Skip navigation
top image

Customer Support FACTS

InterMedia Customer Support FAQ Suggestions for getting your InterMedia system up & running

This page is a 'work in progress' and will grow as more information is converted from existing sources. 1. Installation 1.1 Installing InterMedia for Windows 3.11, 95 or NT 1.2 Installing an InterMedia for Windows update 1.3 Installing InterMedia for DOS 1.4 Installing an InterMedia for DOS update/revision 2.1 InterMedia Circuit Board Problems 3.1 InterMedia Dongle Problems 4.1 SCSI Installation and Problems 5.1 General Conversion Questions

1 Installation
Before you Install the InterMedia Software you will need to Install either an InterMedia circuit board or a dongle and dongle drivers. 1.1 Installing InterMedia for Windows V3.1 / 3.11 1)

  1. Start Windows, if windows is running then exit all open applications.
  2. Insert the floppy disk labelled "Disk 1" into the floppy drive and choose RUN from the file menu. The RUN dialog box will appear.
  3. Type "a:\install" into dialogue box and press Enter. This will load the InterMedia Installer.
  4. Change the control file directory to that of your control file ( i.e. c:\imwin\q12345.ctr ) and click on the yes Button. You will then be asked "Proceed with Current Directories ?". Click on the yes Button.
  5. Confirm your control file directory by clicking the OK button. The InterMedia Installer will now start to load the InterMedia software. After the first disk finished copying you will be prompted for "MORE DISKS" or "DONE". Select "MORE DISKS" until the last disk has been copied, then select "DONE". This will take you back to the InterMedia Installer Window.
  6. Click on the EXIT button.
  7. InterMedia for Windows has now been installed. Restarting Windows after Installation is recommended. 

1.2 Installing InterMedia for Windows 95/98 or NT

  1. Start Windows, if windows is running then exit all open applications.
  2. Insert the floppy disk labelled "Disk 1" into the floppy drive and choose RUN from the Start menu. The RUN dialog box will appear.
  3. Type "a:\install" into dialogue box and press Enter. This will load the InterMedia Installer.
  4. Change the control file directory to that of your control file ( i.e. c:\imwin\q12345.ctr ) and click on the yes Button. You will then be asked "Proceed with Current Directories ?". Click on the yes Button.
  5. Confirm your control file directory by clicking the OK button. The InterMedia Installer will now start to load the InterMedia software. After the first disk finished copying you will be prompted for "MORE DISKS" or "DONE". Select "MORE DISKS" until the last disk has been copied, then select "DONE". This will take you back to the InterMedia Installer Window.
  6. Click on the EXIT button.
  7. InterMedia for Windows has now been installed. Restarting Windows 95 after Installation is recommended.

1.3 Installing an InterMedia for Windows Update

  1. Double click the Installer icon in the InterMedia program group to load the InterMedia Installer Window.
  2. Put the first update disk into your internal disk drive ( i.e. drive a: ).
  3. Check that the Installer is configured correctly.
  4. Click on the Install Button.
  5. You will be asked "Proceed Installation with Current Directories Selection ?", Click on the YES button
  6. Confirm your control file location by clicking on the OK button. This will start to update your InterMedia System.
  7. After the first disk finished copying you will be prompted for "MORE DISKS" or "DONE". Select "MORE DISKS" until the last disk has been copied, then select "DONE". This will take you back to the InterMedia Installer Window.
  8. Click on the exit button
  9. The InterMedia for Windows update has now been installed 

Installing InterMedia V4.62 - Dos Version

  1. Insert the control file disk into your A: drive and type the following command at the C: prompt:- COPY A:*.CTR <return>
  2. Insert the First System disk into the A: drive and type at the C: prompt:- COPY A:IMLOAD.EXE <return>
  3. Then at the C: prompt type the following Command:- IMLOAD (control file number) Your control file number will be on your control file disk and will be something like Q12345.ctr
  4. You should now have the InterMedia Loader on-screen, It you should enter A: when "Enter name of input drive" is requested & load complete IM system from the resulting menu.
  5. The installer will then proceed with installation, requesting disks to be swapped at the appropriate places. When the last disk has been copied then Installation is Complete.

Loading an InterMedia for Dos Update\Revision

  1. Place the first update disk into the A: and type the following command.:- Imload <control file no.> <return> Your control file number is the number or name used to start InterMedia.
  2. The Installer will then ask "Enter name of input drive" Select Drive a:
  3. At the following menu select "Load system revision"
  4. The installer will now prompt you to insert disks, when the last disk is copied then the update is complete.

Circuit Board Problems

There are several main reasons for InterMedia circuit board problems below are listed some of the errors and possible ways of correcting them.

Board corruption Port V or Board Data Error

  1. Address conflicts. If another circuit board has been added, or changed, check for address conflicts. The normal InterMedia address used is 300H, which is also the default address for many other boards, especially Network cards.
  2. Turn power off and restart. Occasionally when reading corrupted disks, the processor on the board can crash. A power off reset is the only fix.
  3. Board speed. Not normally a problem with Windows, but if in doubt, increase the board speed in the Options/Update configuration menu.
  4. Replace board. The boards are very reliable, but occasionally all electronics fails and a replacement board may be required.

