Before purchasing the LifeGlobe Goldfish Aquarium 2 we strongly recommend you test the program to see if it works on your computer. You can do this by downloading the program and running the demo version as outlined HERE.

No.

We cannot ship CDs with online orders. You may purchase the Goldfish Aquarium 1 CD at any CompUSA Store, Frys Electronics Store (a West Coast electronics chain).

You can also purchase the Goldfish Aquarium 1 CD online from Encore Software.

For more details, you can contact us by e-mail.

Yes.

In the interest of protecting your credit card and personal information, we do have several layers of security to ensure that our sites are secure as possible. For more information on our site security, please see our security statement.

To run Goldfish Aquarium 2, you will need:

• Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP (Home or Professional).
  
• A Pentium-class CPU (200 MHz or faster).
  
• 64 MB of system RAM.
  
• A DirectX 7 compatible, 3D Accelerator Video Card with 16 MB or more of on-board RAM.
  
• 5 MB of free Hard Disk Space.
  
• DirectX 7 or better installed on your computer.
  
• The latest drivers for your video card. These are best found at the video card manufacturers site. The Windows update feature is not sufficient for this task. For more information, click HERE.

Yes!

Goldfish Aquarium 2 supports widescreen AND multiple monitor displays. It will mirror the Aquarium in each of the monitors you have, but will not stretch the Aquarium across your displays. This is a feature we are working on for the future.

For more information on the widescreen and multiple monitor features, see the settings section HERE.

Yes.

We are proud to offer Goldfish Aquarium 2 for the Mac HERE.

Check out the fan site below. This site is complete with wish lists and discussion forums on many of our fantastic products.

Inside: LifeGlobe fan site

Please go HERE and sign into your account to retrieve your keycode.

If this procedure does not work, e-mail us the following information where applicable and we can retrieve your information from our customer database:

• The full name you registered under.
  
• The Order Number from your confirmation e-mail.
  
• Both the first four AND last four numbers of the credit card you used.
  
• Your email address at the time of purchase.
  
• Your old Keycode. (If you are upgrading from an older code)
  
• The store you purchased from.
  
• The date of your purchase.

There are three things that can cause this error.

1. Some characters in the keycode can be easily confused (i.e. O and zero, capital I and the number one, etc.). Try to copy and paste your keycode into the registration space to avoid any possible input errors. Also, if you are upgrading from a CD it will need to be in the drive during this procedure.
   
   
2. You may be attempting to use your code in another version of Goldfish Aquarium. Check your confirmation e-mail to see which version you purchased and make sure this is the version you downloaded.
   
   
3. Your copy of Goldfish Aquarium 2 may have been corrupted during download or installation. Try downloading a new copy of the program and reinstalling it. Be sure to deactivate your anti-virus software for the duration of the download and install. For full installation instructions, click HERE.

Please Note: If you are upgrading from a CD, you will need to make sure that the CD is in the drive during this procedure.

To copy and paste the Keycode, do the following:

1. Hold down the left mouse button and pass the cursor over the keycode. This will highlight the code in black.
   
   
2. Let go of the mouse button and move the cursor to the center of the highlight without pressing any buttons.
   
   
3. Press the right-most mouse button and select "Copy" from the pop-up menu.
   
   
4. Start Goldfish Aquarium.
   
   
5. After the program start up, press the space bar. This will bring up the registration window.
   
   
6. Put the cursor in the registration window, press the right-most mouse button again and select "Paste" from the pop-up menu. The keycode should appear in the registration box. Be sure to eliminate any spaces before or after the code so you can have a clean paste.
   
   
7. Press the Enter key. The program should start right up.

Unfortunately, since our CDs are manufactured by another company, we cannot replace lost or damaged CDs with another CD or a keycode. Please e-mail our Technical Support department for other possible solutions to this issue.

