Technical Support

Printing & Display

Low Graphics Quality on Screen
Description: When National Geographic developed the program, we examined a number of approaches to converting this large body of work. Scanning each page proved to be the best way to preserve the accuracy and appearance of the original page. In order to fit the collection on a reasonable number of disks, we had to compress each scanned page. We chose JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) because it offered excellent compression and control of the photographs. JPEG is also a widely accepted standard that is compatible on the broadest number of platforms. While JPEG does an excellent job with photographs, it does not work as well with black and white text. We tested a number of settings to arrive at the text quality in the product today, and user testing indicated most people did not appear to have an issue with the text.

Solution: If the product was installed from the 1997/1998 update disk according to the directions, there should be three buttons on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen with a “T” on them and next to these a button marked “Reset.”

The buttons marked with a “T” darken the text of the article to allow for easier reading. However, this can cause the image quality of photos to deteriorate. To restore the original resolution and improve picture quality click on the “Reset” button. To read more of the text, adjust the darkness of the print with the three text buttons that are marked “T.”

The 1997/1998 CD is available for the price of $9.95 plus shipping and handling.

The 110 years version improves the issue more effectively than the 1997/1998 update CD. In this version the images are stored at three different resolutions, eliminating some of the scaling needed to make the image fit to the full screen. This increases readability on systems that have 800x600 or larger screen resolutions. The new program also allows a Full screen view at up to 1024x768 resolution. Upgrades from the 108 or 109 version to the 110 version are available through technical support at substantial discounts.

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Low Quality of Printed Material
Description: The magazine collection for this product has been scanned and compressed into JPEG files (Joint Photographic Experts Group), offering excellent compression and control of the photographs. JPEG is also a widely accepted standard that is compatible on the broadest number of platforms. While JPEG does an excellent job with photographs, it does not work as well with black and white text.

Solution: Print quality will be improved when you select one of the three “T” buttons from the lower toolbar and choose Optimize for Text in the Print dialog box. Print can also be improved by printing in color instead of black and white and by changing your printer’s Dithering option.

The National Geographic® 1997/1998 Update CD includes a patch that allows you to filter the images and improve the quality of the text. Noticeable improvements are seen on many pages. It is recommended that users who have a set that includes the 1997/1998 CD should be sure to install it. Once the update disk is installed when you zoom in on a page you should see three buttons on the bottom of your toolbar marked with the letter “T,” next to these buttons will be one marked “Reset.” Pressing the “T” buttons will make the text darker. Pressing the “Reset” button restores the normal settings, allowing you to view the pictures. If users do not have the Update CD it is available for the price of $9.95 plus shipping and handling.

The Complete National Geographic® 110 Years version improves the text quality beyond the level of the 97/98 Update CD by storing the images in different resolutions. Less manual scaling is required to fit the image to the full screen. Readability improves from 800x600 to 1024x768 resolution. Upgrades from the 108 or 109 version to the 110 version are available through Technical Support at substantial discounts.

The Optimize for Text Print option sends a much larger file to the printer. You may find that if you try to print an article with a large number of pages that you will need 100 megabytes or more of free disk space. If you are low in disk space, you may need to print the article using the “current page spread” option instead of “all article pages.” This will limit the print to two pages at a time. You can then print the article in several steps.

A color printer improves print output for the program. To use a color printer follow these instructions:

1. Click the Zoom button on the lower-left corner of the National Geographic toolbar.
2. Click the “T” button that results in the desired contrast for the text display.
3. Click on the magnifying glass with the minus sign to activate the print button.
4. Click the print button to display the Print dialog box.
5. Select Fine and also try the Non option to test which Dithering option is better on your printer.
6. Place a check mark next to Optimize for Text (lower-right corner of the Print dialog box).
7. Click the OK button at the top-right of the Print dialog box. Note that the Optimize for Text option requires a faster computer with more RAM and free hard drive space.

To print using a black and white printer, follow these instructions:

1. Click the Zoom button on the lower-left corner of the National Geographic toolbar.
2. Click the “T” button that results in the desired contrast for the text display.
3. Click on the magnifying glass with the minus sign to activate the print button.
4. Click the print button to display the print dialog box.
5. Select Fine from the Dithering options.
6. Turn on the Optimize for Text option for improving the text quality.
7. Turn off the Optimize for Text option if you want to improve picture quality. Note that purchasing a Color printer improves both the text and picture quality.

