest drivers, contact your audio adapter manufacturer.
 
D. Video Troubleshooting
 
Though video problems can arise from a variety of circumstances, old
video drivers are usually the cause.
 
To find out what brand of video card you have:
 
Right-click the My Computer icon, and then click Properties.
 
Click the Device Manager tab.
 
Double-click Display adapters.
 
The name of your video card will appear below Display adapters.
 
Animated Cursors  Animated cursors may cause black areas to appear on
   the screen behind the cursor. To fix this problem, disable animated
   cursors.
 
To disable animated cursors:
 
   1. Click Start.
 
   2. Point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
 
   3. Double-click the Mouse icon.
 
   4. Click the Pointers tab.
 
   5. In the Scheme list box, click None.
 
Stiletto Task Bar  The Stiletto Task Bar may cause your task bar to
   flash during your game. Contact the Stiletto Task Bar software company
   for a solution to this problem.
 
HP Pavilion Keyboard  The HP Pavilion keyboard may cause your taskbar
   to flicker on top of your game when you adjust the sound with the
   volume knob on the keyboard. To fix this problem, press the spacebar.
 
Cirrus Logic CL-GD5440 Video Adapters  The Cirrus Logic CL-GD5440
   video adapters may cause poor performance and/or flashing graphics.
   To fix this problem, set Graphic Detail to Low and contact your video
   adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
 
   To set Graphic Detail to Low:
 
   1. On the main menu, click Options.
 
   2. Under Graphic Detail, click Low.
 
Hercules Stingray 128/3D Video Adapters  The Hercules Stingray 128/3D
   video adapter may cause you machine to hang when you return from a game
   to the main menu. To fix this problem, contact your video adapter
   manufacturer for an updated driver package. You must run the setup.exe
   program in the driver package so that you update both the drivers and
   the display software.
 
Rendition Video Adapters  Rendition video adapters may cause your
   graphics to blink and to appear dark. Also, you may not be able to use
   the high graphic setting. To fix this problem, contact your video
   adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
 
Matrox Millennium II Video Adapters  The Matrox Millennium II video
   adaptor with version 3.6 drivers may not allow you to launch a pinball
   game. To fix this problem, contact your video adapter manufacturer for
   the latest drivers.
 
ATI 3D Rage Pro Video Adapters  ATI 3D Rage Pro video adapters may
   cause your game graphics to deteriorate after you press ALT + TAB to
   switch from another application to Microsoft Pinball Arcade. These
   adapters may also cause horizontal lines to appear on your screen,
   obscuring the game. To fix these problems, contact your video adapter
   manufacturer for the latest drivers.
 
 E. Performance Troubleshooting
 
Though performance problems can arise from a variety of circumstances,
old sound, video, or game controller drivers are usually the cause.
 
To find out what brand of drivers you have:
 
Right-click the My Computer icon, and then click Properties.
 
Click the Device Manager tab.
 
Double-click the type of device you want to know about. For example,
   double-click Sound, video and game controllers.
 
The name of your device will appear below the device type. For example,
Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro may appear under Sound, video and game
controllers.
 
Laptops and Older Processors  Older processors may cause your game to
   run very slowly, and in some cases may not allow you to start a pinball
   game. To fix this problem, switch to a lower screen resolution and then
   try again.
 
   To switch to a lower resolution:
 
   1. On the main menu, click Options.
 
   2. Under Graphic Detail, click a lower screen resolution.
 
Low Disk Space  A full hard drive may cause the video to pause
   intermittently during a game. To fix this problem, increase the amount
   of hard-drive space available to the swap file by clearing at least
   40MB on your hard drive.
 
Sidewinder Game Device Software V2.0 and V3.0   The Sidewinder Game
   Device Software may cause your game to pause and slow down if you
   unplug you Microsoft Game Controller while your computer is running.
   To fix this problem, display the game controller name in the Control
   Panel.
 
