                       EARTHQUEST 2.0
                         Readme.doc

This document includes the latest and greatest EARTHQUEST 
information updates. Not available for the last printing of the 
Reference Manual.

The EARTHQUEST program functions like a state-of-the-art 
database, requiring  549K of free RAM within the 640K conventional 
memory area, as well as intensive hard disk accessing. 

EARTHQUEST requires the following system to function properly:

	1) IBM, Tandy or 100% compatible computer

	2) AT level or above recommended

	3) EGA, VGA, MCGA, or Hercules graphic board

	4) Hard drive with at least 4 megabytes of free space for 
           installation

	5) DOS version 2.11 or higher

	6) To access digitized sound, requires a Soundblaster or 
	   Thundercard sound card. There is also limited support for the Ad 
           Lib card. The EARTHQUEST text to voice feature requires 
	   Soundblaster card.

EARTHQUEST, like many other DOS programs, does not support 
extended or expanded memory at this time. The program does require 
that a mouse be installed.

	1) If you don't know how much free memory you have available, 
	   check for it by running the DOS program CHKDSK from your 
           C:\.  On the last line of the information will be the amount of 
	   free memory in bytes. (Divide this number by 1000 to get the 
	   number of bytes in K units.) Remember, you will need at least 
	   549K free to run EARTHQUEST.

	2) If you do not have enough free memory on your computer, 
	   EARTHQUEST will tell you that you have insufficient 
	   memory after you type EQ to begin.

	3) If you do not have a mouse and driver installed on your 
           computer, EARTHQUEST will tell you that you have no 
	   mouse driver loaded after you type EQ to begin.

If your computer does not have enough free memory, you can either 
create a special bootable floppy diskette or take steps to free up 
more RAM in the conventional memory area. See below for more 
information.

************************
Installation
************************

	1) The EARTHQUEST program requires approximately 3.6 
	   megabytes of hard drive space, plus 300K working space on 
	   the hard drive.

	2) To install EARTHQUEST on a hard disk drive other than "C", 
	   specify that drive letter instead of "C". 
	   For example, if you wish to install the product into the "D" 
	   drive, type "INSTALEQ D:".

	3) If you have insufficient free RAM and do not wish to change 
	   your system configuration, you can create a boot floppy 
	   diskette from which to run EARTHQUEST. This can be done 
	   as follows. Also check your DOS manual for more information 
	   on creating bootable floppy disks.
  	   a) To format a boot diskette and install the hidden files 
	        necessary to boot DOS, type "FORMAT A: /S" or "FORMAT 
	        B: /S", depending on which drive you are using.
	     b) Type "sys a:" or "sys b:", depending on which floppy drive 
	        you are using, to transfer the operating system to the 
         boot floppy disk.
	     c) Copy the config.sys file from the C:\STACK directory on 
	        your hard drive or from the last EARTHQUEST 
	        installation disk (Disk #3 in the 3 1/2" format and Disk 
	        #2 in the 5 1/4" format) to the newly formatted 
         diskette. 
      d) Copy the command.com file from your own copy of DOS to 
	        the boot floppy disk. 
	     e) To boot your computer from the new boot disk, insert the 
	        disk into your floppy drive, close the drive door, then 
	        reboot your computer. Go to the C:\ and type "EQ" to run 
	        EARTHQUEST.

If you want to free up conventional memory instead of booting from 
a floppy:

	1) If you are a Windows user, install Windows so that it does 
  	   not open automatically when you turn on the computer. You 
	   can run Windows instead by typing the appropriate command 
	   at the C:\.   See your installation manuals or your dealer if 
	   you need help to do this.

	2) TSR's (Terminate and Stay Resident applications) usually 
	   reside in the 640K area of conventional memory. This often 
	   leaves  insufficient free RAM remaining to run other 
	   programs. Most TSR applications, including Borland's 
	   SideKick, do not function properly with the EARTHQUEST 
 	   program, especially if they modify the screen. EARTHQUEST 
	   does not recommend using TSR applications with the 
	   EARTHQUEST program.

	3) If you are using DOS 4.x, upgrading to 5.0 will allow you to 
	   utilize the newest DOS memory management options, which 
	   provides more free RAM in conventional memory.

	4) There are several third party utilities available, such as 
	   Smartdrive, QEMM386, etc. that provide options for moving 
	   certain kinds of programs into the memory areas above 640K 
	   (high memory). Using one of these may allow you to free up 
	   conventional memory. 

If you have extended memory available on your computer, the 
following tips may improve program performance.

	1) If you have 1 megabyte or more of RAM, you can install 
	   "SMARTDRIVE" into your "CONFIG.SYS" to improve your hard 
	   disk performance. See your DOS manual for instructions.

	2) If you have extended memory up to 4 megabytes or more, you 
	   can install "RAMDRIVE.SYS" into your "CONFIG.SYS", and run 
	   "EARTHQUEST" from "RAMDRIVE." This will allow the 
	   program to run at much faster speeds. See your DOS manual 
	   for instructions. 

**********
Mouse Tips
**********

	1) The EARTHQUEST program requires that a mouse device and 
	   driver be installed. EARTHQUEST is compatible with the 
	   Microsoft mouse driver and the Logitech mouse driver. 

	2) If you are using a compatible mouse and driver and it does 
	   not work properly, try updating your mouse driver 
	   (software), or use a mouse driver published by Microsoft.

	3) If, when you boot the EARTHQUEST program, you briefly see 
	   a blue screen, which then returns to DOS, your problem is 
	   probably with an incompatible mouse driver. Either update 
	   your driver or install a Microsoft or LogiTech driver.

**********
Sound Tips
**********
	   In order to use the digitized sounds in EARTHQUEST, you 
	   must have a Soundblaster board or Thundercard installed in 
	   your computer. The text and speed capability requires a 
	   Soundblaster card; this feature is not supported by 
	   Thundercard. Without a sound board, you will see certain 
	   buttons in the program that may flash but appear to do 
	   nothing.  These buttons actually are playing a sound you 
	   cannot hear.

*************
News Flash!
*************

The "Newsflashes" feature described on page 16 of the 
EARTHQUEST Reference Manual has been deleted from the latest 
version, 2.0, in order to improve product performance. 

***************
Troubleshooting
***************

1. Problem:  With Soundblaster card installed, the program 
   does not translate text to audible speech.
  	What's probably wrong:

  	a) The "SBTALKER.EXE" and "REMOVE.EXE" programs were not 
	     installed properly. Refer to the Soundblaster software 
	     installation manual for instructions on correctly 
  	   installing "SBTALKER.EXE" and "REMOVE.EXE" onto your 
  	   "C" drive.

  	b) The volume is set too low. See your Soundblaster manual 
	     for assistance.
 
  	c) The headphone, external speaker, or stereo system are 
	     incorrectly connected. See your Soundblaster manual for 
	     assistance.

  	d) The Soundblaster card may be malfunctioning. Contact 
	     your dealer or see your Soundblaster manual.

2. Problem:  When you start running the EARTHQUEST program,      
      it briefly shows the blue screen, then exits automatically 
      to DOS. What's probably wrong:

   	a) The mouse or mouse driver is not installed correctly.

   	b) There is not enough memory to run the program. Refer to 
	      the sections above on installing EARTHQUEST and on 
	      freeing up conventional memory.
