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System Requirements

To use EarthTeam chat, you should meet the recommendations below. Other systems capable of running Java may work with EarthTeam chat but due to the myriad of possibilities, we cannot provide technical support for all of them.

• Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator version 4.0 or newer
• Java and javascript support enabled
• 14.4k or faster internet connection

Connection Problems

If you are behind a firewall, you may not be able to access the correct port. The Java client tries to connect with the EarthTeam chat server on the standard IRC port, 6667. To correct this problem, you should contact your system administrator.

If you are not behind a firewall, your connection could just be experiencing problems with internet traffic (This is very common for AOL users). Wait a few minutes and try again.

If your system is insecure, the server will block your connections. The server probes port 5190 to see if your system is insecure. We are not trying to hack your system, it is for our security and yours.

AOL Troubleshooting

Please Make sure you are using AOL version 4 or newer, which will install the correct version of Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer Troubleshooting

1. Ensure that you have the latest version of Microsoft Virtual Machine. Start Internet Explorer, on the Internet Explorer menu bar, select Tools and then Windows Update. When the Windows Update page loads, select product updates. This page will take a few minutes to load while it analayzes your system. It is a good idea to check to download any Critical Updates as well as look in the list for "Microsoft Virtual Machine" download any updates to this as well. Once it is done downloading, installation is automatic and you will be asked to reboot your machine, when you return java support should be enabled.
2. After updating the Virtual Machine, if it still doesn't work, please check your security settings. Go to the tools menu in Internet Explorer, select Internet Options and then click on the Security Tab. Select Internet Zone (by default it should be selected) and ensure the slider is at Medium. If you do not see a slider, click Default Level and the slider should appear, change this to medium and click Ok.
3. If all the above options fail, Microsoft Support has a bulletin with some assistance for Java Issues

You can read this bulletin at support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q168/8/06.asp.

Netscape Troubleshooting

You will need to ensure you have Java activated. The standard Netscape software comes with Java included.

To Enable Java:

1. Go to the Edit menu and select Preferences
2. Select Advanced from the list on the left and you will see the menu on the right side of the window change.
3. One of these options will be Enable Java. Make sure this box is checked (or the button is depressed) and if it is not greyed out, ensure the enable java plugin box is checked as well.