README.TXT for the Alps 4x4 CD-ROM Changer This file contains supplemental information for the Alps 4x4 CD-ROM Changer Install Disk. **** WARNING **** * The laser beam used in this CD-ROM Changer can cause eye damage if viewed directly. * To prevent direct exposure to the laser beam, do not attempt to open the enclosure. * Use of controls, adjustments, or the performance of procedures other than those specified within this manual could result in hazardous radiation exposure. * Refer all internal servicing of this unit to authorized service personnel. * To ensure proper use of this product, please read this file carefully and keep it for future reference. This CD-ROM drive is classified as a CLASS 1 LASER product. The CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT label is located on the top of the drive unit. ____________________________________________________________ README FILE CONTENTS 1. WINDOWS 95 SUPPORT 1.1 32 Bit Driver Installation 1.2 The AlpsTray CD Manager 1.3 Installing the Windows 95 Multimedia Programs 1.4 Creating Shortcuts for DOS Applications 1.5 32 Bit Driver Un-Installation 1.6 Using with McAfee Virus Shield 2. DOS/WINDOWS 3.1 SUPPORT 2.1 16 Bit Driver Installation 2.2 16 Bit Driver Un-Installation 2.3 DOS/Windows 3.1 Command Line Option Switches 2.4 DOS/Windows 3.1 Device Driver Features 3. INSTALLING THE HARDWARE 4. COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 5. FILES ON THE INSTALL DISK 6. SPECIFICATIONS 7. ADDITIONAL APPLICATION NOTES ____________________________________________________________ 1. WINDOWS 95 SUPPORT 1.1 32 Bit Driver Installation To install the Windows 95 32-bit driver for the Alps 4X Internal CD-ROM Changer: - Insert the Alps installation floppy disk into drive A: or B:. - In Windows 95, double-click on My Computer. - Double-click on 3 1/2 Floppy. - Highlight the file Alps4x4.inf, click the right mouse button on it, and choose Install from the menu that appears. (The file may appear as Alps4x4 if you are viewing without file extensions.) The install program copies the files to the right locations. If you have previously installed the Microsoft CD Player, the install program also creates a shortcut to it (under Programs: Alps: 4x4 CD-ROM Changer: CD Player). - After the files are copied, you must restart your computer before the new settings will take effect. 1.2 The AlpsTray CD Manager Once you have restarted your computer and Windows 95, you will see the CD utility called the AlpsTray CD Manager in the lower right corner of the Windows 95 desktop. Click on the AlpsTray CD Manager to get a menu of commands. Through the AlpsTray CD Manager, you can change the tray that you are using, scan all trays, and eject the CD-ROM magazine. If you have added any title, artist, or track information through the Microsoft CD player, the AlpsTray CD Manager displays it. In addition, if you click the right mouse button on the mounted CD-ROM drive, you will see the load commands for the changer, and you can control the selected tray if you are using one-drive mode. 1.3 Installing the Windows 95 multimedia programs Under Windows 95, you must use the Microsoft CD Player. If you have not installed the Microsoft CD Player, follow these instructions to install the Windows 95 multimedia programs (which include the CD Player). - In Windows 95, click the Start button, and choose Settings: Control Panel. - Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. - Click on the Windows Setup tab. - Scroll down to Multimedia, and then double-click it. - Place a checkmark in the box to the left of CD Player. - Click OK. - Click OK again. - Windows 95 asks you to insert either the Windows 95 installation CD or the appropriate Windows 95 installation floppy disk (depending on which you installed from originally). - Click OK. Windows 95 copies the appropriate files to the correct place on your hard disk. 1.4 Creating Shortcuts for DOS Applications In Windows 95, when you create a shortcut for a DOS program (such as a DOS-based game), you can choose whether you want to use one-drive mode or four-drive mode. With a game, for example, you'd normally choose one-drive mode if your game automatically checks the next tray at the end, or four-drive mode if the game requires you to change disks manually. To select one-drive or four-drive mode with a shortcut: - Click the Start