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Where are the file descriptions? I'm having trouble with my browser. Why do I need to empty my browser cache? A sound file I downloaded gave me a virus! A sound file I downloaded is corrupt or doesn't play. A sound file I downloaded plays with skips. I get an Unsupported WAV Format error when I try to play a sound. I get an error that says my hardware is unable to play a sound file. I have an Apple Mac computer and the Netshow plug-in doesn't work for me. When I download a sound file it stops in the middle. The directory lists have overlapping text. Why don't you have a search engine to look for files? I would like to use the sounds in your archives in a copyrighted work.  Why do I need to empty my browser cache? How do I empty it? This page can change on a daily basis, so old cached information may be inaccurate; you might end up with a file you didn't click on, or the directory you're looking at appears to be empty. Emptying the cache is very important - if you don't do it, and we update the site, clicking on a sound file may send you to another area instead of downloading the file. As for how to empty your cache, read the answer below concerning how to use your browser. A sound file I downloaded gave me a virus! How do I fix this? You can't get a virus from a sound file. Sound files have no executable code, and cannot infect your system with a virus, nor are they able to carry hidden virus code. You might want to try a different anti-virus program if your current one is giving you false readings. The sound I downloaded is corrupt, doesn't play, or plays with skips. Could you please fix it? All of the files in the archives have been tested to play properly, with the exception of some files in the Unsorted area. File corruption comes from trasnfer errors between your ISP and this system, or between you and your ISP. A corrupted download can be fixed by emptying the cache and downloading it again. This does not mean that you will be automatically able to play some sound files. Some folks are using older computers which are not capable of playing certain frequency ranges or compressed sounds. There are programs available that can help you play sounds that your default system configuration cannot. Go to the Sound Utilities page for sound players/editors. Some folks have installed RealPlayer with the option to have it play all WAV files. Unfortunately, RealPlayer still has a problem with their WAV file codec when attempting to play WAV files that are compressed with mpeg layer 3 compression. The solution to this is to switch your default player back to Windows Media Player, or a similar player like Winamp. AMERICA ONLINE USERS: The sound player that comes with older versions (pre-5.0) of the AOL software cannot play many types of WAV files. Download the files and play them using a normal WAV file player. One other thing. Ask your ISP if they use web cacheing. If you followed the Sound FAQ and you're still having problems with a corrupted file or a file that aborts in the middle of the transfer, it's not coming from here - it's coming from your ISP's cache, or the cache of an ISP in between SoundAmerica and you. We do not use cacheing on our website here. I get an UNSUPPORTED WAV FORMAT or similar error when I try to play a sound that I downloaded, or it says that my hardware is unsupported, or I have an Apple Macintosh computer. What do I need to play the sound? SoundAmerica's archives are being converted to WAV-format files that use MPEG Layer-3 compression. You will need the proper software installed on your system in order to play these files. Further details can be found on the Can You Play These Sounds page. Mac users, there is good news. The current version of the SoundApp player available on the Sound Utilities section. Mac users do not need to install Netshow in order to play these files. Note: Sound Manager 3.1 or better is required, but Apple seems to no longer offer it for download. However, Sound Manager 3.2 is included as part of System 7.5.3, so the Sound Manager will not need to be installed if you are using that System 7.5.3 or later. QuickTime 2.5 and later also include a proper version of the Sound Manager. Unix users shouldn't have any problem. Simply go to the xmms or FreeAmp websites to get an mp3 player for your system. If you use WebTV or a similiar non-computer Internet access, I'm afraid you're out of luck until there is an upgrade that supports MPEG Layer-3 compressed WAV files. How can I convert the sounds that I already have to the new MPEG Layer-3 WAV format? You cannot do it with the codec downloaded from here, as it is only a decoder, not an encoder. What you can do is download conversion utilities from the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft IIS Audio web page. Sometimes when I'm downloading a file, it stops in the middle of the file. Could you fix it? The problem is not here. There is a communications problem between your ISP and our system, or between you and your ISP. Also, if you attempted to download the file previously and it was corrupted during the download, then you need to empty the browser cache before trying again. The text display shows all of the words overlapping each other. I can't read anything. Can you fix this? There's nothing to fix. This is a problem primarily experienced by America Online users who have not upgraded their software to the latest version. The reason you are seeing overlapping text is because your browser is incapable of viewing table formatted text. Netscape 3.0+, Internet Explorer 3.0+, and the latest version of America Online (go to Keyword: UPGRADE) are capable of viewing table formatted text. Where are the file descriptions? The current layout of the website doesn't allow for proper descriptions for each file. We are working on a way to have a proper database of all sounds with full descriptions. I can't figure out how to use my browser. How do I download? Where are the sounds I downloaded? How can I get a copy of them? First check out the HELP menu function in your browser, Try contacting the manufacturer of your browser (like Netscape or Microsoft or America Online) since they have a much more thorough understanding of their software than we do. Quick tip: In Netscape 3.0 (and higher) and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 (and higher), right click on the sound file name, and select "Save Link As" (Netscape) or "Save Target As" (Explorer). Then choose where you want the file saved. That's downloading in Netscape and MSIE in a nutshell. Would you put a search engine into the web page so I can search for sounds? There will actually be one installed very soon - we're undergoing a major upgrade to the website and one of the new features will include a search engine. I am creating a body of work and would like to use some of your sounds in it. What copyright issues will I face? If you want to use some sounds found here on your web page, feel free to do so with the following caveats:
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