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      Readme File for Microsoft SideWinder Game Device Profiler
                              July 1997 
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   (c) Microsoft Corporation, 1997 
 
THIS COMPUTER PROGRAM IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW AND INTERNATIONAL TREATIES. 
UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION OF THIS PROGRAM, OR ANY PORTION OF IT, 
MAY RESULT IN SEVERE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES, AND WILL BE PROSECUTED TO THE 
MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE UNDER THE LAW. 
 
This document provides late-breaking or other information that supplements the 
Microsoft SideWinder Game Device Profiler online help. 
 
To learn more about the Microsoft game devices, as well as other Microsoft 
hardware products and updates, visit our World Wide Web site at 
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/ 
 
------------------------- CONTENTS -------------------------  
 
 
Part 1: THE NEW SIDEWINDER GAME DEVICE PROFILER  
  1.1  Accessing Online Help 
  1.2  Using Profiles With the SideWinder Game Device Profiler. 
  1.3  Profiles Supplied with the SideWinder Game Device Profiler. 
  1.4  Your Existing Profiles Have Been Converted During Setup to the New 
       Format. 
  1.5  Cutting and Pasting Events in the Profile Editor. 
  1.6  Adding to a Game Action in the Event Viewer 
  1.7  Recording Game Pad Actions with Another Game Device Connected 
  1.8  Recording the Game Pad's Start Button in a Game Action 
  1.9  Only one Game Pad in a Multiple Game Pad Setup Can Be Used to Record 
       Game Actions 
  1.10 Adding Profiles Created for a Different Joystick 
  1.11 The Profile Editor Sometimes Delays in Displaying a Profile 
  1.12 Recording Game Actions that Consists of a Three-Key Combination 
  1.13 Using "Cheat Codes" 
  1.14 Reinstalling DirectX5 

Part 2: DISPLAY COMPATIBILITY 
  2.1 Use The Latest Drivers 
  2.2 Diamond Edge 3D Nvidia Video Drivers 
 
Part 3: MEMORY ISSUES 
 
Part 4: TROUBLESHOOTING 


============================================================= 
Part 1: THE NEW SIDEWINDER GAME DEVICE PROFILER  
============================================================= 
 
1.1  Accessing Online Help 
 
On the Help menu, if you double-click, instead of single-click, the Device 
Online User's Guide command, you may encounter an error.  This is due to the fact 
the Help toolbar button is located directly beneath this command and opening 
help file twice in rapid succession can cause an error. 
 
 
1.2  Using Profiles With the SideWinder Game Device Profiler. 
 
Profiles that you use in your games are no longer associated with specific games 
but with specific game devices instead.  That is, you can use the same profile 
in any game that uses the game pad or joystick associated with that profile. 
 
 
1.3  Profiles Supplied with the SideWinder Game Device Profiler. 
 
When you install the SideWinder Game Device Software 2.0 on your computer, setup 
installs approximately 85 pre-made profiles for SideWinder game devices to your hard drive. 
 
A few of these profiles will be present in the activator the first time you run 
the software.  You can add profiles to the Activator as described in "Add a 
profile to the Profile Activator" in the Online User's Guide. 
 
A file named profiles.txt in the Games Devices\Profiles folder contains the 
names of all the pre-made profiles.  Refer to this file in the event you delete 
profiles and want to know what is available at a later date. 
 
To reinstall any of the pre-made profiles to your hard drive, double click 
the file named Profiles.exe in the Game Devices\Profiles folder. 
 
 
1.4  Your Existing Profiles Have Been Converted During Setup to the New Format. 
 
When you ran Setup to install the new SideWinder Game Device Profiler 
Software 2.0, your existing profiles were converted to the new format required 
by the new software and added to the Profile Activator. 

 
1.5  Cutting and Pasting Events in the Profile Editor. 
 
If, when changing a game action you recorded with your SideWinder game pad, you 
copy a keystroke recorded in the "keystrokes only" mode to a game action 
recorded with timing information (non-keystrokes only mode), the timing value 
given to the pasted keystroke may be too fast for some games to recognize. 
 

1.6  Adding to a Game Action in the Event Viewer 
 
Placing the cursor in the event viewer does not allow you to record an event, 
such as a keystroke.  To record an event, you must click the "Record" button. 
 
 
1.7  Recording Game Pad Actions with Another Game Device Connected 
 
If you press the pass-through button on the game pad while recording and another 
game device is connected to the pass-through connector, then one or two d-pad 
arrows, or other characters, may be recorded in the event viewer. 
 
