GroupWorld.net Frequently Asked Questions

Running GroupWorld.net

1. What browsers does GroupWorld.net run on?
GroupWorld.net currently works on Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Netscape, Firefox and Safari on Windows, Linux and Mac OSX. For further details, see the Client System Requirements page.

2. Do I need a server to run GroupWorld.net?
No, we offer fully hosted solutions so you do not require a server.

3. Do I need to be a system administrator to set up GroupWorld.net?
No, you don't need any specialised knowledge in order to set up GroupWorld.net. If you purchase a hosted solution, we simply email you a link to a web page which your users just click on to connect to your GroupWorld.net conference room. You can optionally copy the html code to your own web server and customise the page.

4. Do I need a web server?
No, you can access your conference room from our web server by simply clicking on the link that we email you.

5. What operating systems does the GroupWorld.net server run on?
Currently we have Windows, Linux and Mac OSX versions of the GroupWorld.net software, but it can be easily ported to any POSIX operating system.

6. Why do I sometimes see the message "WARNING: discarded packet to user: buffers too full" in the log file?
Certain packets are marked as "discardable", which means the server is at liberty to discard them if a user has a lot of data waiting to be sent to them. This currently only happens with video packets, as it won't cause a problem if you lose a video frame. It doesn't happen with any other packets, as it would cause loss of synchronisation.

7. Why do I hear an echo of my own voice when using the voice conferencing?
This generally means that another user has loudspeakers which are feeding back into their microphone. Ideally all users should have earphones or headsets when using the voice conferencing.

8. Why do I get a popup error when I try to load GroupWorld.net webpages in XP?
Internet Explorer in XP has certain security features which protect your computer against malicious executables. The first time you go to a GroupWorld.net webpage on XP, you will need to click on the security link which appears at the top of the page saying "this site might require the following activex control...click here to install". After you click on the link and install the activex control, you won't need to do it again. Additionally, if you load a GroupWorld.net webpage from disk (rather than accessing it from a website), you may get a similar security link saying "to help protect your security...click here for options" and you will need to click on the link and choose "enable blocked content". You can prevent this by just copying the GroupWorld.net web pages onto a website.

9. Why do I get an error saying "a suitable plugin could not be found" when using Firefox?
When installing the plugin on Firefox, you need to click on the "manual install" button. You also need to add www.groupworld.net to the sites allowed to install software.

10. I have problems using GroupWorld.net on Windows Vista.
Normally GroupWorld.net should run without any problems on Vista. However, depending on your security settings you may get an error "Cannot chdir to Groupworld directory". If this happens, you will need to go into your Internet Explorer security options and either uncheck "enable protected mode", or else add www.groupworld.net to your "trusted sites" (the latter is recommended).

11. Why does GroupWorld.net crash so much?
You should never experience any crashes at all. If you have the google toolbar installed, try disabling it (right-click on it and untick "Google"), as it is known to be incompatible with GroupWorld.net and can cause crashes. If you still experience problems, email us.

12. Why does it run so slowly and/or why do I get large delays on Windows?
Bring up task manager (press ctrl+alt+del) and click on the Performance tab. If the cpu usage is more than 50% it could indicate that some program is using a lot of your cpu time. To verify, click on the Processes tab and click on the CPU column and you can see what is using the most cpu time. A lot of times it is a virus checker that is running a scan which slows the computer down.

13. How do I record the session to a wmv/avi file?
The recording feature in GroupWorld.net records to a custom format on the server, and can only be played back through GroupWorld.net. If you want to record the session to an avi/wmv file we recommend using Camtasia Studio. In order to record the audio part of a session using Camtasia, make sure you configure Camtasia to record from "stereo mix" (in Vista you might need to enable this device, as it is disabled by default - go to control panel->sound->recording and right-click and choose "show disabled devices"). You will also need to unmute your microphone in the Windows volume control (it is muted by default so that you don't hear your own voice when you speak into the microphone). In Vista you do this in control panel->sound->playback->levels.

14. How come I have a 10/25 user license but there is only space for 4 video users?
By default there is only space for 4 video windows, but you can increase this if you have a wide/high room. You can also configure the video so that only the presenter can send video, or so that only the person talking can send video.

Technical questions