Microsoft KB Archive/148204

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

Frequently Asked Questions About V-Chat Installation and Setup
Last reviewed: July 17, 1997

Article ID: Q148204

The information in this article applies to:


 * The Microsoft Network versions 1.2, 1.3

SUMMARY
This article contains frequently asked questions about installing V-Chat for MSN, The Microsoft Network.

MORE INFORMATION
1. Q. What are the minimum hardware requirements for V-Chat?

A. You need a 486DX/66 or better processor, 8 MB of RAM, a 9600 bps modem (14,400 bps or faster recommended), 4 MB of hard disk space for V-Chat software, and 3 MB of hard disk space for Avatar Wizard.

2. Q. Why does nothing happen when I double-click a V-Chat room?

A. If you have not upgraded to MSN 1.2, nothing happens when you double-click a V-Chat room. V-Chat uses Setup technology that is     part of MSN 1.2. You cannot install the V-Chat environments without performing this upgrade. To find the MSN 1.2 upgrade, use MSN go     word "MSN12" (without quotation marks).

To determine if you are running MSN 1.2, go to MSN Central. On the Help menu, click About The Microsoft Network. The version number for MSN 1.2 is 4.2.5799

3. Q. How long does it take to download V-Chat?

A. V-Chat takes approximately 14 minutes to download at 28,800 bps; 28 minutes at 14,400 bps.

4. Q. I installed V-Chat, now what do I do?

A. Go to the V-Chat Chat Rooms folder, and then double-click any V-Chat chat room. The first time you double-click a room, you see the following message:

You don't have this application installed. Click OK to install or Cancel.

Click OK to install the environment to your hard disk. This Setup must be performed only once for each environment. The next time you double-click this chat room, V-Chat will start.

5. Q. How long do the different V-Chat environments take to download?

A. This depends on how big or complex the environment is. Some environments take longer than others. Approximate times using a     modem speed of 28,800 bps are 45 seconds (Practice Area) to 8.5 minutes (Cinemania).

6. Q. How do I make V-Chat perform faster?

A. All of the following items can help V-Chat perform faster:

- Shrink the V-Chat Environment viewing window to a smaller size.

- Switch to a resolution of 640 x 480 with 256 colors.

- On V-Chat's Tools menu, click Options. Turn off background sounds, or click Advanced to change options for display speed or        memory use.

- Install a faster video card. The video card in use greatly affects performance.

7. Q. Do I have to run V-Chat in 256-color mode?

A. No. You can run in other modes. However, you may notice a     performance loss, and you may notice some minor repaint problems. The message box that appears is just a warning, not an error message.

8. Q. How do I uninstall V-Chat?

A. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs. Click the Install/Uninstall tab, and then double-click V-Chat. Note that this will delete any custom avatars and all environments you have downloaded.