 
1.8  Recording the Game Pad's Start Button in a Game Action 
 
The Start button cannot be recorded in a game action, although you can assign a 
game action to the Start button. 
 
 
1.9  Only one Game Pad in a Multiple Game Pad Setup Can Be Used to Record Game 
Actions 
 
You can only use the game pad connected directly to the computer to make a 
profile, not any game pad connected to the pass-through connector. 
 
 
1.10.  Adding Profiles Created for a Different Joystick 
 
Profiles are interchangeable between SideWinder digital joysticks, however you 
cannot access profiles copied to your computer unless the joystick used to 
create them is also connected. 
 
To add profiles to Activator that were created for a SideWinder joystick that 
you do not have (for example, someone gave you profiles created with a 
SideWinder 3D Pro and you have a SideWinder Force Feedback Pro), use the Windows 
Explorer to change the file extension to match your joystick as indicated below. 
 
SideWinder Joystick   File Extension for Profiles 
------------------    ---------------------------- 
3D Pro                  .sw3 
Precision Pro           .sw4 
Force Feedback Pro      .swf

Then add the profile(s) to your game device using the Profile Activator as 
described in "Add a profile to the Profile Activator" in the Online User's 
Guide.
 
 
1.11.  The Profile Editor Sometimes Delays in Displaying a Profile 
 
On some computers, there may be some delay between the time you open a profile 
and the time it appears in the Recorder window. 
 
 
1.12  Recording Game Actions that Consists of a Three-Key Combination 
 
You may experience inconsistent results when recording a game action consisting 
of three keys pressed simultaneously. 
 
 
1.13  Using "Cheat Codes" 
 
If a game action consisting of a single keystroke or key combination is assigned 
to a button on your game device ("Keystrokes only" mode for the SideWinder game 
pad), pressing and releasing the button is the same as pressing and releasing 
the key(s) as far as the timing is concerned.  However, if a game action 
consisting of multiple keystrokes or key combinations is assigned to a button, 
the game action is played rapidly, as if typed in quickly.  This mode is useful 
for "cheat" codes. 
 
 
1.14  Reinstalling DirectX5 
 
Version 5 of DirectX was installed on your computer when you installed the 
SideWinder Game Device Software 2.0 and is required for games and game devices.  
If you install a game that includes an earlier version of DirectX, it is 
possible to overwrite DirectX version 5.  This will result in the failure of 
newer games and your game device to work properly. 
 
If this occurs, you will need to reinstall DirectX version 5 from the SideWinder 
Game Device Software 2.0 by inserting the CD-ROM into your CD drive and choosing 
"Install DirectX only." 
 
 
============================================================= 
 Part 2: DISPLAY COMPATIBILITY 
============================================================= 
 
2.1 Use The Latest Drivers 
 
In general, it is a good idea to make sure you have the latest release of the 
video drivers for your video card. 
 
If you have the latest video drivers and still have display problems, try the 
following: 
 
  1. Switch to one of the drivers included with the Windows software.  
  2. Change to a different display mode. An alternative to using a different 
     driver is to change your video mode to a standard video mode such as 
     640x480 resolution with 256 colors. 
 
For details on how to change drivers or switch to a different display mode, see 
your Windows manual. 
 
 
2.2 Diamond Edge 3D Nvidia Video Drivers 
 
If you use the Diamond Edge 3D video card with the video driver NVDISP.DRV 
(version 4.0, dated 10/25/95), you will notice a display problem in the Game 
Device Profiler. Specifically, the items in the list of devices, games, and 
profiles display initially as white boxes. Once you click an item in the list, 
all items and text appear correctly. To correct this problem, contact Diamond 
Multimedia Systems for the latest video drivers. 
 
============================================================= 
Part 3: MEMORY ISSUES 
============================================================= 
 
The SideWinder Game Device Profiler should run on any personal computer with 
a 486/66 or higher processor with at least 8MB of RAM.  However, if you have 
other programs running, you may not have enough memory available to start the 
Game Device Profiler Software and run your game at the same time. When your 
system doesn't have enough memory available, you will either receive an error 
message or you will notice that your screen won't redraw properly. If you 
encounter these problems, close any other open programs and try again. 
 
If you receive an error message that you do not have enough space on your hard 
disk to perform an action, you will need to delete unnecessary files from your 
computer to gain some free space. 
 
 
========================= 
Part 4: TROUBLESHOOTING 
========================= 
 
This section contains answers to specific questions you may have.  For 
additional troubleshooting information, see the Trouble-shooting sections of the 
Online User's Guide for your SideWinder game device and the Game Device Profiler 
Online Help. 
 
