Bench-Talk

i still can't chat....the page loads off center towards the top of my screen so i can't see the dialogue box.

i've tryed all i know to do...i just can make it center in my screen.....help !

   George, what browser are you using to connect to the Internet? If you're using Internet Explorer, try Firefox. You can go to Firefox.com and download their browser free to your computer.

   Just a thought.  -Al

and you will find thst Frefox is a MUCH more user friendley browser than IE.. And it will automatically import ALL of your IE "favorites" and e-mail addresses and you will have a virtually seamless canversion. 

Hey George, what the others said try Firefox - assuming you're using Internet Explorer.  Both should work and do work for me, but there are so many combinations of security/firewall/anti-virus etc on Windows that can complicate things, it's just easier to try a different browser than actually try to determine the root cause.

If you are running any extensions in Firefox turn them off and then try it.  If it then works, add one exension back in and restart Firefox and then try chat again.  This will find any extension that might be messing with chat.   If you can also try it in Internet Explorer that should help as well because if the same thing happens there we'll know it's not a Firefox extension an that it's either your install of java or some yet undetermined interaction between java and something else installed.  If that is the case, then the quickest way to test is by disabling firewalls, or security suites temporarily to see what happens without them.

 If after applying the stuff I've laid out you still can't get on.

Mail me at support@bench-talk.com with your specs and answer these questions and I'll get back in touch:

Operating system, version, service pack

What security software you run

When did the problem start.

running win98

security wht ever foxfire has?

problem started the last update you did to chat. 

Well the last update to chat was to a different program because the other one we used didn't work for a whole lot of people.  Unfortunately, you are running a 10 year old operating system trying to get it to work with software written much more recently.

Microsoft doesn't support Windows 98 since July of 2006
http://support.microsoft.com/ph/1139

 And Sun the maker of Java doesn't have a download for Windows98
http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

 Probably the problem is the chat software we run makes use of things in Java that don't exist in the version that is installed on your computer.  There is probably no solution other than to try IE and hope that works and if it doesn't, I'm afraid you are out of luck as far as chat goes because you can't get a newer version of Java.  Actually I just thought of one other thing.  [ saw you tried IE after I posted ]

Here is a list of old Java downloads. 
http://oldapps.com/java.htm

I believe some of the 1.5 versions still worked with 98 so you might download one and see if it installs, if not pick and older one.  Lather, rinse, repeat. Hopefully one of them might work. 

Good luck

    George. I'm also running Windows 98SE. I do have the 1.5 Java deal that Ryan linked you to...no problems with the chat for me.

    If you can, try and find the last Windows 98 updates and install them. The first thing to do, I think, is to make sure you're running Windows 98SE..which I believe was the last 'upgrade' before they went to Windows 2000?

http://support.microsoft.com/ph/1139

   Also, if you Google 'Windows 98 updates', you'll find a bunch of sites that have all the updates you need.

    Let us know, okay?  We're missin' 'ya on the Chat, buddy!  -Al