   To display the game controller name in the Control Panel:
 
   1. Click Start.
 
   2. Point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
 
   3. Double-click Game Controllers.
 
   4. Click OK.
 
Cirrus Logic CL-GD5440 Video Adapters  The Cirrus Logic CL-GD5440
   video adapters may cause poor performance and/or flashing graphics.
   To fix this problem, set Graphic Detail to Low and contact your video
   adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
 
   To set Graphic Detail to Low:
 
   1. On the main menu, click Options.
 
   2. Under Graphic Detail, click Low.
 
Matrox Millennium Video Adapter  The Matrox Millennium Video Adapter
   may cause your desktop to default to the wrong screen resolution.
   Also, it may prevent you from closing some dialog boxes. To fix these
   problems, contact the video adapter manufacturer for the latest
   drivers.
 
Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro Joystick  The Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro
   Joystick may cause your game to slow down when your are playing on
   Windows NT 4.0. To fix this problem, contact Microsoft for the latest
   NT4 Service Pack.
 
F. Other Troubleshooting
 
Microsoft NT version 4.0  Microsoft NT version 4.0 may not allow you
   to enter your name in the Spirit of 76 High Scores dialog box while
   music is enabled. To fix this problem, before you start a new game of
   Spirit of 76, click Options on the main menu, and then clear the Music
   check box.
 
Cropped Text  If you are unable to see all of the text in the pop-ups
   in your Help file, display Help from the main menu instead of from
   within the game.
 
Custom System Colors  Custom system colors may cause the text in the
   Help file to be unreadable. To fix this problem, change the default
   system color of your text.
 
   To change the default system color of your text:
 
   1. Right-click the desktop.
 
   2. Click Properties.
 
   3. Click the Appearance tab.
 
   4. Under Scheme, click Windows Standard.
 
   5. Click Apply.
 
Sticky Keys  Enabling sticky keys may cause your computer to display
   an alert message after you repeatedly press the SHIFT key. To fix this
   problem, change your game controls so that you don't need the SHIFT
   key to play the game, or disable sticky keys.
 
   To find out how to change your game controls, see the Controls topic
   in the Settings section of Help.
 
   To disable sticky keys:
 
   1. Click Start.
 
   2. Point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
 
   3. Double-click the Accessibility Options icon.
 
   4. On the Keyboard tab, clear the Use StickyKeys check box.
 
Laptops and Older Processors  Older processors may not allow you to
   start a pinball game. To fix this problem, switch to a lower screen
   resolution and then try again.
 
   To switch to a lower resolution:
 
   1. On the main menu, click Options.
 
   2. Under Graphic Detail, click a lower screen resolution.
 
Slick Chick Free Games  The Free Games information in the Slick Chick
   Tips topic is incorrect. You win a free game for the following scores:
   1100, 1300, 1500, 1700 (not 1000, 1200, 1300, or 1400).
 
G. Online Gaming
 
WELCOME TO THE BEST IN ONLINE GAMING!
 
The Microsoft Pinball Arcade CD includes FREE software for installing the
Internet Gaming Zone.
 
To install the Internet Gaming Zone
 
In Explorer, click your CD drive.
 
Double-click Setup.exe.
 
Click Game Previews.
 
Click the Internet Gaming Zone graphic.
 
Click Install Software.
 
Check out the Internet Gaming Zone, and play games online against friends
from around the world! We feature the best in FREE multiplayer card and
board games, like Spades and Backgammon, and matchmaking support for
popular retail CD-ROM titles. Build a great army from a lowly tribe in the
award-winning Age of Empires. Race a motorcycle across desert dunes in
Motocross Madness. Or dogfight other WWII pilots in the spectacular
Fighter Ace. With thousands of members online at any time of day, you'll
always find a worthy opponent on the Zone!
 
Additional query words: 1.00 msgame readme 1.0 pb pba readme.txt readme.rtf
 
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Keywords          : kbreadme kbimu msgame 
Version           : WINDOWS:1.0
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbinfo
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1999.