There has recently been a change made to the software on WebTV's servers, which has impacted WebTV subscribers in various ways.

First, the negative impacts, big and small (because they're what most people seem to be talking about):

• "Bouncing" spam to read the full mail headers works again (so this ain't negative anymore), using a method (thanks to the recent re-discoverer, whoever you are) which I've described elsewhere on this site. For more information, click here.
• The &rate; code, which shows your latest modem speed at connection to the service, no longer works all the time (for my speed test page, click here). If the page doesn't show your speed properly, try reloading the page repeatedly with Cmd-R.
• Audioscopes don't work in e-mail anymore (what's an audioscope? click here).

On the positive side:

• You now have the option to "opt out" of having your personal information shared with third parties. An explanation of how this is done is accessible by going to your WebTV Home page and clicking Account, then clicking Privacy Policy; the link to the "opt out" option is within item #2 on that page.
• You can now add words to a list for spellchecking (from Mail, click Settings and you'll see it); during spellchecking, you can click Remember to add a word to the list for that user.
• You are no longer limited to 150 messages in current or Saved mail; the only limitation is 2 megabytes in each area, per user. This means that you can keep hundreds of small text messages in storage, and as long as you don't receive many image and sound files in mail, you should be able to leave your mailbox open while on vacation, and come back to find it not full (if you emptied the current list before you left).

For information on how upgrades are sent out, visit The Upgrade Process.

For information on the last serverside upgrade, click Help on your WebTV Home page and select the proper link (upper right of the page).

When's the next upgrade? What's in it?

Literally, until it's ready to be released, nobody knows when the next upgrade will be out. What'll be in it? Generally speaking, anybody who says what'll be in it is guessing (or passing a rumor), and anybody who knows can't say. WebTV Networks has a policy of not releasing information on future features or products.

This is an extremely complex issue, the causes can be a too many devices connected to the same line in your house, a damaged phone cord, a bad wall jack connection (wireless jacks aren't recommended), bad in-the-wall wiring (most phone companies only guarantee voice quality on a residential phone line, what's decent for voice is sometimes not good enough for data), shorts in the wires running between your house/apartment to the phone company's switching equipment, the line running from the phone company to the ISP, the ISP's own connections to the Internet, the Internet itself (high traffic for one thing), or even at WebTV.

Also, if your box gets too warm or hot, or gets a static electric charge, it can disconnect; if you have heavy electricity drain from a refrigerator, electric furnace, or air conditioner on the same line, your box may even power off.

Don't assume it's WebTV, it isn't simple to find the source of disconnections. For a lot of detail on this problem, visit Marion Rose's site.

Each username/account on your terminal has two mail storage areas, current and Saved. Each list of messages can have up to 2 megabytes of information. In addition, you should begin to receive warnings when you've met or exceeded 80% of that limit (1.6 megs) telling you your mailbox is almost full.

For more detail on mail, click here.

No, because WebTV isn't a computer and can't download or run a virus (which is a small program). Most viruses you hear about are hoaxes, you can find out more about hoaxes, rumors, and chain letters here.

Either discard them without replying to them, or (much better) report them. To learn how and who to report it to, visit Death of a Spammer.

Will we ever get Java?

According to posts in webtv.users from Steve Perlman, ex-president of WebTV, WebTV has been working to provide a form of Personal Java for the WebTV Plus terminal (and possibly the new Classics and Dishplayer, but nothing was said specifically about them as they were not announced products at the time of the posts)–there is no guarantee this will happen. For the full text of Steve's posts, click here.

Can we see video clips with WebTV?

There are only two kinds of video clip that WebTV terminals can "see": Video Flash and MPEG.

WebTV can't view AVI or Quicktime MOV video, and doesn't support any kind of streaming video (Real Video or Netshow).

Video Flash is a creation of WebTV Networks, and the only maker and user of Video Flash technology is WebTV. WebTV Networks has been unable to produce a public codec (software used to make Video Flash .VF files), without which no third party can make them.

MPEG is a venerable video format, which is available on the web; for some links to MPEG sites, click here.

Will we ever get an upgrade of Real Audio?

Again, according to Steve's posts in the newsgroup, WebTV is working on this–they're attempting to make it possible for us to listen to RA G2 and Microsoft Netshow audio streams. You can find some links to articles and news items regarding G2 as a future WebTV feature here.

Can I use AOL Instant Messenger or Buddy List?

No, because these programs require downloading, and WebTV terminals can't download software. That said, some people are recommending Freetown's IMN and Hot Messenger (I personally haven't used these and can't vouch for them).

Though some press releases from Microsoft state that in the future WebTV will have access to Microsoft Messenger, this may be an example of "forward-looking statements"... meaning, "wait and see."

Check-Handling Surcharge

As of February 2000, people having their WebTV subscription fee taken out of their checking accounts automatically will be subject to a $5/month handling charge. Why? Don't ask me...

Page Builder Scrapbook

How do you get a Scrapbook for your Page Builder site, and once you have one, how to you get the Scrapbook link to show up in your mail's sidebar?

First, go to your Home page and click Community, then Page Builder. Once the main Page Builder page loads, click Help–read all the help pages you find there.

