FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions


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©2008 Prolific Publishing, Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Top Questions
Will Marine Aquarium 2.6 work with Windows Vista? How do I upgrade to the newest version of Marine Aquarium? I lost my Keycode OR I made my purchase but have not received my keycode. The fish swim slowly and/or Marine Aquarium freezes. Will I receive a CD with my online order?
Before You Buy
Basic Information - Please Read Is your website secure? What are the Marine Aquarium 2.6 system requirements? Will I receive a CD with my online order? Will Marine Aquarium 2.6 work with Windows Vista? Will Marine Aquarium 2.6 run on my notebook or laptop computer? Will Marine Aquarium 2.6 run on widescreen and/or multiple monitors? Is Marine Aquarium a screen saver? I have the Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP CD with Marine Aquarium on it. Do I have to buy a keycode? Will the Marine Aquarium 2.6 run on a Mac? Does Marine Aquarium 2.6 include spyware or viruses? Where can I talk to real people who have used this product?
Keycodes
I lost my Keycode OR I made my purchase but have not received my keycode. I am told my keycode is invalid. How do I copy and paste my keycode? I have an old keycode/CD and it does not work with the new version of the Marine Aquarium. I have to enter my keycode each time I change user profiles. Lost or damaged CDs.
Installation
How do I test Marine Aquarium 2.6 on my computer? How do I install Marine Aquarium once I have purchased a keycode? How do I install Marine Aquarium 2.6 from a CD? How do I upgrade to the newest version of Marine Aquarium? Marine Aquarium does not appear in the screen saver list in Windows Vista. Where can I download an older version of Marine Aquarium? How do I set Marine Aquarium as my default screen saver? How do I uninstall Marine Aquarium 2.6? How do I re-install Marine Aquarium? How do I set Marine Aquarium as my Windows XP Logon screen saver?
Operation
How do I get to the Marine Aquarium settings menu? Marine Aquarium hot keys. Marine Aquarium Settings tab. Marine Aquarium Fish tab. Marine Aquarium Clock tab. Where are the other fish and how do I choose them? Marine Aquarium anamorphic settings How do I import a logo?
Troubleshooting
Basic Information - Please Read The fish swim slowly and/or Marine Aquarium freezes. Your video card and its driver Updating your video card driver. My fish are plain white (no textures). Marine Aquarium displays a black screen but I can hear the bubbles. Marine Aquarium does not appear on all of my monitors. Marine Aquarium minimizes or does not launch as a screen saver When Aquarium runs, I have no sound. When I run the Aquarium from the shortcut on my desktop, my computer launches a different program. What are the Marine Aquarium file names and locations?
Screen Savers & Burn-in
What is burn-in? Screen savers How can I prevent burn-in? How do I fix burn-in?
Miscellaneous
What are the types of fish that come with Marine Aquarium? How do I register my SereneScreen Product? Why is there a limit of seven fish for Marine Aquarium? Screen savers Can I make my own Fish for Marine Aquarium?
Top Questions
Will Marine Aquarium 2.6 work with Windows Vista? Yes. Marine Aquarium 2.6 is fully compatible with Windows Vista. If you run into any trouble, please e-mail us with a detailed description of the problem. [Back to top] How do I upgrade to the newest version of Marine Aquarium? To upgrade from an older version of Marine Aquarium to Marine Aquarium 2.6, please see our website HERE. Please note that there are separate instructions for CD and download customers. Also, owners of the Marine Aquarium 2.5 may use their CD's to unlock the v2.6 download for free. Thank you for your continued interest! [Back to top] I lost my Keycode OR I made my purchase but have not received my keycode. Please go HERE and sign into your account to retrieve your keycode. If this procedure does not work, e-mail us the following information where applicable and we can retrieve your information from our customer database: The full name you registered under. The Order Number from your confirmation e-mail. Both the first four AND last four numbers of the credit card you used. Your email address at the time of purchase. Your old Keycode. (If you are upgrading from an older code) The store you purchased from. The date of your purchase. [Back to top] The fish swim slowly and/or Marine Aquarium freezes. Slow animation, jittering, or freezing can be caused by a variety of things. Lets try a few of the basics and see what might be causing the issue: IMPORTANT: Be sure that your video card has 32 megabytes or more of video memory and an up to date driver. Do not skip this step! Even if your computer is brand new or you have recently updated drivers, there can still be problems in this area. Click HERE for more information on your video card and how to check it. Examine the programs in your System Tray (The area just to the left of the clock on the Taskbar). Placing your mouse cursor over the icons will give you items full name. If you have Windows XP you may have to "Show hidden icons" using the small circle and arrow button to the left of the System Tray. If the icon is Windows or another program waiting to update, run the updates then continue. If the icon is not one of your basic system functions (volume, task manager, mouse, video card, printer, etc.) exit, disable or close the program. Right-clicking will usually give you options. Then, check if Marine Aquarium exhibits the same behavior. Double-check your computer for spyware or viruses. If none of the above solves your problem, please contact us using the Tech Support page HERE. [Back to top] Will I receive a CD with my online order? No. We do not ship CDs with online orders. You may purchase a CD for Marine Aquarium 2.0 and 2.5 at any CompUSA Store, Frys Electronics Store (a West Coast electronics chain). You can also purchase the CD for Marine Aquarium 2.0 and 2.5 online from Encore Software. For more details, you can contact our Sales Department via e-mail. [Back to top]
Before You Buy
