Zoner Draw 4

Installation Problems

Question: While installing, I got an error message that MSIEXEC.EXE caused an illegal operation or I got some other strange error message.

Answer: Most installation problems are caused by a bug in Microsoft Windows Installer, the program that manages installations in MS Windows. Note that this bug also causes uninstall problems. Please get the latest version of the Windows Installer. Here are some download locations for Windows 95/98: http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2216-10104753.html?tag=lst-0-1
http://download.com.com/3000-2216-10049515.html
You can also try to disable the Windows Active Desktop during installation, as well as any other programs running in the background (like antivirus programs, etc.). Disabling the Active Desktop: Go to your Desktop and right-click on the desktop. Select "Active Desktop" from the menu. The top entry, "View as Webpage," will have a tick next to it. Click once to remove the tick. For turning off programs running in the background, this is done in most cases by going to the task bar (with buttons for programs currently running) at the bottom of the screen, right-clicking the program's icon in the "system tray" (the area at the bottom right of the screen, next to the clock), choosing "close" or "exit," and repeating the process for each program running. Turning off Programs Running in the Background: in many cases, this is as simple as making sure the task bar (with buttons for currently-running programs) is showing at the bottom of the screen, right-clicking a program's icon in the "system tray" (the area at the bottom right of the screen, next to the clock), choosing "close" or "exit," and repeating the process until all closable programs are closed. Sometimes problems can occur when some of the system files are corrupted. Here are some basic steps to try:

Install Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher; it upgrades parts of the Windows system core
Get the latest Run-Time Components for Visual C++ applications http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q259/4/03.ASP
If you are running Windows 98, you can use the System File Checker to restore corrupted or missing system files. To run the program, click "Start," then "Run" and type "sfc" in the Open box. Then click OK.

[top]

Registration Problems

Question: I have registered on the web, but I haven't received a registration number.

Answer: You should receive your registration number in a few minutes via email after registering on our web site. You most likely misspelled your email address. Please try requesting the number again.

Question: My registration number doesn't work.

Answer: Even a small mistake in entering the number will keep it from working. The best guarantee for entering it is to copy it from the email you received, and paste the left half into the left registration box and the right half into the right registration box. Don't paste the hyphen (-). Try it again, and if it still doesn't work, let us know.

Question: I don't know where to enter the registration number.

Answer: It's very simple. When an unregistered copy of Zoner Draw starts up, a dialog box appears saying the version is not registered. There is a button at the bottom of this box that says "Register…". Press it, and in the box that appears, enter your serial/registration number. You can get a registration number at http://reg.zoner.com. If there is no such button (as sometimes happens), there was a problem during installation. This seems to be a bug in Microsoft Windows Installer, the program that manages installations in MS Windows. Note that this bug can also cause uninstall problems. You should get the latest version of the Windows Installer. Here are some download locations for Windows 95/98: http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2216-10104753.html?tag=lst-0-1
http://download.com.com/3000-2216-10049515.html
You can also try to disable the Windows Active Desktop during installation, as well as any other programs running in the background (like an anti-virus program, etc.). To disable the Active Desktop: Go to your Desktop and right-click on the desktop. Select "Active Desktop" from the menu. The top entry, "View as Webpage," will have a tick next to it. Click once to remove the tick. For turning off programs running in the background, this is done in most cases by going to the task bar (with buttons for programs currently running) at the bottom of the screen, right-clicking the program's icon in the "system tray" (the area at the bottom right of the screen, next to the clock), choosing "close" or "exit," and repeating the process for each program running. If the problem persists, simply let us know.

[top]

Import Problems

Question: I cannot open files other than ZMF files.

Answer: To import files other than ZMF files into your documents, you must use the Import… function in the File menu (or use the icon on the Main toolbar) and import the document as an object.

Question: When I import a vector file (e.g. WMF), I am unable to change the pen (outline) for the imported objects

Answer: Some vector files have only a bitmap inside. You can see this fact on the right part of status bar when the files' objects are selected. Zoner Draw 4 is a vector editor and can not edit bitmaps directly. For more information on vector and bitmap images, please check our web page.

Question: Several ZMF documents were installed on my computer together with Zoner Draw 3 (zmeprint.zmf, templates for wizards, etc.). When I try to open these files in Zoner Draw, the message "Error while opening file" appears. What's the problem?

