Troubleshooting Guide
Revised 2/19/99

Sierra Technical Support provides this documentation as a reference to Sierra customers using Sierra software products. Sierra Technical Support makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the information contained in this documentation is accurate. However, Sierra makes no warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, effectiveness, or completeness of the information contained in this documentation.

Sierra On-Line, Inc. does not warranty or promise that the information herein will work with any or all computer systems. Sierra does not assume any liability, either incidental or consequential, for the use of the information herein, including any and all damage to or lost use of computer hardware or software products, loss of warranties, or lost data by the customer or any third party. No oral or written information or advice given by Sierra, its employees, distributors, dealer or agents shall change the restriction of liability or create any new warranties. In no case shall Sierra’s liability exceed the purchase price of the Sierra software product.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1 - HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION PROCEDURES
SECTION 3 - COMMON INSTALLATION PROBLEMS
SECTION 4 - COMMON GAME PROBLEMS
SECTION 5 - PATCH INFORMATION
SECTION 6 - TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS
SECTION 7 - VIDEO CARD CONFIGURATION AND VIDEO ISSUES

Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. At the King’s Quest Mask screen there will be the options to INSTALL or EXIT. Select INSTALL.

Alternately, install the program by clicking on Start, Run... and then typing D:\SETUP.EXE and clicking OK. If your CD-ROM drive is a letter other than D, substitute the appropriate drive letter.

Problem: An out of available space on destination drive error occurs.
Solution: King’s Quest Mask requires at least 400mb free on the hard drive. From My Computer right-click on the C: drive icon and choose properties to view the amount of free space on the drive. If there is less than under 400mb then free up some hard drive space. Once the required hard drive space is availa can be run from Start\Programs\Accessories\System Tools.

Problem: An error message at the end of installation that ‘…some files could not be verified’ occurs.
Solution: This will occur if Mask and the MOE12.exe patch were previously installed, then uninstalled and reinstalled. The folder holds some remnants of the patch that the Uninstaller can’t delete. Delete the Mask folder and then reinstall and this error will not occur.

Click on the Start menu, go to Programs and choose Windows Explorer. In the left side of Windows Explorer locate the Sierra Folder and double-click on it. Then highlight the Mask folder by clicking on it once. When the folder is highlighted, press the Delete key on the keyboard and click Yes when it asks if to send the Mask folder and all its contents to the Recycle Bin. You should be able to successfully re-install the game.

A note concerning DirectX

DirectX is an add-on to Windows ‘95 and '98 that provides an interface between the hardware and application. By allowing the application more direct control of your system’s hardware, DirectX is capable of greatly accelerating graphics and sound. KING’S QUEST MASK requires Microsoft DirectX 6.0 to function properly. DirectX can be installed from the KING’S QUEST MASK CD during the setup procedure.

DirectX checks your video and sound card drivers for compliance. If your current drivers are not compliant, DirectX will attempt to install new drivers. The drivers installed by DirectX are designed by Microsoft, and may not be a perfect match for your particular brand and model of video or sound cards. Instead of letting the DirectX setup update your drivers, Sierra recommends you contact the manufacturer of your particular hardware and manually update your drivers to insure proper compatibility. If your system fails to run properly after installing DirectX, you will need to contact the manufacturer of your hardware, or Microsoft tech support.

Problem: Mask quits to Windows, gives a black screen, or an error of an ‘invalid page fault’ after any ‘loading’ screen.
Solution: There are several reasons this problem can happen. If you are running the game in either Direct Draw or 3DFX graphics mode, try turning off some options in the graphics menu. Turning off DYNAMIC LIGHTING, OBJECT SHADOWS, CONNER’S SHADOW and MONSTER SHADOWS can solve this in some cases.

Also, make sure your display is set to 16-bit (high) color. Click with your right mouse button on the Windows desktop and choose PROPERTIES from the menu that pops up. Then, click on the SETTINGS tab on the Display Properties window. Change your color palette to 16-bit color. Also make sure that the Desktop Area is set to 640x480 pixels. Click OK on the Display Properties box. If Windows prompts you to restart your computer with the new settings, do so. Then try starting the game.

If you still run into problems or you are running in Direct 3D, this may be due to a driver conflict or a problem allocating system resources.

First, contact your video card or computer manufacturer for the latest drivers for your video card. For Mask of Eternity you will need the latest version of the video drivers for your video card to insure compatibility. Visit the web site of the card manufacturer and download the latest version and be sure to follow the specific directions for installing them. Newer drivers are usually optimized to both free up resources and speed up overall performance.