Basic Information - Please Read Before purchasing Marine Aquarium 2.6 we strongly recommend you test the program to see if it works on your computer. You can do this by downloading the program and running the demo version as outlined HERE. [Back to top] Is your website secure? Yes. In the interest of protecting your credit card and personal information, we do have several layers of security to ensure that our sites are secure as possible. For more information on our site security, please see our security statement. [Back to top] What are the Marine Aquarium 2.6 system requirements? To run Marine Aquarium 2.6, you will need: Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP (Home or Professional). A Pentium-class CPU (200 MHz or faster). 64 MB of system RAM. 128 MB system RAM for Windows XP. A DirectX 7 compatible, 3D Accelerator Video Card with 32 MB or more of on-board RAM. 3 MB of free Hard Disk Space. DirectX 7 or better installed on your computer. The latest drivers for your video card. These are best found at the video card manufacturers site. The Windows update feature is not sufficient for this task. For more information, click HERE. [Back to top] Will I receive a CD with my online order? No. We do not ship CDs with online orders. You may purchase a CD for Marine Aquarium 2.0 and 2.5 at any CompUSA Store, Frys Electronics Store (a West Coast electronics chain). You can also purchase the CD for Marine Aquarium 2.0 and 2.5 online from Encore Software. For more details, you can contact our Sales Department via e-mail. [Back to top] Will Marine Aquarium 2.6 work with Windows Vista? Yes. Marine Aquarium 2.6 is fully compatible with Windows Vista. If you run into any trouble, please e-mail us with a detailed description of the problem. [Back to top] Will Marine Aquarium 2.6 run on my notebook or laptop computer? Yes. However, only notebooks with an nVidia GeForce or ATI Rage Mobility video chip sets will run Marine Aquarium smoothly. The NeoMagic chip will not work. [Back to top] Will Marine Aquarium 2.6 run on widescreen and/or multiple monitors? Yes! Marine Aquarium 2.6 supports widescreen AND multiple monitor displays. It will mirror the Aquarium in each of the monitors you have, but will not stretch the Aquarium across your displays. This is a feature we are working on for the future. For more information on the widescreen and multiple monitor features, see our entry HERE. [Back to top] Is Marine Aquarium a screen saver? Marine Aquarium is an aquarium simulation program. It can be assigned as a screen saver, but it was primarily designed to emulate the elegance and serenity of watching an aquarium. [Back to top] I have the Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP CD with Marine Aquarium on it. Do I have to buy a keycode? Yes. The 3 fish Marine Aquarium that comes in the Microsoft Plus! and Microsoft Plus! Superpack CD is only a demo. Jim Sachs, the creator of the Marine Aquarium simulator is not affiliated with Microsoft and does not receive a dime from sales of the Microsoft Plus! CDs. Some time ago, Microsoft spotted our Marine Aquarium and was so impressed at the way the program utilizes Microsofts Direct 3D technology they contacted Jim who agreed to create a 3 fish version as a show piece for the Microsoft Plus! CD. In return, Jims product is exposed to millions of Windows XP users who can purchase the full Marine Aquarium program if they are so inclined. We apologize for any inconvenience. [Back to top] Will the Marine Aquarium 2.6 run on a Mac? Yes! We are proud to offer a version of Marine Aquarium 2.6 for OSX, which is fully compatible with the new Intel Macs. Click HERE for more information. [Back to top] Does Marine Aquarium 2.6 include spyware or viruses? None what so ever. Our downloads do not include spyware or adware of any kind. Just a clean installation file for the program. However, there are a companies and software pirates that grab popular online products and alter them to include invasive spyware and even viruses. If this has happened to you, please let us know the address of the web site that sold your offered you our product. You can contact us by e-mail. There is a free product called AdAware, that we ourselves use. This program gets rid of all sorts of spyware, etc. on your machine you might not know about. AdAware can be downloaded from LavaSoft Also, Microsoft has recently released their anti-spyware program. Information on it can be found HERE. Afterwards, if you are still interested in Marine Aquarium 2, please download it from our site where we guarantee a download free of any other annoying ads or programs. [Back to top] Where can I talk to real people who have used this product? Check out the SereneScreen fan site, complete with wish lists and discussion forums. SereneScreen fan site [Back to top]
Keycodes
I lost my Keycode OR I made my purchase but have not received my keycode. Please go HERE and sign into your account to retrieve your keycode. If this procedure does not work, e-mail us the following information where applicable and we can retrieve your information from our customer database: The full name you registered under. The Order Number from your confirmation e-mail. Both the first four AND last four numbers of the credit card you used. Your email address at the time of purchase. Your old Keycode. (If you are upgrading from an older code) The store you purchased from. The date of your purchase. [Back to top] I am told my keycode is invalid. There are three things that can cause this: Some characters in the keycode can be easily confused (i.e. capitol O and zero, capitol I and the number one, etc.). Try to copy and paste your keycode into the programs registration space to avoid any possible input errors. For detailed instructions on copying and pasting, see our entry HERE. Also, if you are upgrading from a CD you will need to make sure it is in the drive while entering the keycode. Your copy of the program may have been corrupted during download or installation. Try downloading a new copy of the program and reinstalling it. Be sure to deactivate your anti-virus programs for the duration of the download and install. You may be attempting to use your keycode in another one of our programs or an earlier version. Please make sure that the version you downloaded is the version you purchased. (i.e. - the Marine Aquarium 2.0 keycode will not work with the Marine Aquarium 2.6). For a list of download links for older versions of Marine Aquarium, see our entry HERE. [Back to top] How do I copy and paste my keycode? Please Note: If you are upgrading from a CD, you will need to make sure that the CD is in the drive during this procedure. To copy and paste the Keycode, do the following: Hold down the left mouse button and pass the cursor over the Keycode. This will highlight the code in black. Let go of the mouse button and move the cursor to the center of the highlight without pressing any buttons. Press the right-most mouse button and select "Copy" from the pop-up menu. Start Marine Aquarium 2.6. After the program start up, press the space bar. This will bring up the registration window. Put the cursor in the registration