Cannot pick up the key in the closet.

Cause:

Some moniters brightness level allows the key to be seen, even when the closet light is turned off. The key cannot be picked up with the light off, as it was intended that it would not be seen until the light was turned on.

Solution:

Turn the closet light on using the switch next to the closet.

Pictures

CAUSE:

These are usually caused by outdated drivers or unsupported video cards that do not meet the game's requirements.

RESOLUTION:

Updating your video card driver should fix these issues. To determine your video card model and manufacturer, please follow the instructions below to run the DxDiag file:

1. Go to your 'Start' menu.

2. Go to 'Run' (or 'Start Search' if you're running Vista).

3. In this window type 'dxdiag' (without quotes).

4. You may be asked a question about 'WHQL Certification', click 'No' or 'Cancel' if presented with this option.

5. This will run the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. It will take a few minutes to complete, watch for the progress bar in the lower left hand corner for status.

6. When complete, click the 'Save All Information' button.

7. This will bring up a file requester, click 'Save'.

8. You will have saved a file called DxDiag.txt to your desktop. 

Open the document and look for the following information:
----------------------
Display Devices
----------------------
Card name: XXXXX
Manufacturer: XXXXX

Where "XXXXX" is your card model and manufacturer's name. Look for updated video or graphic driver downloads for your specific computer and video card models from your computer or video card manufacturer. Download and install the updates. 

Please be sure to only download drivers from your manufacturer's official website. ***Do Not under any circumstance uninstall your current video drivers! Simply install the new drivers you download over your current ones!***

You may also want to go to Microsoft's Download Center to download and install the latest version of DirectX for your version of Windows.

Please note that if you are using a laptop and the game window is very small, try pressing the Fn+F7 keys together several times to toggle the window size.

If you are still experiencing issues or would like assistance in locating drivers for your video card, please e-mail Technical Support with a brief description of the issue and attach your DxDiag.txt file for further assistance.

I purchased a downloadable game or strategy guide, installed it and now I'm being asked for an activation code when I try to run it. Where do I find the activation code?

RESOLUTION:

On the Digital Download Store homepage, in the left-hand column under My Account click on 'Account Home' and login in if you have not already done so. You should see a list of the games (My Games) that you have purchased. Next to each game or guide that you have purchased, you will see an Activation Code. Enter this code into the appropriate field and activate the product.

For additional help with questions or problems in the download, install or activation process for your digital product, please visit Digital Download Customer Support.

Disc is damaged (dirty, scratched, broken, lost, etc.) and can no longer play the game.

CAUSE:

Standard use and age causes wear and tear on the discs.

RESOLUTION:

If your game disc is damaged, we will be happy to issue a replacement disc for a $5 charge per disc. We ask that you send the disc you wish replaced and a $5/USD Check or Money order to us in a protective envelope at the following address:

Her Interactive, Inc.
c/o Disc Replacement
1150 114th Avenue SE, Suite 200
Bellevue, WA 98004

Please be sure to include a note with your full name, mailing address, which disc and game title you need, and a phone number or e-mail address in case we need to reach you.

After installing a game, the 'Play Nancy Drew Games' icon (Nancy Drew Central) does not update to show the game. Or you receive the following error message:

Object reference not set to an instance of an Object.

CAUSE:

A problem during installation has not allowed the Nancy Drew Central (NDC) feature to update properly. This feature is only included in the recent games (starting with title #16 The White Wolf of Icicle Creek). NDC will only update to show games installed from a CD, it will not include games purchased as a digital download on-line. Digital download games will create an individual game icon on your Desktop.

RESOLUTION:

You can simply go to Start/Programs/Nancy Drew/ and find the icon or folder that has the title of your game, then click on the corresponding icon and the game should start as usual. You can also create a shortcut from this location to place directly on your desktop. All previous games will have a listing in NDC, but please keep in mind that if you have uninstalled a game, or have not yet installed it, you will not be able to open it from NDC.

To fix NDC will involve uninstalling and reinstalling the game. First, delete the NDC folder in this location:

C:\Program Files\Nancy Drew\Nancy Drew Central

Then uninstall the game that is not showing in NDC or is causing the error message to occur. After uninstalling, check the following locations for any remaining file folders for that specific game and delete them if necessary:

C:\Program Files\Nancy Drew\
In the Documents folder for XP: C:\Documents and Settings\Username\My Documents\
In the Documents folder for Vista: C:\Users\Username\Documents\

Once all remaining game files are deleted, reinstall the game. This should update NDC and restore normal functionality.