We understand that making use of new technology can be challenging for all of us. That's why we have created this help section explaining how to download and install PalTalk, as well as some of the challenges to watch out for.

1. Download: On the download page, click the words Download Now next to the green icon. You will be taken to another page and the download should begin automatically. You will be asked to either open it or save it to disk, select Save To Disk and hit OK. It will then ask you where to save it; for now you can save it to the Desktop.
2. Install: Go to the Desktop and look for a file with a name similar to "pal_install_qt_r1215.exe". Double-click this file to begin installing. The files will be automatically installed for you. When complete, PalTalk will present you with a welcome message. Select "I am a new Paltalk user."
3. Create an Account: You will be asked several questions. These will include choosing a user name and password, as well as specifying your name and email address. Please be sure to make sure all of the offers at the bottom are not selected (do not have a checkmark in the box next to them). As with many free programs these days, Paltalk is supported by advertising, and if these are installed, you will have spyware on your computer and will receive junk e-mails.
4. Join Our Room: On the Paltalk Messenger screen, just below where it says "57,629 members are presently using rooms", you will see two tabs. The first one is called "Chat Rooms", the second one "Pals". Open the "Chat Rooms" tab and you will see the headings; Favorites, My Room, Private Room, Rooms. Click on "Rooms". Another window will now open with list of different Room Categories. Part way down please find and click on "Learning and Universities". Another window with a list of rooms will open. Click on "Study Groups". Several room names will appear in the list. Double click on "Self-Discovery Class - A Course in Miracles". You will then be asked for a password. This password will be supplied to you after you contact us and let us know you are studying the Course.
5. Speak Up!: To talk to the group, either press the green "Hold to Talk" button, or hold down the CTRL key in the lower-left hand corner of your keyboard.

That's it! You should now be able to join doug, linda, and the rest of the class in studying and learning the Course. If something doesn't work, take a look at some common problems and solutions below.

I can hear everyone else, but they can't hear me.

Chances are this is the first time you've used a microphone with your computer—in fact, you may have bought one just for this class. This means your volume settings probably aren't quite right, so we'll start by checking those.

1. First, make sure you microphone is plugged into the Mic In connector on the back of your computer. This should be a small (1/8") round plug, which is usually colored pink.
2. To set your volume, look for an icon of a speaker in the System Tray in the very bottom-right hand corner of your screen. Double click this to open the Volume Control. If you can't find it here, you should also be able to find it in the Start menu under Programs -> Accessories -> Entertainment -> Volume Control.
3. You will now be looking at all of the sliders to control the volume that you hear each of the different types of sound coming out of your speakers. However, you want to adjust the volume at which it records sound. To do this, go to the Options menu and select Properties. A small window should come up. In the section labelled "Adjust volume for", select "Recording". Below this is a list of the volume controls that will be shown to you. Make sure "Mic" or "Microphone" is in this list and has a checkmark in the box next to it (click on the box if there isn't). Press OK when you're done.
4. Go back to the Options menu once more and if there is a menu choice named "Advanced Controls" that isn't grayed out and doesn't have a checkmark next to it, select it from the menu.
5. Now look for the slider labelled "Mic" or "Microphone". Make sure that the "Select" box at the below the slider has a checkmark in it so that the computer will actually be recording from the microphone. Drag the slider all the way to the top and try talking to somebody on Paltalk. Ask them if your voice is too quiet or too loud. Don't be surprised if you can't hear yourself in the speakers—this is normal. Adjust the volume as necessary.
6. If your voice still isn't loud enough, click the Advanced button below the slider (if there is one). A window will come up with several options. If you see a checkbox near the bottom labelled "Microphone Boost" or "+20dB Gain", make sure that it is selected. You will probably have to turn your microphone's volume down to about 3/4 after selecting this.
7. When speaking into the microphone, make sure your mouth is only a couple of inches from the microphone. It's best to keep the tip of the microphone just below your bottom lip to avoid loud puffs and pops from being heard as you speak.
8. If none of these suggestions helps, it may very well be that computers simply aren't designed with a lot of emphasis on recording. Both microphones and sound cards are usually designed as an after-thought, and as a result, they are no where near the quality of a typical stage microphone. Using a good sound card, a good microphone, or even a headset microphone (headphones with a built in microphone) may help to solve the problems. Ask your local computer service center for more information on these.

When I talk I can hear myself very loud in the speakers, or I hear a constant, loud, annoying sound (feedback).

This can happen if your sound card is set to playback on the speakers what it hears in the microphone. The microphone picks up what comes out of the speakers and this is amplified, causing a loud, annoying sound termed "feedback". This is very easy to fix.

1. Follow the instructions above to open the Volume Control, except instead of selecting "Recording" under "Adjust volume for", select "Playback" instead.
2. Under the slider labelled "Mic" or "Microphone", make sure the box next to "Mute" has a checkmark in it (click on the box to add or remove the checkmark). Alternatively, you can drag the slider down until the problem goes away. However, we recommend just using Mute, since hearing yourself speak is usually more distracting than helpful.

People can hear me, but they can't understand me. My voice is distorted.

This can be caused by three things. One possibility is that your Recording volume is set too high. See the first problem, "Nobody can hear me", for information on adjusting your volume. Also, try positioning the microphone two inches away from your mouth, just below your bottom lip. Lastly, if you have adjusted the volume as high as you can, but it still comes out quiet, then it will probably sound distorted too. This is where a good quality sound card and microphone will help.

I can't join the room in Paltalk because it won't accept my password.

Make sure you have contacted us and let us know that you would like to join the Self-Discovery Class. We will send you back an e-mail welcoming you to the group and providing you with the password to the room. If you have already received this password, make sure that Caps Lock isn't turned on, since passwords are case-sensitive. If this doesn't help, try copying and pasting the password from the e-mail into Paltalk.

If none of the above suggestions were able to help solve your problem, feel free to contact us with your questions. We are here to help you anyway we can. At times we may encounter technical challenges with Paltalk and our own computers. We will make the best of these opportunities in applying the Course.