window, press the right-most mouse button again and select "Paste" from the pop-up menu. The Keycode should appear in the registration box. Be sure to eliminate any spaces before or after the code so you can have a clean paste. Press the Enter key. The program should start right up. [Back to top] I have an old keycode/CD and it does not work with the new version of the Marine Aquarium. Keycodes and CDs will not work between the separate Marine Aquarium series (.99, 1.0, 2.0, 2.6, etc.). In order to prevent piracy, we modify the keycode system for each new release of Marine Aquarium. If you wish to use a new version of Marine Aquarium, and you have an old keycode, you will have to acquire an upgraded keycode. The only exception to this is v2.5 CD's which will unlock v2.6 downloads for free. For more information on upgrading, please click HERE. Lastly, keycodes that we find posted on the Internet are automatically deactivated in our database. You are urged to NEVER give out your keycode to anyone. If you do, they might post YOUR keycode to a website or forum. At that point we will be forced to disable the keycode. We ONLY disable keycodes that are posted to the Internet, or from customers that could not get the product to work on their computer. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES CAN WE "RE-ACTIVATE" A KEYCODE. We apologize for any inconvenience. [Back to top] I have to enter my keycode each time I change user profiles. On a computer with multiple user profiles, only profiles that have administrator access can effect changes to the computers registry, where our keycode is stored. Not having Administrator access to the computer means that Marine Aquarium cannot register itself correctly. You will have to change each user profile to accept registry changes and then enter the keycode into each profile. To change the user profile in Win 2000/XP: Click on the START button and select "Control Panel". Double-click "User Accounts". Select the task "Change an Account" and then click on the account to be changed. Click "Change my account type" and read the instructions for changing each profile to Administrator status. [Back to top] Lost or damaged CDs. Unfortunately, since our CDs are manufactured by another company, we cannot replace lost or damaged CDs with another CD or a keycode. Please e-mail our Technical Support department for other possible solutions to this issue. [Back to top]
Installation
How do I test Marine Aquarium 2.6 on my computer? There is no separate demo version of Marine Aquarium. However, we built the Marine Aquarium to act as a demo unless you entered a valid keycode or have a CD. To properly install Marine Aquarium and activate the demo mode, follow the instructions below: IMPORTANT: Before installing, be sure your anti-virus software is deactivated for the duration of the download and install. Delete any old versions of Marine Aquarium on your system to avoid conflicts. Download the newest release of Marine Aquarium 2.6 from HERE After downloading the program, find the folder you downloaded to and double-click on the Marine Aquarium file. This will run the Setup Wizard, which will install Marine Aquarium on your computer, simply read and follow the instructions for installation. Once the installation process is complete, there should be a new icon on your desktop that looks like an orange and white fish over a clock. Double-click the new icon to bring up the registration page. Type TESTFISH into the registration box. This will unlock the demo mode and display three fish. Do not forget to reactivate your anti-virus software. While the Marine Aquarium is running you can press the space bar to change your settings. Let Marine Aquarium run for a little while to be sure everything is working properly. If you have any problems consult the Troubleshooting section of our FAQ. [Back to top] How do I install Marine Aquarium once I have purchased a keycode? Once you have purchased your keycode you can activate the full version of Marine Aquarium. To properly install Marine Aquarium, and activate the full version, follow the instructions below (If you have already installed the newest demo version, skip to step #6): IMPORTANT: Before installing, be sure your anti-virus software is deactivated for the duration of the download and install. Delete any old versions of Marine Aquarium on your system to avoid conflicts. Download the newest release of Marine Aquarium 2.6 from HERE After downloading the program, find the folder you downloaded to and double-click on the Marine Aquarium file. This will run the Setup Wizard, which will install Marine Aquarium on your computer, simply read and follow the instructions for installation. Once the installation process is complete, there should be a new icon on your desktop that looks like an orange and white fish over a clock. If you are Upgrading from an older CD, place your CD in the computer. Click Exit or Cancel on any automatic window that may appear. If you are not upgrading from and older CD version, please skip this step. Double-click the new Aquarium icon to bring up the registration page. Copy and paste your keycode into the registration space to avoid any possible input errors (Some characters can be easily mixed up i.e. the letter O and zero, capital I and the number one, etc.) and press enter. Once the program is running, you can press the space bar to change your settings. Do not forget to reactivate your anti-virus software when you are finished. [Back to top] How do I install Marine Aquarium 2.6 from a CD? To install the Marine Aquarium 2.6 from CD, please do the following: IMPORTANT: Before installing, be sure your anti-virus software is deactivated for the duration of the install. Place your Marine Aquarium CD in the CD-ROM drive. The CD will automatically run the Aquarium Setup Wizard, which will install Aquarium on your computer, simply read and follow the instructions for installation. Once the installation process is complete, there should be a new icon on your desktop that looks like a Orange and White Clownfish in front of a Clock. Double-click on the fish to run Aquarium to start the program. At this point Aquarium will read the CD for authorization and unlock the program. While the Aquarium is running press the space bar to bring up the Settings menu. Don't forget to reactivate your anti-virus software when you are finished. [Back to top] How do I upgrade to the newest version of Marine Aquarium? To upgrade from an older version of Marine Aquarium to Marine Aquarium 2.6, please see our website HERE. Please note that there are separate instructions for CD and download customers. Also, owners of the Marine Aquarium 