Yahoo Groups - help on sound!

[Lost1]

I have been asked to moderate a yahoo group chat room. I cant get sound or smileys but the owner can how ever he has 98.

l read in the help pages that unless l retrograde and get 95/98/NT l cant get sound or smileys

Does anyone know a way around this problem?? even if no sound a room with no smileys

I have been a member of yahoo chat for years but cant belive that groups are so backward!!!

Any one any help please... l should add l have xp and mozilla and ie 6

Thanks

[Eagle_Kiwi]

Yahoo! Groups chat requires the following:
a personal computer running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, or 2000
Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 4.0 or later)

Hi there Lost1.
I guess it's the quote above that leads you to guess that XP is not supported ?
I'm not certain, but I assume that that text was written before XP was even heard of (who the heck has LESS than I.E. *4* these days !?!), and that XP can probably handle it fine.

However, to my astonishment, I've just confirmed your point. Using W98 I can use voice easily in Y!Groups, but using XP I simply get no voice controls showing.
Yet I've just been in a public Y!Group ("VoiceChat", "Chatterbox") chat room using my W98 and heard quite a number of people using voice - when I asked they told me they WERE on XP.... but just never told me how!

I wonder if maybe it works only with MS Java, and not with Sun Java ??
Anyway, *I*'d like to know the answer too now !!

[tinethle]

Is there a voice panel in the chat room?If you're using Sun's Java VM(virtual machine)then it may be the reason you can't get voice.You need to check that you have the lastest java sun installed

Or:

You could try using Microsoft VM instead just to see if it works,its very outdated though and microsoft no longer support it,but it may work for you.


To do this go to internet options/advanced
clear(untick)the box beside Java (Sun) and then tick the checkboxes for Microsoft VM and click ok.Reboot your computer and try group chat again and hopefully it will work.

Incidentially don't leave microsoft VM on all the time,just use it when you want to use chat and disable it afterwards,but make sure you enable Sun Java afterwards and reboot.

Microsoft VM build 3805 can be downloaded here http://java-virtual-machine.net/download.html


edit*** sorry eagle_kiwi just read your reply,I think you may be right about Sun java not working properly.

[Eagle_Kiwi]

Thanks Tinethle - very helpful

I've now searched further, and THIS long thread in another forum seems to pretty much confirm that Group voice chat DOES need the (old) MS Java version, and does NOT work with the Sun one.

There's also something there suggesting Yahoo are aware of the problem, and looking at remedying it... but.... don't bother holding your breath, I'd say

So, Lost1, I guess you need to follow Tinethle's link and go get the MS one... but..... personally I think you're flogging a dead horse, as more and more people are going to be unable to use voice in those Groups anyway.

(I used to use them some years ago, but drifted away. Now, I have a new PC, with Sun Java, and I sure can't be bothered going to the not inconsiderable trouble of setting up the MS one just for YGroups - and there will be many others like me.)

I'd suggest either get all your Group Members on your YM buddy list, then set up a voice-enabled conference for them there whenever you like (but each would need a specific invite every time).... or maybe move the whole kaboodle to somewhere like PalTalk, that DOES support proper voice groups.

Any help ?

**Later: I found THIS Yahoo Help page which at least is new enough to mention XP, and even Sun .... but I still think it's a dead horse!

[Lost1]

Thanks Every one fpr your help it has answered loads of questions all l got from yahoo was we dont support yahoo groups.. cryptic and useless.

I dont really fancy VM after all the comments and have got the latest java did that deliberatly as l wondered if that may be a factor.

Unfortunatly as it is a worldwide group we will just all have to see what everyone gets and work off that.

So far we have used parachat but due to cost which has been shuffled sideways to add more bandwidth to our site we have to move to yahoo which up to now has just carried our newsletter.

As we have over 4000 members it will have to continue to just be as folks find us.

Once again thank you for the brilliant help and a Happy new year to you all

[stupidisasstupiddoes]

You can't get sound using the browser page in Yahoo Groups. You will have to tag yourself with another ID or somebody else's ID in that group chat room, using messenger or another chat client that supports voice.

[Lost1]

Can you explain how l could do the taging please am unclear. As l am moderator l need to be signed in as such.

And also what browser should l use? l have mozilla and XP neither show voice?

Would be greatful if you could break that all down for me so l can sort it thanks :-)

[Eagle_Kiwi]

I agree with Lost, Stu - I can't understand a word of your post there. Surely the problem is simply that Groups chat voice does NOT WORK with Sun Java, no matter what Yahoo id one uses ???

[tinethle]

Originally Posted by stupidisasstupiddoes

You can't get sound using the browser page in Yahoo Groups. You will have to tag yourself with another ID or somebody else's ID in that group chat room, using messenger or another chat client that supports voice.

Yahoo groups use yahoo chat,using yahoo chat with either java or the Microsoft VM as I mentioned earlier should allow voice chat.I have tested this again myself,because I have'nt used java chat in over a year,and I went straight to my yahoo group(where I am a moderator)created a room,invited the users within my group,and it did connect to yahoo voice when I entered the room,and I could hear other users on voice.

But you can also do it the other way you suggested by tagging a user(following a username to the created room on a client like yahoo messenger or yahelite)if thats what you meant.

[stupidisasstupiddoes]

Sorry about not having been clear. Since some of you are unable to get Yahoo to allow you voice directly through Yahoo Groups. No voice option/button is available, this is known. This is from Microsoft being jerks and not supporting Java anymore, but also the same versions of programs for different operating systems do not support the same features. Just look at 2000/XP and 95/98 Messengers, you get the quick view of profiles on the NT kernel. Also on XP you are able to multiple voice connections. And forget about having decent features if you are using a Mac or Unix/Linux, which are still Java based, and have no voice available at all without using a Window emulator for Yahoo. Now to fix the problem with your webpage browser you have 2 options.

Downdate your Java VM to Microsoft's version, just as Kiwi and Tinethle have said. This will allow you to use Yahoo's Chat 1.3 build beyond the 174 that is currently installed on your machine. Since the newer builds are not compatible with the Sun Microsystem Java release. But installing Java on XP is not recommended, because of the lack of support from Microsoft and the way they seem to go out of their way to screw up programs that compete with them.

So the way to get around not getting voice through the web page chat link on the Yahoo Groups, which is the problem that was listed, without messing with your Java VM is simply to;

Goto the Yahoo Group Homepage, click on the CHAT link, it should create a room.

Now this is were some people are having a problem of not having voice options. You open up your Yahoo Messenger and enter into Chat and type "/follow" your first ID using an alternate ID you have. (Type "/help" in the chat room if you are not sure how to use the /follow command). You then should have voice available in Messenger. Then just log out the ID that you used to open the room.