Answers to Common Questions and Problems

1. When I try to download a file, all I get is gibberish on my screen that looks like the following:
   
   MThdãv b#z�H(tm)*7(‰*7�H(tm)EO<�H(tm)E(EF=O @_ Ec!�=O @_ Ecx�E^ @Q
   
   Solution: When selecting the file, hold down the SHIFT key (for PC) or the OPTIONS key (for Mac).
    
2. I've downloaded a karaoke song; now what do I do?
   
   Answer: To use the karaoke file, you must have a karaoke player. See the recommended software section. 
    
3. The file I downloaded has the ZIP extension. How do I uncompress it?
   
   Answer: If you're using a PC, you need decompression software like PKZIP available from Pkware or WinZip, available at www.winzip.com.
   
   If you are using a Mac, you need StuffIt Expander 4.x, which is available from www.aladdinsys.com/index.html. 
    
4. Can I play the ST3 format on my Mac?
   
    Answer: No. The ST3 is a proprietary format and is currently only supported in Windows.
    
5. Can I convert an ST3 file to the KAR format?
   
   Answer: No. The ST3 is a proprietary format and uses a special compression that permanently changes the characteristics of the file. It cannot be converted back to KAR.
    
6. How can I identify if a song is in the KAR or ST3 format before I download it?
   
   Answer: The ST3 formatted songs will be underlined in cyan, and the KAR files will be underlined in yellow .
    
7. Can I convert a KAR file to ST3 to use the added features of ST3?
   
   Answer: Yes. In the lyric edit section of Star3 or RealOrche, you can save the KAR as an ST3.
    
8. Is it possible to convert a KAR and/or ST3 file back to MID so I can play the file in my MIDI software?
   
   Answer: Most of the KAR files can be simply renamed from FILENAME.KAR to FILENAME.MID and they will load and play in most MIDI software. Because of the special compression of the ST3 format, you cannot do this with ST3.
    
9. Can I anonymous FTP files from the library?
   
   Answer: Sorry, Simplenet, my ISP, has no anonymous FTP capabilities right now.
    
10. Can I download all of the songs in your library in one large zipped file?
    
    Answer: Not currently. The server we are on is getting pretty slow and this would take unfair bandwidth away from others trying to download individual files.
     
11. Can I send a donation to help with FTP storage space?
    
    Answer: NO. Since this did not work for Kenny, we see no point in asking for donations.
     
12. When I play the karaoke songs, why does it sound so cheesy, toy-like or bad?
    
    Answer: These karaoke songs are made with MIDI files. The sound quality depends on your system not the quality of the file. Please see the technical information page for more information [tech info page]
     
13. The files I download are not opening correctly in my karaoke player. I'm getting a message that the player cannot handle the file or that it's corrupted or that there's a missing track.
    
    Answer: You are probably using Netscape and downloading a file in uncompressed format (i.e., not Zipped.)? MS Explorer doesn't seem to do this. I believe that the root cause of this is that Netscape, in its MIME configuration, is not setup, by default, to recognize KAR or ST3 formats. Therefore, it saves them as ASCII and not the desired binary. If you find the file in your cache, you will see that it is not the same size as as the file that was saved to your hard disk (usually about 100 bytes larger).
    
    To fix this, either download the Zipped version (if available) or configure Netscape to recognize KAR and ST3 as audio formats. (Also, PC users can try right-clicking and selecting SAVE AS). To make Netscape recognize the "KAR" and "ST3" format, selection "Options" and then "General Preferences" from the Netscape menu. Next, select "Helper Apps" from the tab bar. Scroll down until the file type is "Audio". Select X-wav and "wav" will appear in the "file extensions:" box. Next to "wav" add " ,kar,st3 " - with no spaces. Now, restart Netscape. You will still need to hold the SHIFT key when you select the file, but it will save the file as a binary and not as an ASCII file. For more info on this issue, read Netscape's own report on it here.
     
14. My favorite song is "Return of the Rubber Bullet." Do you have this song? Or- Do you know where I can find more Country and Western songs?
    
    Answer: All public-domain, English-language MIDI-karaoke files that I know of have been included in my existing list of files- regardless of genre. Links to other sites that have non-English MIDI-karaoke files are listed in my MIDI-karaoke Links area.
     
15. Can I send you a MIDI-karaoke song that I made to be included in the MIDI-Karaoke library?
    
    Answer: Yes, please do. This is the life blood for karaoke fans all over the world. E-mail the song to Contributions. 
     
16. I have a problem with a file, it is missing or corrupted, etc.,
    
    In this case please email us and tell us from which site you downloaded the file.

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