2.5 may use their CD's to unlock the v2.6 download for free. Thank you for your continued interest! [Back to top] Marine Aquarium does not appear in the screen saver list in Windows Vista. Due to the extra security and new file structure of the 64bit version of Windows Vista, you will need to perform one extra step to install Marine Aquarium on your computer: Right-click on the Marine Aquarium Desktop shortcut icon. A small menu will appear. Select "Install" from the menu. Confirm the installation by checking the screen saver list again. [Back to top] Where can I download an older version of Marine Aquarium? If you have an older keycode and are not interested in purchasing an upgrade, you can download the older versions of Marine Aquarium using the links below: Marine Aquarium 0.99L Marine Aquarium 1 Marine Aquarium 1 Widescreen Marine Aquarium 2 Marine Aquarium TIME 2* Please note that Marine Aquarium TIME keycodes will work with Marine Aquarium TIME 2. [Back to top] How do I set Marine Aquarium as my default screen saver?* To set Marine Aquarium as your screen saver follow the instructions below: Right-click on your desktop. This will bring up a small menu window. Select "Properties" from the menu. This will open the "Display Properties" window. Click on the tab along the top marked "Screen Saver" Using the scrolling menu, select "Marine Aquarium 2 + Time". The Marine Aquarium logo should appear in the small computer monitor at the top of this window. The length of time until the screen saver activates can be adjusted on this page as well. [Back to top] How do I uninstall Marine Aquarium 2.6? The simplest way to uninstall the Marine Aquarium 2.6 is to run the Uninstall option through the Start menu under Programs/SereneScreen/Marine Aquarium 2.6. Alternatively you can use the Add/Remove Programs utility located in the Windows Control Panel to remove any Marine Aquarium version. This should clean your system of any Marine Aquarium data. However, if you want to be doubly sure, you can go through the longer uninstall process below: Manually remove any versions of Marine Aquarium 2.6 from your system. Click on the START button then select "Find" or "Search" and search for all copies of "MA2_6.scr" on your system. When the list of files displays in the Find window, just right-click on each of the fish icons and choose delete. IMPORTANT - Download THIS small utility program. This utility will delete all entries associated with the any version of our program from you computers registry. Once the download is complete, double click on the program. Then click "YES" and "OK". Re-boot your computer. Your computer should now be completely free of all Marine Aquarium 2.6 data. [Back to top] How do I re-install Marine Aquarium? There are several cases where you may need to uninstall and reinstall Marine Aquarium. Please consult the Troubleshooting section of our FAQ for a solution there first. However, corrupt downloads, new system settings, new video card drivers, or other such circumstances may make Marine Aquarium stop running properly. If you cannot find another solution and would like to do a full reinstall of the program we recommend the following steps: Perform the long version of the Uninstall process outlined HERE Install the program as outlined HERE These two steps will give you a clean slate as it were, allowing the Marine Aquarium 2.6 to adjust to your systems current settings. [Back to top] How do I set Marine Aquarium as my Windows XP Logon screen saver? This is possible; however we will have to refer you to Microsofts Support website for information on how to perform this procedure. IMPORTANT: Be sure to read all of the instructions carefully as this procedure is for advanced users. Click the link below to be taken to the Microsoft Support website. How To Change the Windows Logon Screen Saver in Windows XP [Back to top]
Operation
How do I get to the Marine Aquarium settings menu? You can bring up the Marine Aquarium settings menu in one of three ways: Press the spacebar on your keyboard while the program is running. Right-click on the Aquarium desktop shortcut and select "Configure". From your Display Properties/Screen Saver window, click the SETTINGS button. Once you have the settings menu up you can pick fish and change the program options. For more information on the different settings menu tabs see the following sections: Settings tab - Basic settings. Fish tab - Pick your favorite fish. Clock tab - Choose clock faces and change settings for each. Import logo. [Back to top] Marine Aquarium hot keys. ESC - Exit program. Spacebar - Settings menu. A - About window. H - Help window. B - Bubble sound on/off. Ctrl-B - Bubble column on/off. C - Cycle clocks. F - Full screen/windowed mode. L - Automatic light changes on/off. M - Enable/disable Exit on Mouse Move. R - Restore default settings. S - Show frame rate information. W - Wireframe/normal mode. F12 - Turns off all logos. Ctrl-W - Widescreen mode on/off. [ and ] - Cycle forward/backward through tank. Up/Down Arrow - Main Lights up/down. Right/Left Arrow - Background lights up/down. Ctrl + Arrow - Move Logo around clock face. Page Up/Page Down - Increase/Decrease Logo size. [Back to top] Marine Aquarium Settings tab. All of the options below are found in the Marine Aquarium settings menu under the Settings tab. To bring up the settings menu, press the spacebar on your keyboard while Marine Aquarium is running. Exit on Mouse Move - If this is checked; you can exit the Marine Aquarium by moving your mouse or pressing a non-hotkey (see above) on your keyboard. If this option is not checked, you can only exit the program by pressing the ESC key. Disable Monitor Sleep Mode - Some monitors will shutdown after a period of time. This option allows Marine Aquarium to override this shutdown and continue running. Always on Top in Windowed Mode - When Marine Aquarium is in Windowed Mode (See "W" hot key above.) this option will place the program window over any other program you are running. Starfish Allowed on Glass - If this box is checked and the automatic lighting is on (see below), the starfish will climb onto the "glass" of your monitor and show off its belly. Fade Crystal - Fades crystal clock to prevent burn in over long term use. Start Window Mode - Launches Marine Aquarium in windowed mode to take advantage of Anamorphic Settings. For more information on Anamorphic Settings click HERE. Use Widescreen - Displays Marine Aquarium in widescreen mode which uses an additional Fish (for a total of eight) and expanded background art. Monitor Settings Each of your monitors can be set separately by choosing the monitor with a dropdown menu. Once selected you can change the individual settings as outlined below. Select Monitor - Dropdown menu lets you choose one of your monitors. Anamorphic Factor - Sets Anamorphic Factor for the specified monitor. For more information on Anamorphic settings click HERE. Black - Blacks out the specified monitor. If you are seeing black on one monitor and not the others, most likely this option has been checked for one of your monitors. Windows Resolution and Color Bit Depth Controls the Desktop resolution and Color depth settings for the specified monitor. Resolution Dropdown menu - "Default Desktop Resolution" will match the program display to your current desktop settings for color depth and resolution. 