Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

The program stops randomly and/or returns an Undefined User Exception error.

I get an error message when I try to start my Pencil-Pal title.

I have a Mac and would like to run the program from an account that does not have administrative privileges.

What are the minimum system requirements for my program?

Does my School Zone software have a warranty?

The installation program requires Classic to run. I do not have a Classic OS on my Mac.

I have installed the software but the program still asks me to insert the CD.

I get an error that says, “invalid directory name” or “Error opening file for writing” when I try to install my software.

The program installed fine, but when I try to start it, it asks me to "Please Insert the CD-ROM".

The program installed and appears to play properly but I have no sound.

My Mac OS X system (10.4 or 10.5) will not eject the CD.

My program says it requires 256 colors, how do I make that change?

My program says it requires 16-bit color, how do I make that change?

I have Windows 2000 or Windows XP and when I try to run Math 1-2 I get an error that says the “disk cannot be located”.

I have tried everything in the FAQ but my sound and/or video still does not work.

How do I take a screenshot of my issue to send to tech support?

The program stops randomly and/or returns an Undefined User Exception error.
To Delete Preferences in Windows:

  1. Close all open windows.
  2. Click the "Start" or Windows symbol button on the bottom left corner of the main computer screen (desktop).
  3. Click "Run".
  4. In the dialog box that pops up, type %APPDATA% (including the percent signs) and click the 'OK' button or hit the "Enter" key on the keyboard.
  5. A window will pop up showing file names. In this window locate a folder named "School Zone Preferences".
  6. Highlight and Delete the "School Zone Preferences" folder.
  7. Close any open windows.
  8. Restart the program.

To Delete Preferences on Mac OS 10.2-10.4:

  1. Press the Apple + F keys to bring up the finder, or go to the File menu and choose Find.
  2. Type "school" in the search box.
  3. A folder named "School Zone Preferences" should appear in the search results window.
  4. Delete the School Zone Preferences folder.
  5. Start the program.

To Delete Preferences on Mac OS 10.5:

  1. Press the Apple + F keys to bring up the finder, or go to the File menu and choose Find.
  2. Set the search options to include system files:
    - Change the search criteria from "Kind" to "Other" *
    - Locate "System files" in the list and check the box next to it.
    - Make sure the drop down box beside "System files" is set to "include".
  3. Type "school" in the search box.
  4. A folder named "School Zone Preferences" should appear in the search results window .
  5. Delete the School Zone Preferences folder.
  6. Start the program. * If Search Criteria are not visible, click the Action drop down box (the icon looks like a gear) and click "Show Search Criteria"

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I get an error message when I try to start my Pencil-Pal title.
To uninstall the program:

  1. Click on Start and go to All Programs.
  2. Go to the School Zone Folder and select Remove Application* from the Application* folder.
  3. Open My Computer, then open the C: drive.
  4. Open the Program Files folder
  5. Open the School Zone folder and delete the Application* folder if it exists
    * This will be the title of the CD

To delete preferences:

  1. Close all open windows.
  2. Click the "Start" or Windows symbol button on the bottom left corner of the main computer screen (desktop).
  3. Click "Run".
  4. In the dialog box that pops up, type %APPDATA% (including the percent signs) and click the 'OK' button or hit the "Enter" key on the keyboard.
  5. A window will pop up showing file names. In this window locate a folder named "School Zone Preferences".
  6. Highlight and Delete the "School Zone Preferences" folder.
  7. Close any open windows.

Reinsert the CD, the autoplay should begin automatically. Click play to reinstall the application. During the install process, the program will be copying over several large files and the progress bar may not move for several minutes.

