IMPORTANT NOTE: If you can't find any animals to shoot, or can't hit the animals that you're shooting at, please remember that Carnivores is a true hunting simulation, in spite of it's science-fiction setting. In order to find and kill animals, you will have to follow several basic rules. These rules and some cheat codes are covered in our Carnivores Hints page.
"The screen just turns black or quits back to Windows when I try to run Carnivores"
There are several methods that you can try to fix this problem:
Shut down any other applications that you may have running on your system such as screen savers, virus scanners, etc.
If you are using a fast machine such as a Pentium 233 or faster, you may need to turn down video hardware acceleration. See the section below on "Turning down Windows' video hardware acceleration".
Try resetting your computer's video resolution to 640x480 with 256 colors.
Update your video card drivers.
For further information on any of these solutions, please see the following documents:
Windows video hardware acceleration may need to be turned down if the game you are playing uses some other form of acceleration, such as DirectX.
Turning down Windows' video hardware acceleration:
Right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop
Click on the Performance tab
Click on Graphics
Move the slider bar one notch to the left
Click on OK
Click on OK once more to exit the system properties panel.
Now try your game. If you still have problems, repeat this process until the game works, or you can't turn acceleration down any further.
If you have video hardware acceleration turned all the way down, and the game still won't run, you may need to turn off DirectX acceleration instead. For detailed instructions on how to do this, please see our DirectX Frequently Asked Questions.
Carnivores requires DirectX version 6, which is automatically installed to your computer when you install the game. If for any reason you chose NOT to install DirectX 6 when you installed Carnivores, you will need to manually install DirectX 6 now, or the game will report this error.
Click on "Install DirectX", or if you have a previous version loaded, click on "Re-install DirectX"
If you are asked at any time during the installation to overwrite your existing drivers, ignore the warnings and click on "yes"
When installation is complete, restart your computer
Try your game again.
If you are absolutely sure that DirectX version 6 is already installed on your computer, then you may need to update your video hardware drivers in order for the game to work. For more information on updating your drivers, please see our How to Update Your Drivers FAQ.
"This Program has performed an Illegal Operation and will be shut down"
These errors occur when Windows encounters a problem that it can't fix. Quite often, the problem is the result of a conflict between the game and some other program that you have running on your computer. The best solution is to shut down any other applications that you may have running before you play Carnivores. For detailed instructions on shutting down all of your other applications, please see our Windows 95/98
General Troubleshooting FAQ.
If you are using a Dell P2 400mhz computer and this error occurs when you exit the game, you probably will not be able to play Carnivores again until you reboot your computer. We are working with Dell to resolve this problem.
Following are some of the problems that can occur while installing Carnivores, and the recommended solutions for each.
"Nothing happens when I insert the Carnivores CD into my CD-ROM drive"
The Windows 95/98
AutoPlay feature may be turned off on your computer.
If you wish to bring up the game without enabling AutoPlay, you can start the setup process manually by double clicking on the "My Computer" icon on your Windows desktop, then on your CD-ROM drive icon, then on "SETUP.EXE".
If a CD-ROM icon does not appear when you open the "My Computer" icon, or if clicking on SETUP.exe doesn't start your game either, then your CD-ROM drive may be in "MS-DOS compatibility mode".
To learn how to enable AutoPlay on your system, or to learn how to see if your CD-ROM drive is in MS-DOS compatibility mode, please see our Windows 95/98
General Troubleshooting FAQ.
"The Installer starts to copy files, but then just quits to the desktop"
Make sure that you have enough hard drive space available on your system before installing. If you don't have at least 85 Megabytes free, the game can't install.
If you have enough space, check the shiny underside of the CD for fingerprints, smudges, scratches, or anything else that may cause your drive to have trouble reading it.
If the CD looks clean and undamaged, then your CD-ROM drive may be running in "MS-DOS Compatibility Mode".
"I deleted the Carnivores folder and now I can't re-install the game"
When you delete the game folder without properly uninstalling it, many game files remain on your hard drive. Because of this, the launcher program on the CD thinks that the game is still there, and does not give you the option to install.
You must run the Setup program manually like this:
Double click the My Computer icon on your windows desktop.
Right click the Carnivores icon.
Click open.
Double-click the Setup.exe icon
The game will now install. If you wish to delete the game again in the future, be sure to use the game's uninstall program or the Add/Remove programs icon in your Windows Control Panel.
