Hellfire Troubleshooting Guide
Revised 1/26/98

Sierra Technical Support provides this documentation as a reference to Sierra customers using Sierra software products.  Sierra Technical Support makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the information contained in this documentation is accurate.  However, Sierra makes no warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, effectiveness, or completeness of the information contained in this documentation.

SIERRA ON-LINE, INC. DOES NOT WARRANTY OR PROMISE THAT THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL WORK WITH ANY OR ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS.  SIERRA DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY, EITHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, FOR THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN, INCLUDING ANY AND ALL DAMAGE TO OR LOST USE OF COMPUTER HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, LOSS OF WARRANTIES, OR LOST DATA BY THE CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY.  NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY SIERRA, ITS EMPLOYEES, DISTRIBUTORS, DEALER OR AGENTS SHALL CHANGE THE RESTRICTION OF LIABILITY OR CREATE ANY NEW WARRANTIES.  IN NO CASE SHALL SIERRA'S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE SIERRA SOFTWARE PRODUCT.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

SECTION 1 - SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION PROCEDURES
SECTION 3 - COMMON INSTALLATION PROBLEMS
SECTION 4 - COMMON GAME PROBLEMS
SECTION 5 - GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS
SECTION 6 - BOOTDISK INSTRUCTIONS FOR WINDOWS 95/NT
SECTION 7 - OBTAINING A PATCH FROM SIERRA
SECTION 8 - CONTACTING SIERRA FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE


SECTION 1 - SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

REQUIRED:							RECOMMENDED FOR BEST PERFORMANCE:

Diablo™ CD must be in the CD-ROM drive during play
Windows 95/NT						Pentium™ 90 or better
Pentium™ 60 processor						32MB RAM
16MB RAM							4X CD-ROM
2X CD-ROM
176MB Hard Disk Space 
SVGA, 256 colors
Windows compatible sound card with DAC 
Windows compatible mouse
60MB minimum permanent swapfile
 
SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION PROCEDURES

WINDOWS 95/NT

You must use the game's installation program to install Hellfire.

Installation for Windows 95/NT with AutoPlay:

1. Start Windows 95/NT
2. Insert the Hellfire CD into the CD-ROM drive
3. When the Hellfire Install screen appears, click on the Install button
4. Follow the on-screen prompts

Installation for Windows 95/NT without AutoPlay:

1. Start Windows 95/NT
2. Select Run from the Windows START menu
3. In the Run box, type X:\SETUP.EXE where X is the letter of your CD-ROM drive.  Click OK
4. Follow the on-screen prompts


SECTION 3 - COMMON INSTALLATION PROBLEMS

Please refer to the game manual, or section 5 for specific game or technical questions.  For information on accessing the Hellfire readme file, see section 5.

Problem:  The demos will not install.
Solution:  Install BRDEMO and S2DEMO from their directories on the CD.


SECTION 4 - COMMON GAME PROBLEMS

There is a patch available that addresses several issues with Hellfire.  Please see Section 7 for more information.

Problem:  The game crashes randomly during game play.
Solution: In Windows 95/NT, you need to have a minimum of 60 MB hard drive space free after installation.  This space should be contiguous and clean for the best performance. Make sure you have enough space, then run SCANDISK and DEFRAG.

Also, make sure that Windows is managing your virtual memory.  Check your swapfile settings.  Right-click on My Computer and select Properties.  Then click on the Performance tab and click on the Virtual Memory button.  Make sure there is dot next to the "Let Windows manage my virtual memory settings."  Next, click on the Okay button, then click on the second Okay button.  It sometimes helps to force Windows to reset this setting.  Set it to a different setting and restart.  When you get back into Windows, set it back to "Let Windows manage my virtual memory settings."  Let the system restart again for the settings to take effect.

When you get back into Windows 95, press <Ctrl-Alt-Del>at the same time to bring up your Close Programs list.  End Task on everything except Explorer and Systray.  These programs turn on every time you turn on your computer, take up memory, and cause interference with other programs.

If you are using Windows NT, press <Ctrl-Alt-Del>, then click on the "Close programs" button.  This will bring up your Close Programs list.  End Task on everything except Explorer and Systray.  These programs turn on every time you turn on your computer, take up memory, and cause interference with other programs.
 
Problem:  On my low-end system the hard drive thrashes constantly.
Solution:  This is a memory-related problem.  Try increasing the amount of Virtual Memory, or increase the amount of RAM in the system.

