Release Notes and Installation Instructions for Designshop Version 4.02.041 Release 072203.0

July, 2003 Release Notes and Installation Instructions for DesignShop Version 4.02.041 Release 072203.0

Important!

This document contains information about DesignShop Version 4.02.041 that may not be included in the manual.

System Requirements • PC with a Pentium II 300 MHz or higher processor (Pentium III 450 MHz or higher recommended for levels higher than DesignShop Lite).

If you plan on installing AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same PC, a Pentium III 850 MHz or higher is recommended. (Please see the General Notes section for more information on running AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same comptuer). • Microsoft Windows 98, Windows Millennium, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Profes- sional, or Windows 2000 operating system.

If you plan on installing AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same computer, either Win- dows 2000 or Windows XP is highly recommended. (Please see the General Notes section for more information on running AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same comptuer).

Note: Non-western languages (such as Polish, Czech, Japanese and Russian) require Win- dows 2000 or Windows XP. • 128MB of RAM • Super VGA video adapter and monitor configured for 1024x768 resolution or higher, video driver set to High Color or better for Windows 98 / Millennium; 32768 color or higher for Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000. If you want to change the settings of your screen resolution, please click on the “Start” button of your Windows taskbar, followed by a click on “Help”. Do a search for “display, resolution”. • Parallel port for DesignShop security dongle • CD-ROM drive (required for DesignShop installation, 16X is recommended) • Two or three button mouse (3 button mouse preferred) • Internet Explorer 5.0 or greater

Installing DesignShop The DesignShop dongle must be attached to an available parallel port of the computer before installing the DesignShop program. Attach the DesignShop dongle to the back of any existing dongles. Failure to do so may cause these programs to not operate correctly. The general rule of thumb for stacking dongles is to connect the newest to oldest, with the oldest connected to the computer.

To install the DesignShop software insert the DesignShop disc (p/n 32299-19) into your CD ROM drive. The Setup program should start automatically. If the Setup program does not start automati-

32574, Rev C 1 of 4 DesignShop Release Notes cally, click on START/RUN and type D:\SETUP (where D: is the drive letter of the CD ROM drive) and click on OK.

The DesignShop installation asks several questions during the installation. It may ask you to type in your “Access Code;” this can be found on the cover of your DesignShop CD jewel case. It will also ask if you want to copy the EDS III and EDS IV alphabets to DesignShop.

During installation, if you encounter a message box titled “ReadOnly File Detected”, click on the “Don’t display this message again” checkbox, followed by a click on the “Yes” button.

During installation, if you encounter a message box titled “Locked File Detected”, click on the “Don’t display this message again” checkbox, followed by a click on the “Reboot” button.

DesignShop Changes The problem of the Home file format not working correctly has been fixed. This version of DesignShop contains ENS Version 2.00.007. The installation CD for this release will only install DesignShop software. (It does not install the AMAYA OS software). The DesignShop Hoop Manager (select Tools->Hoop Setup to open) has been improved and expanded. See the DesignShop HTML Help system for instructions on how to use the Hoop Man- ager. The display of the sew field margin of round rectangular hoops (rectangular hoops with rounded edges) has changed. DesignShop now displays the sew field as the smallest rectangle that will encompass the hoop shape. The functionality of the Lock/Trim property tab has changed. You can now choose between always adding lock stitches (inserting lock stitches in all selected elements) and only adding lock stitches when necessary (beginning/end of design, trims and color changes only). See the DesignShop HTML Help system for more information. New settings (tail length and trim type) have been added to the AMAYA Properties tab. The Modify Complex Column tool in DesignShop no longer exists.

General Notes The following general notes are not specific to any version of DesignShop.

