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Zeus Tech Note
Trouble-Shooting and Debugging

(This document last revised May 8, 1997, version 0.5)

Copyright © 1996-1997. Zeus Productions. All Rights Reserved.
Written by Bruce A. Epstein

The first step towards fixing a problem is to determine its exact nature. To say "it doesn't work" is not very helpful. Try to narrow down the problem by determining what does work, which will leave you with a better understanding of where the problem lies.

Q. What are some common sources of error?

A. The most common error is a syntax error or typographical error, such as an incorrect file name or file path. Verify and physically retype the command or file path to make sure that they are correct.

Q. What should I try?

A. The key is try different components to see if they are the cause. If they are, you have solved the problem, if not you have gained useful information and narrowed down the possible sources of error.

Windows Specifics:

Macintosh Specifics:

Q. How can I narrow down the problem?

A. The best approach depends on the nature of the symptoms. If there is smoke coming out of your computer, re-installing the software probably won't help. It is common to have no idea where the problem lies, so you have to start somewhere based on what you know. Conceptually, the trouble-shooting process is always the same, whether you are fixing your car, your body, your computer or your love life.

Q. How do I know where to start?

A. Start with the most likely causes that are easiest to check, and eliminate possibilities as you progress.

Possible sources of error fall loosely into the following categories:
One generally assumes that components that have previously worked are still working. For example, if your printer has worked reliably for years and suddenly stops printing, you might assume that the cable has come loose. On the other hand, if the printer never worked, you might think it was damaged in shipping, or that the wrong cable is being used.

If something works partially or intermittently, this often represents the greatest challenge. Suppose a printer provides poor output. It could be something obvious such as the laser printer is low on toner, or something more subtle, such as the wrong type of paper being used.

The most difficult categories to solve are:

Q. How do I actually check the suspected culprit?

A. As with any undertaking, it helps if you have the right tools and a modicum of patience and experience. Sometimes there is no way to verify or fix a problem without the right tools. One tried and true approach is to substitute a known working part for the suspected culprit. For example, if your printer does not work with your cable, but another cable works, then you know that your cable is at fault.

This can be extraploated to other areas. It is generally easy to swap printers, monitors, cables and even computers. It is somewhat more difficult to swap

Q. Once I have determined the problem, how can I solve it?


A. After you have determined what is going wrong, you can make a guess at its cause. An error may be easy to fix, such as a simple syntax error. Consult the documentation for the proper syntax, make the correction and try the application again.

Other possible solutions fall loosely into the following categories:

Q. Why can't I get it to work on all machines?


A. This is one of the great questions of all time. If you can get your project to work on 90% of installed base of PCs you are doing well. If on the other hand, your project is failing on every PC, the problem is most likely with your Lingo code, an Xtra or your Projector.

For example, most GPFs are caused by conflicts with audio and video card drivers or a misconfigured system. Encourage users to upgrade their drivers, and/or use the Generic VGA 640x480x256 video driver that is available from Microsoft (it ships with Windows for Workgroups, and can be downloaded from Microsoft too).

You should obtain the details of the user's configuration (i.e. make, processor, video and sound cards/drivers, available RAM, etc.) and contact Macromedia regarding known problems with the given hardware/software setup. They maintain a KnowledgeBase which probably has known configuration specific conflicts listed. They also provide a list of known good and bad video cards in a text file that comes with Director called VIDSOUND.WRI.

Consult the Director for Windows README files regarding creating a custom DIRECTOR.INI file that may help in certain situations.



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Copyright © 1996-1997. Zeus Productions. All Rights Reserved.

(This page last revised May 9, 1997)