Following are some of the video display problems that can occur in Carnivores, and the recommended solutions for each.
"I've installed Carnivores with DirectX 6, and now my computer's video display is all messed up!"
This problem indicates that DirectX could not find a suitable driver for your video card. If the video display is so bad that you cannot see anything in Windows, you'll need to reboot your system in "Safe Mode" first. Then, uninstall the DirectX video driver to restore your system to its original configuration.
"I'm using a Voodoo Rush or Banshee card, and the animation is really choppy."
We have noticed that these Voodoo cards do not run properly with Carnivores, resulting in choppy animation. If you have one of these cards, first make sure that you have the latest drivers from the manufacturer. If that does not solve the problem, get the Carnivores patch. This patch is available for free downloading here.
"I'm using a non-Voodoo 3D Accelerator card, and I want to be able to use the 3D Acceleration feature."
There is a new patch available to allow non-Voodoo cards to take advantage of 3D acceleration in Carnivores. This patch is available for free downloading here.
"I started the game and my Carnivores picture is larger than my computer screen!"
This problem occurs when the program was unable to adjust your screen size itself. You will need to exit the game and change your screen size to 800 x 600 with 256 colors.
This sound card can sometimes have problems with Carnivores, and is usually because of uncertified sound card drivers. You will need to update the sound card drivers.
There are no other known problems with sounds in Carnivores. If you don't hear any sound, chances are that you just need to turn up the volume knob on your speakers, or by using the Windows volume control panel. To use the Windows volume controls, just double click on the little yellow speaker icon on your taskbar.
If you are sure that your volume controls are already turned up, then make sure that you don't have any other programs running that may be using the sound card.
Finally, make sure that you have installed DirectX version 6 from the Carnivores CD. This is done automatically when you install the game unless you turn off the option to do so. If you did not install DirectX version 6, you will need to do so now. See the section, Installing DirectX 6 Manually.
Following are some of the other problems that can occur in Carnivores, and the recommended solutions for each.
"The game runs too slowly"
A good way to improve speed is to obtain the latest drivers for your video card. Video card manufacturers are constantly improving the software drivers that run their video cards to fix problems and improve performance. If you have not updated your drivers recently, a newer, faster driver is probably available.
We recommend that you update both sound and video drivers, as this is good general maintenance for your computer… sort of like getting an oil change in your car.
To update your drivers, contact the manufacturers of your sound and video cards. Generally speaking, major card manufacturers will be available on the Internet, or can be contacted by phone. Check your card's documentation for details. Most patches are free downloads.
"I'm having a problem that was not mentioned in this document"
Make sure that your system meets the minimum system requirements as listed on the box. The minimum system requirements for Carnivores are:
An IBM PC or 100% compatible computer
a Pentium 150mhz processor
Windows 95 or 98
16 MB of RAM
85 MB of available hard disk space
A CD-ROM drive
A mouse
A 100% DirectX compatible video card
A 100% DirectX compatible sound card
The following system configuration is ideal for running Carnivores at its best:
A Pentium 200 or faster computer
32 MB of RAM
A 3D accelerator card.
If your system does not meet or exceed the minimum requirements, it will run poorly, or not at all.
Shut down all other programs that you may have running on your system prior to playing Carnivores. Other programs can interfere with the operation of the game. For detailed instructions on shutting down all of your other applications, please see our Windows 95/98
General Troubleshooting FAQ.
Make sure you have plenty of room left you your hard drive, or windows may not have enough room for a swap file. This can cause some very strange problems.
Make sure that the CD itself is not dirty or damaged in any way. If the CD is dirty, it can be cleaned. Most computer stores carry inexpensive CD-ROM cleaning kits that will safely restore your CD. If you want to try cleaning the CD without a kit, you can wash the CD using lukewarm water, MILD NON-ABRASIVE dish soap, and a very soft and clean COTTON cloth. Do NOT use any kind of paper product or abrasive soap to clean the CD, as these WILL scratch! Once the CD is clean, be sure to let the CD dry completely before inserting it into your CD-ROM, or damage may result.
If the CD is scratched or physically damaged in any way, you may need to send it in for replacement. For our mailing address and other important information regarding replacements, please see our Consumer Service Policies and Information.
Try uninstalling, and then re-installing the game.