Also, make a system disk. A system disk will solve many errors by eliminating conflicts and freeing up more resources for the program (Mask requires most of your system’s resources). Instructions can be downloaded from Sierra's document page.

Try your system disk at this point by going to the Start menu and choosing Shutdown and Restart the Computer with the disk in your A: drive.

Then before starting the game, make sure there are no other programs running in WIN95.

1. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys and press the DEL key. This will bring up a Close Program Box. The Close Program Box will show the currently running programs.
2. The only programs that should be listed in the Close Program box are Explorer and Systray (if you have it). If there are other programs listed, highlight one of them and click on the End Task button.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until the only programs listed in the Close Program Box are the Explorer and Systray. NOTE: some programs can not be shut down using these steps. You will need to shut down those programs according to the instructions specific to those programs.
4. Once the Explorer and Systray are the only programs in the Close Program Box try the program again.

If problems continue, manually set the Windows swap file space. To check this; right-click on My Computer, select Properties, click on the Performance tab, click on the Virtual Memory button. The Minimum should be set to at least 50. If it's not, click "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings" and then type 50 in the box for Minimum. Click on OK. Windows will have to restart to implement this setting. Once it restarts it's always a good idea to go back into this dialog and make sure that Minimum is now set to 50. If the setting will not remain on 50 or it defaults back to ‘let windows manage my virtual memory settings’ run a thorough scandisk and defragment your hard drive. This will take longer, but it will eliminate any errors in the free and unused portions of your hard drive.

Problem: Your joystick or gamepad doesn’t work in Mask
Solution: Unfortunately, Mask of Eternity does not support gamepads or joysticks. You will need to play this game using the keyboard and mouse.

The following problems are addressed in version 1.0.0.2 of Mask of Eternity:<

• Elevator bugs: Problems with operating the elevator between the Barrens and the Iceworld have been addressed.
• Jump/Step up issues: Difficulty moving Connor over ramps after jumping has been fixed.
• Lava tile crossing: Problems crossing the solved lava tile puzzle have been corrected.
• Game construction: Remaining controls used in constructing the game were removed.
• Swamp hand door: The left door in the Swamp with the hand print has been fixed.
• Stats/Armor bug: A potion of protection will no longer interfere with picking up a new piece of armor and increasing armor statistics.
• Right-Click Inventory bug: If an inventory item was used while Connor was describing it, the game would crash.
• Above the Basilisk: Connor would fall off the hill above the Basilisk if he went away from the attack position while in first person view. This has been fixed.
• Stuck before the Altar: On some systems, the game would crash when Connor entered the Mask Altar room and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. This has been fixed.
• Feather of Truth bug: Intermittent lock-ups after obtaining the Feather of Truth were removed.

Please download the latest patch available for Mask, MOE12.exe, at the Sierra web site, www.sierra.com. This patch will update your Kings Quest Mask to version 1.2 and will solve the issues listed above. Download the patch, then double-click the patch icon to run it. You will then be prompted with several screens about what the patch fixes. Make sure the screen ‘Select Destination Directory’ is set to the directory where King’s Quest Mask is installed. Press ‘Next.’ When you see the button ‘Finish’ you are done. Click it to exit the patch setup. King’s Quest Mask should function normally. If you still continue to experience difficulties at these areas please contact Sierra Technical Support.

If you do not see your specific problem listed above, these standard troubleshooting procedures correct most problems running KING’S QUEST MASK:

Step 1 - Boot with a clean system disk before running KING’S QUEST MASK.
A system disk is a tool that can be used to resolve most conflicts. A system disk will free up more system resources and memory for your software. The system disk also creates an environment that is "cleaner" or free of extra TSRs (Terminate and Stay Resident programs) or other utilities that can sometimes cause conflicts. Instructions can be downloaded from Sierra's document page.

Step 2 - Check for corrupted files.
Run SCANDISK to detect and correct any hard drive errors and corrupted files (Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then Scandisk). If any errors are found, such as cross-linked files, truncated files or lost allocation units, correct them, then uninstall KING’S QUEST MASK. Corrupted program files can cause lockups and other technical problems. No program will run correctly if the data or executable files are corrupted. This corruption may occur during the installation of KING’S QUEST MASK due to conflicts with TSRs or other utilities during the installation. Reinstalling KING’S QUEST MASK in the same environment will usually result in the same corrupted data. You should install KING’S QUEST MASK in a "clean" boot environment.

