Problems

This section is for Java problems, Earth applet problems and Earth application problems.

If the Earth applet does not run there are some basic things to do:

• Reboot your computer. There should be no need to do this but occassionally it helps to start from scratch.

• If you are running Vista then try disabling Aero.

• 

  Confirm you are running Java 5.0 or higher. Going to the http://java.com site by pressing the button to the right is probably the easiest way.

• Try running the application version using http://planOfile.com/jnlp/Earth/gadget.jnlp. This version uses less memory and doesn't rely on your browser, so it is the most likely version to work.

• Try running the demo Java3D programs from Sun's Java3D home site. If you can't run the official demo Java3D programs then you probably aren't going to have any luck with Earth. It may just be that your graphics card is not properly supported by the current Java3D libraries. It may be worth trying again at a later time. Note: Earth automatically checks for the latest Java3D libraries each time it runs. It will use the latest libraries the moment they become available.

• View the web page containing the Earth applet in Firefox. There are many different web browsers and they all work differently. Earth is always checked on Firefox first and then check other browsers. Firefox runs on most computers. So if it runs in Firefox then we know that it is probably a problem with your browser. This probably means that I need to make some changes to support your browser, so you will need to contact me so I know about the problem.

• Your graphics card may need updated drivers. Most graphics card manufacturers make their latest drivers available on their home pages.

• Your graphics card is not able to draw the 3D graphics required by this software. Normally a pop-up window with an error message will appear when the applet is starting.

• If you were not able to resolve the problem then go to the Contact Us section at the top right of this page and send a message with information about the problem and your computer system. I can investigate and maybe resolve it.