Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
Most Terra Explorer problems are associated with improper system configurations, outdated video card drivers and running the application in "full screen" mode.
Many of the problems listed below are specific to accessing visualisations over the Internet and should not, therefore, be experienced when loading the DVD-ROM.
System Requirements -TerraExplorer runs on any MMX class Intel Pentium or equivalent processor systems with windows 95, 98, 2000, Me and XP operating systems. You will obviously need a DVD-ROM drive installed on your PC.
Video Cards - Terra Explorer requires a directX -compatible video card equipped with 16 or 32 Mb of memory with the latest manufacturer drivers. If you note any slowing in the application or that you do not have this minimum configuration, you can reduce the screen resolution to 800x600, the number of colours from 32 bits to 16 bits and not use the full-screen mode.
Internet Connection - Although the 3d navigation system Terra Explorer was intended to function with a modem Internet connection of 56k, we recommend an ADSL or Cable Internet connection with a minimum speed of 512k to fully benefit from this technology
If you can't find any solution to your problem here, please contact us to assist you. Please include a complete description of your system configuration and a detailed message of the Terra Explorer related problem you are experiencing.
Q. After starting the flight the TerraExplorer isn’t automatically installed .
The automatic installation procedure of the TerraExplorer uses ActiveX. Not all Web browsers support ActiveX. You can manually install the TerraExplorer after downloading it from the Skyline Software website: http://www.skylinesoft.com/interactive/terraexplorer/texp_manual-download.asp
Q. I use an Apple Macintosh computer. Can I use the TerraExplorer? .
No. The TerraExplorer will only run on a PC with: - Operating system: Windows 95/98/NT/2000/Me/XP - Processor: Pentium MMX of AMD equivalent - Internal memory: 64 MB RAM or more - Videocard: 32 MB recommended
Q. When starting the TerraExplorer I get the following message: “CreateDevice failed, DirectDrawError: DDERR_INVALIDPIXELFORMAT”.
You are using 24 bit colours. The TerraExplorer can only use 16 bit colours or 32 bit colours. You can change this setting in the properties of your “Display” in the Windows “Control Panel”.
Q. When starting the TerraExplorer I get the following message: “File not found / Load failed”.
The flight isn’t correctly downloaded to your “Temporary Internet files” folder. You should empty the “Temporary Internet files” folder, restart the Web browser and start the flight again.
Q. When starting the TerraExplorer I get one of the following messages: - “cannot initialize DirectX”; - “D3dim.dll error”; - “DirectDraw and Ddraw.dll error”; - “DirectDrawError: E_NOINTERFACE”; - “A required .DLL file, DDraw.dll, was not found”; - “Error calculating Texture RGB mask”?.
Microsoft DirectX isn’t (correctly) installed. You can download the latest version of DirectX from Microsofts website: “http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx”
Q. After starting the flight the TerraExplorer is opened. I can see locations in the information panel on the left side of the TerraExplorer, but the 3D window with aerial imagery is empty (blue) .
The 3D engine of the TerraExplorer cannot (correctly) communicate with the drivers of your videocard. Or the drivers of your videocard aren’t compatible with the version of DirectX that is installed on your system. Possible solutions:
* Disable ‘'Hardware acceleration'’ in the TerraExplorer. These setting can be found in the menu under View -> Options;
* Disable DirectX 9 support in the TerraExplorer by deleting / renaming the file “tgmdx9.dll” in the folder “C:\Program Files\Skyline\TerraExplorer\”;
* Install the latest drivers for your videocard. These can be downloaded from the manufacturers website;
* Install the latest version of DirectX. You can download the latest version of DirectX from Microsofts website: “http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx
Q. After having successfully downloaded and installed TerraExplorer, I received one of the following messages and could not see the 3D visualisation: - Terra explorer cannot load terrain data. A connection with the server could not be established. - Terra Error: - MPT error: CAN'T OPEN MPT FILE - TerraExplorer error: File not found .
When opening the TerraExplorer, you open a connection with the Skyline TerraGate server, where the 3D map is stored. These error messages indicate our servers may be temporarily down or unavailable. Please wait a while and try again.
Q. I have downloaded the free Terra Explorer software but when I try and open the visualisation, it has problems loading it for me. It goes through the process of initialising but only buffers to about 25% and then stalls completely. .