Step 3 - Create a clean Windows environment and reinstall KING’S QUEST MASK.
Verify that you have sufficient hard drive space for reinstallation of the program. Remember to allocate twice the listed space on compressed drives! Make sure there are no other programs running in Windows ‘95 before reinstalling. To do this:

1. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys and press the DEL key. This will bring up a Close Program Box. The Close Program Box will show the currently running programs.
2. The only program we want listed in the task list is the Explorer. If there are other programs in the task list, highlight one of them and click on the End Task button.
3. Repeat steps A and B until the only program listed in the Close Program Box is the Explorer. NOTE: Some programs can not be shut down using these steps. You will need to shut down those programs according to the instructions specific to those programs.
4. Once the Explorer is the only program in the Close Program Box, reinstall the program.

Step 4 - Check your swapfile settings.
You need to manually set the Windows swap file space for Kings Quest Mask. Right-click on My Computer, select properties, click on the Performance tab, click on the Virtual Memory button. The Minimum should be set to at least 50. If it's not, click "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings", and then type 50 in the box for Minimum. Click on OK. Windows will have to restart to implement this setting. Once it restarts it's always a good idea to go back into this dialog and make sure that Minimum is now set to 50. If it is not, please run a thorough Scandisk and Disk Defragmenter on your hard drive as you may have errors on it that prevent these settings from taking effect (please see Step 2). Also, make sure that at least a minimum of 50 megs is free on your hard drive.

Step 5 - Check your drivers.
Outdated or incompatible video or sound drivers can also cause lockups and errors in Windows. Sierra recommends you check with your sound and video card manufacturers to make sure you have the latest versions of these drivers. Some manufacturers update their drivers several times a year, so it's easy to get behind.

Problem: Your computer fails the Sound Card test, you cannot hear the voice in the Wave test, or you get no sound in the game.
Solution: Your sound card may be incorrectly configured for DAC (Digital to Analog Conversion) or your sound card drivers may not be properly installed or configured for Windows ‘95 or '98. Make sure your speakers are turned on and run the Windows mixer program for your sound card (Start / Programs / Accessories / Multimedia / Volume Control) so you can increase its volume levels for MIDI (music) and DAC (Wave). You should consult your sound card documentation or the manufacturer for information regarding the correct configuration of your sound card in Windows ‘95 or '98.

It is also possible that your system may not have the proper audio compression codecs installed. These codecs can be installed from your original Windows CD. Put your Windows ’95 or '98 CD in the drive, then click on "Start", "Settings", then "Control Panel". Then double-click on the "Add/Remove Programs" icon and click on the "Windows Setup" tab. Highlight the "Multimedia" section and click on the "Details" button. The first entry should be the "Audio Compression". If there is no check in the box, put one there by clicking on the box. Then click "OK" on the Multimedia and Add/Remove Programs box. If there is a check in the "Audio Compression" box, take the check out and click "OK" on the Multimedia and Add/Remove programs box. Then go back and put the check-mark back in the box. The original Microsoft audio codec files will be copied from your Windows ’95 (or '98) CD to your hard drive, restoring the appropriate codecs for the game.

Problem: Choppy, bad, static sound or no sound at all.
Explanation: KING’S QUEST MASK uses Microsoft’s Direct Sound. Some sound cards do not support Direct Sound. Others may require an update of the Sound Card Drivers to function properly.
Solution: Verify that your sound card drivers are 100% certified for DirectX 6. To check for certification:

1. Put the CD for the game in your CD-ROM drive.
2. Click on the Start button, select Run.
3. In the text line type X:\DIRECTX6\DIRECTX\DXDIAG.EXE (replace X with the letter of your CD-ROM drive) and then click on OK. Click on the DirectX Drivers tab and make sure all listed drivers are certified. The dialog window named Notes below is a quick way to check. Also, you can run a test on your drivers using the Display and Sound tabs. If any drivers are not certified or if you have any problems running the tests you should contact your computer manufacturer to update your drivers.

Problem: You experience ‘flashing’ screens in either the menu or the game while using a Voodoo2 card.
Solution: This will happen if the Voodoo 2 card is set to "Force Triple Color Buffering for Glide Apps." To shut this option off:

1. Go to Start, Settings, and choose Control Panel.
2. From the Control Panel, double-click on Display.
3. Click on the tab for the Voodoo 2 and then click on the Advanced button. Un-check Force Triple Color Buffering and then click Okay.
4. Click Okay on Display Properties and restart the game.

Problem: The option for ‘Direct 3D’ is not available in the Graphics Option menu.
Solution: Only the cards listed in the README.TXT are supported in Direct 3D mode at this time. They are as follows:

At this time many of the graphical options and the 800x600 resolution are not supported under Direct 3D. The developers are looking at expanding support for more cards and enabling more options under Direct 3D. Please watch our web site form more information on updates for the game at the Sierra website.