
         KING'S QUEST VII TECHNICAL TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

Thank you for purchasing King's Quest VII - the latest release of 
one of the greatest adventure series ever created.  The following 
information provides the latest up-to-the-minute information that 
was not available when the documentation was created.  This file 
should be considered an extension to the manual provided with this 
game.  It also contains some extra tips that may help you improve 
game performance.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

* Installation Procedures
* Handy To Know
* MS-DOS Problems and Solutions
* Memory Troubleshooting
* Sound Card Troubleshooting


INSTALLATION PROCEDURES 

If you are using file deletion tracking utilities, such as Mirror, 
SmartCan, Undelete, etc., please disable these utilities before 
installing King's Quest 7.

To Install King's Quest 7 under MS-DOS, follow these instructions:

1)  Insert the King's Quest 7 CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2)  From a MS-DOS prompt, type the CD-Drive letter followed by a colon 
    and press the <ENTER> key.  For example, if your CD-ROM drive is 
    labeled as your D drive, you would type:   D: <ENTER>
3)  At your CD-Rom drive label prompt, type:  INSTALL <ENTER>
4)  Be sure the correct choices have been made for MUSIC and AUDIO.
    Choose ACCEPT THESE CHOICES AND INSTALL
    Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.


HANDY TO KNOW

To speed up or slow down your walking speed in the game, press the + 
or - keys on the number pad on your keyboard.

If you try the game in MS-DOS and find your sound card is not 
supported, try the game in Windows.

A list of BBS and Tech Support Numbers for Sound Card, Video Card,
and Miscellaneous Computer Peripheral / Software Manufacturers is 
provided on the King's Quest 7 CD.  To view this file, type
"EDIT D:\CONTACT.TXT" (if your CD-ROM drive is D:).

If you have any technical issues that are not covered by this README, 
please look at the THEGUIDE.TXT file on the King's Quest 7 CD.
To view this file, type "EDIT D:\THEGUIDE.TXT" (if your CD-ROM drive 
is D:).

A Problem Reporting text file is also on the game CD.  Please type
"EDIT D:\MOREINFO.TXT" (if your CD-ROM drive is D:) and follow its 
instructions to report any problems not covered in this README or 
THEGUIDE.TXT.


MS-DOS PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

-INSTALLING THE GAME

Problem: After typing "D:INSTALL", you see the error "Bad Command or 
   Filename"
Solution: Type D: amd press the <ENTER> key, then type INSTALL and
   press the <ENTER> key.

Problem: After running INSTALL, a row of dots runs across the screen, 
   then stops and locks up.
Solution: At the CD-ROM drive prompt (such as D:\), Type the following:
   CD\INSTALL
   INSTALL -m
   (If this doesn't work, try typing INSTALL -f)
   These commands bypass hardware detection.  The dots are our way of
   saying "Please wait, we're checking what kind of hardware you have".
   When the dots stop, this means some hardware is not responding to our
   tests.

   These commands may correct installation problems you encounter.  
   If you continue to experience installation problems, then you 
   will want to check your hard drive for lost allocation units or 
   other problems on your drive.  Use the CHKDSK command or SCANDISK 
   command to verify that there are no problems on your hard drive.  
   Lost allocation units and other errors can cause installation 
   problems when attempting to install King's Quest 7.   Please 
   consult your MS-DOS manual for more detailed information about 
   using CHKDSK and/or SCANDISK.
                         
Problem: There are no AUDIO or MUSIC choices during installation.
Solution: This means you typed "D:INSTALL".  Please type "D:" and press 
   ENTER, then type "INSTALL" and press ENTER.

Problem:  "Can't create output file" or "Not enough space" during 
   installation.
Solution:  You need to free up more hard drive space before installing
   the game. 

Problem: The install doesn't work from your second CD-ROM drive.
Solution:  Run the install from your first CD-ROM drive.


