800Link Support Topic - Media Player Problems

Some common problems experienced with the various media playes are listed below.

Problems with RealPlayer

• A dialog box appears titled "File Download" (or something similar)
• "Cannot connect to server"
• RealPlayer appears to be playing the audio clip, but I don't hear anything
• RealPlayer reports that a software update is necessary, but when I try to get the update, it says no update is available
• AOL Media Player tries to play the audio clip instead of RealPlayer
• Audio plays on other sites but not on 800Link.com
• "Clip Not Found"

Problems with Windows Media Player

• A dialog box appears titled "File Download" (or something similar)
• Media Player reports the error "cannot connect to server"
• Media Player appears to be playing the audio clip, but I don't hear anything
• None of these describe my problem

RealPlayer Issues

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A dialog box appears titled "File Download" (or something similar)
This indicates that RealPlayer is not installed or is installed incorrectly. Remove any previously installed version of RealPlayer. Then install the newest version from Real Networks (look for the free player).

RealPlayer reports the error "Cannot connect to server"
You may receive this error from time to time due to network congestion. However, if you get this error every time you try to listen to an audio clip, it may be something else.

• Connection errors that occur at all sites on a recurring basis may indicate a problem with RealPlayer or your Internet connection. You may need to reconfigure RealPlayer or your Internet Service Provider's (ISP) connection software to allow RealPlayer to connect
• Firewalls or security software may be blocking the connection.
• Connection errors that occur only at 800Link.com may indicate there is a problem with our server.

RealPlayer appears to be playing the audio clip, but I don't hear anything
Verify that your speakers are connected, the volume is up, audio is not muted and your sound card is working properly by playing a known good audio source (such as a wav file on your computer or some other audio link, not necessarily RealAudio). If audio does not play through your speakers, check one of the above. Otherwise, if you are listening to a message in your mailbox, it may be that the caller did not say anything and the message is actually recorded silence.

Windows has some advanced settings that, if set improperly, may be muting the audio.

1. Click on the "Start" button on the bottom left and select "Control Panel".
2. Select "Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices"
3. Select "Sounds and Audio Devices"
4. Click the "Advanced" button
5. Make sure all volume sliders are all the way up and none of the mute checkboxes are checked.

Also, if you have a laptop and it has a manual volume control, make sure it is turned up.

RealPlayer reports that a software update is necessary, but when I try to get the update, it says no update is available
If you are experiencing this problem, uninstall Real Player then install the newest version from Real Networks (look for the free player).

AOL Media Player tries to play the audio clip instead of RealPlayer
If AOL Media Player tries to play the message but fails, your settings may need to be changed to allow RealPlayer to be the default player. From your browser, click Settings -> Preferences -> Multimedia and deselect the "Use AOL Media Player" checkbox.

Audio plays on other sites but not on 800Link.com
The audio that you hear on other sites is not necessarily Real Audio content. To verify your computer can play Real Audio content, try listening to one of the audio links at Real Network's test page http://service.real.com/test/

Clip Not Found
Each time you listen to a message, your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari...) downloads a small file. In certain circumstances, the browser will save these files for future use. If one of these files is cached and points to a message that no longer exists, RealPlayer reports "Clip Not Found".For example, you listen to message 1, then delete it. A day passes and a new message takes its place. When you try to listen to it, the error occurs. To rectify the problem, the temporary files need to be deleted. The following steps are for Internet Explorer:

1. From the menu at the top of Internet Explorer, select "Tools", then "Internet Options".
2. On the "General" tab, you will see "Temporary Internet Files" in the middle of the page. Click the "Delete Files" button.
3. Check the "Delete all offline content" box, then click "OK". It may take several minutes for this to complete.
4. Click the "Setting" button and make sure the setting to check for newer versions of stored pages is either "Automatically" or "Every visit to the page".

Windows Media Player Issues

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A dialog box appears titled "File Download" (or something similar)
This indicates that Media Player is not installed or is installed incorrectly. install the newest version from Microsoft.

Media Player reports the error "cannot connect to server"
You may receive this error from time to time due to network congestion. However, if you get this error every time you try to listen to an audio clip, it may be something else.

• Connection errors that occur at all sites on a recurring basis may indicate a problem with Media Player or your Internet connection. You may need to reconfigure Media Player or your Internet Service Provider's (ISP) connection software to allow Media Player to connect
• Firewalls or security software may be blocking the connection.
• Connection errors that occur only at 800Link.com may indicate there is a problem with our server.

Media Player appears to be playing the audio clip, but I don't hear anything
Verify that your speakers are connected, the volume is up, audio is not muted and your sound card is working properly by playing a known good audio source (such as a wav file on your computer or some other audio link, not necessarily Windows Media). If audio does not play through your speakers, check one of the above. Otherwise, if you are listening to a message in your mailbox, it may be that the caller did not say anything and the message is actually recorded silence.

Windows has some advanced settings that, if set improperly, may be muting the audio.

1. Click on the "Start" button on the bottom left and select "Control Panel".
2. Select "Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices"
3. Select "Sounds and Audio Devices"
4. Click the "Advanced" button
5. Make sure all volume sliders are all the way up and none of the mute checkboxes are checked.

Also, if you have a laptop and it has a manual volume control, make sure it is turned up.

None of these describe my problem
Micrsoft maintains a comprehensive list of potential problems and solutions. If your particular problem is not listed here, check out Microsoft's Troubleshooting Windows Media Player Errors page.

If this information did not answer your question or you need additional assistance, please contact Customer Service