Problem:  The game crashes constantly in the Festering Nest and/or the Demon Crypt.
Solution:  You must install the New Music and Sound option to use the Festering Nest and/or the Demon Crypt.  If you have installed the new sounds, and continue to have problems in the Festering Nest or the Demon Crypt, press the ESC key while in the game to access the game menu.  Go to Options and turn the music level all the way down.

Problem:  The screen goes black in the Festering Nest after using a Town Portal or the stairs.
Solution:  Simply click on the screen to move your character and the screen will return to normal.

Problem:  During play, some of the keyboard keys become disabled (Example: ESC, F6)
Solution:  Exit the game and reboot the computer.

Problem:  I lost $5,000 gold pieces after un-equipping the Auric Amulet.
Solution: Certain conditions (such as trying to pick up a pile of over 5000 gold with a full inventory) may cause some of that gold to be "lost" when using the Auric Amulet.

Problem:  When using the Monk the game seems too easy.
Solution:  A high level Monk on Normal difficulty can do some serious damage, even to Diablo or Na-Krul.  Try playing the game at a higher difficulty level.

Problem:  There are no new/unique items.
Solution:  The new items are unique and therefore rare.  This is not a technical problem with the game.  The new items are just as rare as the unique items in Diablo™.

Problem:  Saved games are not uninstalled when using the Sierra Utilities.
Solution:  The Sierra Utilities program does not uninstall items that it did not install.  Saved games must be manually removed (deleted).


SECTION 5 - GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

Despite having sufficient RAM installed on your system to run the Sierra product that you purchased, you may find that you experience errors such as "Out of Movable Memory" or "Insufficient Memory" or other symptoms of low system resources such as slow performance. Sierra products are not designed to multitask and will operate best when given all possible free system resources. Here are the best ways to maximize available resources: 
Make a boot disk. A boot disk is a diskette that your system uses to restart with a minimal, standardized memory configuration. These configuration helps to assure that as much of the system's resources are available for your Hellfire game as possible. Additionally, the boot disk allows you to make changes to the memory environment that is strictly temporary in nature. 
Shut down all active Windows programs in the Task List. Windows tends to load many utilities and programs automatically when it starts. To see a list of these, press <Ctrl-Alt-Del> on your keyboard. The only program that is required is Explorer. For all other tasks, highlight them individually and click on the End Task button. 
Disable alternate Windows desktop shells. There are many alternate Windows desktops available for computer systems; many of them come pre-installed. These included Norton Desktop for Windows, PC Desktop, Tabworks, Navigator and others. Disabling these will free up system resources. Specific instructions to disable them will vary by product, so you will need to check the desktop's documentation. 
Disable wallpaper on the desktop. The default Windows wallpaper selections take up a minimal amount of memory. On the other hand, custom pictures used as wallpaper are very memory-intensive. To disable them, go to the Start menu, choose Settings, Control Panel and then Display. Click on the Appearance tab and then set the Background option to (none). Click on Apply and then OK. 
Check the Display Settings. This game was designed and optimized for 256 colors and a resolution of 800x600. If you wish to play the game in 16 bit High Color, you may lose some of the graphic quality. The program should run without any major problems, but you may experience "palette thrashing" - strange colors and graphic anomalies. 
Check Windows mouse settings. If your cursor flashes or behaves erratically, you may not be using the standard Windows mouse settings. 
To verify this: 
1. Click on Start, Settings, then select Control Panel 
2. Double-click on the Mouse icon 
3. Click on the Pointers tab 
4. Set the Scheme to Windows Standard 
5. Click on the Motion tab 
6. Make sure that Show Pointer Trails is not checked 
7. Click on Apply, then OK 
This will set Windows to using the standard mouse configuration. 
Check the hard drive for Disk Fragmentation. If your hard drive is highly fragmented, you may experience poor sound quality or performance in the game. If you find this is the case, defragging your hard drive with Win95's "Disk Defragmenter" or the DEFRAG command at the DOS prompt. 
Be aware of Copy Protection. You must have the Diablo™ CD-ROM in your drive to run the game. 


SECTION 6 - BOOTDISK INSTRUCTIONS FOR WINDOWS 95/NT

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read the entire instructions prior to starting at Step 1.

STEP 1: FORMATTING THE DISK
Place a high-density diskette that you do not have any information on in your A: drive.  Then, open My Computer from the desktop and highlight the icon for Drive A:.  Right-click on the icon and choose Format.  In the resulting dialog box, make sure that checks are in the boxes for "Full" and "Copy System Files."  Click on OK to start the process.