button, and select Programs: Windows Explorer. - Select the item you want to create a shortcut for (usually a DOS EXE file). - Click the right mouse button on the icon, choose Create Shortcut, and then drag the Shortcut to the Desktop. - Click the right mouse button on the Shortcut icon, and select Properties. - Select the Program tab, and then click the Advanced button. - Select MS-DOS mode, and then select Configuration. - Click Yes in the Warning Box. - Click to select either one-drive mode or four-drive mode. Be careful not to select both modes they will conflict. - Click OK to exit. 1.5 32 Bit Driver Un-Installation To uninstall the Windows 95 32-bit driver for the Alps 4X Internal CD-ROM Changer: - Click the Start button, and choose Settings: Control Panel: Add/Remove Programs. - Choose Alps 4X4 CD-ROM Changer x.x from the list of installed items. - Click the Add/Remove button. - After the files are removed, you must restart your computer before the new settings will take effect. 1.6 Using with McAfee Virus Shield McAfee Virus Shield "traps" many kinds of commands to your floppy and CD-ROM drives. Some of these "traps" can conflict with the Alps drivers. To use this product with McAfee Virus Shield: - Double-click on the shield icon in the bottom right-hand side of the taskbar (if you've moved the taskbar to the side or top of your screen, the icons will have moved as well). - Click the Properties button in the VShield Status window which appears. - Select the Detection tab - In the box marked "Scan disks on", uncheck the boxes marked "Access" and "Shutdown". - Select OK, then Close. - Restart your computer. ____________________________________________________________ 2. DOS/WINDOWS 3.1 SUPPORT **** Note **** The installation software requires that MSCDEX.EXE be installed on your system to provide access to the CD-ROM file system. MSCDEX.EXE is included with DOS version 6.X and later. If you have an earlier version of DOS, you will need to obtain a current version of MSCDEX.EXE from Microsoft or another source. 2.1 16 Bit Driver Installation To install the DOS/Windows 3.1x 16-bit driver for the Alps 4X Internal CD-ROM Changer: - Insert the Alps installation floppy disk into drive A: or B:. - At the DOS prompt C:\, Type A: and press the Enter key. Type INSTALL and press the Enter key. Follow the instructions in the INSTALL program. - After the files are copied, you will need to restart your computer so the new settings can take effect. - After the installation, modify the two lines in your [386Enh] section in SYSTEM.INI file under Windows directory: 32BitDiskAccess=off VirtualHDIRQ=off 2.2 16 Bit Driver Un-Installation To uninstall the Changer software, follow these steps: - Delete each of the following four files from the C:\4X4PAK directory (or the equivalent, as is appropriate for your system): ALPSCHGR.SYS README.TXT - To delete the directory contents, enter: DEL C:\4X4PAK\*.* - Delete the 4X4PAK subdirectory. To do so, enter: RD C:\4X4PAK - Using a line editor, modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT file by deleting the following statement: C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:ALPS001 If this statement included other CD-ROM devices besides the Alps Changer, remove only the /D:ALPS001 portion of statement. - Modify your CONFIG.SYS file by deleting the following two statements: DEVICE=C:\4X4PAK\ALPSCHGR.SYS /D:ALPS001 LASTDRIVE=K In some cases, you may want to keep the LASTDRIVE entry (if your system includes a series of drives assigned to individual drive letters). - If necessary, remove or modify the two lines previously added to your SYSTEM.INI file under Windows directory: 32BitDiskAccess=off VirtualHDIRQ=off Since these statements will affect the behavior of your system under Windows, refer to your Windows documentation to ensure that you have the appropriate settings for these values. 2.3 DOS/Windows 3.1 Command Line Option Switches The syntax for the ALPSCHGR.SYS command is as follows: device=[drive:][path]ALPSCHGR.SYS /D:name [/S:nn] [/N:nn] [/M] [drive:][path] Specifies the drive and directory where the device driver ALPSCHGR.SYS file is located. /D:name Specifies the name of the CD-ROM drive (8 characters maximum). This must be identical to the device name specified in the MSCDEX.EXE line of the 'AUTOEXEC.BAT' file. [/S:nn] (two hex digits) Specifies spindle rotational speed. 