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|            B O B B Y   F I S C H E R   T E A C H E S   C H E S S           |
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|                         FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS                         |
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     This document is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about
     Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess.  We keep this list updated and new
     versions will be made available on our BBS, Compuserve and other
     on-line sources.  See the bottom of this file for ways to get the
     update.
     
     This file is the BEST source of technical support available for
     Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess.  Please look here for your question
     before calling our technical support line.  This may save you the
     cost of the call.

                              ----------------

Q.   What is VESA?  What is a VESA driver?  Do I need this thing?
A.   VESA is a standard created to try to bring a certain level of
     compatibility to SuperVGA video cards.  Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
     can work with any video card that supports the VESA standard.

     Before VESA, software programs had to have different "drivers" or
     special sections of program, to understand how to display images
     on each different brand of video card.  Because there are so many
     different brands of video card, this was difficult and error prone.

     If Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess doesn't work with your Super VGA card,
     you can get a VESA 'driver' for it which will make your video card
     support the VESA standard.  To get a VESA driver for your video card,
     you should contact the manufacturer of the card and request one.

     There are also several very popular "universal" VESA drivers available
     as shareware.  These VESA drivers work on many different types of video
     cards.  You can find shareware VESA drivers on many Bulletin Board
     Systems and on-line services.  Here are some examples:

          Compuserve               (pay service)
          America Online           (pay service)
          GeNie                    (pay service)
          the Internet             (various access)     
          Mission Studios BBS      708-991-0597

     If Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess still doesn't function properly after
     installing a VESA driver, try running the program by typing:

                    BFTC VESA [Enter]

                              ----------------

Q.   I see strange horizontal lines on the screen.
Q.   I have video problems with my Packard Bell computer.
Q.   I have video problems with my Headland video card.
Q.   I have video problems with my Diamond Stealth 24 video card.

A.   Certain versions of the Packard Bell computer use a video card made by
     Headland.  This video card is known to have problems when used in
     SUPER VGA mode.  Try using a VESA driver and running Bobby Fischer
     Teaches Chess by typing BFTC VESA [Enter].

     This will cause BFTC to use the VESA driver instead of trying to use
     the Headland video card directly.     

                              ----------------

Q.   I have a Matrox video card, and I don't see any graphics.

A.   You will need to get a VESA driver from MATROX, or a universal VESA
     driver that supports the MATROX card.

                              ----------------

Q.   I am low on memory, how can I free more memory for BFTC?

A.   You need to reduce the number of "device drivers" and memory resident
     programs that are loaded when your computer starts up.  If you need to,
     you can disable the CD-ROM drivers.  BFTC will still run, but you will
     not be able to view the Picture History of Chess.

     Adding the option NOEMS to your EMS driver may also increase the amount
     of available RAM.

                              ----------------

Q.   I get errors saying "unable to open file..."
Q.   Some dialog boxes do not disappear when I'm finished with them.
A.   You may not have enough FILES or BUFFERS.  FILES and BUFFERS are set
     in the CONFIG.SYS file.  You should see two lines like this:

                              FILES=30
                              BUFFERS=30
     
     If your numbers are significantly lower, you should increase them.
     If you don't have one or both of these lines, you should add them.
     Consult your DOS manual or your computer dealer for more information
     on FILES and BUFFERS and how to change your CONFIG.SYS file.

                              ----------------

Q.   My computer locks up after I see the message "Sound card detected..."

A.   Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess tries to detect your cound card settings
     automatically.  On some computers this may cause a conflict with other
     expansion boards like network cards and modems.  Try re-starting your
     computer and running BFTC again.  This usually solves the problem.

     Setting your sound card to the default settings may also help.  For the
     Sound Blaster and compatibles, the default settings are:

                     IRQ 5       PORT 220h       DMA 1

     To bypass the sound drivers, you can use the NOSOUND parameter when
     starting Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess: BFTC NOSOUND [Enter]

     You can have BFTC display information during sound board detection by
     typing: BFTC SOUND [Enter]

                              ----------------

Q.   What is AUTHOR mode?
Q.   Why should I use AUTHOR mode?

A.   Author mode is a special, advanced, feature of Bobby Fischer Teaches
     Chess which allows you to create your own custom lessons.

     This feature is most likely to be used by Teachers and Chess Coaches.
     It is not recommend for typical users, as some knowledge of programming
     is helpful.  The manual covers the basics of the scripting language.
     If you are interested in creating complex new lessons, and need more
     information, you can contact: BOOKUP, Inc. at 614-263-1434

                              ----------------

Q.   In Author mode, the 3D chess pieces animate very slowly.

A.   Try loading a disk cache like SMARTDRV.  It will help speed up the
     display.  Your lessons will run full-speed in the normal version
     of Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess.

                              ----------------

Q.   Can I add new background images to the program?

A.   Yes, but we recommend this only for experts.  The program will accept
     any valid PCX file.  Simply place the file in the DESKTOPS directory
     and the new file will appear as a background choice.  However, there
     are some IMPORTANT requirements for the PCX file:

          - it must be 640 x 480 with 256 colors
          - it must match the palette of DEFAULT.PCX
          - it must be located in the DESKTOPS directory

                              ----------------

Q.   I have problems when I run Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess from Windows.

A.   Because different Windows configurations can vary dramatically from
     one user to another, we recommend exiting to DOS, then running Bobby
     Fischer Teaches Chess from the command line.

     Windows may be controlling system resources (like sound and video) that
     Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess requires.  Running the program from DOS
     will give you more memory, and less chance of software conflicts.

                              ----------------

Q.   How can I prevent the warning text from appearing every time I run
     Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess from Windows?

A.   The BFTC icon in Windows is set to run the program called "BFTCWIN.BAT".
     To bypass the message, the icon should be set to run the program
     "BFTC.EXE".

     To make this change, select "Properties" from the Program Manager's File
     menu when the BFTC icon is highlighted.  Change the entry in Command
     Line from "C:\BFTC\BFTCWIN.EXE" to "C:\BFTC\BFTC.EXE".  If you installed
     to another drive or directory, you will need to use that path instead
     of "C:\BFTC".

                              ----------------


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|                                                                            |
|                         CUSTOMER SUPPORT INFORMATION                       |
|                                                                            |
|                                                                            |
|    Mission Studios wants to provide the best technical support possible    |
|    for its products.  Keeping this FAQ list up to date is one important    |
|    way we do this.  We will try, to the best of our abilities, to keep     |
|    this list available via the following services.                         |
|                                                                            |
|    This file will be called BFTCFAQ.TXT                                    |
|                                                                            |
|    COMPUSERVE                                                              |
|    Go GAMPUB and enter the forum with Other Publishers.  Download          |
|    BFTCFAQ.TXT from the Other Publishers library.                          |
|                                                                            |
|    MISSION STUDIOS BBS                                                     |
|    Call our BBS at 708-991-0597.  The BBS will ask you some questions.     |
|    After answering the questions, go to the BFTC area and download         |
|    BFTCFAQ.TXT.                                                            |
|                                                                            |
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