Sniffy, The Virtual Rat

Support

Most problems are dealt with in this document. If you still need help Contact: Tech Support at: www.thomsonedu.com/support

Please have the following information ready before you call:

the make and model of your computer

the version of the operating system you are using

the amount of RAM and Hard Drive memory you have

and the exact wording and details provided in any error message you may have encountered.

Sniffy Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I use the Sniffy Web site?

The Sniffy, the Virtual Rat home page has 10 menu options on the left-hand side of the screen. You are advised to progress through the menus in the order from top to bottom, unless you know specifically what you are looking for.

2. How do I work the Sniffy Pro Demo software?

Step 1:

After you have read the Main page, and the About Sniffy page, run the Tutorial (takes about 15 to 20 minutes) to see how to operate the program, and run learning experiments. Run the OVERVIEW first and then proceed through each of the three Projects.

Step 2:

Read the Manual Contents to see the range of exercises possible. We have chosen 3 major exercises (as detailed in the Tutor) which you can now try out on the Demo software. Please note the Demo runs for a limited time, and does not allow you to save files.

Step 3:

Read the Exercises pages, and print a hard copy so that you can have them beside you while you run the Demo.

Step 4:

Use the Download menu to select the Windows or Macintosh version of Sniffy Pro. Make sure you have completed Steps 1, 2, and 3 first.

Step 5:

Double-click the Demo installer, and follow the instructions.

Step 6:

Open the Sniffy Pro Demo folder and double-click the Sniffy Pro Demo icon (or in Windows look for the Programs command in the START menu, and select Sniffy Pro Demo).

Step 7:

For the next 20 days you can try out these exercises and any of your own!

Sniffy Lite functions in exactly the same way since Sniffy Lite is a subset of Sniffy PRO.

3. Some experiments take hours to run. How can I do these when my lab time isn't that long?

The "Isolate Sniffy" menu command on the "Experiment" menu will allow you to complete lengthy experiments much more quickly. Experiments that would take hours in real time will be completed much more quickly. How quickly the experiments run depends on the speed of your computer. You may have to set the Control Panel Monitor Display to the minimum color setting for the type of monitor you are using. Consult your operating system help files to make this adjustment. Note your original settings so that you can restore them when you have finished using the Sniffy software.

4. If Sniffy appears to be moving very slowly, how do I get him to speed up?

a. Make sure no other programs are running.

b. In Windows or Mac OS 8 or 9, use the Preferences command under the File menu to set the animation rate higher. In Mac OS X, the Preferences command is under the Sniffy menu.

c. You may have to set the Control Panel Monitor Display to the minimum color setting for the type of monitor you are using. Consult your operating system help files to make this adjustment. Note your original settings so that you can restore them when you have finished using the Sniffy software.

5. Why don't my print-outs come out?

To print a window, first make the window visible. If you can't see it, select it from the Windows menu. Then click on the window once to make sure that it is selected and execute the Print Window command. NOTE THAT THE OPERANT CHAMBER IS NOT A PRINTABLE WINDOW. If you select Print Window with that window selected, you will get a Dialog Box explaining that you can't print this window.

6. I can print, but I get error messages or the printouts have large black rectangles across the page.

Most printer/computer combinations work with the default settings. However, in some cases, the system defaults may not produce good print outs for Sniffy. The "perfect" settings vary from system to system and printer to printer, so you may have to experiment. The first thing to try is setting a different print quality or resolution in your Print Setup dialog. You may also want to experiment with grayscale or black-and-white settings, if your printer has them. If you can't find a good setting, try using "Save as File" or "Print Preview" functions that is available in the Print Dialog. You may find these correct the problems you are experiencing, or at least produce a file you can transfer to a different machine and/or printer.

It appears that some early Mac OS X print drivers do not work as well under 10.2 or 10.3 as they did under 10.1. Be sure to check the printer manufacturer's support site to see if you have the latest update.

7. Can I use the Sniffy Data Files from the previous version with this new version?

No. The new program uses an entirely different mechanism for controlling Sniffy's behavior that is not compatible with the old method.

8. If I get an I/O error what do I do?

Usually this occurs when you are attempting to save a Sniffy file on a disk that does not have any more room or on a CD. Save the file in a different location. You will also get this error if you try to open a Sniffy data-export file, or other files that the Sniffy program cannot open.

9. Can I run Sniffy directly from the CD without installing it?

You can do so, but we strongly recommend that you don't. The program is designed to be installed on the hard drive of the computer that you are using. If you run Sniffy from the CD, the program may run erratically and produce results that are substantially different from those that would be produced if it is installed on run from the hard drive.

10. Sniffy appears with a white block around him (unmasked against background).

We believe that the new program, version 2.0 corrects this problem. Please let us know if you experience this problem.

11. Sniffy unexpectedly quit the first time I ran it.

We have had some reports that Sniffy will quit unexpectedly when run for the first time on some Macintosh systems. We are looking into this and will post an update when we develop a fix. However, it appears that this is limited to the first run only and users report that Sniffy worked fine after the initial unexpected quit.

12. Why does Sniffy die?

The program will not record more than 20 hours of program-time data for any single experiment. Once that limit has been reached, Sniffy will stop moving. If Sniffy is visible and the animation speed is adjusted so that Sniffy is moving around at a reasonably realistic rate, 20 hours of program time will be roughly equal to 20 hours of clock time (give or take an hour or two). However, if you have executed the Isolate Sniffy (Accelerated Time) command so that your computer is running an experiment as fast as it possibly can, program time will pass very much quicker than clock time. In fact, if you have a reasonably fast computer, you will reach the 20-hour limit in program time in less than 1 hour of clock time. We included the Isolate Sniffy (Accelerated Time) command so that users could complete their experiments more quickly. However, when you use this feature of the program, you must keep an eye on your experiment and stop it quickly once the program has finished each part of the experiment.