We built the Goldfish Aquarium 2 to act as a demo until you entered a valid keycode or unlocked it with a CD. To properly install Goldfish Aquarium 2, and activate the demo mode, follow the instructions below:

1. IMPORTANT: Be sure your anti-virus software is deactivated for the duration of the download and install.
   
   
2. Uninstall any old versions of Goldfish Aquarium from your system to avoid conflicts.
   
   
3. Download the newest release of Goldfish Aquarium 2 from HERE.
   
   
4. After downloading the program, find the folder you downloaded to and double-click the Goldfish Aquarium 2 file. This will run the Setup Wizard, which will install Goldfish Aquarium on your computer, simply read and follow the instructions for installation.
   
   
5. Once the installation process is complete, there should be a new icon on your desktop that looks like an orange and white Goldfish. Double-click the Goldfish icon to bring up the registration box.
   
   
6. Type LIFEGLOBE into the registration box. This will unlock the demo mode.
   
   
7. Dont forget to reactivate your anti-virus software.
   
   
8. While Goldfish Aquarium 2 is running, press the space bar to change your settings. Many of the Goldfish will be locked in demo mode but you can check out the other Goldfish and settings. You will have to enter LIFEGLOBE again to return to the program.
   
   
9. Let Goldfish Aquarium 2 run for a little while to be sure everything is working properly. If you have any problems consult the "Troubleshooting" section of our FAQ.

Once you have purchased your keycode you can activate the full version of the program. To properly install the Goldfish Aquarium 2, and activate the full version, follow the instructions below (If you have already installed the newest demo version, skip to step #6):

1. IMPORTANT: Be sure your anti-virus software is deactivated for the duration of the download and install.
   
   
2. Uninstall any old versions of Goldfish Aquarium from your system to avoid conflicts.
   
   
3. Download the newest release of Goldfish Aquarium 2 from HERE.
   
   
4. After downloading the program, find the folder you downloaded to and double-click the Goldfish Aquarium 2 file. This will run the Setup Wizard, which will install Goldfish Aquarium on your computer, simply read and follow the instructions for installation.
   
   
5. Once the installation process is complete, there should be a new icon on your desktop that looks like an orange and white fish over a clock.
   
   
6. If you are Upgrading from an older CD, place your CD in the computer. Click Exit or Cancel on any automatic window that may appear. If you are not upgrading from and older CD version, please skip this step.
   
   
7. Double-click the new Aquarium icon to bring up the registration page.
   
   
8. To change your settings, press the space bar While Goldfish Aquarium 2 is running. For more detailed information about the settings, how they work and how to pick your Goldfish, see the Operation section of the FAQ below.
   
   
9. Don't forget to reactivate your anti-virus software.

To install the Goldfish Aquarium 2 from CD, please do the following:

1. IMPORTANT: Before installing, be sure your anti-virus software is deactivated for the duration of the install.
   
   
2. Place your Marine Aquarium CD in the CD-ROM drive.
   
   
3. The CD will automatically run the Aquarium Setup Wizard, which will install Aquarium on your computer, simply read and follow the instructions for installation.
   
   
4. Once the installation process is complete, there should be a new icon on your desktop that looks like a Goldfish.
   
   
5. Double-click on the fish to run Aquarium to start the program. At this point Aquarium will read the CD for authorization and unlock the program.
   
   
6. While the Aquarium is running press the space bar to bring up the Settings menu.
   
   
7. Don't forget to reactivate your anti-virus software when you are finished.
   

To set Goldfish Aquarium 2 as your screen saver follow the instructions below:

1. Right-click your desktop in an empty spot without an icon. This will bring up a small menu window.
   
   
2. Select "Properties" from the menu. This will open the "Display Properties" window.
   
   
3. Click on the tab along the top marked "Screen Saver".
   
   
4. Using the scrolling menu, select Goldfish Aquarium 2. The Goldfish Aquarium logo should appear in the small computer monitor at the top of this window.
   
