Last Dynasty Patch README
November 3, 1995

I.  AN IMPORTANT NOTE
II.  WHAT THE PATCH CORRECTS
III.  INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
IV.  TROUBLESHOOTING THE LAST DYNASTY
V.  WINDOWS 95 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS
VI.  CONTACTING TECHNICAL SUPPORT

_________________________________________________________

I. AN IMPORTANT NOTE

This patch is for the European version of Last Dynasty ONLY. It only 
corrects problems that occur when running the game in Windows 95. If 
you have the US version or are running the game in any other version of 
Windows do not install this patch. (The European version of Last Dynasty 
is a silver CD; the US CDs are blue.)


II. WHAT THE PATCH CORRECTS

Some customers have not been able to get their joystick to work in 
Windows 95. This patch corrects this problem. In addition, the patch 
corrects the illegal Dynalink call error message when starting the game 
in Windows 95.


III. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

After you have unzipped the patch, copy the files onto a floppy disk in 
your A: drive. (You can only use the A: drive, the patch will not install 
from B:.) Then, at the A: prompt, type: GO <ENTER>. This will install 
the patch to your hard drive.


IV. TROUBLESHOOTING THE LAST DYNASTY

The following are some common problems encountered with The Last 
Dynasty.

Problem: Your computer fails the Sound Card test; you cannot hear the 
voice and fanfare in the Wave and MIDI tests. 
Solution: Your sound card may be incorrectly configured for DAC 
(Audio) or your sound card drivers may not be properly installed or 
configured for Windows 95. Make sure your speakers are turned on and 
run the Windows mixer program for your sound card so you can increase 
its volume levels for MIDI (music) and DAC (Audio). You should consult 
your sound card documentation or the manufacturer for information 
regarding the correct configuration of your sound card in Windows 95.  

Problem: Your computer fails the Display test because you are not 
running in 256 colors,  or your video card does not meet the Pixels-per-
second second Speed requirement for the game. 
Solution: First make sure you are running Windows in 256 colors. Even 
though your monitor and video card may be capable of displaying 256 
colors, Windows may not be set up to use this resolution.  Click on the 
Start button, select Settings, then Control Panel. Double-click the Display 
icon. You will see four tabs: Background, Screen Saver, Appearance, and 
Settings. Click on Settings. In the box under Color Palette, it should say 
256 Color. If it does not, click on the down arrow next to the window to 
view a list of choices, and select the one that says 256 Color.  You will 
also notice a slider bar under Desktop Area for adjusting resolution from 
640 by 480 pixels (the lowest setting) upwards. If your video card failed 
the initial speed test, try adjusting the resolution to 640 by 480 pixels. 
This will decrease the screen resolution but may improve the speed of 
your video card. 

Problem: Your computer fails the Memory test; you get a message stating 
you do not have enough memory to run The Last Dynasty.
Solution: The Last Dynasty requires a computer with a minimum of  8 
MB (8192k) of RAM to run. To free up memory in Windows 95, close 
any and all Windows programs (including screen savers, wallpaper, virus 
detection programs, shell programs like Norton Desktop or Packard Bell 
Navigator, etc.) that may be running. On your Taskbar, right-click on the 
program tab for the program you wish to shut down, and select Close. 
Then run the Setup program again and try the memory test. If your system 
still fails the test, consult the boot disk instructions at the end of this 
document and create a Windows 95 boot disk for your system. Then boot 
up with the boot disk, disable any and all other Windows programs, and 
start the Setup/Install program again. These steps should give you enough 
memory to run the program. 

Problem:  When starting up the game, you get the error message You 
need XXXXXX bytes more memory to run this application.
Solution:  This problem can be solved by freeing up more memory 
resources for the game.  Make sure that no other Windows programs are 
running, then create a boot disk and run the game under the boot disk 
environment. Boot disk instructions are included in this file. 

Problem:  Choppy video or sound playback.
Solution:  This occurs when the game does not have enough memory 
resources available for its use. Make sure that no other Windows 
programs are running, then create a boot disk and run the game under the 
boot disk environment. Boot disk instructions are included in this file. 