Answer: This is actually not a problem. These are read-only files because they contain templates used for Zoner Draw functions, and therefore editing them would disable certain functions.

[top]

General Questions

Question: Can Zoner Draw 3 be used free of charge in a school or company?

Answer: Zoner Draw 3 can be used free of charge in a school or company. The only thing you have to do is register your copy in order to receive a serial/registration number.

Question: How large can a Zoner Draw document be, and what is the highest precision (resolution)?

Answer: The largest size is 2.5 x 2.5 m (about 2.7 x 2.7 yards). The highest precision is 25400 DPI (dots per inch).

Question: I'm having trouble rotating objects by hand as precisely as possible. How can I rotate them more precisely?

Answer: If you press the Ctrl key while rotating, you can rotate an object in 15-degree increments. You can also use the Transformations gallery for this; here you can rotate objects numerically (as well as move, skew, or resize the object numerically).

Question: I can't select an object by clicking inside of it, and all the objects are displayed with no fill or with a gray or hatched fill. How is this possible?

Answer: Zoner Draw works this way when the Low redraw quality is used. In the View | Redraw Quality submenu, select the Good or Full item. Redraw-quality levels exist to maximize program speed - they let you set the amount of detail the program shows. The less detail, the greater the speed.

Question: I can't select an object even though I see it on the page.

Answer: There are two reasons here: either the object lies on the master page (and thus can be edited only there, even though it appears on every page), or it is on a locked layer. (To unlock the layer, display the Layers gallery and click the lock icon for the given layer.)

Question: Is there any way to set where the artistic text will start on an object?

Answer: Yes. Try the alignment button on the Text toolbar. You can also rotate the base object, which is especially useful for artistic text on a circle.

Question: Is there any easy way to move an object with detailed precision? Say, 1 mm?

Answer: There are many methods for this, for example, the grid or the Transformations gallery. Perhaps the easiest method is to move the object using the arrow keys. To define how far the objects will move when you select them and then tap the arrow keys, use the View | Preferences... menu item. In the Preferences dialogue box, you can set these increment sizes for the arrow keys as well as for Ctrl-arrow key combinations.

Question: In Zoner Media Explorer, I can focus, soften, etc., bitmaps. Is it possible to do something similar with bitmaps in Zoner Draw, so that I don't have to switch to Zoner Media Explorer?

Answer: Yes. Activate the Shape tool and select the object: the buttons for these effects will appear on the Alternate toolbar (or you can use the items in the Bitmap menu).

Question: The program runs slowly even with the least demanding documents. What can I do?

Answer: First, make sure you are not running too many programs at once - the more programs running, the less free memory you have, the lower the speed. Also, if a program has crashed during your current Windows session, consider restarting Windows - the program may have blocked up part of the memory during the crash. Zoner Draw's SmartFresh screen-refresh technology works best when there is plenty of free memory. When there is very little memory, the program can run quite slowly. Finally, try to avoid running 16-bit programs (e.g. those that work with Windows 3.1) together with Zoner Draw.

Question: While working, one or more of the following occurs: the program often crashes; the program won't launch; objects leave "smudges" when redrawn; position markers leave tracks on the rulers.

Answer: Such problems are generally caused by problems with your graphics card and its driver. Often this is due to an outdated (16-bit) driver or one that does not provide software support for all graphics functions. Unfortunately, buyers of such cards discover this problem only when they try to run graphics software in Windows 95. We recommend that you use 16-bit or 24-bit color depth (i.e. 64 thousand or 24 million colors), which display better than 256 colors. Often it also helps to install the card's alternative driver included in Windows 95, or reduce hardware graphics acceleration in Windows: Start button | Settings | Control Panel | System | Performance | Graphics...

Question: I heard there is a new version of Zoner Draw with fixes for several details. How much does an upgrade cost?

Answer: "Updates" for a particular version of the program (Zoner Draw 3, Zoner Draw 4) are called "patches." These are available for free; simply download them from our pages. (They are many times smaller than the full installation of Zoner Draw.) We recommend that users join the Zoner Draw mailing list, where we can inform them regularly about patches, new features, and more.

Question: I wish Zoner Draw could also...

Answer: Then by all means let us know! The Zoner Draw development team is grateful for all comments on our programs and suggestions for their improvement. We thank you in advance for your letters or e-mail comments on Zoner Draw. We've also prepared a form to help you enter your comments.

[top]