SereneScreen F.A.Q.

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.

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.

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.

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:

1. Hold down the left mouse button and pass the cursor over the Keycode. This will highlight the code in black.
   
   
2. Let go of the mouse button and move the cursor to the center of the highlight without pressing any buttons.
   
   
3. Press the right-most mouse button and select "Copy" from the pop-up menu.
   
   
4. Start Marine Aquarium 2.6.
   
   
5. After the program start up, press the space bar. This will bring up the registration window.
   
   
6. 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.
   
   
7. Press the Enter key. The program should start right up.
   

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:

1. Click on the START button and select "Control Panel".
   
   
2. Double-click "User Accounts".
   
   
3. Select the task "Change an Account" and then click on the account to be changed.
   
   
4. Click "Change my account type" and read the instructions for changing each profile to Administrator status.

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.

To install the Marine Aquarium 2.6 from CD, please do the following:

1. IMPORTANT: Before installing, be sure your anti-virus software is deactivated for the duration of the install.
   
   
2. Place your Marine Aquarium CD in the CD-ROM drive.
   
   
3. The CD will automatically run the Aquarium Setup Wizard, which will install Aquarium on your computer, simply read and follow the instructions for installation.
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
5. 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.
   
   
6. While the Aquarium is running press the space bar to bring up the Settings menu.
   
   
7. Don't forget to reactivate your anti-virus software when you are finished.
   

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:

1. Right-click on the Marine Aquarium Desktop shortcut icon. A small menu will appear.
   
   
2. Select "Install" from the menu.
   
   
3. Confirm the installation by checking the screen saver list again.

To set Marine Aquarium as your screen saver follow the instructions below:

1. Right-click on your desktop. This will bring up a small menu window.
   
   
2. Select "Properties" from the menu. This will open the "Display Properties" window.
   
   
3. Click on the tab along the top marked "Screen Saver"
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
5. The length of time until the screen saver activates can be adjusted on this page as well.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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:

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. Windows or another program is trying to update. Be sure that ALL programs on your system have been updated or do not update automatically.
   
   
4. 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.
   

Try updating or reinstalling your sound card driver.

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

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 improvements in 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.

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 improvements in technology and the addition of 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.

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.

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.

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.