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The KHOU NowCaster program is designed to run unattended and continuously or your PC. However, sometimes, like with any computer there are problems or questions...here are a few.
Frequently asked questions:
Q: There's an annoying click whenever NowCaster changes its slide screen. How do I make it stop?
A: This only seems to happen with Internet Explorer 5- another "new and improved" feature of Internet Explorer 5 is that anytime you click on an Internet link it tries to simulate a keypress "click". Yes, it is annoying. To turn it off, simply go to your "My Computer" then open Windows "Control Panel" and select "Sounds". Set the "Start Navigation" sound to (None) and then click the Apply" button. See sample below:
Q: I'm running Windows 3.1 /Macintosh / Linux-Unix do you have a version of NowCaster that will work on these?
A: While we'd like to offer a program for these operating systems. We simply can't because of certain limitations in the way the operating system works. Windows 3.1 simply doesn't have enough tools in the operating system...we can't ever make a version of NowCaster for it. Same goes for Macintosh OS 7/8 However, a Linux-Unix version may be possible in the future. We are investigating that possibility.
Q: I downloaded the NowCaster Program, installed it, and it refused to run. It gave me "scripting errors" anytime I tried to start it.
A: You need a JAVA
enabled web browser (Internet Explorer is preferred) to run NowCaster. Internet Explorer
2.x and 3.x will not work, neither will Netscape 2.x or 3x or 4.0 Download the latest
version below:
Internet Explorer 4.01 or 5.0 Click here to download latest
version
Netscape Navigator 4.3 or higher Click here
to download latest version
You can have both web browsers installed on your PC if you prefer. Performance gains will be seen with Internet Explorer however, so we recommend installing it even if you prefer to use Netscape Communicator.
Q: I keep getting a screen in NowCaster that says "I'm sorry, unable to connect"
A: You must be connected to the Internet to run NowCaster. It is designed to be a "companion" program while you are on the Internet. Make certain you are connected to the Internet either via your modem or through your local area network (LAN) At present, NowCaster will not work with a proxy server on a LAN, but a future version will.
Q: Some screens in NowCaster's slide window come up blank or show an "X"
A: Your Internet connection may be bogged down with other traffic or very slow. Or, you may be trying to download a large file that is using up all of your modem resources and NowCaster cannot get through to update the latest slide. Try a faster modem like a 56K or try changing to a different Internet Service Provider. Its also possible that the remote web server providing some of the information contained in NowCaster slides may be busy or offline. The problem will likely clear itself in a few hours if that is the case.
Q: Now matter how long I run NowCaster, it never updates any of the information that is displayed. How do I get current info?
A: This is usually a settings problem in your Web Browser. Be sure that you have the web browser set to check for new pages each time it visits a page. Otherwise, it may be set to check only on startup. To test for this, you can close NowCaster (while keeping your Internet connection open) and then restart it. If it updates the weather information when you do that, then your browser settings need to be changed. See the Help in your web browser on how to do that. Note: If you are running both Netscape and Internet Explorer on the same machine, check the settings in Internet Explorer first.
Refresh buttons are provided on the Doppler radar pages. Click them for latest image. To update the weather scroller showing local information, just click on it. Note that this info is only updated once an hour by the National Weather Service. It is usually updated at 15 past the hour.
Q: How do I move NowCaster around on my PC desktop?
A: You can click on any area of the NowCaster frame, click, hold, and drag, to move the program anywhere on the desktop. Then letup the mouse button.
Q: How do I remove NowCaster from my PC?
A: There is an uninstall program provided...just go to the Start Menu and choose the NowCaster section, then the Uninstall program. You can also use the Windows Control Panel Add/Remove Programs tool and choose NowCaster from there.
NowCaster
Frequently Asked Questions