Computer Set-up &Trouble-Shooting
Hardware & Software Updates
Last CUSeeME update: July 24, 2002
First Netmeeting Notice posted: June 19, 2003
Updated: August 29, 2006

Because of increasing difficulties the ETS affiliates stopped using CUSeeMe in 2003.
We now use Netmeeting, a free product which is available for download over the Internet.
The following information reflects current instructions (as of the most recent date listed above)
for using Netmeeting and preparing your computer for the tutorials.
Registered students will receive updated information via email about computer set-up
and practice sessions in preparation for the fall classes.

  Thank you for your patience!

Computer set-up for Oxford tutorials

System Requirements
PPP for dial up connections
Internet Connection: DSL, LAN, Cable, ISDN, 56 Kbps modem (Min. Required)
Proprietary ISP (other than MSN; AOL has improved and can be used)
Windows: 98se; 2000; XP (Recommended)
Internet Explorer (IE) 5.5 or higher (Recommended)
(MSN browsers are not recommended)
Pentium III 800 MHz PC with 256 MB of RAM (Recommended)
(Pentium II 500 MHz PC with 128 MB of RAM (Min. Required)
NOTE: Netmeeting does not work with Macintosh computers.
Microphone or headset (Headset Recommended)
Speakers or headphone
Sound card needed to send and receive audio (Full-duplex not required).

Optional Hardware (To send video):
Digital video camera** (serial, parallel, or USB)
(USB or FireWire digital webcam required to send video)
Standard analog video with video capture card

**The use of cameras is strictly limited and mostly prohibited
during class because of distraction and drain on bandwidth.
Since video cameras are difficult to use with Netmeeting it is
best to uninstall your camera (from your control panel).


  *How to log onto the classroom*

Setup instructions for Netmeeting

Make sure you have Netmeeting installed. If not, please go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/download/nm301x86.asp  and download and install the software. The first time your run the software, it will ask you for some setup information.  If you have Windows XP, do a search for the file "Netmeeting" on your computer and run that file.

 Go to your main netmeeting screen, go to tools|options|audio and run the audio tuning wizard.  Make sure the full-duplexing is unchecked. Go to the general tab and click on Bandwidth settings and set to 28,800 or faster.

Go to start|Programs|Netmeeting. Insert the conference IP address (contact Dr. Lund for the number) and click on the phone button. Select the 2 Lund room.

Once you are in the conference, please go the main Netmeeting window (not the chat box) and then select View and make sure compact and Data only are unchecked.  Please make sure that your mic is off by selecting the speaker/mic button and then unchecking your mic.

If you reenter the classroom with netmeeting, please make sure that you close your Whiteboard first.

To stop the irritating dings that occur when someone enters are leaves the conference, use the following procedure.  Go to start|find|files and enter "ding.wav".  Once the computer finds the file, go to start|Programs|accessories|Multimedia|Sound Recorder.  Different operating systems have the sounds recorder under different menus, so you might need to look for it a little.  Drag "ding.wav" from the search window into the sound recorder.  On the sound recorder go to Edit|Delete before current position.  Go to file save.  That should stop those crazy dings.

How to use Netmeeting

For complete instructions on how to use Netmeeting please click here: How to use Netmeeting.

DSL & Cable modems, Routers

If you are using DSL or Cable and/or a router, it is desirable that the computer which you are using for class has its own IP address.   Having a Proxy IP address on your computer or having a firewall may cause Netmeeting audio to be unreliable. However, for non-techies it is a fairly complicated process to set an independent IP address.  It requires working through a series of re-configuration steps with a technician (your DSL provider) and it may not be necessary.  Many students have found that their systems work reasonably well with a Proxy IP address.  A common trick which allows students to use Netmeeting through a Proxy IP address is to lightly tap on their microphones whenever they lose audio.  Therefore, you may want to wait and see how your system works in the test sessions before taking the step of establishing your own IP address.

If you have trouble with DSL (whether wired or wireless), our server administrator (Mr. Hinrichs) recommends a specific set of port configurations for the maximum performance of your computer with Netmeeting.  The only wireless router which our system currently supports is the Linksys Wireless G router (available for about $ 60).   The main configurations for the router (whether wireless or wired) are contained in the following link: Linksys Router Port Settings

This set-up is for a single computer on the network running Netmeeting.  If you need to have multiple computers running Netmeeting, Mr. Hinrichs recommends that you obtain a separate external IP address for each computer.  If you seek technical assistance Mr. Hinrichs is offering tech support service for $ 45 per incident.  His phone number is (760) 746-0980.

