Oldsilver is no technical expert, but here are some common problems reported by spoon collectors along with their reported solutions. American Souvenir Spoons (TM) is graphics-intensive and is best viewed with a fairly new computer. Old or improperly configured systems should display all the text, but might be very slow and reproduce the pictures poorly.
Click a topic from this list or use scroll bar or mouse wheel to browse entire page.
can't see prices
can't see the pictures
pictures are enlarged and fuzzy.
the type is too small
pages are slow to load
jump directly to a particular page
copy a picture
print the Makers' Marks
send eBay ad to a friend
too much "stuff" on screen
extra characters show up when I type
trouble using mouse
"finial" and "bowl" links on the Gorham Round Bowl page
American Souvenir Spoons™ Design Assumptions
Problem:
I can't see the prices on the Spoons For Sale page.
Solution: This site is optimized for 800 x 600 displays with NO browser or ISP-added borders. If you have a small display or if banners and sidebars stay on the screen when you use the site, you might have to scroll horizontally to see the entire page. Click and hold the bar at the bottom and slide it to the right.
Problem: I use AOL and the web site behaves differently than it does for my friend who uses Internet Explorer.
Solution: Use AOL to establish your phone connection, then minimize it and start Internet Explorer. Several AOL users have told me that this works fine and the AOL web site says so. If your version of IE is at least 5.0, you'll have access to all the functionality of the web site. IE version upgrades are available free from Microsoft.
Problem: I can't see the pictures, just a mess where they should be.
Solution: Increase your color depth to at least 16-bit color (high color). To do so,
1) right click on the desktop (blank area of screen)
2) left click "properties" at bottom of list
3) left click "settings" in upper right corner
4) look at "Color Palette" window. If it says 256 colors, then
4a) open dropdown menu by clicking arrow
4b) click 16-bit (high color)
4c) click OK at bottom of window. You might be prompted to restart your computer in which case you should do so.
5) if your color level already was sufficient, call the folks you bought the computer from and ask for a solution.
If the 16-bit color choice cannot be selected, that means your graphics adapter is obsolete. Sometimes it can be upgraded by adding memory. Contact your vendor. You may change these settings again at any time. Click here to see your current settings.
NOTE TO AOL USERS: Turn off your "Compress Web Graphics" option. AOL help desk can tell you how.
Problem: The pictures are grossly enlarged and
fuzzy.
Solution: Make sure you're using the right screen resolution. In general,
desktop computers with 15" monitors and all laptops should be at 800 x 600 or higher and 17" monitors should be at 1024 x 768 or higher.
1) Right click on the desktop (blank area of screen)
2) Left click "properties" at bottom of list
3) Left click "settings" in upper right corner
4) Use the slider bar to set resolution properly
5) Click OK at bottom of window. You might be prompted to restart your computer in which case you should do so.
If the proper display resolution cannot be selected at the same time 16-bit color is selected, that means your graphics adapter or monitor is obsolete. Sometimes adding memory to the graphics adapter will solve the problem. Contact your vendor. You may change these settings at any time.
Problem: I frequently get extra characters as I type. Some letters are "doubled".
Solution: Increase the Windows character repeat delay.
1) Click "Start" in lower left corner
2) Click "Settings"
3) Click "Control Panel"
4) Click "Keyboard"
5) Drag top slider all the way to the left (hold down left
mouse button over slider and move it).
6) Click "OK"
7) If prompted to restart your computer, do so.
Problem: I changed the resolution and the pictures look good, but now the
type is too small to read.
Solution: To increase the size of the labels under the icons on your desktop, go back to the "settings" tab in the screen properties window (steps 1 - 3 above) and select "Large Fonts" option in "Font Size". If the type displayed by your browser is too small, change the browser default typeface size.
Problem: The pages are awfully slow to
load.
Solution: This is a tough one. If your computer has at least a 200 mhz processor, and your ISP is working well, and my ISP is working well, and your telephone connection is at least
44K and the Internet routers are all working well, no page should take more than
about 30 seconds to load, except for the two that are marked as taking longer (Makers' Marks and State Seals). If the problem is intermittent, maybe some part of the Internet is just slow sometimes. If the problem is persistent, check your connection speed (put cursor on the icon at lower right that shows two computers connected; don't click, just note the number that pops up), try a different browser, or contact your vendor to see if your video board or some other system component is at fault.
Problem: I'd like to jump directly to a particular page on American Souvenir Spoons without going through other pages to get there.
Solution: "Bookmark" the page.
1) Go to the page you want.
2) In browser toolbar, click "Bookmark" (Netscape) or "Favorites" (MSIE)
3) Save the bookmark.
