Issue: Problem with the Flash
Chat Monitor
Also Known As:
Flash Chat Monitor keeps
blinking so I can't type
Flash Chat Monitor keeps
jumping
I lose my cursor and what
I'm typing
The Flash Chat Monitor refreshes every 4 seconds.
What does it look like?
The behavior tends to
appear when you pick up your first chat patron.
The screen shots below are the frames of the Flash Chat Monitor that will repeatedly jump or blink, making it difficult or impossible for you to select scripts, type messages, or use other chat features.
It should be noted that the center frame won’t reset and your session time continues to update as it should at the top of the monitor.
What causes this?
In April 2006, Microsoft released a security update that changed how Internet Explorer handled technologies such as Flash. Specifically, the change was to ActiveX (See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/912812 for further technical details on this change).
ActiveX is the name for the technologies used by the Windows operating system to manage and control the way programs interact with each other. Soon after the change, Microsoft pulled it due to issues surrounding its unintended impact on sites that use Internet Explorer's ActiveX controls to call programs such as Flash.
Because Microsoft issued the original security update in April to comply legally with a patent held by EOLAS (Embedded Objects Linked Across Systems), Inc., the update had to be re-released on June 14, 2006. (See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/912945/en-us#kb1 for more details on the specific changes to Internet Explorer as well as the known issues with this change.)
Whether or not your computer is using the June 14 version depends on how it has been configured by your IT administrator to receive Microsoft updates.
If the security update was installed on your computer, you may experience unexpected behavior in Flash-based applications, similar to what we describe above.
How do I deal with this
behavior if it occurs?
If you experience this behavior, click X in the Flash Chat Monitor's browser window to close the Flash Chat Monitor. Next, click on 'Launch Flash Chat', which reopens the Flash Chat Monitor and will allow you to re-establish your chat session with your patron.
What are some steps to
prevent this from happening?
Perform the following steps:
1. Request that your IT department update your Java software to version 1.5 if you are using the Sun Virtual Machine as there is a known issue with the change and Java version 1.4.
2. Update your Macromedia Flash player to the most current version listed on Adobe's web site by visiting http://www.adobe.com/ and clicking on the "Get Macromedia Flash Player" icon.
3. After the chat monitor loads, click one time on any part of the monitor (such as the white space under the words "Waiting for a selected chat session…".) This turns on the ActiveX control. After that, you may select a patron.
If you still encounter the problem:
Please contact Customer Service directly at 1.800.848.5800 or by e-mail at [email protected] . Please provide as much detail as possible when reporting your issue so that our development team may better pinpoint the exact cause.
What is QuestionPoint doing to correct this if it is still happening?
QuestionPoint put a fix into May’s install to specifically accommodate Microsoft’s mandated security update in April. This appeared to resolve the problem. Since then, Microsoft has backed out and re-issued the update, leaving us uncertain about why the blinking and jumping monitor may still be happening to some users. The development team is currently examining recent reports to determine if the problem has recurred because of further modifications Microsoft may have made to its June 14 update. We hope to share more information with you very soon.
David Leslie
QuestionPoint
Product Support &
Implementation Analyst
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