• Important: You can install and run AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same computer. How- ever, for optimum performance of both of these programs, the guidelines listed below should be followed. 1. The minimum system requirements for both programs must be met. Also, either Windows 2000 or Windows XP and a Pentium III 850 MHz or higher processor are highly recommended. 2. It is recommended that you install AMAYA OS/DesignShop on a dedicated PC. That is, the PC on which AMAYA OS/DesignShop are installed should not be used to run any other software applications. 3. ENS should not be installed on the AMAYA OS/DesignShop PC. 4. On the AMAYA OS/DesignShop PC, when running AMAYA OS, avoid performing hardware-

2 of 4 Melco Embroidery Systems DesignShop Release Notes

intensive tasks such as scanning. Also, it is recommended that extensive digitizing be per- formed on a different PC. • When saving ofm files in this version of DesignShop, if they are to be opened in the currently released version of AMAYA OS (Version 4.01.019) you must save them as version 4.01 (using File->Save As). Selecting File->Save in DesignShop will save ofm files as version 4.02, which cannot be opened in AMAYA OS Version 4.01.019. • Alphabets: 87 alphabets are installed with DesignShop Lite. Product levels higher than Design- Shop Lite include these alphabets, plus 49 additional alphabets. • DesignShop / EDS III Conflicts - If you install DesignShop on an EDS III computer, the DesignShop sydex driver will install and you will not be able to perform any import / export functions in EDS III. The only workaround for this is to reinstall EDS III. If you install EDS III after you have installed DesignShop the EDS III sydex driver will install and you will not be able to perform any import / export functions in DesignShop. Should you experi- ence this problem re-install the program files for DesignShop (this will tell the operating system not to load the EDS III sydex driver upon next reboot).

• When reading condensed designs and then saving them as expanded, it is recommended that the design cleanup filter should always have the "Accumulate Short Stitches" control checked (turned on). Failure to do so will result in designs that contain artificially high stitch counts. • Some video systems will sometimes leave traces of lines or dots on the screen during editing and or digitizing. Some systems will also not "color in" the markers for selected straight and curved points. These problems can usually be fixed by performing the following steps. For Windows 98 / Millennium: Bring up the Window's "Display Properties" page by right clicking on the desktop followed by a click on the "Properties" menu item. Click on the "Settings" tab. Click on the "Advanced" button. Click on the "Performance" tab. Vary the "Hardware Acceleration" control as needed. Different systems will require different settings. For Windows 2000: Bring up the Window's "Display Properties" page by right clicking on the desktop followed by a click on the "Properties" menu item. Click on the "Settings" tab. Click on the "Advanced" button. Click on the "Troubleshooting" tab. Vary the "Hardware Acceleration" control as needed. Different systems will require different settings. • Zoom Levels - A larger zoom factor can be achieved on Windows 98 / Millennium systems by decreasing the size of the DesignShop workspace area. The default setting of 16x16 inches will yield a zoom factor of 806%. By reducing the workspace area to a setting of 12x12 inches an additional 400% can be obtained. Reducing the workspace area further will yield even higher zoom factors but at the expense of scrolling capability. An additional benefit of reducing the workspace area is that the Navigator is easier to use because the design appears larger in the Navigator window. Note that reducing the workspace area does not affect the size at which the design is displayed in the view window. Care should be taken when using higher zoom factors - when digitizing, the user is more inclined to enter points too close together when a difference of a single point appears on the screen as multiple inches. The user should determine what physical size of designs is typical and set the workspace area accordingly. The size of the workspace area can be changed as follows: 1. From within the tree view, right click on the project entry 2. Select “Properties” 3. Select “Project” 4. Change the “Workspace Area” to the desired settings.

32574, Rev C 3 of 4 DesignShop Release Notes

• Microsoft recommends that there be no less than 60% to 65% resources available at all times. If the resources are less than this, Microsoft states that Windows and/or the application(s) running can become unstable.

Incompatible Hardware Testing has shown that the following hardware will perform poorly or not at all with the Design- Shop program.

• DesignShop users should avoid the HP Deskjet G55 printer Driver. Users have reported unspecified problems with DesignShop when this driver is installed. • External USB floppy drives are not compatible with DesignShop. If you connect an external floppy drive to your DesignShop PC, your operating system may crash and the floppy drive will become useless for all applications.

Known Problems • On Windows 98 and Windows Millenium systems, if you print an ofm file as a pdf, DesignShop will generate a fatal error. • Design Database will not read Japanese design notes saved with ofm files. • When opening JEF or XXX files, an extra stitch is inserted at the beginning after a color change. • When saving Palettes, if a SEW file is opened and the file colors are saved as a Palette, the Palette cannot be recalled as an error message is generated saying it has reached the end of the file.

4 of 4 Melco Embroidery Systems