These are some further considerations when printing with The Complete National Geographic® 109 Years of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Magazine on CD-ROM:

• The minimum system requirements for printing with the Text Optimization turned off is 486-33 with 8MB RAM.
• Recommended practical minimum system requirements with the Text Optimization turned on is a Pentium 100 with 24MB RAM.
• A 200MHz or faster with 48MB RAM will make the printing time much shorter.
• Printing with the Text Optimization turned on takes approximately five to eight times longer to print and requires significantly more free hard drive space.
• Printing a large number of pages may require at least 100MB of free disk space.
• Clicking the Current Page Spread option rather then the All Article pages may be more reasonable if your hard disk space is low.

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Prints Wrong Article
Description: While attempting to print from the program, an article other than the one you expected is printed. This issue is often due to using the Print Entire Article feature. This feature prints by starting with the page that appears on the left side of your screen. In some rare situations the print output may also be from an entirely different month than selected.

Solution: Follow these instructions if the preceding article, rather than the one intended, was printed:

1. Click on the Next Page icon to advance the display by one or two pages.
2. Print the article and the issue should be resolved.

Follow these instructions if an article from a different month, rather than the one intended, was printed:

1. Print using the Print Page Spread Option.
2. Click on the Next Page icon to advance the display further into the article.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have printed the entire article.

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Macintosh Specific

MAC: Could not write disk list file/PC icons
Description: While running the program on a Macintosh® operating system, a message appears as, “Could not write list file/PC icons.” The issue is due to attempting to launch the program by clicking on the CDLIST.FIL on the CD instead of launching the program from its folder on the hard drive. The program was not intended to be started by clicking on any file on the CD. Note that the CDLIST.FIL icons on some CDs look different from others in the set. They look like PC/DOS icons. All other CDLIST.FIL icons have a National Geographic-style icon.

Solution: Open the hard drive and locate the National Geographic folder. Inside this folder double-click the application icon to launch the program.

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MAC: NGMAG Caused a GPF in Module LGSKERNL.DLL
Description: While running the program a message appears as, “NGMAG caused a GPF in Module LGSKERNL.DLL.” This issue is caused by an incorrect date that is set on your personal computer.

Solution: Windows® These are the instructions to change the date on your personal computer:

1. Double click the clock in the task tray, at the bottom right hand corner of Windows.
2. Change the year back to the current year.
3. Click on the OK button.
4. The program should now operate correctly.

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General

Content Not Available on This Disk
Description: While attempting to view the cover or contents of a particular issue, a message appears reading, “Content not available on this disk.” You are not prompted to insert another CD from the set. Note that there are several installers in this CD set. You must run more than one to have access to all the content. Please follow these steps.

Solution:

1. Insert the 1997 CD in the CD-ROM drive.
2. Click on the Start button and then Click on Run.
3. Type X:\SETUP.EXE (where X represents the letter of your CD-ROM drive).
4. Click on the OK button.
5. Continue the installation process of the 1997 CD.
6. Choose the Readme file when prompted to show the Readme file or start the program.
7. Close the Readme file and remove the 1997 CD from the CD-ROM drive.
8. Insert the 1888 CD in the CD-ROM drive.
9. Click on the Start button and then select Run.
10. Verify that X:\SETUP.EXE is still listed in the Run window.
11. Click on the OK button to begin the installation process.
12. Click Next until you see the screen with five installation options.
13. Choose the second option, Register All CD Sets.
14. Click on the Start the Program button at the end of the installation process.
15. Try to access the content associated with your previous attempt.
16. If the program works at this point, then no further steps are required.
17. If the issue is not resolved, then try to launch the program with the same CD in the CD-ROM drive that you previously attempted.
18. If program does not launch with that CD, then remove the CD and insert another one.
19. Launch the program.
20. If this CD works properly, then the other CD may be a bad disc. Contact the Technical Support Department.
21. If the program starts from the CD but an error message appears, then look for that error message in the Frequently Asked Questions section or call the Technical Support Department.

