SECTIONS General Help   System requirements   Software requirements   Navigation errors Flash Help   Flash errors   Animation interface Chime Help   Chime errors   Manipulating molecules   Chime menu

The help sections below cover problems you might encounter related to operating system and Web bowser compatibility. Plug-in requirements and installation are also discussed, but these considerations are not an issue if you are viewing the content from the browser running off the Essential Biochemistry CD. Also included below are helpful hints for using some of the technologies found on the Web site.

Use the menu at right to navigate to the help section that would pertain to the question you have or adresses the problem you might be experiencing.

GENERAL HELP

System requirements

PC: Windows 95 or greater, 233 MHz processor and 64 MB RAM or greater recommended.

Macintosh: Mac OS 8.6 or greater, 333 MHz processor and 64 MB RAM or greater recommended.

Software requirements

The biomolecular structure exercises require both Netscape Navigator 4 (or Communicator 4) and Chemscape Chime 2. Later versions of Navigator will not work. The animated exercises require version 6 (or higher) of the Flash plugin. For the Instructor Resources, Microsoft PowerPoint is necessary to access the included presentation files. Microsoft Word is required to access the included handouts. Adobe Acrobat Reader version 6 or greater is needed to view the multimedia handbooks.

Navigation problems

If at any time your browser becomes "jammed up," such that the navigational tabs do not appear to be functioning, simply press the "reload" button on your browser to restore the proper functioning of the navigational elements of the Web site.

FLASH HELP

Essential Biochemistry contains many animations that require version 6 (or higher) of the Flash plugin. This is not an issue if you are viewing the content from the browser running off the Essential Biochemistry CD.

If you are getting errors...

If you are having problems with the animations, you are likely not viewing them using the browser pre-installed on the Essential Biochemistry CD, and are using your own browser to view the CD or Web site. This leads to plug-in compatibility issues, which is why it is recommended that you use the self-contained browser on the CD. If you have an Essential Biochemistry CD, quit your current browser and re-launch the StartHere application.

Animation interface

Notes on the Essential Biochemistry animation interface:

• The stop button pauses the animation
• The play button is used to continue playing the animation after you have reached programmed pauses in the animation
• The next and previous buttons take you to another section of the animation. These sections are based around major concepts within the animation, and may contain more than one screen
• The drop-down menu allows you to navigate to any section within the animation

Notes on the functionality of the animations:

• When you are asked a review question, you must attempt to answer it before proceeding with the play button.
• If you mute the animation, a text window will pop-up so that you can read the information present in the audio voiceover.

CHIME HELP

Essential Biochemistry contains many structure tutorials that require both Netscape Navigator 4 (or Communicator) and Chemscape Chime 2. This is not an issue if you are viewing the content from the browser running off the CD.

If you are getting errors...

If you are having problems with the visualization of molecules in the structure tutorials, you are likely not viewing them using the browser pre-installed on the Essential Biochemistry CD, and are using your own browser to view the CD or Web site. This leads to plug-in compatibility issues, which is why it is recommended that you use the self-contained browser on the CD. If you have an Essential Biochemistry CD, quit your current browser and re-launch the StartHere application.

Chem3D Conflicts (Windows only)

Older versions (pre-version 6) of the Chem3D plug-in (installed with the CambridgeSoft ChemOffice suite of chemistry applications) edit the registry of Windows computers, effectively commandeering the molecular structure coordinate file types away from Chime. This results in a strange (and unintended) display of the 3D molecules or a blank plug-in display typical of an uninstalled Chime plug-in. This remains a problem even when running the self-contained browser on the CD or any browser which has Chime properly installed.

This media software will not influence your registry, even to exorcise the Chem3D registry items in order for Chime to be functional. If you are experiencing this problem, here are two possible solutions, the second of which will work in all cases:

• Download and install the very latest version of Chemscape Chime on your computer (even if you are using the self-contained browser on the CD). CambridgeSoft has reported that Chime can take back the file types it needs to function. If you still want to run Chem3D alongside Chime, you can then install version 6 or greater of the Chem3D plug-in, which will not interfere with Chime.
• Edit your registry (use extreme caution when doing so, for mistakes can lead to an inoperable computer):
  1. Launch Regedit, HKey_Classes_Root\MIME\Content Type\
  2. Look for the MIME Types associated with structural files (such as ".pdb" and ".xyz") and delete any associated with Chem3D Plugin, that you don't want associated with the Chem3D Plugin.
  3. Open the File Types (the location of this varies depending on the version of Windows) and reassign any file types that are set to the Chem3D to CHIME.
  4. Restart your computer.

Please refer to CambridgeSoft for dealing with this problem:

• Email–support@cambridgesoft.com
• Web support–http://www.cambridgesoft.com/support/