Common Questions

Quick Links

Help page for the
"Success in the SLN Classroom"
CD-ROM

This page is to help you with common technical questions about how to get the "Success in the SLN Classroom" CD-ROM to work correctly. If you have technical questions about your SLN course, contact the SLN Help Desk at 800.875.6269 or Helpdesk@sln.suny.edu. Or, if you have questions pertaining to the content of the course itself, contact your professor.

  • How do I use the "Success in the SLN" Classroom CD-ROM?

    Press the Open/Close button on your computer's CD drive. Place the CD-ROM with the colored side upward in the CD drive tray (if you have a vertically-mounted CD drive, place it with the colored side outward). Press the Open/Close button again to close the CD drive. The CD drive will detect that the CD-ROM is there, and it should automatically open to the "Table of Contents" page (this may take 10 seconds or so).

  • What if the CD-ROM doesn't automatically open to the "Table of Contents" page?

    In Windows: On your Windows Desktop, open (i.e. double-click) "My Computer," and then, in the "My Computer" window, open the drive letter of the CD drive containing the CD-ROM (you should see the title of the disc, "Success", next to the drive's letter). From there, open the file "index.htm".
    In MacOS: After inserting the CD-ROM in your computer's CD drive, an icon should appear on your MacOS Desktop with the CD-ROM's name, "Success" (this may take 10 seconds or so). Open this icon (i.e. double-click on it), and then open the file "index.htm".

  • What if I don't hear any sound when the video clips on the CD-ROM are playing?

    First, check to make sure that your speakers are correctly connected to your computer, and that the volume knob on the speakers is turned on.
    Second, make sure that the volume is turned up and not muted in your computer itself:
    - In Windows, usually you'll do this by clicking on the icon for your sound controller in the System Tray (in the bottom, right-hand corner of the screen), and a sliding bar will appear that controls volume, along with a check-box for turning "Mute" on and off - make sure that the "Mute" check-box is not checked, and that the volume is turned up (usually you'll want it from 2/3 to all the way up). If this isn't the case for your computer, you'll have to consult your computer's Help menus.
    - In MacOS, go into your "Control Panels" to the "Sound" control panel, and make sure the "Mute" box isn't checked, and that the "Volume" slider is turned up (usually you'll want it from 2/3 to all the way up).
    Third, make sure that the volume is turned up and not muted within the program that is playing the video clip. If you're not sure how to do this, consult the program's Help menu.
    Fourth, if you've tried all of these and you still aren't hearing anything, you may have problems with your sound card and/or speakers. In that case, there are Closed Captions for the video clips that may be turned on through Windows Media Player. There is a link at the bottom of the "Table of Contents" page that will tell you how to turn them on. Or, if you don't have Windows Media Player, or would prefer a written copy of the video clips' content, you can click here for a printable transcript of the videos.

  • What if the video and/or audio on the video clips starts and stops periodically?

    Although video on a computer doesn't always play as smoothly as video that you're watching on a TV screen, sometimes it can slow down to the point that it is unwatchable. When this happens with these clips, it's usually either a slow CD drive, or a slow computer or video card. If you experience these problems, we suggest copying the entire contents of the CD to a new folder in your computer's hard drive (this will require a little over 400Mb of free space), and then clicking on the "index.htm" file that is in that folder. If this still doesn't help, your computer or video card may be too slow to watch the video clips, and you may have to watch them on a different computer (for instance, in MCC's Electronic Learning Centers).

  • How can I make the video so that it fills the full screen?

    Although you can blow-up the video to full-screen size, the video may appear slightly out-of-focus. This is because the individual dots, or pixels, in the picture are blown-up to be small squares. To make the video full-screen:
    - In Windows Media Player, while holding down the "Alt" key, hit the "Enter" key. This will toggle the full-screen mode on and off. Since there are no longer any menus when you go into full-screen mode, you'll need to remember that you have hit "Alt-Enter" again to return to the regular mode.
    - In QuickTime, go to the "Movie" menu, and select "Fill Screen." You can return to the normal size by going to "Movie" and then "Normal Size."
    - In Real Player, go to the "View" menu, and select "Full Screen." Since there are no longer any menus when you go into full-screen mode, you'll need to remember that you have hit the "Esc" key to return to regular size.

  • How do I eject the CD-ROM?

    In Windows: push the "Open/Close" button on the front of your CD drive.
    In MacOS: drag the "Success" icon on your MacOS desktop and place it on top of the "Trash" icon.

  • Does it matter if I have a CD-RW drive rather than CD-ROM drive in my computer?

    No. The "Success in the SLN Classroom" CD-ROM should work equally well in either one.

  • What do I do if my "Success in the SLN Classroom" CD-ROM is damaged or gets lost?

    There is an Internet version available of all the content on the CD-ROM. You should only use it if you can't get access to another copy of the CD-ROM, since it will involve some time for your computer to download the files, which may be a considerable if you have a slow internet connection. Click here to access the web version of the "Success in the SLN Classroom CD." There is also a transcript available of the narration of the video clips. Click here for a printable transcript of the videos.

  • What if none of the above suggestions work?

    You can click here to write us an email describing the problem with your "Success in the SLN Classroom" CD-ROM. Please thoroughly describe your problem and the steps you took to try and solve it. Also give us a thorough description of your computer, including the CPU speed, the type of video card, the operating system, the CD drive, and the program that you're using to open these video clips.

Copyright 2002, MCC Video Productions
Content by Jeremy Case, Cathryn Smith, and Randy Rezabek
Webpage designed by Jeremy Case