Problem:  When instructed to switch CDs and press <Enter>, you get a 
white DOS Error - Read Error message.  You may or may not have the 
opportunity to retry.
Solution:  When switching CDs, make sure to allow the drive to initialize 
the new CD before hitting <Enter>.  Wait for the busy light on the drive to 
light up and then go dark.  At this point, you should be able to press 
<Enter> without errors.  If problems persist, remove the CD from the 
drive and check the shiny surface for damage or smudging.  If the CD 
needs cleaning, you can do so with a soft, lint-free cloth.  Do not use any 
cleaners!


If you do not see your specific problem listed above, these standard 
troubleshooting procedures correct most problems running The Last 
Dynasty. 

Run the program from a minimal boot disk: Boot disks will free up 
more system resources and memory for your games.  The boot disk also 
creates an environment that is cleaner or free of extra TSR and utilities 
that can sometimes cause conflicts.  Boot disk instructions are included in 
this README file. 

Check for corrupted files: Run SCANDISK to detect and correct any 
hard drive errors and corrupted files.  If you find any errors such as cross-
linked or truncated files or lost allocation units, correct them, then delete 
and reinstall The Last Dynasty.

Reinstall the game in a clean boot environment: Lockups and other 
technical problems can be caused by corrupted game files.  No program 
will run correctly if the data or executable files are corrupted.  These 
corruptions can occur during the installation of the game due to conflicts 
with TSRs or other utilities running during the installation.  Reinstalling 
the game in the same environment will usually result in the same 
corrupted data.  You should install the game in a clean boot 
environment.

Create a clean Windows environment: Make sure that all screen savers, 
virus scans, and sound-related Windows programs (IconHear It, Wired for 
Sound, etc.) are disabled before starting the game. In addition, if you are 
using an alternate Windows desktop like Norton Desktop or PCTools, use 
the regular Windows 95 desktop. You should also check to make sure you 
have virtual memory enabled. 

Update drivers: Outdated or incompatible video or sound drivers can 
also cause lockups and errors in Windows. Some drivers were not 
included with Windows 95 and must be obtained from the hardware 
manufacturer. In addition, some hardware manufacturers have already 
updated the drivers that come with Windows 95. Check with your sound 
and video card manufacturers to make sure you have the latest versions of 
their drivers. 



VI. WINDOWS 95 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Please read all instructions before beginning this 
procedure. 

STEP 1
FORMATTING THE DISK
To make a boot disk, you must system format a high density diskette in 
the A: drive. This procedure will transfer the system files to the disk and 
allow the computer to boot up correctly.  The disk must be in the A: drive; 
the computer will not boot from the B: drive. 

To format a disk in Windows 95, put the disk in the drive, open My 
Computer, then right click on the A: icon. From the pop-up menu, select 
Format. Under Format type select Full; under Other options, choose 
Copy system files. Click on Start. 

After the disk is formatted, you must copy the MSDOS.SYS file from the 
hard drive to the floppy disk.  To do this, leave the floppy disk in the 
drive, open Windows Explorer and find the MSDOS.SYS file in the root 
of the C: drive.  Right click on the file, then select Send to from the pop-
up menu.  Send the file to the A: drive. 

NOTE:  If you dont see the MSDOS.SYS file in Explorer, the file is 
hidden.  To make the file visible, select View, Options, then Show all 
files. If you do not wish the hidden files to remain visible, you can hide 
them again after youve made the boot disk by choosing View, Options, 
Hide files of this type.

STEP 2 
LOCATING THE CD ROM DEVICE DRIVER
The CD ROM drive requires a device driver loaded in the CONFIG.SYS 
file.  This driver must be loaded correctly or you will be unable to access 
your CD ROM drive. To make sure that the device driver loads correctly 
on the boot disk, look at the CONFIG.SYS on the hard drive and copy the 
driver line from there.  To display the CONFIG.SYS, click on the Start 
button, then choose Run.  In the command line, type SYSEDIT.  The 
SYSEDIT window will appear.  Click on the CONFIG.SYS title bar to 
display the CONFIG.SYS file. Look for the line that loads the CD ROM 
device driver. The line should look something like this:

DEVICE=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220
DEVICEHIGH /L:14652 =C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS 
/D:MSCD001 /P:220

The device driver in your CONFIG.SYS may differ slightly from those 
listed above.  Carefully write down the line for use in your boot disk.  

If you have a SCSI CD ROM drive, there may be an additional driver in 
your CONFIG.SYS that must be loaded for the CD ROM device drivers 
to load correctly.  Check your CD drive documentation for more 
information. 