How do you know if you have a real external Internet IP?  Go to Start|Programs|Accessories|Command prompt and type ipconfig followed by ENTER.  If the IP address that you have begins with 192. or 172. you have a proxy address.  This address will not be the same as the external IP address that your computer actually has when connected to the Internet.  To see this IP address, go to http://www.ipchicken.com.  If your computer's IP address is not the same as your external address, Netmeeting may at times be confused and break your connection.  Usually you can quickly reconnect and return to the classroom.  However, if this becomes a chronic problem you may want to call your ISP and ask them to tell you how to reconfigure your system so that the external Internet IP address sits on the computer itself. 

Firewalls & Virus software

Once the IP address is on the computer itself, you will want to make sure firewall software is running on your machine.  Our server administrator recommends the personal firewall and virus scan software suite from www.norton.com   called Norton Internet Security.  However, because of recent difficulties with Norton I prefer a newer security system called NOD 32: http://www.eset.com/    NOD is much less intrusive than Norton.  After my last Norton upgrade I encountered numerous problems.  The Norton security system is now so large and invasive that it would keep me from opening my own files until I went through a time-consuming authorization process.  At times my computer would even freeze (while Norton was analyzing files).  Firewall software will protect from worms that can come onto your computer just by being connected to the Internet and virus software will stop the usual email and download-born trouble-makers.  Also, you should regularly update your windows software at www.microsoft.com .

If problems persist and you decide to try and establish a direct connection with your own IP addreess, contact your DSL or Cable provider and explain what you are trying to do.   See the special information below entitled: How to Establish NetMeeting Connections Through a Firewall   If you can’t get a real internet IP address from behind your router, the computer you are using for class may need to bypass the router for a direct connection to the internet. 

Please update your windows machines at http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp and make sure you have some personal firewall and virus software running.  Trojans and worms are getting very nasty and tricky.  If you would like to use a hardware firewall, there will be special configuration issues to allow netmeeting to work.  Usually, updating your computer and having a software firewall will do the trick.  Running older operating systems is risky.

Steps to improve sound, speed & efficiency

1. Reboot (shut-down and re-start) your computer at least once a week.  If you don't your Operating System will have a tendency to get bogged down with clutter and run less efficiently.   

2. Take steps to reduce clutter.  One of the things that can slow down your system is unseen clutter.  If you have one of the new Windows Operating Systems like XP, there are two programs which you should run at least once a month.  The first is called "Disk Cleanup."  The other is "Disk Defragmenter." 

       (1) Disk Cleanup
       (2) Disk Defragmenter 

The first will delete unnecessary and unused files (mostly "Temp" files).  The other will rearrange the data on your harddrive to run more efficiently.  You can find both programs by going to Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Cleanup & Disk Defragmenter.

In addition to those programs I also regularly use two other free programs to detect and delete hidden clutter.  Both of them can be found at the following website: down which www.download.com   The two programs are: (1) Adaware; and (2) Spybot.  Go to the download.com website and look under "MOST POPULAR."  These links should direct you to the most current, updated versions now available:   

 (1)  Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition
 (2)  Spybot - Search & Destroy

These four maintenance programs can make a huge difference in the speed and efficiency of your computer. 

3. Check your connection speed.  Audio problems are worst when your connection speed is not fast enough.  Try to obtain a connection speed of at least 36K.  You can use one these free links to see how well your connection is working and what your connection speed is right now:

     http://bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/  
     http://www.broadbandreports.com/stest
     http://www.dslreports.com/speedtests/  
     http://toast.net/performance/

4. Make sure there are no unnecessary programs running in the background on your computer.  Programs like Instant Messenger can interfere with Netmeeting.  Hold down these three buttons on your keyboard at the same time: "Ctrl," "Alt," and "Delete."  When you do that you should see a screen pop up which says "Windows Task Manager."  If there are programs running there which you aren't using, go ahead and click "End Task."  It will free up more space for Netmeeting. 

