Windows Troubleshooting

General

Most problems will go away by simply shutting down the computer, checking the microphone and speaker connections, and then restarting.

Software is not working on Windows 2000/XP

If you purchased your software after 2001, then your software is probably compatible with Windows 2000/XP. A complete list of compatible version numbers is here.

Checking for Compatibile CDs

If your CD has a color label, it is compatible.
If the installer asks you to go to our web site and register, then it is compatible.
If you find a Win2000 folder on your CD with a setup.exe file inside of it, then it is compatible.
Re-install the software using this setup file.
If your CD does not have a colored label (black text only) and you don't see a Win2000 folder on your CD, then it's probably not compatible with 2000/XP.
If the installer asks you whether you want to install on Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 then your software is definitely not compatible.

If you don't have a compatible CD, you will need to upgrade your software. We are in the process of making downloadable updaters for our software. The updates that were available as of September 28, 2005 can be downloaded here. For titles that are not listed, or if you want to receive a new CD, instructions for updating by mail are here.

Problems opening Reproducibles with Adobe Reader 8 and above

The 3.x versions of selected titles which include Reproducibles on the CD are incompatible with Adobe Reader 8 and above. To the right of each title is a link to the update file. Click on the link to download the update. The updates are less than 350KB in size, so should be quick to download.

When the installer has finished downloading, double-click on it. The program will find your copy of the title and change the necessary files for it to work with Adobe Reader 8.

Software Title	Update	Update For Version
Look! Listen! And Learn Language!	Version 3.2.1	Version 3.2.0 ONLY
Phonology	Version 3.0.1	Version 3.0.0 ONLY
Phonology II	Version 3.0.1	Version 3.0.0 ONLY

Troubleshoting steps for Windows 2000/XP

I. Error message is as follows:

If there is a Win2000 folder on your CD the go to step II. If not, then your CD is not compatible with Windows 2000/XP. Read the instructions in the previous paragraph.

II. Install or re-install the program.

Log in as Administrator.
Go to the "My Computer" icon at the top left of the screen. Double-click on it to open.
Look for a CD icon that is labeled with the game name.
Open the CD and look for a folder called "Win2000". Run the "Setup.exe" file inside this folder.

III. Run the program.

You can run as a normal user or as Admin.
There should be an icon on the desktop for the game that you installed. Double-click it to start.
You can also start the game from the "Start" button: Start:Programs:LocuTour:GameName.

How permissions affect installing the Shockwave Player with Windows 2000 and XP If you don't have administrator access to your Windows NT, 2000, or XP-equipped computer, you may not be able to install the Program successfully. Permissions can be tricky, but, in general, you should be able to install and use the program if your administrator gives you full access to the Macromedia directory: C:Winnt\System32\Macromed\ for Win 2000 and NT, and C:\WINDOWS\system32\Macromed for XP.

IV. Record and playback voices.

This varies by game. On most games, press and release one of the round red buttons to record. A rectangle in the same set turns red to indicate that recording is in progress.

Click on the rectangle when you have finished recording. The arrow in the middle turns green to indicate that there is a voice to play back.

Notes:

1. If you do not have a Win2000 folder _and_ the text on your CD label is black, there is a good chance that your software is not compatible with Windows 2000/XP. Check on our web page for compatibility.
2. If you run the program directly off of the CD from the game .exe file, older versions of the software are not be able to record.
3. Older versions of our programs are not compatible with Windows NT. However, you probably aren't using this version, since it was built for servers, not end-users. Other versions of Windows will say "Built with NT Technology". They are not NT but are 2000/XP. Newer versions of our software will run fine on these machines.
4. Sound level issues are addressed below. It is usually due to levels not being set at the correct setting or microphones not plugged in.

Miscellaneous Hints

Error Message: "Settings Not Found"

Many of our programs save a settings file in your temp folder. This error is common after the Demo CD has been run. To fix the problem, open up "C:\windows\temp". In that folder, erase any file that ends in '.cst'. If the program is Articulation II, the file is called "ArticII.cst" etc.

Options Page Password

Some of the CD's have an 'Options 2' page which requires a password. The password is the same forall the games and the password is: options

Print-o-Matic Error

If after starting our program an error box appears that says something about a print-o-matic error, then you probably don't have a default printer selected. Some computers require a default printer to be set up before our software will work. If you get this error and you have a printer, set it as the default printer. If you don't have a printer, add a printer anyway and set it as the default. We recommend that you pick a Hewlett-Packard laser printer, since we know that our software will work if an HP printer is set as the default—even if it is not attached to the computer. Without a printer you won't be able to print, but you will still be able to use our software.

