| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can pages from the program be printed out? | A |
| Can you tell me why phonetic symbols are not displayed correctly when Ça sonne français runs on my machine? | A |
| On some occasions when I run the program from the CD-ROM drive I get a File not found error when I should get a video clip, but at other times the video clip plays. Why is this? | A |
| Sound recording/playback doesn't work. What can be done? | A |
| Although I have been able to record my voice the playback is very quiet. If I turn up the volume control to hear my recordings better the pre-recorded sound is then much too loud. What can be done? | A |
| Is it possible to run Ça sonne français from a hard disk? | A |
| Is it possible to network Ça sonne français? | A |
The Windows Help File, containing Topic information, accessed through the Help button, can be printed out Topic by Topic. It is necessary to obtain on screen the Topic you wish to print out, then select File, Print Topic.
The manual contains much photcopiable teaching material.
If you have installed the fonts, then the problem probably relates to running Windows in a SVGA resolution using the Large Fonts option, which will also affect the text formatting and the positioning of hotspots. Change your screen resolution so that you are using the Small Fonts option (use Windows 3.x Setup in the Main program group, or Win 95 Control Panel Display Properties, or custom software supplied with your video card, to change display resolutions).
In some circumstances, an installation of the Ça sonne français CD-ROM, which has previously been working with no problems, may give an error message of a File not found type when it tries to access a video clip. The error message is the same as is given if you have forgotten to put the CD-ROM in the drive:
The MCI device you are using does not support the specified command
(followed by a file name and an instruction to check the CD-ROM drive).
If you get such a message and your Ça sonne français disk is in the drive, the reason may be that your CD-ROM device driver has not registered that a previous CD-ROM has been replaced by Ça sonne français. (This is a fairly common problem, and does not only relate to Ça sonne français.)
The solution is to open File Manager and click on the d: drive, so that the list of files on the CD-ROM is displayed. This forces the CD-ROM device driver to recognise the new CD-ROM in the drive, and the program should then run without problems.
It is thought that this problem is only likely to occur in Windows 3.x and not in Windows 95.
- in Windows 3.x by running the Windows Control Panel (usually in the program group called Main on your Windows desktop) and double-clicking the Sound icon. If the settings are greyed disabled the sound drivers for your system are either not installed, or have not been installed correctly.
- in Win 95 by selecting Start, Settings, Control Panel and selecting the Multimedia icon. If no preferred device is listed for playback or recording under Audio, the sound drivers for your system are either not installed, or have not been installed correctly.
If sound drivers are not installed correctly you will need to (re)install them from the software supplied with your sound card.
If your system can play sounds OK but when you record your voice the resulting playback is blank, check that your microphone is plugged into the correct input socket on the sound card and that the mixer software supplied with the card is configured for accepting sound input from the Mic socket.
This is a common complaint, but can usually be cured by altering the settings in the software which controls your soundcard. Most soundcards come with mixer software which will enable you to set the microphone recording level a little higher without altering the output volume of pre-recorded sound. Your soundcard documentation should be consulted for further details.
Altered settings can then be tested in a simple windows facility such as Sound Recorder (found in the Accessories Group), and if the levels are satisfactory in Sound Recorder, they should also be satisfactory in Ça sonne français.
Since Ça sonne français needs approximately 460 MB to install to and run from hard disk, it was not envisaged that this would be a commonly adopted approach.
However, with the increasing size of hard disks, this is indeed an option. The program should be installed in the normal way, and the contents of the CD-ROM copied to a directory on the hard drive. The .ini file should then be edited to point to this drive and directory, rather than the CD-ROM drive. More information about the .ini file is found in the manual.
It was never anticipated that this 460 MB program might be networked. The inclusion of an external .ini file in which path information can be changed at least permits the possibility of networking, but no assurance can be given that a satisfactory networking solution will be achieved.