5. If you find that you are not able to get your audio to work with Netmeeting, you might have a problem in your mic or sound card.  The best way to trouble shoot your audio problems is to see if you can record and play back sound using the sound recorder.  You can find the recorder at Start|Programs|Accessories|Multimedia (or Entertainment)|Sound Recorder.  If you can not record and playback sound with the sound recorder, your problems are not with Netmeeting but your mic or soundcard.  Your mic should be in the "Mic in" hole on your sound card.

6. Make sure there are no unnecessary programs running in the background on your computer.  You can use CTRL+ALT+DEL to bring up the task manager and shut down all programs except "explorer."

7. Go to My Computer|Dial-up networking, right click on your ISP and select Properties|Configure and make your maximum modem connection rate 38400.

Ping Rates- Find out why your audio might not be working.   

How to Establish NetMeeting Connections Through a Firewall

This information is helpful if you are using a cable modem or DSL line and are having trouble getting your audio to work.  The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft NetMeeting versions 2.0 , 2.1 , 2.11 , 3.01 , for Windows 95
Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
Microsoft NetMeeting versions 2.1 , 2.11 , 3.01 , for Windows 98
Microsoft NetMeeting versions 2.1 , 2.11 , 3.01 , for Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft NetMeeting version 3.01 , for Windows 2000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
This article describes how to use Microsoft NetMeeting to establish
connections over the Internet when you use a firewall to connect to the
Internet.

MORE INFORMATION

When you use NetMeeting to establish a connection over the Internet,
NetMeeting uses several IP ports to communicate with other meeting
participants. If you use a firewall to connect to the Internet, the firewall
must be configured so that the ports used by NetMeeting are not blocked.
NetMeeting uses the following Internet Protocol (IP) ports:

Port Purpose
-------------------------------------
389 Internet Locator Server [Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)]
522 User Location Server (TCP)
1503 T.120 (TCP)
1720 H.323 call setup (TCP)
1731 Audio call control (TCP)
Dynamic H.323 call control (TCP)
Dynamic H.323 streaming [Realtime Transport Protocol (RTP) over User
Datagram Protocol (UDP)]
To establish outbound NetMeeting connections through a firewall, the
firewall must be configured to do the following:
Pass through primary TCP connections on ports 522, 389, 1503, 1720 and 1731.


Pass through secondary UDP connections on dynamically assigned ports
(1024-65535).

NOTE : Some firewalls are capable of passing through TCP connections on
specific ports, but are not capable of passing through secondary UDP
connections on dynamically assigned ports. When you establish NetMeeting
connections through these firewalls, you are unable to use the audio
features of NetMeeting.
In addition, some firewalls are capable of passing through TCP connections
on specific ports and secondary UDP connections on dynamically assigned
ports, but are not capable of virtualizing an arbitrary number of internal
IP addresses, or are not capable of doing so dynamically. With these
firewalls, you are able to establish NetMeeting connections from computers
inside the firewall to computers outside the firewall and you are able to
use the audio features of NetMeeting, but you are unable to establish
connections from computers outside the firewall to computers inside the firewall.

The H.323 call setup protocol (over port 1720) dynamically negotiates a TCP
port for use by the H.323 call control protocol. Also, both the audio call
control protocol (over port 1731) and the H.323 call setup protocol (over
port 1720) dynamically negotiate User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports for use
by the H.323 streaming protocol, called the real time protocol (RTP). In
NetMeeting, two ports are determined on each side of the firewall for audio
and video streaming. These dynamically negotiated ports are selected
arbitrarily from all ports that can be assigned dynamically.
NetMeeting directory services require either port 389 or port 522, depending
on the type of server you are using. Internet Locator Servers (ILSs), which
support the lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) for NetMeeting 2.0
or later, require port 389. User Location Servers (ULSs), developed for
NetMeeting 1.0, require port 522.