-STARTING THE GAME

Question:  How do you start King's Quest 7?
Explanation:  We assume you installed King's Quest 7 onto your C: drive.
   If you installed it to another drive, like D:, please type D: (ENTER)
   instead of C: (ENTER):
Commands To Type:  
   C:        (and press the ENTER key)
   CD\SIERRA (and press the ENTER key)
   KQ7DOS    (and press the ENTER key)

Problem: "DOS/4GW Professional Fatal Error (1307): Not enough memory"
Solution: Rerun the INSTALL program.  Select the option to MAKE A 
   BOOTABLE FLOPPY DISK.  Follow the prompts.  When you are finished 
   making one, leave the boot disk in your floppy drive A:, turn off 
   your computer, then turn it back on.  This will allow the boot disk 
   to run to free up more memory for the game to run successfully.

Problem: "No VESA support detected"
Solution: This means your video card's VESA program was not run before 
   the game started.  VESA allows MS-DOS games to run in colorful, crisp 
   high-resolution.  Please refer to your video card manual for 
   more information to run your particular VESA program to enable high 
   resolution in MS-DOS.  Some examples are "VVESA.COM", "VESA.COM", and 
   "VMODE VESA".
More Information:  We have provided many popular VESA drivers for you 
   on the King's Quest 7 CD.  They are located in the \DRIVERS\VESA
   directory on the CD.  

Problem: "Fatal: Unable to find mouse driver" or "Mouse driver not found"
Solution: This means your MS-DOS mouse program was not run before the 
   game started.  Rerun INSTALL and choose MAKE A BOOTABLE FLOPPY DISK to
   help us find and use your MS-DOS mouse driver.
More Information: MS-DOS needs a mouse program to be run before it can 
   use the mouse.  To see if a mouse program is hidden on your hard drive
   type "DIR \MOUSE /S /P".  Let's say you see:
   Directory of C:\MSMOUSE
   MOUSE   COM
   Directory of C:\WINDOWS
   MOUSE   DRV
   MOUSE   INI
   A mouse program will end in ".COM" or ".EXE", so the mouse drivers in
   C:\WINDOWS in this example won't do.  To run the mouse driver in
   MSMOUSE in this example, type "C:\MSMOUSE\MOUSE.COM".  You should see
   a message saying your mouse is now enabled.  You can now play 
   King's Quest 7.  If there is no .COM or .EXE file that has to do with 
   your mouse, please refer to your mouse documentation or computer
   dealer for more assistance.

Problem: "Error 29: Unable to initialize audio hardware"
Solution #1: This can be caused by choosing Microsoft Sound System for 
   Music on a Sound Blaster compatible card.  Rerun INSTALL and choose
   Sound Blaster for both MUSIC and AUDIO.
Solution #2: If you have a Gravis Ultrasound, please install and run the
   game in Windows.
Note:  King's Quest 7 requires a Sound Blaster compatible sound card that
   supports DAC speech and FM (or MIDI) music.


-MUSIC, SPEECH, AND SOUND EFFECTS

Problem: On a Proaudio Spectrum card, choosing Sound Blaster causes 
   popping and lockups during the start of the game.
Solution: Please choose Proaudio Spectrum for AUDIO and MUSIC, instead
   of the default choice: Sound Blaster.
   
Problem: You get no music on a Sound Blaster 16, but the voices are OK.
Solution: Rerun INSTALL and make sure you picked Sound Blaster for MUSIC.  
   If you chose MT-32 or General MIDI, you may not hear music on your 
   Sound Blaster 16.

Problem: You get no music on any Sound Blaster compatible card, or you 
   get a blank screen when the game starts, or the game gets stuck on the
   opening Sierra logo.
Solution: Check if your SET BLASTER environment variable is enabled and 
   at the correct setting.  To check this, at the C: prompt, type SET and 
   press <ENTER>.  You should see a line that says BLASTER = A220 I7 D1 
   (or something similar).  If you do not see such a line and your sound 
   card is on Address 220, IRQ 10, and DMA 1, at the C: prompt, type 
   SET BLASTER = A220 I10 D1 and press <ENTER>.  This line tells MS-DOS 
   how to access your sound card.  Now you can run the game.

Problem: You get no music or no speech in the game
Solution: Many sound cards have mixer software to adjust the volume 
   levels of music and speech.  Please refer to your sound card 
   documentation for more information.