Dongle & Dongle Driver Problems

InterMedia for Windows V3.02 or later (May 1996) requires extra device drivers for a dongle. The operation of the dongle has been changed to accommodate the use of InterMedia with Windows NT. Unfortunately this requires the software which drives our dongle to change for all systems. Before the system will work with the dongle it is essential that the relevant device driver is loaded for the operating system being used. InterMedia Systems are supplied with a dongle device driver disk which should be installed in the following ways :- for Windows 3.1 use A:\WIN_31\INSTALL.exe for Windows 95 use A\:WIN_95\SENTW95.exe for WindowsNT use A\:WIN_NT\INSTALL.bat If InterMedia is used under more than one operating system, e.g. Win 3.1 & Win 95, then drivers must be loaded for each operating system used. Dongle Error messages & possible fixes. NO DONGLE FOUND This error will occur if there is no dongle physically connected. In this case it is best to connect the dongle and then restart the software. If the InterMedia for Windows software crashed, then is is possible that it looks as if the dongle is still open, therefore the restarted program may not see the dongle. The solution to this problem is to restart windows. Dongles can occasionally fail. In this case contact InterMedia for a replacement dongle. The old dongle must be returned or the user will be charged for the full cost of new software.

SCSI Installation and Problems

There are many different reasons why the InterMedia SCSI-sub system does not work. Here are some know problems and their fixes. General system hanging. Very rarely InterMedia for Windows will hang. In the past this has been cured by several different methods: Deleting the IMWIN.SAV file in the IMWIN directory. When this file is deleted all user configurations are lost, so it is a good idea to go into the Options menu and restore the configuration. Check the SCSI transfer rate. This is an option in SCSI board BIOS settings, this should be set to 8mhz or less as setting it to 10mhz has proved to be too fast for many systems and drives. Check SCSI termination only the last drive on the end of the SCSI chain should be terminated. Verify SCSI Installation InterMedia for Windows contains an option which scans the hard disk for the ASPI files associated with SCSI. It will then list al the relevant files found, along with their date and size. In Windows 3.1\3.11 there are three relevant files; ASPI?DOS.SYS (the ? depends on Adaptec SCSI adapter used) WINASPI.DLL VASPID.386 All files should be of the same date, or within a few days of each other. This feature is not used in Windows\NT as SCSI is Handled in a different way. SCSI Devices not showing. If two or more SCSI devices have conflicting SCSI ID's then one of the drives will not appear. Check that all SCSI Drives are properly terminated and have different SCSI ID's. For IMW to work correctly with new third-party SCSI tape/disk drives it is most important to know the internal SCSI id-string of the device concerned. In order to ascertain the correct id-string follow these instructions: a) Install the software utilities that came with your Adaptec host adapter. b) Re-boot the PC. On boot-up, the device name should appear along with its id-string. c) In the Windows Program Manager, open the program 'SCSI Interrogator' or 'Show SCSI'. Select the device and make a note of the name/value under the 'Revision' field. This is the id-string that IMW requires. d) Fax InterMedia the name or value of this field; we will then include this id-string into the IMW program ready for your update patch.

General Conversion Questions

  • Q: Can InterMedia convert database and spreadsheet files ? A: Yes. With the aid of our own database conversion program, IntelliBase. , virtually any common or proprietary structure can be handled.
  • Q: Which disk and tape formats can InterMedia handle ? A: Click here to go to our Format lists.
  • Q: Can InterMedia convert foreign character sets A: Yes, we transfer the text and Locoscript attributes, bold, italic, etc., and convert the document to a more modern word processing format.
  • Q: Which operating systems does InterMedia run under ? A: Windows 3.1/3.11, Windows 95 and Windows NT. Windows NT currently only supports the tape system. We also have a DOS version of the software which is used primarily for sophisticated disk analysis.
  • Q: Is there any limit on the length of a file when writing to tapes ? A: No. The system will write multi-volume output tapes.
  • Q: Can anyone use the InterMedia system ? A: InterMedia employs an automatic running facility, allowing any competent Windows operator to setup a sophisticated, yet simple to use batch process. This will allow repetitive tasks to be run reliably and consistently.
  • Q: Can the system analyse floppy disks at sector level ? A: Yes. Complete Sectors may be viewed and written to a hard disk for further analysis; this may assist in identifying deleted or partially overwritten files. It will also interrogate disks at clock and data bit level. Exact bit copies of disks may also be taken. If you need more help with any InterMedia Related subject feel free to contact our technical support department on the numbers below or email us

 

eMag Solutions
(formerly InterMedia)

2A Oaktree Court
Mulberry Drive
Cardiff Gate Business Park
Cardiff
CF23 8RS
United Kingdom

Tel (44) 02920 739940
Fax (44) 02920 739948