16/32 bit - Forces Marine Aquarium to display at 16 or 32bit color depth regardless of desktop settings. Lights Automatic Lights - To prevent your monitor from burning in over long term use, the Marine Aquarium will cycle the lighting from light to dark across the tank. Un-checking this box will give you full control of the lighting. Delay Slider - Determines the length, from light to dark, of the lighting cycle when in Automatic lighting mode. Lights Slider - Manual setting for the lighting when not in Automatic lighting mode. Limit Frame Rate - Forces the frame rate (animation speed) of the Marine Aquarium to the frequency you select. If Marine Aquarium is jerking, or running slowly, you may need to reduce the frame rate below the default 62 by using the slider bar. Bubbles and Sound Column - Activates/Deactivates bubble column. Bubble sound will still be present and is controlled by the sound settings below. Volume Slider - Controls bubble volume. Always On - Bubble sound will always be heard when the Aquarium is running. When Active - Bubble sound will only be heard when the Aquarium window is visible. Helpful when Aquarium is in Windowed mode (see "F" in the hot keys list above.) Off - Turns off bubble sound entirely. [Back to top] Marine Aquarium Fish tab. All of the options below are found in the Marine Aquarium settings menu under the Fish tab. To bring up the settings menu, press the spacebar on your keyboard while Marine Aquarium is running. Show these on screen - This box contains the fish you will see in the tank. There are seven slots normally, eight slots when in widescreen mode. The selection box also has two buttons to the right. Select button - Clicking this button will assign a fish from the library to the selection box. The fish must be chosen first. Off button - Turns off one of the selection slots. Marine Aquarium will have one less fish in the tank. Fish info - When a fish is selected, this box displays information about the fish. Dont duplicate random choices - Checking this box will make sure that all of the fish in the tank that are selected randomly are different. Fish library - Here you will find all of the fish. Clicking on a fish will display its information in the Fish info box. The fish library includes two other options: ? - RANDOM will assign a fish at random. X - OFF will leave a blank space and the tank will have one less goldfish in the tank. [Back to top] Marine Aquarium Clock tab. All of the options below are found in the Marine Aquarium settings menu under the Clock tab. To bring up the settings menu, press the spacebar on your keyboard while Marine Aquarium is running. Enable Clock - Checking this box will activate the Aquarium clock and all its features. Analog Clock Show Day/Date/Time - Places a date stamp in the stones at the bottom-right of the Aquarium. Show Seconds - Adds a moving second hand to the Analog clock. Show Second Marks - Adds second marks to the Analog clock face. Calendar Show Time - Adds a small digital clock under the month title. If this option is unchecked the next two options will not work. Show Seconds - Adds a seconds counter to the end of the clock above. Show AM PM - Adds an AM or PM time indicator to the clock above. First Day of the Week dropdown Menu - Changes the first day of the week to the day you select. Day - Date - Time Show Seconds - Adds a seconds counter to the end of the clock. Show AM PM - Adds an AM or PM time indicator to the clock. Import Logo button - Allows you to import a logo to use on the Clock face. For more information on importing logos into Marine Aquairum click HERE. Misc 24 Hours - Changes all digital clocks to 24 hour (Military) time format. Default Clock dropdown Menu - This list lets you choose which Default Clock will be shown when the "Cycle Clocks" option below is unchecked. Cycle Clocks - Marine Aquarium cycles through all Clocks. Cycle time is determined by the slider bar setting below. Delay Slider - The time, in seconds, it takes for the Clocks to change. Set Time button - Opens the Windows Date and Time properties so you can set the time and date for your computer. [Back to top] Where are the other fish and how do I choose them? Marine Aquarium can display up to seven fish at a time (eight in widescreen mode), from a library of colorful exotic breeds. To access and use this library, please follow the instructions below: Press the space bar while the program is running. This will bring up the Settings window. Click on the "fish" tab. This will take you to the fish selection page of the Settings window. On the right you will see a visual library of colorful fish to choose from. On the top left are a number of slots showing the fish currently chosen for your tank. The bottom will show vital information on each fish. By left-clicking on a fish you can see its information in the bottom left. By double-clicking, you can set the fish as one of your tank choices, filling one of your slots. Double-clicking the "X" (OFF) will leave that slot blank and the Marine Aquarium will have one less fish on the screen. If you double-click the "?" (RANDOM) the Marine Aquarium will pick a fish for you at random, every time you open the program. Checking the option "Dont Duplicate Random Choices" will make sure that no random choices are the same. For more information on the Marine Aquarium fish, see our ichthyology page HERE [Back to top] Marine Aquarium anamorphic settings The anamorphic settings are defined as follows, though they may require slightly different numbers on your specific monitor: 1.0 - Fills any screen. If the Aquarium is set to widescreen and you have a widscreen monitor, there will be no distortion. 0.8 - Will "Letterbox" the Aquarium image, placing a black bar at the top and bottom of the screen. This setting will allow the widescreen mode to appear without distortion on a normal ratio display. 