   
5. The length of time until the screen saver activates can be adjusted on this screen as well.

There are several cases where you may need to fully uninstall and reinstall Goldfish Aquarium 2. Please consult the "Troubleshooting" section of our FAQ first for a solution there. However, corrupt downloads, new system settings, new video card drivers, or other such circumstances may make Goldfish Aquarium 2 stop running properly. If you cannot find another solution and would like to do a clean re-install of the program we suggest the following steps:

1. Perform the long version of the Uninstall process outlined HERE.
   
   
2. Install the program as outlined HERE.
   

These two steps will give you a clean slate as it were, allowing the Goldfish Aquarium to adjust to your system's current settings.

The simplest way to uninstall the Goldfish Aquarium 2 is to run the Uninstall option through the START menu under Programs/LifeGlobe/Goldfish Aquarium 2. Alternatively, you can use the Add/Remove Programs utility located in the Windows Control Panel to remove Goldfish Aquarium 2.

This should clean your system of any Goldfish Aquarium data. However, if you want to be doubly sure, you can go through the longer uninstall process below:

1. First, click on the Start button then select Programs/LifeGlobe/Goldfish Aquarium 2.0/Uninstall LifeGlobe Goldfish Aquarium 2.0.
   
   
2. Next, click on the Start button then select "Find" or "Search" and search for all copies of "Goldfish2.scr" from your system. When the list of files displays in the Find window, just right click on each of our fish icons and choose delete. If you find no files at all, that is okay. It just means that everything was removed properly in step one.
   
   
3. Re-boot your computer. Your Computer should now be completely free of all Goldfish Aquarium data and programs.

While Goldfish Aquarium 2 is running you can use the following keyboard keys to change its settings:

ESC - Exit program.

Spacebar - Settings menu.

A - About Goldfish.

H - Help.

B - Bubble sound on/off.

Ctrl-B - Bubbles on/off.

F - Full screen/windowed mode.

L - Automatically change lights on/off.

M - Exit on mouse move enable/disable.

Crtl-R - Restore all settings to default.

S - Show frame rate, screen resolution, and settings.

W - Normal view/wire frame fish/all wire frame.

Ctrl-W - WideScreen on/off.
P - Cycle through tanks.

[ and ] - Cycle forward/backward through tanks.

Up/Down Arrow - Foreground lights up/down.

Left/Right Arrow - Background lights up/down.

Right/Left Arrow - Background lights up/down.

All of the options below are found in the Goldfish Aquarium 2 menu under the Settings tab. To bring up the menu, press the spacebar on your keyboard while Goldfish Aquarium 2 is running.

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Exit on Mouse Move - If this is checked; you can exit the Goldfish Aquarium by moving your mouse or pressing a non-hotkey (see above) on your keyboard. If this option is not checked, you can only exit the program by pressing the ESC key.

Disable Monitor Sleep Mode - Some monitors will shutdown after a period of time. This option allows the Goldfish Aquarium to override this shutdown and continue playing the aquarium on your monitor.

Always on Top in Windowed Mode - When the Goldfish Aquarium is in Windowed Mode (See "W" hot key above.) this option will place the aquarium window over any other program you are running.

Start Window Mode - Launches Goldfish Aquarium in windowed mode. Windowed mode can take advantage of Anamorphic Settings. For more information on Anamorphic Settings see Monitor Settings section below.

Use Widescreen - Displays Goldfish Aquarium in widescreen mode which uses an additional Fish (for a total of eight) and expanded background art.

Limit Frame Rate - Forces the frame rate (animation speed) of the Goldfish Aquarium to the frequency you select. If the Goldfish Aquarium is jerking, or running slowly, you may need to reduce the frame rate below the default 62 by using the slider bar.

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Monitor Settings
Each of your monitors can be set separately by choosing the monitor with a dropdown menu. Once selected you can change the individual settings as outlined below.

Select Monitor - Dropdown menu lets you choose one of your monitors.

Black - Blacks out the specified monitor. If you are seeing black on one monitor and not the others, most likely this option has been checked for one of your monitors.