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Error: A Registered CD Must Be In the Drive...
Description: While running the program, an error message appears as, “A registered National Geographic CD must be in the drive in order to run this application.” The issue is due to by an improperly named Windows® folder, for example Windows.000. (Often two folders, named Windows and Windows.000, appear on your hard drive. Their occurrence suggests a failed Windows® installation.) The National Geographic program looks in the Windows folder for the NGARHIV.INI file, but an improperly named Windows folder will not correctly pass information back to the program. Follow these steps to successfully work around this issue.

Solution: Windows® 95/98

1. Click on the Start button, select Find, and then choose Files or Folders.
2. Type NGARCHIV.INI in the Named line.
3. Click on the Find Now button. Windows® will now search for the file.
4. Highlight NGARCHIV.INI.
5. Click Edit on the menu bar and then select Cut.
6. Double-click on the My Computer icon (found on your Desktop).
7. Double-click the C: icon.
8. Click Edit on the menu bar and then Select.
9. The NGARCHIV.INI file will now paste into the root directory and become accessible to the National Geographic program.

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Error: Fatal Exception OE Has Occurred
Description: While running the program an error message appears as, “Fatal Exception OE has occurred. . . .” This issue is caused by an incompatibility between the QuickTime Movie Player and the video card driver. You may resolve the issue by editing a line in the QTW.INI file when running Windows® 3.1/95/98. In addition, it may be necessary to lower the Hardware Acceleration if you are running Windows® 95/98. It is also recommended that you contact the manufacturer of your personal computer for instructions on updating your video card driver.

Solution: The following are the instructions for editing the QTW.INI file:

1. Click on File and choose Run. (Note: for Windows® 3.1, click File on the menu bar and then choose Run.)
2. In the command line type: QTW.INI, and then press the ENTER key on the keyboard.
3. Look for the line in the section [Video] that reads as Optimize=Driver.
4. Edit the line so that it reads as Optimize=BMP.
5. Click File on the menu bar and then select Save.
6. Close the QTW.INI file.
7. Try to run the program again. If the issue is resolved you do not need to perform any further steps.
8. If the issue persists and you are running Windows® 95/98, then proceed with the steps below.

The instructions for lowering the Hardware Acceleration for Windows® 95/98(not for Windows® 3.1/2000/NT) are as follows:

1. Click on the Start button, select Settings, and then click the Control Panel.
2. Double click on the System icon. The System Properties dialog box will open.
3. Click the Performance tab.
4. Click on the Graphics button at the bottom of the dialog box.
5. Click on the Hardware Acceleration tab and slide it two notches to the left. (Change the setting to Basic Accelerator Functions.)
6. Click on the OK button to close out the System Properties dialog box.
7. Click on Yes when prompted to restart your personal computer. The computer will restart.
8. Run the program and the issue should be resolved.

It is also recommended that you update your video driver whether the issue is resolved by one of the two methods above.

Consult your Windows® documentation or contact the manufacturer of your personal computer for instructions on how to update the video card driver.

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Error: NGMAG Caused a GPF In NGMAG.EXE
Description: While running the program an error message appears as, “NGMAG caused a GPF in NGMAG.EXE.” This issue occurs when QuickTime®, 16-bit version, is not installed on your operation system. You can usually resolve the issue by installing QuickTime®, 16-bit version, on your operating system.

Solution: To perform the installation follow these instructions:

1. Insert one of the following discs into your CD-ROM drive: 1888, 1997, 1997/1998, or the first disc of any decade.
2. Click on the Start button and then select Run.
3. In the box next to Open type: X:\QUICKWIN\Qtinstal.exe (X represents the letter of your CD-ROM drive.)
4. Click on the OK button. The QuickTime®, 16-bit version, will now be installed.
5. Be sure to select Delete if any prior versions are found. (Note that 32 bit versions of QuickTime® will not be deleted by the 16 bit installer.)
6. Run the program and the issue should be resolved.
7. If the issue is not resolved, then see the instructions in the Frequently Asked Questions entitled, “Error: Fatal Exception OE.”

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Error: The Current CD Is Not Registered...
Description: While running the program an error message appears as, “Error: The current CD is not registered.” This issue is due to not registering one or more of the ten CDs in the 109-year set. Each disc has a different serial number. Following the proper steps in the installation process will result in each disc becoming registered. Below are the instructions to resolve the issue. Follow the specific instructions that correspond with your operating system.