1.2 - Will "Sidebox" the Aquarium image, placing a black bar on the left and right of the screen. This setting will allow the normal mode to appear without distortion on a widescreen display. [Back to top] How do I import a logo? There are two methods for customizing your crystal, Basic and Advanced: The basic method allows anyone to import a true black and bhite bitmap (.bmp) file into Marine Aquarium with the IMPORT LOGO button located in the Marine Aquarium settings menu. Once the image is loaded, you can move and resize it using the keyboard. To import your logo this way, do the following: IMPORTANT: Your logo must be black and white (see below for more information) and in bitmap (.bmp) format. You can convert your logo in any paint program, though clean artwork works best. Run Marine Aquarium 2.6 and press the spacebar on your keyboard to bring up the Settings menu. Click the "Clock" tab. Click the IMPORT LOGO button. A window will appear with the title "Open." Navigate your files and locate the picture file you want to use as your Logo. Click on the picture file and then click the "Open" button. Marine Aquairum will load the file to its memory. Click the "OK" button to exit the Marine Aquarium 2.6 Settings menu. Your new Logo should now be displayed on the Crystal. If it is not, press the "C" key on your keyboard to cycle through the clock faces. Use the "Page Up" and "Page Down" keys to adjust the Logo size. Use the Ctrl+Arrow keys to adjust the Logo placement. Converting your logo to monochrome in MS Paint: To import a logo into Marine Aquarium, the bmp file needs to be in two colors only. Not just the image, but the file itself must contain ONLY black and white. Under Microsoft Paint you can do this as follows: Open the file you want to use. Click "File". Click "Save As..." This will open the Save As window. Use the "Save as Type:" dropdown menu at the bottom of the window to select "Monochrome Bitmap". Click the SAVE button. The advanced method is designed for computer professionals or artists to load high quality images into Marine Aquariums install directory. This method requires techniques and a knowledge base beyond the scope of what we can provide here. An excellent HOW-TO article can be found on the Inside: SereneScreen fan site. Inside: SereneScreen How-to Guide for Marine Aquarium 2.6 Logos The Inside: SereneScreen fan site also has several logo packs that you can download, install and enjoy! Inside: SereneScreen Logo Packs for Marine Aquarium [Back to top]
Troubleshooting
Basic Information - Please Read The graphics used in Marine Aquarium require a fairly up-to-date computer with a strong video card. Our realistic graphics use the same system resources as some video games. If you do not have your computer set up for this kind of activity, do not worry, 99% of all graphics problems can be solved by simply updating your computers video card drivers. See the driver update section HERE. The best way to test Marine Aquariums compatibility is to download the program and run the demo version as outlined HERE. [Back to top] The fish swim slowly and/or Marine Aquarium freezes. Slow animation, jittering, or freezing can be caused by a variety of things. Lets try a few of the basics and see what might be causing the issue: IMPORTANT: Be sure that your video card has 32 megabytes or more of video memory and an up to date driver. Do not skip this step! Even if your computer is brand new or you have recently updated drivers, there can still be problems in this area. Click HERE for more information on your video card and how to check it. Examine the programs in your System Tray (The area just to the left of the clock on the Taskbar). Placing your mouse cursor over the icons will give you items full name. If you have Windows XP you may have to "Show hidden icons" using the small circle and arrow button to the left of the System Tray. If the icon is Windows or another program waiting to update, run the updates then continue. If the icon is not one of your basic system functions (volume, task manager, mouse, video card, printer, etc.) exit, disable or close the program. Right-clicking will usually give you options. Then, check if Marine Aquarium exhibits the same behavior. Double-check your computer for spyware or viruses. If none of the above solves your problem, please contact us using the Tech Support page HERE. [Back to top] Your video card and its driver The video card (or chip, or processor) is the graphics workhorse of your computer. If it does not have enough video memory, it will not be able to perform smoothly. The same is true if the video driver your computer is using is out of date or corrupted. To check your video cards memory and driver do the following: Close all programs that are running. Click on the START button and select "Run". In the box that appears, type in dxdiag. This will bring up the DirectX Diagnostic tool. Wait for it to fully load. Click the "Display" tab. All the information on your video card is in the upper left under the heading Device. You will want to write down the following information: Name Manufacturer Chip Type Approx. Total Memory If the Approx. Total Memory is below 32MB (megabytes), your video card does not have enough video memory to run Marine Aquarium 2.6 and you should e-mail us to let us know. All of the information about your video driver is on the right-hand side under the heading Driver. You will want to write down the following information: Version Date If the date is more than six months old, you will want to update your video driver as outlined HERE. IMPORTANT: If you have a laptop, you will want to go to the laptop manufacturers website to find a new driver. [Back to top] Updating your video card driver. It is important to make sure you have the latest driver for your video card from the manufacturer. We have found that outdated drivers are the number one reason for many problems. IMPORTANT: If you have a laptop, you will want to go to the laptop manufacturers website to find a new driver. PLEASE NOTE - The Windows update function is often not sufficient for updating your video card drivers. Video card manufacturers update their drivers once every THREE to SIX months. These new drivers can usually be found on their websites. Using the information you gathered HERE about your video card, you should search the Internet for the manufacturers website and download the driver from there. Read the installation information on the manufacturers site very carefully. There is no standard way to install new drivers. If this update does not solve your problem, please contact us using the Tech Support page HERE. [Back to top] My fish are plain white (no textures). First try the following: Run Marine Aquarium and press the space bar to bring up