01:normal speed 04:quad speed (default) [/N:nn](two hex digits) Specifies the numbers of logical units assigned per one CD-ROM drive. 01-04 are available. (default is 04) [/M] Disable manual change. (default is enabled) The syntax for the MCDEX.EXE command is as follows: [drive:][path]MSCDEX.EXE /D:name [/M:n] [/E] [/V] [L:drive letter] [drive:][path] Specifies the drive and directory where MSCDEX.EXE resides. /D:name Specifies the name of the CD-ROM drive (8 characters maximum). This must be identical to the device name specified in the ALPSCHGR.SYS line of the 'CONFIG.SYS' file. [/M:n] (optional) Specifies the number of memory buffers that MSCDEX.EXE should use for temporary storage of data retrieved from the Alps Changer. Increasing this number may improve the performance of certain kinds of applications. [/E] (optional) Specifies that MSCDEX.EXE should use expanded memory, if it is available. Can be used to free conventional memory if your memory manager supports the use of expanded memory. [/V] (optional) Indicates verbose mode; MSCDEX.EXE will display additional details about memory usage when loading. [/L:drive letter] (optional) Assigns a specific logical device letter to the Alps Changer. 2.4 DOS/Windows 3.1 Device Driver Features - Supports a maximum of 5 Alps 4x4 CD-ROM drives. - Supports a maximum of 20 logical CD-ROM drives. - Looks for DC544C CD-ROM Drive at the following port addresses automatically: 1F0-1F7h, IRQ14, Alt. port 3F6h (Primary) 170-177h, IRQ15, Alt. port 376h (Secondary) 1E8-1EFh, IRQ11, Alt. port 3EEh (Third) 150-157h, IRQ11, Alt. port 15Eh (Future Domain) 168-16Fh, IRQ10, Alt. port 36Eh (Forth) 160-167h, IRQ10, Alt. port 16Eh (Future Domain) - Supports PIO data transfer only (no DMA). ____________________________________________________________ 3. INSTALLING THE HARDWARE The Alps Changer includes jumper switches (shown in the below) to determine whether the unit will respond as a Master or a Slave on the selected IDE port (Primary or Secondary). By default, the Changer is jumpered as a Master. Top view of Jumper Switch; To Front Bezel S M Note ; MA Master L A SL Slave : : : : [:] [:] Jumper (default position) To Rear ____________________________________________________________ 4. COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT UNSUCCESSFUL INSTALLATIONS Q: How can I locate Pin #1 of the interface connector on the Changer? A: Pin#1 is marked by a triangle that appears directly adjacent to the connector on the printed circuit board. Q: Following installation of the Alps Changer, my PC won't complete its boot procedure. What could be the cause? A: If the Alps Changer is daisy-chained on the same IDE cables your hard disk drive, this problem is probably caused by the Master and Slave jumpers being set incorrectly. Make sure that the Alps Changer jumper is set to the Slave position and that the hard disk drive jumper is set to the Master With Slave position. Q: I cannot get the Alps Changer physically installed in my system. A: Your PC may require the Alps Changer to have side rails mounted before it can be installed in the drive bay. You can buy these rails at many computer retail outlets. Install the rails according to the instructions provided with the rails or with your computer hardware manual. The mounting screws provided with the Alps Changer assume that the thickness of the mounting fixture in the PC drive bay is between 1.0mm to 1.3mm. If your mounting fixture is thicker than this, you will need to obtain longer screws than those supplied. Purchase ISO M3 screws, but make sure that they do not penetrate into the Changer cabinet by more than 2.5mm. Q: I cannot connect the Alps Changer to the IDE port on the system board. A: The IDE interface cable has a fixed length, determined by the IDE specification. If the cable does not reach the installed Changer, try relocating other devices in your system to bring the Changer into a more accessible position. If your audio cable is too short, you can purchase a longer commercial audio cable as long as it conforms to the ATAPI standard. Q: After I installed the Alps Changer, my computer would not power up. A: Check to ensure that the external power cable is securely mated with the socket on the computer cabinet. Q: Even though my computer system is powered on, the Alps Changer does