Anamorphic Factor - Sets Anamorphic Factor for the specified monitor. The Anamorphic settings are defined as follows, though they may require slightly different numbers on your specific monitor:

• 1.0 - Fills any screen. If the Aquarium is set to widescreen and you have a widscreen monitor, there will be no distortion.
  
• 0.8 - Will "Letterbox" the Aquarium image, placing a black bar at the top and bottom of the screen. This setting will allow the widescreen mode to appear without distortion on a normal ratio display.
  
• 1.2 - Will "Sidebox" the Aquarium image, placing a black bar on the left and right of the screen. This setting will allow the normal mode to appear without distortion on a widescreen display.

Windows Resolution and Color Bit - Controls the Desktop resolution and Color depth settings that the Goldfish Aquarium uses when it runs full screen.

• Resolution Dropdown menu - "Default Desktop Resolution" will match the program display to your current desktop settings.
  
• 16/32 bit - Forces the program to display at 16 or 32bit color depth regardless of desktop settings.

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Goldfish Tank Settings
This box contains all of the settings for the Goldfish Aquarium Tanks. Each Tank works on its own settings, so changing a setting in one Tank will not change that setting in all tanks.

Clicking a Tank in the list will make its name appear at the top of the Tank Settings area, this is how you know what Tank you are working on.

Tank List - This window gives you a list of all the Tanks available. Checking the boxes to the left of the Tank listing will select it for cycling.

• Cycle Selected Tanks - Checking this option will cycle the tanks from the list chosen above.
  
• Time Slider - Determines the length of time that each tank view is displayed before cycling to the next. From 8 seconds to 10 minutes.

Automatic Lights - To prevent your monitor from burning in, the Goldfish Aquarium will cycle the lighting from light to dark in the foreground and background of the tank independently. Un-checking this box will give you full control of the lighting.

• Delay Slider - Determines the length, from light to dark, of the lighting cycle when in Automatic lighting mode.
  
• Lights Sliders - Manual setting for the lighting when not in Automatic lighting mode.
  

Bubbles - Turns bubbles on and off.

• Frequency Slider - Controls how many bubbles will be seen in the background.

Debris - Turns small floating particles on and off.

Sound - Bubble column sound.

• Volume Slider - Controls bubble volume.
  
• Always On - Bubble sound will always be heard when the Aquarium is running.
  
• When Active - Bubble sound will only be heard when the Aquarium window is visible. Helpful when Goldfish Aquarium is in Windowed mode (see "F" hotkey above.)
  
• Off - Turns off bubble sound entirely.

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Reset to Default - This button will return ALL options back to their default settings.

The Goldfish Aquarium 2 can display from a library of exotic breeds, with numbers depending on the tank you are viewing. To access and use the library, please follow the instructions below:

1. Press the space bar while the program is running. This will bring up the Settings window.
   
   
2. Click the Settings tab. This will take you to the Settings page. Choose the Tank you want to select Goldfish for by clicking the Tank listing.
   
   
3. Next, click on the Fish tab. This will take you to the Fish selection page. On the right you will see a visual library of Goldfish to choose from. On the top left are a number of spaces showing the Goldfish currently chosen for the Tank you chose in step #2.
   
   
4. By left-clicking on a Goldfish you can see its information in the bottom left. By double-clicking, you send the Goldfish to the Tank, filling one of your spaces. Double-clicking the "X" (OFF) will leave that space blank and the Tank will have one less Goldfish on the screen. If you double-click the "?" (RANDOM) Goldfish Aquarium 2 will pick a Goldfish for you at random, every time you open the program.
   
   
5. Checking the option "Don't Duplicate Random Choices" will make sure that no random choices are the same.

The graphics used in Goldfish Aquarium 2 require a fairly up-to-date computer with a strong graphics card. Our realistic graphics use the same system resources as most video games. If you have some initial problems running Goldfish Aquarium 2, do not worry, 99% of all graphics problems can be solved by simply updating your computer's video card drivers. For more detailed information on your computer's video card and how to update its driver, click HERE.

The best way to test the Goldfish Aquariums compatibility is to download the program and run the demo version as outlined HERE.