Response: Windows® 95/98

1. Insert disc one of the 1888 set.
2. Click on the Start button and then click on Run.
3. Type X:\SETUP.EXE (where X represents the letter of your CD-ROM drive).
4. Run the Setup from CD #1 of the 1888 set.
5. Select the second installation option, Register All CD Sets.
6. You should now be able to use a CD from any set and the issue is resolved.
7. If you are still unable to use a CD from any set, then the NGARCHIV.INI file was not modified during step five.
8. Close any programs running in the background that may be affecting the proper modification of the NGARCHIV.INI file.
9. Some examples may include:
   Virus checking programs
   First Aid
   Guard Dog or Watch Dog
10. Right-click on the NGARCHIV.INI file and select Properties.
11. If the Read-Only Attribute is selected, then click on the box so that it is deselected.
12. Perform steps one through five and the issue should now be resolved.

Windows® 3.1

1. Insert disc one of the 1888 set.
2. Click File on the menu bar from Program Manager, and then choose Run.
3. Type X:\SETUP.EXE (where X represents the letter of your CD-ROM drive).
4. Press the Enter key on your keyboard.
5. Run the Setup from CD #1 of the 1888 set.
6. Select the second option, Register All CD Sets.
7. You should now be able to start the program with any CD from any set.
8. If you are still unable to use a CD from any set, then the NGARCHIV.INI file was not modified during step six.
9. Check the Properties of the NGARCHIV.INI on your hard drive.
10. If the Read-Only Attribute is selected, then click so that it is deselected.
11. Perform steps one through six and the issue should now be resolved.

Macintosh®

1. Insert disc one of the 1888 set.
2. Double-click on the National Geographic CD 1888.
3. Double-click on the National Geographic Installer.
4. Choose Easy Install, and then select Continue when prompted. The installation is complete.
5. Choose Custom Install, select Register All CD Sets, and then click on the Continue button.
6. When the Registrations is complete, choose Quit.
7. Double-click on the Hard Disk and locate the National Geographic Folder.
8. Double-click on the National Geographic icon.

You should now be able to start The Complete National Geographic® 109 Years of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Magazine on CD-ROM with any CD from any set.

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Ininst30: This Program Has Performed an Illegal operation
Description: While running the program an error message that includes the word “Ininst30” appears. Some examples are “Ininst30: This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down” or “Install30 caused a general protection fault in module _INSO433._MP.” There are three possible causes of this issue. The issue may be due to programs running in the background (for example, MSWheel or others). The issue may in some instances be due to temporary files or the mouse driver (this is related to actual mouse driver issues rather than MSWheel). Follow the particular instructions for either Windows® 98 or Windows® 95 to resolve the issue.

Solution: Windows® 98 These are the instructions for performing a clean installation of the program:

1. Click on the Start button and select Run.
2. On the Command line, type MSCONFIG.
3. Click on the OK button.
4. From this window, choose Selective Start Up.
5. Remove the check mark next to Load Start Up Group Items.
6. Click on the OK button.
7. Your personal computer will prompt you to Restart, click yes to Restart Now.
8. When your system returns to Windows, reinstall the program.
9. The program will now install. Complete the installation before proceeding.
10. Click on the Start button and select Run to begin the process of returning your system to its original configuration.
11. Type MSCONFIG and then click on the OK button.
12. Choose Normal Start Up.
13. Click on the OK button.
14. Restart your personal computer as you are prompted.

Windows® 95

1. If you have a Microsoft® Wheel mouse, from your Desktop Press and hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard, then press and hold down the ALT key, and finally press and release the DELETE key.
2. The Close Program dialog box will appear.
3. Look for MS-Wheel in the Close Program List.
4. Click on MS-Wheel so that it is highlighted and click on the End Task button.
5. Reinstall the program.

• Note that some touchpads use GW glide instead of MS Wheel. In these cases you will need to end task on GW glide instead.
• If you have a Kensington® four-button mouse or any mouse driver that handles more than three buttons, it may interfere with the install process. You may need to switch to a Standard Serial or Standard PS/2 mouse driver.
• You may need to unload your virus checker and/or any other background programs.

For answers to other tech support questions related to The Complete National Geographic® call 310 719 2894 or e-mail support@encoresoftware.com.

© 2001 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.

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109 Years of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC | 110 Years of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC