(but sorry, we cannot provide technical assistance for users of PRAXIS in the Free/Demo versions)

If you are seeking technical assistance with PRAXIS/AudPod and your computer, having the following information ready may save time for everyone involved:

In all cases, please provide:

• The PRAXIS version you are using (please try to use the most up to date version, dowloadable from here).

• What base Operating System that you are using (Windows XP, 2000, ME, or 98SE)

• Your processor speed in MHz

! You can find all the above from the "Help, About" menu of Praxis' Main Form !

• The text of any error messages or error reports that you experience with the problem.

• What you are attempting to do when the problem occurs, and the main settings that are being used (Acquisition type, Stimulus type, whether you are using a Script or Measurement Guide,   -and what exactly appears to not be working).  

• Even more helpful, please report what DOES happen -- do you get error messages, or a crash, or does the program appear to work normally except for one thing, or do other odd things happen?

• Please provide more information than just "doesn't work right when measuring" or "fails while calibrating"  -there is no way to troubleshoot such a vague report!  IF YOUR PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING A SCRIPT, PLEASE GIVE THE ENTIRE NAME OF THE SCRIPT.  

• Please remember that many people use PRAXIS in many different ways, for many different purposes, and on many different hardware combinations.  We may not be looking at the system the same way your are.  We need to be able to duplicate what you are trying to do as exactly as possible if we are to resolve the problem.

If PRAXIS seems unable to work with your soundcard or to complete a soundcard calibration process, these will also help :

• The service pack level (and version details) of your operating system.  And please make sure your OS is up to date with all Microsoft service patches!

• The amount of RAM memory in your machine

!  You can usually obtain the above  information by right-clicking on your "My Computer" icon and then selecting "properties", and then the "General" tab. !

• The soundcard brand and model number you are attempting to use. --VERY IMPORTANT--.

• It may be helpful to have  information about the chipsets used in your computer's mother board (VIA, INTEL, etc).  This may be available in your computer's documentation or manual, or via the Windows Device Manager.  Mostly needed for USB, PCMCIA or Firewire connected soundcards.

• Information about the brand name and model number, or motherboard model number of your computer may be helpful.

• If you are experiencing a USB soundcard problem, report any known information about the USB Host controller chip used in your motherboard.  This information is usually available from the Windows Device Manager, under the  Universal Serial Bus Controllers section.  To find the Windows Device Manager, right-click on your "My Computer" icon and then select "properties", and then select Device Manager (or Hardware, then Device Manager).

If you are experiencing soundcard calibration failures (in the PRAXIS Calibration Wizard) please see the following:

• Provide us with information about the step at which calibration fails (after adjusting record mixer, after adjusting play mixer, before any adjustments, etc.). Make sure that you are following directions about mixer settings during that process -- in particular, that mixer levels are high in the step that happens before the vertical bar graphs are shown!
  

• ****In difficult cases:  PRAXIS logs information at each step of the calibration process to files on your hard disk.  The files can be found in the directory (or folder) "C:\Program Files\Praxis\AudPodMixer", which you can reach using the Windows Explorer or the "My Computer" icon. The file related to the most recent calibration attempt is "CALLOG1.TXT" and is an ASCII text file that can be opened and inspected or printed from your Windows Notepad application (double click on the file name to open them).  This file can be emailed to us, or its contents printed and faxed to us -- this can help us  in determining what is going wrong.  This info logging is more detailed when using Praxis versions 1.81 or later.

Please recognize that compatibility issues, beyond our control, can occur between computer motherboards, device drivers, USB ports, and soundcards and other peripherals.  While we try to test PRAXIS with various operating systems and  recommended soundcards under many configurations, we still cannot begin to cover even a small fraction of all the possible combinations and thus cannot guarantee that all combinations will be usable.