Slow animation, jittering, or freezing can be caused by a variety of things. Let's try a few of the basics and see what might be causing the issue:

A. IMPORTANT: Be sure that your video card has 16 megabytes or more of video memory and an up to date driver. Do not skip this step! Even if your computer is brand new or you have recently updated drivers, there can still be problems in this area.

Check video card and driver section HERE for more information on your video card and how to check it.


B. Limit the Aquariums animation frame rate as follows:

1. Run Goldfish Aquarium and press the space bar to bring up the settings menu.
   
   
2. Click the "Settings" tab.
   
   
3. Check the "Limit frame rate (fps)" box and use the slider bar to set the frame rate below 30.
   
   
4. Click the OKAY button.
   
   
   C. Examine the programs in your System Tray (The area just to the left of the clock on the Taskbar). Placing your mouse cursor over the icons will give you item's full name. If you have Windows XP you may have to "Show hidden icons" using the small circle and arrow button to the left of the System Tray.
   
   If the icon is Windows or another program waiting to update, run the updates then continue.
   
   If the icon is not one of your basic system functions (volume, task manager, mouse, video card, printer, etc.) exit, disable or close the program. Right-clicking the icon will usually give you options. Then check to see if Goldfish Aquarium exhibits the same behavior.
   
   
   D. Double-check your computer for spyware or viruses.
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5. Your Video Card and its Driver

   
   

   The video card (or chip, or processor) is the graphics workhorse of your computer. If it does not have enough video memory, it will not be able to perform smoothly. The same is true if the video driver your computer is using is out of date or corrupted. To check your video card's memory and driver do the following:
   

   1. Close all programs that are running.
      
      
   2. Click on the START button and select "Run".
      
      
   3. In the box that appears, type in dxdiag.
      
      
   4. This will bring up the DirectX Diagnostic tool. Wait for it to fully load.
      
      
   5. Click the "Display" tab.
      
      
   6. All the information on your video card is in the upper left under the heading Device. You will want to write down the following information:
      
      
      • Name
      • Manufacturer
      • Chip Type
      • Approx. Total Memory
      
      If the Approx. Total Memory is below 32MB (megabytes), your video card does not have enough video memory to run Goldfish Aquarium 2.0 and you should e-mail us to let us know.
      
      
   7. All of the information about your video driver is on the right-hand side under the heading Driver. You will want to write down the following information:
      
      
      • Version
      • Date
      
      If the date is more than six months old, you will want to update your video driver as outlined HERE.
      

   
   IMPORTANT: If you have a laptop, you will want to go to the laptop manufacturer's website to find a new driver.

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6. Updating Your Video Card Driver.

   
   

   It is important to make sure you have the latest driver for your video card from the manufacturer. We have found that outdated drivers are the number one reason for many problems.
   
   IMPORTANT: If you have a laptop, you will want to go to the laptop manufacturer's website to find a new driver.
   
   PLEASE NOTE - The Windows update function is often not sufficient for updating your video card drivers.
   
   Video card manufacturer's update their drivers once every THREE to SIX months. These new drivers can usually be found on their websites. Using the information you gathered HERE about your video card, you should search the Internet for the manufacturer's website and download the driver from there.
   
   Read the installation information on the manufacturer's site very carefully. There is no standard way to install new drivers.
   
   
   If this update does not solve your problem, please contact us using the Tech Support page HERE.

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7. My Goldfish are plain white with no textures.

   
   

   The first thing to try is to run the program. Then press the space bar to bring up the Settings menu. Make sure the option "Exit on Mouse Move" is NOT checked. Then click the Exit button and press Ctrl and the "T" key at the same time. Ctrl-T changes the way Goldfish Aquarium handles the textures (skin) of the Goldfish.
   
   If it works, go back to the Settings menu and change a few of the fish selections to save the new graphic setting.
   
   If this does not work, the problem may be your video card driver. Please click HERE and read the Driver Update entry.

