================================================================== Desperate Housewives™: the Game Read Me File (©2006 Touchstone Televsion) ================================================================== Thank you for purchasing Desperate Housewives: the Game. This readme file contains basic product and setup information. ================================================================== CONTENTS ================================================================== 1. System Requirements 2. Program Management 3. Troubleshooting 4. DirectX 9.0c Troubleshooting 5. Program Notes 6. Customer Support 7. END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT ================================================================== 1. System Requirements ================================================================== NOTE: The following system requirements have been updated. To run "Desperate Housewives: The Game", your system must meet the following requirements: MINIMUM SYSTEM CONFIGURATION Microsoft® Windows XP SP2 Pentium™ 4 class or Athlon XP processor, 1.4 GHz or greater 256 MB RAM 128MB DirectX™ 9.0c-compatible video card, 32-bit color (NVIDIA GeForce 3 or equivalent) 16-bit DirectX™ 9.0c-compatible sound card 8x cD-ROM drive DirectX 9.0c (included) MICROSOFT WINDOWS® XP DISCLAIMER: Although this program will install and run on a system running Microsoft Windows XP, users with "Limited User" privileges will encounter difficulties. This program's installer is not designed to work around the upgraded security features that Windows XP provides. Administrative Privileges are required to install and uninstall the program. Depending on your system configuration, you may also be required to have Administrative Privileges to play this program. Please refer to your Windows XP documentation for information about "Administrative Privileges." ================================================================== 2. Program Management ================================================================== --- Installing the Program Before installing Desperate Housewives: The Game, exit all open applications (including background applications such as anti-virus software and pop-up blockers). When all other applications have been closed, insert CD #1 into the CD-ROM drive. If your CD-ROM drive is AutoPlay-compliant, a launch window will automatically appear when the CD-ROM is inserted in the CD-ROM drive. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation. During installation, you will be given an opportunity to electronically register the program. If the launch window does not automatically appear, open the My Computer folder (either from the Desktop or from the Start menu) and then open the Desperate Housewives CD-ROM drive folder. Double-click on the Setup.exe file to begin the installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the program's installation. --- Getting Started If your CD-ROM drive is AutoPlay-compliant, a prompt will automatically appear when the CD is inserted in the CD-ROM drive. Click on Play to start the game. If the prompt does not appear, from the Windows Taskbar, click on Start and point to All Programs. From the Programs sub-menu, point to Buena Vista Games, select the Desperate Housewives folder, and then click on the Desperate Housewives program icon. --- Uninstall the Program Prior to uninstalling Desperate Housewives: The Game, make sure that you have exited all associated applications. To uninstall the program, click on Start and point to All Programs. From the resulting sub-menu, point to Buena Vista Games, select the Desperate Housewives folder, and then click on the Uninstall Desperate Housewives icon. ================================================================== 3. Troubleshooting ================================================================== There are several things you can do to make sure that your computer system realizes the full potential of the program. 1. Determine if any changes have been made to the system. A frequent source of conflict between hardware and software is a system configuration change. If an error occurs after making a change to the configuration of your system (i.e., adding new hardware, updating drivers, installing another program), then that system change is a likely source of the problem. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions to verify that the proper installation procedure was used and note any incompatibility issue or system modifications listed in the documentation. 2. Isolate the source of the problem. The program itself does not necessarily cause errors that occur when running a software program. These errors may be caused by the operating system, a conflict between hardware settings, another program running in the background, or an obsolete driver, which has not been updated to work with the system’s newer components. Determine exactly when and where the problem occurs, and whether or not the problem also occurs with other software programs. Also determine what other system activities are taking place when the problem occurs. Determining the exact circumstances under which a problem occurs often points to a solution. 3. Determine if the error can be reproduced. Restart the program and test for the error. If the same error occurs in the same location, uninstall the program, reinstall the program, restart the system, and then run the program again. If the error recurs, determine if a similar error occurs with other software programs. If it does, the source of the problem may be one of the system’s hardware components. Refer to your hardware documentation or contact the manufacturer to determine if an updated driver or system modification will resolve the issue. 4. Verify that your system meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements of the program. If your system does not meet any one of the minimum requirements, the program will not run properly. 5. Verify that all external cables and connections are secure. Also ensure that power, settings, and option controls for all system components are set appropriately. Refer to your hardware documentation or consult your hardware manufacturer for additional information. 6. Exit all other programs and applications when installing or running the program. Exit any active screen savers, utility programs, anti-virus programs, or shell programs to ensure that the maximum amount of RAM is available for your system to run the program as quickly and smoothly as possible. Also exit any automatic power saving utilities or other timing programs like an anti-virus program that scans your hard disk every hour or a power management utility that shuts down all non-essential system functions during idle periods. If a timing program or screen saver activates during installation or during play, the program may crash or experience other technical difficulties. ================================================================== 4. DirectX 9.0c Troubleshooting ================================================================== This program is designed to use Microsoft's DirectX 9.0c or higher technology, which provides components and drivers to enhance every aspect of high performance applications. In order to run this program with the best possible performance, your video card and sound card should be DirectX 9.0c-compatible with certified DirectX 9.0c drivers properly installed. If you experience sound or display difficulties, a likely source of the issue is an outdated or incompatible driver. To verify that you have DirectX 9.0c certified drivers installed on your system, run the DirectX Diagnostics (DXDIAG) program that is copied to your hard drive when this program is installed. This program displays version and status information for your sound and display drivers, as well as all other DirectX components installed on your system. --- To open the DirectX Diagnostics Tool, proceed as follows: From the Windows Taskbar, click on Start and select Run. In the Open: field, type DXDIAG. Click on OK or press the Enter key on your keyboard. The program will begin to gather information about your system and the Diagnostics Tool will open with the System tab in the foreground. NOTE: If your system is unable to locate a copy of DXDIAG, it most likely means that a recent version of DirectX is not installed on your computer. You may download a recent version of DirectX from the Microsoft web-site at the following address: http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp When DXDIAG starts, the following tabs will be displayed: System, DirectX Files, Display, Sound, Music, Input, Network, and More Help. - The System tab contains system information about the computer and specifies the version of DirectX installed on your computer. The system information includes: system date, computer name, operating system version and language, processor type, memory, swapfile size, and DirectX version. - The DirectX Files tab contains the filenames and version numbers for all DirectX files installed on the computer. If DXDIAG detects any problems with any DirectX files, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box. - The Display tab contains detailed information about your display settings, and allows you to disable hardware acceleration for DirectDraw, Direct3D, and AGP Texture. On this tab, you can also test DirectDraw, Direct3D, and AGP Texturing. If DXDIAG detects any problems with any display settings or driver files, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box. Be sure to note the Name of your video card and the amount of video RAM that it contains. - The Sound tab contains detai...
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