Don’t panic! - I’m here to help you
This is your first stop if you have any kind of problem running Satscape. If after reading this page and you still have a problem, then click the ‘FORUM’ button at the top of every page. You can search for a problem on there, as someone else may have encountered it and found a cure. If you don’t find a cure, post your own message on there, and either myself or a fellow Satscape user will try to help you. Please state clearly what it is that is going wrong.
Now, here are some frequently asked questions with answers.
Q.The 3D or 2D view does not work, it locks up or crashes when I start it up
A.This is the most common problem encountered, as the 2D and 3D view are quite demanding on your computer. I’ve asked fellow developers their expert opinions on how to resolve this problem and prepared a list of things you need to do. Please do each item on this list, as 95% of Satscape users can run the 2D/3D views, there’s no reason you can’t either, unless of course, your computer is 20 years old!
Download the latest DirectX (even though you may have 9.0c, Microsoft release a new version every 3 months or so)
Download the latest graphics driver, this is very easy nowdays. Right click ‘my computer’, click properties, hardware, device manager and double click on ‘display adapters’. This will tell you the name of your card Eg. ‘Nvidia Geforce 5500’. So, now go to one of these links for your card : Nvidia, ATI, Intel , SIS If it’s none of these, you probably have an old card, but don’t give up, go to google, type in the full name of your card, followed by the word ‘driver’, and you may be in luck.
Windows Vista only : Open 'system properties', go to the advanced tab, then Dependancy protection, and add c:\windows\system32\javws.exe to the exception list ...or uninstall Vista and put XP back on :-)
Q. How do I uninstall Satscape for Java?
A. On Windows, you'll find it in the add/remove programs icon in the windows control panel. Also some files are created by the program that you can delete at C:\Documents and settings\<your name>\Satscape\
If it doesn't show up in add/remove programs, go to the windows control panel, then the java icon, click on view...click satscape and then click the big red cross to uninstall it.
A. On Linux, click System, then Preferences, then "Sun Java 6 Plugin Control", click "View", click on Satscape, then the big red cross. Files created by the program can also be deleted, these are in /home/<your name>/satscape/
Q. Is there a floppy disk/CD version I can download and save?
A. Currently, No. Due to the way Java web start works, I need to mess with it to get it to produce a downloadable version, one may be made later.
Q. Do I need an 'always on' broadband connection to run this?
A. No, it needs a connection to download and update the keps, but a shortcut is made on your desktop to run it 'off-line'