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I have a Mac and would like to run the program from an account that does not have administrative privileges.
School Zone products are installed to the Applications Folder on Mac OS X. By default, Mac users under a Standard or Managed account do not have full rights to the Applications folder. To allow these users to run School Zone software please follow the steps below:
Solution for Standard Users:

  1. Log in to the Standard account.
  2. Open the hard drive and navigate to the Users folder then to the Shared folder.
  3. Create a new folder in Shared by clicking File and choosing New Folder (Shift-Command-N), name the new folder "School Zone".
  4. Insert the School Zone CD. The CD should load automatically.
  5. Drag the Program icon (this icon will have the same name as the program title) in the upper left corner into the School Zone folder that was just created.
  6. When the file has finished copying, close the CD window
  7. Inside the School Zone folder, click on the program icon once to highlight it, then click File from the menu and choose Make Alias (Command-L).
  8. Drag the alias to the desktop.
  9. Double click the alias on the desktop to start the program. After accepting the license agreement the program will launch.

Solution for (Parental Controls) Managed Users:

  1. Under the limited account click Finder and Run Full Finder.
  2. Enter an administrator username and password.
  3. Insert the Program CD. The CD should load automatically.
  4. Open the Folder My Applications from the dock.
  5. Drag the Program icon (this icon will have the same name as the program title) in the upper left corner to the My Applications folder.
  6. Click on Finder and choose Return To Simple Finder.
  7. Open My Applications and click on the Program icon.
  8. A dialog stating The application "Autoplay" is not allowed may appear. This will depend upon previous installations of School Zone Products.
  9. Choose Always Allow from the dialog and enter an administrator username and password.
  10. Click on Play from the Autoplay menu. An error dialog will occur, click OK and a dialog stating The application "8022_8" is not allowed.*
  11. Choose Always Allow from the dialog and enter an administrator username and password.
  12. After accepting the license agreement the program will launch.

*The application name will differ depending on the School Zone title being installed.

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What are the minimum system requirements for my program*?

 Windows® Vista, XP, 2000
          Pentium® III 1GHz (or equivalent)

          256MB of RAM

          800x600 32-bit color video

          16-bit sound card

          700MB of available disk space

          CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive

 

 Mac® OSX 10.5, 10.4.11, 10.3.9

          Power PC™ G4 933MHz (or equivalent)

          256MB of RAM

          800x600 32-bit color video

          700MB of available disk space

          CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive

 

Does my School Zone software have a warranty?
School Zone warrants that the original CD is free from defects in material and workmanship, assuming normal use, for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. If the defect occurred during this period, you may return your faulty CD to School Zone, along with a dated proof of purchase, and School Zone will replace the CD free of charge. After ninety (90) days, School Zone will replace your CD for a fee of $10.00. You may obtain a replacement CD by sending your defective CD, and a check for $10.00 (residents of Michigan please add 6% sales tax) to:

School Zone Publishing
Attn: Tech Support
1819 Industrial Drive
Grand Haven, MI 49417

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The installation program requires Classic to run. I do not have a Classic OS on my Mac.

Previous versions of School Zone software did not have an OS X installer.  On these versions, the program is designed to run directly from the CD by clicking the icon that has "OS X" at the end of it's name.

 

We are currently in the process of updating our titles to no longer require the CD to be present after installation.  If this was a recent purchase (within 90 days) from an authorized retailer you may be entitled to a replacement if a revision is available.  Email, Fax or standard mail a dated proof of purchase along with your mailing address to:

School Zone Publishing
Attn: Tech Support
1819 Industrial Drive
Grand Haven, MI 49417

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I have installed the software but the program still asks me to insert the CD.
We are currently in the process of updating our titles to no longer require the CD to be present after installation. If this was a recent purchase (within 90 days) from an authorized retailer you may be entitled to a replacement if a revision is available. Email, Fax or standard mail a dated proof of purchase along with your mailing address to:

School Zone Publishing
Attn: Tech Support
1819 Industrial Drive
Grand Haven, MI 49417
Fax: 616-846-0214
Email: tech.support@schoolzone.com

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I get an error that says, “invalid directory name” or “Error opening file for writing” when I try to install my software.
An account with restricted access could prevent the installer from creating folders necessary for storing program information and preferences.

  1. Log in to your computer as an administrator
  2. Install the program.

Note: Once the program has been installed by an administrator, it can be played by all accounts.

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The program installed fine, but when I try to start it, it asks me to "Please Insert the CD-ROM".

