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 The FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions!

Navigation or Display Problems
Music or Sound Problems

Navigation or Display Problems

Until the last revamp of the Anthonians Web Site, we utilyzed Frames as out basic structure and installed a JavaScript-enabled Navigation Bar in the top frame to allow you to go from page to page within the site, without a menu cluttering up each and every page. That works fine if each and every visitor has a recent version browser with JavaScript enabled. However, for various reasons, that is not the case:

  • JavaScript may be turned off because of security concerns, or,
  • You may have an old computer that has an old version of the browser, or is incapable of running a newer version of the browser
  • Your browser (particularly if it is old) may be incapable of displaying Frames, in which case, you are broken out of frames and the home page is shown instead . . . with no method of navigating from page to page!

The obvious answer may seem to be for you to upgrade your Internet Browser, and, if necessary, the hardware and operating system that runs the browser. But I don´t accept that solution. There is an adage in design (whether it be buildings, VCRs, software, or even Web Sites) that you should always plan, design, and implement your offering for the lowest common denominator, and that is the approach I decided to take with this latest revamp of the Anthonians Web Site. I have minimized the use of JavaScript for navigation and provided pure HTML tags which all browsers support . . . and I have given an option to break out of Frames so you can view the pages individually on the screen and still have navigation menus available.

JavaScript, Java, and Flash are still used in parts of the site, although the lack of this functionality does not take away from the core value of Anthonians.org. Modern technologies have much to offer, and, more importantly, they do address some serious security and privacy issues that have plagued (and continue to do so) the older versions of the internet browsers. So, I would encourage you to upgrade if at al possible. However, I will continue to make this site navigatable to the widest array of browsers out there.

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer® and Windows® are Registered Trademarks of Microsoft. Netscape Navigator® and Netscape Communicator® are Registered Trademarks of Netscape. Mozilla® is a Registered Trademark of Mozilla.org. Opera® is a Registered Trademark of Opera Software ASA

    • Music or Sound Problems

    • I can't hear the music! Help!
      1. Check the obvious. Do you have a sound card and speakers installed? Turn the volume up. Sometimes there is more than one way to adjust volume, including a physical volume control on the speakers themselves.
      2. Is the MIDI Channel "Open" on your system? Sound cards are much like "sound mixers" in that they can allow several different sources and types of sound to be controlled by the sound card, such as
        • raw audio from WAV and MP3 files ,
        • the input from a microphone or other source from the Line In jack on the sound card,
        • the audio to the sound card from your CD-ROM
        • the input of MIDI or Synthesizer
        There are two ways to check this. If you can see a "Speaker" icon on your taskbar to the bottom-right of your screen, you can double-click the icon to bring up the "Master Volume Control" window from your sound card. Accomplishing the same task from a different route, clicking START-PROGRAMS-ACCESSORIES-MULTIMEDIA-VOLUME CONTROL brings up the same screen.

        Master Volume Control

        This is the screenshot of my Volume Control. Note the channels available and the settings. I do not have a microphone plugged into the back of my computer so therefore I have checked "Mute" on that channel to disable all input from that channel, or "device" as the techies like to call it. Note also that I have the Volume Control slider about halfway on the WAV device because when I play back WAV files, I've noticed that the volume was so much higher than in comparision to the other sources.

        If you want to listen to MIDI files, the checkboxes for MIDI (sometimes called SYNTH) and Master should be unchecked as in my example. Set the volume slider to suit your needs and close the screen. Try playing the music again.

      3. Check your connections: Check that the cables and plugs running from your speakers into the sound card in the back of the computer are plugged in correctly. The speaker plugs should be plugged into the "Line Out" outlet.

        If your speakers are amplified, check that the power source is plugged in or that the batteries are still good.

      4. Is there a program associated with playback of MIDI sound files?

        Most users have Windows Media Player installed on their computer, which is normally set by default to play the most common music formats (including MIDI files). Sometimes, though, your music file associations can be "rearranged", or "messed up", or "hijacked", or "orphaned" by other music playback programs that think they should be "king of the hill". RealPlayer is famous for this. The result is that sometimes there is no program associated with MIDI files to play them back.

        To re-associate MIDI files, I'll give you the procedure for Windows Media player. The technique is more or less the same for other programs like Cresendo or RealPlayer. Open Media player, then select TOOLS-OPTIONS from the menu. Click the FILE TYPES tab and go down the list until you see MIDI or MID. Select by checking the checkbox. Then click OK and close down Media Player. Now try double-clicking on a MIDI files. Windows Media Player should start up and begin playing the music.

        I have several players installed on my system, including Media Player, RealAudio, WinAmp, and NoteWorthy. Sometimes I want a file to play back on a particular player, in which case you can right-click the file and select OPEN WITH. The following dialog comes up (the XP version in this case) where you can select the player to play back your music:

        The Open With Dialog Box

        Note that WinAmp is my selected default player, but I can change it. I can also make a particular player default by checking the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" checkbox, and then clicking OK.

        Note: you do not have the Open With option when right-clicking on a link in Internet Explorer, but you can right-click and select Copy Shortcut, then open you favorite player, select FILE-OPEN, and then pasting (right-click, Paste) the shortcut into the filename box. All windows File Open dialog boxes are network-aware and will know how to find your song and launch it.