Trouble-shooting Check-list

SHORT LIST

IF YOU CAN'T HEAR ANTHING; TRICKS TO TRY (when you lose audio)

1. Try clicking your mic on and off to free the connection
2. Make sure your speakers are plugged in and turned ON
3. If you have ANY other programs running, turn them off.
    Sometimes that's all it takes.
4. Try briefly turning on your mic and tapping it once or twice;
    then turn it off (that often clears the sound in the speakers!)
5. Make sure your speaker isn't turned off or muted.
6. Make sure Full-Duplex is turned off inside of Netmeeting (Tools/Options/Audio)

LONG LIST

1. SILENCE DETECTION: This might free up your audio. Adjust the "silence detection" with the "manual" option ("Let me do it myself"):
Move the slider over to the far right (Go to tools/options/audio)
2. TAP ON THE MICROPHONE: Sometimes you can free up a frozen microphone by tapping on the end of it before you try speaking.
3. TUNING WIZARD; Run the Tuning Wizard in the main Netmeeting screen (Go to tools|options|audio) IF THE WIZARD TELLS YOU THAT YOUR SOUND CARD DOES NOT SUPPORT NETMEETING:
     (1) make sure that the right wave device is indicated;
     (2) try downloading new drivers for your sound card.
4. FULL-DUPLEX: Make sure the full-duplexing is unchecked (tools|options|audio); do this AFTER running the Tuning Wizard, since it will auto. turn it on.
5. BANDWIDTH SETTINGS: 28,800 or faster for 56K dial-up moderms; there is a special setting to use for Cable/DSL/ISDN: tools/options/general/bandwidth.
6. SETTINGS in "VIEW": Disable "Compact" & "Data Only" in "View"
7. SPEAKER ON: Make sure that your Speaker is ON by checking the little box next to the speaker icon on the Netmeeting screen.
8. MICROPHONE OFF: Make sure that your Microphone is OFF (whenever you aren't speaking) by un-checking the box next to the microphone icon.
9. WHITEBOARD: Turn off the Whiteboard (click the "X" if it appears) whenever possible. Sometimes a second whiteboard will appear that cannot be closed
right away. Do not try to close this WB, but only minimize it. After it finishes an initialization routine, then you can shut it.
10. CAMERA OFF: Turn off your camera. Go to tools/options/video and disable (un-check) the "Automatically send video." (The camera is a bandwidth
"hog," and can really interfere with audio.)
11. 'PING' & 'DING' NOISE: To stop the irritating dings do the following. Go to:   start|find|files and enter "ding.wav". Once the computer finds the file, go
to start|Programs|accessories|Multimedia|Sound Recorder. Different operating systems have the sound recorder under different menus, so you might need to
look for it a little. Drag "ding.wav" from the search window into the sound recorder. On the sound recorder go to Edit|Delete before current position.
Go to file save. That should stop those crazy dings. On some systems, the file may be blip.wav, and be located in the netmeeting folder
12. DSL & CABLE: If you are on a network that uses proxy IP addresses instead of real internet IP addresses you may have to call your Broadband provider and ask how to configure your computer to use Netmeeting.
13. WINDOWS XP/NETMEETING PROBLEMS: If you have Windows XP you should NOT download Netmeeting, but use the version which comes with Windows XP. If you have Windows XP, do a search for the file "Netmeeting" on your computer and run that file.
14. MISSING BUTTONS?: If the buttons don't show up in Netmeeting, that means it is not recognizing the sound card. Check to verify the proper sound card.
15. LAN/NAT GATEWAY ROUTER? If your trouble is caused by a LAN using NAT, here's a nifty solution provided by Mr. Gleason:
       (1) Shutdown PC;
       (2) Power Off Cable Modem via power strip;
       (3) Unplug cable from back of Modem;
       (4) Take ethernet cable from PC (unplug from Router) and plug it into Cable Modem;
       (5) Power on Cable Modem and wait until "On Light is on;"
       (6) Power on PC;
       (7) Launch Netmeeting and join the class;
       (8) You should hear just fine.
16. DSL TWEAKING: my DSL technician recommends that students visit the following website: http://www.dslreports.com/tools He recommends going to "Our Tools" and doing the "Tweak Test" to maximize DSL performance and connectivity.
17. CUSeeMe AND Netmeeting? So far two students have succeeded in running CUSeeMe (for audio) and Netmeeting (for chat) simultaneously.
18. FULL DUPLEX BUTTON GRAYED OUT? This appears to be a problem with the mic/soundcard. Try reinstalling netmeeting or/and reinstalling the drivers for their soundcard.
19. ROUTER OR SPEAKER-PHONE MODEM? In both cases it seems that the best solution is a simple bypass of the special feature.
20. ADDITIONAL TEST TIMES? If you get ready to test again and I'm not around, please go ahead and when you get to the Conference Server go to the Coffeshop (instead of the Classroom). There's usually someone there with whom you test to see if your speakers are working and with whom to test your microphone.