  1. If you have two CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drives, try inserting the CD-ROM into the other drive.
  2. Ensure the CD-ROM is clean and there are no fingerprints or smudges on the CD-ROM.

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The program installed and appears to play properly but I have no sound.
Be sure to check all speaker connections and make sure your speakers are powered on.
To Check your sound settings:

  1. Double-click on the speaker icon (located near the time on the taskbar). If you do not have the speaker icon, open the control panel and double-click on multimedia.Select "show volume control on desktop".
  2. Click on Options, then Properties
  3. Make sure Wave, CD, and Master Out are checked, then click OK
  4. Make sure the volume controls are not muted and that they are set at a level high enough to hear.
  5. Run the program again.

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My Mac OS X system (10.4 or 10.5) will not eject the CD.
If this is a recent purchase (a period of sixty days from the date of purchase) from an authorized retailer, you may be entitled to a free replacement CD that will run on your system. Email, Fax or standard mail a dated proof of purchase along with your mailing address to:

School Zone Publishing
Attn: Tech Support
1819 Industrial Drive
Grand Haven, MI 49417
Fax: 616-846-0214
Email: tech.support@schoolzone.com

Force quit the Apple Finder:

  1. Insert CD
  2. Press Option+Apple+Esc to bring up the Force Quit dialog box.
  3. Click on Finder to highlight it.
  4. Click Relaunch.
  5. Click Relaunch again from the menu that comes up.

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My program says it requires 256 colors, how do I make that change?

  1. Click on Start
  2. Click on Settings
  3. Click on Control Panel
  4. Double-click Display
  5. Click on Settings tab
  6. Click on down arrow by Colors box
  7. Select 256 Colors
  8. Click Apply and then OK
  9. If prompted, restart your computer
  10. Start Program

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My program says it requires 16-bit color, how do I make that change?

  1. Click on Start
  2. Click on Settings
  3. Click on Control Panel
  4. Double-click Display
  5. Click on Settings tab
  6. Click on down arrow by Colors box
  7. Select high color (16 bit) or true color (32 bit)
  8. Click Apply and then OK
  9. If prompted, restart your computer
  10. Start Program

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I have Windows 2000 or Windows XP and when I try to run Math 1-2 I get an error that says the “disk cannot be located”.
The version of Math 1-2 you currently own was released before Windows XP. If this is a recent purchase (within 90 days) from an authorized retailer, you may be entitled to a replacement. Email, Fax or standard mail a dated proof of purchase along with your mailing address to:

School Zone Publishing
Attn: Tech Support
1819 Industrial Drive
Grand Haven, MI 49417
Fax: 616-846-0214
Email: tech.support@schoolzone.com

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I have tried everything in the FAQ but my sound and/or video still does not work.
So we may better understand the problem you have encountered, please run the following diagnostic tool to provide us with more information:

  1. Click Start - Run
  2. Type DXDIAG and Enter
  3. Follow the prompt instructions
  4. If the machine does not automatically prompt you to save the results, click the "Save All Information" button.
  5. Attach the text file to an email which includes the name of the and as complete a description of the question/problem as possible to: tech.support@schoolzone.com

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How do I take a screenshot of my issue to send to tech support?
Solution for Windows:

  1. Press the Print Screen button on your keyboard and exit the program.
  2. From the Start menu go to Programs Accessories and open the Paint program (or any other graphics program that you are comfortable with).
  3. From the Edit menu select Paste. The image should now be on screen.
  4. Make sure the image displays the error you are experiencing.
  5. From the File menu select Save and choose a name for the file and save it.
  6. Be sure to note the directory where the file is being saved to.

Solution for Macintosh:

  1. Command-Shift-4 and then drag your mouse over the needed info to select it.
  2. You should hear a camera shutter sound.
  3. Open your hard drive. There should be a file in there called Picture 1 (unless previous snapshots were taken).
  4. Make sure the image displays the error you are experiencing

Attach the picture file to an email which includes the name of the and as complete a description of the question/problem as possible to: tech.support@schoolzone.com

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