 
QUESTION:  My game is behaving strangely. Is there any way I can run the game 
with the Game Device Profiler turned off? 
 
    ANSWER:  Yes. You can "suspend" the Game Device Profiler. This allows you to 
run your game without the effect of any profiles. 
 
    >>>To "suspend" the Game Device Profiler: 
 
  1.  On the lower-right corner of the Windows taskbar, right-click the Game 
      Device Profiler icon. 
  2.  Click Suspend. 
  3.  Run your game. 
  4.  To restart the Game Device Profiler, repeat step 1 and click Resume. 
 
 
QUESTION:  I've started having trouble running the Game Controller properties in 
the Windows Control Panel and sometimes get a "general protection" fault 
message.  What can I do to get it working properly again?

      ANSWER: If you install and earlier version of the Game Device Profiler 
Software over the SideWinder Game Device Profiler, you'll 
experience this sort of problem.

>>>To resolve the problem: 
  1. Uninstall the new SideWinder Game Device Profiler. 
  2. Uninstall any old versions of the SideWinder software that are installed on 
     your computer. 
  3. Reinstall the new SideWinder Game Device Profiler. 


QUESTION:  I see strange colors in the Game Device Profiler.  What do I do? 
 
     ANSWER:  The Game Device Profiler is designed to run at 640x480 resolution, 
or higher, with a minimum of 256 colors. If your display is set to show 16 
colors, change your display to show 256 colors or more. For details on changing 
your display settings, see your Windows manual. 
 
 
QUESTION:  Why isn't one of my game actions working in my game? 
 
     ANSWER:  Your game may be one that in certain situations goes into a "non-
polling" mode. This means that the game stops requesting information from the 
game device. (For example, this may happen when you press a game device button 
that you assigned to pause your game.) To make your game respond again, press 
the original keystroke that you had assigned to the game device button. 
 
 
QUESTION: In the Activator, when I double-click on a profile for a different 
game device, the same game device still appears in the Editor window.  How can I 
open my profile for the other game device? 
 
Close the Editor and double-click the profile listed in the Activator again. 
 
 
QUESTION: Some of the scroll bars, dialog boxes, and control appear to be 
mis-aligned in the Profile Editor or the Profile Activator.

      ANSWER: You may experience difficulty with some dialog boxes and controls 
if you use the Large Fonts option provided by Windows.  It is recommended that 
you choose the Small Fonts option when using the Game Device Profiler Software 
2.0. 


QUESTION: I'm running VSC-88 Virtual Sound Canvas from Roland Corporation and I 
keep getting a "not connected" status for my gaming device when I open the Game 
Controller properties of the Windows Control Panel.  Why is this happening?

      ANSWER: VS.-88 Virtual Sound Canvas is not compatible with digital game 
devices and will occasionally cause a device to become disconnected.  Use the 
Remove and Add buttons to reestablish the device connection.


QUESTION: I keep getting the message "Unable to load profile.  Game device not 
connected." when I double-click on a profile listed in the Explorer window.  Why 
can't the Activator load my profile?

      ANSWER: You can only load and use profiles for the game device(s) that you 
have connected to the game port on your computer.  This message indicates that 
you are attempting to open a profile for a game device other than that presently 
connected.


QUESTION: When recording a game action and I press the AltGr key, I get 
Ctrl+AltGr in the event viewer.  Will I get Ctrl+AltGr in my game action, or 
just AltGr?

      ANSWER: This is the result of an incompatibility between the software and 
some keyboards. Your game action will "play" the Ctrl+AltGr key combination.


QUESTION: When pressing the buttons on my game device with the Test window (on 
the Game Controllers properties of the Windows Control Panel) open, some or all
of the buttons don't light up on the image in the window.  The game device 
seems to work okay in my games, why does it appear to be not working properly 
when I test it?

      ANSWER: Before you can test a game device properly, you need to make sure 
that there are no active profiles.  You can deactivate all profiles by right- 
clicking the Game Device Profiler taskbar icon and selecting "Suspend."


QUESTION:  When I test my SideWinder game pad with the Test window (on 
the Game Controllers properties of the Windows Control Panel) open, and I 
press one of the game pad buttons, one or more other buttons light up on the 
image in the window.  Is my game pad okay?

      ANSWER: Before you can test a game pad properly, you need to make 
sure that there are no active profiles.  You can deactivate all profiles by 
right-clicking the Game Device Profiler taskbar icon and selecting "Suspend."