4) Whenever you are connected to your ISP and have your browser running, you may click the Bookmark or Favorite to jump directly into American Souvenir Spoons to the page that you saved the title of.
Check out the other parts of the site once in awhile, though. Changes and additions are being made often.
Problem: I'd like to copy a picture from an eBay ad but don't know how.
Solution: Use your browser's copy function.
1. Place
cursor over picture.
2. Right click (isn't it wonderful that they finally found a use for the second
button on the mouse!)
3. Both MSIE and Netscape will pop open a window.
4. Select (left click) "Save picture as"
5. Specify folder name and file name in window that opens.
6. Hit "enter" or "OK"
Please remember that ALL pictures created after 1973 are protected by current U.
S. copyright law, whether or not they carry a copyright notice. One copy saved
on your computer for personal use is ok; any other use requires permission from
whomever created the original picture.
Problem:
How can I print the Makers' Marks? I'd like to have a copy in the car for when I
go to shows.
Solution: Use browser's print function.
1. Go to
the page that you want to print (Makers' Marks in this case).
2. Turn on the printer.
3. Click on "File" in upper left corner of screen (both MSIE and
Netscape).
4. Click on "Print" in the drop-down menu
(note: pictures will be a little bit fuzzy; that's because they're compressed to
speed up the load time. Your printer is working normally if, for example, the
Alvin mark has a lot of extra little dots in it.) All
material on this website is copyrighted, including the makers' marks. Please
refer to the copyright notice shown with the marks for specific permissions and
prohibitions.
Problem:
I saw an ad on eBay that I'd like to send to a
friend.
Solution: Use your browser's "send" function.
1. Go to
the page you want to send to a friend.
2. Click "File" in the upper left corner of the screen.
3.MSIE: Click "Send" from the drop down window, then "Link by
Email" in the next window.
3a. Netscape: Click "Send Page"
4. Your messaging system should pop up with a URL [uniform resource locator, the
world wide web address for the page] pointing to the page already typed in. Just
add whatever note you want to, before / after the URL and fill in the address of
your friend on the To: line. Don't change the URL in any way.
5. Click "send" in your messaging software.
(Note: If this does not work, your browser software is not properly configured.
You might want to download the latest version of either Netscape or MSIE if
yours is more than about 1 year old.)
Problem: There is so much "stuff" on my screen that the space left for pages of American Souvenir Spoons is tiny.
Solution: Close some toolbars.
1) Click "View" at the top of your screen.
2) If you're using Netscape: Click "Show" and unclick all the choices.
3) If you're using MSIE, click anything that is checked, then
3a) click "Toolbars" and click anything that is checked.
4) With either browser, you always can click "View" and turn toolbars of your choice back on by clicking them (check mark will appear).
You also can regain a little space at the bottom of your screen if you're using Windows 95/98/2000 by making the system tray "auto-hide". It will disappear when you're not using it but pop up every time you need it when you put the cursor at the bottom of the page.
1) Click "Start" at lower left.
2) Click "Settings"
3) Click "Taskbar and Start Menu"
4) Click "Auto hide"
Problem:
When I click the links on the Gorham Round Bowl page, nothing happens.
Solution:
Use a browser that will display frames. The enlargements appear in frames
so that users won't lose the original picture while viewing them. The more
recent versions of Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer handle frames just
fine. You may download either of these browsers free from the respective
companies. Installation of either will preserve all your bookmarks, addresses
and email if you are upgrading from an earlier version.
Problem: I have
trouble using the mouse.
Solution: Don't feel bad. A lot of people find the mouse and its buttons difficult. But many functions can be accomplished more easily with a key on your keyboard. For example,
scroll up/down one line at a time with the up/down arrow keys (vice slider bar)
jump up/down one page at a time with the PgUp / PgDn keys (vice slider bar)
select an item with the ENTER key (vice left-click)
refresh current page with F5 key (vice several mouse clicks)
move to next field when filling out a form with the TAB key (vice mouse move and click)
etc.NOTE: Not all browsers are the same; there are variations in how browsers use the keyboard. Try different keys and see what happens.
American Souvenir Spoons (www.souvenirspoons.com) was designed for
the following:
Windows 95/98/2000
at least a 200 mhz. processor
at least 16-bit color (also called "high color")
at least 800 x 600 display resolution (1024 x 768 is better)
at least a 44,000 bps dial-up connection
JAVA and frames aware browser
MSIE (Microsoft Internet Explorer) works best, Netscape provides full access but might not render some page elements correctly. Either browser should be the current version and configured to automatically pop up the messaging software when a mail link is selected. AOL subscribers should follow directions for MSIE and call the AOL help line if they have any problems. Better yet, they should connect to AOL, then use MSIE. Many Apple systems might work fine with this page, but I cannot make any guarantees.
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