Problem: Moving the mouse causes audio static on your sound card, or
   the audio just "pops" a lot.
Solution: This can be a problem with your VESA driver.  Please try a 
   different VESA driver to eliminate the problem, or run the game 
   in Windows.  Contact your video card manufacturer for more 
   information to update your VESA driver

Problem: In MS-DOS, using a Reveal or Aztech Labs sound card, the music 
   is fine but the speech is barely audible.
Solution: The chipset used to emulate the Sound Blaster digital to analog
   conversion is not 100% compatible with the Sound Blaster driver 
   built-in to the game.  Install King's Quest 7 in Windows for full 
   sound.

Problem: "Error 29: Unable to initialize audio hardware"
Solution #1: This can be caused by choosing Microsoft Sound System for 
   Music on a Sound Blaster compatible card.  Rerun INSTALL and choose
   Sound Blaster for both MUSIC and AUDIO.
Solution #2: If you have a Gravis Ultrasound, please install and run the
   game in Windows.
Note:  King's Quest 7 requires a Sound Blaster compatible sound card that
   supports DAC speech and FM (or MIDI) music.


-VIDEO AND GRAPHICS

Question: What is "VESA"?
Explanation: VESA stands for Video Electronics Standard Association.  
   A VESA driver is a small program your video card needs to provide
   high resolution graphics for MS-DOS games.  A VESA program either 
   comes on a floppy disk with your video card, or your video card 
   automatically supports VESA.  
Information: A group of VESA drivers can be found on the KQ7 CD
   in the \VESA\VESA directory.  Go to the directory name that
   matches your video card and run that VESA program.  Example: If you
   have an ATI Mach 64, go to the VESA\VESA\MACH64 directory and
   run the M64VBE.COM file.  For complete instructions about loading a 
   VESA driver for your video card, please consult your video card 
   documentation or contact your video card manufacturer.

Problem: If your video card does not have automatic VESA support, the
   INSTALL offers a list of VESA drivers to try.  Choosing some VESA
   drivers to test locks up the INSTALL.
Solution: Make sure you run your particular video card's VESA driver
   before running the King's Quest 7 INSTALL.  If you don't have a
   VESA driver, please pick the closest choice for your video card
   from our list.  If it doesn't work, please contact your video card
   manufacturer for information to enable VESA on your particular video
   card.

Problem: Moving the mouse leaves garbage on the game screen, such as
   random blocks of the background image or multiple cursor images.
Solution: You need the latest VESA driver from your video card 
   manufacturer.  Please refer to your video card manual for more
   information.  We have provided many VESA drivers for you to try
   on the King's Quest 7 CD.  They are located in the 
   \VESA\VESA directory on the CD.  Please refer to the READ.ME 
   file in the VESA directory for more information.  

Problem: On the ATI Mach 64 video card, moving the mouse leaves 
   garbage on the screen.
Solution: ATI has an updated VESA driver that will solve this problem.
   You can download and unzip the file "64VBE101.ZIP" from the ATI BBS 
   at 905-764-9404.  This file unzips into "M64VBE.COM".  We have 
   included an unzipped copy of this file in the \VESA\VESA\MACH64 
   directory on the King's Quest 7 CD.  Please read the 64VBE101.TXT 
   file in that directory for more information.

Problem: On Cirrus 542x video cards, moving the mouse leave garbage
   on the screen.
Solution: Cirrus has an updated VESA driver that will solve this
   problem.  You can download the file "UNIVESA.EXE" from the Cirrus
   BBS at 510-440-9080.  We have included a copy of this file in the
   \VESA\VESA\542X directory on the King's Quest 7 CD.

Problem: The \DRIVERS\VESA\ATI VESA driver does not work on the ATI
   MACH 32 video card.
Solution: Do not use the \VESA\VESA\ATI VESA driver for the ATI
   MACH 32 video card.  Use the \DRIVERS\VESA\MACH32 instead.

Problem: None of the \VESA\VESA drivers work on your Diamond VIPER
   card.
Solution: You need to run a particular VESA driver for your video
   card.  We have included this file in the \VESA\VIPER directory on 
   the CD.

