------------------------------------------------------------------ Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM) Mystery Ride(TM) CD-ROM ReadMe Version 1.0c for Windows(r) 98/ME/2000/XP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Congratulations on your purchase of Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM) Mystery Ride(TM) CD-ROM! To supply you with up-to-the-minute information, we have included this ReadMe file. Please open this window to its maximum size for better readability. ------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS -------- Section ------- I. System Requirements II. Installation III. Running the Program IV. Troubleshooting and Performance Tips V. Technical Support ------------------------------------------------------------------ I. System Requirements ---------------------- Minimum Configuration: * Windows(r) 98/ME/2000(Install in Admin)/XP(Install in Admin) * Pentium(r) II (or equivalent) 350 MHz or faster * 64 MB RAM or higher (128 XP) * 24x CD-ROM drive or faster * 200 MB on HD * 16-Bit color * 800x600 resolution * 8 MB 3D video card with Windows(r)DirectX(r) 8.1-compatible driver * Windows(r)DirectX(r) 8.1-compatible sound card * Keyboard * Mouse Recommended Configuration: * Pentium(r) III 450 MHz **16 MB 3D video card with Windows(r)DirectX(r) 8.1-compatible driver II. Installation ---------------- 1. Insert the Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM) CD in the CD-ROM drive. 2. If your system supports the AutoPlay feature, then click on the Install icon. The Setup will start automatically. Just follow the prompts and disregard the following steps. 3. If your system does not support AutoPlay, then select the Start button. 4. Choose Run from the Start Menu. 5. At the Open box, type "D:\install.exe". If your CD-ROM drive is a different letter than D, type that letter in place of D. 6. Click OK and follow the prompts. To uninstall Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM) 1. Select Add/Remove Programs from the Windows(r) Control Panel. 2. Select Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM) from the list. 3. Follow the prompts. Installing Windows(r)DirectX 8.1 If you declined to install DirectX 8.1 when initially installing Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM), you can install it at a later time by running "dxsetup.exe" located in the "support\DirectX" folder on the CD-ROM. III. Running the Program ------------------------ 1. Insert the Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM) CD in the CD-ROM drive. 2. For systems that support AutoPlay, the program will offer a Play button when the CD is inserted. 3. For systems that do not support AutoPlay, from the Start button select the Programs menu, then Barbie(TM), then Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM). Note: If your system is running a custom desktop, refer to the manufacturer's documentation for instructions on special circum- stances. IV. Troubleshooting and Performance Tips --------------------------------------- Windows(r) Taskbar --------------- The Windows(r) Taskbar may interfere with your ability to view a program's graphics, animations, or program information in certain activities. If you encounter difficulties when the Taskbar appears on-screen, enable the Taskbar's Autohide feature: * Click the Start button, then select Settings, then Taskbar. * At the dialog box that appears, uncheck "Always on top" and check "Auto hide". * Click the Apply button, then the OK button. You also have the option of relocating the Taskbar to different sides of the display screen: * Click and hold down the mouse pointer on a blank area of the Taskbar. * Drag and release the Taskbar on the side of the screen where it causes the least interference. Note: If you need to access the Taskbar or the Start menu at any time while the program is running, press Ctrl+Esc. To return to the program, click on the program's display area, or press Alt+Tab until the program's icon is selected. If the program is very slow: ---------------------------- 1. Close any unnecessary applications that may be running. 2. Make sure your display setting is at 800x600 resolution and High Color (16-bit) mode. (Refer to your system or Windows(r) docu- mentation.) 3. Try changing the graphics details from the Options screen to Low. To get to the Options screen, select the computer button from the Sign-in screen. If display problems occur: -------------------------- If you experience graphics problems while running this program, contact your video card or systems vendor to obtain the latest version of the video driver. Make sure the system is running in High Color (16-bit) mode in 800x600 resolution. To change the display settings: 1. Click the Start button, then select Settings, then Control Panel. 2. Double-click the Display icon. 3. Choose the Settings tab. 4. Select High Color (16-bit) for the color palette and 800x600 for desktop area. 5. Click the Apply and OK buttons. (The system may need to restart.) If sound problems occur: ------------------------ If you experience sound problems while running the program, contact your sound card or system vendor to obtain the latest version of the sound driver. If there is any unusual audio behavior on your system while running the program: * Press the Ctrl+Esc keys, then click back on the program screen, or press Alt+Tab and then click back to the program screen. If the problem still occurs, contact Technical Support (see below). Screen savers: -------------- If you are running a screen saver in the background and experience video and sound problems during the program, disabling the screen saver should solve the problem. Refer to your screen saver documentation for instructions on disabling the screen saver. Reinstalling: ------------- If you have deleted or uninstalled any part of the program and are having problems reinstalling, follow these steps to manually re- install the program: 1. Insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive. 2. Select the Start button. 