The Scrapbook link on the sidebar in mail only appears when you're viewing an e-mail message that contains a GIF or JPEG attachment–that is, if the image is right there in the e-mail. If the image is displayed by use of HTML code, the Scrapbook link won't appear.

For a wealth of detailed info on getting the Scrapbook feature activated and putting images into it, visit Beth Candy's All I know about Uploading.

There are three new models of WebTV coming on the market right now: a new Classic (made by Sony and P/M), a new Plus (same manufacturers), and the Echostar Dishplayer.

The ad-only nearly-blank page you see is the result of the WebTV Plus browser's interpretation if the <iframe> tag, which would appear as a floating frame to a PC browser (for a detailed explanation of this problem, visit IFRAME on WebTV at WebTV's developer site).

On WebTV Plus, if the webmaster of the site used JavaScript to place the contents of the ad frame, it will hijack the entire screen because we can't view more than one page/window at a time (normal frames are displayed by the WebTV browser as a large table, covering the entire webpage–one window of information).

Here's the way I avoid this problem: In order for the banner frame to take over your screen, your yellow link-selection box has to be over the banner when the page loads. When you hit one of these ad-banner-only blank pages, hit Back and as soon as the page you want to view begins to load (as indicated in the progress bar at the upper left of your screen), poise your fingers over Shift and Tab. As soon as the page begins to appear on screen, press Shift-Tab.

This moves your yellow linking box off the banner, to the very last link on that page, way down at the bottom, and prevents the banner from "popping". You can than (carefully) move up the page from the bottom, but try to keep the yellow box off the banner, or you're off to Ad Land again.

When logging in to Hotmail, check the "shared computer or public terminal" checkbox, then log in normally.

Yes, but not for free. Check out SecureTax.com for more info. Also, while you can get information about Federal and state tax forms online, as far as I know none of the forms are viewable/printable with WebTV, because they are in PDF format, requiring the Adobe Acrobat Reader–which WebTV doesn't have and can't use.

The original Classics can use some HP DeskJet printers; the Plus, the new Classics, and the Dishplayer can use the same HPs, and some Canon BubbleJets. For details, click here.

First, you may be able to find the Sony adapter for the old Sony Classic at Ebay.com (an auction site), or in the alt.discuss.forsale newsgroup. Beyond that, it is possible to modify a Phillips Magnavox printer adapter to work with a Sony, but that voids the warranty of both the WebTV terminal and the printer adapter; on the other hand, it will also save you about $100. If you think you'd like to do this, click here for the how-to.

Answers to these questions are here.

Can I chat at Yahoo! Chat?

Unfortunately, no. Yahoo! has Java chat (we can't use Java at this time) and HTML chat–and their HTML chat doesn't work with WebTV (WebTV and Yahoo! have been said to be working on fixing this).

How can I do word processing with WebTV?

While you can't use a real word processing program with WebTV, you can use some special webpages to type, view, and print out text or even HTML creations (these documents are temporary, and the sites are meant for use with a printer to make hard copy). To find out more, click here.

Nope. WebTV mail can only be retrieved from your very own WebTV box. The Fetch feature can be used to get mail from a mail service that is POP3-compliant–WebTV isn't, and AOL isn't either. For more about this and other mail-related stuff, visit this page.

If I switch from a Classic to a new Classic, Plus, or Dishplayer, will I lose my users' E-mail and Favorites?

Nope. When you connect your new unit (if you had a password on the primary user account of the Classic) you should be asked whether you're switching from an old box to a new one, and you'll be given the chance to switch your user accounts instantly to the new unit. If this doesn't happen, call 1-800-469-3288 and they'll do the box switch for you while you wait.

To learn how to get one, click here; to find out where to get one, click here.

My wireless keyboard's keys are sticking. What can I do to fix this?

Stuff gets under the keys, eventually. Try turning the keyboard upsidedown and banging on it (not too hard). You can carefully pry the keys off (working from either side gently) and brush out any debris you find there. Don't use oil or WD-40 on your keyboard, because they eat polycarbonate plastic!

What the heck is "HTML"? What's "ICQ"? "Java"? Geez!

The world of the Internet and computers is loaded with specialized words, which you're better of knowing (or knowing how to look up). For info on where to look for this stuff, click here.

No, WebTV terminals have their own browser, the WebTV browser (codenamed "bowser" after Phil Goldman's lucky rabbit...or was it Bruce's?)–and WebTV couldn't download Netscape or use it (it's designed for computer use).

Can I write to computer users using HTML in my e-mail?

While you can write using HTML, many computer users will have some difficulty seeing the effects of your HTML–or even reading the text of your message. However, if you want to learn how to use HTML in mail and newsgroup posts, click here.

What the heck is that little red, square light down by the up and down arrows at the bottom of my screen?

That red square means you have your Caps Lock on, everything you type WILL LOOK LIKE THIS until you hit Caps Lock again. (Side note: leaving Caps Lock on does not run down your wireless keyboard's batteries).

Even the original Plus model isn't heavy enough to anchor a boat.

Nothing, nada, no kidding. The Fn key has no function or purpose at this time; anything you can do with the Fn key will work just as well without it.

All WebTV users love okra, or know how to cook with it a hundred different ways, or are at the least ambivalent about it (except papapat).