• Check that the power cord for your speakers (if there is a power cord) is plugged into an electrical outlet and that the power switch is turned on (if there is a power switch).
  
  
• Check that the volume control on your speakers (or headphones) is turned up.
  
  
• Check that the mute button on your speakers or headphones is not switched on.
  
  
• Check that the speakers or headphones are plugged into the correct jack on your computer. Most computers have several audio jacks, and they may or may not be labeled. Consult your owner's manual or contact your PC's manufacturer for assistance.

Others do not hear your voice when you speak.

• Check that your microphone is plugged into the correct jack on your computer. Most computers have several audio jacks, and they may or may not be labeled. Consult your owner's manual or contact your PC's manufacturer for assistance.
• Check that the mute button on your microphone is not switched on.

Solution: The DSP Group TrueSpeechTM audio compression (CODEC) software is usually installed as part of Microsoft Windows. Please follow these instructions to install and enable the TrueSpeech code (make sure you select the correct set of instructions depending on whether you are using Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT):

Follow these instructions if you are running Windows 95 or Windows 98:

• Press the Start button in the lower-left corner of the screen.
• Select Settings, then Control Panel.
• Double-click the Multimedia icon. The Multimedia Properties window should be displayed.
• Click on the advanced tab.
• Click on the plus-symbol (+) next to Audio Compression Codecs to expand the list of installed codecs.
• If DSP Group TrueSpeechTM Audio CODEC is displayed, go to step 18.
• If DSP Group TrueSpeechTM Audio CODEC is not displayed, it needs to be installed. You will need your Windows CD-ROM (or will need to locate where the Windows installation files are located on your computer).
• In the Control Panel window, double-click the Add New Hardware icon. The Add New Hardware wizard should be displayed.
• Press the Next button.
• You are asked if you want to search for your new hardware. Select No, then press the Next button.
• Select Sound, video, and game controllers from the Hardware types and press the Next button.
• Select DSP Group from the Manufacturers list and TrueSpeechTM Software CODEC from the Models list, then press the Next button.
• Press the Finish button.
• You may be prompted for the location of your Windows CD-ROM. Enter the correct location, and press OK.
• You will be prompted to restart Windows. You may restart now or later, but the codec will not be available until you restart your computer.
• If, after restarting your computer and attempting to start a voice chat, you are still receiving the same error message, continue to the next step.
• Open the Multimedia Devices window as directed in steps 1-5.
• Select DSP Group TrueSpeechTM Audio CODEC from the list of Multimedia Devices and press the Properties button. The Properties window is displayed.
• Verify that Use this audio codec is selected, and press the OK button.
• Press the OK button in the Multimedia Properties window, and try using voice chat again.

• Press the Start button in the lower left corner of the screen.
• Select Settings, then Control Panel, then Multimedia. The Multimedia Properties window should be displayed.
• Click on the Devices tab.
• Click on the plus-symbol (+) next to Audio Compression Codecs to expand the list of installed codecs.
• If DSP Group TrueSpeechTM Audio CODEC is displayed, go to step 13.
• If DSP Group TrueSpeechTM Audio CODEC is not displayed, it needs to be installed. You will need your Windows CD-ROM (or will need to locate where the Windows installation files are located on your computer).
• Press the Add button. The Add window should be displayed.
• Select DSP Group TrueSpeechTM Audio CODEC from the list of drivers, then press the OK button.
• If the Driver Exists warning is displayed, press the Current button.
• You will be prompted to restart Windows. You may restart now or later, but the codec will not be available until you restart your computer.
• If, after restarting your computer and attempting to start a voice chat, you are still receiving the same error message, continue to the next step.
• Open the Multimedia Devices window as directed in steps 1-4.
• Select DSP Group TrueSpeechTM Audio CODEC from the list of Multimedia Devices, and press the Properties button. The Properties window is displayed.
• Verify that Use this audio codec is selected, and press the OK button.
• Press the OK button in the Multimedia Properties window, and try to start a voice chat.

• JMessenger cannot access your microphone because Windows indicates that it is already in use by another program. One of the following steps should correct the problem
• Shut down and restart your computer.
• Press CTRL+ALT+DEL on your keyboard. This will bring up the Close Program window.
• You will see a list of files/ programs. These are the programs running in the background on your system, whether they show on your taskbar or not.
• "Explorer" is the Windows operating system. "Systray" is the System tray / taskbar manager. All other items on the list are outside programs that could be interfering with the Messenger installation.
• One at a time, click each item in the list to highlight it and then click the End Task button.
• You will need to press CTRL+ALT+DEL each time to bring up the Close Program window again.
• If at any time you get a message saying that a program is "not responding," click End Task. (Note: By clicking the End Task button, you are not removing or deleting any programs, just turning them off. They will all come back then next time you restart your machine.)
• On rare occasions, using the End Task option to close a program can cause the system to reboot. If you experience this, you will need to start from the beginning, but this time do not use the end task option to close that particular program. Once you have the Close Program window clear except for "Explorer" and "Systray" (don't worry if you don't have "Systray"), click Cancel to close the Close Program window.
• Restart JMessenger and attempt to use the voice chat feature.
• Every so often, this error is also displayed if system resources are very low. To solve this, close all other applications running on your computer and retry the test.

Solution: The best solution to far-end echo is for everyone to use a headset. This allows you to talk at the same time and use hands-free mode without any echo.

If you prefer to use speakers and microphones instead of headsets, one or more of the following may be used to reduce far-end echo problems (the person that needs to take these steps is not the person hearing the echo but the person at the far end of the conversation):

Move the microphone as far away from the speakers as practical. Reduce the microphone level (using the volume control on the left, below the Talk button). You may have to speak directly into the microphone to be heard clearly. Reduce the speaker level (using the volume control on the right).

Voice is choppy and broken-up.

Cause : The voice data is not passing smoothly over the Internet. Usually, this is due to congestion or other problems at some point between JMessenger.com.

Solution : Problems of this type are usually temporary, and the voice quality should improve once the problem is remedied.

If you experience static or voice delay, it may be due to the following factors:

Time of day : The time of day you try to use voice chat can drastically affect voice quality due to the number of users trying to access our servers at one time. Peak hours are mid-morning and late evening (Pacific Time).

Connection speed : In order for voice chat to work properly, ensure you are using a 56K modem (or faster connection). Sending sound over the Internet requires a lot more bandwidth than sending text.

Region : The location to which you are trying to voice chat can also affect voice transmission. Different geographical locations may receive better transmission of voice packets than other areas.