3. Choose Run from the Start menu. 4. At the Open box, type "D:\install.exe". If your CD-ROM drive is a different letter than D, type that letter in place of D. 5. Click OK and follow the prompts. Improving system performance: ----------------------------- These tips are designed to improve your system's performance: 1. Right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, then click Properties. 2. From the dialog box, select the Performance tab. 3. Click the File System button. 4. Select the CD-ROM tab. Set the "Supplemental cache size" to Large. 5. Match the "Optimize access pattern" setting to that of your CD-ROM. (It should be set to Quad-speed or higher.) 6. Click Apply, then OK. 7. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect. DirectX 8.1: ------------ You must use DirectX 8.1 to run Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM), and your video card software must support DirectX 8.1 and Direct3D. Video Card Software Drivers Some video card drivers do not support Direct3D correctly. Typical problems that may occur with these drivers include: - Crashing during start-up - Crashing when changing video resolutions - Corrupted textures - Unexpected bright flashing on screen - Unusually slow performance The solution is to go to your video card manufacturer's Web site and download updated drivers for your card. It is highly recommended that, given an option, you download and install Microsoft-certified (WHQL) drivers. Dxdiag Dxdiag is a diagnostic program that is included in DirectX 8.1. To run dxdiag, select Run from the Start menu. Type in "dxdiag" and press Enter. The display tab will give you information on your video card, how much hardware video RAM your card has (Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM) requires 8 MB), and a "Test Direct3D" button. If DirectX 8.1 reports adequate video RAM and Direct3D passes the tests, Barbie(TM) Horse Adventures(TM) is likely to run on your system. To generate a report on DirectX, click the Save All Information button at the bottom and save the text file. Hard drive space: ----------------- In addition to the installed game, Windows(r) will require additional free hard drive space for its operating system (virtual memory). The amount of space required varies from 100 MB to 250 MB. If you have less than 250 MB free space, you may encounter the following message in an error dialog: "Ran out of virtual memory" If you encounter this message, please free up some hard drive space. V. Technical Support ---------------------- Video drivers and system settings --------------------------------- Information about your system's video drivers can often assist our Technical Support staff in diagnosing problems that are encountered when running the program. To get information about your system's video drivers: 1. Right-click the My Computer icon and select Properties. 2. Click the Device Manager tab. 3. Double-click "Display adapters". Device Manager also displays settings for hardware devices that are not fully supported by Windows(r), or are using device drivers that need to be updated. Contact the system vendor or manufacturer if any Device Manager subkeys, such as those under "Display adapters" or "Sound, video and game controllers", are displayed with a red X or yellow exclamation mark. (Click the plus [+] sign to see the subkey.) General --------------------------------- 1. The video card message at the beginning of the install is a static message. It does not detect anything on the User's computer. 2. The video card must use 3d hardware acceleration that is Direct X 8.1 compatible. Go to Menu & Run, launch DXDIAG. The User's video card must pass all the display diagnostic tests. Detected video hardware memory is listed here as well. 3. The install also detects whether DirectX 8.1 is on the user's computer & updates it. User should be prompted to restart. If there is no restart or the user decides not to install DirectX, the program will launch with a dll error. Restarting or installing DirectX 8.1 will solve the problem. 4. 8MB integrated 3d video cards that share system memory may not run or will run slowly. DirectX 8.1 will likely report that video memory is well below 8mb. Dedicated hardware video memory works best with this program. 5. The game is very dark on old monitors. Suggest brightness & color adjustment. 6. The game will not launch if user does not have 3d hardware acceleration. 7. If you experience any slow performance and/or video problems, please make sure you have the latest version of the video drivers installed and that it is compatible with DirectX 8.0 and up. For additional support on any specific video-card and video drivers, please contact your video card manufacturer. Calling Technical Support ------------------------- Please have the following information ready if and when you call: 1. The product name and version number located at the top of this ReadMe file. 2. The processor and clock speed of your computer (e.g., Pentium II 266). 3. The brand name of the sound device installed in the computer. 4. The amount of free memory (memory available to run the program) that the computer has. Double-click the My Computer icon, then click the Help menu, and choose About Windows(r) 98 or 2000. From the dialog box that appears, write down the Physical Memory and Avail- able System Resources values. 5. The complete and exact error message reported by the program (if any). 6. A copy of the dxdiag report would also be helpful. From the Start menu, select Run and type in "dxdiag" to bring up the tool. To generate a report from DirectX, click on the Save All Information button at the bottom and save the text file. This can then be attached to any communications. Technical Support: Refer to the printed manual for contact information. *********************************************************************** LEGAL NOTICES BARBIE and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by, and used under license from, Mattel, Inc. (c) 2003 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and DirectX are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Pentium is a registered trademark of the Intel Corporation. FMOD sound and music system, copyright © Firelight Multimedia, 1994-2003.