STEP 2: COPYING THE MSDOS.SYS FILE
While still in My Computer, double-click on the icon for the C: drive to open it.  Look for the file called MSDOS.SYS in the list of files.  If you cannot find it, click on the View menu, choose Options and then the View tab.  Make sure that "Show all files" is checked and that "Hide MS DOS file extensions…" is NOT checked.  Once you've found the file, right-click on it and choose Send To 3 ½ Floppy (A).  You will be prompted to replace an existing file - click on OK.  

STEP 3: REBOOT THE SYSTEM AND START WINDOWS
Restart your system with the disk in drive A:.  Go to the Start menu, select Shut Down and then check Restart the Computer and click OK.

STEP 4: CREATE A CLEAN WINDOWS ENVIRONMENT
Make sure there are not any non-essential tasks running before starting the game.  If you are using Windows 95, press <Ctrl-Alt-Del> to bring up a Close Windows dialog box.  Explorer is mandatory.  For all other items, highlight them and click on End Task.  Repeat the process until all is disabled.  Now you can use your product!

If you are using Windows NT, after pressing <Ctrl-Alt-Del>, press the Close Programs button to bring up the Close programs menu.  End Task on everything except Explorer and Systray.  This will free up more resources for the game and prevent any conflicts between the game and your system.

 
SECTION 7 - OBTAINING A PATCH FROM SIERRA

There is one patch available for Hellfire. This patch (HF101) corrects the following: 

1. Fixed Gossip (same gossip from each townsman every time).
2. Fixed disappearing quests (upon re-entering the town level, quest statuses were incorrectly cleared).
3. Fixed generating spell books by Adria (would "morph" on new game).
4. Fixed the bug that duplicated gold when picking up gold while the inventory slots are already full of gold.
5. Fixed the Berserk spell to prevent crashes (large numbers of berserk monsters occasionally attacked dead monsters).
6. Fixed inactive monsters to prevent same kind of crash as above.
7. Fixed entering levels; had crashed on some systems (seemingly randomly).
8. Fixed doppelganger's items to not clone Diablo.
9. Fixed generating rings of fire behind a wall.
10. Sped up monk's open-hand attack (users complained he should be faster with feet than with the sweeping staff), Various small internal fixes to prevent potential misbehavior.
11. Fixed monster hitpoint variable type for tough monsters (some monsters, especially in Nightmare/Hell difficulty had far fewer hit points than specified).
12. Changed Search spell to show items on automap (users complained they couldn't find things behind solid walls in Caves, Nest, Crypt).
13. Fix to unique items changing between games (Veil of Steel, Arkaine's Valor, etc).
14. Fixed to dropping and picking back up oiled items (bonus was lost).
15. Fixed Cathedral Map activation crash bug.
16. Added sounds to Mana Drain and Disenchant traps.
17. Monster hit points in Nightmare/Hell are +100/200 instead of +1.5/+3.
18. Fixed monster stats display in Nightmare/Hell to reflect the halving.
19. Balance/Stability/Harmony now does something.

The fastest way to obtain a patch disk is to download it from Sierra On-Line's Web site (http://www.sierra.com/support).  You can also request a patch disk be mailed to you by calling Sierra Technical Support at 425-644-4343, faxing to 425-644-7697 or writing to Sierra Technical Support, PO Box 85006, Bellevue, WA 98015-8506.


SECTION 8 - CONTACTING SIERRA FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE

Sierra On-Line has a full library of help documents available electronically.  You can download them from Sierra's home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.sierra.com by following the on-screen information.

Other options include leaving a message for Sierra's technical support staff at the web site above by accessing the technical support message boards, or e-mailing to adventure@sierra.com with a complete description of the game, your system, and the problem you are experiencing.

You can also receive your document via our automated faxback service.  Call (425) 644-4343, choose to use the automated technical support system and follow the voice instructions provided.  You will be faxed a catalog of all of the documents that we have to offer and you will then be able to get the documents you need.  If you prefer, you can also fax us at (425) 644-7697 with your document request.

Additionally, a Sierra Technical Support Request Form has been enclosed in case you wish to contact us via fax or U.S. mail.  Simply fill it out and return it to us.  Our fax number is (425) 644-7697 and our mailing address is:

Sierra On-Line Technical Support
PO Box 85006
Bellevue, WA  98015-8506

For phone assistance, you can reach Sierra Technical Support at (425) 644-4343 between 10:00 am and 6:45 pm, Monday through Friday, Pacific Standard time.  Please have the game installed and be at your system when you call.

If you are in Europe, please contact our office in England. The Customer Support number is (0118) 920-9111, between 
9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.   The fax number is (0118) 987-5603.  Customer Service can also be reached at the following address:

Sierra On-Line Limited
2 Beacontree Plaza
Gillette Way
Reading, Berkeshire
RG2 OBS United Kingdom