NOTE:  If you cannot find your CD ROM driver in the CONFIG.SYS 
file, you may need to look in the CONFIG.DOS file. To access this file, 
choose Start, Run, then type NOTEPAD C:\CONFIG.DOS. If you still 
cannot locate the driver, check your CD ROM drive documentation or 
contact the drives manufacturer. 

STEP 3
LOCATING THE MSCDEX CD ROM EXTENSION (May be 
optional - See Note below)
NOTE: If your CD ROM drive has native 32-bit Windows 95 drivers, 
you will NOT need to load MSCDEX.EXE on your boot disk. If you are 
unable to access your CD ROM drive if MSCDEX is not loaded, contact 
your system manufacturer or CD ROM drive manufacturer for Windows 
95 CD ROM drivers. In the meantime, you can use these instructions to 
load MSCDEX in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on your boot disk.

In addition to the CD ROM device driver in the CONFIG.SYS, your CD 
ROM drive requires MSCDEX, the Microsoft extension for CD ROM 
drives.  If this extension is not loaded correctly in the AUTOEXEC.BAT, 
you will be unable to access your CD ROM drive.  To make sure that 
MSCDEX loads correctly on the boot disk, use SYSEDIT to look at the 
AUTOEXEC.BAT on your C: drive and copy the MSCDEX line from 
there.  It should look something like this:

C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001
LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 
LOADHIGH /L:14429 C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001

The MSCDEX line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT may differ slightly from 
the ones above. Carefully write down the line for use in your boot disk.  

If you cannot find the MSCDEX line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, then 
most likely you do not need to load it to access your CD ROM drive in 
Windows 95. Skip this step and continue to Step 4.

STEP 4
CREATING THE CONFIG.SYS FILE
To create the CONFIG.SYS file on the boot disk, choose Start, Run, then 
type NOTEPAD A:\CONFIG.SYS in the command line field. This will 
start the Windows Notepad program. In the new Notepad screen, enter the 
following lines:

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS 
DOS=HIGH,UMB 
FILES=30
BUFFERS=20 

Add the CD ROM device driver as you wrote it down in the Locating the 
CD ROM Device Driver section.  The device driver should look 
something like this:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220 

Save the file by clicking on File, Save.  Close Notepad by clicking on 
File, Exit.


STEP 5
CREATING THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE
To create the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the boot disk, choose Start, Run, 
then type NOTEPAD A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT in the command line field. 
This will start the Windows Notepad program. In the new Notepad screen, 
enter the following lines:

@ECHO OFF
C:\ 
SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM 
PROMPT SIERRA BOOT DISK $_$P$G 
PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:
\SIERRA

If your CD ROM drive requires the MSCDEX CD-ROM extension, add 
the line loading MSCDEX that you wrote down in Step 3

Save the file by clicking on File, Save.  Close Notepad by clicking on 
File, Exit.

STEP 6
REBOOT THE COMPUTER AND RUN THE GAME
Leave the disk in the drive and restart the computer by clicking on Start, 
Shut Down., then Restart the computer. The computer will now re-boot 
with the boot disk. When Windows 95 restarts, start your game.


VI. CONTACTING SIERRA TECHNICAL SUPPORT
If you are playing the European version of Last Dynasty (silver CDs), you 
must contact Sierras Technical Support in Europe. 

UNITED KINGDOM
Sierra On-Line Technical Support
4 Brewery Court
The old Brewery,
Theale, Reading, Berkshire
RG7 5AJ

Phone: (44) 1734 303 171
FAX: (44) 1734 303 201
BBS: (44) 1734 304 227

FRANCE 
Sierra On-Line / Coktel Technical Support 
Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Immeuble Le Newton
25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
92366 Meudon La Foret Cedex

Phone: (33) 1 46 01 4650
FAX: (33) 1 46 31 7172

GERMANY
Sierra Coktel Vision Deutschland 
Robert Bosch Str. 32      
D-63303 Dreieich           

Phone: (49) 6 103 99 4040
FAX: (49) 6 103 99 4035

SPAIN
System 4 - Coktel Educative 
Calle Tomas REDONDO, 11  F
Edificio Indo Building
Luarca
28033 MADRID  

Phone: (34) 1 381 53 32
FAX: (34) 1 764 58 85

If you decide to write or fax Technical Support, please fill out the 
following information.  This will give Technical Support the information 
we need to help you as efficiently as possible. Thanks!



