Stories of Your Life Troubleshooting and Useful Tips

This document contains information that will help you troubleshoot the Stories of Your Life application, as well as useful tips to make your experience more enjoyable.


If you are connected to the internet, you can follow the link below to view up to date troubleshooting and tips on the Stories of Your Life website.

Troubleshooting

  1. How can I save my assembled story?
    You can save your assembled story by clicking on Favorites/add to favorites and click on Make available Offline.
  2. I cannot navigate within the program using the Tab key.
    Navigation via tabbing is not supported in this software.
  3. I cannot attach my photos using the Media Palette.
    If you experience difficulty in placing your JPG pictures into the Media Palette, it is most likely a progressive/non-progressive photo format issue. Overcome this problem by opening the photo in MS PhotoEditor or any resident photo-editing program and re-save the file as a JPG.
  4. The scroll wheel on my mouse does not work.
    Using the scroll wheel on an enhanced mouse will not allow you to scroll in this software.
  5. Where are my answers stored?
    The data file containing all the information you have entered is located in your "Stories of Your Life" folder inside data/answers/. It is important to back up the "answers" directory to protect your data.
  6. How do I back-up my story?
    Locate the "answers" folder located inside the data folder in the "Stories of Your Life" folder and back it up to a CD-R or other media. See the "Backing Up Info and Data" tutorial for more information.
  7. The window is too big/small on my screen.
    The size of your "Stories of your Life" window will depend on the size and resolution of your monitor. This software product was built for minimum 800 x 600 screen resolution. You can change your screen resolution by right-clicking on your desktop; choosing Properties; and then select the Settings tab. You will find a slider to enable you to increase or decrease your screen resolution.
  8. How can I print only the answers I wish to share?
    You can Mark the questions you want to share and print only those questions. See "About Marking Questions" in the tutorial section of your software. This feature is available so you have control over what information you share with others. It is a built-in discretionary measure.
  9. I do not see my photos in my assembled story.
    Your Media (Audio; Photo; Video) can only be viewed in the electronic version. It cannot be e-mailed or printed.
  10. I e-mailed my story and the recipient cannot see the Photos or Videos I included in my story.
    Media will not be e-mailed with your assembled story. It is only available for viewing in the electronic version.
  11. My story assembles, but all I see is a blank page.
    Check that Internet Explorer 5.5 or better is set to be your default browser.
  12. The "Stories of Your Life" window disappeared.
    If you can no longer see the "Stories of Your life" window, it is most likely behind another window that has opened on your desktop. You can use Alt-Tab to switch between active windows. OR, simply click on the button that says "Stories of Your Life" located on the task bar at the bottom of your screen OR, close the window on top to expose the "Stories Of Your Life" window.
  13. My story takes a long time to assemble.
    Depending on the amount of data being assembled, the assembly process can take several minutes. This is also a function of the CPU speed and amount of memory you have on your computer. A system at the low end of the "minimum system requirements" will take much longer to generate your story than one at, or above the "recommended system requirements."
  14. What browser should I be using?
    MS Internet Explorer 5.5 or better must be set as your default browser
  15. I restored from a backup, and now my media isn't displaying properly.
    This is probably due to broken links between your story and the media files you have accessed from your computer's hard drive. To avoid this, create a folder specifically for the media files you are using in your story and put them in it. TIP: it is a good idea to create this folder within the Data folder of "Stories of Your Life" so that when you back up your Data folder, the media files will be included in that back-up.
  16. I had a story e-mailed to me and I cannot read it.
    If this is the case, viewing HTML pages may be disabled on your computer. Enable viewing HTML pages in your e-mail settings on your e-mail client.

Tips

  1. Skip the Intro.
    Press escape to skip the introductory sequence.
  2. Grouping your media files.
    You may wish to set up a directory on your computer in which to place all of the media files you wish to include in your story. This will make it easier to back up the media, and will make restoring from a back up much simpler. See "I restored from a backup, and now my media isn't displaying properly" above. It is a good idea to create this folder within the Data folder of "Stories of Your Life" so that when you back up your Data folder, the media files will be included in that back-up.