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8. When I try to run Goldfish Aquarium 2 I get the error: Missing export D3D...

   
   

   Your computer may not have DirectX, or may have an old version of DirectX. DirectX is a graphics language program required for running Goldfish Aquarium 2. Click on the following link to Microsoft DirectX website and download the latest version.
   
   If you know that you already have Direct X installed on your computer, than you may want to run the DirectX self-diagnostic tool as outlined below:
   
   

   1. Click on the "Start" button and select "Run".
      
      
   2. Type in "dxdiag" and click OK. This will open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. The version of DirectX you are running will be displayed toward the bottom of the first page.
      
      
   3. Go through each tab and click the buttons with the word "Test.." in them. This will take you through a series of diagnostic tests.
      
      
   4. When you get to the "Display" tab make sure that "Directdraw" and "Direct3D" are enabled. If Direct3D is "Not Available" right click your desktop and click "Properties." Go to the "Settings" tab, click "Advanced." Go to the "Performance" tab and make sure hardware acceleration is set to Full.
      
      
   5. If you find any problems you will need to download and reinstall DirectX from the link above.

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9. When I exit the Goldfish Aquarium 2, my monitor settings are washed out/too bright.

   
   

   This is a problem that only occurs with ATI video cards. You need to change your setting for Overlay Brightness as outlined below:
   
   

   1. Right click on your Desktop.
      
      
   2. Click Properties.
      
      
   3. Click the "Settings" tab.
      
      
   4. Click the "Advanced..." button in the bottom right corner.
      
      
   5. Click the "ATI Color" tab.
      
      
   6. Along with the setting for Desktop Brightness is a setting for Overlay Brightness. Set the Overlay brightness to the minimum.

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10. When I run Goldfish Aquarium 2 from the shortcut on my desktop, my computer launches a different program.

    
    

    AutoCAD or some other program has changed the association of the .scr file type, meaning Windows no longer sees files with the .scr extension as screen saver files, but as another type of file. While Goldfish Aquarium 2 will run normally as a screen saver, you cannot use the shortcut on your Desktop. Here is a way to work around that:
    
    

    1. Open your My Documents folder and select Tools then Folder Options...
       
       
    2. Click the View tab, uncheck Hide file extensions for known file types and click the Apply button. This will allow you to view the file extensions for all files.
       
       
    3. Close your My Documents window.
       
       
    4. Right-click on the Goldfish Aquarium 2 desktop shortcut and select "Properties". This will bring up the Shortcut properties window.
       
       
    5. Click the FIND TARGET... button at the bottom of the Shortcut properties window. This will take you right to the Goldfish.scr file on your hard drive.
       
       
    6. Right-click the Goldfish2.scr file and select "Copy".
       
       
    7. Go back to your Desktop, right-click any empty space and select "Paste". A copy of Goldfish.scr should appear on your Desktop.
       
       
    8. Right-click on the new Goldfish2.scr icon and select "Rename" from the menu.
       
       
    9. Change the Icon's name to Goldfish2.exe.
       
       
    10. Delete the Goldfish Aquarium 2 shortcut from your Desktop.
        
        
    11. You can now run Goldfish Aquarium 2 manually by double-clicking this icon.

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You can find the current list of Goldfish on the Meet the Fish page of our website.

If you do not see the Goldfish you like, e-mail us a picture and we will add it to our suggestions!

Currently we do not permit people to create or add custom fish for Goldfish Aquarium. There are many reasons, but the most important is that while we trust an artisan would be motivated, and even capable of creating a truly wonderful masterpiece, there are others that might not, and a version were to get out that was less than the highest quality, it might reflect poorly on us.

If you are interesting in creating fish or wildlife for our company, we are always seeking talented artists. Please e-mail us samples of your work.

Thank you for your support.

Our models were made by hand, and were designed to be very low polygon count, as well as simulate as closely as possible the real animals. Sometimes this simply required creating the creature, and watching it for days if not weeks. During this period, we fine tune the fish until we cannot distinguish between the real thing and our creation.