Problem: None of the VESA drivers on the King's Quest 7 CD work on
   your video card.
Solution #1: Make sure your video card is a Super VGA video card with
   at least 512K of video memory.
Solution #2: Ask your video card manufacturer how to enable VESA for
   your particular card.  Make sure you have the latest VESA driver.
Solution #3: In the \VESA\GENERIC directory on the King's Quest 7 
   CD, there is a Universal VESA driver.  Run the INSTALL program in
   that directory and follow the instructions.  This will try to 
   enable VESA on your video card.


-MOUSE AND GAME CURSOR

Problem: Moving the mouse causes audio static on your sound card, or
   the audio just "pops" a lot.
Solution: This can be a problem with your VESA driver.  Please try a 
   different VESA driver to eliminate the problem, or run the game 
   in Windows.  

Problem: The mouse cannot get past the left side of the screen
Solution: You need either an updated mouse driver or an updated VESA 
   driver.


-MAKING AND USING A BOOT DISK

Question: What is a boot disk?
Explanation: A boot disk is a way to make games work faster and better on 
   your computer.  All you need is a blank floppy disk for your A: drive.  
   This will not work in your B: drive.  To make a boot disk, rerun the
   INSTALL program and choose the menu option MAKE A BOOTABLE FLOPPY DISK.

Problem: "Can't find FORMAT.COM--Unable to make boot disk"
Solution: This is caused when our boot disk maker program cannot find
   FORMAT.COM on your hard drive.  This usually happens if you installed
   PC Tools or Norton Utilities.  These utilities rename FORMAT.COM
   to either FORMAT!.COM or XXFORMAT.COM.  If this is the case, please
   type the following commands
   CD\DOS
   COPY FORMAT!.COM FORMAT.COM
   COPY XXFORMAT.COM FORMAT.COM
   One of these commands will help restore your FORMAT command back to
   normal, and will allow our boot disk maker to work.

Problem: "Can't make bootdisk since you're not using COMMAND.COM" or 
   "Boot disk was not created"
Solution: This can be caused if you are using 4DOS or NDOS (in Norton 
   Utilities).  Get to a C:\> prompt.  Type:  SET  and press the ENTER
   key.  COMSPEC should equal C:\COMMAND.COM or C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM.
   If COMSPEC = 4DOS.COM or NDOS.COM, the boot disk maker will not
   work.  To correct this, type:  SET COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM 
   This will allow our boot disk maker to work.  When you reboot
   without a boot disk, the COMSPEC will return to your original 
   setting.

Problem: "Can't Find SIERRA.ERR" after using a boot disk.
Solution: The boot disk maker did not find your CD-ROM driver or some 
   other files required to run for CD-ROM access.  Edit the A:\CONFIG.SYS
   file on the boot disk.  Make sure there is a line that loads your 
   CD-ROM drive.

Problem: "Invalid Drive Specification" using a boot disk on a Western 
   Digital IDE controller.
Explanation:  The Western Digital IDE hard drive controller displays a 
   message "Press the SPACEBAR to boot from a floppy disk."  If you 
   insert the boot disk and reboot before seeing this message, you'll 
   get the message "Invalid Drive Specification" and won't have hard 
   drive access until you reboot without the boot disk.   
Solution: Remove the boot disk from the floppy drive.  Reboot your 
   computer.  When you see this message, insert the boot disk and press 
   the SPACEBAR.

Problem: "Invalid Drive Specification" using a boot disk on larger 
   Seagate hard drives, such as the Seagate 800 meg hard drive.
Explanation:  Seagate hard drives larger than 528 meg use a disk manager 
   called "EZ-DRIVE".  If you insert the boot disk and reboot before 
   seeing this message, you'll get the message "Invalid Drive Specifica-
   tion" and won't have hard drive access until you reboot without the 
   boot disk.   
Solution: Remove the boot disk from the floppy drive.  Hold down the 
   CTRL key and reboot your computer.  You'll see a message "Insert 
   bootdisk and hit ENTER to reboot".  Insert the boot disk and press
   ENTER.

Problem: "Invalid Drive Specification" using a boot disk on a removable 
   media drive, such as Bernoulli, Seagate, or SyQuest drives.
Explanation: Our boot disk maker does not load the removable media drive 
   software drivers.  If your removable drive was D: and your CD-ROM was 
   E: when the game was installed, then you booted with our boot disk to 
   free up more memory, your Bernoulli drive would not be seen, and your 
   CD-ROM drive would now be D:.  The KQ7DOS.BAT contents will not be 
   correct to run the game in this case.
Solution:  Add your removable media drivers to the boot disk.