not run. (None of the LEDs light up.) A: Open your computer cabinet and recheck the power cable connection to the rear panel of the Changer. The connector plug should be firmly engaged in the power receptacle. Q: The Changer doesn't eject the magazine when I press the Eject button. A: Recheck the internal power cable connection to the Alps Changer. Remember your system must be powered on for the Eject button to work. If the magazine still won't eject when the system is powered on, make sure that the mounting screws for the Changer do not extend into the Changer cabinet. If you have used screws other than those provided by Alps, you may need shorter screws to allow the disc-changer mechanism to operate freely. Q: The error message, "Invalid Drive Specification," appears when I try to access a disc in the Changer. A: Check your CONFIG.SYS file for the ALPSCHGR.SYS statement and ensure that MSCDEX.EXE is correctly specified in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. (See Section 2 for details.) If you haven't restarted your system following installation, this could be the problem. The system must be restarted to recognize the Changer. Check to ensure that the LASTDRIVE statement that appears in the CONFIG.SYS is adequate to cover all installed drives (one letter per drive). You can increase the LASTDRIVE letter to include additional drives. Q: I could not log on to the network after installing the Alps Changer. A: Change the LASTDRIVE letter in the CONFIG.SYS file to the letter just before the letter specified for your network access. For example, if the network drive letter for Novell NetWare begins at Q, set the LASTDRIVE statement to P (LASTDRIVE = P). Q: I'd like to install the Changer so that it doesn't use so many logical drive letters. A: You can change the option switch for the ALPSCHGR.SYS device driver to /N:01. This switch installs the Changer as a single logical drive letter. To access the discs in the magazine if you use this option, you must use the STOP/CHANGE button on the Changer front panel, rather than changing discs under software control (through the MediaPlayer). Q: Some software performs erratically since I installed the Alps Changer. A: The read cycle within your PC should be shorter than the value specified for the Alps Changer. You can use the /L option in the ALPSCHGR.SYS statement to extend the read cycle time for the Changer. (See Section 2.) Q: I cannot get the magazine to insert into the Alps Changer. A: In its fully installed position, the magazine sticks out about 0.8 inch (about 3/4 of an inch) from the magazine slot. Make sure that you do not try to insert the magazine upside down. Also check to see if the disc trays are properly inserted upon the internal rails in the magazine. If the trays are misaligned, they could block the magazine from being inserted. Q: I cannot get any sound from the audio speakers. A: Make sure that the internal audio cable was connected to your sound board receptacle. Make sure that your sound board is properly connected to external speakers or an amplifier. Make sure that the volume control, mixer levels, or mute control for your sound board are set to appropriate levels. Some sound boards have both DOS and Windows interfaces for controlling these settings. Make sure there is an audio CD in the disc position that you are trying to play and that it is inserted with the label side up. Q: Do I have to have all four trays installed in the magazine while the Changer is operating? A: The Changer can operate with any number of trays installed (from one to four) as long as the trays are inserted properly on their guides. QUESTIONS ABOUT PROBLEMS AFTER INSTALLATION Q: While operating the Alps Changer, I encountered a "CDR-101" error. A: This error could be caused by any of the following problems: The ALPSCHGR.SYS statement is not present in the CONFIG.SYS file or it has the wrong switch settings. (See Section 2 for details.) An installed CD has been damaged or is defective. An installed CD has been inserted upside down in the tray. You attempted to read an audio CD through the operating systems. Audio CDs have no file structure and cannot be read through their drive letter. Q: While operating the Alps Changer, I encountered a "CDR-103" error. A: This error appears if you have attempted to read a CD-ROM format not supported by the Alps