the settings menu. Click the Settings tab and make sure the option "Exit on Mouse Move" is NOT checked. Click the "OK" button. Press Ctrl and the "T" key at the same time. The color should return to the tank. If this works, go back to the settings menu and change a few of the fish selections to save the new graphic setting. If this does not work, the problem may be your video card driver. Please see the driver update section for more information. [Back to top] Marine Aquarium displays a black screen but I can hear the bubbles. There are two reasons that this can happen: If Marine Aquarium runs for a while then goes black, this can be caused by the monitor going into sleep mode. Check your Power Options in the Windows Control Panel. If Marine Aquarium goes black as soon as it activates, this can be a problem with your video card driver. Click HERE for more information on updating your video card driver. [Back to top] Marine Aquarium does not appear on all of my monitors. If you have Marine Aquarium 2.5 or 2.6, please look in the Marine Aquarium settings menu. Double-check you do not have the "Black" option checked for any of the monitors that are giving you trouble. Scroll through the monitors list and check each one individually. If you have Marine Aquarium 2.0 or Marine Aquarium TIME 2.0, you will want to download and install the special MD version that includes the features above: Marine Aquarium 2 MD Marine Aquarium Time 2 MD [Back to top] Marine Aquarium minimizes or does not launch as a screen saver We have found that Marine Aquarium can be stopped or minimized by Windows when another device or program steals priority from your systems processor. This can be caused by any combination of the following: Wireless hardware, like mice and keyboards, send signals to the computer that can prevent Windows from calling up a screen saver. Try updating the drivers for your wireless devices. Programs running in the background. Nearly all computers have programs and utilities running in the background, not noticed, but requiring resources to operate. Some of these programs are less obtrusive than others. Examine the programs in your System Tray (The area just to the left of the clock on the Taskbar). Placing your mouse cursor over the icons will give you items full name. If you have Windows XP you may have to "Show hidden icons" using the small circle and arrow button to the left of the System Tray. If it is not one of your basic system functions (volume, task manager, mouse, video card, printer, etc.) exit, disable or close the program. Right-clicking will usually give you options. Windows or another program is trying to update. Be sure that ALL programs on your system have been updated or do not update automatically. Viruses and spyware can steal a lot of system resources; in fact this is one of the symptoms of being infested with this malevolent software. Update and run your antivirus program. Do a full system scan to be sure that your computer is clean. [Back to top] When Aquarium runs, I have no sound. Try updating or reinstalling your sound card driver. [Back to top] When I run the Aquarium from the shortcut on my desktop, my computer launches a different program. AutoCAD or some other program has changed the association of the .scr file type, meaning Windows no longer sees files with the .scr extension as screen saver files, but as another type of file. While Marine Aquarium will run normally as a screen saver, you cannot use the Aquarium shortcut on your Desktop. Here is a way to work around that: Open your My Documents folder and select "View" ("Tools" for Windows XP) from the Menu Bar then click on "Folder Options..." Click the "View" tab, uncheck "Hide file extensions for known file types" and click the "Apply" button. This will allow you to view the file extensions for all files. Close your My Documents window. Right-click on the Marine Aquarium 2.6 desktop shortcut and select "Properties". This will bring up the Shortcut properties window. Click the FIND TARGET... button at the bottom of the Shortcut properties window. This will take you right to the MA2_6.scr file on your hard drive. Right-click the MA2_6.scr file and select "Copy". Go back to your Desktop, right-click any empty space and select "Paste". A copy of MA2_6.scr should appear on your Desktop. Right-click on the new MA2_6.scr icon and select "Rename" from the menu. Change the icons name to Marine Aquarium 2.6.exe. Delete the old Marine Aquarium 2.6 shortcut from your Desktop. You can now run Marine Aquarium 2.6 manually by double-clicking the new icon. If you are using an older version of Marine Aquarium, the above instructions are the same except for the programs file name. To see a list of the Marine Aquarium file names, click HERE. [Back to top] What are the Marine Aquarium file names and locations? By default, Marine Aquarium is installed into the C:WINDOWSsystem32 folder. This can be changed during installation. Different versions of Marine Aquarium use different file names that you may need to know for reinstalling the program or altering the file extension. Marine Aquarium 0.99 - fish.scr Marine Aquarium 1 - Aquarium.scr Marine Aquarium 1.5 - MAEncore.scr Marine Aquarium 2.0 - MarineAquarium2.scr OR Marine Aquarium 2.scr Marine Aquarium 2.0 MD - MarineAquarium2MD.scr Marine Aquarium TIME - MarineAquariumTime.scr Marine Aquarium TIME 2.0 - MAT2.scr Marine Aquarium TIME 2.0 MD - MarineAquarium2MD.scr Marine Aquarium 2.6 - MA2_6.scr Marine Aquarium Crystal "The Fish" - AMCrystal-theFish.scr Microsoft Plus! Marine Aquarium Demo - plusaqar.scr [Back to top]
Screen Savers & Burn-in
What is burn-in? Burn-in is a generic term for a ghost-like image that appears on a monitor or television after displaying an image that does not change for a long period of time. Burn-in is also called ghosting or image persistence. While the exact cause is different for different types of monitors, the result is the same, a light or dark area of the screen where the non-moving image was displayed. Due to better technology, energy saver options, and screen savers, burn-in is much less of a problem than in the past. However, any program, even a screen saver, can cause burn-in if left running long enough. [Back to top] Screen savers Screen savers were originally designed to help avoid the effects of burn-in by automatically changing the images on the screen when the computer was not in use (thus "saving" the screen from burn-in). They are usually set up to launch automatically by the computers operating system, waiting a specified amount of time after the last keystroke or the last mouse movement made by a user. The screen saver then blanks the