-RUNNING THE GAME

Problem: The game runs too slow
Solution: Make and use a boot disk.  

Problem: Random crashes on Compaq Presario CDS 524, 920, etc. 
Solution:  Make a boot disk.

Problem: "EMM386 Error 6 or Error 12... " The error number may vary.
Solution:  This is caused by a memory conflict.  Running the game from 
   the boot disk will usually correct this problem.  Please see "Create 
   a Boot Disk" and "Create a Clean Windows Environment" under Memory 
   Troubleshooting.

Problem: "Can't allocate X bytes in ..\(somename).cpp"
Solution: You are running low on conventional memory.  Please rerun 
   INSTALL and make a boot disk.

Problem: "CDR 101 Error reading" or "DOS Error, Read Error".
Solution:  Make sure the CD is not scratched, dirty, or smudged with
   fingerprints.  If so, clean it with a soft cloth and try again.  
   This can also be caused by an outdated version of the MSCDEX file.
   MS-DOS version 6.2 and above should use MSCDEX version 2.23
   MS-DOS version 6.0 should use MSCDEX version 2.22
   MS-DOS version 5.0 should use MSCDEX version 2.21
   If you have MSCDEX version 2.20, please get a later version from 
   your CD-ROM manufacturer.


-OTHER QUESTIONS 

If you don't see your question listed, most difficulties with 
King's Quest 7 can be resolved by simply running the game with a boot 
disk.  Please see "Create a Boot Disk" under Memory Troubleshooting.


MEMORY TROUBLESHOOTING

If you encounter random lockups or are receiving a "Not enough 
memory" error message, a boot disk may correct these problems.  
Try using the automatic boot disk creator included in the install 
program.  To make a boot disk, run the install program and select 
the "Make a bootable floppy disk" option in the install menu.  
Follow the on screen prompts until the boot disk creation process 
is completed.  

The boot disk creator will create a customized boot configuration 
that is optimized for playing King's Quest 7 on your computer.  
When you wish to play King's Quest 7, insert the boot disk into 
your A drive and turn on or restart your computer.  Once the 
computer has booted, launch King's Quest 7.  NOTE - if you run 
the install program from the game directory on your hard drive 
rather than from the CD, the boot disk will add the option of 
starting the game immediately after booting with the boot disk.  
This is a convenient feature if you would like to simply boot the 
computer and have it automatically start King's Quest 7 without 
having to type any commands.

NOTE - the boot disk must be created for your A drive.  Making a 
boot disk in your B drive will not allow the computer to restart 
using this custom configuration.  Make sure you have a blank disk 
for your A drive when attempting to use the boot disk creator 
option.


SOUND CARD TROUBLESHOOTING

King's Quest 7's Control Panel can adjust the volume control in the
game.  If you need more control, most sound cards' speech and music 
volume can be controlled separately through software provided by the 
sound card manufacturer.  Here is a list of some common sound cards' 
mixer volume control commands in MS-DOS.

Sound Blaster 16:
Type C:\SB16\SB16MIX

Vibra 16 in AST Advantage: 
Type C:\VIBRA16\MIXERSET

Sound Galaxy 16 in Packard Bell: 
Type C:\SOUND16A\UTILITY\MIXTSR or type C:\SOUND144\MIXTSR

Ensoniq Soundscape:
Type:  SSINIT

Compaq Presario CDS 524, 920, etc.: 
If DEVICE=C:\CPQDOS\VOLCTRL.EXE is in CONFIG.SYS on the boot disk, then:
Press CTRL-RIGHTSHIFT to increase volume
Press CTRL-LEFTSHIFT to decrease volume

Proaudio Spectrum Family:
Type PAS * to bring up the mixer controls
Press CTRL-ALT-U to increase the master volume level
Press CTRL-ALT-D to lower the master volume level

Sound Blaster 8 bit: No software control. Adjust thumbwheel on card.

Thunderboard: No software control. Adjust thumbwheel on back of card.



