======================================
Microtest Virtual CD V.3.0.4 - 07/2000
======================================

Content:

1. General
2. Known problems
3. Frequently asked questions
4. Customer support



==========
1. General
==========

Thank you for choosing Microtest Virtual CD! 

The following information is important for installation of Virtual CD: 

- To use Virtual CD, you have to deactivate the "read-ahead" function for 
  your CD-ROM drive under Windows.  To do this, open your Start menu and 
  select Settings->Control Panel->System; click on the Performance tab, then 
  on the File System button, and then on the CD-ROM tab. On this page, select 
  "No read-ahead" under "Optimize access pattern for:".

- To use Virtual CD under Windows 95, Microsoft DirectX V.3 (or later) must be 
  installed in your system. If you don't already have a new enough version, you 
  can download the latest DirectX version free of charge from 
  http://www.microsoft.com.

- Some CD-ROMs, especially game CDs, offer a "minimal installation" option. 
  We recommend using this option whenever it is available, since Virtual CD 
  saves the data on your hard disk anyway, which is faster than the CD drive. 

- Under Windows 2000, once you install VCD 3 and restart your computer, the 
  hardware detection program registers the Virtual CD driver. Depending on your 
  system, this procedure can take up to several minutes, but be patient--this 
  procedure is essential for operation of the program. 


=================
2. Known problems
=================

Virtual CD has been carefully tested under different configurations to 
assure compatibility with Windows 2000. Currently, no problems are 
known with this latest release.


===================================
3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
===================================

-----------------
General Questions
-----------------

Q: Why has my CD application or my entire system stopped responding? 
A: The Windows CD-ROM "read-ahead" function must be active; see above for 
   details on deactivating this function. 

Q: Why does Windows 95 report that 'DSOUND.DLL not is loaded' every time I start 
   my computer? 
A: This DLL is a component of DirectX. Virtual CD requires DirectX V.3 or later. 
   Solution: Download the latest DirectX version, available for example from the 
   Microtest Web site (see above for details). Windows 98 comes equipped with 
   the required driver, so W98 users shouldn't have this problem.

Q: Everything went smoothly when creating my virtual music CDs, but there are 
   problems when I try to play them. The Windows player starts, but the time 
   display shows '00:00' and doesn't change. Why? 
A: You need DirectX V.3 (or later) to play audio CDs under Windows 95. Also, 
   when creating the virtual CDs, make sure the audio format selected for 
   playback exists on your computer. 

Q: Why don't I hear any background music when I use my CD games? 
A: Some games feed certain sound elements directly into your sound card, through 
   the "primary buffer" in DirectX. Due to the special software architecture of 
   Virtual CD, VCD 3 cannot support this hardware feature. 


------------------------------
Problems Creating a Virtual CD
------------------------------

Q: Why does my CD application repeatedly prompt me to insert the original CD?
 
A: Some CDs are made using a special mastering technique; you can't create a 
   virtual version of this CD type using Virtual CD's standard copy method.
   If you are prompted to insert a CD when you start an application from a 
   virtual CD, try making a new virtual CD using one of the other copy methods, 
   which are called "Correction 1" and Correction 2". You'll have to do some 
   experimenting to find out which method is the best for a given CD. 

   Make sure that you FIRST create the virtual CD and THEN install the software 
   FROM the virtual CD onto your hard disk. To avoid confusion, remove the 
   original CD from the CD-ROM drive before installing the software. If you 
   already installed the software from a physical CD before you decided to make 
   a virtual CD, make sure you de-install the software first, then make the 
   virtual CD and reinstall the software. 

Q: I created a virtual CD using the Correction 2 copy method. Why is it 
   designated in my display as an audio CD when it's actually a data CD? 
A: The process used by the Correction 2 is not supported by all CD-ROM 
   drives. If possible, try using a different drive to make the virtual CD.

Q: Why doesn't the process for creating a virtual CD come to an end?
A: In some cases, Virtual CD cannot detect the end of a CD. Try opening the
   CD drawer briefly. If this doesn't help, start the creation process over 
   again and select the option to "Use binary search to determine CD size".

Q: Why did my system stop responding while I was making a virtual CD?
A: The option to "Use binary search to determine CD size" might cause some 
   systems to crash. If this happens, try using the Correction 1 or Correction 2 
   copy method instead of the binary search option.

Q: Why does it take such a long time to create a virtual CD? 
A: The original CD has to be clean and free of scratches. Also keep in mind 
   that, on some computers, the Correction 2 method takes considerably longer 
   than other methods. Your choice of audio format can also affect the speed of 
   the process; for instance, using MP3 can make the process considerably slower 
   than it is with others formats. 

Q: How come I can't make a virtual CD from a physical CD that I copied myself? 
A: When you copy a CD onto a CD-R, select the "disk-at-once" option in your CD 
   copying software. Using the "track-at-once" option can lead to errors. 

Q: Why do I get the message 'Error opening drive as a CD player' when I try to 
   create or test an analog audio CD?
A: Windows is probably not configured to play audio signals from your physical 
   CD drive over your sound card. To correct this, open your Start menu and 
   select Settings->Control Panel->Multimedia. Click on the CD Music tab; on 
   this page, make sure that the drive letter entered corresponds to your 
   physical CD-ROM drive. 

===================
4. Customer Support
===================

Before you contact our support department, check whether the information in 
this file provides a solution to your problem. If not, the next step is to 
check www.virtualcd-online.com for a Service Pack that you can download to upgrade 
the software. Chances are, whatever is causing your problem has already been 
fixed in the upgrade. 

If you do need to contact us for support, please have the following information 
on hand when you write to us: 

* Where did you get your VCD software? 
* Which version of VCD do you have? (it's noted in the first line of this file)
* What version of Windows do you have, Windows 95, 98, 2000, or an NT 4 
  workstation)?
* How can we reproduce the problem here? In other words, what steps had been 
  taken when the problem first occurred?

E-mail:   vcdsupport@microtest.com
Internet: www.virtualcd-online.com

Have fun with your new software!
Your Microtest team