Problem:___________________________________________________
_______________
	____________________________________________________
______________
	____________________________________________________
______________
	____________________________________________________
______________


Your Name:___________________
Date:     __________
Company:  _____________________
Your Daytime Telephone Number:____________
Your Evening/Voice Number:    ____________
Your 
Address:___________________________________________________
__________
Your E-Mail Address:______________________


Please circle or fill in the following:

Game Name            
Game was played in:    Windows 3.1    Windows 95 DOS    
Other:___________

Computer Brand          Compaq   AST   Acer   IBM   Clone   
Other:__________
Computer Model          Presario-CDS524   Advantage   Aptiva  
Other:________  
Processor Maker         Intel   Cyrix   AMD     IBM     Other:_____
Processor Model         386     486     Pentium   Other:_________
Processor Speed Mhz     25      33      50      66      90      Other:______
BIOS Manufacturer       AMI     Phoenix      Award      Other:______
BIOS Date, Version      ________________

Total Memory Counts up to     4096    7808    8192    Other:_________
Free Conventional       _________
Free Expanded EMS       _________
Free Extended XMS       _________
Memory Manager          DOS-HIMEM-EMM386    QEMM6.03   
QEMM7.5   Other:_____

Video Card Brand        ATI   Cirrus   Diamond   Hercules   Other:______     
Video Card Model        Mach32    Stingray    SpeedStarPlus  
Other:_______
Video Card Memory       512K    1meg    2meg    Other:__________
Video Card Bus          ISA     Built-in        VLB     PCI
Windows Video Res       640x480   800x600   1024x768   1280x1024
Windows Video Color     256    32000   65535   16million  
Other:_______
Last time Win video driver was updated:   Today  MonthAgo  Never  
Other:____
Command used to enable VESA in DOS:   C:\MACH32\VVESA   None   
Other:______

Number of Hard Drives   _____
Hard Drive Controller   MFM     IDE     EIDE    SCSI    ESDI    
Other:_____
Hard Drive Size         ________
Hard Drive Space Available     _____________

CD-ROM Brand            Mitsumi    NEC   Sony   Oak   Other:_________   
CD-ROM came with computer:      YES     NO      UNSURE
CD-ROM Speed            1x(Single)    2x(Double)    3x(Triple)   
Other:____    
CD-ROM Controller       Soundcard     IDE      SCSI     Other:_______
MSCDEX Version          2.20    2.21    2.22    2.23    Other:

Music Sound Card Brand     SoundBlaster16  RolandMT-32  
Other:____________ 
Speech Sound Card Brand    SoundBlaster16  ProAudioSpectrum16  
Other:______
I/O Port Address           220    240    Other:______
IRQ Setting                3   5   7   10   Other:________
DMA Setting                1   3   5   Other:________
SET BLASTER =              A220-I5-D1  
Other:_____________________
Last time Win sound driver was updated:   Today  MonthAgo  Never  
Other:_____
Windows' CANYON.MID plays OK            Yes     No

DOS Version             MS-DOS-5.0      MS-DOS-6.22    
Other:___________
Windows Version         3.1     WFW3.11    95    Other:___________
Windows Swapfile Type   Temporary       Permanent       None
Windows Swapfile Size   ______________
Other O/S               DR-DOS-6     OS/2-2.1      OS/2-Warp    Other:
Windows Shell Used      RegularProgramManager   NDW   PCTools   
KidDesk
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI   SHELL = _______________________
C:\WINDOWS\WIN.INI      LOAD = ________________________

Mouse Brand             Microsoft   Logitech   Dell   Other:________
Mouse Type              Serial    Bus    PS/2-Style   Other:________
Mouse Software Ver:     ________________
Mouse works in "EDIT"   Yes     No
Mouse works with other games    Yes     No

Is a Scanner installed?    YES    NO
Other Special Hardware Installed?   Network   VidCapCard  
Other:________
Make sure any special hardware doesn't conflict with your sound card
Have you tried a boot disk?     YES     NO

Please print out or copy-and-paste a copy of your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT 
and 
C:\CONFIG.SYS files to this form.




