Members Only audio won't play

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Symptom: Links do not work when you try to use the on line audio lectures on the Handiham website.  To test this, check out the weekly e-letter audio link below. 

Via MP3 stream:
http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.m3u

Next, there is a link directly to the MP3 audio file. When you click this link and nothing seems to happen, it is probably not because there is anything wrong, but because the file is large and it may take several minutes to download on a slower Internet connection.  If you want to save the file to your hard drive, you should right click on it and choose "save target as", then tell it where to save and what filename.  This is useful for listening later, or to place the audio on your portable MP3 player. Here is where you can download the weekly e-letter audio in MP3:
http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.mp3

Okay, what happened? 

Did you hear the audio stream?  Next, check to make sure your speakers are turned on and not muted. Sometimes people leave headphones connected, which mutes the speaker. If that is the case, try lisening through your computer's headphones.

Still no audio?  Perhaps you do not have an audio player installed and configured correctly. 

• Windows users will likely be using Windows Media Player. It comes with Windows and can play the MP3 audio that we use on the Handiham website. If you do not have Windows Media Player installed, or need help configuring it, there are download links and help links on the Microsoft website here:
  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/windows-media  
  
• Another popular free media player is called Winamp. It is easy for blind users to operate.  It may be found at: 
  http://www.winamp.com/
  
• Mac users (and many Windows users) use Apple QuickTime or iTunes to play MP3 audio. The download site is here: 
  http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

Another possibility is that a link you have saved on your Windows desktop or in your browser favorites is outdated. Websites, ours included, do move files around and this may cause your links to quit working. Be sure you have the correct links.  

Sometimes browsers are set to "cache" web pages to save download times, especially on slower dial-up connections. Cached web pages may have outdated links. The solution is to use the "refresh" command in your browser's menu items.  In most web browsers, like Internet Explorer or Firefox, the refresh is done by pressing the F5 key near the top of the keyboard. Refresh, then re-try the links.

If e-letter audio is now working, return to the Audio This Week page for the most current links to audio lectures and magazines read for our blind members. 

We hope this solves your problem. If you continue to have problems opening audio links to the weekly e-letter, please email us at: patt@couragecenter.org and describe in detail what happens when you try to follow a link. 

This page was updated on 11/29/2010 .