TechNote

Troubleshooting Authorware Web Player for Windows

Basic Windows troubleshooting tips

Note: The information contained in this TechNote is correct for historical versions of the Authorware Web Player, but not necessarily correct for Authorware Web Player, version 2004, released in June 2004. All users are encouraged to upgrade their web player.

If Authorware Web Player is not working, check these things first:

1. Make sure that the appropriate version of the Authorware Web Player is installed for the browser being used. In order for Authorware Web Player to work, the correct version must be installed with the correct type of browser.
   • If using Windows and Internet Explorer, make sure the ActiveX control version of the Authorware Web Player is installed and not the Netscape Authorware Web Player plug-in. The ActiveX control is installed automatically when visiting a site that uses the Authorware Web Player.
     
     If the Player was obtained from the Authorware Download Center then a button labeled "Install Now" should have been visible on that page. Clicking on that button should have started the install process.
   • If, instead, the button was labeled "Download Now", then the Netscape version of the Web Player was installed. Clicking this button will prompt a 'Save as..' dialog box to save the EXE installer file locally so it can be installed afterwards. To install the proper Web Player for Internet Explorer, visit the Authorware Download Center using Internet Explorer and make sure the page is serving the ActiveX control with the "Install Now" button. The download may take a while and is quite invisible, so make sure it is done downloading before closing the browser. An Authorware web piece will play after the Web Player has been successfully installed.
   • If the player was obtained from the Macromedia Web Players page, make sure that the correct Web Player was chosen for the combination of OS platform and browser.
2. Make sure the Authorware Web Player is the correct version to play the web piece. The Full player will play all previous versions of Authorware content. The Compact and Complete Web Players will only play content that was packaged with the same version of Authorware as they Player.
3. Clear the browser's disk cache and purge the memory cache (if available). This can often resolve problems with the Web Player.
4. Uninstall and then reinstall Authorware Web Player.
   
   Authorware Web Player does not have it's own uninstaller application and does not show up in the Add/Remove programs control panel. To uninstall, follow these steps:
   • If you are using Netscape, locate and delete the folder named"Np32asw", located inside the Netscape's "plugins" folder. For example, "C:\Program Files\Netscape\plugins\Np32asw". The file"np32asw.dll" in the root of the Netscape plugins folder also needs to be deleted to complete the uninstall of the plug-in.
   • If you are using Internet Explorer, refer to How to install or uninstall the Authorware Web Player ActiveX control (TechNote 13295).

Further troubleshooting

Authorware Web Player has been tested on a variety of systems and configurations. If there are still problems using the Web Player after going through the troubleshooting steps above, this could point to a problem with a system or software conflict.

Try the following:

1. Uninstall all copies of the browser software, all plug-ins, and Authorware Web Player, and then reinstall. (See step #4 above for instructions to uninstall the Web Player.)
2. Turn off any anti-virus software or other security software that may interfere with the installation.
3. Accept all defaults during installation, in order to not interfere with the completion of a typical install.

Additional information

For additional help on troubleshooting Authorware Web Player please visit the Authorware online forum. There, you can connect with other developers and share experiences and tips. Macromedia Technical Support hosts these forums and they are open to all users.

Also, there are many other valuable TechNotes related to the Authorware Web Player and Authorware web pieces in the Developing For the Web section of the Authorware Support Center. Some highlights are listed below:

Authorware Web Players (TechNote 15966)
"Invalid File Version" error when viewing Authorware web pieces (TechNote 18626)
How to install or uninstall the Authorware Web Player ActiveX control (TechNote 13295)
Licensing and deployment of the Authorware Web Player (TechNote 14236)
Distributing the Authorware Web Player (TechNote 16696)

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