Intro Music Doesn't Stop Playing

If the intro continues to play after clicking on the screen, then you most likely opened the program twice. When you double-click the shortcut to start the program, you might have clicked it too many times, causing multiple copies of the program to open. To fix this problem, close the program and double check your start bar to make sure there are no other copies of the program open. Then re-open the program, making sure that you only open it once.

Image Quality

The monitor should be set to at least 16-bit color (thousands of colors) for quickest performance and best quality pictures. If the CD has videos that you want to view, set the monitor to thousands of colors.

System Error Alert Box When Starting Game

When you click on the icon the program looks for the CD with the games on it. If it sees a drive with nothing in it you will get the drive not ready message. Click on the cancel button or put the CD in the drive.

Frequent Crashes

Application quits unexpectedly

If the program crashes frequently you may have a scratched or dirty disk, or too many other applications running at the same time. Try cleaning the CD with a clean cloth and closing all other applications, screen savers, and virus checkers and see if the problem goes away. If not, try reinstalling the game.

Sound Issues

How to open the sound control panel

On most versions of Windows you can double-click the little yellow speaker icon, located in your task bar at the bottom-right corner of the screen, to open the recording control panel. Otherwise, you can find it from Start -> Settings -> Control Panels -> Sounds and Multimedia.

Voices Do Not Record

Your sound card must be capable of recording and a microphone must be attached to the machine in the microphone port - not the line-in port. In the sound recording setup panel, check to be sure that the recording level is not on mute. Usually, the maximum level works best. Also check to be sure that the input device that you have selected is the microphone. Do this by clicking on the "Select" the Box under the microphone or line in control. You may have to restart the machine for changes to take effect.

You can find the volume control from the Start/Settings/Control Panels/Sounds and Multimedia. You can also access it by right clicking on the speaker at the bottom right hand side of the screen.

The first screen looks like this.

Click on the "Advanced" button and you will see a screen that looks like this.
Volume Window

You may have more equalizers than are shown here.

To test if you can record on Windows, go to Start > Programs > Accessories > Multimedia > Sound Recording. If you can record and play back sounds from there then our software will work as well. Note that the Sound Recorder uses the same button system that we do, as described below.

How To Record Voices

The round red button on the right is the record button. Click it once to start.	The stop button turns red during recording. Click it once to stop recording.	After recording, the play button turns green, click it once to hear your voice.

No Sound

If you have no sound, make sure that speakers are plugged into the correct port on the computer, that they are turned on, and that the volume is turned up. Check for loose connections.

Sound Xtra not found

Sound recording requires that a folder called Xtras be located in the same directory as the .exe file for the game. If you have uninstalled a game it may have erased this folder. Use the setup utility to reinstall the game.

Microphone Feedback

Open the sound control panel and check to be sure that the play through option (or listen) is not selected. Some toys that connect to the computer, e.g. Barney, turn the play through option on. This will result in a high pitched feedback sound that is louder the closer the microphone is to the speakers. You may have to restart the machine for changes to take effect.

Sound Quality

Sound quality depends very much on the micrphone used. Using an external mic that is not too close to the computer will produce cd quality sound. Using an internal mic or one that is very close to the computer will produce good sound but will also pick up the background noise of the computer.

Problems With Dell SoundBlaster Live

There is unexpected excessive environmental sound or effects when an audio file is being played. The last selected preset is an inappropriate environment for the current audio file.

To switch to an appropriate environment:

Open Environmental Audio Control applet.
OR
Display Creative Launcher at the top or bottom of your screen (bring your mouse pointer to the top edge of the screen to display Launcher). Then, click the Environments tab.
In the Environment list, select "No effects" or an appropriate environment.

Misc

Phonology I

On the Phonology I CD, match-ups, there aren't enough pictures in some of the categories to fill up the board on the higher levels. To make the game work, pictures from other categories are automatically added to your choosen category. So if you pick L clusters, then on level 4, you might see words from both the L and R clusters. There is a table in the manual which lists what words are used for each level with each category.

Error Message: Application Error "This application cannot run".

A program has placed old versions of Macromedia Director run-time files in your system folder. To fix: Open C:\Windows and C:\Windows\System32 and delete the files called dirapi.dll and iml32.dll. Try running the LocuTour program again. As with all things Windows, a restart may be required.

If you still have questions after reading this document, please call our tech support line at 800-777-3166.

Hours:

Weekdays
8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Pacific Time
11:30 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. Eastern Time
We're often in the office earlier and later.