Macintosh General Troubleshooting
Macsoft General Troubleshooting | OS X Compatability Tables
MacSoft General Information
In order for any software to work properly on your system, your Mac MUST meet or exceed the software's minimum system requirements as listed on the box or in the manual.
You must also shut down all of your other programs before running our software. Other programs can use up too much of your system's resources, leaving less than our program needs to operate.
OSX General Troubleshooting
I have Macintosh OSX and none of my previous applications work properly. What do I do to remedy this?
If you are having trouble with all or most of your software on Mac OSX, you should contact Apple at
www.apple.com or 1-800-SOS-APPLE.
Most applications carbonized for OSX will run under OS9. If your application will not run under OSX, please restart your computer in OS9 in order to run the application.
If you do not know whether you have OS9 installed on your system, please contact Apple using one of the contact methods above.
Okay, so how do I switch to Macintosh OS9?
To restart your computer in OS9, click the Apple menu, and then click System Preferences. Double-click on the Startup Disk icon and choose the OS9.2 disk. Then click the Restart button to restart your computer in OS9.
What if my application requires Macintosh OSX?
We don't currently have any applications that require OSX available, but when we do, we'll update this section with general troubleshooting steps for those products that require OSX.
Standard Mac Troubleshooting
Following are some of the problems that can occur in any Mac program, and the recommended solution(s) for each.
How do I close my other Applications?
* Click the Finder icon in the top right-hand corner of your screen. This will show you a listing of all programs currently running on your computer.
* Click the first program in the list.
* Close the program or window that appears.
* Repeat this process until all programs have been shut down.
Once you are sure that your system meets the minimum system requirements for the software and that your other programs are all shut down, you are ready to begin troubleshooting the problem.
The program reports an "Insufficient Memory", "Out of Memory" or similar error, and will not run.
If your computer has enough physical RAM installed to run the software, then you probably just need to optimize your Mac's memory settings like this:
* Click the on the Apple menu.
* Select Control Panel.
* Select Memory.
* If you are NOT using a Power PC, then turn virtual memory and 32-bit addressing or modern memory management to OFF.
OR:
If your ARE using a power PC, leave turn these features ON, and set Virtual Memory to 1 megabyte.
* On all Macs, set RAM disk to OFF.
* Restart your computer after changing any settings so that your changes can take effect.
NOTE: If you still get "Out of Memory" errors on a Power PC after changing these settings, raise the Virtual Memory setting and try again. If this doesn't work either, see the section on "Disabling Extensions" below.
The program crashes unexpectedly, locks up, reports an error, or just runs poorly.
Many problems in Macintosh programs can be the result of conflicts between the software and one or more system extensions.
The majority of our programs require only the Apple CD-ROM and Quicktime extensions to run. Check the program's manual to see what other extensions, if any, your software requires. All other extensions should be disabled while you play, and then re-enabled afterwards.
NOTE: If you have already disabled all but the necessary extensions for the program, but you are still having trouble, see the section on "Insufficient Memory" errors above.
How do I disable unnecessary extensions?
* Restart your Macintosh.
* When the "Welcome to Macintosh" screen appears, press and hold down the <Spacebar>.
* Continue holding down the spacebar until the Extensions manager appears.
* Uncheck all extensions except the ones needed by the software you are trying to run. Most games only require the following:
Apple CD-ROM
Quicktime
Some game also require Quicktime PowerCheck the manual or readme file for the program you are trying to run to see what other extensions, if any, are needed.
* Click and hold down the SETS button at the top of the box, then click on SAVE SET.
* Give the set a name like "Games Configuration" so you can use it again later.
* When done, click on the box in the top corner. Your MAC will start up normally.
* When you are finished playing your game, restart your computer again and follow steps 3 and 4.
* Click and hold down on the SETS box. Click on your normal configuration file. Then restart your computer again and everything will be restored to normal.
My Mac runs OS 8, and I'm having problems with a game that uses QuickTime.
The version of QuickTime that is included with this operating system is not totally compatible with some of our older software. Try installing the version of QuickTime that is included on the program CD before running it again.
The program was working fine before, but now I'm having problems with it.
You may have installed some other software since the last time you ran this product that is conflicting with our product. See the sections above on shutting down other programs and disabling unnecessary extensions.
If you have not installed any other software, or you have already tried those solutions, then the preferences folder for this product may have become corrupted. You can force our software to create a new preferences folder like this:
* Open the Mac System folder.
* Open the preferences folder.
* Look for a folder that has same or similar name as the software you are having trouble with.
* Drag this folder to the trash.
* Restart your computer.
* Try running our software again.
Please note that this action may erase any setup information that exists for this product and possibly any other products that use the same preferences folder, so use this only as a last resort.
If the problem still occurs, one or more of the program's files may have been accidentally deleted or corrupted. Try this:
* Double click your hard drive icon.
* Find the folder where you installed our software.
* Drag this folder to the trash.
* Reinstall according to the instructions in your manual.
If you have any problems while trying to re-install, or the same problem still exists after re-installation, your CD-ROM drive may be having trouble reading the CD. Inspect the shiny underside of the CD for fingerprints, smudges, and scratches. If the CD is dirty or scratched, see the section below labeled "What can I do if my CD is Dirty or Scratched?"
My CD-ROM drive reports a "Disk Unreadable" error, or just seems to be having trouble reading a CD.
A "Disk Unreadable" error could mean that you have purchased the PC version of your game. Check the box to see if it specifically says that it will run on a Macintosh. If it does not, then you will need to return it to the store you purchased it from for an exchange.
If the CD you have does in fact contain the Mac version of the product, but your drive just has trouble reading it, the CD may have become dirty, or even scratched. Inspect the shiny underside of the CD for fingerprints, smudges, or scratches.
What can I do if my CD is Dirty or Scratched?
If your CD is dirty, but not scratched:
Most computer stores carry inexpensive CD-ROM cleaning kits that will safely restore your CD. If you want to try cleaning the CD without a kit, you can wash the CD using lukewarm water, MILD NON-ABRASIVE dish soap, and a very soft and clean COTTON cloth. Do NOT use any kind of paper product or abrasive soap to clean the CD, as these WILL scratch! Once the CD is clean, be sure to let the CD dry completely before inserting it into your CD-ROM, or damage may result.
If your CD is scratched or damaged in any way:
If your CD is scratched, you may need to send it in for replacement. Even small scratches can prevent your drive from reading data. To find out how to send your CD in for replacement, please see Infogrames Consumer Service Policies and Information.
The colors in the game are all wrong?
If you are using contextual menus on your system, you will need to disable them before playing our games. Contextual menus can cause a shift in your systems color palette that can disturb the game's color scheme. In order to turn these menus off, you will need the Contextual Menu Extension version 1.0.2 from Apple. Check Apple's website or call 1-800-SOS-APPLE for assistance.
I have a new Blue-and-White Power Macintosh G3, but the video quality is poor.
Poor video quality on the newer "Blue-and-white" G3 computers can usually be fixed by downloading the update for the video chip that is standard in this machine. Go to
http://asu.info.apple.com/swupdates.nsf/artnum/n11262 to download this update.
000:85.PICT' could not be found." occured.
because of you, I was able to identify what was causing the Bad Disk error, and have since made a successful installation on my main hard drive (leaving that HD with a whopping 2MB left 
). If I ever have anymore trouble, I'll check back to this thread for the information you dug up.
.