screen, or more commonly produces animation effects, thus avoiding any "fixed" images. Modern monitors are much less susceptible to burn-in than older models due to better technology and energy saver options . For these reasons, screen savers today are primarily decorative or for entertainment, and usually feature moving images or patterns and sometimes sound effects. Our LifeGlobe and SereneScreen products are hyper-realistic simulators. They model real creatures in real environments. They are completely unpredictable, and follow behaviors modeled after their real life counterparts. As a result, the background can remain on screen for long periods of time without change. By default our simulators ship in a mode that cycles the background and/or lighting. Changing these options can effect some monitors over a long period of time. If you are concerned about burn-in, do not turn off this cycle. [Back to top] How can I prevent burn-in? Most computers have several layers of protection against burn-in: Better technology Advancements in monitor hardware and software mean that todays monitors are less likely to burn-in. Energy saver options To save electricity, monitors will switch to an energy saving mode after a period of time, either reducing the brightness of the display or turning off the display entirely. Screen savers Finally, there are an incredible number of screen savers that display moving images to reduce the persistence of a single image on the screen helping to avoid burn-in. However, even with these advancements and options, in rare cases, burn-in can still occur. To prevent burn-in, we recommend the following: Different monitors have different needs when it comes to burn-in. You should check the users manual for specific information, or even contact the manufacturer, just to be sure what steps you can take for your specific monitor. Set the energy saver options to turn off your monitor when not in use for a long period of time. With any of our products, the background and foreground lighting change constantly on an automatic cycle. If you are concerned about burn-in, do not turn off this cycle. [Back to top] How do I fix burn-in? This depends on the kind of monitor you have. CRT Unfortunately, once burn-in occurs on a CRT monitor, there is no fix as the actual process that produces the image has been damaged. LCD & Plasma monitors The approach to fixing burn-in on plasma and LCD monitors is the same: Display a white screen on the display for a length of time equal to the image that burned-in. Apple has an excellent article on how to go about this: Apple: Avoiding image persistence on Apple LCD displays [Back to top]
Miscellaneous
What are the types of fish that come with Marine Aquarium? Marine Aquarium currently includes the following fish: Addis Butterflyfish Blue Chromis Damselfish Bluering Angelfish Clown Triggerfish Copper-Banded Butterflyfish Emperor Angelfish Flame Angelfish Forceps Butterfly French Angelfish (juvenile) Koran Angel Longfin Bannerfish (Wimplefish) Percula Clownfish (common) Picasso Triggerfish Powder Blue Tang Purple Sailfin Tang (juvenile) Queen Angelfish (teenager) Red Volitan Lionfish Redfin Butterflyfish Regal Angelfish Regal Tang Rock Beauty Angelfish Royal Gramma Basselet Squarespot Anthias (male) Threadfin Butterflyfish Three-Stripe Damselfish Yellow Tang Marine Aquarium also includes a starfish that crawls along the bottom of the tank and on the "glass" of your monitor! For more information on the Marine Aquarium fish, see our ichthyology page Additional information and a full color guide to the Fish can be found at the SereneScreen fan site [Back to top] How do I register my SereneScreen Product? If you purchased a CD from a retail store or from Encore Software, you can register this product using the link below: Encore Software Registration Page Products purchased directly from our website as an electronic download do not need to be registered, all of your information was entered into our database at the time of purchase. However, if did not check any of the mailing list options when you made your purchase then you will receive no notices regarding updates or special offers. [Back to top] Why is there a limit of seven fish for Marine Aquarium? Several reasons. A real saltwater aquarium of this size could not support more fish, and it also gets visually crowded. The second reason is the graphics overhead for more fish slows the system down too much. We know that many people have very powerful graphics cards, which are producing 100 frames per second, but most do not, and we want the Aquarium to be a satisfying experience for the largest possible audience. [Back to top] Screen savers Screen savers were originally designed to help avoid the effects of burn-in by automatically changing the images on the screen when the computer was not in use (thus "saving" the screen from burn-in). They are usually set up to launch automatically by the computers operating system, waiting a specified amount of time after the last keystroke or the last mouse movement made by a user. The screen saver then blanks the screen, or more commonly produces animation effects, thus avoiding any "fixed" images. Modern monitors are much less susceptible to burn-in than older models due to better technology and energy saver options . For these reasons, screen savers today are primarily decorative or for entertainment, and usually feature moving images or patterns and sometimes sound effects. Our LifeGlobe and SereneScreen products are hyper-realistic simulators. They model real creatures in real environments. They are completely unpredictable, and follow behaviors modeled after their real life counterparts. As a result, the background can remain on screen for long periods of time without change. By default our simulators ship in a mode that cycles the background and/or lighting. Changing these options can effect some monitors over a long period of time. If you are concerned about burn-in, do not turn off this cycle. [Back to top] Can I make my own Fish for Marine Aquarium? Currently we do not permit people to create or add custom fish for Marine Aquarium. There are many reasons, but the most important is that while we trust an artisan would be motivated, and even capable of creating a truly wonderful masterpiece, there are others that might not, and a version were to get out that was less than the highest quality, it might reflect poorly on us. If you are interesting in creating fish or wildlife for our company, we are always seeking talented artist. Please e-mail us samples of your work. Thank you for your support. [Back to top]

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