1. Open Internet Explorer. 2. On the "Tools" menu, select "Internet Options". 3. On the "General" tab, Under "Temporary Internet Files", Click "Delete Files". 4. Click OK, on the Delete Files Dialog, this procedure will delete your internet temporary files and it might take some time. 5. Click OK on the "Internet Options" Dialog to close it.
Q. I get the error message "Unknown Terra Error. Click OK". .
Try this first:- Close TerraExplorer. Using Windows explorer browse to TerraExplorer installation folder (by default: “c:\Program Files\Skyline\TerraExplorer (Pro)”). Rename the file “tgmdx9.dll” to “_tgmdx9.dll”. Restart TerraExplorer. If this does not resolve the problem please do the following: Right-click on the desktop blank area and select properties. On the display properties dialog, select the settings tab. Make sure the color quality is set to 32 or 16 bit. If this does not resolve the problem please do the following: Make sure your “tgmdx9.dll” file is still renamed to “_tgmdx9.dll”. Run TerraExplorer (Don’t open a fly file, just start the application). Press F9, or use the Tools Menu>Options. Un-check the “Enable Hardware Acceleration” checkbox. Open a fly file. If this does not resolve the problem please do the following: Click the window’s start button and select Run. Type in: “dxdiag.exe” After the tool has finished analyzing the computer, click save all information, and send us the resulting file.
Q. Is it necessary to update the reader of my graphics card ? .
To update the pilot of the graphics card regularly will improve the performance of your display. However, in most cases, to install Terra Explorer will not require updating the display pilot. The presence of a pilot that is too old can generate the following error messages: - Error messages DirectX ("cannot initialize DirectX", "try reinstalling and restarting the application"), - Error messages of the D3dim.dll type, - Error messages DirectDraw and Ddraw.dll ("DirectDrawError: E_NOINTERFACE "," Error starting program: To required DLL slips by, DDraw.dll, was not found "," Direct Draw error: DDERR_INVALIDPIXELFormat");
Q. I have an outdated video card with less than 8mb of memory, what shall I do ?.
You can use a video card with less than 8mb or less memory but you must then reduce the screen resolution to 800x600, lower the number of colours from 32 bits to 16 bits and not use the full-screen mode.
Q. How can I update my the display drivers ?.
If you have many savings of the application, update your display drivers. To know the type of video card that you have, go to to the display settings in the control panel: Start > Settings > Control panel > Performance and Maintenance > System > Hardware > Device Manager > Display Adapaters . Video cards of portable computers: The display drivers for portables are generally specific to each manufacturer. Refer to the site of the manufacturer of your computer. ATI:www.ati.com; NVIDIA:www.nvidia.com; INTEL:www.intel.com.
Q. I downloaded and installed Terra Explorer, all seems to function correctly but when I fly in the 3d window, everything is fuzzy and the ground is not well defined. Why?. .
This only applies to visualisations accessed via the Internet. Your connection is probably too slow i.e. modem 56k. You can test the following things: A.) Try to more more slowly in the 3d window so that the ground has time to adjust. Stop on a defined position and wait a few minutes in order to see whether the definition of the ground improves. B.) Reduce the size of the window, this will have a similar consequence - a reduction in the data to transfer. C.) Check your connection speed - any connection below 512k can be insufficient to benefit fully from the software.
Q. When I launch Terra Explorer and it is going through the process of loading, the program seems to stop for a while and the 3d visualisation never appears. How has this occurred ? .
This only applies to visualisations accessed via the Internet. The problem can be caused by a too slow connection. It could possibly be that your computer was disconnected during the loading process. Try and reconnect to the Internet then start Terra Explorer again.
Q. When I Launch Terra Explorer, it starts to load the objects and then the software is blocked and a message "Terra Explorer generated a system error and must close" appears? .
This can be caused by the following problems: - You have a video card that is too old or a display driver that is incompatible with Terra Explorer. Try to update the driver of your video card (see updates of the display drivers) 1. A version of DirectX that is too old is installed. Try to update Direct X. 2. Another DirectX software is launched at the same time as Terra Explorer. Sometimes an unknown 3d software cause conflicts. Try to close the other 3d applications which you use at the same time and then start Terra Explorer again . 3. If the problems persist, you can decontaminate the sphere mode as follows in the parameters of the software: - Launch Terra Explorer. Once the software is loading, press the F9 key, strip the box "enable sphere display mode", click on applying, close the software, start again and try it to load it again.
