SUMMARY
This article contains comments, corrections, and information on known
errors relating to the Microsoft Press book "Microsoft Windows 95 How &
Why."
The following topics are covered:
- No setup instructions and no AutoRun
- Error: "The specified Softness is invalid" on AT&T Globalist
- Error: "Incompatible Database Version"
MORE INFORMATION
In addition to a description of the book's problems, each entry in this
document may also include sections labeled "Correction" and
"Comments." Please note that the "Correction" section is worded for
correcting the book and does not necessarily address the problem
introduced by the book error. The "Comments" section contains specific
information for working around the problem.
No setup instructions and no AutoRun
The CD-ROM instructions only mention that you insert the CD-ROM to run
this program. However, some computers will not automatically run the CD-
ROM.
Comments:
Some CD-ROM drives are not capable of automatically running CD-ROMs for
Windows 95. If your CD-ROM drive does not support AutoRun, use the
following steps to create a shortcut for this CD-ROM:
- Click the right mouse button on the desktop background. Right-clicking
the desktop area brings up a menu of tasks to perform.
- Click New, and then click Shortcut.
- In the Create Shortcut Wizard, type in the following command line and
then click the Next button:
(Note: Change the drive letter if your CD-ROM drive is not D)
- Type in the following name for the shortcut, and then click the Finish
button:
Windows 95 How&Why CD-ROM
- (optional) Move the newly created icon on your desktop by dragging the
icon to the desired desktop location. For example, click and hold the left
mouse button on the new Windows 95 How&Why CD-ROM shortcut, and then drag
the mouse (and shortcut icon) to the top right corner of your desktop
screen.
After completing these steps, you can run Windows 95 How&Why by inserting
the CD-ROM, and then double-clicking on the new Windows 95 How&Why CD-ROM
shortcut icon.
Error: "The specified Softness is invalid" on AT&T Globalist
When running "Windows 95 How and Why" the program displays a splash
screen and then displays the following error message:
The specified softness is invalid.
Comments:
This error occurs on Windows 95 configurations that contain corrupted or
incompatible hardware drivers.
One known cause is old drivers for the AT&T Globalist 375 computer
system. This computer comes with a proprietary Digital Signal
Processing (DSP) board that functions as a sound card, fax, and modem.
The drivers that are provided with the first generation of this PC are
16-bit, and are not completely compatible with Windows 95.
To run Windows 95 How & Why successfully on an AT&T Globalist computer,
updated 32-bit drivers must be obtained from AT&T. Once the update
drivers are installed, How & Why will operate properly.
Error: "Incompatible Database Version"
When running "Windows 95 How and Why" the program displays a splash
screen and then displays the following error message:
Incompatible database version
Comments:
This problem occurs on Windows 95 configurations that do not have all of
the default support files necessary to run Windows 95 How & Why. The How
& Why CD-ROM has a setup program that can reinstall the necessary
support files.
To correct this problem, perform the following steps:
- Insert the Windows 95 How & Why CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive. When
the initial screen appears, click the Exit button instead of running the
How & Why program.
- From the Start menu, click Run.
- Type the following command and then press Enter:
Change the CD-ROM drive letter if necessary.
- Follow the instructions to complete the How & Why setup.
To simplify the setup, press the Enter key for each
new window until the setup is completed.
This will update the files necessary to read the main program database.
After completing these steps, remove and re-insert the CD-ROM to start
Windows 95 How & Why.
Microsoft Press is committed to providing informative and accurate
books. All comments and corrections listed above are ready for inclusion
in future printings of this book. If you have a later printing of this
book, it may already contain most or all of the above corrections.