Changer, such as an Apple Macintosh HFS disc or a proprietary UNIX disc. The Alps Changer only recognizes formats that conform to ISO 9660 specifications. Q: The Changer can only access one of the four installed discs. A: The ALPSCHGR.SYS setting for number of drives has been improperly specified. See Section 2 for the correct setting. Q: No drive letters for the Changer appear in File Manager (Windows3.1) or Windows Explorer (Windows95). A: You have not yet installed the Alps Changer software, or the software has not been properly loaded during system startup. Restart your computer to make sure that the software has been loaded. If problems continue, check the software installation procedure described in Section 1 and 2. Q: I can only access Disc 1 when I try to run a particular application. A: Some older applications support only single-disc CD-ROM units. For those applications, make sure that you place the first disc of the application in the Disc 1 position (the bottom slot in the magazine). Q: When using some media utilities to access the Alps Changer, the front panel controls on the Changer don't operate as expected. A: Not all utilities allow full use of the front panel controls while they are controlling the Alps Changer. Limit yourself to using the software interface when you are running utilities that cause this type of problem. Q: A disc tray came loose from the magazine and is still inside the Changer. A: Keep the power turned on to your PC. Insert an empty magazine (with no trays or discs) into the magazine slot. Press the Eject button to extract the loose tray and magazine from the Changer. Q: The installation program for a CD-ROM title does not run properly. A: Check to make sure that you have no Terminate and Stay Resident program currently loaded in memory. In DOS you can enter "MEM /C" to view a list of installed drivers. You can use the remark statement (REM) to temporarily eliminate suspected devices or utilities from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files until the software for the title is installed. Virus protection software sometimes interferes with installation programs. These programs should usually be unloaded before installing new software. Q: My system cannot boot up after the Alps Changer installation. A: Some specific system possibly shows this problem. In case of connecting the Changer to Primary port, change the Changer to Secondary port. If your system does not have secondary port, connect the Changer via any IDE adapter card. ____________________________________________________________ 5. FILES ON THE INSTALL DISK ALPSCHGR.SYS 16-bit (Real mode) device driver for DOS/ Windows 3.x ALPS4X4.INF A setup script for Windows 95 installation ALPS4.VXD A virtual device driver for Windows 95 applications ALPSTRAY.EXE A control panel applet for Windows 95 applications ALPSEXT.DLL A context menu handler for Windows 95 applications INSTALL.EXE Installation program for DOS applications MSVCRT40.DLL Visual C++ library SETUP.INI Information file used with DOS installation program _SETUP.EXE A program used with DOS installation program ~PDATA.EXE A program used with DOS installation program README.TXT This file ____________________________________________________________ 6. SPECIFICATIONS The Alps 4X Internal CD-ROM Changer conforms to the following specifications: Host Interface ATAPI Supported CD-ROM Formats CD-ROM (Mode1, Mode2 data, Mixed mode audio and data) CD-ROM XA CD-DA (Audio CD) CD-I Digital Video CD Bridge discs (Video CD) Multisession PhotoCD Disc Diameter 120 mm and 80 mm (80 mm requires an adapter tray available from Alps) Data Transfer Rate 600 kilobytes per second maximum Access Time 210 milliseconds typical by the one-third stroke method Buffer Size 128 kilobytes Disc Loading Method Four-disc magazine Size 1.69 in. x 5.86 in. x 7.99 in. ____________________________________________________________ 7. ADDITIONAL APPLICATION NOTES Do not attempt to remove the magazine when it is locked (when your system is powered down). Trying to remove a locked magazine can cause drive damage. The Alps Changer does not have an "Emergency eject" button; you cannot remove or eject the magazine if your system is powered down. To eject the magazine, press the Eject button while your system is powered on. ____________________________________________________________